Smoldered Flames: Part I of the Edonia Series
Chapter 41

Nerissa

A strange familiarity washes over me when I was brought to this place three moons ago. The masked soldiers separated Valeri and I after giving us a sedative. I awoke much later in an oceanic themed en suite. It achingly reminded me of home. Back in Faelios, our castle resided near a cliff. It is close by the sea, where Seraphine -my dragonling- loved to swim.

That is where the similarities end. There is balance where I come from. A sense of honor and clarity. Here, there is no balance. I feel chaos and death seeping through the walls.

The sun is covered by gray clouds as I overlook the balcony. There was a heavy chill to the air, but the ground was void of snow. Far off at a distance, both men and women train in combat, archery, or run a few drills. A grip seizes my heart so suddenly that I nearly cry out.

My mates. I can’t get their silent pleas out of my head as I offered myself to be taken willingly. Aurelio… and Argentios. They have been my bodyguards since I was a wee child. My father designated them as my mentors, and trainers. As I got older and more mature over the years, we couldn’t help but fall in love. No one knew of this of course. I can picture the look of disapproval on my parents face if I were to reveal my mates and the shame of the royal name.

Iron shackles are wrapped around my ankles and wrists. They don’t affect me as much as it would a full bred Fae, but it does a considerable amount of damage. No one other than servants has visited me. The servants keep their heads down when they enter and leave the suite. When I ask a simple question of who brought me here, or even to find out where Valeri is, they quickly mumble an excuse to be out of sight.

Guards are posted outside the door . It drives me to the brink of insanity that I can’t leave. The water here does relieve some of the tension from my body. I spend most days connecting with the water, letting it rove over my body and sink into the depths of my soul.

The chancellor of SU took me under his wing to train me in the ways of a Custodian. I have better control over my element. It’s the visions and the dreams that wear me down. I’ve dreamt of flames filling the heavens and the dead flooding the earth.

A cold hand snaps me out of my reverie. With the speed of light, I yank it forward and toss the body of said hand against the rail of the balcony. He was a sordid, and pale male, with oily hair slicked back. The weird male wears an odd looking cheap blue suit. He holds his hands up, surrendering to me.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Never sneak up on the Fae. Or is it the Elves?” he jokes.

I glare at him and his unlaughable joke. “Who are you?”

He still holds his hands out and crab walks to my left. “I am Alaric, I would like to give you a tour to our homely abode.”

We exit the suite with four guards around us. The building is grand, but bleak. Slate smooth walls with slender opulent columns bordering the corridor. Paintings of past Lords and Ladies framed in steel seem to watch as we walk by. Meek human servants dash in and out of sight.

“Did you know that your Fae ancestors lived on this island?”

I glance at the little wiseacre. Alaric is a head shorter than my six-foot-five frame and his muddy brown eyes are ringed with red. “I know that my people came from an island.”

No one breaks the pregnant silence. We soon leave the mansion and walk along a pathway filled with evergreen trees. Winterdrops, andromedas, and other florets blossom brightly against the stark gray skies. I hear nothing but the sound of clangoring not far from us. There were no birds chirping, insects buzzing, or other signs of life.

He provides a minute smirk. “And do you know why they had to leave?” Alaric scoffs at my lack of response. “The Seven-headed King, of course.”

I pause my steps and cock an eyebrow. “That monstrosity has been gone for eons.”

“Are you sure about that?” Alaric’s eyes alight with excitement.

I lean in, with furrowed brows. “If you are going to show me the reason you’ve brought me out here, then do it.”

The guards behind reach for their weapons in warning. I didn’t care though. Alaric’s presence puts me on edge. The strange man waves the guards off, and they assume their normal position.

“Follow me, Princess Nerissa.”

I oblige and trail after him. Leaving the foyer is a different world entirely. Grass becomes bare as the terrain turns rocky. The clanging of metal on rock fills my ears tremendously, giving me a headache. We come closer to the harrowing scene. An enormous hole in the Earth is filled with figures. They are in dull ragged clothing hammering away at the sedimentary landscape. Guards carry leather whips and they snap at anyone slacking in progress. A slight hum chills my bones. It was something a normal human being wouldn’t detect, let alone any shifter. It penetrated my chest, making my heartbeat twice as much. I couldn’t explain the sensation, but a burrowing instinct to run forces me to freeze.

Slow movement in my peripheral vision snaps me out of the reverie. Two guards walk beside a trailing female. They came from a tall stone building adjacent to the one I’m imprisoned in. She has warm ochre skin and is bound in chains similar to mine, but void of color. She wore an old, unwashed long smock that covered her entire body, leaving the arms exposed. The dispirited female’s hair was shorn unevenly, small bites and welts covered her face and arms. If I were to guess, I’d say they covered her entire body. Something else catches my eye. A red-and-gold hued necklace gradually throbs like a heartbeat. She was familiar, but…

Alaric cackles when he realizes what I’m staring at. “Don’t worry about her, Crown Princess Nerissa. You serve a greater purpose.” he then carefully leans in. “Not even your precious Goddess Sereia can save you.”

A/N:

Hello, everyone! As you can see I’m back and in action. Sorry for the slightly short chapter, I will make it up to you all this week!

As always, thank you for your support,

Obsidian Nixx :)

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