With a group of unlikely allies, Alethia must become an unstoppable force to let go of her haunting past and save the Four Kingdoms.
Two years have passed since Queen Liliana broke the Peace Treaty with the Gera Kingdom and began a deadly war. Howev...
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731 days after Queen Liliana's conquest of the Gera Kingdom
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Metal rasped against metal in the familiar melody of death and war. Vibrations ricocheted up his arm, jostling his nerves. Ren bared his teeth as he swung his ax to the side. Alethia nimbly avoided the slash, her feet dancing backward. She blew a wisp of her long hair out of her face. Her scar glowed under the moonlight, and her loose black hair played with the crisp wind.
Her grey eyes flashed to the window attached to the room Ren and Aydin shared. Ren stepped to her.
"What?" Ren asked as he surveyed their surroundings, ignoring the inn.
The lush forest was darkened by glowing, iron-grey clouds obscuring the full moon. Every sway of a branch covered its motion with thick shadows until it appeared like a mirage of eerie movement. It rubbed him the wrong way as if something was amiss.
"Aydin wants us to come back," Alethia responded, releasing a long breath.
Ren clicked his tongue, sparing a look at the window.
"Give me a goddamn break," he mumbled, brushing aside the ominous feeling crawling in the depths of his core.
"The man who invaded Sephirah's room said he was captain of the Wasted Sea," Alethia said. "Is there such a person?"
"For skies' sake, woman." Ren refocused his attention on the princess. "You don't know a damn thing."
Her nostrils flared, and she slid her weapon into the sheath on her belt. Alethia started the small trek to the inn, irritation radiating off her tense shoulders in waves. Ren rolled his eyes. Who did she think he was, a damn castle tutor?
It wasn't his place to explain everything, and he sure as hell wasn't going to start doing it tonight. There wasn't enough time in a year to tell her how this cursed world operated. Ren's jaw tightened as he trailed her.
From the window, he noticed Aydin's face peering out at them. The prince gestured with impatience as if they weren't already moving towards the inn.
Bloody idiot.
Ren huffed out a long sigh of exasperation. Alethia glanced at him, her hair clouding her eyesight for a second.
The pair stepped through the tavern doors into the dim dining space. Wooden chairs were flipped over tables pushed against the wall near the fireplace. It gave them a clear path to the staircase. They found Aydin and Sephirah standing with their meager belongings tied and slung across their chests when they reached their floor.
"We're going to the harbor," Sephirah declared with a giddy smile. Ren had no doubt that if her hands weren't full, she would've done a little, stupid clap with the statement.
