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Chapter 26
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Flight of the cardinal Chapter 27
We had resumed the road two days behind schedule. The snowstorm had not let out the following morning, and I had used that time to change the colour of my hair. Gideon had done a double-take when he had seen me coming down for supper that day. I grinned and winked at him. “You said so yourself. My hair was a dead giveaway, remember? I’ve found a better way of hiding it without cutting everything off.” From recalling that event, Gideon’s face had become beet red, and Xander had looked at us questioningly. I recounted what happened, and everyone laughed at Gideon’s rash action, which ultimately saved my life. Gideon had been right, though. I would have been found within a few days, maybe a week if he hadn’t cut all my fiery red hair. The inn we had stayed in was called the “Wayward Dog.” I learned from Gideon that it was a place many shifters stopped while on the road. I also discovered that all three men were shifters, which explained why they hadn’t seemed bothered by the cold sto
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 28
The ride to the baron’s estate had been short, and they had welcomed us inside a vast manor. A footman took our coats and showed us to a lavish room where sumptuous curtains draped the tall windows surrounding us, and the sofas had gilded wooden frames that exuded wealth. I wondered if the entire house had furniture like the ones we were in the presence of. Multiple paintings were hanging in the room. Most seemed like family portraits. While we waited, I passed the time by looking at them. The biggest one was a man with dark blond hair, thinning lightly at the top. His dark honey-brown eyes were severe and made me feel like they were scolding me. I surmised that this was Baron Mallard. He didn’t look familiar, which slowed down the blood pumping through my veins. I was nervous about meeting anyone who had ties to Osprey. My past experiences had been awful. The same man was in multiple paintings, often accompanied by a small girl. She was stunning, with beautiful blond hair, pink
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 29
Xander POV I wandered through Baron Mallard’s guest house in the early hours of the morning. My feet kept bringing me back to Ida’s room. But I dared not go inside, although I terribly wanted to. I knew I had crossed the line when she slapped me in the carriage ride from the baron’s manor. I had tried to explain to Ida why it was necessary to do what I did, but I knew my actions stunned her. She had refused to look at me—to let me touch her. I wanted to howl in grief. From the moment he saw Ida, that bastard Mallard was all over her—then blatantly insulted me. He still held a grudge against my refusal of his daughter years ago. Beatrice had moved on since then and had married into a wealthy family. I thought we had been past this. How could I have explained why his daughter would never have been enough for me without mentioning I was a Lycan shifter? Beatrice was nothing compared to Ida. Nothing. I hated the persona I had created while doing my duties as heir to High Hill and it
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 30
I had been on horseback for the better part of the morning. Leaving the city of Maple had been a rather tedious affair. We had gone through the forest to avoid roadblocks. There wasn’t a clear path, so we needed to go on foot, holding our horses’ reins. We were now going to Perch to meet with the rebel leaders. Gideon had offered to accompany me and serve as a liaison between the leaders and myself. Xander would stay behind while conducting his investigation and meet us in Perch once his business in Maple was concluded.I had felt it was better to leave the city since it was under the watch of Mr. Hawk. If his ability was as good as Diana’s, I feared that if I slipped up, I would get caught, or worse, Xander would somehow expose himself while trying to protect me. I saw Xander act on impulse at the baron’s manor. I was a liability to him in that situation. Not to mention that the baron’s men had kept a close eye on us since our arrival in his district.I had the distinct feeling th
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 31
Silas took my hand, held my waist, and led me to an underground tunnel under the ruined castle. I tried to remove my hand from his, but his gentle grip was firm. I didn’t like that he was touching me so intimately, and I didn’t know if he knew I was mated to a shifter. He looked human, so he wouldn’t have been able to smell it on me. Diana followed closely behind, shooting me worried looks. I thought she also felt Xander would disapprove of another man touching me like this. The tunnel spilled into an underground area. It smelled of earth and stale air. The casemate and undercroft remained intact and seemed big enough to house the rebellion leaders and a small other portion of rebels. Still, I understood why most of them went throughout the kingdom searching for lodging and work—it could not accommodate everyone. “I’ll show you to your room. You must be exhausted from travelling so much. There’s a hot spring in the forest near the castle. It’s well hidden. I’ll bring you there onc
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 32
Diana had not returned to our room until I had been fast asleep. I had pinched my thighs to stay awake until her arrival, but I was too exhausted. Whatever had happened with my hand had left me feeling drained. Had I done it? I had focused my energy on my broken hand but had never been gifted with healing magic. Was it because the hot spring was a supernatural conduit that I could heal myself? Or was it the water that had magical properties, as Silas had said? I didn’t know the answer to that. But when I woke the following day and noticed Diana sleeping on the other side of the bed, I pounced on her and shook her hard. She looked at me through sleepy eyes, and I recounted the night’s event. Once I was done, she sat straight up and inspected my hand with intrigue. “Have you tried to use magic with your hand?” I frowned at her question. No, I hadn’t thought of trying. I pulled the sleeves from my shirt up and swirled my wrist, concentrating on creating a surge of magical current a
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 33
There was an uncomfortable silence after the words were said. “She can’t!” Shouted Gideon, outraged. “She’s mated to Lord Alexander.” “Impossible. The princess is a wielder, and it is known that wielders do not have shifter mates! It goes against all laws of balance.” Interjected Count Robin. He almost seemed insulted. Gideon growled at the small man. “She is. I can smell it on her.” They looked at me curiously and took that as my cue to unbutton my shirt and show them Xander’s moon crescent mark on my shoulder. The leaders were silent, looking at each other, then taking steps back to discuss. Silas looked at my mark with an angry red face and said nothing. The rebel leaders must have thought they would pick the pieces up right where the uprising had left them—me being mated changed everything. “Alexander Kestrel is the bastard son of the most powerful lord under the Usurper’s command. We need a strong leader to help rule over Airedah when the princess becomes queen, not some l
Flight of the cardinal Chapter 34
Diana recounted her conversation with Xander while staying at the baron’s guest house. She explained she thought of a hypothesis explaining how magic wielders came to this world. She thought they originated from the Faiths themselves, mixed with human blood—something that was not meant to be created. I pondered over her words. It still didn’t explain what the old man had said. He had clearly gone mad throughout the years. “I don’t understand why he called me Aeternum or mentioned I had to find a binder. What in Faith’s name is a binder?” I shrugged exasperatedly, slouching inelegantly on the library chair. “I can’t speak for the Aeternum part. The poor man looks half delusional, but I think he is right about you being bound. I noticed your vibrations were muffled when you used your magic; not all of it can come through. We need to find the person who did this to unbind you. But why would someone bind you? Most importantly, binding magic has been lost for hundreds of years. Who woul
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