Closing the door, Hilda’s expression turned serious. She walked with her light steps passing a long large square table towards where Julian and Sebastian were. They moved to the room deeper inside the cottage. The room had a secret passage that connected the three kingdoms. They never used the passage before, even when thing got worse, they used the outside path. But lately, since Lucas left, King Armand started to use the passage along with his advisor. Because of that, there they were waiting.
Julian and Sebastian were already sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. There were two armchairs on each side of the fireplace and a large couch situated in front of it. Hilda put herself on the farthest armchair.
“Please tell me you already know everything about her! Or I will think you have a very worse idea to show her up in here.” Said Hilda.
“My thought exactly.” Said Sebastian.
Julian gave Sebastian a glare briefly. “At lease by bringing her he
Quarter hour had passed, Sebastian was peeping through the narrow gap in the door. He saw Julian and Hilda moved gracefully. They needed to wait for those dark creatures to leave the room and make sure that the room completely free from them before they went out of the passage to find where King Armand and the rest member of the castle were, while Sebastian tasked to guard the door. They were at King Armand’s study. The room was nothing like it used to before, it was in a huge mess. Chill air blew from the broken glass wall, made Hilda tightened up her coat. They took careful step towards the door. avoiding blood stain on the floor. Julian gestured to Hilda. His hand was on the door knob. Hilda nodded at him. she was leaning on the wall beside the door. Her eyes fixed at the blood, she prayed inside that no one was badly hurt. She stepped outside the room with her light feet. “Come.” She whispered to Julian. Then both of them walked along the aisle as
They left the house as soon as they woke up. The time showed that morning was still early, after two hours of fast asleep, Nieal and Roman felt new again. Meeting all night with Edvard was meaningless. The man really knew how to avoid responsibility, in fact he was very good at it. He made Roman thought of how many ways to blow his head. While Nieal refused to keep his anger inside, he let himself lost his temper and broke Edvard’s nose. Edvard was bleeding hard, he almost choked when he yelled at Nieal. The incident went fast, Roman didn’t even try to hide his laugh because when he just thought about it, and Nieal did it for real. He refused to help him fix his nose and so as the elder, they told him to go to a healer instead. This morning Benjamin would arrive with his report. There they were sitting in the carriage on their way to the Scholar-Dome. The coach led the horses through a gate, then he made the horses walked slower upon the white sand. N
The sun radiated its mid-day shine very bright. Making the gush of half-way to the end of summer blew blazing hot wind. Lucas borrowed Mrs. Lety’s carriage. The carriage was as old as him, but with a regular great maintain made it serves its purpose as good as new. He opened the carriage door before the coach could do. He was impatient. He wanted to see the elder badly. Striding with his long legs, he made his way through the main hall. The hall was empty. Nobody was in sight. He had nobody to ask which way the direction to the elder. His spirit dropped instantly. What on earth that am I supposed to do now? He frustrated inside. Turning half way towards the front door, he heard foot-steps. About three people, he noted inwardly. Then a deep and familiar voice called his name. Lucas spontaneously turn back to his previous position, he saw Nieal and Roman and also a scholar that he didn’t familiar with. He was not surprise to see Nieal and Roman in the Scholar-D
Right before dawn Roman knocked on his daughter bedroom door. No answer. He gently opened the door. His daughter was still asleep. “Irina, wake up.” Roman lightened the room with a flick. “Let’s have some tea. I want to talk to you.” Irina opened her eyes and sat lazily. “What time is it? Is it dark outside?” “It’s dawn.” “Let’s have the tea in the morning then.” She flicked the light out and tried to pull the blanket up. The room was dark for a second. Roman held the blanket as the same time the light back on in the room. “Papa please, let me sleep little longer. I’ve been up late reading Elder Mory’s spell book.” “I’m sorry darling, I need to tell you something before everyone come in the morning.” His daughter looked at him in deep pout. He added. “Tea will freshen you up.” “Fine.” “In the kitchen! I don’t want to bring the tea here.” Said Roman when his daughter crossed her legs one on another, prepared for
Admiring many kinds of loaves and breads in front of its shop, Irina tried to decide which loaf she wanted to buy since everything looked delicious in her eyes. She already bought a bottle of milk from the previous shop, it stayed safely in her bag next to a little bottle of wine that she secretly put in without Marthe knowing it. When Marthe unpredicted action, she left the kitchen untidy and unclean to follow Irina, made the later baffle. She didn’t want to be followed. In her mind, she deserved solitude and alone time before another hard training with her father. “Going somewhere?” Asked Irina when Marthe stumbling from the kitchen to the living room after Irina before she could walk outside. Marthe smiled. “Give you company, Miss.” “Ah… Marthe, I’m sorry. You don’t have to follow me today, just stay home, alright?” Irina paused a second. “I want to be alone and focus.” She showed her the books in her arm. “Besides, you heard my father giving me pe
“Here you go, Stu.” Lucas pushed a stack of book. The man, Stu leaned on the large polished table. “Thank you, Lucas.” He came forward then added in whisper. “Couldn’t ask the lady, though. Have to spend all my day in here finding these.” He pulled the books closer. “Maybe she had a lot of things to do—” “So was me.” Frowning Stu cut in. “—and couldn’t able to help you.” Lucas ended with a grin. Stu looked at Lucas oddly. What a foolish reason, he thought inside, that’s her duty to be helpful. The door behind Lucas opened. Mrs. Letty strode to her table. Her sudden appearance made the two men quiet. “Today is a busy day, Lucas.” Mrs. Letty purposely gave Stu a sharp glare. Stu rolled his eyes. “Thank you again Lucas, you are very helpful.” He said it a little louder. “Yea…” Lucas grinned lazily at Stu. He sighed when Stu’s figure disappeared outside the doble doors. “You might need to be a little nicer.”
Lucas jumped down from the tree. The Gilliant map was still open in his hand. He looked at it, mumbled something then the whole town appeared in the map. Many stars and dots filled the map. His star was alone in the woods. As he followed the path that Irina took, he searched some particular star in the map. That star must have been accompanied by a dot or two or another star. He kept looking in every possible place. Dots were all over the town, most of the stars were in the library, school, or in the Scholar-Dome. Lucas didn’t understand why the map couldn’t plot the area of the new land yet. He was curious whether the star that he looked for over there, but then he spotted unusual group gather together in one house outer the town. It was the elder’s house thought Lucas. He paced up his step, almost running passing through the bridge while asking to himself why he didn’t know this short way to the woods. Mrs. Letty almost jumped in her seat when Lucas creaked
“That is the very map I have invented.” Roman leaned on the chair. He was done observing the map. “You invented a map?” Asked Benjamin nonchalantly. “I did.” Roman replied to Benjamin then he added to Lucas. “So, are you declaring where are you coming from? Or should I say when are you coming from?” Lucas glance briefly at Nieal and Benjamin. “They’re fine.” The elder answered Lucas hesitation. Hearing the elder’s guarantee, Lucas looked at Roman in the eyes. “Yes.” “Alright, now tell us who you are!” “I come from six hundred years from now. I am the only son of King Armand, the ruler of Center Isle, there are three kingdoms, our land is covered by snow for more than two years. Our scholars been kidnapped, witches been murdered and once in a while mass murder happen somewhere. We have no idea of what force that we are dealing with. Until one day a strange book lied open on the table in my study, the prophecy book, it led me her
“Come in.” Said Julian. Irina stepped in to his study inside his castle. He was reading some book, then he stood after put a mark between the pages. “Hey, I hope I don’t disturb you.” “It’s a pleasure to have you here. What can I do for you?” Julian motioned her to take a seat. She pulled a chair behind the clean polished round table, before Julian could do it for her. Julian took a seat across her right after she was settles in her seat. “I want to see how are you doing. You were not there, in the cottage, when we were saying goodbye to Deandra this morning. Lucas taking her back.” That look again, thought Irina. The miserable mixed with sorrowful in blank look. It was just too sad to see. Irina could sense the hurt that he felt in his heart. It seemed he truly love Deandra. “I know.” He said. “I’m so sorry.” Julian wanted to look alright, that’s why he smiled at her as he couldn’t mutter any good respond.
Two days had passed since Lady Cotts’s stiff body dropped dead on to the floor the same time as the last grain of sand in the hourglass. They hadn’t burry her lifeless body yet, she was placed in the glass coffin. Her eyes were cannot be closed, they were wide open and black, with the trace of suppressed fire on them. Roman put his arm around Irina’s shoulder. They both were staring at the glass coffin. “I made her dead.” Said Irina blankly. “She asked for it.” Roman calmed her. He was back as soon as he sensed the energy that he had been avoided for over twenty years had faded and gone. His comeback arrival was welcomed by his daughter enthusiastically. “You did the right thing.” He squeezed her shoulder lightly. “You’re right.” Irina nodded. They heard foot step drew closer, but they didn’t turn to look who it was. “Mr. Roman, may I have a moment?” By then both father and daughter took a look. He was standing next to Roman. “
Irina looked to her side. A strong muscular big black jaguar stood firmly next to her. Little companion? She thought inside, this Iolomb surely had a real bad vision. She gave the Iolomb a sly grin. How to make the Iolomb dead was the only thing on her mind. Ro nudged her as if he could read her mind. He wanted her to go on, leaving the Iolomb with him. Irina shook her head harshly. Ro nudged again. This time, Irina heard disgusting chuckle from the Iolomb. She hated it. She hated being looked down by the creature. So, she turned to face Ro then nodded. That was all she had to do. In the blink of an eye, Ro launched with incredible speed that normal eyes wouldn’t be able to follow. Soon, he was towering in front of the Iolomb. The look of surprise on the creature’s face was only lasted for a moment. Ro made its face down onto the cold floor. What had happened next to the Iolomb, Irina would never know as she took herself upstairs. The map of t
Irina was climbing back through the transparent hole. She put firmly her foot one by one in Deandra’s bedroom. Her face was sour and she was sulking. She was never be in this worse of mood. Deandra stepped back. As the hole diminished, her conscious came. She blinked, then her eyes normal again. “Miss Irina?” Narrowing her eyes for a second at Deandra, making sure that she was free from any form of her mother’s influence. Irina closed her eyes, she forced herself to stay in control. The door swung open. Lucas was still able to see the diminishing of the hole as he came in before Julian and Hilda. “Good. You’re back.” Irina didn’t mean to sound harsh, but she sounded like one and startled Deandra. “Where are you from?” Lucas snapped. His eyes drilled into Irina’s. Hilda and Julian exchanged a look, then threw Lucas a questioning look which ignored by the later. At the same time, Deandra became more and more uneasy. Irina
“Get… Up…” Said Lady Cotts coldly. Shaking her way up, Deandra managed to stand. She stepped back. Didn’t want to be too close. “Speak!” “The king and his group are still alive.” The Iolomb stepped forward. ”I wouldn’t worry about them, Milady. They have been damaged.” “I don’t care about them.” Lady Cotts looked straight into Deandra’s eyes. Blaming her. “I want my daughter to join us.” She tore her haze, shifted to the tall glass window behind her. No one dared to respond. The Iolomb made a side glace at Deandra, while Deandra seemed more interested in her shoes. “Well?” Asked Lady Cotts. Her voice sounded gentle and sweet but somehow send shiver to the Iolomb and Deandra. “I will gather an army, Milady.” The Iolomb bowed and left the room hurriedly. From a far, Deandra saw tiny black dot moving between the treetops through the tall glass
Plakk… Deandra felt burning on her face as the tickle sound and smell of flesh burning filled the air. She fell down the floor, on one side of her body with her hand supporting her weight. Knowing that tear only made the burning felt more painful, she held in as hard as she could. “Now I have to deal with this stupid war.” Lady Cotts looked down at Deandra with loathe in her red eyes. “Milady, I have nothing to do with the war. They hate me. Especially Miss Irina, she AAAAAAAHH…” The palm that marked in her face burnt deeper into her flesh. “Don’t you dare talking about my daughter with your filthy tongue, useless human.” Right, Deandra was an ordinary human before she met the lady whose look bear a resemblance to someone she missed very much, she used to address her dearly with Miss Irina. The one who left right after her wedding. Leaving her father, Master Danieal, and Deandra. It was then in a middl
Deandra walked back and forth in circle in her bedroom. She was locked up in her bedroom, and she didn’t know why. Anxiety crawled into her heart and her head started to tell her things. ‘What did I do?’ Was the first question in her head. ‘Did I do a bad thing?’, ‘What kind of bad thing? Last time I remembered I was being pinned on the floor’, ‘Did they find out who am I?’ ‘Who am I?’ the last question echoed in her head. Her stomach growled as she didn’t touch her food since she had woken up this late afternoon and it was already dark outside. She had no appetite. She was hungry but had no intention to eat. The kind of feeling she acknowledged as a sign. Something had wiring in her vein, running with her blood through her heard then send signal to her brain. She could see but her vision was not hers, she went blank inside. She screamed. Screaming a name that she used to say it dearly. The door opened with a loud bang. “Miss I
Squeaking slowly, an older scholar two seat from Master Tobias pushed his chair back as he stood. Master Z, Lucas said inwardly. Then he turned to Julian who gave him a shrugged as he too didn’t understand. “Antony, don’t give me further reason to regret my decision of letting you pass the final assignment.” Master Z scolded the young scholar. He turned gracefully to face all the royal members in the room. “His highness is not done talking. Please continue, Your Highness. We all are listening.” Lucas nodded. “Thank you, Master Z.” He directed his stare to Antony and all of the younger scholars at the back sit. Antony got up then bowed. “My apology, Your Highness. I was wrong, jump into unreasonable conclusion.” Second later all the younger scholars raised then bowed, murmuring their apology. Taken aback by the sudden bows. What is this? New tradition to become a scholar? Thought Lucas. He swiftly shook the thoughts away. Absurd. Pullin
The sky outside almost dusked. Lucas and Irina hadn’t show themselves at the cottage. Making the atmosphere in the common room tense and anxious. Common room was full, chairs were set pushed against the wall. The large table in the middle of the room was circled by the older scholars, younger scholars were sat on chair by the wall. “Why they aren’t here yet?” Julian heard Hilda whispered softly through his ear. “It’s getting dark soon.” They were standing by the open door of the common room along with Sebastian, Darren and Captain H, waiting for Lucas and Irina. “You’re right.” Julian agreed in low voice. He turned to his best friend. “Sebastian, let’s find them.” Sebastian raised one of his brows, then without any word he followed Julian out. At the front yard, they met with the rest members of Julian’s castle. They saw Julian and Sebastian walked toward them. Julian dismissed their bow instantly as he wanted to asked them questions.