{A Wattpad Featured Book}
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Her heart or her people. Only she can decide.
Hated, cursed, outcasted. It was Eleena Asterin's life ever since she was blamed to have betrayed her village. So when she is offered a task to earn back her honour and prid...
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Sun rays come as nature's easel, giving brilliant colour to what was hidden even under the passing starlit night as I walked out of my room. I'd been set on finding Phoebus, Kallistê or Oberon and demand them to explain what was going on. If I was supposed to kill the Imperial Lord, then I could at least attempt to do so before a battle conquers this land.
The maze in the garden, attacks nearing, fallen sentries ... I shook my head as I glanced to the large window behind me, the view so sweeping that I could see all the way to the reflecting pool beyond the garden.
The water was still enough that the vibrant sky and fat, puffy clouds above were flawlessly reflected. Asking about them seemed vulgar after yesterday, but maybe—maybe once those paint and brushes did arrive, I could venture to the pool to capture it.
I might have remained staring out toward that smear of colour and light and texture had Phoebus and Kallistê not emerged from another wing of the manor, discussing some border patrol or another. They fell silent as I came down the stairs, and Kallistê strode right out the front door without so much as a good morning—just a casual wave. Not a vicious gesture, but she clearly had no intention of joining the conversation that Phoebus and I were about to have.
I glanced around, hoping for any sign of those paints, something to take my mind off everything that was currently going on, but Phoe pointed to the open front doors through which Kallistê had exited. Beyond them, I could already see both of our horses, already saddled and waiting. Kallistê was already climbing into the saddle of a third horse. I turned to Phoebus.
Stay with him; he will keep me safe, and things would get better. Fine, I could do that for a little while longer.
"Where are we going?" My words were half-mumbled.
"Your supplies won't arrive until tomorrow, and the gallery's being cleaned, and my ... meeting was postponed." Was he rambling? "I thought we'd go for a ride—no killing involved. Or Sephtis about. Just somewhere ... new for a change." Even as he finished with a half-smile, sorrow flickered in his eyes. Indeed, I'd had enough death, in the past week. Enough of killing faeries. Killing anything ... for now. No weapons were sheathed at his side or on his baldric—but a knife hilt glinted at his boot.
I'd overheard Phoebus and Oberon helped bury the fallen soldiers of the eastern border but where had they buried them? An Imperial Lord digging graves for his sentries. I might not have believed it if I'd been told, might not have believed it if he hadn't offered me sanctuary rather than death.
"Where to?" I asked. He only smiled.
.____________________.
When Phoebus had said visiting somewhere new, I hadn't expected it to be so close to Elanor's town, the beating heart of Elanor itself. For a moment, the weight in me vanished as I gobbled down the details of the emerging city:
