Ivone sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed, scrolls scattered across the duvet in a mess of faded ink and brittle parchment. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as her eyes scanned the lineages and war treaties laid out in the fragile Nyxorian script. So much of it still didn’t make sense—the names, the secrets, the deliberate omissions. She was just about to cross-reference a note on Annora Valtor when the sudden, echoing blast of a war horn shattered the silence. She jerked upright, startled. Another horn followed—louder, angrier. She dropped the scroll she’d been reading and rushed to the balcony, flinging the doors open just as the chaos below unfolded. The Nyxorian courtyard, once orderly and composed, was now a storm of motion. Servants scurried like frightened birds, shouting over one another as they tried to stay out of the soldiers’ path. Horses were being led out of the stables at breakneck speed, weapons hauled out of armories, and the castle guard scrambled into ra
“Zina!” Rhea's calm demeanor snapped, and she stood up abruptly her movements swift and decisive, catching her daughter by the arm and pulling her to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. “You need to breathe. Stressing like this isn’t good for the baby, do you understand? Sit. Breathe. Then talk to me.” Zina sat, but her body betrayed her tension, her knee bouncing with nervous energy, like a piston, her fingers twisting and untwisting in her lap, clenched, then opened again. Rhea's gaze narrowed as she studied her closely, her expression a mixture of concern and growing suspicion. She studied Zina's face, her eyes searching for clues, her expression a mask of calm inquiry. "What have you done, Zina?" she asked, her voice her voice soft but probing, her eyes piercing, searching for answers. “Is it Ivone?” she asked pointedly. “Is she the one making you like this again?” Zina shook her head almost violently. “No. Not… not exactly.” Rhea’s brows drew together. “Then what is it?”
The chariot's golden wheels screeched to a halt on the worn stone steps of the Nyxorian castle, the sound echoing through the morning air. Rhea stepped down, her movements fluid and effortless, exuding confidence and poise, like a queen descending from her throne. Her cloak, a rich bronze hue that seemed to shimmer and glow in the morning light, billowed behind her like a cloud, and the smile that curved her lips was as polished as the gold clasp at her throat."Lady Rhea," A guard murmured, recognizing her instantly, and bowed low before extending an arm in a gesture of respect, to lead her. “Lady Rhea. Lady Zina is expecting you.”“She should be,” Rhea said, her voice like music, her eyes glinting with amusement, a hint of anticipation that seemed to dance in their depths. "I came as soon as I heard.”The guard's expression remained neutral, but his eyes flicked to hers, a fleeting moment of curiosity crossing his face. He led her through the castle's grand entrance, the doors swing
Driven by a fierce curiosity, she turned back to the table, brushing aside dusty records, searching for more scrolls for any trace of the Valtor name, any reference to Annora or the Valtorian bloodline’s presence in Nyxoria. She had just uncovered another parchment beneath the pile when the door her creaked open and a deep voice cut through the stillness.“What are you doing here?”Ivone flinched and turned. Reyes stood in the doorway, half in shadow, his tone calm but edged with suspicion. His dark eyes took in the scene, the scattered scrolls, the unfurled parchment, the faint flush on her cheeks. He stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. She held the scroll loosely at her side and met his gaze with a guarded calm.“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice steady though her heart was racing beneath her calm exterior. “So I came back here. I remembered the scroll about my..." She caught herself quickly, biting back the rest of the sentence, her lips barely moving as
It had been a week. Seven agonizing days had passed since Ivone had stepped into Nyxoria, and with each ticking hour, her anxiety had grown, suffocating her like a shroud, each day an eternity of waiting and worrying. The silence from Triston was deafening, he hadn’t written back. Not a single letter, not a single word, she hadn’t seen any messenger from Elyria, not even a whisper of news, just an oppressive stillness that seemed to suffocate her with every passing moment. With each passing day, the shadows in her mind grew darker, and the silence from Elyria became a constant reminder that she might be standing alone, facing the unknown, with no one to turn to. She couldn't shake the thought that Triston might be dead, the possibility clawing at her insides like a beast. What if the antidote had arrived too late? What if Reyes had deceived her, if what he sent wasn’t an antidote at all? Had she bartered her life, her future, and her heart for a mere specter of hope? She sat on th
Triston paused, pulling a plain tunic over his head. “Where is he?” “Stable wing. We kept him in one of the storage rooms, under guard.” Triston said nothing more. His movements became swift and purposeful as he reached for the leather bandolier slung over the back of a chair. He didn’t strap it on, only clenched his fists and stormed toward the door. Jaxon sighed and followed. They moved briskly through the quiet corridors, down the stone steps and out into the cooler evening air. The stable wing sat apart from the main castle, and as they approached, the scent of hay and damp wood met them. Inside, two guards straightened at attention and bowed. “He’s inside,” one said, nodding toward a reinforced wooden door. Triston pushed it open. The Nyxorian messenger sat on a wooden stool, arms crossed lazily over his chest. His clothes were travel-worn, his boots dusty, but his expression—calm, arrogant—was perfectly intact. He looked up with a smug tilt of his chin as they entered. “So,