Semua Bab The Alpha & The Harpy: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Chapter 50: Shadows Over Tea - Part 1 As always, the youngest princess Sephora corresponded with Corvin Mourhollow, her truest, most loyal and faithful friend over had written ink and letter. These were sent by shadow mail. An art of shadow and space manipulation only the Ravens Harpy knew how to do, and turned it into a mundane mode for mail transportation. If it was ever needed, they could always relearn how to use it in battle again and it likely wouldn't take long. It just wouldn't be the mastery that would be needed. All week, Sephora had looked forward to her arranged tea with Corvin Mourhollow, which the Queen had approved of, after the imperfect princess begged for an informal, friendly relief. In an understanding and dismissive way, the Queen had allowed it. Under the prevision that it would be in the castle, given the situation with the peacocks could result in unsavory attempts and that had never eluded the Queen's mind - retaliation for a threat. Even if she didn't thi

Chapter 52. Tempting The Commander's Weakness The training hall smelled of sweat and steel, the clings and clangs of swords today were not heard through the hall, its stone walls echoing, instead, with the sharp clack of wooden practice blades. As Commander Sylen Velwraithe moved like a predator in the circle, his stance low, balanced with a wide gate and keeping his center of gravity low and measured, his eyes never leaving Seraphina as she tried to outmaneuver him. You could see on her pale face that Seraphina was tired; however, she was ever... perhaps even more so, as stubborn as her mother, Queen Nox. Meaning that Seraphina would never quit on her own. Hours of drills and sparring had worn her arms and dulled her precision. Even as she held her blunt wooden blade firmly, slightly too tight, Sylen struck the practice sword from her grip with a casual flick. "Again," he barked. The commander was a fantastic combat instructor, due to how relentless he was in ensuring his students

Chapter 54. Silent Reunion After her training session with the new temporary Falcrest trainer, the eldest raven harpy sister had flown back up to the castle. Her wings were sure and strong, but they still ached from the workout Kaelen had caused and the maneuvering she had had to do to evade him and his moves. Although she had not always been successful in that. Some cuts on the back of her wrist and on her shoulder showed that. They weren't deep. Papercuts at best and barely noticeable, but they needed to be treated, and with the sweat feeling sticky against her scalp... the only place in her mind right now was the royal raven baths. She could almost feel the steam calling out to her. A few weeks ago, Seraphina had said some awful things to her younger sister... twins or not, Sephora would always be her baby sister. Even if by just a few minutes. Those things had been horrible, and they were not warranted. While yes, the future weight of the Raven Kingdom's crown cast a heavy s

Chapter 56. Whispers of Ash and StoneThe Mourhollow estate sat on the high ridge of one of the smaller of the three mountains, to the west, its more narrow black-slated towers draped in the usual mist that adorned the Raven Kingdom on a semi-permanent basis. The towers jutted out like sentinels carved from shadow.The family's crest — a crescent moon angled just above a scroll — was long welded and adorned on the great iron gates that had patches of rust, which creaked when they opened. At Sephora's approach to the castle, there was no need to use the gate. She had flown directly down here at dusk, her feathers damp from the misty dew that clung to this evening's air, her heart weighed down by the memory of the forest's suffocating silence and some of the discussion her mother, Queen Nox had had with her.The man of the hour, Corvin Mourhollow greeted his dear friend himself. He was dressed plainly for once, in a dark tunic belted with silver-looking spheres at the waist, his dark ha

Chapter 58. The Swordmaster's Lessons This morning sun angled over the stone terrace of the training grounds. Not far from the burning mist from the cliffs below slowly swelled and blew lightly, creating an appearance that there was far more land where it covered, instead of a sheer drop to what could be a very quick and fatal death. The clang of steel echoed across the practice ground where Seraphina Ebonspire circled her new opponent, a blunted black steel blade held firm. Her new temporary instructor, who had stepped in over the last little while—was Master Kaelen Falcrest, a sergeant—moved with surprising speed, his sword a blur in his hand. He was quite a bit younger than Lord Sylen Velwraithe by at least a decade. His feathers were still glossy black shot with storm-grey, not from age but just a tinge of lightness in his feathers, making them appear extra glossy, even though he was not the type to wax his feathers. Though only distantly of noble blood, Kaelen had trained under