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Chapter 51
I waited by the hot spring for Silas to meet me. He seemed to take his time. Maybe Silas wouldn’t come. Perhaps he had a change of mind and didn’t want to be involved in this. I wouldn’t blame him. Xander could be scary when he puffed up like a big, bad wolf. And after everything that happened, I wouldn’t hold it against Silas to avoid Xander.
I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, mussing over the towel and second shirt I had brought. Since Silas was with me, I wouldn’t be going in the water naked. I would keep my shirt to cover most of my body if he needed to come in and grab me. I still had no idea what to expect from this, and all the things that could happen scared me.
I moved and sat on a rock that had moss all over it. The mist created by the spring was considerably less thick than the last time I had been here. The early spring air had been cold, but the summer nights were hot now, making the thick fog less dense.
Th
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Rise of the cardinal Chapter 52
The information that my mother gave me kept spinning in my head. Although it was not exactly what I had wanted to know, she touched on key points that I needed to hear. My heart squeezed, knowing I did not have the chance to say goodbye to her. It was like losing her all over again. It was less painful, but seeing my mother open a wound I had stopped picking at, hoping it would heal itself with time. I bit the inside of my cheeks, thinking about it. Xander snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and made me jump. I stumbled slightly, trying to match his walking speed, and lifted my gaze to see what was happening. Had he said something? “You’re not sleeping in the library again. You’re coming with me.” I sucked in a breath until my face became red. That was the part I had dreaded—us being alone. Silas had told Xander what I had planned, and every time Xander gave me a wounded look, it made my insides squirm. I had tried to excuse myself from both of them after
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 53
Although it was still very early in the morning, the rebellion leaders were already up and discussing things in the hall. I patted my clothes and made sure I was presentable before showing myself to them. When I did, their chatter ceased, and they stared at my approaching form. I was self-conscious of my actions in the past couple of days, and I didn’t want that to get the better of me.Silas was already there. He must have had the same amount of sleep as Xander and me, but he seemed chipper and showed no signs of fatigue. I wished the dark circles under my puffy eyes would vanish, and I was as refreshed and upbeat as him. He looked handsome in his loose cotton shirt, brown pants and work boots. I momentarily cringed at the thought that I had not seen myself in days and did not know what I looked like.“We spotted a group of people making their way to the castle. Xander has gone to greet them with a few other men.” I casually said as I pulled a chair
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 54
Xander POVPreparations were going according to plan, and rebels were slowly trickling in. The first to arrive were those closest to Perch. A few days later, the others that showed up came from Willow, Seagull’s Bay, and the surrounding areas. I expected more to appear from Mirra, White Birch and Spruce Cove in the coming days.I doubted that there were any from Osprey city. The rebellion wouldn’t have been bold enough to send some right under Osprey’s nose. The risk would have been too significant. Then again, Lord Junco had been bold. There could be some sent there that we didn’t know about. I gritted my teeth at that thought.What annoyed me the most was the rebellion leaders had not kept track of the cities where they had sent rebels and their approximate numbers. When we had dispatched the letters of summon, we sent riders all over the country to deliver them into the major cities. After that, we had to rely on mouth to ear and hope
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 55
My heart hammered in my chest. A hunter? Here? Why would a hunter risk getting caught so close to the rebels? My thoughts were flying everywhere inside my head, and I instinctively grabbed Xander’s arm and squeezed. In response, he snaked a hand to the side of my waist and pulled me closer to him, a deep furrow appearing on his gorgeous face. “Was he alone?” Gideon pressed Jordan. “He was. I sent patrols everywhere in the forest to see if anyone else was with him. We found nothing. He surrendered immediately and offered no resistance. His only demand was that he be taken to the princess. When we pressed for more answers, he said he would not speak to anyone else but her.” I felt Xander tense beside me, and his hand tightened around my waist. “We are a week away from our departure to White Birch. This could not have come at the worst time. Do you think he’s here to spy on us?” “I don’t know,” Jordan answered. “He was unarmed, and the sleeves of
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 56
I looked at the green-coloured liquid in the vial and inhaled sharply.“Are you ready?” Asked Count Robin.I bobbed my head and took the vial between my fingers, and chugged it down. The liquid tasted bitter, just as it had the first time Shrike made me drink it, but the tingling sensation on my tongue did not come as I had expected it to.“And?”I waited, licking my lips and forcing my throat to swallow all my bitter-tasting saliva down. I shook my head after a few minutes and narrowed my eyes at Kite. The hunter had been sitting patiently at the far end of his cell, quiet as a mouse.Gideon took another vial with the same concoction and drank it. He had wanted to see if the potion worked and if I had effectively been immune to it. I saw his face twist from the awful tasting stuff, and sure enough, moments after, he was lying on the stone ground, unable to move.Xander rubbed his hands together, and with Silas’
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 57
We all sat close to the fires when Gemma and Pete recounted the horrible tale of their escape from Mirra. Lynn was the saddest of them all, having had her heartbroken by the man she thought loved her more than anything in this world.It pained me to see her like this, especially considering all the hardships she faced when she met me. I was happy that she was safe with her family.While Aunty Gem continued her story, I bumped Lynn’s shoulder against mine and quietly pointed in the forest's direction. She smiled weakly and got up, trudging slowly behind me. Once we were further from the blaze of the fires, I linked our arms together and strolled between the trees.“Are you mad at me?” I asked, letting the question settle between us.I didn’t know if Lynn would resent me for everything that happened. She was happy to see me, but I thought I also noticed a slight irritation. I didn’t want to rub her the wrong way. I had few clos
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 58
As soon as Roselin and Count Robin had produced and distributed the immunizing liquid against the incapacitating effects of the other, we quickly set for White Birch plain. All the shifters followed the moving party from the forest, while all the human rebels took the road with hundreds of wagons in tow. We needed to move the weapons, the armours, the food and water supplies.Only a handful of elderly rebels stayed in Perch. They would reroute any other rebels that arrived from farther districts. My heart broke when no wielders showed up, making me think that Otis and I were the only ones brave enough to show ourselves. I refused to believe we were the last two left.We had been on the road for over a week. It would take another day to reach the designated portion of the plain, where the rebellion intended to set up and prepare for the war. By my calculations, Junco had most likely arrived in Osprey City two or three days ago, which made me worry.I was atop my
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 59
I saw red and jumped off my horse.“Ida! Don’t do it. I know what you’re thinking!” Silas pleaded. His voice was frantic, and he followed suit, dismounting his horse to grab my arms and stop me.I shook my arm out of his insistent hold and jumped backward.“We waited too long. The plan won’t work. If Xander or any other Lycans have not returned, they were taken by Osprey’s men… or Osprey himself. Arm everyone, now! I’ll take Otis with me, and we’ll go straight to White Birch Castle. Keep moving in that direction and keep your eyes peeled. I have a feeling this fight will happen much sooner than expected.”‘Then I’m coming with you!”“Don’t be absurd.” I scoffed at Silas. “The rebellion needs you here. Who will lead them all once the battle starts? I can do it with Otis.”I tried to show him I was confident, but I only wanted to
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