Lord Xeik, suddenly awoke with a sudden leap of his heart which pounded against this chest like the forge of a blacksmith. Even at the break of dawn, the illumination of light was poor and the outlines of the tent seemed to creep on him like skeletal hands reaching for him. He had had a nightmare where he had lost his life and not in the most pleasant way. He sat up abruptly and looked around him then suddenly saw it—a black veil spread out like a funeral pall, lying beside him.His mind traveled back to the day before he had come to Ghysem, the recollection of the same veil when he woke up. Castilla has not been beside him, instead, there has been a similar black veil. Then he had not thought much of it but the sight of this one had horrified him, the feeling it elicited left him with utter dread; it was a chilling reminder in his ear. Was someone attempting to send him a message? Why had he not been killed? If King Ares had died because of the black veil, did that mean that he was g
Cyrus POV"Your majesty!" A soldier called out walking into the general tent for decision making. He had a look of urgency on his face. "The South is planning to create a diversion elsewhere. To draw our forces away from here.""Ah, is that so?" I asked, a small wicked grin forming on my face. "That sounds wonderful. The soldiers in the underground pack at the border, they should be deployed to wherever the diversion is.""I shall see to that," one of the generals said with a bow. Drusus gave him a nod of approval. "Your majesty? May I speak with you in private?""Of course," I replied. The generals in the room got the message and excused us. "Is there something extremely chaotic going on?" I asked."On a lighter note," Drussus began. "Agnes has done something quite phenomenal.""Really?" My ears perked up at that. I love hearing about anything that had to do with Agnes."Yes. Reports came in from Altid that we had shapeshifters amongst us. Soldiers in the palace as well as here. She
Minerva's POVThe visions came at night when the cover had been drawn, tearing at me in its stormy twists and turns. Ghysem’s flames were rising before my eyes, I saw a real fire of hell flaming and destroying everything. My daughter looked terrified as she screamed, her shout was piercing in the dark as if she belonged to the depths of hell. It was burned into my mind like a branding iron of terror as if a hot knife had cut a scar which each beat of my heart brought back.Cyrus, her mate, lifted her gaze toward the ceiling, and sadness and hopelessness filled the young man’s face. His young years were to be spent in front of the sharp audience of sorrow and pain: acts woven out of grief and scenes made of suffering. Unfortunately, Hayes was again helpless while his mate lay as good as dead on the ground yet again. The burden of kingship weighed him down so much that he had to go on and continue with the fighting no matter what.My heart raced as if I was a mas wolf, or a wild horse r
As I traversed the dense forest, the shadows cast by the moonlight seemed to writhe and twist around me, like living darkness. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the soft crunch of leaves beneath my feet. I had been walking for hours, driven by a sense of urgency, a burning need to reach Ghysem.Suddenly, a vision seized me, a flash of clarity that illuminated the path ahead. I saw myself standing before a tent, its canvas a deep, burnished gold in the moonlight. I saw Agnes, my daughter, lying side by side with Cyrus, their bodies entwined in a tender embrace. The vision faded, leaving me breathless and resolute.With renewed purpose, I quickened my pace, my heart pounding in anticipation.As I emerged from the forest's shadowy depths, the silence enveloping me was palpable. The trees gave way to the sprawling capital city of Ghysem, its usual bustle and vibrancy eerily absent. The streets were deserted, the windows shuttered, and the doors barred. An unsettling quiet hun
Agnes sat there her head spinning round and round in circles as she looked at her mother her mind still reeling with Minerva’s words. The light of the tent was low in the night and the sad wrinkles of Minerva’s face were sharp and clearly noticeable.‘’Hey Agnes, why are you afraid to show your powers? Minerva enquired, she asked, her tone soft but commanding, a whisper that restarted the flickering flames of fear in Agnes’s heart."How do you know about that?" The wild stallion was beating in Agnes’ chest and she snapped at the both of them suddenly. Earlier she had been so cautious, so surreptitious, she had veneered her evil over with a veneer of commonness.Minerva watched her keenly and as she moved closer to her, the girl’s eyes had a glint of mischief. “How come you’re not inquiring about green lanterns?” She asked that question in a low, conspiratorial tone. By referring to the green lanterns another misconception was thrown into the heart of Agnes and her soul was electrified
Agnes POV“I have to,” I replied, my voice now almost a whisper, defeat dolefully etched across my brow and bearing down with a vengeance. This lifted some of the stiffness off my body as I slumped slightly and then relaxed my muscles.“But I never said that I forgive you,” I continued, tiredly, “I hope you know I still haven’t forgiven you yet.” Minerva’s eyes, currently a bright blue, clenched themselves into a frown as they unwaveringly stared at me.“Agnes, do not get angry with me,” she begged, holding her hands clenched as if in prayer, tears forming in her big blue eyes. “I had to send you to Cyrus because you still have a destiny to fulfill.” A flash of sourness churned in my throat then spread out forming a vise around my ribs, yet intermingling with it was the desire to know.I scrunched my brows, confusion and anxiety did shades on my face. "What about my siblings?" I said, sharing my fear, my sight focusing on her eyes. "Are they safe?" Minerva’s face became soft and cal
Agnes POV Chaos reigned supreme and it was as if the energy from the battlefield, the clash of steel, and the throaty cries of the warriors, threatened to turn the world upside down. Agnes fought beside Cyrus and they were coordinated like dancers on a dance floor as they killed. Fury dances, Cyrus’s sword moving past the foes, yielding increasing slices with an escalating combination of deadly power. Agnes’s own blade gleamed weakly in the half-light and was driving into the armor of their enemies.In turn, they paved their way through South Pack’s soldiers without missing a beat in this storm. From a crazed soldier, Agnes skillfully dodged a powerful swing and felt her arm tingle as the sweat covered the girl’s face. Cyrus whirled to the right of her, his short sword cutting through the soldier’s vest and into his flesh which caused him to fall down.So when the battle continued, Agnes felt sore to the bone, each part of her protesting to stop fighting. She felt a thumping in her c
With the dawn, breaking over the hillsides of the field, came the first stirrings of the stench of metal and the sounds of war’s past day. Cyrus woke up to see Agnes marching towards the battlefield like a woman possessed a frown etched on her face. "Agnes, wait!" Cyrus called out to her again, but she acted as if she didn’t hear him. She acted like a woman with a mission and she had a look of wrath in her eyes that could strike a frost on his spine. “You won’t get away with this Agnes,” Cyrus warned but the woman merely glared at him and shook her head. "This ends today." Cyrus put out his hand to touch her arm, but she jerked herself free from him, a force he did not expect from her. He understood she wanted to kill him, her grief had been replaced by the lust for his blood. It was now impossible to persuade her to do a particular thing. ---In the field, Agnes was as harsh a woman as any soldier could ask for. She attacked with the rage of a warrior who had nothing left to lose