The news of what Alaris had told the people spread to different villages, as expected, and the trials for the witches had started. In Inaymi, many of the witches had been declared innocent and Head Lytio was already running out of the allocated funds for their compensation for their time unjustly spent in the dungeon. So he wrote to the Capital for the stand-in King to intervene. The witches seemed to be happy though, they called the King's Right-hand woman the soul witch and they celebrated her death. The sun took its place in the sky and the moon, glowing white, when it was its time. Everything had returned to normal, except for what happened in the dungeon some days ago. It was strange. The guards said they heard the voice of someone singing, a woman, but when they got there, it was eerily silent. Blood was everywhere and the witch in the dungeon looked like she had exploded.So, it was concluded that the witch was the one singing, she had probably tried to summon something
Collin emerged from the darkness behind her, a sword smeared with blood in his hand and grief buried in his eyes. Unexplainable rage. "I buried them yesterday. Their cold bodies beneath the cold, wet sand," his lips trembled and his teeth clattered. "They were supposed to be breathing. They were supposed to be alive when the Blood Moon came, but no..."He looked like a shadow of himself, and lifted the sword like it was too heavy for the strength he commanded. His breathing was loud, and fatigue laced every movement he made. His eyes were deep in their sockets, and his uniform looked like it had been hazardously put on, the blue color fading and stained with blood that was probably his and someone else's.It had been a very long time since she had seen that on him. Also, who had he attacked before getting in here?"...you killed her." He said in an empty voice, tears streaming down his face. "She was supposed to bring my family back and you killed her."Belladonna pulled her towel
The guard was jittery when turning the key in her cuff, and that was when Belladonna knew something was wrong. The hood was overflowing and the guard looked...different.Wait, this wasn't a guard. This was one of the women who had dressed her up as a sacrifice the last time she had been here.If she remembered this correctly, this was Thanatou's sister, or maybe one of them. Belladonna remembered her saying that she pitied her, and getting chastised for it by her mother.What was she doing here?"Sorry," her meek voice had provided as she knelt before Belladonna, her wide and innocent gaze meeting Belladonna's suspicious one. The Thanis' gaze moved to her head then, and guilt crept into her eyes. "Sorry. You smell like betrayal again."That confirmed it. She was the one. The Thanis looked like she was probably 16 but she wasn't really sure how they aged here. Also, her floating hair made the hood look weird.The Thanis shook her head, mumbling something to herself and shooting Bel
Alaris was strong, but who could beat Thanatou in his own realm?The fight had been going on for about thirty seconds and there was already so much catastrophe, that the guards had broken their intense restraint on Eli and Belladonna, so they could protect themselves against the blast of flames that shot at every direction. Belladonna was behind the throne of bones, she couldn't even figure out how she had gotten there! The ache in her legs reminded her though. She had ran. Her hand was tight around her towel. Somehow, amidst the chaos, had stolen a fallen Thanis warrior's ragged mantle, and put it on. Seeing a Thanis warrior without his black cloak made her understand why they barely left anything in view, to begin with.What a torture for her eyes.The blue pair would never recover. Belladonna slipped back into her hiding spot, her heart racing. When her gaze met Eli's from across the hall - a good distance from her and taking shield behind a pillar, she grinned, the nerves of h
"You should have put guards at my door."The words slipped through her lips before she could even think twice about it. They had gotten to the castle and she was in her chambers, the one she used to share with Eli. She really needed to get out of here, every corner was filled with too many memories. Alaris was moving around, still in his blood-stained shirt, trying to ensure that the room was secure. Belladonna had been to the bathroom about thirty minutes ago and Collin's body was no longer there."I did. If you had stepped out of your room, you would have noticed."Belladonna bit her tongue and nodded. "Thank you but you really shouldn't have come. It destroyed your portal."Yet another sentence she had said without thinking. Alaris smirked, pulling out a box of healing bottles, and throwing it open on the dressing table. He should be able to heal fast but Thanatou's sword must be different from any other blade. He hissed when the spirit jammed into his cuts, and this only remin
Nadia's grandmother had not expected any guests that sunny afternoon, but here the dreaded ones were, at her door. She made a couple of slightly jerky movements which could be passed off as signs of old age - for anyone who didn't know better- as she led her visitors into the hovel. Alaris' peculiar presence made her weary, along with his reptilian eyes that seemed to calculate every movement she made, although she hid her fear greatly. "It is so nice to have you in my humble abode." She threw a smile at them. "Nadia is getting better. You are the Bride? Yes." Her gaze finally settled on Belladonna, her slightly hunched back from old age forcing her to crane her head upwards so she could see her. "And you are the King's brother. My utmost gratitude for all you have done for Ignas. How is the King? I hope the confinement is helping him.""Can I see her, Gr---?" Seb chipped in eagerly, before she quickly responded. "No.""Why?" His shoulders slumped. "Is she angry at me?"He had onl
The visit to Granny had been very unfulfilling.After many attempts, there was no success at finding anything to get rid of the powers or even, at least, contain them so she wouldn't need Alaris or his gem all the time. With disappointment and a silent threat to eliminate Nadia if Granny ever stepped out of line, they left. Belladonna had to meet the witches Seb had brought for her and when she had gone through all 13 of them, she was certain these powers were here to doom her forever.______The brush stroked the canvas, giving him no ease or escape from the guilt that tortured his mind, the images of the coffins, the numbers engraved on them, and what they signified. All those families, he had stolen someone from. All those families he had thrown into lose.His wrist moved mindlessly, his eyes aching with how much tears he had wept. He wished he could just turn back the hand of time, he wished he could have been wiser to see right through Kestra's plan. By Ignas, he hated hims
Belladonna sprung awake, sweat running down her forehead, an unpleasant feeling spreading through her veins, tightening her stomach.Eli. Something bad had happened to him. It wasn't something she had seen or something she had heard, it was something she could just feel in the depths of her stomach. It was a knot that twisted unpleasantly there and made her hands tremble as she flung her quilt aside and pulled her robe around her. She quickly headed out of the room, forgetting to bring the gem with her.Panic coursed through her veins and she jumped in her skin when she came across a man in the darkness of the hallway. Raindrops hung to the strands of his silver, his black leather glistering with it. The storm outside raged on. Thunder clapped and lightning flashed, then she saw his face, dripping with raindrops, his wet hair tucked behind his ears, a few strands falling over his forehead.Relief eased the stiffness in her shoulders."Alaris, I think something---" she started to s