Ayla woke up in a throne room she had never seen before. Torches that cast a cold yellow light were placed on the walls. Where was she? She remembered fighting the Seeker and using all her mana to defeat him and the intense pain that followed. Then... nothing. She wondered if she was dead. Guilt filled her heart when she thought of how Rhobart must feel. However, she had had no choice but to use her magic to defeat the Seeker. If she were truly dead, then Inoss had not found her worthy of the Eternal Gardens. It was said that the Eternal Gardens was of such beauty it was hard to describe. All kinds of fruit trees and a plethora of flora flourished there. In the middle of the Eternal Gardens was the Palace of the Gods, in which Inoss and Addanos lived. Then where was she? Maybe she was not dead but only dreaming. But how could she be sure? At the far end of the room, placed on a dais, was a throne made of black marble with gold veins. A man was sitting on it. He was leaning bac
The alxa-lotx vibrated with Rhobart’s anger. It did not surprise her. Not only did she keep her magic a secret from him, but she had hurt him with it. Did he know it had been her who sent him flying into the trees? He must know. Why else would he be so angry with her? Were the others angry as well? Once she changed her clothes and made herself presentable, she would apologize. Rhobart inhaled deeply and looked at his men. “I want to speak with Ayla. Alone.” Eude crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “I won’t say a word while you two talk.” Hudde, who was standing next to his brother, added, “We will be silent as a grave.” Rhobart narrowed his eyes. “What part of alone didn’t you understand?” “You won’t even know we are here,” Eude insisted. “Go do something useful!” Rhobart yelled, making Ayla flinch. She knew he would not hurt her, but she could not stop herself from being frightened each time she heard him raise his voice. Galian used to scream at her each time he h
Rhobart growled, and Ayla swallowed hard. “You think I can’t tell you are lying? Is it because of your magic? If that’s so, then I am going to forbid you to use it!” Kerra hissed at Rhobart, and it sounded like a warning. While Ayla knew Rhobart was right, she could not let another man dictate the way she lived her life. She thought he was different, but in the end, he was like all men—controlling. She had been controlled all her life. No more! Ayla stared into his eyes. “Why do men always want to control me? First was my father, then Galian. Now you!” Rhobart opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He looked at her for long moments. She regretted her words the moment they came out of her mouth. Rhobart had never tried to control her, if anything, he pushed her to do things—like riding, traveling around Nordmar, teaching her how to use a dagger, and many other things. His eyes turned to steel. “Why the fuck do you keep comparing me to them? That’s what you real
The heads belonged to Orcs? No wonder they looked familiar to her. She frowned. Were the Orcs already in Nordmar? Atlas glanced at Milton and winked. “Oh, this is going to be interesting.” “You told us to do something useful,” Eude started saying while peeling a chestnut. “So we went hunting,” Hudde continued. “We knew it was a waste of time to look for a troll in this forest. And since we couldn’t find an ogre, we found an Orc camp and killed the bastards!” “An Orc camp so close to us? Are we in any danger?” asked Ayla. Hudde flashed her a smile. “No need to worry. We killed the Orcs to protect our precious princess.” “She is not yours!” Rhobart snapped. Atlas chuckled while Milton tried hard not to laugh. Rhobart glared at them before looking back at the twins. “How many?” he asked. “Apart from the three we already killed; we didn’t find more Orcs. We did search for tracks or anything else that might indicate there were more, but the camp was small, and the Orcs were only sc
How did you know I was using magic?” Ayla asked Atlas. The twins were preparing the horses for traveling while Rhobart and Milton were writing on some parchments nearby. Ghost waited on a branch close to them. Ayla and Atlas remained on the logs in front of the campfire as Ayla still felt too exhausted to do anything other than sip the tea Milton had prepared for her. Atlas folded his arms over his chest, stretched out his legs, and toyed with one of his lip piercings. “In Tuhai, when a child turns eight years old, he is taken to the Air Palace. The Royal Mages will test the child for mana, and if he is found to have it, he will be sent to the monastery to learn how to control it. On some rare occasions, a child will be found to have, umm, let’s call it a gift. That child is sent to the Academy of War and Flying. Depending on the gift, he will either learn to be a spy, a ranger, or a Flying Knight. But to become a Flying Knight, a griffin hatchling has to choose the child as his ride
It was night when Ayla woke up. Snow was falling from the dark sky, and a cold wind was sweeping the land. Furs covered Ayla, and Kerra was sleeping beside her. Magic crystals were at her feet, keeping her warm. Rhobart and the others were talking in low voices. Ayla remained under the furs, listening to them. “I don’t like this weather. Too cold,” said Rhobart. It was the first time Ayla heard him say it was cold. “A snowstorm is approaching.” Milton spoke next. “At least we are close to the Fire Clan. If we ride fast, we can reach it by tomorrow evening,” “We leave before dawn,” Rhobart decided. “I will take the first watch,” Atlas let everyone know. A moment later, Rhobart slipped under the furs behind her. Ayla tried to snuggle closer to him, wiggling her— He grabbed her hip with his right hand. “If you rub your ass against my cock one more time,” he warned her, his voice low. She stilled. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Do you feel bette
One of the gates opened, and a young Fire Mage with red hair appeared from behind it. He and Milton clasped their right forearms and hugged for a few moments. “My King! The Arch-Mage Semias received your parchment, and we have been waiting for your arrival,” Zayin said as he let go of Milton and took a step back. Rhobart dismounted. “Then we will go directly to him. Milton already knows the way.” “Let’s take the horses inside. The novices in charge of the stables will take care of them,” Zayin told Rhobart. Once Kerra and the horses were inside the Monastery’s courtyard, Zayin closed the gate. Three novices came and took the horses away. Grapevines grew near the courtyard’s entrance, and two novices were pruning them. Near the stables was a training area, and novices were practicing with their staffs or casting spells under the strict supervision of Fire Mages. Milton led everyone inside the Fire Monastery. The entrance was large, with a staircase that branched into two halfway
While the Paladins and Atlas joked around, the Arch-Mage looked at Ayla with great interest. “Could you share what Sarya told you in your dreams?” Ayla told as much as she could of the dreams she had with Sarya. She left out the part with the forgotten book, the Eye of Inoss, and a few other things. When she said that Sarya called her Peace-Bringer, the Arch-Mage’s eyebrows inched up. “You are the Peace-Bringer? I had hoped that another Great War with the Orcs wouldn’t happen, but I am afraid death and destruction will start soon.” “What is a Peace-Bringer?” Eude asked. “The Peace-Bringer is a woman with great healing ability. She is the one that will heal the Avatars during the long battles with the Orcs and the one that will heal the land that has been tainted with Dark Magic. During the war, her presence will bring peace to the hearts of those fighting against the evil,” the Arch-Mage explained. Ayla hadn’t realized how important her magic was until that moment. If only there