Veille’s stunning looks and dark sensuality are apparent to everyone, even from a young age. Born into an aristocratic estate alongside many other children, Veille has very little understanding of his parentage – or even of his purpose – within this opulent place, and all of its seedy clientele… That is, until the dark intentions behind his upbringing are revealed to him as he grows older, and there is little that he, or anyone else, can do to fight against it. Veille’s fortunes change upon his 18th birthday, however, when he takes advantage of a miraculous opportunity to escape from a dreadful fate, along with his two closest friends: a beauty of a woman who is several years beyond him, and a secretive but kind young man closer to his own age. Fleeing from the possessive and vengeful Madam Dro, the owner of the Estate, Veille and his friends must first learn to survive in a world that is totally unfamiliar to them… But soon the three become embroiled in a conflict the stakes of which are higher than even the ancestral Witches of Pulla’ul can fully understand. And Veille – thanks to his strange affinity with the Fae through an experience known only to a few – may just hold the key to undoing an unspeakable evil that is about to be unleashed upon the world. Enter the Greenling.
View MoreI practically sprinted back into the lunch room where the others were setting their plates aside. All faces turned to look at me abruptly, some looking alarmed; even Dornell’s eyes were wider than usual.I gave them all a gigantic smile, and I truly meant it.Elodie glided over to me with astounding speed. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried about you, what happened?”“Veille wasn’t back yet?” I heard Syrieze mumble to Torvis, who shrugged. I ignored them both.“I met with Severo! He told me so many things, like how he and Threwon actually want to help us escape. But that’s not all; he also said it will be a lot ha
“There are things going on within these walls that you don’t know about. I didn’t, either, and I’m probably still not even supposed to. But I’ve seen things, Veille – things I’ve only witnessed by living as long as I have and wandering where I’m not supposed to. Perhaps Madam Dro and the other administrators see no harm in one old, foolish man, and I aim to keep it that way. With any luck I’ll be able to take those things I’ve seen to my grave without it being any sooner for it. But there are some things you’ll need to know if you’re going to survive, you and all your young friends.”Severo’s hand began clenching my shoulder. It wasn’t a painful grip, not for me anyway, but still it surprised me with its strength. “Do you believe in sorcery, Veille? In magic? Well, you need to
“Severo!!!” I practically shouted. My mouth hung wide open. After nearly ten years without a word, standing there before me was the man I’d come to think of like a father. And he looked older; that told me I wasn’t insane.I stepped forward, tentatively – and a wonderful grin began to awaken upon my face, the first sign of life I’d felt all morning.“Quiet!” Maiden Threwon hissed at me. “Do you want everyone to hear?? This is a most inappropriate meeting.”Maiden Severo just continued to
The rest of the night passed fitfully for me. Upon waking to Dornell’s hands shaking me – having only just managed to close my eyes, it seemed – the stressful ambiguity of last night fell upon me like a mess of bodies. I probably screeched at my friend to shut up and let me go back to sleep, only to draw worried gazes from the rest of my bunk mates, but the whole waking part remains a little hazy for me.Put simply: it really sucked, and I felt like throwing up.“What happened??” Ellie demanded after I’d gotten my feet upon the floor again. Groggy, I stumbled over to the dresser and went about grabbing random articles of clothing.
I burst out laughing.Dornell frowned. “I’m serious!! There’s really just no other explanation. Unless somehow we were drugged, and a lot more time passed than we thought, then– ““I’m sorry, but is this really Dornell I’m talking to?!” I asked. “You know, my best friend, the one who always has a perfectly logical explanation whenever something weird is going on? Sorcery?? Gods! I never thought I’d say this, but I’d almost rather be talking to Torvis…”Torvis.I stopped laughing and looked my f
“Hey, Veille! Mind giving me a hand with my bed?”I sat up in my bunk and looked across the room. Torvis rarely said anything to me when it was just the two of us – and myself to him – but today, it seemed, that was due for a change.I swung my legs over and leapt down like I usually did. Today was a rest day; Mannerly Hall was apparently undergoing some maintenance, likely to refurbish the floors and swap out furniture and shelves. This sort of thing only happened once in a blue moon, and in fact, the last day off I could remember having – aside from our weekends – was during the last purge more than a year ago, when it seemed like half the Hall had been uprooted and exchanged overnight.It had taken me a while of scouting around to realize that mostly
Threwon and I stayed that way for what seemed like forever, until doors began to open and the shuffling of morning risers could be heard.She broke away from me abruptly, looking terrified. “What am I… Go back to your room! Now!”I hesitated. The Threwon I had known years ago was evident in her features, but a harsh tint of reality now began to return, and I feared that soon, the teacher I liked would again be replaced by our stern overseer.There was so much more to say, but not enough time. Time, damnit! Still, I managed to say the first thing that came to mind in a shaking voice: “So you really
“You know the one thing that gets under my skin the most? The way that you lie.”Maiden Threwon blinked at me. I balled my hands into fists and barrelled on: “Oh, I don’t mean all the meaningless things you tell us to keep us in the dark. Those things I can wrap my head around; perhaps you think of it as a mercy. Thanks for that. No; what I really hate about all of you maidens is the way you just. Simply. Squirm.’Threwon’s face had begun to take on a darker shade. Perhaps I owed her sleeplessness for the fact she hadn’t grabbed me by the ear and yan
I had woken up early that morning. Some unseen clock hand ticked past my head at a youthful hour, and without warning I was wide awake, blinking away the sand.I looked around to the windows of our bunk room. I still wasn’t entirely sure whether they opened onto the grounds of the Estate, or to some self-contained courtyard within its dimensions. Dornell would probably know. Either way, judging from the lighting filtering through it was just barely approaching dawn. Sleep had eluded me much of the night, as it often did these days. My shoulders creaked and I cursed under my breath as I swung my legs over the edge of my bunk, hoping not to wake Dornell. Half-hoping.I changed straight from my pajamas into my daywear. I felt in need of a nice hot bath, but also doubted I’d find the motivation to take one this morning anyway.
My first memory of love came around the time I was five, or maybe six, years old. I remember standing upon a balcony of the Northern Estate, peeking up over the banister and catching my first glimpse of the world that lay beyond. Granted, I couldn’t see much – and what I saw wasn’t exactly groundbreaking – but still, it was something more than I’d ever experienced since the first day I had waddled from my crib, taking to my knees as though they were hawk’s wings and soaring across the marble floors, or at least it was told to me that way.There were fields of green and gold waiting beyond the railing of that balcony. Servants worked in those fields, harvesting fruits and wheat and spices like torf; a
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