Slowly, Katherine's gloved fingers wandered over his back. The leather lacked her usual warmth, almost invoking a shiver."Disgust me?" she repeated. "No... no, they never did.""Then why did you hesitate just now?" He glanced back over his shoulder, and when he saw her averting his eyes, the line of his jaw ticked. "I dislike lies more than hard truths, especially if I expected the latter.""It's not a lie!" Indignation swung in her tone before she exhaled to disperse it. "It's just... I know it's akin to a death spell on you, a life-long illness that can never be cured. I just feel guilty that I like it too much, okay?"Stumped, he could only stare at her."Damn," she muttered under her breath and rubbed her face, but it only worsened the blush on her cheeks. Defiantly, she met his gaze this time. "Are you satisfied now? Believe me that it doesn't disgust me? Because if you don't, I would very much like to kiss every inch of this pattern. Don't underestima
"The gate to magic lies near the heart", Katherine mumbled and pressed her hands against her chest. "This is where magic originates from and mixes with the physical world."Under her hands, a light pulsed to life. She held it in place, not letting it wander from the middle of her chest as she waited for the pain and nausea to hit. Even with closed eyes, she felt Nathaniel's intense gaze on her and giggled nervously. "I... I think it's okay. I'm alright. I'll let it spread a little... only upwards."The glow turned brighter as it reached the neckline of her blouse, stretching over a greater expanse of skin. "It's... difficult. I'm not used to controlling its flow so much. But I think I can manage - ah."The small sound was caused by one of Nathaniel's hands that found her butt, gently caressing it. Her eyes sprang open. Her husband still leaned back on one arm, his gaze fixated on her with the intense patience of a predator waiting for the bird to land close by. A shiv
She licked the drop, yet the soothing coolness of her tongue did not graze his burning skin even slightly. This woman was playing with him again, and part of him wondered if she'd learned enough to make him beg. Excitement prickled like champagne through his veins at the thought. Their eyes met, and she licked the last of the drop from her pink lips before giving her judgment with a sly grin. "Salty. A bit bitter, like dark chocolate. Maybe I should sprinkle it with sugar next time... what do you think?" While talking, her fingers crawled along his sides to pull his trousers over his hips. Then, they nimbly slipped below to weigh his balls. He could see her delicate thumb caressing the reddened skin, and consequently, he was too occupied to answer. She didn't need an answer anyway. Instead, her head lowered again, and her lips met the tip of his length in a shallow kiss. His hands clenched around the beddings, barely stopping himself from thrusting upward. As her
Nathaniel awoke early the next morning, as was his routine. Careful not to wake his wife, he only gently brushed some tousled black hairs from her cheeks, before dressing, and leaving the tent. He assumed that pregnant women had every right to start the day late.Outside, the sun already warmed the moist morning air, and birds chirped in the crowns of towering beech, oak, and maple trees. When he strained his ears, Nathaniel could also make out the cackle of the campfire that was held alive by the Nightwatch, accompanied by some quiet conversations.Just when his long legs started moving in that direction, he heard something else. Steps, coming from the woods. Warily, he peeked along the row of tents to the patrol team and saw one man raising his arm as a signal. Though it was not yet a sign of distress, Nathaniel's legs brought him in the direction of the newcomers, one hand wandering to the hilt of his sword.Reaching the patrol man's side, he could make out three f
Nathaniel tilted his head, then took another step and sat beside her. "How do you feel today?" She blinked, and her one hand wandered to her stomach. "Nauseous. Anxious. Angry. Confused. I... I didn't get to tell you yet, because so much happened at once. It was inside the carriage, right before the attack, I... I think I tried to kill him." Nathaniel gave his best to hide his surprise. Besides his wife, there was just one other person inside the carriage, so there was no use asking who she meant. It made sense, in a way. She always said that she would kill her cousin. Still, he'd assumed it would take more than the opportunity for Katherine to resort to violence. "You think? Or you did?" "I..." Katherine blinked rapidly. There were no tears in her eyes, only a frown forming on her forehead. "I think I did. Yes, I did. I was so angry and annoyed that I just lashed out at him. I hit him right in the chest, again and again. I know how to fight now. The dagger should hav
The situation outside was unchanged unless one counted the scratches and spit stains on the captured Duke. He didn't look up or react to the shaming in any way until the crowd had somewhat calmed down. Then he raised his head just enough to stare at the tent. An unholy glitter entered his muddy brown eyes when it remained unmoved for too long. The hands behind his back clenched."Where are you looking?" Frey's slap turned his face sideways and a red patch formed on his cheek.Instead of retaliating, the Duke licked his cracked lips and used the new head position to stare around his temporary holder, again at the tent."Hey!" Agitated, Frey reached out, about to grab the hair of the kneeling man and make him notice him. He deserved a response for all the years of torture and forced service. Yet, something made him hesitate, and he only huffed. "Why do I feel like the bad guy now? No fun. It should be different."Frey could see the exact moment when the tent opened
"Why are you here?" The brows of the Duke of Sleipnir rose as the question was thrown at him like a dead, stinking fish. "That would be my question, my dearest cousin. You were the ones that captured and brought me here, to this... beautiful lonely island." He looked about as he said so, seeing that there was not even a tree and only three square meters of space. The island rested inside a small lake, the inflow of it being the water source of the camp. Newly appointed guards stood in call distance on the shoreline. Katherine, who sat in the boat that brought them here together with her husband, looked at Ethan with derision as she folded her arms. "If you want to play dumb, you can do so on your own. Tell me: Why are you here? And while you're at it, spit out some details about your dealings with the organization named Loki. Else - " "What, else?" Ethan broke her off with a curious face. It was hard to tell if the emotion was real or just mockery. "How will you
Thinking that he had the higher hand in the deal again, Ethan came to his feet and brushed off his clothes. They remained dirty nonetheless, earthen and ashen stains painting the beige shirt and brown overcoat down to the ornamented shoes. His face said that he was disappointed in the distrust that was shown him, but everyone in attendance knew that it was well-deserved. Well, maybe everyone but him. "What proof do you think I can get my hands on here? I can tell you that the leader calls himself Ve, but how will you confirm it? If you want to know where he is, you just need to trust me." Katherine exchanged a gaze with Nathaniel. Then, for the first time, it was the man who spoke. "No, thanks." And that was the only thing he uttered before he pushed the boat off the shore again, this time stronger and fast enough that the stunned Ethan couldn't react in time. Left behind on the island, Ethan was flabbergasted. Then he called after them: "Hey, what's with the deal? I
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr