We all halt and stare in confusion as haze forms in the distance and all around us. A thunderous roar echoes throughout the land. As Alec and Magnus stand on either side of me, I take their hands and hold them tight. I look between them with a worried expression.‘This doesn’t sound good,’ Alec says.I run toward Maia and place a hand on her shoulder.‘What was that?’ I ask.‘I-I don’t know. I’ve never heard anything like it before.’Damon holds Maia by his side and mind-links his warriors to be on the lookout. We can no longer see anything but fog. In the far distance, I can only make out the silhouette of something humungous coming towards us.‘What is that?’ I say, pointing toward it.Everyone looks in the direction and begins to step back.‘Nina,’ Alec says, ‘Stand back,’ he says with worry as he tries to pull me behind him.Magnus stands on the other side of me and smells the air.‘It’s not a scent of human, fae, vampire or any other species that I’ve smelt before. Whatever it i
We hear the roar of Thypon in the distance.‘We must all go, now! ‘Towards the ships!’ Damon shouts.We shift into our wolves, and the little orcs and sprites are placed onto our backs. We race along the shoreline until we reach the docks where the ships are anchored.I look at Magnus as we see they have been destroyed. We shift back and cautiously approach. I notice a lot of movement in the water beyond the destroyed ships.‘There’s something in the water,’ I say, pointing at the ripples.Everyone steps closer, and suddenly three-headed snakes emerge and slither toward us. They are between seven and eight feet tall.‘Oh my!’ Vivian says in her posh accent, stepping back.‘Tumultuous Volley!’ I shout, causing lightning to strike them.‘Troika Snakes!’ Alec shouts.I manage to strike them all as they come toward me except for one. The three heads spit a green fluid toward me at once. Alec dashes toward me and pushes me out of the way.‘They spit acid!’ he says as remnants burn holes th
Even though we are all exhausted, we have made it to the small village.‘This must be Mystic Pride?’ I ask.‘It is,’ Maia replies.Werewolves and humans exit their houses and race toward us to help as soon as they see their Queen, Maia, is with us.‘My Queen, what has happened?’ A lady asks.‘I come baring the most unfortunate news to you all, but first, my friends and I need food, water and rest,’ Maia says to them.‘And wine…’ Sir Hugo adds.We all turn to him, raising an eyebrow.The people of Mystic Pride face back to Maia for confirmation. Surprisingly she nods.They all bow and lead us under a large wooden pavilion with wooden tables and chairs. Bowls of fruit, bread and cheeses are brought out to us with jugs of wine and water that are kindly poured into our chalices. A boy carries a basket with wool inside and passes it to me.‘It’s for your pet to rest in,’ he says.‘Thank you, that’s so kind of you,’ I say to him, accepting the basket.I place it by my feet and place Reaper,
I appear behind the blacksmith workshop. There has been even more destruction made to the castle. The sky is no longer clear and blue but red and dusty. The odd rock from the castle towers and walls tumble down. I can see minotaurs patrolling the area on the ground in and outside the castle while harpies flutter up high along the castle's battlements.Sir Hugo appears behind me through the portal and kneels beside me, looking through the wall's cracks to see what I’m seeing.‘This way,’ I say and creep low, following the wall until we reach an entry point.Two minotaurs trot through the courtyard around the fountain. I frown at sir Hugo. He picks up a rock and throws it over the other side. It grabs their attention, and they wield their axes as they approach the low walls on look over to see what it is. We quickly scurry past, enter the gardens and hide behind a hedge.We creep along until we reach the other side of the castle.Sir Hugo covers my mouth behind me as I gasp and quietly
‘With all the monsters that have appeared lately, I would think you would be somewhat worried about what’s within those trees?’ I say, pointing into the darkness of the forest. ‘Maybe it’s best we don’t find out what’s in there. I mean, the sun is shining out here, and there are some patches of grass that Thypon has not yet destroyed.’I wander over to a half-shrivelled flower and pluck it from the ground. ‘See, this flower is only half dead. Let’s stay out here, out of the darkness of the forest and in the safety of the patchy grass and withered blooms while we wait for Sir Hugo,’ I say with a nervous laugh.Alec grabs my hand and yanks me toward him, ‘Come on, Nina. You’re the Queen of curiosity. It’s not like you to not want to have a peek at whatever it is in there,’ he grins.‘Yes, well, as you know. Curiosity has never been my friend, and I’d rather not be acquainted with it again.’Alec pulls me in even closer, his hot breath tickles the nape of my neck, and I melt in his arms.
I look down to see Alec with his hands on his hips, glaring at the very dragon that has taken off with me. He becomes smaller as the dragon continues to fly higher.‘Okay, dragon, thanks for the ride, but I think I’d like to be back on the ground now,’ I say in a nervous tone.The dragon huffs, letting out steam and smoke from its nostrils, only to fly faster and twirl around numerous times. I scream and cling even tighter onto his spike, closing my eyes.The dragon lets out a whine. I open an eye to see his sad look. He twirls again, but time is much slower. As we bypass clouds, I gain the courage to reach my hand out and glide it across the cloud. I let out a breath of excitement which seems to have pleased the dragon. He soars high above the large mountains and hovers in the air, breathing a large gulf of fire. I laugh at his playfulness and then look down and lose my breath momentarily as I see Moon Crest Castle, and the land toward it that was once lush and beautiful is now dark
The Celestial RealmSeleneI peer down at the glass orb on my table. The people of Mysteria are celebrating the solstice in each town. I glide my fingers across the orb to watch other villages. In Garnett Halls, the people have draped large garlands around the horse’s necks. In Bramblemore, I do not see one sober person. I cover my lips with my fingers and giggle as a handsome lad drunkenly falls into the lap of a lady. She looks down at him and hiccups, only for them to both blush and laugh. The beginning of a new romance for sure. I then glide my fingers along the globe until I stop when I see my descendants celebrating not far from Moon Crest Castle.A mage and a soldier flirt at one another behind a half-crumbled blue stone wall. Women hold ribbons and dance around the maypole. Others couple up and frolic in the nearby woods. Nina, Magnus, Alec and their families sit at a long table, eating an assortment of foods and drinking plenty of rum and wine. I watch them dance around and c
As soon as the veil closes, Cerridwen, Ogrun, and Valkrim release me. It’s a moment I dread as I know it means I’m too late. I can’t save Mysteria.Cerridwen places a hand on my shoulder. I stand and glare at her. I don’t need to say how angry and upset I am at her. My face says it all.‘Selene, I’m sorry. It’s for the best to keep you safe.’I step away from her and run to my glass orb and wave my hand over to see Mysteria.We see Magnus watching Nina dance to the beat of drums with other women around a large fire. Suddenly Nina and the others pause as the ground beneath them shakes vigorously with so much force that some of them fall back onto the ground. The air around them thickens with fog as they begin to step back with fear.A thunderous roar is heard in the distance. I’ve heard it before. It’s Thypon. He slithers forward, making himself known to the people. More creatures appear near his tail. There are thousands of them.Thypon swings his staff around, which emits a beam of