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Chapter 25: An Empty Throne Room
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The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 26: Dark Depths
The Storm King had declared Violet his sovereign. He relinquished his crown to her. She liked this newfound power. A magic made from the two of them alone.Eden's hand trailed up her thigh. His lips followed the curve of her neck, each kiss pressed deeper into her skin. He leaned against the foot of his throne as she straddled him, hands moving for the ties on his tunic.One by one she undid the strings. When she touched his bare chest magic rippled through her. Visions of soaring cumulus darkening to thunderheads. Their anvil shapes stacked on top of each other. Wind stirred the clouds, gathering them into massive funnels that sliced through the rain.Violet felt herself being carried away in the arms of the tempest."Violet," Eden's voice called her back.Her eyes cleared. His own returned to their calm amber. He'd moved her hands onto the safety of his shirt."I didn't mean to do that," she said quietly, embarrassment blooming red on her cheeks."Where do you go when you channel my
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 27: Practice Is Over
The noose Curzon stretched around Basharr was tightening. Neve, Buhen, and Basharr were all that stood between the Blood King and total conquest of the elven realms. She and Eden couldn't afford to practice their magic anymore—war beckoned them on."Are you nervous?" Eden asked.They were on the palace grounds, an entire squadron of soldiers recruited from the capital and the closest nobles' estates around them. They were setting out to defend the kingdom and meet with more soldiers along the way. Curzon had launched an assault on more of the border towns, overpowering the nobles there, and no one wanted to hide anymore."Better to meet Curzon head-on than wait here for him," Violet replied."My thoughts exactly," Eden replied, flashing her a quick smile.He got on his horse and rode off to coordinate with his new captain, a charming elf from Oro Valley, Eloy's neighboring town, named Augustus Boswell. A vast improvement on exiled Captain Dana since he didn't instantly hate Violet.So
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 28: Spending The Night
"Don't even think about turning around," Florian said, as Violet sat on her bed facing the wall.He was taking off his uniform to sleep in his underclothes. It was the best deal they could come up with, given what a tight space they were in."Trust me, not a problem," Violet replied, legs crossed and hands holding her ankles. "Are you done yet?""What's the rush? Do you miss my face already?"Violet fought the desire to roll her eyes. "Yes, Florian, your incredible face is all that gets me through the day. Such beauty.""Knew it," he chuckled.She heard some rustling then the other bed creaked under his weight."Finished," he said.She turned, hanging her legs off the side of the bed. Florian was laying down, one arm behind his head, shirtless with his eyes closed. The sheets hung low to his waist. His brown hair gently framed his face. Violet raised her eyebrows—she had no idea he looked like that under the uniform."You done yet, Bellerose?"She removed her gaze from his tan skin and
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 29: Ambition And Desire
The bed of a king felt good.Violet woke slowly, stretching her arms out from under the blankets. One foot hung off the edge of the mattress. Pale light streaked the floor, skimming the curtain edges. She sat up, expecting to see Eden's lanky body in one of the chairs. They were both empty.But a hot breakfast rested on the table in between. She walked over on her tiptoes, avoiding the cool floor on her bare feet. Fresh bread and butter with eggs waited for her. The steam filtered through the morning air.Violet tore off a piece of bread, wiping away the butter from her chin. She went to the window, pushing aside the curtains to open the glass. Below, some soldiers were already up, tending to their horses and eating outside. Two were practicing their sword skills. The familiar twang of a bowstring drifted up to her ears. Florian had set up a makeshift target and was coaching five soldiers.More arrows found the target while Violet munched on her scrambled eggs. Two of the maids hovere
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 30: Greet Your Dead
Eden dragged a thunderstorm behind him.Violet watched the clouds build, swelling with rain. Their dark underbellies marched across the land, overtaking everything. Ahead of the squadron a wall of thick smoke barred their vision. Violet knew this area—they were entering the borderlands—but she hardly recognized it.An unnatural mist, one that Eden couldn't control, wove through the trees, undercutting the smoke and eating the sunlight. Farms sat deserted. Sheep and cattle wandered, abandoned in the panic of Curzon's attacks. Violet wanted to run from it herself—something about the mist stole the breath from her lungs."What is all this smoke?" Violet asked.Eden's face was grim. "Curzon's dead have a habit of torching homes on their way back to Ipsit. The nobles defending the border haven't been able to douse the flames—they think the dead have brought it with them from the grave.""So their fire is as undead as they are?""It looks that way," Captain Augustus said.The three of them r
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 31: A Blind Turn
Toreva was lost. The blood elves, changed into something deathly by Curzon, had consumed the town. Now, they wanted to consume the squadron."Ride!" Captain Augustus shouted. "Faster!"Hooves stampeded through the smoke and mist. Violet's ears rang with sounds of the chase and the creatures' haunting cries. Her arms ached from firing her bow. Eden was at her side, sweat dripping from beneath his crown, down his temples.They turned a blind curve on the road. Boulders scattered over the dirt. A landslide. Violet's horse jumped by instinct. It landed on gravel, stumbling but righting itself quickly. Eden was right behind her. More soldiers followed. The creatures ran nearly as fast as the horses, speeding through the haze, bloodlust written on their faces."Move!" Eden shouted, on the side of the road, directing the squadron. "Out of the way! There are more behind you!"Soldiers and horses gathered, Captain Augustus directing them, and circled up to form ranks. Their sword and spears wer
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 32: War Room
Persistent hammers tapped at the inside of Violet's skull. Light kept trying to seep through her closed eyelids. She groaned and rolled over, velvet cushions meeting her cheek. The sharp, spicy scent of cloves filled her senses."Eden, my head is pounding—get that smell out of here," she ordered, trying to bury her aching head in the pillows."Hmm, I thought you'd like it," answered a voice Violet knew even in her stupor.She pushed herself up on her hands to find King Curzon lounging in a chair next to her. He was draped in toffee-brown furs, silver beads braided into his dark hair, and those toxic blue eyes radiating intensity.Memories started returning to Violet—the battle outside Toreva, the blood elves possessed by the souls of the dead, and Eden.Violet jumped to her feet, fighting her spinning head, anger pumping through her. "Where's Eden? What happened to him? Tell me now or I'll make you wish you were one of your corrupted dead."Curzon's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I don'
The Elf King and His Bodyguard Chapter 33: The Favor Of Kings
Ipsit's palace, The Bastion, rose like a spearhead out of the valley the capital city was nestled within. Four wide bridges—fixed on the cardinal directions—sloped down to the city, each laden with green gardens.Violet saw all this from the balcony of Curzon's war room. The gardens had no blooms, only a kaleidoscope of sage, emerald, and olive, freshly manicured. Sunlight pierced through the trees but brought little warmth, even to her high spot in the palace. Ipsit was a cold kingdom, drained of color.The lock clicked open on the door and Violet turned to see two maids enter, dressed in the crimson and silver livery of Ipsit, a tiny wolf head embroidered on both of their left shoulders. One was a redhead with warm brown eyes carrying a pile of dresses over her arms. The other had bronze skin and tightly coiled curls down to her waist. She carried an intricate key on a ring. Violet could see they were both wary of her, just as she was of them. "Come this way. Your suite is ready," s
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