After a long journey, Dmitri and Roseanne finally arrive in Helverium. They are traveling in plain clothes to disguise themselves. Dmitri is wearing his hat low to hide his eyes, clutching Roseanne’s hand in a protective manner.
“Leo and the others will not arrive here,” he tells her. “I had to send them back otherwise we will attract too much attention.”
“That is okay,” Roseanne replies. “I just need to find more information on this book.”
She is hiding her father’s book inside a bag and holds on to it tight. Unbeknownst to Dmitri, Roseanne has been reading the book while he was unconscious. After finding out the truth, she had read the things her father had written but not all of it was decipherable. She was only able to understand the wolfsbane recipe bu
Eduard is in the throne room, contemplating many things. He is mulling over the recent events and is quite disturbed. His spies from Hapsberg brought him terrible news and also, another very interesting piece of information.Roseanne was seen in Hapsberg with the Slorian Duke.“So he is her buyer,” Eduard realizes and smirks. Stefan’s death coupled with Elthezar’s demise are all connected to the mysterious Duke of Sloria. As far as he knows, the kingdom of Sloria is isolated from the rest of the world because of its high mountains and the route which is seemingly impossible to cross.“I must find that witch and bring her back,” he mutters. The powers of Veneer are too precious to give up and only a witch can unleash those powers. Once Eduard gains them, he will become invinc
Roseanne and Dmitri glance at each other, feeling confused. What is the old woman talking about? Dmitri wonders.“This humble servant has been waiting for centuries,” the old woman continues. “Our magic has faded but I knew that one day, you two will return and take what is rightfully yours!”“Who are you?” Dmitri demands.“I am Vanalise,” the old woman states. “The priestess of the Moon Goddess herself. When the Moon Goddess was betrayed and killed off, I was there to carry out her last wishes.”“You were there?” Roseanne gasps. “You knew how the Moon Goddess died?”Dmitri is bewildered. “You do not believe her, do you?” he hisses
“Thousands of years ago,” Vanalise begins. “The whole world was ruled by the god from Veneer. It was their home and they watched over all the creatures. Werewolves, Vampires, Witches, Humans, Faes and even Dragons. Everyone lived in their own territories because they were not allowed to fight each other. The gods had given them an abode and they must stay there.”“But the Dragons became too greedy. They began to incite violence among the different species, especially amongst the Werewolves, Vampires and Humans. The Humans were being killed by the Werewolves and Vampires which made the Witches cautious too. They were also Humans but with powers. So they sided with the Humans.”“In the war, the Gods tried to intervene but the Dragons were too quick. They waged a war against the Gods but what they did not anticipate was th
“My Lord! My Lady!”Polina’s voice wakes up Roseanne. She slowly opens her eyes to realize that it is already morning and they have spent the night at Vanalise’s home. Picking up her dress from the ground, she covers her naked body while Dmitri is still asleep next to her.“Dmitri,” she whispers, gently shaking him. “It is morning. Polina is here.”He stirs and slowly opens his eyes to look at her. Last night, they did not sleep a wink, making love until dawn as if it was their last day on earth. The pain of separation is burning like hot fire in their hearts but both of them only wanted to prolong their time together.“Two weeks,” he whispers back. “Might as well ask me for my life.”
Night dawns on the lands, immersing them into a gravely silence. The shadows of the night are creeping in, slowly surrounding the areas. Other than the occasional cries of the cicadas, nothing else is making a single sound. Midnight strikes and the houses in Ezealyra are completely shrouded in darkness. Not even a soul is in sight of the dreary streets. Several people are sleeping on the roads, settled into an uneasy escape from their daily struggles, embracing their slumber. In the middle of the cold and silent night, a shadow is gliding through the long road. The person does not spare a single glance at the line of homeless people who are suffering everyday. Instead, he keeps on walking ahead, intent on only one goal. He continues along the street at an unusual pace, going ahead until he reaches the
The carriage comes to a halt at the steps of the palace of Sloria and Dmitri gets off. He has been traveling for three days but he is not tired. Rather, he is distirbed. Timur and Aryan are waiting for him but he storms right through the doors of the palace, in a hurry. He marches straight for the study with his men in tow. Aryan clears his throat before addressing the Duke. “The Council sent us a message,” he states but Dmitri is in no mood to listen. He grabs a large bottle of whiskey and downs it in one go. “I know!” Dmitri growls. “How dare they…” He cannot control his anger anymore. The Council has asked for something which is unacceptable for him. He knows very well that the Council members are made of Eduard’s sto
Roseanne’s face is contorted into intense concentration. She is in a small field with Polina and Vanalise. There is a block of wood lying a few feet away from her and she is focusing on it with all her might. She is trying to lift the block with telekinesis but it only shakes a little.“You are too tense,” Vanalise states. “Relax your posture. Focus on the block but don’t stress!”“I am trying,” Roseanne mutters. Polina is watching Roseanne’s training with interest. She is feeling a strange vibe of energy from the Duchess which is more powerful than that of a fae. While faes can do magic, they are not like witches who can derive the magic from the powers of the moon.Faes can merely change the nature of matter from one form to another but a witch can create a mat
“What the hell is all this?” Aryan frowns at the strange sight in front of him. He is in the front yard of the palace with Dmitri, Timur and Leo. Except for Dmitri, everyone else looks as confused as Aryan. Overnight, around a hundred pigeons have been delivered to their palace. The pigeons are all white and are currently locked in cages. They are fluttering around in the large cages, looking innocent and pure. However, the stenches of stool and feathers are lingering in the air which makes the people around the cages cringe. Only Dmitri is smiling as he opens the cage to pet them. One of the pigeons flew to his outstretched hand, cooing. “They are looking fine!” Dmitri compliments the pigeon seller. “Imported from the place you have ordered from,” the seller says in a humble tone. “We have been rearing the