Kai’s POV I wake with a sharp breath, pulling my body off the bed. For a few seconds, I don’t move because of the blinding head ache. I groan loudly, holding my head. Then I start to remember everything. The black water, the heavy chains and…Vazaroth. I should still be there. “Your blood is mine.” His words echo as a reminder in my head again. Echo, not spoken in person which means he’s gone. How? Where am I? I look around and my fingers twitch at the unfamiliar scene. “Oh, you're up?” someone says a few meters away. I turn and see Aelia walking into the room. I watch silently as she takes the seat beside me. “You should be resting. You’re not strong enough to be moving around,” she says. “What are you doing here?” I ask, still confused. Before she can answer, I follow up with another question. “And where the hell am I? Is Vazaroth here?” She looks at me like I’m spitting strange things. “Vazaroth. Who is that?” I swallow. That is my confirmation that he is really gone. “Never

Kai's POV “Oh, Gombana is the famous horn kingdom?” Aelia says as she gets off the boat before me. “Horn kingdom? What does that mean?” I ask, but I don’t have to wonder for long. As I raise my head, I see exactly what she’s talking about. There are children running through the streets with small curved horns poking through their hair. Women wear their horns decorated with gold rings and thin chains. Men have larger ones, some twisting backward like the horns of a ram. “What the hell?” I whisper to myself. “I can’t believe they are real,” Aelia continues, still staring in awe. She can’t believe they are real which means she had an idea about their existence. On the other hand, I had no idea something like this ever existed. I look at her. “You know about this?” she looks at me, surprised. “You don’t?” I shake my head. “Well, that might not be very surprising. The kingdom is so far away from the others That most people don’t associate with it on a regular basis. But we’ve heard St

Kai’s POVAs we climb the boat, the cheers around us grow louder. Today is finally the day to do what we came for and not surprisingly, the entire royal family is outside with us. The villagers are also scattered around, all wishing us a successful journey as if we are heading into a war.Aelia looks at me. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “Not sure. Maybe,” I reply. She shakes her head. “These people…” before she can finish her words, the king steps forward. He raises both hands in a prayer. “May the gods guide you.”The crowd immediately bows, receiving the prayer. After, the king takes my hands, his large black horns still doing so much to unsettle me. “Please,” he begins. “Bring the princess home. And it must be before the seventh day of this calendar.” Today is the fourth day.There is something strange in his voice as he speaks. It’s not quite desperation. Urgency describes it better. And I’m forced to ask about it just out of curiosity. “Is there a specific reason why yo

Princess Aviala’s POV“So you are the two they sent after me?” My eyes move between the duo and my laughter grows louder. The girl looks confused. “What? We’re not here to harm you.”“Liar,” I yell, stepping down from my throne-like chair. “You think I don’t know my parents sent you to bring me dead or alive?” I walk towards them, maintaining my intimidating stare on both of them. The boy doesn’t react. Hasn’t since they first saw me. That confirms the suspicion I have. He’s a dangerous one. He has to go. “Unfortunately, you won’t go back to give them details.” I dip my hand into my cloak, bringing out the small ancient blade hidden there— a blade no magician can fight against no matter the power they have. I wiggle it in their faces, taunting them with the lightning. Before any of them can react, I attack. I barely take two steps towards them when something black flashes through the space between us. I pause, watching as black energy coils around the blade.“What…” I look up and s

Kai’s POVJafser pats me on my shoulder playfully. “I saved you, didn’t I?” I stare at him silently. I mean, he basically did, but I’m not about to admit that else, I will never hear the last of it. We are already on the boat, halfway on the sea with Jafser and I paddling. “What are you even doing here? How did you find us?” I ask. He shrugs. I missed you, man.” “You missed him?” Aelia ask playfully, like that was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard. You left the academy because she missed your friend?”“You’re one to talk, Aelia. You’re completely left the academy behind forgetting your studies because of a crush.” I clear my throat, quickly looking away as I’m trying to avoid anything that will make me get dragged into the argument. “That’s not true, Jafser.” “Yeah yeah. That’s not what the rest of the school believes tho. But it doesn’t matter.” He turns back to me, smiling. “We are together now and that’s all that matters.”I stare at him. “I don’t think you know what you’