Lying was a skill that came easily to Naomi. Inherently, she was not a pathological liar—she spoke truthfully most times but there were situations; situations such as this that required her to lie through her teeth. In her line of work, she often had to deceive and manipulate people into revealing information that they would never disclose under any circumstances. She did not want to hoodwink the nice shopkeeper but she was in a position where any wrong move could turn out to be detrimental. From her reading of the Heart of the continent, she knew that the citizens of the continent could never be completely trusted; especially the common folk. Anybody from the Great Houses could be the most powerful emperor or Chief but once the common people turn against their reign, that rule becomes considerably threatened. That was one of the major turning points in the novel in which the reigning emperor of the continent, Ishaq was forcefully dethroned. Clearing her throat, she put on her mo
The salty smell of the sea usually brought comfort to Naomi whenever she visited the beaches of San Francisco. The waves crashing against the rocks, the boisterous laughter of children as they played in the clear water, and the surfers riding the massive waves somehow brought a sense of peace to her.The beach was her safe place. A place where she could think and decipher anomalies at work or in her life.It was where she had figured out the first clue that she needed in her pursuit to find out the truth behind her parents' death.On this day, however, the sea failed to bring the usual feeling of serenity. She was desperate and needed to find out why she was here and how she could return to San Francisco. Her mind was all over the place trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle that had now become her life.From attending a book launch to traveling to Silicon Valley to meet up with someone who could have been a potential helper, she had never expected that she would wake up he
CHAPTER 17- To the block! "I do not know what you are talking about. I am no thief!" Naomi retorted defensively, putting on an astonished and offended look. The four men burst into laughter in perfect unison, their voices a deep rumble. Then, they began to speak in a language that was alien to Naomi's ears.Perhaps it was their native tongue. In the heart of the continent, every kingdom had languages that were peculiar to them but they all spoke a common tongue when inter-communicating with one another. She stared at them confused as they continued discussing in their native tongue. She wondered why she had to get into trouble just when she was about to get answers to why she had migrated here. If Nerina was getting married to the prince of the continent, then she needed to get to Nebulos as soon as possible and find out more about Nerina and how she was connected to her. As if that wasn't a daunting task on its own, she would also have to accomplish her aim before she would be
…To her surprise and great relief, the pain never came as she heard a dull thud that sounded like something hitting the ground. Uncertainly, she opened one eye to take a peek. She was expecting to see a large pool of blood with her severed hands engulfed in it. Perhaps the shock of the blow had caused her to not feel any pain whatsoever. However, that was not the case. There was no blood, severed hands, or even the gleaming axe that was supposed to have slammed down on her wrist joint. As she peeked, she was shocked to notice the axe stuck in the ground a few feet away from the stone slab on which her hands lay. There was no way in hell that the long, dark-haired brute's grip had slipped to the point of the axe flying away to land where it did. She wondered if the strange energy that she had felt within her when Indah had tried to kill her had finally unleashed its potent fury but she could still feel the gaping hollow in her chest. The unbridled force that had thrashed and rumb
"Pastries?" The woman chuckled, mirth bubbling within in. Upon first glance at the tall, pale-skinned maiden in front of her, she would never have suspected her of any crime which was why she had stepped up immediately on seeing those brutes trying to sever her hands. "It was not the best thing to do, I admit but I was in a precarious situation! I did not want to steal at all but I had no other option. I guess I should return them…" Naomi sighed heavily, her stomach grumbling furiously. The apple and dried meat she had eaten back in the forest had all but disappeared from her stomach. "There would be no need for that. Come with me." She gave Naomi a small smile as she turned and began heading in the direction of the main harbor and the shops. Not of her own volition, Naomi followed her. The woman was nothing to her but a stranger; she could not understand why she felt such an indescribable pull toward her. She had no reason to trust the woman asides from the fact that she had saved
"Help me, please!" "Help me!" Prince Daegal woke up with a start, panting heavily as sweat poured from his forehead and dripped down his bare chest. He pushed his long, dark mane away from his face and ripped off the thick blanket covering his legs. Taking in large gulps of air to calm his racing heart, he planted his feet on the cold floor and rose. With his breathing now under control, he walked over to the large balcony adjoining his chambers and leaned on the parapet, reveling in the cool night breeze. The world was still enveloped by darkness; the only sources of light being the bright crescent moon and the plethora of twinkling stars covering the night sky. Ever since the blood moon appeared in the sky and his betrothal to Lolo Nerina followed, he had been plagued by vague dreams that refused to let him have a peaceful sleep. At first, he kept on seeing those cold eyes of Nerina; her gaze burning with malicious intent and her lips stretched in a smile that was more insidious
"Bllergh! Oh God, why?" Naomi moaned as she emptied the contents of her bowels into a small, wooden bucket. Within two weeks of the sea voyage, she had vomited at least forty times and could barely keep any food down without feeling nauseous. She usually found peace in the ocean and loved being at the beach so she thought she would also enjoy being at sea on a free ship voyage. She was greatly mistaken, and she still had to endure three more weeks of the torturous journey before she would arrive at Nebulos. "There, there. You'll be alright. Easy," Nezetta cooed as she held Naomi's long hair which was dampened with sweat, away from her face. She had made sure to hold in her laughter at the sight of Naomi's Sea sickness so that she would not feel bad. It was difficult to do so because it was weird to see someone so disturbed by the churning of the waves to the point of not being able to keep food down. Nezetta mostly felt awful though on seeing Naomi suffer. She did not kn
"You're next, Naomi," An eerie voice declared. The malicious tone was the trigger that jolted Naomi from the nightmare she was in. Panting and disturbed, she clutched her head in her hands, willing the remnants of the nightmare to be gone. Tears seeped from her eyes as she was forced to relive the horrible death of her parents again, but this time was different. Back in her world, she usually woke from the nightmares before she could figure out exactly how they had died and why she was spared even though she was within the same vicinity as her parents. They always remained unclear even after therapy. When they had returned years after and Victoria had helped her through them, they were still vague; unambiguous but still horrific enough to leave her in a cold sweat. However, as she neared the kingdom of Nebulos, the nightmares became clearer… as if Nebulos held an attachment to her and her increasing nearness to it was unraveling the bond and acting as a medium to help her figure o