Ransia was a combination of island cities and a mainland city. Naomi wasn't even sure if she preferred Estoria anymore. It resembled a paradise. As she flew behind Daegal, over the sprawling city, she couldn't help but marvel at the view below her. There was a perfect balance between the residential, industrial, and forest areas. They all thrived individually and collectively. Finally, she and Daegal landed their dragons atop a hill on the outskirts of Chief Malon's palace and used horses for the rest of the way. Their small host which consisted of images and soldiers including Azriel and Thalia, caught up with them before they got to the entrance of the palace where a tall, handsome man in his early fifties alongside a shorter, pretty woman; stood waiting to greet them. Behind the two were three armored guards and about seven servants. "Emperor Daegal, welcome to Ransia," the man bowed deeply. "This is my wife, Lolo Aurora." He pointed to the woman beside him who curtsied.Daegal

One of Ransia's soldiers glanced at Naomi and Thalia, made to yell at them to save themselves and go but recognition sparked in his eyes just as Naomi nodded at Thalia and filled the blade in her hand with her magic. When she opened her eyes, they were a bright violet, and energy crackled all around her as she and Thalia launched themselves at Babatunde's men. The chaos called to Naomi and exhilarated her. She reveled in the destruction they wrought and in a minute, Babatunde's soldiers all lay dead on the floor. Ransia's soldiers gaped at the two women and Naomi sent them an encouraging smile before turning to Thalia who was panting heavily. "So... Where to now?" "To the streets," Thalia responded. Her eyes were filled with awe as she gazed at Naomi then they made their way out. The entrance they came out of wasn't the same one which they entered with. This one faced the coastline and Naomi immediately saw how the waters were stained with red. Some of the ships harbored there

More soldiers died later in the morning; those whose injuries were too grievous to be saved by magic. Despair. That was the first emotion that gripped Naomi's heart when she draped a white sheet over the body of one of the fallen soldiers. Her brief happiness with Daegal at dawn had completely disappeared. Then despair turned to hate. Hate directed at Babatunde, Faizar, and Nezetta. Valiant, honorable men and women died because of them and their evil ways. Naomi brushed away a tear that dropped from her eyes and collected the tag of the soldier she'd just covered. She didn't even know her name or whether she had dreams and aspirations other than fighting for the continent. Just another nameless soldier... But Naomi swore that she would never forget her or her sacrifice. Would never forget the sacrifices of everyone in all their camps. After a mass cremation that morning, the portion of the army that was to go to Volcaris started preparations for the journey in three days. The ten

"Nngh," Naomi groaned as she slowly came to. The last thing she remembered was hugging her parents and...When she fully opened her eyes, there was darkness all around her. She couldn't even see two feet in front of her."Fuck," she swore as she realized that her hands and feet were tied to a pole and as much as she tried to get free by using her magic, it was as if an oily sheen dampened it.'Where am I? Where am I?' Naomi thought to herself as she continued struggling against her binds.Suddenly, a gust of wind blew across her face as something ruffled. A bright light illuminated the space around her as someone stepped through the flaps of the tent.Naomi remained quiet, choosing not to speak but to gauge instead.Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as the figure stalked ever closer to her. Though her heart pounded in her chest, she kept a straight face to hide her terror.Finally, the person shifted the burning torch from his face and his features came into view. He vaguely looked like

Nightfall came swiftly. Azriel and Thalia were prepared as they had gone over their plan with Daegal almost a thousand times.They were to sneak through the enemy's camp without drawing attention. Since some might know Azriel, he would stick to the shadows and also wear the helmet and armor that their blacksmiths had created which resembled that of Babatunde's soldiers."Ready, Thalia?" Azriel asked and Thalia nodded in the affirmative.They bid Daegal goodbye and mounted their horses. The ride was silent as they were too focused on their mission to joke or say anything to each other.After thirty to forty minutes of hard riding, they arrived in a thick forest, stopping on a hilltop that overlooked the outskirts of the formidable enemy camp.Master Faizar and Nezetta had used the same kind of spells that Daegal put around their camp to shield it from wandering eyes but thanks to the information that Naomi previously collected from those captured and now dead soldiers, Thalia and Azrie