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A Really Long Time Ago
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth To Whispercrest
They were back at the inn, all three of them gathered in Xanth’s room with Lyra sleeping safely in another room. Ryder paced quietly, his arms crossed on his chest, his eyebrows furrowed and his mind still trying to grasp what Xanth had just revealed to him. It caused him to worry because this could prove to be a hindrance to his plans. They would have to move.“And you are certain?” He asked Xanth for the umpteenth time. He knew his answer would still be the same and he trusted in his honesty but he just had to ask again.“She claimed to be the girl’s mother.” Iris spoke up. “But from what I saw she was probably much too young to be anyone’s mother. I say she’s not.”“No, it is not just a claim. I am certain that she is Lyra’s mother.” Xanth spoke out.They had returned to the inn early in the morning, an hour or two before dawn. Iris had been the first to return after Xanth had told her to, and he had returned less than two hours after she had. Xanth had come in, behaving rather str
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Distant Family
“…then if it’s a boy?” She asked her sister, a soft smile on her lipsShe watched her sister’s soft eyes look up at her and smile, her hand rubbed gently across her stomach. She smiled, her cheeks heating up and Syrana knew that her sister must have been thinking of Dixon.“Xanth.” She said. “I’ll name him Xanth if it’s a boy.”She woke up.She felt light headed and oddly calm after she had woken up, her body was relaxed like she had just had the best sleep in years, her head was free and her mind was empty for a while and she felt at peace for the first time in a long time. And she smiled, briefly.“Xanth…” She whispered softly and chuckled, her eyes burned with tears and she brought her palm to her mouth as she chuckled again, and again. And again.The last time she had felt like this had been over fifty six years ago, the year she had given birth to her daughter, before the massacre in Qeorin. She had been five hundred and ninety six years old then, young enough to hold a grudge a
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Whispercrest
If the thought that Nuxvar was the most unwelcoming place in Dergesier ever crossed their minds, then Whispercrest had put that thought aside. If unwelcoming was a person, it would be Whispercrest. The town was a desolate place and hardly did they see a living soul cross their path. Lyra was cautious and felt vulnerable even as she rode her horse steadily with Ryder to her left and Xanth to her right, leaving Iris to follow behind.She shivered underneath the thick cloak she had on and she knew it was not because of the cold. The snow had settled here thick and it was still coming down heavily, there was no sign of foot prints in the snow left behind by someone who had walked by. She swallowed and from the corner of her eye, glanced over to Ryder. He sat up straight on the horse, his senses heightened and sharp, his eyes darting from the left to the right and she could tell that he tried to smell the air. She would give anything right now to be seated with Ryder on the same horse. In
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth The Last Straw
Ryder and Xanth sat by the small round table with Lillian in front of them, she had a large round glass ball placed in the middle of the table, supported by its stand and her hands placed on the table on either side of the glass ball. She wasn’t smiling at them this time, she had on a serious expression and so did Xanth and Ryder.She had mentioned Indie and that had immediately put Ryder on edge, not that he feared the witch goddess but he was wise enough to know that he needed to be weary of her. And he was.“She spoke to you…” Ryder mentioned again so that she could clarify.“She speaks to all of us.” Lillian replied and Ryder narrowed his eyes at her. “All of us here follow her, we listen to her and she speaks to us, we consult her and she reveals to us the hidden secrets. There is nothing she doesn’t know, no where she doesn’t and cannot reach.”“Okay and if she told you that we would be coming here, she must have mentioned something else.” Xanth said and Lillian flashed a smile
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth The Red Trail
The red drops of blood on the white snow led Ryder further into the forest, he walked fast and brisk, without seeming to be cautious of his environment, he needed to find Lyra fast, and the witch goddess as well. The shadows he had sent out earlier gave him feedback telepathically, it was not much of an information because they could not seem to locate Lyra, it was like she had vanished completely but he could still feel her faintly.He walked on, deeper into the forest where the snow could hardly reach because of the very dense treetops. It was even more chilly in here than out in the snow and a part of Ryder worried about Lyra, he had seen her cloak by the entrance of the forest, all messy and bloody. He knew what she had been wearing underneath could only do so much to keep her protected from the cold.He really had to find her fast.As he walked deeper into the forest, he called back the shadows he had sent out after Lyra earlier and from wherever they had gone, they were sucked b
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Embers Of Desire
The wind picked up speedily and it ran through the forest, picking up debris and flinging it in every direction and in that split distracting second, Indie vanished and the howling wind settled. Ryder looked around the small clearing but could not find her, he held on to Lyra who was still unconscious in his arms ad he pressed her into himself. Sh was cold and she was shivering, she needed warmth.He placed her on the ground by the base of a tree and moved to gather pieces of wood, dried leaves and broken branches that the wind had scattered around. He placed them all together close to where he had placed Lyra, cupped his palm over the bundle of wood and transferred energy to it. Black smoky mist sipped from his palms and swam around the bundle continuously until the wood caught on fire.He sat back on the ground and allowed the fire to build, part of his mind wondering how they would ever be able to get out of this forest. He had no idea in which direction hey should go. He let out a
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Dawning
He watched her as she slept, her exposed body illuminated by the glow from the fire as it burned. He listened for the crackling in the fire, for the wind as it fanned the burning embers, for the cacophony of the night life all around them, and for her heart beating steadily and calmly.He should be feeling fulfilled right about now, she had told him exactly what he had been wanting to hear since he had her taken from Dragonsbane, what he needed to hear for the sacrifice to be on the way and he knew that she had meant it as well.“I love you…” She had whispered softly into his ears. It had caught him completely and totally off guard, and in that moment, everything he had been prepped for as ruler of Astaroth had come crashing down on him. The responsibility and weight and burden of the sacrificial year of Osyron dropped on him like a bomb shell, shattering his will into many unrecognizable pieces.He was the Lord and Ruler of Astaroth, an Axeris who had the ultimate duty of seeing to i
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Sense Of Perception
“This is the place they were last seen.” Kye said to Syrana.They stood a good distance from the Inn, observing and being cautious, Syrana could already feel her eagerness rise and all she wanted to do at that moment was to burst into the Inn and locate her daughter. She grabbed a handful of the dress she had on and squeezed tightly, the thought of her daughter together with an Axeris irked her, especially an Axeris as Lord Ryder himself.She breathed in and out to calm herself down, she had not seen her daughter in almost sixty years and she was just as excited to see her as she was excited to see this Lord Ryder. She could battle him where ever and whenever and she would do so to keep her daughter as far away from him as possible.Then on thing struck her mind again, the other half Axeris, her sister’s son, Xanth. The fact that he had pledged his loyalty to the man whose father had caused the death of his own mother angered her but she knew that it was not his fault, he probably did
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Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Reunite
“Ryder…” Xanth called calmly as he quietly approached Ryder who was kneeling down by the edge of the ledge. The fiery pit had grown cold and was quiet now and the cave was slowly losing the heat, welcoming the cold.“She is gone,” Ryder said softly and lifted his head up to the cave ceiling. He let out a sigh, folded his lips, and raised his eyebrows, his eyeballs darting from left to right as he felt tears coming. His heart ached terribly and his body shivered. “She is gone,” he repeated with another sigh.Xanth turned around when he heard footsteps running, only to see Syrana and Tezani. Syrana looked at him asking him questions with her gaze, but he just blinked once and looked away from her. She sucked in a breath and her body crashed into the cave wall, she clutched on to her dress around her chest area and slowly fell to the floor as tears pooled out of her eyes.“Lyra…” she sobbed. “My baby girl.”Ryder turned his head to see who had just come into the cave and he saw the white
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Last Gift
His wound refused to heal and he was losing blood fast, he groaned and leaned on the horse as it slowed down to a gallop, approaching the mouth of the cave. His body felt extremely weak and he wondered what indie must have applied on that sword she stabbed him with that was stopping his body from regenerating.He groaned as he fell off the horse and onto the hard, hot ground. Never in his life had he felt this way, and he hated it, the feeling of being vulnerable as he was now. He knew that if anyone was to come for him, to kill him, they would succeed in that, he couldn’t even muster the strength to use his powers.He managed to get on his feet, leaning against the cave walls, he stumbled further into the cave where he found Borox, sitting up and propped against the cave wall with a small knife wedged into the side of his neck.“Borox,” Ryder called and went to him, crashing on the ground on his knee beside him, he took the man’s hand and had genuine pain in his eyes. The pain of see
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Stop The Sacrifice
They had all heard the noise, the loud bang from far behind, toward their far left and they had turned just in time to see a mushroom of fire rise up and then die out. The noise had spooked the horses and they stopped riding.“What was that?” Tezani asked no one in particular.“The wizard maybe,” Xanth replied. “But a blast of such magnitude? What is he doing?”“Practicing spells?” Syrana chipped in. “Prepping for a battle.”They both turned to look at her and Xanth’s heart fell, if they could not find Ryder in time and get him to perform the sacrifice with Tezani, then Osyron would break free of his prison and it would be bye-bye to the world as they knew it to be.“What if we can’t get to Ryder in time?” Tezani asked Xanth as if she had been reading his mind.He let out a breath. “Can you go back to Mavrek?”She shook her head and looked down at her horse, she didn’t want to go back to him. She couldn’t. She hated herself for still loving him when all he had ever done was lie to her
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth With Your Child
“They are close now,” Vixra said as she galloped on her horse. She had Pythias riding beside her, Royn and the rest of the warriors rode just behind. “I can sense the girl.”She pulled out the bow hanging on the horse behind her and an arrow, she let go of the horse’s reins but still managed to stay perfectly positioned on the horse. She positioned the arrow in the bow and drew it as far back as she could, closed her eyes and whispered a spell then released the arrow to fly. Without delay, she drew another arrow, whispered the same spell, and let it fly as well.She flung the bow to the side and gripped the horse’s reins, taking control of the animal’s movements. Within seconds, Ryder and his team were within sight. Vixra smirked when she saw that Lyra had been knocked down to the ground, one of the arrows had pierced the horse she had been on, and the other arrow had struck Ryder in the shoulder, causing him to fall off his horse as well.“Do not let them escape!” she yelled out the c
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Sick
The group traveled in silence with Lyra at the forefront, Ryder just tagging behind her, Borox and the rest of his men followed behind. They had ridden way past the city of Beor and were far away from the Erstonian castle so it was safe for them to just allow the horses to walk for a bit.The landscape was slowly changing the further they journeyed, the snow here was lesser, and from a distance, she could see mountains different from the ones she had been used to seeing in Erstonia, these had no snow covering them and nothing grew in the ground around them.“Fang Peek,” she whispered and felt a chill run down her spine. Fear engulfed her as the weight of what she had agreed to do rested on her heavily. In only a couple of hours, she would be dead, Ryder would head on back to Astaroth and life would continue for them just as normal.She thought of Xanth, the man was softer than Ryder, and a lot more understanding, and yes she would miss him dearly. The last time she had seen him was we
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth To Battle
The girl is still alive.The thought rang in his head as he entered his chambers in the castle, one wave of his staff and he had his doors locked with a spell.“The girl is still alive!” he yelled and flung his staff away, it collided with the wall without making a noise and came back to him, floating in the air beside the wizard. He took in a deep breath but was unable to calm down, he thought he had dealt with everything that would hinder Osyron from rising. He thought it was finally all over.He paced the length of the room, from the window to the door, back and forth, deep in thoughts. He stopped abruptly and walked to a part of his room where a he curtain was hung over a wall, he reached behind the heavy curtains and slid out a huge, ancient mirror. The mirror held no reflection and was just black, he reached for his staff which was floating beside him and placed it to rest against the mirror so that the red jewel touched it.With a pin he pricked his index finger, placed that o
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Attitude
“So,” Borox walked up to Ryder atop his horse and took hold of the reins. “No detours anymore, I’m guessing?”Ryder glanced over at Lyra, who was being helped to mount her horse. She had agreed to the sacrifice and with that, he knew a part of him had died. He shook his head to respond to Borox. “No, no detours.”She sat on the horse and picked up the reins, adjusting the fur cloak she had requested for to protect herself from the cold. They all stood by the cave’s entrance, looking out, she, Ryder, Borox and about a dozen of his men were ready for the long ride to Fang Peek.“Erstonia lies in between this place and Fang Peek, is that correct?” Lyra asked Ryder as they eased their horses outside of the cave, behind them, Borox followed with his men.“That is correct,” Ryder answered her question. He could feel her coldness towards him and he hated it, the not caring attitude she had now developed was something he was sure he would never get used to. But then he sighed, he would not be
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth To Seek Refuge
The night was long. Long and quiet.Tonight she had been made to sleep in her own tent instead of having to share one with General Mavrek, the warrior that had delivered the message to her had said it was because the General would be having an all-night meeting with the men in command of each section of the troop, but she knew it was because he had just killed someone in there and the blood was still fresh on the ground, and the smell of blood was still very heavy in the air. She was sensitive and would pick up the scent in an instant.But she was grateful she had not been made to stay with the General in his tent tonight because it might have been more difficult sneaking out of his tent. She didn’t wait for the morning, she didn’t even know what time it was, all she knew was that she had waited for everywhere to be quiet. It was easy staying awake as sleep had eluded her after finding out Mavrek’s plans for her.She felt heartbroken and betrayed because truly, she did love the Genera
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Treason
“There has not been any earth tremor for days now, has Ryder completed the sacrifice?” General Mavrek asked Iris as she crashed into a chair in his tent, gulping down cup after cup of water. A day’s journey in the cold and snow-covered land had nothing on her, as her body could withstand some levels of extreme temperatures, but her body could not go on without water. She had not thought of that really.She had stumbled into Mavrek’s camp as they were making their way up to Fang Peek, and Mavrek had been shaken, expecting to see Ryder coming up a distance away with Xanth. But after a couple of hours with no sign of either men, he began to relax a bit.Iris looked away after her last cup of water, she had heard his question but what could she say in reply? That the girl they had all their hopes on was dead? That they should go home and prepare for war, promising death by the hand of the bloodthirsty god, Osyron? “We encountered some complications on the way.”“Complications?” that conf
