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Chapter 11
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Rise of the cardinal Chapter 12
Lynn took back the reins and led the cart through the city streets. I was grateful since I had no idea where to go. I had never come to Mirra before. When my father had the throne, Lord Junco often came to my home, so we never needed to go here. I remembered he had a wife and daughter, but he said they had perished during the uprising. The streets were lit by torches, and many vendors were slowly closing shop. The sun had become low, slowly hiding behind the mountains, and cast a dark pink and orange shade on the walls of the houses and shops. It would become dark within half an hour, and the streets would be free of merchants and city folks; they would have settled in their houses and waited until the next day to come back out. I spared a glance towards Lynn. Her face was deep in thought with a slight red tint on her cheeks. I wondered if she reminisced about what had happened on the road. Or maybe it was about the cute guard from the gates. He let us pass without further questions
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 13
I rummaged through the kitchen cabinets during the night and found everything I needed to colour my hair brown. I thought it looked suspicious to continue wearing a cloth over my head. I found coffee beans, black tea, and walnut shells. I crushed everything down into a fine powder and took about two hours to boil it in water, making it lose approximately half its water content. The fire in the hearth had enough heat left for me to use it without arousing any suspicions in the household. I returned with the watery goop into my chamber and covered all of my head and eyebrows, then waited until morning to rinse everything out. The black tea and walnut shells gave my hair a darker colour and even removed the usual shiny redness that the coffee sometimes left. Maybe it was because I had boiled it and made it into a thick liquid? I never had the chance to cook it for long before. I thought it worked much better this way. After the colouration was done, I pulled my damp hair into a knot at
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 14
Lynn came back from her walk to the guard tower. She had met the friendly guard who had let us pass through the gates the evening before. I had preferred to stay away and give them some privacy. She had brought me to a small park before leaving me alone. I sat on a bench and watched people go by, bustling around the city streets to get some things in the market or simply enjoying the lovely spring weather. A deep sadness overcame me when I looked at the empty seat beside me, remembering the special moment when Diana opened up to me about her childhood with her brother. I looked at the sky to change my mind and prevent tears from falling. I missed her terribly. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t think of her, especially when I went to the apothecary store and saw all the herbs and medicine. The mortar sitting on the table that the store owner used to crush the dried flowers had me feeling lightheaded. I remembered Diana sitting on a chair, her mortar between her thighs and mashing everyt
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 15
I looked at the position of the stars in the sky and sighed a little dramatically. I had been following Lynn and Lucas for the better half of the evening, and I was beginning to think they would never return home. I had given my word I would look after them while on their night stroll, and that was precisely what I intended to do until Lynn returned home. I cradled my hand I had busted when I punched the ground, trying to hit the thief’s face. It had gotten much better thanks to Xander’s ability to heal faster, but it had only been a day, and I would need at least another one until it stopped throbbing whenever I bumped it into something. I walked farther behind the two lovers, leaving them to discuss whatever their hearts desired. I had no intentions of being a third wheel. While I walked, I thought about what I would find if I went to the Wanderer tavern Lynn had mentioned. There were no guarantees I would find the person I was looking for, and I didn't know what type of situation
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 16
Gemma and Peet were in the parlour. Gemma was knitting something while Peet was quietly reading the day’s newspaper. They lifted their eyes when they heard me come in, and Gemma quickly placed her knitting down on the table beside her and hurried to greet me. “Essa! We were worried. Why are you dressed like this?” She cooed all over me. I was a bit surprised they had waited for my return. Was this what it was like to have concerned parents? I never really had that. My parents had been strict, but my Princess schedule never permitted me to do things like this. Not to mention I was almost always accompanied wherever I went. My parents never had to worry. “I’m fine,” I said while trying to get out of Gemma’s hug. “I went to see about my business here in the city. I didn’t want to look too conspicuous, so I removed the dress.” Her eyes became sad, but she quickly recovered and shook her head. Peet was also looking at me with a concerned look. He had placed the paper beside him and had
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 17
Xander POV I had a restful night for the first time in a long while. Ida’s emotions had been all over the place for the past few days. I had felt her energy and stress spike, but it had been serenely quiet after that. She must have been able to run away from Osprey and find somewhere to lie low, which made me feel calmer. Our mate bond acted like some sort of beacon. I held on to the hope of finding her soon. If I followed my heart and the pull, I would eventually get back to her. I lifted my head off the ground and looked at everyone asleep on their makeshift cot. Nimu and Denis were closest to the fire, whereas Gideon, Leo, and I were sprawled further away, not needing its warmth from the chilling night breeze. We were heading southeast, following the mountain range. The sun hadn’t come up yet, so I decided to take some time and go up the small, steep mountainside to see our exact location. We had acquired horses with the bit of money I had left, but we couldn’t use the main roads
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 18
Xander POV Did Duke Kestrel know I wasn’t human? That I wasn’t his son? I closed my mouth and continued the letter. “I was the one who informed the Duke of your Lycan lineage. He confronted me about your implication with the rebellion. I thought he already knew! He seemed so sure of himself, so I wanted to make a bargain to save your life. I should have known it was a ploy. Be careful from now on. The Duke will come for restitution. I am taking my last moments to write this to you, to be with you, and I want you to know my final thoughts will be of you. I would have liked to say much more, but time is short, and I am hard-pressed to finish this letter before they come to find me. Markus wasn’t just a simple Lycan. Although the Lycans do not have the same politics as humans or shifters, their hierarchy is similar. You are the only child Markus had. He, therefore, passed his status down to you. You would find your father’s pack in the forest near Pine Lake if they endured the upri
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 19
I sat in the bumping wagon, silently looking over at my old magic teacher. Otis still seemed the same. The crinkles in the corners of his eyes and mouth were still there. But those around his mouth were hidden underneath a thick layer of whiskers and a short beard. His deep brown irises had paled a bit, but they hadn’t lost the molten gold ring on their exterior. Otis also examined me and tried to find the young lady he had seen grow before his eyes, although I doubted I looked very much the same. I wondered if he was proud of who I had become. Lynn sat quietly, frequently shooting me glances and questioning if I was okay. Was I, though? I had accepted Otis died during the uprising. He had died back in the library just as the secret passage closed on me, leaving me alone to run and hide. How was it possible that he was sitting right in front of me? “All this time… you were alive?” I choked, reeling in a sob. I had no intention of letting it out. I didn’t want to look weak in front
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