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Chapter 6
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Rise of the cardinal Chapter 7
I woke up drenched in sweat and shivering. The wounds on my back had healed to some extent, but I feared they had gotten infected, not allowing them to heal right. The fever sent me vivid dreams, but the most recurring one was regarding a white dove bird landing on a wolf, then taking off and disappearing into the sky under the howling cries of the wolf. I thought it was connected to Xander, somehow. My hosts had kept their word and had not fed me for days. The only thing I had in my stomach was the vial's content that incapacitated me. Shrike or Harrier came two times a day to give it to me. Whether I obliged or fought, the liquid slid down my throat and numbed my whole body. It left me in an unresponsive state, yet still able to feel the cold and uncomfortable floor that served as my bed. I didn’t know what exactly was in that vial. It wasn’t water, but at least I was getting some liquid inside of me. Had I not had that, I thought I would not have lasted very long. Diana had mentio
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 8
I opened my eyes to the startling sunlight. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the harsh stream. I had not seen the sun in what felt like weeks. I instinctively placed my arm in front of my face to shield it and was surprised it had come over my eyes with no resistance. They did not tie me to anything, and I could easily move my body. I also didn’t feel lethargic anymore. I was lying on top of a nice comfortable bed in clean clothes. The window drapes were slightly opened and helped illuminate the room. It was my old bedroom, the one I used to have when I lived here. Had all of this been a bad dream? I rolled myself off the bed. My lower back hurt, as did my insides. I lifted the nightgown and saw the faded scars on my ribs. No, it hadn’t been a dream. But why did Osprey transfer me here when he seemed willing to torture me to near-death? Again, why would he let me have complete control over my magic when he did everything to prevent me from using it? This made little sense.
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 9
Xander POV I had thought losing Ida to Osprey’s goons had been a living hell. Had I known what was to come, I would have thought less of it. Whatever they did to her, I could feel it as though it were happening to me. The first time I felt something through our mate-bond, it had been like a big slap on my ribs and back. Cold sweats later overtook me, and I could feel how hurt and cold she was. It broke my heart when I understood she was being tortured, and I couldn’t do anything to help her through it. That feeling alone made me go out of my mind and hate myself. I felt like a total failure. That first few days had been hard on me, but it wasn’t as bad as what happened after. When the shocks started without warning, I fell from my horse, shaking and convulsing uncontrollably. The last shock spike prevented me from breathing to the point where Gideon had to take Leo and Denis away, not wanting them to see what came over me. My shifter friend had said I had turned purple in the face
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 10
I wanted to shut my eyes, but I couldn’t. I had not regained control over myself. I was high in the sky. My fear of falling to the ground made me pray for a safe landing. I didn’t know how it was possible for me to even fly. I had never noticed wings on my back before, but remembering what I saw in the memory orb of my father, I knew Faiths had translucent and delicate paper-like wings. They looked like those of a dragonfly. I must have had them as well. I could feel the force of the winds pushing me higher into the bright, lit sky. Tiny water droplets misted my face each time I passed through a cloud. Initially, I thought it would make me land in the forest, just beyond the castle, but my wings took me past it. I wanted to tell it it wasn’t taking me in the right direction. I needed to go southeast towards the rebellion, not southwest. We had already reached the border of Cardinal city’s district, or should I say ‘Osprey city.’ Usually, this would have been at least a two-day ride
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 11
*** Sensitive subject ahead*** The terrain had become flat, now that I was nearing the valley's center. The city of Mirra loomed before me, each step taking me closer to it. I doubted they would let me pass easily. I was certain they would see through the façade. Even though I looked like a peddler, I didn't have any wares. I would need to be clever. As I continued walking in the forest, always keeping the main road in sight, I worked on making my voice a little lower and more masculine. I didn’t know how often I cleared my throat, grumbled, and laughed to practice. I thought I was horrible, and my trying was pathetic. No one in their right mind would believe I was a man. I would have more chances at trying to pass for a mute. Besides, I looked like a scrawny young man, not a big burly salesperson. Maybe I could pass for someone looking for work in the mines? I still needed to figure out my excuse for entering the city. I stayed in the forest's shadows, preferring not to walk where
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
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