Belladonna didn't have to watch the burst of flames for long, the King was in front of her in a flash, blocking the sight away, so that all that was left to see was the golden brightness that reflected from the fire.The agonizing screams from the woman ablaze was something he couldn't prevent her from hearing though. Cries of anguish that cut sharply into the night's former peaceful ambiance, ripping it into shreds, till all that was left was nothing. Then, silence.When the King took a step away, no longer blocking her view, the woman was gone, the guards must have taken her away, even the path that led to her had been filled with people again. The fearful look gone from their eyes, their faces filled with smiles once again like nothing happened, cheers pouring out of their mouths as they directed their gifts towards her. Everything just like when she had first stepped out from the carriage, in fact, more cheerful this time.Belladonna could feel a gift being pressed into the pa
"If anything had happened to you tonight, I would have never forgiven myself." He sighed, his voice causing a sort of vibration to her ears that was pressed against his warm chest. "I really wanted tonight to be perfect. Now, it is all ruined.""It's not.""It is. Her screams will give you nightmares." He moved his hand over her hair, brushing it lightly. "I am so sorry." He paused, his hand on her hair going still for a moment. "Will you like to pass the night in my room?"Her heart skipped a beat at the offer and she shook her stiffly. "I'll be alright in mine." The idea had sounded so tempting, in fact, she could almost feel herself in his bed, having him so close by made her feel so safe, but with how close they had gotten tonight, sleeping in his room might be pushing things to a direction she still didn't want to head to yet."I'm confused by how the people switched quickly from the tension to the cheers again like..." her voice became lower as the memory played again in her he
"But do you feel strongly that it is a curse?""Yes. I mean, why would he consistently stand in my way of getting a bride if that wasn't the solution?"That made sense. There was also the possibility that he could be doin that to distract the King from the actual solution, but how long this had been going that. That would most likely not be it."If she is not convinced, why does she participate in the ....hmm...""Choosing Ritual and Ceremony.""Yes. Thank you. I don't know why I keep forgetting things lately." She chuckled."You are overthinking." He said, sounding worried, as he leaned forward towards her, taking in the look on her face. "Stressed," he commented, leaning back, tapping his fingernails against his mask again.She nodded. She could be."I worry about you."He lips stretched into a smile that quickly fell. "I'm alright. So tell me, why?"He caught on where they had left off quickly."Simple. Because I am the King and I commanded that it shall be."That oddly filled her
Belladonna pulled away from him to look up at his face, her gaze fixing upon his mask instead, the image of the expectant look that would be in his eyes, taking form in her head."That you will not take any more brides after me."He stared back at her, studying those eyes that held a sought of fire in them when she had said out her demand firmly.Was it selfish that she wanted to be his last bride so much, that she wanted him to give her his word on it? Maybe. But she certainly didn't want any other woman to have to suffer an unsure fate, also she had every intention to end this curse, as soon as possible, with whatever it was that it would cost her.Promising to do as she had requested right now, would mean that he had as much trust in her as she had in him. With no response still given, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat under his smoldering gaze.Her gaze was fixed on the floor of the carriage, the sound of the carriage's wheels on the rocky road filling her ears, while she w
The hand that clamped tightly over her mouth was sweaty and a little shaky, yet too firm under her quick attempt to yank it away. The saltiness of sweat that jammed on her tongue as her teeth locked on the flesh, was disgusting, but she was ready to withstand anything to ensure she wasn't taken away from the palace or harmed right here. The threat of the villager rang in her mind over and over again, making her struggles increasingly frantic and rough, before a strained voice cut through her thoughts, and seeped into her ears though her struggles."...Raquel!" Came a painful squeak. "Pl..please stop! It is yo--ur ma--id, My Lady!"Raquel?She loosened her teeth's grip around her flesh, as she stepped back quickly, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her gown. She could still taste Raquel's sweat and nothing about that did she find pleasant. Panting from her earlier struggles and still feeling very on edge with the dark, Belladonna's hands moved on the surface of her dressing table
It was spiral line, that extended to three different angles, curled at each end. It was small, black. She had never seen it before until tonight."You have it too." She looked up at Raquel, but when the oblivious look in her eyes didn't change, she added, "the tattoo.""Oh, that." Raquel chuckled. "Everyone has it." She squinted her eyes, looking at Belladonna as if searching for something that should be there, before she relented and looked back at her quizzically. "You don't?"Belladonna dropped her hand from Raquel's shoulder, shaking her head. "No.""B-but everyone has it." A grin stretched across her lips, one too wide "Once a child is born, he gets the tattoo. It is a sign that you are one of us.""One of you. You mean the people?""Yes, people of Ignas. I thought everyone had it." Raquel moved closer, her eyes searching desperately this time, the urge to find so immerse that she held Belladonna's wrists in her shaky hands before dropping them. "You don't have it in Inaymi?"B
Her search was futile, although she should have known right from the start that it would lead to a dead end. It was an absolute wishful thinking to believe that the ceremic she had used on the Bride Thief many months ago could be retrieved or even found to begin with.She couldn't even remember where she had put it that morning, she couldn't remember if she had seen it after coming back to the room that very day. It was like the broke piece had just faded into, like the stains of the rainbow river on her dress, but that was impossible.His blood couldn't have been an illusion. It was real, she had felt that it was. So the only explanation for why the ceremic piece was missing, was if Raquel had thrown it away when she was cleaning her room. Belladonna huffed. Stepping away from the mess she had made as a result of her fruitless search. Her clothes had all been pulled down from the hangers and searched thoroughly, her drawers were in no better shape. She had indeed made a mess an
The sound of birds singing from a distance away sipped into the room. The cold of the early morning, the aftermath of the dew, the raising of the morning sun... and those birds again! Must be because of the field that was just below her window. The only sound disturbing the morning wasn't just the birds though, but the musical instruments from a distance away, most likely the Temple.The four walls of that worshipping place had known no rest since it had been declared that the King was yet again in need of a Bride and it was Inaymi's turn to provide one. The Choosing Ritual was in a week, the weddings would be unending till the last moment they had to match to the village center. Belladonna forced her eyes opened, but all she could see was darkness, the smell of old and dusty book filled her lungs.Ah!She had slept with a book on her face. Her bed frame creaked as she sat up slowly, feeling exhausted, as of she had slammed herself into a wall before dropping on her bed. The boo
“What is this?” Ny'ka asked, racing up to her feet.“The Stones of Prophecy. I already told you,” Ka'el replied, rising to his feet too. He groaned a little, his ribs hurting from the force that had tossed him aside.The stones had suddenly fallen to the ground, scattered; they were still glowing though. “I mean, what do they do?“I don't know!” There was a bit of panic in his voice, then he started to mumble to himself as he fell on his knees and started trying to collect the stones. “The King believes his daughter is in the Rebellion, and there are rumors of the Heir; he thinks they are working together.” He stopped and stared up at Ny'ka who watched him with a frown on her face. “That is why the Moon and the Sun came up in the sky because she is really here? But you said it didn't happen here, that it was from another Realm. It is from another realm, right? It isn’t true, Is it?”Ny'ka tried to grab one of the stones from Ka'el but it held it away from her. “Is his daughter truly
Then she felt like she was drowning and her words vanished from her lips. It felt like she was right in the lake and above it at the same time, hovering over the water and looking at the drowning child, while the drowning child looked back at her, struggling. Then she was finally in the baby and she could see Xinora floating over her as she felt herself dying in the baby — felt the baby dying. She saw Xinora stare right at her mother, who froze immediately like she had seen a ghost - it was what she looked like anyway, what she seemed to be. Then Belladonna felt the presence slam right into her immediately. Xinora had vanished and was now inside her as one being, the moment of her almost death creating the perfect space for Xinora to fit in. But just as Xinora had merged into her, she dissolved into the back of her mind like a mere pest fighting against a strong host. Her mother pulled her out of the water, her gaze blank and cold. Without a word, she wrapped her in a piece of clo
Trigger warning: Dealing with rape aftermath (from victim’s perspective) on page, and baby drowning on page. _________Belladonna paced the room. Two nights have passed since Alaris and her had discussed about Xinora. The Rebellion was healing, and she had sought out Ny'ka to help her with creating portals; although she knew that it might not work, just as it hadn't been working, but that was just how unpromising Channeling had been, and it had worked eventually. That wasn't the problem though. The thing was that Ny'ka was nowhere to be found. It didn't take long for her to figure out where she was.She was with Ka'el, most likely inquiring about their recent failure.Alaris had confirmed her suspicion, and here she was, in the room, trying not to drive herself mad with every single possibility that was crossing her mind.The Priest had drawn a tattoo on the top part of her chest, a little distance from her neck. He had smeared it with the blood of an animal, chanted some things th
Ny'ka went to Ka'el that night as the Heir had ordered, only to find out that he was with someone. Tsiri?What?What was she doing here? Why was she here? How long has she known about Ka'el? How did she get here?Why was she here?By Ina, what had she told him?!The White glow of the crescent moon above glimmered down on them through the shadows of the scanty leaves of the tall trees around them. The smile on Tsiri’s face was plain for Ny'ka to see, just as obvious as the doubt that dotted Ka’el’s eyes. What had she told him?!“Is it true?” Ka'el asked, his fist tightening around the small bag he had in his hand. She wondered what was in that bag but his next words made her aware of the greater problem she had before her. “Are you just fooling me?” He asked as his free hand anchored around Tsiri’s waist, making her smile widen. Disappointment flashed in Ny'ka's eyes and she frowned, blatantly ignoring Tsiri. “Fooling you? What nonsense are you talking about? And why are you with o
“Nightshade, do you have any memories of Jyris?”He was crouching in front of her. This room suddenly felt too small. Where was the air of ease?“No, except that he healed my ankle, gave me that gold ring that you tossed away and he was at the table with the King. Nothing else. I’m trying to but I don't remember anything else.” She wouldn't tell him about the strange feeling of familiarity she had when she had first seen him. That would be too dangerous. “You were in her dreams even when you weren't in captivity. So can you just go into people's dreams? Can you still do that?”“No. Her dream was the only one I could get into without being in captivity. But My freedom does come at a price. It was hard to lure the brides with my soul, and certainly, I prefer this freedom to that.”“Did killing her hurt you? Since the gems are supposed to be a pair.”“I struck her stomach.”“Why didn't you strike her in the heart or behead?”“I wanted to behead her and take her heart as my own; a litt
He heaved a sigh and sat next to her. “Well, it was after being King. I think the wars I had fought strengthened the connection with my gem; the lives I had taken fed it, and I dreamt of Xinora — well, she dreamt of me. It was the first time I would be in anyone's dreams.”Belladonna nodded, taking a mental note of that. “She was crying and lonely, and because the Gem perceived its master to be distressed, it sought a connection and found me. Xinora was terrified when we met; I was confused, too; it was strange. But then, I realized who she was and why I was there. At that time, I really wanted to come back here, to Vestros, but I knew it wasn’t time, I wasn't powerful enough back then.” He paused, before he continued. “The White King would kill me easily, but being in her dreams was like fate being on my side. She was the only weapon that could be used to kill me—”The only weapon?“Wait. Only a Bearer can kill a Bearer?”“Yes.” “So,” she turned to him squarely so she wouldn't mi
“And you didn't tell me? Why?”“It was over two centuries ago.” He stood up. “She stayed dead during those times, why would I think anything would come out of her now?”Belladonna said nothing and Alaris continued. “With you, I believed she had already been replaced. A new Master, her time was over, gone. The gems will always have their masters, I have discovered. At first, I was worried, but then you proved to be more than one with a mere link.”“I had visions of her. I told you everything.”He shrugged. “I thought it was just her lingering presence since she was the one who was connected to the gem before you. They are just mere visions, they don't suggest a powerful presence to get bothered about.”“You must be joking,” she stated, flabbergasted. “I had dreams of her every time and nothing ever really happened as a result,” he replied with a dismissive tone.“You know that is not true.”“Nothing “real” ever really happened.”With a realization, she stood up. “You are doing it aga
It felt compelling to desire more, it felt right… yet it didn't.Alaris pulled away being the first one to snap back from the spark pulling them together. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have done that.” He was gone in a flash, leaving her flustered. She couldn't think; the foreign and overpowering feeling was a driving force that sent her out of the room to go after him. She did, reaching the surface, however, and feeling the warm glow of the moon on her skin. Something else seemed to have possessed her, and she went towards the lake instead, strangely seeking the comforting feeling of the water and the floating relief. The reflection of the full moon was cast over the still water and the trees seemed to create a path for her. She walked into the water as a shadow warrior emerged from behind her; the only one of Alaris' shadow warriors that wasn't killed. It swiftly moved into the water, reaching out to pull her back but she turned sharply to it. “Go Back!” She ordered, her voice a gr
Breathing heavily, he turned back to her. “I’m sorry— I just— I was afraid that you’ll shift—”“I have been terrified that this day would come but I thought I was stronger, as strong as I was in your Realm. I knew I would be lacking the moment I saw that annoying thing healing your ankle with his flames,” he laughed, the sound dry of humour as he swept his hand over his hair, pushing it back. “At that moment, I knew there were many things that I lacked, many skills, so many things. I might have been a King there but here, I am like a child. I’m not better than any of those dragon shifters. I’m useless.” “You are not.”With a huff, he sat down next to her, feeling exhausted. “My pretense to know what I am doing can no longer save me. I’m fighting a lost war, Nightshade and you can see it.”He turned to her, to find her shaking her head. “Don't lie to me.”“I’m not.”“Alaris—”“Don't try to inspire me, it won't work.” “I wasn't trying to inspire you, I just want to tell you how disap