FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘺. 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘈 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳.
Xanthiene Vivenca's life drones on in a cycle of finding her next meal, ensuring...
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Silence filled the entire dim chasm. Xanthy lowered her bow as the prince landed on the dusty ground with one of her arrows sticking out of his shoulder. That wouldn't hold him off for long.
"You..." Nyxis stared at Xanthy with his mouth partially open.
She rolled her eyes. "Come on, princess," she launched off the stairs and landed on all fours. Nyxis followed soon after. Civil Knights froze and rushed to their fallen leader. Xanthy kept one arrow nocked as she swept a way towards their restrained friends.
The soldiers balked under her aim whenever she swept her bow in their direction. Nyxis kept looking at the commotion going behind them.
"What, he will live," Xanthy hissed. "Your brother?"
Nyxis nodded. "What is his name?" Xanthy asked, pointing her nocked arrow at the soldier restraining Jarvik.
"Adresin," Nyxis answered, his throat bobbing.
Xanthy sighed and blinked her eyes against the dim torchlight. She couldn't care less about what Nyxis's idiot brother's name was. She squinted at the blinking orbs attached to the ends of the net that was unfortunately atop her varichria friend.
She released a breath, nocked two arrows, and shot them towards the orbs. The satisfying crack of machinery echoed around the room as soon as her arrows kissed their targets. "Can you manage?" Xanthy heard Reeca grunt.
Xanthy crouched next to June who miraculously had dark hair. He groaned, clutched his head, and sat up. His eyes widened when he saw Xanthy. "What are you doing here?" he knitted his eyebrows.
"Saving your sorry ass," Xanthy snapped before moving to the Draswists. She frowned.
"Where is Malin?" she whirled to her companions.
A synchronous clicking noise ensued from the floor. Reeca slid from underneath the net and kicked it aside as she picked herself up. "I managed to get the boy out," she examined the bark greaves on her arm with a click of her tongue. "Let us hope he finds Vikara or Vikara finds him."
Adresin was still a pumkess sack at the base of the stairs while the Civil Knights floundered around for a cure. Xanthy didn't bother shielding the joy that gripped her heart upon seeing that. Behind her, Nyxis was tight-lipped and silent, keeping watch of the dungeon's entrance as she told him to.
"That is it?" Jarvik slammed his hand on his captor's helmet and the soldier withered like an unwatered vine. The same thing happened with Marin's. No other soldiers dared make a move against them.
Jarvik stepped towards Reeca. Xanthy's throat dried up at how much anger was reflected in the human's eyes. "You took my son out there with just the hope that Vikara finds him?" he demanded, his nostrils flaring. "The above world must be crawling with these golden fowls!"
Reeca crossed her arms and met Jarvik's smoldering stare. "Would you rather he dies here with the rest of you?" she snapped. Xanthy winced. Ouch.
Jarvik's eyes widened but he clenched his fists and turned to Marin. Xanthy lowered her bow and whirled to Reeca. "How much more time?"
