Song of Blood and Reign

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As soon as her boots touched the stone road that lead into the city of Filwey, she pulled the hood of her silvery gray cloak up onto her head. Her hair was pulled up half way, curls tumbling loosely over both shoulders. They would have known this body and this face in the northern most Ethran city, would have known her by the distinct color of her hair, the silver streak...but not the pitch-black eyes they would have gazed into.

Not what was in control either.

They knew the male who was walking beside her, too, but he pulled his hood up onto his head to conceal his black eyes as well.

"Keep a hold on her," he said quietly as they passed the first set of guardsmen who barely bothered to glance their way.

She took a deep breath as the dark magic coursing through her began its search of the female he spoke of.

The female was quiet, just as she had been ever since the darkness took over earlier that morning at the Keep. She'd already retreated into herself the week before, testing the foreign magic that had taken over. That darkness had to give her credit, though. She wanted to make friends with it.

It wouldn't work, but she didn't know that.

And that made her smile then.

"There's no need to keep a hold on her right now," she told him. "She's waiting, watching, learning."

"That's what the mistress wanted."

"Exactly."

"He tried to warn her."

"Yours?"

"He's a fool. They both are."

Her smile widened as she circled the female's consciousness, backed into a corner with her tiny sliver of light magic, blinded and unable to hear anything they were speaking of then. She held onto it tightly and hiding something else she wasn't able to sense. What she didn't know was that the darkness had already infested her magic, a tiny drop that had integrated and hidden deep inside. The female wouldn't realize it until it was too late, though. Until she thought she won.

She laughed again. Making friends with the darkness.

That would be her downfall eventually.

"What are we doing here again, exactly? Especially since my orders don't include drawing out magic from these beings or creating more oskurreia for the mistress," she stated as they neared a small group of priestesses walking in two straight lines, the gossamer veils and blue dresses brushing back with the slight breeze. Neither one of them moved out of their way, parting the females as they walked through their group. Several looks were thrown their way by others who saw.

"Word is the Crown Prince of Dalcaine is on his way here to Filwey, along with the others."

"The others...including your female."

His face contorted in pain...almost like the male he kept locked away was trying to break free as well, especially with his next statement. "The mistress has given me the order to kill her on sight."

She had a counter question. "Does the mistress know the male within you is growing stronger?"

"She does, which is why this is my order. Killing her will put a stop to him and allow my darkness to completely take over once more. This is just the same for you and the female's mate."

"But mine isn't ready to claim him just yet."

His mood shifted completely as he grinned at her, black eyes sparkling when they met hers. "No, but it will give both him and the female false hope in saving her from it."

"False hope..."

The female stirred from her corner, her light magic jumping suddenly. It wasn't because of what she'd heard, but rather what she felt.

What she'd been hiding...it was that godsforsaken mating bond she could have sworn she smothered.

It was bright and shining and burning away any dark magic that neared it then.

A clear indication he was close.

Her mate, the Crown Prince of Dalcaine, the one the darkness couldn't wait to feed off of when it finally overtook her completely.

The female was screaming his name as soon as she felt him down that bond.

She was quicker, though, gagging her and wrapping both her and that wretched light magic in chains until she was ready to let her out once more.

She did steal one thing from her that moment, though.

She'd wanted to practice this for a while.

Black eyes weren't inviting.

Emerald eyes were.

Blinking once, they changed, but not the dark one who was in control of the body she wore. A brilliant disguise, one her mistress had asked her to practice.

"You've been waiting to see if it would work, haven't you?" the male at her side asked, though he didn't do the same in changing eye color.

Whispers found them then, that male, his warrior best friend, a half-sorceress, a certain shapeshifter, and their dragons who had just landed at the southern gates.

Slowly, she lowered her hood, emerald eyes more inviting as she turned the corners of her mouth upward in a slight smile. Of course, they still recognized her. Her rescue of the little Seer of Ikreus was now written in their history texts.

The Seer...that was another thing the mistress wanted to speak to her about.

But for now, the two of them made their way south.

Toward a crown prince she couldn't wait to get her hands on.  

***Yep, I still love these Dark Lyv chapters!  What are your thoughts on them?  Intriguing, right?  

I'm hoping to get the next chapter up in the next few days, but I do start my new job this week so I know that's going to take some getting used to with my writing schedule.  I need to come up with a more concrete schedule as it is, so I'll keep you guys in the loop!

Comment and vote!

Happy reading!

- Ansley***