Ripped apart by the canines at a time too early for her death. Hot pain pouring through her veins as claws tore through her. Her bones used as an exercise for sharp teeths as her flesh fed the mad beast. That was what Aniya had expected, to be killed in the most gruesome way. Alone in this hallway, her blood everywhere and her screams tore apart from her throat before they could even be heard.But instead, a hand had pressed against her mouth, and the things she felt behind her was no beast with furs, but a person.It took her a couple of blinks to realize that she had been rescued. Someone had pulled her into a room, one of those rooms along the hallway that she had believed was empty. It felt like it was a man, she could barely see a thing in this darkness. She didn't know who this man was and she didn't care. All she wanted to do was survive this moment. He kept his hand on her mouth and she tried her best to be quiet with her breathing. The beast was still in the hallway and
GAYA'S GARDEN ___The forbidden cave didn't look like much from the outside but Alaris and Belladonna have learnt to not trust or take things at their face value. They were careful with every step they took, mindful of how much time they had doesn't and how much less they had. This was their only hope. They had agreed that if it seemed like this journey into the forbidden cave would lead to nothing, then they would turn back and head to the exit, so that they would still be able to escape this dreadful Garden. The map had said that the cave was filled with monsters, they expected that and so much worse. But the deeper they went into the cave, the more they were surrounded by nothing but the echoes of their quiet steps. Alaris had tried to summon his flames a couple of times, they had lasted for only about so long, flickering too before going off. Each failure made him think of his dying dragon and it took everything within him not to break down and weep for this loss. His rage kn
There was no outrunning the monsters that came after them and Alaris flames did nothing to them either. The snakes hit the floor with such force that it broke, exposing the sea of lava beneath. Alaris had to be quick in his calculations for them to avoid it. Belladonna was filled with fear, not just the fear of the attacks from snakes as enormous and as repellent against fire as this but because they were also running out of time. If these snakes didn't kill them then the hourglass on her arm definitely would. Also the snakes had blocked the exit out of the cave and now they had no choice but to go deeper. This must be Gaya. By Ignas, once again, they were being played. “Go without me!” Belladonna yelled as they ran. “The fire cannot hurt you. You are a dragon. Go without me!” She knew of his struggle with his abilities lately but that was something about him that couldn't possibly change. He was a dragon. His grip around her wrist tightened as he threw her over his shoulder
As if on cue, the snakes dunked into the open space on the cage floor, sinking into the river of lava beneath. Alaris didn't bother to try to think about what must have called them back. Instead, he raced over to Belladonna to find her there on the cave floor, her body still; the sandglass on her arm had lost its glow.It had stopped counting. They had failed and she was… no.Eli didn't sacrifice for nothing. She cannot be… no!The loud pounding of his heart killed his ears, boiling rage consuming him as he held her in his hand, he could feel his beast rise from a deep slumber within him, his eyes golden with its presence. Her name rang in his mind, but he couldn't speak; his throat was tight with anger, his muscles filled with rage. Nightshade.“You have run out of time.” A voice said from the dark.The Killer. It was the Killer. Alaris tensed, seeing murder. His claws itching to yank a heart, his being thirsty for blood and agony. Today, he would kill everyone.“Oh, what shall
“Trust? Do you think I don't know of the cubby ways of the Garden?” His voice hardened. “How do you think we got here?”The Old man remained silent and that infuriated Alaris even more. “There is nothing in this Garden that I trust. Nothing here that is worth my obedience,” flames danced around his fingers and as a response to the rejection of their Master's offer, the snakes that stood behind the Old man hissed harshly, heading for him. But the Old Man raised his hand, saying something to them in a language Alaris couldn't understand.They retreated. Alaris frowned. A language he didn't understand? What Realm hadn't he visited already? To what Realm did this language belong? Who was this man?!He was certainly not ordinary but who was he?“Well, you must make an exception for me and make it quickly,” he looked past him into the distance that led to the mouth of the cave that was nowhere close to where they were. “Gaya is coming.”Alaris balled his fists. He was caught between a t
The Old man’s laughter echoed through the Cave and Gaya watched. She was used to his laughter; it never really resulted in anything anyway. “Did you have fun telling everyone that I am dead?”“No, of course not.” She frowned, feigning to be hurt. “I love you too much to find amusement in such silly games.” Then a smile snaked up her lips. “But I did have fun in them believing it!” She squealed. “So much crying, so much grieving. They were devastated that your body was lost too. So much of everything.” She laughed so much, she was crying. She has to wipe her tears away. “I even made more enemies for Thanatou. They all joined his mother’s war against him. He would never know it was me, they would never know. But you, my Moon, know it all, and here you are useless to tell.” She ended with a smile. “I know our story too, do you remember?” He asked and started telling their tale. The Old man couldn't believe this was the being he had loved many years ago, the one he had stolen for. Th
Finally, the gem was out. The Gardener dropped it on the Cave floor, letting it roll however it would like. He held Gaya in his arms while she drew her last breath. As she moved closer to death, his chains glowed green and began to fade away. “Oh my love, if only you had stayed in love with only me, it wouldn't have been this way.”She smiled up at him, fighting to speak. “Many I may love, but you will always be my Moon.”Fools.Alaris thought at their display of stupid affection for each other. How could they be Iobe after everything they had done to each other? The venom from the snake bite had only paralyzed him for that moment and done nothing more. He had recovered from the bite even before he had been tossed into the lake of lava and had hung on to the snake on his way down. He had heard every single detail of their love story, and he didn't think any of that was worth dying for or grieving the death of another about.However, that was none of his concern. His only concern r
Care?That was ridiculous!Soon enough, Veris would accuse him of loving her. Such madness. Ikrus wanted to stand against that statement but it was true that he cared about her. Only that the way Veris had said it made it seem like it was much more than what the bond they shared had necessitated.By the Moon, such foolery!“Not enough to sway logic and reasoning if that is what you are asking for.” He calmly corrected him. “The little one,” he said in reference to Arlo, “will still stay here and I will stay here too, till it is time to go to the North Border. I will send her a letter to explain the situation and what my presence would signify on the day she sees me. She should have all the peace she needs.”Since Ikrus was himself once again, Veris had undone his chains. He provided him with some writing materials and soon enough, the letter was ready. It wasn't easy to find a messenger to deliver the message. Although, it was always easy to find a messenger to deliver letters in
Her stomach rumbled, but it was quiet, and for the sake of her dignity, she hoped that he hadn't heard it. “You don't need the sun, you need food; I know a place.”“Get out of my sun.”“I’ll take you there.” Quickly she was on her feet, his arm along her waist to keep her stable. “Are you even listening or are you just deliberately ignoring me?”“Deliberately ignoring you.” “What? I expect the elderly to behave with more sense,” she jabbed, annoyed with his interference. “There are no elderly here.”In a flash, he is with Arlo. Then before she could tell, they were before a table that must have been prepared for them only moments ago. She was dizzy from the speed but the lovely aroma in the air could not be mistaken; there was food here. She felt Ikrus push her into a chair and she took her seat, blinking to regain her stability and clear vision. When she finally did, she looked around. They were in a kind of glass room with flowers on the ceiling. The table before her was smal
She cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Is my age a problem for you, Ikrus?”He sucked in a deep breath, looking away, still thinking about why he had brought her and Arlo here - still trying to figure out his thoughts. “No. I was merely surprised, that is all.” “I’m not bothered either.” She leaned closer to him, a hair’s breadth between them, catching him off guard with her action. “Don’t worry,” she skimmed her fingers over his hair and he stilled, forcing himself not to move as more of her fragrance consumed his air. “I have always fancied old men.”What?!Old men?!Old men where?!“I’m not old,” he said, clearly offended. “You are thirty-two,” she said as she lay down and closed her eyes. “Exactly. I am not old.”She felt his shadow over her and she sighed, wanting the warmth of the sun on her skin once again. “You are thirty-two… and blocking the sun.”“That is not old at all.” He sounded like he was losing his mind, but his voice was leveled. She shrugged nonchalantly
She turned to him sharply, wheels turning dangerously in her head already to come up with a lie, her lungs clogging with fear, only for her to discover that he wasn't looking at her but at someone else. “Look! Arlo is walking!” He declared in hushed excitement. Aniya rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief, tucking away the poison bottle. He didn't catch her, she could still kill him. “Arlo can walk.”“For long distances like that?” He turned to her, surprised. “Yes.”“Oh.”“In fact, we must redesign the room to accommodate him. He keeps on trying to pull things down.”Ikrus frowned. In a flash, he was holding Arlo who was strongly protesting against being held. He certainly wanted to play on the ground. “How old is the little one?”“Arlo,” she said, emphasizing his name, subtly ensuring that he wouldn't call him “little one” again, “will be two soon.”Ikrus nodded, taking the information in as he easily moved Arlo from one hand to another in his struggle to get down. “H
Aniya told her about the strange lily she found in her coin bag while telling her how she had come by it, although leaving out part of the poison, while watching to see if the witch had told Oana about what she was searching for. It didn't seem like the witch told her anything. “I have seen something like that in my room before,” Aniya said. “I’m scared of what it means and I am afraid—” she looked over to Arlo for the umpteenth time, “of harm coming to Arlo or me.” Oana was very concerned and she said she would tell the Alpha and Luna about it so that they could give orders for the Pack House to be thoroughly searched. Then Aniya asked, “What about last night? Why did the sun suddenly come up and merge with the moon?” She rushed to the window. “Everything seems normal now.”“Elder Superior said it was a result of something that happened in another realm. It is none of our concern; our Realm stays unaffected, and all the portals remain sealed.” Aniya panicked.Another realm? Wha
That night, after they had both eaten, Alaris took Belladonna to a nearby river, where a burning incense was placed on a leaf pad to float away. “It is to let go of the past and begin anew,” he has explained. It was something that helped Belladonna even though she hadn't known she needed it. Her heart felt lighter and with a more positive perspective, she left the river bank.The Belarion Rebellion and the rest of the Cave had fully returned now. Shortly after, Belladonna and Alaris started trying to create the army. They were once again under an open sky. Nyka watched from a distance, just like every one of the dragon people had been advised to do. Her father was right next to her, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still injured from the torture he had received from the White King’s warriors that had captured him but he was terrified that if he as much took a step from her, the Heir would seize her and kill her. “What do I do?” Belladonna asked, trying to shake off the press
[LYCANS’ REALM]The coins vibrated on the floor, clanking as they added to the slight trembling she could feel around her. Aniya’s heart jumped. Quickly, she dashed to her bed and grabbed Arlo, taking him swiftly into her arms. She could hear a bell ringing from a distance. Voices of terrified people seeping into the air, even with her ordinary human hearing, the building chaos felt loud to her.What was going on? Before she could make it out of the room, though, she felt someone sweep her away, and in a flash, she was in an enclosed space, an arm around her, so that she held Arlo between them. She knew it was Ikrus; with such speed and the feeling of momentarily ease that went through her, it could be no one else. She hated the Matebond for many things but for this little ease that she could feel right now, she appreciated it a little. Even if this relief was a lie that everything was alright, it was better than the sheer terror she had been experiencing.The rumbling continued,
Finally, they were under an open sky.The Moon was full in its glory above them. “It is a perfect night,” Ny'ka said before intertwining her with Belladonna's.“Close your eyes.”She obeyed. “Think of the Bearer, of her grave, of her presence, and connect with her.”The Bearer. Belladonna allowed her mind to roam, remembering the silver-haired woman she would always dream about. She had never seen her face so there was no way she could see that. The image was blurry and soon it was nothing but darkness. “Open the windows, open the door,” she could hear Alaris' voice. Then she remembered her way of sealing the windows and the doors of her mind. So many things were happening in her mind. She could see the path to the castle, down to that room, to that sarcophagus, Then she was back in that room again - with the windows sealed and the doors locked.There was a white beam outside the window and a woman with long silver hair that shadowed her face.“Open the doors and the windows!”
“Don't kill me please, I believe now. You are the Heir, you are the savior. I see it.” Ny'ka begged. They were in one of the underground rooms, away from the people of the Belarion Rebellion and those of the Cave. This was something Alaris didn't want many to know about.“Please, take my life instead and spare my daughter,” Leader Tyrek begged. He knew what crimes Nyka had committed, the Priest told him everything.“You tried to kill me,” Alaris said to Ny'ka who was still on her knees, begging, tears running down her cheeks.“It was a mistake. It won't happen again.”Alaris smiled. “It won't.”He held her wrist and pulled her up, but while he did that, he crushed her bones, and pressing his flames into her skin, he healed her, just like he had seen it happen with Nightshade and that stranger in the Castle during their escape.It was an excruciating moment for Ny'ka and it didn't help that he did it again and again and again…By the time he was done, she was back on her knees, breat
The moment the ambush came upon them, some guards had taken Ny'ka and discreetly escaped from the scene. They were headed to the White King’s Castle to be highly rewarded for bringing to him the daughter of the leader of the revolution against him. They were supposed to take Leader Tyrek along too, but it seemed the guards who had him in captivity had been attacked. There would be much to tell the King upon getting to the castle. While they silently snuck away, Ny'ka found a way to free herself from the bondage and attacked them. She would rather die than have them take her alive; it was looking like that was the only option for her until she felt she had until Alaris' showed up. He descended from the sky with his massive leathery wings and he saved her; he killed the guards and swept her up into the air in his arms. In that moment, she saw what the others saw in him. A saviour.In that moment, something changed. “You saved me,” she said, the wind almost stealing her words away