Determined to take control of their fates, Arjen and Arien escape Derolina Castle at the age of sixteen after their cruel mother dies. They adopt new names and find a home in the city of Aramore, while the Emperor of Yuriana searches for his missing...
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The sight of steam rushing from the teapot on the stove brought Arien back to her senses. Her cheeks were wet. She took a hand towel and wiped away the tears before using it to grab the teapot's handle.
She brought a tray of tea into the bedroom where the prince knelt at Arjen's bedside. Arjen's vacant eyes gazed up at the ceiling, his skin ashen. The white-haired man watched from the foot of the bed. Marcus sat in a chair on the other side of the small room.
Soft white light radiated from the hand of the prince as he focused it above Arjen's heart. Arien set the tray down on her bed, the only place for it. She handed Marcus a cup, and offered one to the white-haired man, called Niwe, the prince's guardian. It was hard for her to grasp that this tall, slender man was actually a huge wolf. He looked at her with languid eyes that reminded her of the prince's.
"This is very good," Niwe said after he tasted the tea.
Arien's attention rested on Arjen, her speech slow and empty. "There's a shop nearby that sells really good tea leaves." Frieda had taught her how to brew tea well.
The prince finished his task and muttered a few unintelligible words, a spell, and a magic circle appeared over Arjen and then faded. Arjen's eyes closed.
"He'll rest now," said the prince—what was his name? Yes, the second prince was named Alexander. His guardian had called him Alec. He rose from his knees. "We got to it just in time. If we keep treating him, he should recover in a few days or so."
"Really?" said Arien. Hope kindled in her heart.
"I don't mean to sound conceited, but there's no one else better suited to heal the effects of demonic magic than me."
"He's right, you know," said Niwe with a sure grin.
Still, Arien fretted. Arjen had been like a limp doll the entire trip home, saying not a single word. All the while, Alec treated him with healing magic, cradling him in his arms, only stopping when they arrived home and got Arjen into a bed. Arien had observed them. The prince had held her brother as though he were made of glass.
She rubbed her puffy eyes. She had cried the whole way home. Why were they cursed to have such a hard life? Had they done something in their past lives to deserve it?
"Um... What do we do now?" she asked.
"I will replace the barrier Marcus has put around the shop. My power should hold better against a demon."
"Do you think it'll try finding us?"
"Maybe. You said it attacked you once before. That sounds very determined to me." He looked surprised when she offered him a cup of tea. He smiled and accepted it with thanks. "I'm curious about where it came from. It's not easy to summon demons. It comes at a great price."
"I see." She fiddled with her hands. "Do you know anyone named Mr. Baum?"
