MAGNOLIA COULD FEEL HIS BREATH, but it was faint. She checked his wound and found the cloth she had given him earlier soaked. She feared that he would not make it to the house if he lost any more blood. Then, an idea crossed her mind—if she could close the wound and stop the bleeding, he might survive till they got to Paula.  She put her hand on the bloody opening, she prayed to the voice she had heard earlier.  “Please help him.” But she did not hear anything back, she knew that she had to do it herself. She had read about people using a piece of metal—heated over fire—to close wounds, people who could not use magic. ‘Surely a heated hand would do the trick.’  “You can’t leave me, Daniel.” She kissed his cold cheek then took a deep breath. She felt the heat transferring to her hand and then to the wound, she had to give the exact amount of heat needed. When Magnolia saw that the bleeding had stopped, sh

“DAMN IT ALL,” Daniel cursed as he finally reached his bed and crashed on it. He threw his two canes to the floor. “You are doing great, Daniel,” Paula reassured him. “You just need to be a little more patient.” “That is not a quality I possess, Aunt Paula.” He grunted as he heaved himself to stretch his legs on the bed and lean on the headboard.  Paula did not even attempt to help her stubborn nephew because she had already tried many times, but he had pushed her away every time. “The Dragon Bone poison is out of your system,” she told him. “So, your healing powers should start working very soon.” “That is great news.” He nodded. “If I have to spend one more day in this room, I might lose my mind.”  Paula smiled softly. “Have you spoken to Magnolia?” Paula ventured.  “No.” His answer was clipped. It did not leave room for any follow up questions. “Aright, I will be on my way then,” she told him. “I will

“PETRA WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER’S SISTER,” Paula told Magnolia who was still shocked from the revelation. “Since she was a child, she was groomed and educated for the sole purpose of becoming the queen, and everyone treated her as such,” she added. “As soon as they reached adulthood, King Titus married Petra. They had spent a great time together since childhood, so they had become close friends.” “If they were friends, then why was she erased from the history of this country?” Magnolia asked with a bitter taste in her mouth. “There was a lot of pressure on both of them, especially in the first few years of their marriage,” Paula explained. “The years passed without them being able to conceive a child. Everyone started being anxious for an heir and the elders started whispering in the king’s ears. They pressured him to take a second wife, even though it had never happened before in our kingdom.” ‘A second wife?’ Magnolia could not even blink at th

“WAIT,” MAGNOLIA SCREAMED, disoriented. Her arm was stretched in front of her and she was drenched in sweat. “A dream,” she whispered before she tried to relax her tense body. She pushed the covers off and walked to the table to pour herself a glass of water. “It was definitely a memory from my childhood, from before the accident—or the murder,” she rectified.  Magnolia put her glass back on the table at once. She hurried to her closet and quickly changed her clothes. She packed the fruit that Clara had left for her on the table and headed to the stables.  “Hey, you,” she greeted Thunder. He recognized her immediately and inched closer to nuzzle against her face. “Let’s go for a little trip, shall we?” Magnolia grabbed a blanket and a saddle. She had never put one on by herself before, but she had watched enough people do it to remember. She tightened the girth and checked that the saddle was fastened in place, then, she mounted the

“ARE YOU SURE IT’S ALRIGHT to just walk away from them?” Magnolia asked while looking back at the knights they left behind. “It is,” Daniel answered. “We will not get that far, and the horses need a break anyway,” he added. “We will spend the night in town and leave in the morning.” They both took a few steps in silence, each of them trying to catch up with their racing thoughts. They followed a hidden path through the trees until they found themselves standing in front of a huge pond. The reflection of the afternoon sun on the water made it sparkle like diamonds. “Beautiful,” Magnolia whispered. They took in the breathtaking landscape for a few minutes before Daniel reached for his wife’s hand to get her attention.  “Magnolia,” he started. “First of all, I need to apologize for my behavior on that day after the attack.” He squeezed her hand. “How could I ever think that you’re a monster, Magnolia? I was frustrated with myself. I