Kenji had been outside the door when Nadia ran past him. He tried to stop her but she had held her hand up, signifying that she didn't want to be interfered with.It was unlike Nadia to be like that. She was usually shy and happy. Maybe she had finally realized that his brother didn't have eyes for her. Ah, those midnight thoughts could be ready disturbing and eye-opening at times. She would heal. He was worried though, that something might happen to her in the forest she had ran into, although she had a lantern with her. But no one knew this place more than Nadia, aside from Granny. She would be able to take care of herself. If she stayed too long though, he would go after her and check if she was alright.The door creaked open and Taria stepped out. Kenji laughed, looking at Taria's disheveled state. It looked like she had pulled at her hair in her sleep, her eyes were red with the lack of it though. "Are you going to run too?""What?" Her voice sounded hoarse, more like she
The three witches began their chanting and Belladonna tried to imagine a link from her to another. It was hard to do so though. Since she had to take off Alaris' bracelet to perform this ritual, the voices in her head wouldn't let her be. Also, although Alaris was in the room with her, that didn't seem to ease anything. Right now, with the constant distraction, all she could see with her eyes closed was darkness - not links. Whatever that was supposed to look like. The ghost brides mumbled in her ears, moving from one ear to the other. Alaris's grip around her hands remained warm, she was too aware of it. "See the connection..." The words of one of the witches filtered into her ears. "Feel it.""Let us relieve you of it."The chanting of their incoherent words then continued.They started clanking metals against one another and a force went through her, like she had been yanked from her body and dropped into the sea. She could see the Bearer again, a blurry image as usual. Sh
Nadia approached the boundary, panting. "Where are you?" Her voice squeaked when she called out. She shivered from the cold and the odd presence that tinted the forest air, the handle of her lantern shook slightly in her trembling hands. Where was she? Was she gone? Was---Nadia didn't have to question herself further. Fog formed in front of her with a low red glow, and standing right in front of her was the witch. The ghost her Granny had just told her was her mother. "You came." The ghost said. "How could I not?" Her lips trembled. "You are my mother."The moment sunk in and even for someone that was already dead, it felt alive, felt real. "I'm sorry that my hands almost gifted you death countlessly. If I had you, things would have been different." Kestra whispered. Tears rolled down Nadia's cheeks. She spent all her life trying to look for her parents and now she found one, but she was already dead. This was so cruel."I am so sorry." Kestra continued to say, but Nadia drop
Soon enough, it was dawn, but Belladonna's escape from the castle didn't go as planned."How can I seduce you when you are far away?" Alaris had asked when she had stated her desire to leave with her already packed sack by her side."You can always fly to me," she shrugged.She would have just left quickly without coming to talk to Alaris but she knew that was stupid. He would think she had been kidnapped and he would conduct a search for her because the connection she shared with the Bearer was far too important to him to lose. The search would jeopardize her plans for creating distance between her and Eli. Her departure had to be done quietly and before his notice. She knew he was doing better now, she was also certain that as much as Alaris always said he wanted to kill him, he wouldn't. There was a reason he was still keeping him alive. Eli would be fine without and she would be better without him. She had to leave. Now, here she was in Alaris' study, the once-forbidden room
It was barely a whole day, and Nadia already felt closer to her mother than she had ever felt to her Granny. Ever since she had stepped into the forest, she hadn't left her side, except to attend to nature's call and then she was back.Kestra had so many stories to tell her daughter, so much to say in such a limited time. Things would have been really different if they had been together. Life would have been perfect."So who is my father?" Nadia had asked. She knew her mother used to be the King's Right-hand woman and they used to be close, it made her wonder how strong their relationship was and if she had been a product of it.To her utmost disappointment, she wasn't. Not only that, but her mother didn't even know who her father was. The feeling stung for Nadia but she left it slide. She was too happy to take offense to anything right now. So they kept on talking and laughing, trying desperately to catch up on everything, and that was how Nadia had hopped onto the topic of her lo
"There is no way I could ever ask that of you and you would give me. I do not have so much significance like that in your life yet. It is too much of a sacrifice. If only we had time..."Strong and lacking trust were the words of her ghost mother, it was so saddening that Nadia found herself making a Bloodoath to convince her of her significance, along with her dedication and absolute loyalty to sacrifice anything it would take to bring back her mother. Her yearning for a normal mother-and-daughter relationship between them was just so strong. It was something that tugged on the strings of her heart so much, that it couldn't be ignored. The chilling smile her mother gave her was her reward, it warmed Nadia's heart that she had done something special, and worth being happy about. "Tomorrow." Her ghost mother said. "Tomorrow? Why not tell me today? What if we are running out of time already? How long will your spirit linger, when your body has already been made extinct with dragon f
Nadia burst into the room, her gaze immediately clashing with Sir Anok's who looked at her with accusation and suspicion. "You!"That was all he needed to say. "What have you done?" Granny's voice squeaked, as she rushed away to get herbs, muttering something beneath her breath to the jerking Kenji, before she left him on the floor where Anok had now placed him."Do something!" Taria yelled, her eyes tearing up, her hands trembling as she wiped off the blood that bled even more from Kenji.Anok had loosened Kenji's shirt and turned him over on his left, so that he would still breathe but Kenji was showing no signs of recovering any time soon. "No, no, no," Nadia muttered under her breath, freezing by the door and being absolutely useless.Granny was back as soon as she had left but it was too late for Kenji. His body had already stilled and blood drizzled from his limp existence."He is still," Taria whispered, and looked at Granny, whose eyes had been overshadowed by shock and imm
Belladonna had noticed the red glowing light first. It seeped in through every space into the carriage, and she had backed away slowly, her forehead wrinkling in confusion till the jarring feeling had hit the next second and the carriage swerved off course.The neighing of the horses filled the air, and chaos reigned like it was meant to be there. "What is going on?" She yelled to the coachman as the uncanny speed tossed her around the carriage without care, making her slam her body against the wooden walls, floor, and carriage seat, as she guarded her head with her arms to shield it from the damaging impact. "What are you doing?" She yanked the curtain aside and stuck her head out the window. The coachman had his back turned to her and all she could see was his black robe, that fitted against his broad back. Odd for a coachman."Be at ease." He said as he struggled with the reins of the horses that were clearly not obeying him.Belladonna's eyes went wide slightly.That voice. Sh