Through tear-blurred vision, she saw a figure emerge—a man walking toward her, the fire parting in his wake. His eyes and claws gleamed gold in the firelight, and black and gilded scales covered his face and body, reminiscent of a serpent. But something more specific hovered at the tip of her tongue. His beastly form slowly faded, leaving a beautiful man with warm skin and firm flesh behind. “Help me,” she croaked. “I don't remember…” “Anything?” the stranger asked, his voice deep and ominous. “Only my name. Araheen,” she whispered, her lips trembling.“What happened to me? What is this place?” “You fell behind the Mad End's Wall.” A shadow of a smile crossed the stranger's lips, though it was far from reassuring. Before she could dwell on it, he slid his powerful arms beneath her, lifting her effortlessly as though she weighed nothing at all. “Who are you?” she asked, feeling small in his grasp. He studied her with an enigmatic gaze before replying, I'm Gildeon.” A pause.“Your husband.”
View MoreARAHIt took her a moment to grasp the situation. They were completely trapped within thick walls of shrubs—with even a roof overhead. She couldn’t believe how those branches and leaves managed not to fall on their heads.Her hand flew to her Gorgon amulet. The pendant vibrated intensely, growing so hot she thought it might burn her skin. The dark magic surrounding them was overwhelming, making her feel dizzy.The lights continued to flicker, and the anticipation of them going completely out churned in the pit of her stomach. If the whole plaza went dark, it would be a complete disaster. People were already panicking, and some had even been trampled. Thankfully, there weren’t many children around, though hearing the cries of a few seized her gut. The enemies had better not harm a single child, or Arah would lose it.“Stay close to me, Miss Arah,” Roselia said in a low voice, her arm raised protectively in fro
GILDEONVergilius vanished from his spot. Before Gildeon could turn, he felt the vampire’s presence behind him, fangs aiming for the soft spot on his neck. Instinct took over—scales crawled from his shoulder, thickening over the vulnerable hide just as the fangs struck. The tips cracked with a sharp snap, a brief vibration running through his flesh.Gildeon didn’t hesitate. He reached out, claws clamping onto the back of Vergilius’s neck. With a growl, he effortlessly hauled the vampire witch off his feet and flung him toward the church wall. But before the impact, Vergilius darted aside, landing gracefully on his feet like a cat.“I am impressed, salamander,” Vergilius said with a smirk, tracing the jagged edges of his half-broken fangs. “Or should I say, dragon? What I have learned of your kind holds true—impenetrable skin, indeed. But we shall see about that.” His fangs regrew, gleaming beneath the moonlight, thicker than before.The f
GILDEONIf there was one thing he had learned about witches, it was that no crucial information ever came for free. Vergilius’s next words only confirmed it.“I shall,” the vampire witch said, “once you have agreed to join hands with me instead.”A smirk pulled at Gildeon’s lips. “I thought you're stronger than Drusden,” he taunted. “Why do you need me?”“We are both well aware he has a dragon shifter at his side.” Vergilius shrugged, tipping his cane upward, then at Gildeon. “Two, if we include you.”Gildeon pressed his lips together. “How did you know?” He wondered if Drusden also knew what he truly was, but figured without seeing him in full dragon form, that man wouldn’t have a clue.“I am privy to many things, salamander.” Vergilius tapped his temple through the brim of his black hat. “Just as I know how a low mortal can—” He waved his wrinkled hand. “Transcend his own limitations.”Gildeon wasn’t sure what the v
ARAHHer heart pounded. Had she misheard the mayor’s last words? Judging by the crowd’s stunned and confused reaction—and Roselia gasping beside her, muttering “No”—it didn’t seem like she had.Fear twisted in her stomach. “Roselia,” she whispered, nudging her. “What’s happening?” But deep down, she already knew something terrible was coming. Before she could get an answer, her gaze snapped back to the mayor, whose eyes had turned blood-red. Fangs appeared as she lowered her head toward Mr. Pili’s neck.Arah’s breath caught in her throat.Mr. Pili froze, eyes wide, lips trembling, unable to scream. A shocked silence fell over the plaza, broken only by his ragged breaths and the sickening slurp of blood through the mic. Arah’s stomach churned—and likely everyone else’s, too. She couldn’t believe this was happening. In public. Right i
ARAHHer hair was neatly tucked under a black cap to avoid attention, which seemed to be working since her friends hadn’t noticed her yet. Cora, Tonio, and Mabel sat off in the distance. Patricia was there too, along with Nick—just the sight of him brought back those strange flashes from when they’d shaken hands. They were pieces of her memories, but they had come too fast to make sense of. Nick’s reaction to that still bothered her, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.Part of her wanted to stay close to her friends, to be there when the chaos started. But she knew they’d be safer if she kept her distance. The farther away they were when Vergilius and his brides thought about snatching her, the better.At least Stringmaster had kept her word—puppet inmates surrounded her friends, acting as protectors. That, somehow, brought Arah a sense of relief.She glanced around, trying to spot any sign of the enemy, but saw nothing. Were they hid
Long Time Ago (Part 5)YOUNG GILDEONChunks of beast flesh fell from the dragon’s mouth as it growled, spraying fat, guts, and spit in their direction, clinging to their skin. Gildeon trembled. A pure, beastly dragon stood right in front of them—a creature he’d only seen in the seers’ drawings.A creature that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore.‘Where are you?’ he asked the voice inside his head, but there was no answer. For the first time, the monster was quiet.The fear in his chest only worsened.“Are we going to die?” Nalini whispered, her hand shaking as she held his arm.Gildeon clenched his teeth. He had to protect her. He had to make the dragon chase him so she could get away.But how? He could barely move.The dragon growled again, and Gildeon nearly wet his trousers. The creature took two heavy steps, its wings swinging, sending a gust of wind crashing into them. Cracks
Long Time Ago (Part 4)YOUNG GILDEONThe middling beast came sooner than expected. Its stench hit him first—a rotten, sour smell rising through the trees below the cliff. His heart pounded hard in his chest, and his breaths came fast. He hated how scared he felt, but at least it had come to them—saved them the trouble of tracking it in the wild.‘Let it come,’ the voice murmured in his head.Gildeon tightened his grip on his shortsword, his other hand already shifting to claws. Nalini changed too, her tail flicking nervously behind her. He stepped closer to the cliff’s edge, peering down into the dense tangle of trees below. Something rustled again, making the branches twitch, but then everything went still. Too still.He held his breath, eyes darting from side to side. No sound. No movement. He bent down and grabbed a palm-sized stone. With a glance at Nalini, he whispered, &
Long Time Ago (Part 3)YOUNG GILDEONOld Haemos had left for an expedition to the east, taking a whole battalion with him. Gildeon saw his chance. He packed supplies—food, water, salve, and some materials to build a shelter. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone, so he had to be well-stocked.Gildeon slipped out through a tunnel most salamanders didn’t know about. The path led into the growing jungle, but something stopped him. Someone was following. He grabbed a stone and hurled it toward the thick bushes near the rock wall.“Ow!” a small voice squeaked.Gildeon frowned. “Nalini?”The girl appeared from the bushes, rubbing her head, her wheat-colored hair shining in the daylight. “Why’d you do that?” she whined.“Why are you following me?”“I saw you take a bunch of meat from the smokehouse,” she said, coming up to him and shaking the sack on his back. “I was gonna tell the cooks, but
Long Time Ago (Part 2)YOUNG GILDEONLarge brown eyes, each as big as his head, stared directly at him. He pulled his knife from the sheath on his leg and sliced open the dead swamp beastling’s belly, its guts spilling out in a rush. The smell hit him—rotten fish and sour mud. He scrunched his nose, trying not to gag. He had killed and cleaned beastlings plenty of times by now, but the stench still made him sick.Wincing each time his back throbbed, he sliced through the slimy membranes. He had to be careful—one wrong cut and the coresac would burst, ruining the meat and possibly hurting him. He scooped out the intestines and organs, their weight squishing in his hands, and dumped them into the bucket under the table, blood dripping down his arms.He hated this. But it was better than being stuck underground with old salamander bones and going hungry. His other hand shifted into its beast form,
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