“Hraa?” she heard Xa’s voice in her head. “Is that you?” “Yes,” she replied, her voice soft as a breeze in his mind as she went straight for the black dragon that was about to attack Xa again. “Get away from here! Tha is much stronger than I anticipated, and he will kill us both. I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you, my t’aja.” Hraa did not stop. She would not stop. Her griffin body was much smaller than Tha’s, but she was more agile. She tried to shred his wings just as he had done to Xa, but the black dragon rotated in the air. Tha forgot about Xa and attacked the small griffin, but he could not catch her. It angered him that such a small creature would evade him. Hraa knew there was no way she could defeat the dragon, so she did the only thing she could think about. She flew around Tha until she was facing him, and with her last powers, she went straight for his eyes. Tha didn’t even have time to react when the griffin clawed his eyes, blinding him. He roa

Sarya began singing a beautiful song. “A boy and a girl, Two halves of the same soul Fate brought them together. One look, one touch, and they knew Eternally, their love will be. Here she comes, your bride to be, Take her hand and bring her close And the tree will bless you both.” Daya opened the box and took out a knife made from dragon bone and the hilt from magic ore. A red ruby, and a sapphire were encrusted on the pommel. Ancient runes were engraved on the blade. Daya stared at the dagger. “Is this the first knife? The one used of the first n’alxaes?” Sarya nodded. “It took me a long time to track it. It will make the bond between Ayla and Rhobart stronger.” “I see. Rhobart and Ayla put your left palm facing up,” Daya said. When they did as Daya asked, she made a cut across their palms. Ayla winced. “Rhobart, take Ayla’s left palm into yours,” Daya instructed Rhobart. Rhobart did as Daya asked. When their palms touched, Ayla felt a change in her body. It was as if i

A strong blizzard was sweeping across the land. Ayla lay awake in bed, listening to the howling of the wind through the window while her mind wandered. After thirteen years, she finally remembered her past with Rhobart. How much they loved each other and what they had had to endure. It was not all because of her father, as Sarya had told her, but rather because of the war with the Orcs. Rhobart and her were the only hope to defeat the Orcs. Rhobart was a skilled warrior and had already won a war, but she didn’t understand why she was important. She barely knew how to defend herself with a dagger and knew nothing about wars. The previous night, she felt the sparks of magic being born inside her, but her magic was too delicate to use yet. Nor did she know how. Sarya had told her she wouldn’t need magic runes to channel her mana, but she still didn’t know what spells she could use. Rhobart stirred something over the fire. Since he got up, he had tried to be quiet, probably not wanting

He grabbed her chin between his fingers and forced her to meet his gaze. “Even if I had ordered the massacre of the entire Erylas, I would have kept you alive. Not for altruistic motives but to make you pay for what you did to us. For what I was tricked into believing you did.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “If only I knew earlier what I know now...” he murmured. “I missed you, you know. All these years, I found myself constantly thinking about you. There were days when I wondered if you would write to me again. When I was on the battlefield, drenched in the blood of the enemy, I knew I didn’t want to die without seeing your smile again. Once, I was badly injured. I thought that was my end. We were out of healing potions, and I was bleeding so much.... The idea of not holding your hand again...” his voice cracked. “Of not hearing your laughter ... gave me the strength for living. I wanted to live for you.” Her bottom lip trembled, and a few tears escaped her eyes. “I am sorry

The cabin’s door opened suddenly, and Eude burst inside, laughing. “Hope you two are not fucking. Although, I wouldn’t mind seeing the princess naked.” Ayla was sitting at the table drinking tea while Rhobart was preparing breakfast—porridge with nuts and berries from the winter bushes. While she had insisted on helping, Rhobart refused and sat her on the chair because, well, the previous night, they could barely keep their hands off each other, and she woke up delightfully sore. Even if a few days had passed since they completed the alxa-lotx, the desire they felt for each other was still very intense. Sarya had told her that the first few days after the bond was completed, Rhobart and her would spend most of the time in bed. Even now, after hours, days even, of being in Rhobart’s arms, she still wanted him. If not for her being sore and needing tea from healing plants, they would probably still be in bed. “I want to see her too,” Hudde yelled from behind and pushed Eude aside.