Chapter 105: The Faes
Raphael’s POV
A cold wind swept through the garden, rustling the leaves and sending a swoosh whisper through the air.
I stood in silence, as I thought about the revelation. His words pressed against my chest like a heavy lid. I still couldn't get my head around why, he would choose my body.
"Your body was too powerful for your beast to survive," He answered as though reading my mind.
The truth settled uneasily within me. My Lycan beast, the creature that had been with me since my first transformation, was dead, snuffed out by the unnatural forces that had long grown within me.
"Did you kill the beast?" The question had slipped past my lips before I had fully thought it through.
Grey scoffed. "That is a foolish thing to ask, Vessel. What purpose would I have in slaying your beast? It was your own body that did it. Your mana, your magic… too many powers clashing for dominance. Your beast was not strong enough to withstand it."
He paused, his voice darkening. "I would have perished as well had I not been a sacred beast. Your body is rare, unlike anything I have ever seen."
I exhaled slowly, my mind sieving through his words, but before I could press further, a sudden gust of wind swept through the garden.
Dust and leaves rose into the air, twisting wildly before settling as three figures emerged from the swirling haze.
Gwen. Drogon. Anastasia.
My eyes locked onto them. Gwen stood in the centre, weary and pale, almost as though, the very life was being drained from her. Her stance was like that of a woman that would be falling apart any moment.
Anastasia stayed at her side, silent, watching Gwen as though she were something fragile that might shatter if touched too roughly.
Drogon, however, was different.
He barely spared me a glance. His focus was solely on Gwen as if the rest of us did not exist. His golden-red eyes burned with an emotion I could easily recognize, there was longing, perhaps, or something far worse.
Slowly, his gaze lifted, meeting mine at last.
"With the way you are looking at me, he must have told you the story."
I did not respond. There was nothing to say.
Gwen stepped forward first, her voice firm despite the exhaustion swirling in her eyes.
“I have come to bring Ava back,” she said, her gaze on me unwavering. “But first, I ask that you not be blinded by heresy. We cannot afford to be divided.”
I nodded once, acknowledging her words, though my gaze drifted toward Anastasia. She had not spoken a word since their arrival and had not so much as looked at me. A little disrespectful but I will let it pass.
"Do you have something to say?" I asked her.
She shook her head.
Silence stretched between the four of us. Then, I thought perhaps she was still dazed from whatever trials she had endured. Or perhaps she, too, had come to see me as something monstrous.
Then Drogon spoke, and his voice commanded authority and obedience. For someone feared by all, I felt small.
' You can't be scared of the fireball, are you?' Grey murmured.
' of course, not!' I grumpily replied. I was just a little stunned but certainly not scared.
“I know how to retrieve Ava’s body,” Drogon said. The words sent a jolt through me. Excitement? Hope? I don't know. I just wanted to see my mate hale and healthy again.
"Where?" Caleb demanded, stepping forward. Where did he come from? I thought he had left. I decided to let him be and just focus on Drogon.
Drogon, as well, did not look at him. His fingers just idly twirled a flickering dragon flame in his palm, his voice careless, almost amused.
“Her body and soul are being held captive by Alasia.” His eyes fell on me. No. It can't be.
" That's impossible," I hear myself say.
" Well, that's what my dragon flame says," he replies sarcastically.
The garden fell deadly silent.
'Alasia, can't be alive. It's not possible,' Grey growled. Yet she is. The dragon had confidently said so.
But it can't be possible; I mean, I killed her. I had watched the light fade from her eyes and had felt her body grow cold beneath my hands. She was dead. She was supposed to be dead.
I had buried every memory about her. The things I had allowed my bloodlust mind to do. How I had allowed her to manipulate me. She is not to be blamed fully, after all, she never forced me to do those things.
In that moment, I saw her then, as I had seen her last—the way she had knelt before me, her white robes stained with blood, her dark hair tangled and wild. I had expected fear in her eyes, but there had been none.
"You will regret this, my King." I had scoffed at her words then, believing them empty. After all, to me, she had been mad and wild as me. The difference between us, I could say, was controlled by Grey.
But now… After so many years had passed, she had finally come for revenge. I had been too reckless forgetting the enemies I had.
Grey groaned inside me, his presence turning sad and restless.
'We should have erased the witches when we had the chance' His voice rumbled with barely contained fury.
'Not now, Grey,' I muttered.
"They are parasites, Vessel. They will always return to defy us. Do not pretend you do not see it."
'Enough,' I snapped, my grip tightening. "You will not start this again."
He growled, but I ignored him, forcing my focus back to Drogon.
“You lie,” I said again, my voice low. “Alasia is dead.”
Drogon chuckled, the sound biting before saying. “Is she?”
I said nothing.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze flashing with something dangerous. “Believe what you will. It does not change the truth.”
I clenched my jaw. "And where is Ava's body?"
His lips curled into a slow smile.
"In the palace," he said.
For a moment, I could only stare at him. Thinking he has grown hones.
"What?" Caleb spoke, his voice filled with disbelief. I had nearly forgotten he was here.
Drogon nodded, his fingers still playing with the dragon flame. “You heard me. Her body is in the palace. However, retrieving it will not be simple. The curse binding her is powerful. We will need the blood of a fae and their magic to break it.”
"The faes?" I said suddenly. "They are not to be trusted."
Drogon exhaled, dousing out the flame with a flick of his wrist. “Perhaps not. But it is what must be done.”
I turned away, unsure of how to handle the situation. Faes are cunning beings. Everyone knows that.
And yet, one truth remained clear.
Ava’s body is within my palace walls and we were running out of time.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
