“Let us get moving,” Her Holiness yelled. She used her rod to hit the floor and there was a heavy vibration. Then she entered back into the sedan. Immediately, carriers were set to replace the others who had just been killed.Inside the sedan, Her Holiness gritted her teeth and her jaw clenched. She shut her eyes and tried to concentrate, but she found it difficult.***Darian was seated by a stream. One hand was rested on his chin. He was in deep thought. Noel, on the other hand, was behind him. Noel had climbed a tree and was picking fruits. “There are so many ripe mangoes on this part of the tree… Darian?”Darian raised his head, “We need to move faster.”“Yeah, if only we could fly out of here,” Noel said.Darian caught Noel’s hint, “Not going to happen.”Noel descended from the tree and began to pick up the fruits that had fallen on the floor. “Why?” he asked.“I can’t believe you are delighted in what I am always enraged about,” Darian gasped in frustration.“I have heard that t

Noel watched as Darian’s body fell to the floor. He had followed Darian silently even as Darian left the room. He had also adorned a black cloak to conceal his appearance. Noel had heard all that Darian had said as he lifted his eyes up to the skies, but he had seen no light or portal. He wondered what was really going on. It was a shock for him to see Darian’s body fall to the floor like a discarded potato sack, after he had muttered his acceptance to... an unseen being? Maybe it was plain Eagle stuff, but Noel understood none of it. "What the hell was wrong with Darian?" he thought as he hurried over to where Darian’s body lay. He checked Darian’s face. Darian looked like someone who was sleeping soundly; there was no issue with his looks. “Darian,” Noel called, not too loudly. When there was no response, he increased his voice slightly, “Darian, what’s up with you?” Still no response. Noel shook Darian's body a few times and then he placed a hand on Darian’s forehead; his temperatu

Laurel smiled to herself and raised herself from the floor slowly. By nightfall, her door opened again. It was the servant who had pushed her into the room before. She came with two servants to drop a lit candle and a few more that could be burnt. A box of matches was also added. Another servant carried a tray containing dry bread and water. The lead servant raised her hand and clapped twice. The others carrying the trays immediately placed the items on a table and stepped backward.The lead servant walked towards where Laurel sat. “Do not think that your life would be any different now that you are here. You may believe that since you had a childhood experience with His Majesty, you can send him a letter of distress and he would summon for you to be rushed into the palace. But do not think he thinks anymore of you than he would a charity project. What we have put before you are your nightly supplies. Do well to have an early night. You will be joining the servants tomorrow.” The lead

Noel shook his head from side to side. “I am afraid you can’t buy it. At least for now.”“Why?” Darian asked.“It so happens that the property is in the hands of some powerful man. Powerful, yet unknown,” Noel added.Darian was slightly confused, “Powerful, yet unknown?”Noel sighed, “Today as I bought food, I tried to make friends with the people there and I heard a few things. The property is in the hands of the Ice Clan, supposedly. But, it seems to be run by a secret rebel faction that may have close affinity with the Ice Clan.”Darian calculated what that meant for a moment. “You mean the person who owns that property is connected to the Ice Clan, but is a secret rebel? This sounds intriguing... especially if Her Holiness is their target. ”Noel nodded his head. “ It seems some members of the Ice clan want that tyrant out. Or there might be another reason. The field is used for secret trainings. If you noticed, the field has been surrounded by houses in such a way that from the o

The sound coming out resembled the pouring of water down a waterfall. The girl scraping her knees turned to see the shiny light rushing at her. Her eyes widened in horror even though tears clouded them. The shiny light that resembled water wrapped around her and lifted her till her feet were hanging in the air.Her muffled screams were heard from the gag. Even the men bowed their heads and shivered. Her Holiness looked around and was satisfied with their reaction. Her Holiness spread out two fingers and the girl hit the ceiling. Blood oozed out of the girl’s nose and she lost consciousness. She was hit on the ceiling again and again. Then the shiny water began to cover her slowly, and seemed to soak her in. The girl seemed to be dissolving in the water and she reduced in size until her frozen heart descended on the floor. It fell on the floor like a rock thrown down by a hunter.It fell right into the middle of the three men, and they jumped. Her Holiness raised an eyebrow. “Pick the