Sitting on a bench of what appeared to be leather, although most likely it was not, Shandra could hear the echo of the shouts, whistles, clapping, and boisterous arguing of the huge crowd that attended the arena.The young woman was inside a compartment in the actual fighting arena itself, and all that separated it from a sandy strip three times the size of a soccer field was a low, rusty, barred gate.Binding his feet and hands were two chains connected directly to the stone wall. They were probably magical, as she tried to recite a spell to unlock anything, and all she could manage was to realize that they were tighter than before.While waiting for the announcement of her battle, Shandra thought about what she would do. Even if it was true, and that fairy blood ran in her veins, that didn't make her skilled at all. All she had been able to do, other than ready-made incantations described in a book, was by pure instinct.Could instinct save her from that disaster? Probably not.Soli
Sam and Julian are seated next to King Solis, officially as honored guests. However, the demons are not stupid. They know that they are there, high up in a chamber with a privileged view of the arena, because they cannot intervene or help the poor human below in any way.In other words: they are no less than prisoners.The fight was about to begin. Both the red-haired and the black-haired boy tried in vain to fathom who or what Shandra's opponent would be. The knowledge they had about fairies was general: mystical creatures strongly linked to nature, winged, lived in separate cities and were also endowed with magic.If they were in condition, if more than half of their powers had not been nullified, drained and weakened, Sam would destroy not only that arena, but anyone who stood in their way.As if reading his thoughts, Julian murmured:"How long do you think it would take?"Sam knows exactly what he is talking about. Curious, Solis raises one of his eyebrows as he listens to the par
Sam and Julian, who were already predisposed to blow the whole thing up from the start, have to take a very deep breath in order not to murder the Fairy King right there.Instead, trying at all costs not to scream or slap the monarch, Sam says:"A werewolf? A werewolf here?"Julian also has his reasons to be irritated, though not as much as Sam.Solis gives a small chuckle, although his guards have become more alert to the posture of the two demons."Not just a werewolf, boys," he says. "But something totally unheard of."The fire-eyed man closes both fists, looking once again at the wolf that is growling furiously at Shandra."But werewolves aren't like that! And what do you mean by unheard of?"The King's gaze becomes more serious, as if he were saying that Sam had better remember who he was talking to. The old man just says:"Watch closely."Down below, sweating like a pig and feeling all the danger alerts screaming for her to run out of there, Shandra took two steps back, but soon
Sam and Julian don't move.Not because they don't want to. But because they can't.The silence in the arena is deafening.Julian discreetly stops Solis.Just like the rest of his guards (the rest of the whole place!), he doesn't seem to believe his own eyes.Down below, Shandra falls to the ground, unconscious.Sam quickly screams, which alarms the sentries. Before they can do anything to the demon, however, it falls to its knees, though it doesn't pass out."Sam!" Julian goes to him and kneels beside him."She's drained."Solis listens to the little conversation of the two. He moistens his lips, his expression completely closed."The battle is officially over. Shandra has won."A buzz slowly takes over the crowd, who point, whisper, and debate what just happened there.Solis looks at the two demons:"I'm going to ask just once. Is your goal to overthrow a kingdom? Or to completely eliminate an entire civilization of magical creatures?"The redhead opens his mouth to answer no, but th
Julian knows it doesn't do much good, but still, he tries to control Sam's moods:"She's fine. You'll see that we'll be able to get out of here tomorrow anyway.""I don't trust that damned King, nor the supposed safety of this place," he grumbles, looking at the windows and the night sky outside.The two of them were in a large room with two beds, a bookcase crammed with books and other trinkets. Outside, three guards guarded the door, although the demons were in doubt as to whether it was to protect them, or prevent them from leaving.Sam was still exhausted, but he could already walk and talk normally, probably due to his faster recovery."He could have killed Shandra at any time. If he hasn't done that by now, I don't see why he would do it later.""Because he's a cursed fairy with a lot of power? And we're in his territory? Is that not a convincing argument for you?""The human has Aresta blood in her veins. He wouldn't dare. And we've both seen what she's capable of."As soon as
The Throne Room was very different at night. The waterfall was still there, beautiful and untouched, but little blue dots glowing like fireflies swirled like petals in the wind.A few butterflies whose wings were very reminiscent of those of the King himself are also circling the trees present. The flowers, fruits and leaves glow surreal.Sam and Julian are standing before the throne, waiting patiently for Solis to finish examining the landscape itself. The monarch's skin was also unusually bright.The guards take their positions, keeping their facial expressions neutral, but it is clear that they are curious about that last-minute summons.Solis finally looks at them. His previously calm and even somewhat arrogant expression is now rigid, serious."Do you guys believe in coincidences?"Neither Julian nor Sam answer. Was that a question to be answered? They didn't know.Solis takes two steps toward them, looking thoughtful and even distressed."Do you think things happen because they
The way to the portal in and out of the fairy world seemed longer than usual.Shandra could no longer feel enchanted or excited about anything around her. Not even the diverse flora or the fairies of various types and sizes could attract her attention. The young woman's mood was quite affected by the latest events.Beside her, Julian and Sam looked no better. Besides the standard expression of pure boredom with a hint of cynicism, there was something different in their eyes. Shandra might be delirious, but she could swear it could be fear, or even fear.At the head of the trio, equally silent and taciturn, was Oberon. He was not walking at a brisk pace like last time. Instead, he seemed more alert and purposely avoided the busiest streets.Shandra took courage and decided to find out for herself the reason for this. Slowly, she approached the white-haired fairy and huffed."SIm?" he asked."I couldn't help but notice that you're less... receptive today."Oberon just shrugged, not unde
The dark fairies were very beautiful, despite their expressions of hate, madness, hunger, and even fear. The women and men were more athletic, and in addition to their protruding fangs, you could see that instead of nails, they had sharp claws of various colors, such as blue and red.Sam immediately stood next to Shandra, but it was obvious that he was panicking. Due to his recent exhaustion, he could not use his powers; not without putting himself at great risk. Julian remained in demonic form; yellow sparks like embers flew around him.Oberon swallowed hard.In the midst of the fairies, one in particular appeared who seemed to be their leader: she wore heavy armor full of archaic symbols, a closed helmet, and dark boots. Her orange hair was loose, going down to her waist, and a terrible voice sounded in the clearing as the figure put her hands on her waist, triumphant."I have found you at last, Oberon," she said in a grave, menacing voice. "I am Vesper, the Lady of the Dark Kingdom