Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Four: The New Year's Gala

"Slaves over the age of eighty that are not sold at the end of the first auction are to be disposed of."Polaris was completely horrified when he found not his king being threatened, but his king huddled in a ball against another hedge, having entirely lost control of his specter abilities. Polaris felt the blood drain from his body as he watched King Darren's skin change color, change texture; as his hair grew long, then shortened, then became curly, then wavy, then straight. The spectacle didn't end there. The control was so lost that Polaris could examine as King Darren's bones twisted, turned, changed position, and even changed shape completely beneath his morphing skin."S-sire?" Polaris managed as he sheathed his sword. King Darren didn't even seem

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Five: Secrets

"The death of a Slave must be reported to the Association of Slave Owners forty-eight hours after the death."There was so much information in Marquis Rallian's journal that Rein wanted to read the entire thing right then and there. Unfortunately, she knew that she didn't have enough time to do so. She would just have to return once Rallian was asleep and read it then. In the meantime, she had to prioritize the more important subjects within the pages: Ariana and Nadia.Much of the content of the journal was surprising to Rein. There was silent strain and much mistrust between Rallian and Ariana. He expected her to demand Nadia's death any day now and predicted it to be the beginning of the end of their friendship since he was prepared to refuse. However,

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Six: The Rogue Assassins

"Each town is allotted one auction stand to be kept in the center of town for the Slave Market. Each scaffold must be ten feet tall, twenty feet long, and eight feet wide."Nadia didn't appear any better than she had looked before Makiar forced her to touch the ball. She lay there motionless, breathless, completely void of any sign of life. No one said a word while Makiar placed his fingers against Nadia's throat."Her pulse is back to normal, my Lord," he informed."Good," Rallian said as he released the breath he had held. "Inform the nursemaids that I want her nursed back to health as soon as possible so that she can get back to her chores quickly."

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Hard-Headed and the Stubborn

"All Slave Auctions will take place once a month on Market Day, the date and time of which will be determined by the mayor of the town."Despite the fact that Ezra knew her skills were limited, she could never forgive herself if she didn't at least try and end the naiad to save her brother in Iah-Ra. Suddenly, the flame in her hands erupted into a ball of fire larger than she thought she could manage. She pushed her confusion aside for the moment and threw it at the naiad where it exploded into an inferno that left nothing behind but a puff of vapor.  

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Triumph of Evil

"All Slave Auctions must be run by auctioneers appointed by the Association of Slave Owners. Any auctioneer not authorized by the Association of Slave Owners will be taken into custody and sold in the next scheduled Slave Auction."Hours after Nadia's lessons ended, Ivanna sat in front of Polaris's active grand fireplace in the drawing room deep in thought with a chalice of lona in her hands. There was much to contemplate and it all distracted her from enjoying her drink and admiring the fire. Polaris soon entered with a glass of bourbon and sat in the seat across from her."So," he began. The sudden utterance snapped Ivanna back into the room. "You have a plan to prepare the kingdom for Nadia's ethnicity."

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Sword of Defense

"All Slave Auctioneers must carry proof given to them upon being appointed, stating that they have been affirmed by the Association of Slave Owners. If proof is not available upon questioning, it will be assumed that the auctioneer in question is not legally appointed.""Your queen will now choose the sword she deems most important by which to rule."Queen Ariana rose and set the orb on a marble podium between the thrones and leaned the scepter against the same podium. She then made her way down the steps of the dais and lifted the sword with the black hilt from the floor. She returned to the top of the dais and with both hands held the sword out towards her audience."These are dire days in our belo

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Chapter Thirty: Lady Ivanna's Phobia

"Those birthed from a Slave are immediately determined to be a Slave. The proper paperwork of the Slave's official birth must be turned in to the Association of Slave Owners within the day of that Slave's birth or the following morning."Rein's posture changed to defensive upon seeing the sheer panic in Ivanna's eyes. She looked at the webbing between Ivanna's fingers and then glanced at the four assassins. "Yes, they know you're part mermaid. I'm sorry. I thought it was necessary to explain your plans involving the marquis as a way to further explain your feelings about elves since he plans to use cuffs engraved with Elvish against you again.""Please don't feel concerned that we have this knowledge," said Elion. "We also understand what it's like to be

Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles   Prologue: A Prophecy Intercepted

"It has been observed that within our beloved Kingdom of Noelle, a problem has arisen concerning the homeless and orphaned multiplying in number... all who are presumed to be homeless and/or orphaned will be immediately taken into custody and sold as Slaves in the next scheduled Slave Auction."During the passed three hundred fifty years, since Gerardo of Liko was last heard of, the Kingdom of Noelle had thrived and gone through a number of extreme changes; some of which included art, food, morale, literature, currency (so that it was less confusing), and especially law. The country now had become very wealthy with markets in gold, silk, and cotton. The fashion was more colorful and the architecture was more shapely with geometric and floral designs. But after roughly three hundred years, an end was arising to