Share

Chapter 35

Author: Kali Rae
last update publish date: 2026-04-09 19:31:58

The phantom warmth of Cassius’s hand lingered on mine. I finally let my fingers slip from his, the air in the quiet room suddenly feeling cooler.

“See?” Cassius’s voice was a low murmur, pulling my gaze back to his. The intensity in his eyes held me fast. “You’re a natural. It just takes practice.”

A smile, genuine and unbidden, touched my lips. “Thank you.” My gaze swept the silent, waiting room. “Amelia isn’t back. Should we tidy up?”

“Good idea,” he said, though his eyes lingered on me a mom
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 39

    The silence in the library was a physical weight, thick with the intoxicating perfume of aging paper and forgotten ink. It was a tangible magic, a spell of stillness woven between towering shelves that clawed at the vaulted ceiling. Sunlight, heavy with gilded columns of dust, spilled from grand arched windows to pool around vacant armchairs, ghosts of a time when this hall had echoed with the murmur of elves. Now, it was a mausoleum of knowledge, and we were its sole trespassers.My gaze found Cassius. He stood as a statue in the cathedral of books, his eyes sweeping the grand expanse. For a breathtaking second, the millennia he had witnessed carved their sorrow into the lines around his eyes, a profound grief that tightened his jaw before the stoic mask of neutrality slid back into place. A familiar ache of curiosity bloomed in my chest. I yearned for the day he might trust me with the histories locked behind that guarded gaze.As if feeling the weight of my stare, he turned his hea

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 38

    The morning sun bled through the windows, casting long shadows that clung to Cassius and Amelia. They were statues, their stillness a stark contrast to the frantic pulse I felt beneath my own skin. My eyes dropped to my arms, a canvas of violent purple constellations left by the previous night. I snatched my cloak, a flimsy shield against their concerned gazes, but the damage was already seen.Amelia drifted closer, her presence a soft counterpoint to the harsh light. "Thalia," she whispered, her voice laced with a sorrow that felt both familiar and undeserved. Her hand started towards my neck, a fleeting thought of comfort, before she seemed to think better of it and let it fall. "That bruise… it’s ghastly. I am so sorry about Blair."A ghost of a smile, devoid of any warmth, touched my lips. "It wasn't your fault, Amelia. It was the only way to silence her." I kept the sharp, throbbing truth to myself—a constant, painful reminder of the price of peace.Ignoring my stoicism, she fold

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 37

    The scent of winter frost and charged ozone preceded Blair’s mana. It coiled around me on the floor, not like a snake, but like vines of frozen, thorny iron, each barb a pinprick of cold against my skin. She circled me, her steps silent on the stone, the rustle of her silk robes the only sound. She was a patient predator, and the ghost of my first death—the one I had already lived and failed—flickered at the edges of my mind. A tremor racked my body, a primal scream of instinct I wrestled into submission. Do not use your mana. Not a single spark. I clung to that command as if it were a prayer. I had to let her play her game. She wouldn't kill me. Not yet.Her finger, adorned with a ring of obsidian, flicked upwards. The iron vines of her mana tightened, lifting me from the floor as if I were a doll. I hung there, suspended and utterly powerless, while her magic slithered over me in a repulsive caress. She closed the distance, her face a mask of predatory curiosity, and her voice was a

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 36

    The dark oak of the grand ballroom doors felt like a tombstone beneath my clammy hands. Each thud of my heart against my ribs. I drew a breath, the perfumed air thick and cloying, and let it out in a slow, controlled stream. It will be okay. A smile is your armor.Two young ladies, their laughter like the tinkling of wind chimes, fell into step beside me. One’s eyes, wide with the thrill of the evening, fixed on me in recognition. "Good evening, Crown Princess," she breathed, sinking into a curtsy as fluid as poured cream. Her companion, a beat behind, hastily mirrored the gesture."Good evening," I returned, my voice a silken forgery of the calm I desperately sought. "May your night be filled with joy." I gestured for them to precede me. "Please.""Thank you, Crown Princess!" one whispered, her gaze already darting into the glittering throng. "Do you think Lord Dolion will choose a bride tonight?"The other practically vibrated. "Oh, I pray he does!"A cold wave of pity washed over m

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 35

    The phantom warmth of Cassius’s hand lingered on mine. I finally let my fingers slip from his, the air in the quiet room suddenly feeling cooler.“See?” Cassius’s voice was a low murmur, pulling my gaze back to his. The intensity in his eyes held me fast. “You’re a natural. It just takes practice.”A smile, genuine and unbidden, touched my lips. “Thank you.” My gaze swept the silent, waiting room. “Amelia isn’t back. Should we tidy up?”“Good idea,” he said, though his eyes lingered on me a moment longer. He moved toward the door, his presence filling the space and then just as quickly receding. He paused in the doorway, his silhouette framed by the light. “See you soon, Thalia.” A final, deliberate nod, and he was gone. The soft click of the latch echoed in the profound stillness he left behind.Alone, I padded into the adjoining bathroom. Steam billowed in soft clouds, ghosting up from a tub already filled to the brim. A familiar wave of gratitude washed over me; Amelia’s quiet fore

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 34

    The grit of the training yard clung to my skin, a second layer of sweat-soaked dust. Opposite me, Cassius sat with the quiet stillness of a coiled predator, his breathing even despite our spar. Between us, resting in my palm, the small, cool sphere began to pulse, casting a soft, ethereal glow on our weary faces. From that light, Amelia’s shimmering form bloomed into existence—a miniature, hauntingly detailed projection suspended in the air.Cassius leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the apparition. "Hello, Amelia," we said in unison, though my voice was a breathy exhalation and his a low murmur."Thalia. Cassius," her voice echoed from the sphere, crisp and impossibly clear. "I'm glad I reached you. Is everything alright?""We're in Aelindoria, but the elves are gone.""Gone?" A flicker of concern crossed her translucent features. "Where?""We don't know," Cassius answered, his tone grim. "There are no bodies, no signs of a struggle. Just… emptiness. It was planned. They left willingl

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 29

    The silence between us was a living thing, a hollow space where words had recently been. I turned from it, seeking refuge in the passing world outside. In the violet twilight, the first stars pricked the canopy of the sky, and from the yards of unseen homes, the sweet perfume of night-blooming flow

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 28

    The world softened as I stepped from the trail onto a path of packed earth, Cassius at my side. Wildflowers, startlingly blue and gold, jeweled the lush grass that brushed against our ankles. The path flowed toward a graceful bridge, its arches flanked by elven lanterns that pulsed with a soft, cap

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 27

    The world was a lie of brilliant green and gold, a sun-drenched meadow alive with the buzz of insects and the gentle sway of wildflowers. But the light didn't reach the pit of my stomach, where a stone of dread had settled, cold and heavy. It was a dissonant, terrifying note in a symphony of peace,

  • Thalia's Ashen Fate   Chapter 26

    The first thing I felt was the cold. It was a deep, predatory dampness that had crept through my bedroll, sinking into my bones and coiling around the thrumming ache in my arm. Above, the morning was breaking in an intricate chorus of wrens and finches, a sound punctuated by the dry skittering of u

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status