Eli's eyes met hers and she could practically see the screws turning in his head, whether he should speak or not, and realizing it would be worse if he decided to stay quiet."You were broken and I thought it would be easy to mold you into what I needed."His words shattered her heart, like glass against a rocky surface. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, her gaze fixed on him. "And the first time you told me you loved me, did you?""I love you."That wasn't an answer."Did you love me the first time you told me that you did?"It was just so important for her to know. Had he been using that pity-seeking strategy on her in the beginning?"No, not at that moment."Another shatter. The broken pieces into smaller broken pieces. How broken could someone be? She would know. "I see.""I love you, Donna."The chains rattled, as Eli fought to move closer. They pulled him back, restraining him and he cursed beneath his breath. "I did not even know when it happened but I di
The feeling of touching the gem was something familiar, it felt like she had been thrown across different realms and yanked right out of them, before she could even actually be there to see anything.The only thing she didn't feel this time was the pain. The one that made it feel like her head was about to crack open and rip apart along the lines of the Thanis tattoo on her scalp.It didn't feel like that at all, instead, it felt almost soothing. She saw Thanatou's soldiers marching into Me'k, the wall gone. She heard the voice of the woman whose face she had never been able to see, but whose presence brought her dread always, her voice echoing, sounding like a sad song. Then she was yanked out of it again, breathless. Alaris was standing away from her, his reptilian eyes were gone, now replaced with one blue and the other red."I knew it," excitement laced his voice and he smiled from ear to ear. Belladonna couldn't participate in his happiness, it was impossible to without know
The news of what Alaris had told the people spread to different villages, as expected, and the trials for the witches had started. In Inaymi, many of the witches had been declared innocent and Head Lytio was already running out of the allocated funds for their compensation for their time unjustly spent in the dungeon. So he wrote to the Capital for the stand-in King to intervene. The witches seemed to be happy though, they called the King's Right-hand woman the soul witch and they celebrated her death. The sun took its place in the sky and the moon, glowing white, when it was its time. Everything had returned to normal, except for what happened in the dungeon some days ago. It was strange. The guards said they heard the voice of someone singing, a woman, but when they got there, it was eerily silent. Blood was everywhere and the witch in the dungeon looked like she had exploded.So, it was concluded that the witch was the one singing, she had probably tried to summon something
Collin emerged from the darkness behind her, a sword smeared with blood in his hand and grief buried in his eyes. Unexplainable rage. "I buried them yesterday. Their cold bodies beneath the cold, wet sand," his lips trembled and his teeth clattered. "They were supposed to be breathing. They were supposed to be alive when the Blood Moon came, but no..."He looked like a shadow of himself, and lifted the sword like it was too heavy for the strength he commanded. His breathing was loud, and fatigue laced every movement he made. His eyes were deep in their sockets, and his uniform looked like it had been hazardously put on, the blue color fading and stained with blood that was probably his and someone else's.It had been a very long time since she had seen that on him. Also, who had he attacked before getting in here?"...you killed her." He said in an empty voice, tears streaming down his face. "She was supposed to bring my family back and you killed her."Belladonna pulled her towel
The guard was jittery when turning the key in her cuff, and that was when Belladonna knew something was wrong. The hood was overflowing and the guard looked...different.Wait, this wasn't a guard. This was one of the women who had dressed her up as a sacrifice the last time she had been here.If she remembered this correctly, this was Thanatou's sister, or maybe one of them. Belladonna remembered her saying that she pitied her, and getting chastised for it by her mother.What was she doing here?"Sorry," her meek voice had provided as she knelt before Belladonna, her wide and innocent gaze meeting Belladonna's suspicious one. The Thanis' gaze moved to her head then, and guilt crept into her eyes. "Sorry. You smell like betrayal again."That confirmed it. She was the one. The Thanis looked like she was probably 16 but she wasn't really sure how they aged here. Also, her floating hair made the hood look weird.The Thanis shook her head, mumbling something to herself and shooting Bel
Alaris was strong, but who could beat Thanatou in his own realm?The fight had been going on for about thirty seconds and there was already so much catastrophe, that the guards had broken their intense restraint on Eli and Belladonna, so they could protect themselves against the blast of flames that shot at every direction. Belladonna was behind the throne of bones, she couldn't even figure out how she had gotten there! The ache in her legs reminded her though. She had ran. Her hand was tight around her towel. Somehow, amidst the chaos, had stolen a fallen Thanis warrior's ragged mantle, and put it on. Seeing a Thanis warrior without his black cloak made her understand why they barely left anything in view, to begin with.What a torture for her eyes.The blue pair would never recover. Belladonna slipped back into her hiding spot, her heart racing. When her gaze met Eli's from across the hall - a good distance from her and taking shield behind a pillar, she grinned, the nerves of h
"You should have put guards at my door."The words slipped through her lips before she could even think twice about it. They had gotten to the castle and she was in her chambers, the one she used to share with Eli. She really needed to get out of here, every corner was filled with too many memories. Alaris was moving around, still in his blood-stained shirt, trying to ensure that the room was secure. Belladonna had been to the bathroom about thirty minutes ago and Collin's body was no longer there."I did. If you had stepped out of your room, you would have noticed."Belladonna bit her tongue and nodded. "Thank you but you really shouldn't have come. It destroyed your portal."Yet another sentence she had said without thinking. Alaris smirked, pulling out a box of healing bottles, and throwing it open on the dressing table. He should be able to heal fast but Thanatou's sword must be different from any other blade. He hissed when the spirit jammed into his cuts, and this only remin
Nadia's grandmother had not expected any guests that sunny afternoon, but here the dreaded ones were, at her door. She made a couple of slightly jerky movements which could be passed off as signs of old age - for anyone who didn't know better- as she led her visitors into the hovel. Alaris' peculiar presence made her weary, along with his reptilian eyes that seemed to calculate every movement she made, although she hid her fear greatly. "It is so nice to have you in my humble abode." She threw a smile at them. "Nadia is getting better. You are the Bride? Yes." Her gaze finally settled on Belladonna, her slightly hunched back from old age forcing her to crane her head upwards so she could see her. "And you are the King's brother. My utmost gratitude for all you have done for Ignas. How is the King? I hope the confinement is helping him.""Can I see her, Gr---?" Seb chipped in eagerly, before she quickly responded. "No.""Why?" His shoulders slumped. "Is she angry at me?"He had onl
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