Darkness. That’s all what Raeherys could see. He didn’t know if he had gone blind, or it was only his world that turned completely dark. He couldn’t even tell the difference if his eyes were opened or closed. His body throbbed, muscles screaming in the ache. The irritating pain from the red collar on his neck had no more effect on him … He grew used to it … He had felt so much worse than that.
Raeherys was broken. His heart was broken. He couldn’t stop thinking about her … and what she did to him again and again and again. He wanted to cry, but no more tears came out. For how many times he tried to remind himself that Larice was only a human, that he shouldn’t be so affected like this—but why was it so painful? Why did it damage him this much? He pictured out that moment when they were above the skies … they could feel their hearts beating against each other’s chest … that mome
The Sun Palace was like three keeps combined in size. One would easily get lost walking inside without a guide. The bright-painted ceilings of the halls rose high as the left windows let the afternoon sun kiss the floor of quartz.There was only silence as Councilor Hakim led Arch Estes and Grand Lorath to another long hall. Larice and Sevyh followed with several Palace Guards marching behind them. They walked between the two columns of rounded pillars, and over the velvet carpet path.Larice tried to pull herself together. Her heart jumped faster and faster as they traveled closer to the throne room. She swallowed hard, but her throat was too tight. Seeing the Palace Guards passing by only made her recall herself running away from this city before. That moment when the ice covered every inch of the place at the inn, with blood dripping on the clear surface from the impaled men—Larice saw the shock and fear in Faran’s eyes. The innkee
It was still dark. Chains rattled outside the cage as the metal locks clicked and clanked.Raeherys stood hard on his feet, preparing himself for his chance to escape as all fell into silence. But when the metal door opened, the light from the outside hurt his eyes. It almost blinded him. He heard two hunters who stepped in, grabbed him by the arms, and dragged him out of the cage.When his eyes adjusted, he found a long tunnel extending far beyond the darkness. Stone walls carried bright lamps that illuminated the path. Then he caught a loud sound of water rushing behind. Was there a river nearby? He could make use of it to easily swim and escape this place.Raeherys took a glance at the hunters around as he pressed his feet against the rough floor stone slabs. About ten surrounded him—all armed and dangerous.His ears caught another clicking and clanking of metals behind his own metal cage. Fetyr … he thought. This wa
The Sun Palace was a place full of eyes—either it was from the guards patrolling on the ground, walls, and towers, or from the servants and gardeners outside, or from the slaves building pillars and walls using mud bricks. Wherever Larice went, she could feel she’s being watched, or even followed as she walked outside, trying to pretend that she’s having a stroll. She needed to find some ways how to escape. But the high curtain walls and towers had the palace completely sealed.Larice sat on the lip of a stallion fountain. The clear waters spurted above and then sprinkled down on the pool surface. She found the sound of the splashing water quite therapeutic. But her thoughts were too clouded by what had happened earlier from the throne room. If the Emperor was indeed lying about her question, then she had to figure out the truth, and why he lied about it. Estevan might know something about the Emperor. She couldn’t trust anyone e
“Aren’t you going to talk to your brother?” Aravyr spoke from the other cell.Raeherys pursed his wounded lips as he leaned on the wall, hugging his knees. He couldn’t speak with him. He couldn’t even look at his eyes for two seconds. Hatred overwhelmed his despair the moment he knew Aravyr was the one still alive—not his father. All of these conflicts and deaths started because of his foolish brother.He wanted to yell and blame Aravyr for what he did.But he couldn’t find his voice—only that memory he found instead.Raeherys, seated on the dragon throne, was trying to listen to the petitions of his brethren. But his thoughts were still off, clouded because of what happened to his father. King Sevyrion’s death ceremony had passed a few weeks ago, but Raeherys couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was so shattered when he had received the word, telling his father was ambushe
The Right Wing was the place for all laborers and non-lord guests. Larice walked through the ground halls, passing by doors after doors. Sevyh’s chamber could be found on the third level, she knew, because hers was on the fourth.Maids, cooks, bakers, tailors, cleaners … all took notice of her and watched as she went past them. They must’ve known her as the hunter who had captured the last hyborn. But Larice ignored. She never considered herself as a dragon hunter—and she had no plans of serving this dark empire, ever.She reflected on the Emperor. All people had been so stupid of believing him—but not Larice. Did he really think he could fool her just like everybody else? Even Estes was so afraid to mess up with the Emperor. She hated him … she hated Emperor Sargan … and all these stupid people here in this palace—and Quarth, especially Quarth. She swore he would be the first one whom she would
Blood dripped down from his red knuckles. Raeherys struck another punch against the stone wall, but it was too hard. He couldn’t make a crack. Only traces of blood were marked on the stone cold surface. He hissed out the pain in his soaking red fist, and after a few more strikes, he finally gave up.Raeherys leaned back on the wall and sat down, shaking his fist. His screaming muscles ached like hell throughout his entire body. He had already spent hours searching around his dark cell, but what he found was only dust and stones. It was hopeless. His brother was right. There’s no way of them getting out from the inside.They couldn’t transform their arms to break the stones nor breathe fire to melt the bars. But there must be something in here, Raeherys thought. If only he had Fetyr, but his cell was too far away.“Just give up, brother,” Aravyr said from the other cell. “We can never get through these ba
The air in the underground dungeon was far worse than she thought. The stench and foul smell of the cells made her stomach turn. Larice wondered what her life would be like behind those bars. But she couldn’t imagine herself spending the rest of her days in this wretched place. It would never happen, she thought.The prisoners went wild, calling and begging for her to set them free. But she just ignored them, because there’s only one person she planned to take out of this dungeon.Larice held the cold, metal bars as she found Estevan, asleep inside his cell, and lying on the dirty stone floor. She squeezed her grip, feeling so bad for him. He didn’t deserve this. He never did.She inserted the key in the lock hole and twisted it. After hearing the heavy click, she opened the bars and stepped inside.The cell was grim. It was a lot harder to breathe when one’s underground—and much worse here on the lower
The metal bars clanked and screeched all around the dungeon as Raeherys and his brother opened one cell after another. Upon doing it, his thoughts kept on coming back at Sevyh. The sellsword helped them out, but why? What was he trying to achieve by doing this? Raeherys already pushed him away, yelled at his face, and poured out all of his anger. And yet, Sevyh still left him these keys earlier.Raeherys might be wrong about him, he thought …But no …The memory of that night when Sevyh betrayed him flashed back into his mind. He had learned enough from his mistake, and so he would never risk another chance of trusting that sellsword again.When he got to Fetyr and opened his cell, the Lawdra went out to embrace him. Then he held Raeherys’ jaws and shook his head with a frown.“Look at what they did to you, My King,” he said. “You shouldn’t have tried to escape from those hunters. I