The boat is anchored at the foot of Mount Evastus. Roseanne cannot help but look up at the mountain in front of her and she gulps.
Evastus is the tallest mountain in the land. Situated in the no man’s land, Evastus separates Sloria from Ezealyra and is known to be a highly dangerous place. There are not many creatures lurking there but the mountain has a tumultuous weather and avalanches are common. The snow capped mountain reaches till the sky, disappearing into the clouds. A frosty chill lingers in the air, making Roseanne feel very cold.
The Duke’s soldiers are waiting for them at the foot of the mountain and some of them are carrying spare clothes. Dmitri had sent a message to them earlier via mind link to prepare clothes for Roseanne. The soldiers are standing there obediently, waiting for their leader to arrive.
The guards are surrounding them as they walk towards the mountain. Roseanne expects that they will be climbing the mountain to get to the other side because there is only one route to Sloria. She is dreading the thought of having to climb that large mountain. What if they freeze to death? Or worse? “Please step back,” Timur says. They are at a small gap in the mountain. To her astonishment, there is a small cabin at the bottom of the mountain which is attached to a series of thick wires which Roseanne has only seen at the palace. The wires at the palace connect the Emperor to several phone lines so that he can talk to diplomats from other nations. But unlike those wires, these are thick and heavy. She has never seen such wires in her life. The wires are attached diagonally to the mountain top. Roseanne is a
The little girl was watching the old woman in awe. Draped in a red shawl, the woman had snowy white hair and a wrinkled face which was barely recognizable. Her dark eyes peered under the soggy eyelids, studying the child. Next to the child sat a man in his early thirties. He had the same blonde hair as the girl, but his eyes were jet black and he had a crooked nose. They were at a strange cave which was adorned with colorful beads. Candles lit all around them, giving off fragrances of rose and lilies while an altar lay in front of them on which the old woman was sitting upon.The child was hardly four years old, but very inquisitive. Her amber eyes were on the old woman, as if trying to recognize who she was. The old woman was also studying the child with interest.“Thank you for allowing us to receive your blessing, Maman!” the man said in a grateful tone. His name was Mikhael Vadimovna, a simple witch who worked in the village down the valley. No one knew he was a witch. In fact, he
The pull was sudden and his lips crashed on hers. Roseanne feels his warm lips capture hers in a fierce manner. His honey scent hit her and her heartbeats quickened. Hypnotized by his scent, she closes her eyes and kisses him back. Something came over her and she was enjoying the sweet cinnamon taste of his lips.Dmitri breached her defenses, his tongue meshing with hers in an urgent manner. He pried into her mouth, making her gasp. She moans against his lips, blown away by the heat of the moment. He is beguiling her thoughts with his brazen kisses and she is unable to stop herself from doing anything. Her mind is in a daze as their lips puckered together, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.Suddenly, the cab comes to a halt. They are jerked out of their lustful stupor by the abrupt stop. Roseanne frowns and blinks several times. Dmitri flashes his m
The surprises of the day did not end there. Roseanne is so overwhelmed by the city that she cannot help wondering how much of the rumors were actually true?All around her are large buildings made of the finest stones and bricks. They are larger than the ones back in Ezealyra with advanced chimneys which release non-toxic smoke. The shops are thriving with traders selling all sorts of things like freshly made pastries, bread and many more. People in the town are cheering for her, merrily welcoming her while a small festival of sorts was also taking place. Several roadside stalls are selling food and giving them for free to the bystanders who are attending the festival. There is no degradation between the citizens; werewolves, vampires and humans. Everyone was welcome to take their fill.Several women are cooking large amounts of food while the guards are
Aria slightly smiles at Roseanne and bows in front of her. “Welcome, my lady,” she says respectfully. But Roseanne is staring at her scar, unable to believe her eyes. It is Aria Semenov, a former servant at the Ezealyran Royal Family and one of Roseanne’s closest friends. She was also the Crown Prince’s mate. If Moon Goddess was unfair to Roseanne, she was completely ruthless to Aria. Two years ago when Aria turned of age, she felt the mate bond with Ivan. The Crown Prince was enraged that a lowly servant was his mate and rejected her. But that was only the beginning of Aria’s nightmare. Ivan had her smuggled out of the palace one night and Roseanne never saw her again. News came the next day that Aria had killed herself out of grief of being rejected but
The children outside were playing merrily in the garden without a care. Their laughter was echoing throughout the castle, filling its empty walls with happiness. There were three girls who were chasing each other. One of them was around seventeen years old with long dark hair and scarlet eyes. Her snowy complexion was glowing under the soft rays of the sun. She was the only one who was sitting under a tree, reading a book while the other two girls played in the garden.The second girl was around fifteen years old with short, cropped hair. She looked a lot like her sister with the same scarlet eyes and snowy skin but she had a more boyish charm. Her face was square and she was more muscular as if she had been training to fight. The youngest of the girls was vastly different with blonde hair and amber eyes. She was around nine years old and was the shortest of the lot.
Thick white smoke is emitting from the sauna. Roseanne’s skin feels the heat from the hot water but it is surprisingly relaxing. She is in a small spring which is attached to a private garden next to her chamber. The spring is surrounded by large rocks which are oozing out the hot water. Roseanne is not sure how it is doing that but she can hear the rocks humming.Is there some kind of magic attached to it? She wonders. The whole castle is brimming with fae energy and she is sure that some kind of magic exists in that place. Her senses are tingling.Fae magic is not as powerful as a witch’s but they are quite useful in constructing architectures and buildings. Moreover, faes are physically quite strong with acute senses which can detect enemies approaching from miles away. Unlike witches who are humans and have a short lifespan, faes liv
Somewhere in the castle of Ezealyra, a group of people have gathered to discuss a grim matter. Venus is at the head of the table while the privy council surrounds her. Ivan is sitting on her right side while on her left is Stefan. Next to Stefan is the Minister of Treasury, Vlad Levy. Beside him was the Royal Bookkeeper, Tristan Hameen. Opposite to them were the Prime Minister, Antonio Arselan and the Minister of Economy, Brandon Ofelia.Antonio stood up to address the council. His red eyes glare at all of them with disdain but he has no choice other than to accept these fools into running the country. His snowy white hair is tied into a low ponytail and the lines on his face harden.Tall and proud, Antonio has been the Prime Minister of the Ezealyra for over two decades, serving under the Former Emperor as well. He was not in the country when the coup took place and when he returned, the country was in shambles. Eduard was forced to retain him as the Prime Minister because Antonio was