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Chapter 23: Amaranthine
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Scarlett ran after the prince as fast as her itching body could carry her. It was one thing to run in an open field, on solid ground and a smooth path. In the forest, one wrong turn could send her crashing into a tree or a hole in the ground, especially when her skin was on fire.
After several minutes, Scarlett was forced to admit to herself that even she could not outrun a Hova. She stopped and fell on her knees, panting as if her lungs were trying to leave her chest just to get a bit of air.
The itch seemed to have gotten worse. Now she really felt like ripping the skin off her body. No matter how she scratched, she got no relief. It was like the poison in the plant had been waiting for her to stop, so she could concentrate only on the pain.
Laying on the ground, she looked like a fish out of the water, thrashing and gulping for air as she tried to scratch her body with the overgrown roots of a tree.
Her two hands were simply not eno
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After Scarlett was done eating, the pair set out immediately. She desperately wanted to bathe, but she wasn’t going to undress near Prince Marcellus. She didn’t trust him to look away or refrain from making crude jokes about her. They both moved silently through the forest. The sun was high in the sky, and all they could hear were their footsteps and the chirping birds. Scarlett’s thoughts drifted towards Mimbi. Was she still alive? Was she still on this side of the wall, or had they taken her and the other captives to Hovania? “Do you know where they were taking the girls?” she asked all of a sudden. It was hard for her to keep up with Prince Marcellus. He walked briskly, sometimes starting to jog, and then slowing down once he realized he was going too fast for her. Normally, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But after two days of being out, she was still a little weak. “They are taking them to Lady Numia’s estate. It’s the closest castle to the wall
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“At ease,” said Queen Edda, and everyone stopped being statues who were looking at the floor and went back to what they were doing. They seemed to purposely avoid glancing in her direction. Luca rose but bowed his head again once he looked at his Queen. She in turn, kept looking at Scarlett while she spoke. Scarlett was dumbstruck, having had no time to react with the Queen’s sudden appearance. She never imagined that the Queen would be in the muddy courtyard, especially with the soft rain. “I thought you were dead. Why didn’t you send a messenger? Who are these people?” said Queen Edda, finally looking away from Scarlett. “Your majesty, we… suffered a few incidents. I’d prefer to speak of them privately if you will let me. The women are Karainas,” he said, stepping aside as to let the Queen get a better view of the girls. Pakuri and Voty were still on their rheas behind Scarlett, so they moved to the side and nodded their heads in ack
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Luca leaned in, grabbing Scarlett’s jaw with one hand bringing her face close to his. She looked into his eyes and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. When Luca moved in to kiss her again, she moved her head to the side and started kissing his lightly stubbled chin, then his cheek, moving onto his neck. While she did that, she began to remove his armor. It was heavy, and it made a clang on the floor when it fell to the ground. Luca let himself be kissed, feeling Scarlett’s skin beneath his hands. He caressed her back, slowly moving his way down towards her bottom. This time her senses were alert and not muddled from the ale. His coarse hands moving through her body made Scarlett shiver with pleasure. When the last piece of Luca’s armor fell on the ground, it seemed like a weight had been lifted from him. With one swift movement, he took off his white shirt and grabbed Scarlett, picking her up by her butt cheeks. Scarlett wrapped her arms and legs
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"What... what is that?" Voty said, stammering and sneezing almost at the same time.No one felt the need to answer her question because just as she asked it, hundreds of horses ran out of the smoking ruins in line, heading east. The black and silver flags they carried told them who they were.The Hova."We have to go back and evacuate the city," Xander said, already turning back his horse."What about the people there?" Scarlett made Sunu step in front of him. "Send Frank or the other soldiers. We have to go see if there are any survivors."Prince Marcellus only watched the scene below them with a frown."Why don't you make your prince go stop them? Get out of the way," Xander said to Scarlett.Without saying a word, Marcellus made his horse gallop straight towards the village on fire. Pakuri followed him in her rhea, and so did Voty.The soldiers all began to turn their horses back, and Scarlett wished she could hu
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