Kitanna glanced helplessly at Almira, hoping she could get them out of the situation no matter how unlikely it was. “I beg your pardon?” Almira blurted.\ “You heard me right. Take us to your kingdom. We must find the man who did this to my only child,” King Edwardo repeated. Almira could see the hidden agenda in his eyes. While he was worried about his son, he was glad for an opportunity to finally trace the Golden City.Almira couldn’t let that happen. The man was just as greedy as he was years ago. If she let him discover the truth he had long forgotten, there would be trouble. “You think if Jephthah was really responsible, he’d return to our kingdom when he knows you would come looking for him?” Almira asked. “Besides, our city is so far away. He wouldn’t be able to make it in two days on a horse talkless of foot. If you send out your men now, you might find him. He hasn’t been gone for long so I believe he will be found,” Almira suggested.King Edwardo concealed his
Earlier, Dante was still rounding up the novel he was reading when the strange music began in his head.He panicked, tugging the book somewhere safe. His heartbeat quickened as the tune grew stronger, assuming control of his entire mind. A scream tore out of his throat. His mind went blank once again.So when he was knocked off a naked woman with Almira's foot pinning him, the fog in his mind cleared and the princess' disgusted face came into view. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Dante heard Kitanna's worried voice and traced it to a set of naked women.His eyes widened and he quickly looked away. "That monster tried to have his way with us! We must tell the King about this! He must be put to death, or punished at least."Their angry statements made him flinch. His chest tightened when he met Almira's eyes. The one thing he dreaded seeing on her face was there. Disgust. "I didn't do… I would never try to hurt anyone on purpose. Please believe me…" Dante pleaded. "
It was almost dusk. Everyone began dispersing one after the other, leaving Dante to deal with his pains. King Edwardo found his Queen leaning on the rail on the balcony with a drink in her hand. He walked quietly to her and wrapped his arms around her, startling her. “Your Highness,” She chuckled. “You startled me.”He rested his head on her shoulders and stared at the starless sky. “No stars tonight,” he mumbled. “It’s still too early, your highness. You don’t expect to see stars at this time,” Adora told him. He mumbled something inaudible in response. “If you are not staring at the stars, what else are you looking at then?” The King asked and the initial smile on her face was instantly replaced with sorrow. The king was surprised by the mood switch. He followed her eyes and they landed on a figure, curled on the floor. “Dante?” Edwardo frowned deeply. Adora nodded with a sad smile. “I assure you that he deserves whatever punishment he got this time. I always assu
At first, Almira wanted to ignore it and go on with what she wanted to do but the knocking turned into banging and soon, they were screaming the prince’s name from outside the door. She glared at the door, humming a dark tune and soon, the bangind died down. She returned her attention to the unconscious man. Her eyes roamed his bare chest, calculating how to run the knife through it without causing any damage to his heart. The sword was not a brilliant choice either. “Princess!!” She heard Kitanna’s voice from outside. Almira groaned inwardly. “Princess you need to stop, the news is everywhere. Soon they’ll flood here with all kinds of mystic creatures and you won’t be able to escape. You have to listen to me please,” She pleaded.Almira dropped the sword and buttoned up his shirt, before pulling the duvet over him. She unlocked the door, to reveal the panicking girl. Before she could utter a word, Almira grabbed her and dragged her in the opposite direction.Pushing open a rand
Negative energy. Almira couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. At first, she assumed it was Jephthah, but Kitanna felt the pull too. "Your Highness, I think there is trouble. I have this uneasy feeling that all is not well. I think something is wrong," Kitanna told her. Almira dropped the cup, "I feel it too, but I don't know what to make of it. If it turns out that this is coming from home, we have to return as soon as possible." "Yes," Kitanna agreed, but when Almira's expression shifted, she realized that was not the answer the princess was expecting. "You look disturbed". "I am," Almira confirmed without holding back. "What seems to be the problem? We do have to return if our people need us. You know we left on short notice," Kitanna pointed. "You are right. We do have to go back, but what about Dante?" Kitanna stared in confusion. What did Dante have to do with their return to the sea? "I can't leave him after I just promised to
Kitanna waited anxiously for the Princess’ opinion. Almira stared back at her before snapping her fingers in the girl’s face. Kitanna blinked. “Why are you staring like a moron? What did you want to tell me?” Almira asked and Kitanna blinked again, in confusion then shock. It was all an imagination? When she met Almira’s piercing gaze once again, she cleared her throat. awkwardly.“It’s nothing important,” she dismissed. “I will take care of Dante as agreed,” she added. Almira returned to her drink while Kitanna stared thoughtfully at her. She wondered how Almira would react if she really confessed her feelings for Dante.Better to let it be. Not like the princess would contribute anything positive to her feelings. It was better to confess directly to Dante. She would have enough time with him anyway. Dante didn’t seem like a difficult person to impress. Kitanna got carried away by the thoughts and didn’t notice Almira’s gaze. “What exactly are you thinking about? You’re smiling li
Xander opened his eyes slowly. His vision was blurry at first then slowly clear to reveal the white walls of his bedroom. There were about three unfamiliar faces in the room with him. He wanted to jerk up but his body refused to respond.You’re awake!” His body calmed on hearing the familiar voice. Kimorra was at his bedside in less than a second.“I’m so glad that you are awake. We were so worried about you,” she said. Xander stared at her in confusion.“What happened?” Xander croaked. His throat hurt from dryness. Before Kimorra could answer, the doctors asked her to step aside. Xander watched with confusion as they examined him. “What happened?” he asked again.His hazy mind couldn’t provide details of what happened to him or why the doctors were hovering around him and asking stupid questions.“You were stung by poisonous spiders, your highness. It’s a miracle that you are alive,” one of the doctors finally replied. The fog in his mind cleared and he remembered screaming as the l
“So what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not running errands?” Kitanna asked Dante. Currently, he was seated on the floor in between her legs as she combed his hair.“Uhmm.. first of all, I don’t have any free time. I spend my day running dozens of errands and when I get a break, which is mostly a minute or two, I use it to catch my breath,” he answered and she chuckled. “You can’t be serious, Dante.”“It’s not a joke. I walk round the clock. You only think I'm free because the princess showed up and everything changed. I’m usually not allowed to do anything other than run errands. A few years ago, the library used to be my sanctuary. Xander was busy with school then so he didn’t have the time to make things difficult for me and my… the king was still in the early stages of his business, so no one had time for me,” Dante told her. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that. It;’s really sad to hear that. I’m glad the princess and I found time to keep you company,” Kitanna sai
“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