The order of the King?The words sent Belladonna heart's skipping so many beats, her mind trying to come up with different things to make her not worry about this but failing miserably at it.From the corner of her eyes, she could see a trace of flames move around Alaris' hand as he pulled her behind her, his gaze fixed on the approaching soldiers. That made her feel tense, the last thing they needed right now was trouble. Yet it made her feel at ease that there was someone here that wouldn't let anything happen to her. Of course, it was because she was his way out of here. That was something she wouldn't forget.Finally, the guards got to them and stopped. When they stated their business, it made things even worse in a kind of way. Eli didn't directly make an order against them, but he had sent out an order to every village to search vigorously for anyone that appeared to be a stranger, so that they could catch the witches which they had only recently known about their existence.
The dance was great, the consequences that followed after, however, weren't so pleasant.It wasn't something that a stranger would have known though, so maybe, they had no blame. They should have taken Taku's warning to heart, this mess would have been successfully avoided if they had. According to Nakunriver's custom, the first dance for the village head's heir, during the search for a wife, was a proposal. The acceptance of which would lead to an open intimacy between the couples, to confirm the woman's virginity, and the rejection of which would lead to death in the manner prescribed by the Village Heads.From the looks on Ki's parents' faces, the death wouldn't be quick and painless.The tension that was thick in the air right now, contrasted with the joyfulness that had been present before the presence of Ki's parents.Ki's parents had arrived shortly after their dance, they had pulled her aside and had happily started discussing with Belladonna about the preparations for her
With flames, the thrones crumbled slowly, trapping Ki's parents in the disaster.Taku had come from nowhere, bumping into Belladonna as she tried to escape, while he headed straight into the fire to save the trapped Village Heads.He was able to save them, but before he could find time to save himself, a log fell from above, knocking him down, while his yell of pain morphed into the screams that filled the night. Everywhere had been thrown into chaos, everyone was tending to their business, running away, trying to survive the fire.The screaming, the shouting, the running.It was all too much for them to notice his own need for help.It was chaotic.Ki's parents had also forgotten Taku as the guards surrounded them to bring them to safety, the attention mostly on Ki's mother who had inhaled too much smoke and was now unconscious.Ki was there too. Well, the news of the fire must have spread."Don't go." The voice next to Belladonna startled her, her focus turning immediately to wher
"How's your head?"Ah, by Ignas, the land of the dead must be really noisy.This annoying voice followed her here too?It was a task to move but she couldn't stay still even if she tried. The uneven surface she found herself to be laid upon wasn't comfortable at all. "Careful." The voice seemed loud, in fact, every movement seemed too loud for banging ears and aching head. She sat up, holding her head, as she moved slowly. "Stop talking," she said between pressed lips, as she tried to prepare herself for whatever it was she would find when she would open her eyes. "That doesn't sound like a 'Thank you' to me " The voice said back to her, annoyed and frustrated.She would recognize that voice anywhere.So Alaris had died too?For how much he used to boast about his powers, she didn't expect that he would die by his own flames or if she were to go according to his story, flames from the dragon he was attached to.Different feelings crossed through her veins and the way she could fe
"And since you are lucky enough to have my interest, you must stay alive. A piece of advice from an experienced person, only help people when it benefits you."Phew!His cockiness was annoying, annoying enough to change whatever heart skip that had just happened.Or maybe it was the rage that clouded it.Whatever it was, at least she wasn't feeling it anymore. Thanks Ignas, that was a good thing. "Helping people is what got me into this situation. Stuck in this place for more than two hundred years."Belladonna gave into a burst of sarcastic laughter, the price a hefty one.The headache almost seized her breath, but the rage she felt towards Alaris' words kept her going. "Helping people? You gave a boy a curse in disguise of a gift.""So you believe me, you believe my story." He still sounded close, in fact, he sounded a little happy and that made Belladonna angrier. She looked up at the sky. The stars were gone now and the dark clouds seemed to be clearing out slowly."Believe y
Breakfast was quick, what happened afterwards though had a lasting effect. From the dining hall, Eli had led her up the flight of stairs, straight to the rooftop. The height made Belladonna feel a little dizzy and Eli chuckled as he pulled her close to keep her stable. It was windy, the air was clear and, the houses below looked tiny within the vast view."Everything is ours." Eli's voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating slightly against her ear, as she had her head resting against him.Belladonna sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. It was relaxing to be in Eli's arms and for that moment, her troubles seemed to have vanished into thin air.It was good to talk about a future with someone whom a future is desired with. It was good to know they wanted the same thing in that future. "and our two children, or maybe one."Belladonna blinked. No way. "Four." She peered up at him with a smile, looking straight into his brown eyes and ignoring the mask with the thought that soon it woul
A couple of stairs down and a guard ran up to Eli, delivering a message about a Witch's attack on Nakunriver."She set everywhere ablaze!" The guard had declared breathlessly. "Almost killed the Village Heads!" The message had put Eli on edge a little and Belladonna had expected to take an excuse to attend to the report, believing that he would assume it was the One with the White Aura as he always did. Belladonna was in for a surprise though. Eli had dismissed the guard with an errand instead, waving aside the report as if it was nothing. That was strange. It was also strange that the message had gotten to Eli so quickly, he must have gone ahead with his plan of putting his messengers in each village.An unsettling feeling ran through Belladonna's veins. As if she didn't have enough on her mind about the Blood Moon and how the timing might not be in her favour, this strange attitude just had to add to it. Where was Eli leading her to next?This didn't feel good. What was goi
His hand went slack around her neck, and she slipped to the ground, coughing as he took a couple of steps back, watching her gasp for air on the floor, trying to regain what she had been deprived of."E--li--" "Silence!"The words snapped something in her and she looked up at the man she loved. What happened?"I do not want to hear my name on your lips."Bewildered, she stood up slowly, his cold gaze weighing heavily on her. When he spoke again, his voice was like a deadly whisper. "I do not want to hear you repeat to me the poisonous dictates of the Bride Thief."Her heartbeat was slamming loudly in her ears now. "I don't understand," the words slipped through her lips, the shakiness of her voice failing the firmness she was trying to hold onto. Something told her she did understand what was going on, but she was hanging on to this denial. Maybe if she held on to this ignorance long enough, everything would fade away. She was losing him.She could feel him slipping from her f