It was the two of them against tens of thousands. Breath racing, Arth sped through the skies, chased by thousands of Ma’rogs; flying beasts mounted by Gunturs. His blood ran wild through his veins as if they’d burst. The Ma’rogs had proved to have powerful wings as Arth struggled from keeping up his pace towards the south.
Only Ma’rogs could go after them if they headed east, and so the plan was to divert their attention while the seed that Elicantris had planted on the encampment had still yet to grow. The seed was their hope to hold off the army, and that’s when they could regroup with the others in Bron’s Cave.
But the plan didn’t turn outright. Arth had underestimated the speed of the beasts chasing him, so he had to work his dragon wings as hard as he could, and it’s causing his blood to run mad, like a wild current of a river.
Arth thought he saw countless arrows flying t
“Drava … that’s where your father is now,” Tristan remembered Bow saying last night. “We’ll head to the country after we’re done with our business with the Lord.” Tristan didn’t know what to feel after hearing about his father. So the man was alive, indeed. And he’d never even thought of returning to his home, to see if his family was still alive? Anger boiled inside Tristan’s chest. He vowed to make the man pay … for leaving them … for not being there to protect them. Surpine and their mother, Pauline, would’ve been alive if the father was there, while Tristan had been gone making a livelihood for the family. An old pain tightened his chest as he recalled the bloody scene in his house after his day of work. It was Surpine’s naming day, and he had thought of using his savings to buy a decent meal for their dinner. He bought her sister’s favorites; honeyed biscuits, a roasted whole chicken, and a frui
Kael watched as Lucas collected a small amount of blood mark on the floor from the chamber, where Janshai had been kidnapped. It was dry and solid, as it had stayed for over three days. But the tiny tong managed to get the blood mark out of the cold surface before containing it in a small glass vial.Kael had not much knowledge about the art of blood magic … as his long years of magic training had only put him into the Path of Ice … as well as the Path of Light. Perhaps Lucas, too, hadn’t known much about it, which was why he had to use the disc to track Janshai using blood.It was an hour afternoon when the three of them gathered at the circular table, where Lucas had laid a scroll that depicted the map of Glacia.“I will expect my request to arrive this afternoon,” Lucas said. “Then we shall begin tracking the kid. In the meantime,” he laid both hands on the table, “We&rsqu
The soft, deep rumbling sound never stopped. Waterfall. Arth awoke, with the left corner of his vision shining brightly, then as he turned to look with squinted eyes, he found a lamp beside his head. What happened? He tried to get up, but the aching pain in his entire body prevented him from moving. Arth adjusted his eyes in the darkness as he faced right. He could see the rocky walls and dark ceilings. His back felt the damp, rough surface where he had slept in. A cave, he realized. Bron’s Cave. The sound of the waterfall kept on rumbling from ahead. They made it. Arth and Eli made it to their rendezvous point. Though he could not remember everything that had happened because of his headache, Arth had known they escaped from the Second Army, thanks to those three pillars of light Eli had shown to him. But how long had it been since they’d gotten away? Had the demons managed to track Arth through Fro
“What the hell were you thinking?” Bow’s voice disrupted the silence in the long hall as the servants led the group to their designated chambers. “You do not come here to this city to address the Lord of the land just like that. Are you out of your mind? Good thing His Lordship owed you big time … if not, he’d have your tongue pulled out of your mouth and that could include ours for not having to discipline you.”Tristan stopped walking and turned around to meet Bow’s eyes. “No one owns me, Bow. I will never agree to that kind of foolish offer. I came here for my father. You will bring me to him right after you’re done with your business here.”“And I will not consider that if you do not apologize to the Lord. Have you got any respect? You may be a bold young man … but it goes too far out of bounds when you talk with nobles.”“I know
“You’re insane,” Kael said as he galloped along with Lucas and Robert, following the current of Riverchill towards the east. His legs, hips, and back hurt from their long ride. They had made no stop. Kael agreed they had to keep moving, or else the knights from the capital might catch up with them.“Is that a compliment?” Lucas replied, the northern wind sending his trimmed hair flailing.“You mean to get us captured again,” Kael said. “I dislike this idea, Lucas.”“Do you, now? Or is it only that you don’t trust me with this idea of mine?”“Obviously.”Lucas turned his head to look at Kael. He got a confident look as if he knew exactly how it would end. “It was not wrong to not trust me, brother. But when matters of emergency and high stakes arise, you can set aside your suspicions of me … just for this tim
Arth froze at the tremendous demonic aura radiating from the two enemies ahead of him, more so from the tall demon. He had black and blue waves of alar, piercing Arth’s brain with pulsating pain. What is this … immense power? His right hand was still extended to the side, waiting for his sword to arrive after calling for it many times. Elicantris must’ve taken Frostcalibur far out of his reach. It would take some time before the blade could travel back to him.“Frostcalibur … I need you now,” Arth shouted inside his thoughts. He swallowed hard at the lump in his throat, his chest pounding harder and faster.“This one’s weak, Lord Ander,” the demon named Shadowhunter said, raising his chin as he looked down at Arth. “You want me to finish him?”They spoke using human language, Arth noticed. They must be … Ka’erns … demon-turned humans. And
A sharp pain plunged through Tristan’s head again and again, deep through his skull. He opened his eyes at the morning sunlight, kissing his face. Warmth embraced his body, then he noticed he’d changed into white sleeping garments, not remembering changing his coat. Someone must’ve done it for him. His head ached; strong pulses that made him groan and roll on the soft bed. What happened last night? The only thing he remembered was Lewis and him drinking in the alehouse. And after that …Oh, right …Lewis took Tristan back to the Keep after their drink, then into this chamber. After that … Lewis left.“What the hell … is going on with this head?” Tristan grunted, massaging his temples as the pain worsened after sitting up. Suddenly, his dry throat needed water. His eyes scanned the chamber … white painted walls with bright ceilings and floor, with a brown door t
Kael kept his eyes forward, waiting for the corruption magic to become in sight ahead of them. But it had been half an hour of riding through the depths of the forest without catching a single sense of the dark magic spreading. Something was not right. They should’ve seen it already several minutes ago.“Are you certain it’s accurately taking us to the source?” Kael said as they trotted through the woods. “It appears we are not heading towards the center of the forest.”“The compass is not taking us towards the source,” Lucas replied. “It’s taking us to Janshai. He may have been taken in a different location … far from the corruption.”Kael muttered a curse. That would take a longer time for them to locate the source of the dark magic. They had to find Janshai the soonest as possible.The White Forest was the largest in Glacia, making it the home for high-class beasts. But Kael had not found a single beast on their way. They must’ve fled from the forest, or perhaps died from the corru