LOGINShare
Chapter 39: Red Herring
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Chapter 39: Red Herring
“What?!” Squealed Cory, her eyes widening as she got to her feet abruptly, her chest heaving. “What kind of task is it that someone has to die?!” She demanded, her eyes on the archaic guardian.
“It is a task not of my choosing but of the will of the Bow,” said Papa Bois calmly.
Titan exhaled loudly as though he doubted the protector of Les Bois.
A small smile tugged at the corners of Papa’s mouth. He let his quiver of arrows fall to the forest floor with a soft thud. Cory sat back down slowly as her eyes trailed over the quiver. It had the same markings as the rock on which Papa sat and the Omniscient Oak. It was eerily quiet all of a sudden as he showed the travellers another case. The case was almost exactly the same as the quiver except for one distinct difference: the markings on this case burnt much brighter. They burnt so brightly Cory wondered if there was a fire
Joanna JThis chapter was a bit short! I am so sorry for the long waits. I am in the process of moving to a different house and the new space will have a room for me to write in. Finally, I can vacate the living room couch! Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter will be longer! We are about two thirds of the way through! xoxo
Related chapters
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 40: The Bottomless Ravine
Chapter 40: The Bottomless Ravine “Petit Tache Woods is separated from Les Bois by a long bottomless ravine even though the woods are not mountainous!” Sprout explained as they trekked towards the edge of Les Bois. “How can that be?” Asked Smoke, furrowing his brow. “Someone must have dug the ravine then? Right, Sprout? It’s manmade?” Inquired Mirrors. “No,” said Sprout simply. “It can’t truly be bottomless,” insisted Lynx. “It is,” said Sprout confidently. “No one knows how the ravine came to be but legend has it that the bottomless ravine leads straight to the centre of the earth!” “Then, Lynx is right,” said Titan. “It isn’t bottom if it ends at the earth’s centre.” “Legend has it,” enunciated Sprout carefully. “It is widely considered to be bottomless,” squeaked Sprout indignantly. Cory smiled slightly to herself. She knew Sprout hated interruptions
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 41: Black Mamba
Chapter 41: Black Mamba Lynx did not scream or yell or shout. He simply went quietly over the edge. Everyone but Smoke instinctively rushed towards the edge but he was already gone. They peered down into the ravine, their eyes searching for him but he had vanished. Gone in an instant. Cory was shaken. “I…I would have grabbed him like I grabbed Hayden but he…he disappeared so quickly,” she mumbled, wringing her hands nervously. An unsettling feeling was growing inside of her. “Even when I reached out with my mind it seemed… as though there was nothing there,” she said, pausing as she looked from face to face. Hayden marched right up to Smoke who stood there, his expression defiant. He shoved Smoke though thankfully not in the direction of the ravine. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Thundered Hayden, getting in Smoke’
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 42: The Amber Bow and the Quill Arrow
Chapter 42: The Amber Bow and the Quill Arrow At first, all Cory could feel was the searing pain of the slashes on her back as blood soaked her dress. It was excruciating. She thought it would last forever but very very few things, whether good or bad, last forever. In an instant, the pain in her back was gone, replaced by a slight sting to her neck. The sting gave way to pleasure. An inexorable change came over her as something new was introduced into her system. She hesitantly raised her hand and used it to try to feel the places where the creature had clawed at her. The tears in her dress remained but underneath the shredded fabric, her once torn flesh was completely healed and covered by smooth new skin. She tried to get up and found herself held down. She twisted to one side and realised Hayden was holding her against him. His eyes were pitch black as they looked down at her. His eyes were on her neck. She trailed her fingertips g
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 43: Momentous
Chapter 43: Momentous Corinna only made it halfway across the distance between them before Hayden drew her into his arms and crashed his lips against hers. Shocked by his intensity, she let out a little gasp against his lips, allowing him to slide his tongue into her mouth. She lost herself in him, surrendering to his ravenous kiss. She tangled her fingers in the Alpha Prince’s silky hair while his hands roamed her body. He held her up against him by the backs of her thighs while she instinctively wrapped her legs around his torso and flung her arms around his neck. She felt the cold air nip at her delicate skin as he rose with her from the water, carrying her over to the bed. She felt the soft sheets under her as he laid her down under him. The fire he had lit within her was growing, spreading, from its source at her core out through her limbs and all the way down to the tips of her fin
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 44: Three Days
Chapter 44: Three Days “The journey from Les Bois all the way back to Traketen will take three days, two if we make haste,” said Hayden the moment Cory opened her eyes. She had awoken on his chest. The Alpha’s warmth had made her sweat a little and her skin was sticking to his. She peeled herself away from him and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and pulling the blanket around her. “Good morning to you too,” she said. “I’m sorry, Corinna, good morning! I just want to finish this quest as soon as possible,” said Hayden with a heavy sigh. He stared at her with an intensity in his eyes. “It’s not to late, you know,” he said. Cory raised her eyebrows. “Too late? Too late for what? Too late for whom?” She wondered. They had already lost so many of their comrades: Venom, Lynx, Smoke, Mirrors, Fracture. She was still unsure about what had happened when. She knew the sorcer
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 45: A Merciful Murderous Beast
Chapter 45: A Merciful Murderous Beast She held her breath for that millisecond of time when the arrow traveled through the air. It seemed she was not the only one. Her small but captivated audience were watching with bated breath too. Even the Prince was fixated on the arrow. She watched it draw closer and closer to the apple. She got ready to celebrate. She began to cheer, and then, the arrow lost momentum and fell about three feet below the apple, bouncing off the bark of the tree. It had not even impaled the bark. It had lost too much momentum by that point to do so. The arrow lay on the forest floor. She exhaled sharply, realising she had started cheering prematurely. “You were about three feet off and there wasn’t enough power for the arrow to push through to the end to hit the apple or at least the tree and stay there,” said Hayden bluntly. She frowned. Her audience was quiet. “You’ll get ‘em next time, C
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 46: An Intangible Key
Chapter 46: An Intangible Key Hayden marvelled at the smoothness of her skin. She was so soft, so delicate. He was terrified for her. All he could think of every time he laid his eyes on her was the jaws of the beast, their sharp pointy teeth, their massive paws and long steel-like claws. He also marvelled at how undaunted she was and how brave, almost recklessly so when one considered how frail her shell seemed. Cory marvelled at the strength of his build. He was built for battle, his body tall and toned, his muscles rock-hard under her fingertips, yet he seemed so afraid. All his power did nothing to quell his fear. She tried not to think of the Stormbringers, to block out the images of them gnashing their teeth and chomping at the air as they edged closer, hoping their jaws would soon clamp around flesh. She shut her eyes and buried her head in his bare chest. His hands were in her hair. He trailed his fingers down
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 47: Fiery
Chapter 47: Fiery Hayden sped up, dashing through the trees with Cory on his back. She steadied herself, keeping her hands as still as possible as her Alpha raced through the chilly forest. The air got colder and colder as they got closer and closer to their destination. She positioned her arrow and pictured her father, conjuring up images of his smiling laughing face, the way his eyes crinkled when he grinned, the way he tossed his head back and laughed out loud. Her mother had been a kinder gentler soul when her father had been alive. She remembered the fear that gripped her heart that night she realised the beasts had taken her father away. She let that fear burst into rage and then she let that rage burn through her, fiery hot. She let the arrow fly. It hit the ground just a foot from the stealthy Stormbringer. “You missed,” said Sprout, seemingly disappointed. “No, I didn’t,
Latest chapter
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 54: The Alpha Prince’s Princess
Chapter 54: The Alpha Prince’s Princess They were not outside amidst the splendid array of food and ale already adorning tables at which no one was seated. She checked the hallway she had come from, struggling to open the heavy doors alone. The ladies were not in there either. She forced her way back outside, making some of her dark curls tumble out of their elegant bun in the process. She left them like that. She could go back to her room or she could investigate. She undid her hair. It was easier to think without all her curls piled atop her head. “Letting loose already?” Joked her father.“Father!” Squeaked Cory. “You frightened me!” Her father was dressed for the banquet too and that put her at ease. “I heard nobles tend to be fashionably late,” he said, holding out his hand to her. She took his hand and he led her to a magnificent fountain near the middle of the courtyard. “Night widows!” She exc
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 53: Happy Homecoming
Chapter 53: Happy Homecoming The cheers were deafening. Cory kept her arms securely around Hayden’s waist as she tried to make herself as small and insignificant as possible. She was seated behind the Alpha Prince on his steed, Blaython, and she found the heat of thousands of gazes unbearable. An astounding number of people had come out to line the streets of Merdenor to welcome home the victors. Everyone was whispering about the girl being brought home by the Alpha Prince, the girl who had saved the kingdom and stolen his heart, the girl who belonged to him, the “property” of the Alpha Prince. She could hear snatches of their conversations as she passed by. Property was a generous term. Some were rudely calling her his “plaything.” “What is it?” Asked Hayden, looking over his shoulder at her. He winced just from having to turn at the waist to glance backwards. “Be carefu
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 52: Sorceress in the Swamplands
Chapter 52: Sorceress in the Swamplands “She’s gaining on us!” Cried Sprout from his perch on Titan’s shoulder. It took all of Cory’s focus to keep them airborne whilst maintaining the protective sphere around them. She dared to look over her shoulder at Anestra whose levitation was effortless. The Sorceress seemed to soar through the air, cutting through wispy clouds as effortlessly as a bird in flight. Cory knew she could not keep this up but she needed to get them a safe distance from the den of Stormbringers below. Another ball of lightning hit the sphere housing them. Everyone felt the impact of it. They tumbled about within the bubble but thankfully the sphere remained intact and none of them went plummeting down to the earth. “You should shoot her with an arrow!” Cried Sprout. “She can only do so much at once!” Yelled Hayden. “We have to try somethi
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 51: Exit Point
Chapter 51: Exit Point Cory was stunned. She was fixed to the spot, afraid it was some kind of trap. “Do you know this man?” Asked Titan. Hayden struggled to sit up as the wounds on his back slowly began to heal. The fabric of his shirt remained blood-stained and shredded. The twin beasts were still knocked out mere inches from Cory’s barrier after their collision with it. With two beasts out cold and one beast having undergone a spectacular transformation, there were four beasts left: two skulking as they withdrew into the passageway from whence they came and two more circling the barrier protecting Hayden. Cory was worried the beasts would attack her father who seemed disoriented. He stumbled towards her, his hands pressing against the barrier that she was in. Don’t let him in yet! Instructed Hayden. Titan, I need you to cut the collars off of those
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 50: Under the Frozen Lake
Chapter 50: Under the Frozen Lake Cory could hear and feel the rumbling of the Stormbringer stampede. The snow-covered bank was trembling along with the lake’s icy surface. Titan had shattered a section of the ice about seven feet in diameter but it was quickly closing up. The ice was reforming at an alarming speed. “Blaython GO!” Commanded Hayden, giving the huge tiger a nudge. It made no sense being quiet anymore. The Stormbringers were well aware of their presence now. The thunder of their huge paws striking the ground was growing louder and louder whilst the ground shook more and more violently. Blaython leapt through the hole landing on an icy platform about ten feet down from the surface. Cory could see a staircase that led from the icy platform further downwards into the depths of the lair within the lake. “Titan!” Prompted Hayden. “You go next Alpha! In case I have to strike the ice again!
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 49: The Marshlands
Chapter 49: The Marshlands Cory’s dress was soaked and it did not held that the wolf she was riding had drenched fur. The air was so cold in the marshlands she felt like her damp dress would freeze. Her teeth were chattering. She tried desperately to combat this as the sound could alert the Stormbringers. Her barrier was still protecting them from the trickles of hail. The hail storm was mercifully subsiding. Do you think you could make the inside of the barrier warmer? Wondered Hayden. Titan, Blaython and I are okay but you and Sprout don’t look so good. Cory looked over at her tiniest friend who was shivering so violently, it was hard for him to get a firm grip on the fur on Titan’s back. Maybe you can use the Bow? Wondered Titan. It is a Fire Weapon after all. The arrow that formed that huge chasm never came back to me like the others d
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 48: The Swamplands
Chapter 48: The Swamplands Three! Yelled Hayden in their minds. Move out! Full speed ahead! The two massive wolves and the gargantuan tiger stole out of the tent, one by one, through the narrow exit, as quickly as possible. Cory clung to Hayden’s thick furry neck as hard as she could. She could see Sprout holding onto Titan’s Beta wolf for dear life on her left. On her right, she saw Blaython keeping up with them, flying across the meadow. Behind her, she could hear the grating high-pitched growls, snarls, calls and wails. The noises they made were so unnerving. She shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, readying herself for action. They’re following us, said Hayden in her mind, his voice strained with effort even over mind-link. He must have been using practically all of his energy to run as fast as possible. She needed to slow down
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 47: Fiery
Chapter 47: Fiery Hayden sped up, dashing through the trees with Cory on his back. She steadied herself, keeping her hands as still as possible as her Alpha raced through the chilly forest. The air got colder and colder as they got closer and closer to their destination. She positioned her arrow and pictured her father, conjuring up images of his smiling laughing face, the way his eyes crinkled when he grinned, the way he tossed his head back and laughed out loud. Her mother had been a kinder gentler soul when her father had been alive. She remembered the fear that gripped her heart that night she realised the beasts had taken her father away. She let that fear burst into rage and then she let that rage burn through her, fiery hot. She let the arrow fly. It hit the ground just a foot from the stealthy Stormbringer. “You missed,” said Sprout, seemingly disappointed. “No, I didn’t,
Property of the Alpha Prince Chapter 46: An Intangible Key
Chapter 46: An Intangible Key Hayden marvelled at the smoothness of her skin. She was so soft, so delicate. He was terrified for her. All he could think of every time he laid his eyes on her was the jaws of the beast, their sharp pointy teeth, their massive paws and long steel-like claws. He also marvelled at how undaunted she was and how brave, almost recklessly so when one considered how frail her shell seemed. Cory marvelled at the strength of his build. He was built for battle, his body tall and toned, his muscles rock-hard under her fingertips, yet he seemed so afraid. All his power did nothing to quell his fear. She tried not to think of the Stormbringers, to block out the images of them gnashing their teeth and chomping at the air as they edged closer, hoping their jaws would soon clamp around flesh. She shut her eyes and buried her head in his bare chest. His hands were in her hair. He trailed his fingers down
