Almira watched as Kitanna struggled to pull off the lid. Dante's cries were deafening to their sensitive ears. "Can you tone it down? I get that you're suffering but you do not have to be so loud about it", Almira said in a voice loud enough for Dante to hear.Kitanna stopped trying to push it open, "How about you help me with the lid so we can get him out faster? Do you think he enjoys screaming? He is clearly in agony, you don't expect him to laugh about it". "He doesn't have to be so weak. It's irritating!" Almira retorted. "Are you sure you have a heart? Every minute, you make me believe that this journey was in vain," Kitanna seethed. Almira ignored her and crushed the lock. She pushed the lid open, mentally noting it was unusually hot. Kitanna felt a little stupid for not noticing there was a lock, but she was glad it was open anyway. "L-Let me o-out p-please…." Dante sobbed. "I'll be good, I promise…"It was evident from his voice that he was in severe pain. K
Dante forgot to breathe for a second. "They are so blue…"Dante blinked, snapping out of the initial trance. He searched her eyes thoroughly. It couldn't be right. "What are you searching for, Dante?" Almira asked, softly. His eyes widened and he looked away. His heart pounded as the sleek fingers caressed his face. "Is this why you wear the mask and gloves?" She asked. Dante was surprised at the question. The way it casually rolled from her lips like it was no big deal. His appearance made people uncomfortable. It made them despise and ridicule him. Why was she giving the opposite reaction?Her eyes held his in a way that made his heart flutter, which was a very bad sign. "Why do you look at me differently? Are you not afraid of being infected?" He asked timidly. Almira laughed. "Infected?" Dante bit his lip. How can she find his situation funny? "Is that what the books say? That you infect others by eye contact?" Almira asked. He chewed on his nails nerv
The words left him. He took a step back, fearing the outcome of the encounter. The soldier advances toward him. "What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be down in the well?". The question hit his panic button. Dante stepped back, mouth closing and opening without forming any words. He couldn't think of anything to defend himself. The man would never believe him if he said he had no idea how he got there. "Are you stealing?"It was more of an accusation than a question. Dane felt like he was soaked in ice. His emotions were all over the place, jumbling his mind in a frenzy. The soldier matched towards him, ready to throw him out, but Dante was faster. Slipping away from his hold, he dashed out of the room without looking back.The cold morning breeze slapped his skin. Though the hair provided some form of warmth, the cold was still enough to make Dante grit his teeth.On arriving at his barn, he unwrapped the duvet and emptied his bag of clothes. He skimmed through
Almira returned to the palace with only thing in mind. Stay away from Dante.She had come too far to jeopardize everything she shared with Jephthah. It might be an overreaction avoiding him, but she had to be extra careful. It was scary how effortlessly he made her break a promise she had kept for years.A guard met her halfway. Almira raised a brow when he blocked her path. ‘The King summons you, your highness,” he informed her. Almira felt unsettled. She had no business with the king. In fact, their only interaction had been during dinner, where they had definitely concluded she was mannerless in their heads. “Why? I have no business with the King. What does he summon me for,” Almira asked. His surprise was evident on his face, but Almira needed an answer to her questions. “It concerns Dante, your highness,” he answered. Her blood ran cold. Several thoughts crossed her mind. Dante was in trouble for sure and somehow, he had included her in his mess. The king couldn’t ha
"Student? And they just let him go?” Kitanna chuckled. Almira shrugged. "The ancestors are wise”.Kitanna blew up with laughter. She'd never thought the princess would go out of her way to help someone. Making up lies just to save them. "Where is he?” Kitanna asked. "Avoiding me,” Almira replied with an eye roll. The first he did the minute he was released was run. “He's an ingrate.” "You said he was going to be punished. The poor boy was too terrified to wait for another second. He was probably scared you would change your mind,” Kitanna defended. "I'd be traumatized if you didn't defend him. Dante does not look like a boy to me…” Almira paused, her mind creating a detailed picture of his face. "I think he only has an abundance of hair. Everything else is perfectly human. I was shocked at first, but after a closer look, I didn't mind,” Kitanna shrugged. Almira gave her a look. "I am not talking about his hair, Anna. I meant his face. He doesn't look like a boy. He may be sk
Dante walked away from her quickly, his cheeks burning like a pan taken out of the oven. It was unfair of her to say things like that. She didn't know the effect they had on him. No one enjoyed looking at him. They were rather disgusted by his appearance. “Why are you walking so fast? Are you flustered?” Almira asked, lips curling into a smirk. Kitanna nudged her. “Since when did you start flirting?” Almira was taken aback by the question. She never counted her actions as flirting. The words just seemed right to her and she did enjoy looking at him.Dante walked stiffly, pretending he wasn't listening to the conversation. Almira noticed his body language and smirked. “So what if I was flirting with him? Do you have a problem with that, Dante?” She called out to him. Dante nearly tripped. He didn’t expect her to call him right out. “You like it, don’t you?”He didn’t dare look back. His flaming face would expose him more than Almira already did. Deep down, he knew she wa
“Where did you say she went to?” Xander asked the guard. “The market, your highness,” he replied with a bow. “Without a guard?” Xander’s tone conveyed his disapproval. He couldn’t understand the woman. First, she disrupted his wedding, professing love to him. Then, she gave him cold shoulders, addressing him rudely and disrespecting him before others. The woman was a living illustration of mixed signals. “She went with her friend and Dante, your highness,” the reply snapped him out of his thoughts. Dante? Almira always rejected his offer to keep her company, yet she felt comfortable going into town with a spineless ugly slave. He felt insulted.Xander stood, ready to go in search of them. With Dante in her company, things were likely to go wrong. The people couldn’t stand him, so definitely, they would try to pull a stunt. If he got there on time, he might just be her knight in shining armor.He felt elated at the thought. Almira was not the king to cling to him
When Princess Almira summoned him, Dante found himself in a pool of tears again. He had lost the only gift he had ever received. He was both angry and sad. Angry at himself for being such a weakling, and sad that Prince Xander seized every opportunity to remind him of that. He approached her room with uncertainty. Would she notice that the bracelet was gone? He hoped not. It might not be a cheap gift, but there was a prospect that it wasn’t that significant. Kitanna opened the door, greeting him with a smile. He forced on a smile and proceeded in. The shopping bags caught his eye instantly. What time did they get all this? He was with them the entire time and didn’t see any purchase take place. Except for the bracelet, of course. The princess lost her cool after the attack and requested they return home. Dante felt guilty for ruining a potentially great day. The princess graciously rejected his apology with her kind words. Note the sarcasm. “ Over here” Almira ordered. It was d
“What happened?” Dante asked feebly. He'd woken up with a very terrible headache. Kitanna’s shoulders slumped in relief when he woke up.“Thank goodness, you're awake. Do you feel any pain? Remember anything?” Kitanna asked him. Dante tried to recollect the previous events but nothing came to mind.His heart sped up. Since he woke up blank, it only meant one thing… He looked at Kitanna, searching for any injuries because he was afraid to touch her. She seemed unharmed. He glanced around his surroundings and that was when he got the answer to his question. He had been in that demonic trance once again. Yet he wondered how Kitanna remained unharmed. Could it be that she wasn't with him earlier?“What's wrong? What are you thinking about?” Kitanna asked him.Dante bit his lip, contemplating on telling her the truth. How would she see him if he told her about the crazy things going on in his life? Would she even believe him? What if she accused him of doing everything on purpose just like
The next few weeks were hell for the people of Greake. More lives were lost and people trooped in their numbers to report to the king. Edwardo knew what he had done and how to avert it but he couldn't bear the thought of letting go of the very thing that made him the richest amongst kings. On the other hand, his wife gave him the silent treatment. Nothing he said or did to appease her worked. Adora avoided him like a plague and ignored him the few times they bumped into each other. His mere sight was appalling to her which was why she was more determined than ever to keep the news of her pregnancy for him. She needed to find somewhere safe to have her baby. Even if it meant leaving Greake. A month had gone by and Adera had everything in place to leave when Edwardo burst into her room with news. Surprise took over his features when he noticed her belongings were packed. “Are you leaving me?” He asked her. Adera was momentarily shocked by his entrance. She planned to leave without his k
Greake was in absolute chaos. The people fled without aim, fought against each other, and killed themselves one after the other. The sirens walked past, unfazed by the unrest as they searched for their queen. Several times they called out to her but got no response in return. Each unanswered call made them more furious, stirring an uproar amongst the people. The killings continued until dawn when they retreated into the sea. At sunrise, the once beautiful evergreen city was covered in blood and bodies. The event shook everyone in the city. Mnt lost their sons, daughters, wives, husbands, name them. Everyone living in the region close to the sea felt the impact. Almost half of the east Greeke population was slaughtered. It wasn't a situation the King could overlook no matter how small the region was. So while the people were mourning their dead, there was a heated argument between the King and Queen in the palace."This is all your fault! Your greed has cost the lives of so many
Adora felt a strange energy throughout the day. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something disastrous was coming. She became more paranoid by the minute. It extended to snapping unnecessarily and crazy mood swings. It made the king worried for her. "Dora," he called fondly, a small smile touching his lips. Adora rubbed her trembling fingers together, struggling to control her labored breaths.Edwardo sat next to her, pulling her into a warm embrace."Do you want to talk? What's making you so paranoid and jumpy, my love?" he asked softly.Adora sucked in a breath. If only she had the answers to his question. "I… I don't know. I can't explain it…" her voice trembled. Her dainty fingers unconsciously gripped his shirt. Edwardo didn't let it bother him as he was more focused on calming his wife. "Talk to me, Dora, I'm listening," he said soothingly. "I don't know. I just feel this strange energy. I don't know what it is but it's
The next time Adora saw the siren, it was a heart-wrenching sight. Her skin lost its glow and gave off a dusty white color. Her eyes were swollen with glaring eye bags. She was covered in bruises that Adora suspected were infected. She could barely walk on her own as her legs wobbled from exhaustion. “What have you done, Ed? Are you trying to kill her?” Adora asked the king furiously. Edwardo remained unfazed by her outburst.“In the past few days, she has cried to us about five baskets of pearls. Do you have any idea how much it is worth?” Edwardo went ahead to ask like she hadn’t said anything important. Words could not describe the rage that stirred within her.Ahead of her, the siren was held down, the whips hitting her like she were an animal. Even animals did not face such cruelty.“Enough! Let her be!” Adora ordered and the guards froze. Even the king was shocked. “Step away from her, are you deaf?” she snapped and the men quickly stepped back before throwing glances amongst t
The king was enraged on hearing the news. He summoned all the guards and ordered them to search every nook and cranny of the palace for the siren. The gates were shut so she couldn’t escape the palace and go into the city. The men also had their ears blocked with wax to prevent a repeat of earlier.Adora walked to her room, ignoring the chaos. She was internally grateful that the siren had been smart enough to seek escape. Pushing the doors shut, she took off her royal attire and went in for a long hot bath.After dozing for a short while in the shower, she got out and picked a sleeveless knee length gown. The plan was to nap all afternoon and listen to her husband’s complaints later. If they couldn’t find the siren that is. Just as she climbed into bed, she heard a muffled sneeze from underneath the bed. At first, she wanted to ignore it but then there was another sneeze and she got off the bed and got on her knees to check under the bed. Just as she suspected, the injured girl was
Adora stared at the woman before her with shock and pity. Her husband, King Edwardo had a different expression on. It was a thrill mixed with greed and mischief. Adora didn’t appreciate that look. She watched him eagerly pay the sailors for her after they showed him how easily her tears formed pearls. “Your Highness…” She tried intervening but he raised a hand, cutting short her protest. “You have done us proud. I employ to work harder on the search…”“Your majesty!” Queen Adora gasped and Edwardo stopped with an inward groan. He threw her a scolding glance and she retreated. “Well, as I said, you have done well. You have made Greake proud. I employ you not to relent in this heroic act. With time, our city will rise to an enviable height,” he continued.“Thank you, your highness. We shall continue to make Greake proud,” Harold bowed. “Go with the guards. As promised, you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts,” King Edwardo replied with a smile.“We are grateful, your highn
“Sirens?” Kimorra gasped and the seer nodded. Kimorra couldn’t find the words to speak. The answer she got was certainly not what she was expecting. “I thought they were myths,” she thought aloud.“Thought so too, but apparently they exist,” the old man answered her. “Then how come we haven’t heard or seen any of them?” Kimorra asked him.“I am not supposed to tell you this but I will because your father is a very good friend of mine and it would be wicked of me to watch his only child suffer, but you must promise that you will handle this information wisely,” he said and she bopped her head almost immediately. “I will, I promise,” she assured him.“The existence of sirens was long wiped from the memories of mankind because of a certain greedy king,” he started.“Who?” Kimorra asked curiously.“You know him. The ruler of Greake, King Edwardo,” the seer revealed and Kimorra was beyond shocked.“My father-in-law? How is that possible?”“I’ll tell you the story.”22 Years Ago.There wa
Almira knocked him out immediately. Several thoughts ran through her mind as she stared at his unconscious form. She never for once considered the possibility of Dante being manipulated. Her mind flashed back to when he pleaded innocent even when she witnessed everything. It all made sense.Those actions were beyond his control. The Dante she knew couldn’t even hurt a fly, talk less of attacking her. “Princess... Goodness! What have you done?!” Kitanna exclaimed as soon as she saw Dante’s unconscious body. She looked quizzically at Almira who was deep in thought. “What happened to him, Mira? Did you hit him?” Kitanna asked her.“I did,” Almira replied in a monotone. Kitanna’s eyes widened in horror. She already suspected that the princess had something to do with Dante’s unconscious state but she didn’t just understand why. The same woman who slapped a prince for hitting his slave did the very thing she attacked others for doing.“I don’t understand. Why would you do that? Did he of