Noel and the hundreds of men behind him stopped at the scene and dismounted from their horses. Deji Fountain looked on with hope. He expected to see the army he had been waiting for. Instead, he saw men dressed like Darian’s army and more of the other nobles' men.Deji Fountain narrowed his eyes. “You all were in on this?” he asked, pointing with his good hand in a hysterical tone. “Back then, when the Golden Eagle escaped and you all set up the scene to look like a battle—it was a lie. You were the ones who helped him escape!”Darian went cold. “I have been waiting for this moment for years. I never forgot what you did to me and all the innocent people that died that day. Today is your end, and by dawn, all in your camp and all who were loyal to the Ice Clan and Her Holiness will be dead!”Darian stuck his sword right into Deji Fountain’s body until it came out from the other side. Deji Fountain’s eyes widened as he choked on his own blood. “You will still lose. You cannot win agains

Darian placed his fingers on the right side of his head and rubbed it gently. He closed his eyes. “That could work. But I do not want to bother with it. Do you mind taking it up? Give the guy all the supplies he needs.”Noel nodded his head. “I will handle it. Before I left, I also discovered his secret network. There are some Eagle loyalists there in the court. The power could be upturned.”Darian rose to his feet. “Do me a favor, Noel. Next time, please leave business like this until I am done eating. I have lost my appetite. I think a lot nowadays.”Noel smiled. “Okay, tough guy. I thought you would want to see the picture of your princess. She is somewhat pretty but horrible. And my Helena is prettier than her.”Darian heard the tease in his voice. “Noel, you can marry her if you wish. Be one of her male concubines and please her well.”Noel chuckled. “Darian, you do owe me an apology, you know. You promised that if I came back from the Kingdom of Masac without my eyes on any lady

On a beautiful morning, Darian sent word for Helena to be called to visit him. When Helena arrived, she was wearing a peach-colored dress with layers of shimmering organza that flowed like a sunset. The bodice was embroidered with delicate cream lace, and her hair was styled in a cascading half-updo adorned with tiny silk flowers, making her look like a princess from a fairy tale. She walked slowly into the study and stood by the chair in front of Darian’s table.“You called,” Helena said.“Have a seat,” he directed.Helena did as she was told.“How has the work been recently? You have added more healers and even trained some soldiers as healers,” Darian said.Helena nodded her head. “Everything is going smoothly. For the next battle, we should be ready.”Darian responded, “That is good. You are doing a great job. But Noel is sick. Why have you not attended to him yet?”Her eyes sparked with worry, but she quickly hid it again. “I did not know he was ill. If he really were, he knows h

"You told me there were only two types of Eagles. Why is Jerry black?" Noel asked.Darian considered the question; he had also been asking himself this same thing. He answered, "It seems I have not read enough about them. But I have to say, I have a good feeling about this."Grey hair, pale white skin, and so much jewelry. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed in a lotus position, but suddenly, her eyes popped open. Her chest began to beat like a rhythmic drum. Each beat testified to the intensity she felt. She rose to her feet and eyed her crooked staff that held the sacred gem. The gem was glowing brightly.Her eyes widened in horror. This could only mean someone was distributing Eagle powers. She knew that when she had stolen the gem a thousand years ago, it was Eagle property and it housed the powers of the Eagle—powers she had not been able to ingest herself, no matter how she tried.Her Holiness, Laurel, grabbed the sides of her hair and screamed! The walls echoed with her

A shiver ran through the spine of the Minister of the Interior. He fell to the floor and fainted. Her Holiness ignored him, and guards dragged the minister away. The other ministers were sweating even though the weather was cold.Her Holiness sighed. “I am too impatient. Instead of just waiting for news, ministers should send those under them to visit all the lands under the Kingdom of Azariel. They must send news at once.”“Yes,” the ministers bowed and responded in a chorus.“One more thing,” Her Holiness said.A look of displeasure rushed onto the faces of the ministers and even the King and the Queen. They really wanted to get out of there.“I want a thousand young girls. I want to take out their hearts and use them to replenish my strength. It seems we will be having a battle very soon. I don't want any Eagle unprepared to see me.”***Noel walked into Darian’s study and, without letting Darian look up or ask questions, he said, “Guess what?”Darian looked up. “Come and have a se