‘In the end we go back to those who were the beginning.’751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDSQf7SS0L
“The queen is seething, what did you say?” Adian seemed both irritated and curious as they paced through the halls. “What did you do?” Calysse chewed on her lip as she brooded over all the words spoken in her encounter with Nesami.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4EncjyTx4
“I just demanded that she’d make me champion if I returned from Indignor.” She spit as they walked down a corridor she’d already seen. Adian had claimed he was escorting her to her bedchambers, but they must have been striding the same halls for hours. It had become eerily suspicious how no servants had come down this way to confront them. 751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1T3Xdosa0D
“You shouldn’t have spoken to her that way, and why in the world would you want to be champion?” He was right, but she didn’t regret asking to be champion. It wasn’t just a stupid childhood fantasy, at least not to her, carrying the title was just the beginning of her ambitions.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAFxsTvjPA
“I know, it was the only thing I deemed worthy for what she asked.” Calysse flinched with each step she took, as the shoes she’d been given cut little marks in the back of her heels with every pace. It was as if Nesami herself had demanded these be made especially for her, as a little was of punishing her for talking out of turn. Calysse waited to inquire about Aislin, and if the queen had been bluffing when she threatened to kill the wolf, but something told her Adian didn’t know. 751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JLc2MFOr7
“Your ambition is going to be the end of you, from one non-Tyzalian to another, don’t get to bigheaded.” The way Adian spoke, as if he’d been broken in after a lifetime of being told he had to yield to what the royals thought of his blood. Having Golden Eyed blood but not inheriting the trait was possibly worse than not having any lineage at all, as was being born outside the country.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNwqyh9jPl
“Is she your sister?” There was little to no resemblance between the two, and Calysse found it hard to believe siblings would find each other dispensable, but there was always a chance. Adian’s eyes flashed, perhaps she shouldn’t have asked?751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmkt6xHKDI
“No.”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPdvK7qz7J
“You said your sister is the one who knew I was here.”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGryxeLIAO7
“I’m not going to tell you anything, so stop asking, you aren’t a welcome guest here anymore.” Adian stopped going in circles and stalked down a side hallway. He was acting like she had begged him to bring her to the castle to speak with Nesami, which was exactly what she didn’t do. Calysse wished she knew how to unsheathe her claws, because if she did, she’d be sprinting over his unconscious body.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9CcZDtIfs
“Seems like you aren’t either.” Calysse breathed, Adian whipped around, cocked his head, and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something in retort, but instead, only swerved into a smaller chamber. Even though it was lit by torches that lined against the wall, the room still carried a gloomy freezing temperature.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74VlxMaD9E
“Narunis,” He called, his hands cupped to his mouth. There was no reply. The chamber had widened considerably, and was now identifiable as a living space. It looked like a more sophisticated version of the chambers she’d seen in the passage to the throne room, except less dull. There were three different rooms branching off from the center, which were lined with gold crests and elaborate decorations. Wooden shelves that lined the walls supported a lifetimes worth of preserved food and drink, which was more than any person would ever need. Elegant tapestries hung beside every window, which was plated in extravagant stained glass. Calysse stiffly looked to the middle corridor, in which a figure had now occupied.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLU0oUwDmLk
“Why did you come Adian?” The girl stepped into the light of the window, despite her insensitive tone, there was a wide smile on her face. This must have been his sister. There was a striking resemblance between the two, except for Narunis had deep golden eyes that seemed to melt as soon as you looked into them. Narunis had hair that resembled golden locks of silk that framed her face in graceful waves. To be Golden Eyed and a Venefica was a rare, and she’d found another who possessed it.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxrGCzXDub
“Calysse,” He stopped and motioned to her, Narunis nodded in understanding. “Is going to Indignor for Nesami in a short time, she needs someone to keep her in check since she obviously can’t handle talking to royalty. If no one goes with her I’m afraid she’ll cause a scene.” Adian crossed his arms across his chest as he glared at her. Calysse just snorted in discontent, biting her tongue.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvhpK6VNLG
“And no one else can do this?” Narunis raised an eyebrow, her eyes scanning over Calysse’s body. Adian seemed to tense as he saw his sister’s reaction, he wanted some way to get out of the palace too, but why? If he really is so disliked by the queen, why couldn’t he just leave?751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeeFgZiF85
“I thought you might want an excuse to get away from the queen that you love so much.” Calysse watched his exchange between the two siblings, her eyes narrowed. It was clear neither of them thought very fondly of Nesami. She could see why, but Narunis would naturally be a favorite of Nesami, being a Venefica and Golden Eyed. Calysse couldn’t help wondering what rank their family held to reside in the castle.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8axLVon4a
“Didn’t Nesami want her to go with just you?” Narunis folded her arms, her nose wrinkled in disgust. That was likely her way of gesturing to Calysse that she smelled foul, as if she hadn’t noticed. Calysse just huffed again, shuffling her feet on the floor.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfk5TSYeNc
“Nesami doesn’t trust non-Tyzalians, if I go she'll suspect I want to get free of the obligation I owe her."751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxEHuUPKTL
“Fine, she’d better tidy up though,”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMS0ESOrUnJ
“Of course, the servants will tend to her.” Adian flicked his wrist condescendingly. How many moods did he have?751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SWBTmC22I
“I think I can-“Calysse rushed to interrupt, she wouldn’t stand to be pampered like a royal cat. Adian braced his hand against her waist, holding her back from stepping towards his sister. Calysse hissed at the gesture, did he think she was going to attack his sister? On second thought, maybe he was right to keep her a good distance from Narunis. So far she couldn’t stand any of the royal Golden Eyed.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGTmxToxPM
“Hush, if you’re going to pretend to be a royal advocate you have to living like one.” Narunis brandished a commanding finger at her before stalking back into the shadows.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwBL9Xagja
*****751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNIJOV3jAL
Adian Fonneraeru marched out of his sister’s chambers, making sure Calysse was close behind him. Adian didn’t trust the girl not to try and attack anyone in the castle, he didn’t trust what she had been taught growing up. The way she walked made him bristle to the very core, how she acted out in front of Nesami was just the surface of this girl’s arrogance. He hadn’t expected a girl from the slums of Indignor to have her dreams blown out of proportion. Champion? The word tasted sour on his tongue.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBoeRnTkVd
“You don’t seem to be very fond of your queen.” Calysse inquired, her gaze fixed to the floor as he led her to the lower rooms. She asked too many questions for his liking, it was natural for her to be curious, but her disrespectful tongue made him all the more reluctant to answer.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPzxA6vixV
“It’s not your business to know what I’m fond of.” He rasped coldly, his hand clenching tightly as it fell upon the bag. Thank the gods his sister hadn’t noticed, if Narunis had found out he’d smuggled Nux out again she’d…751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpPLnqWJU2
“I can’t figure you out,” She interrupted his thoughts, her hand falling on his shoulder. Adian felt the urge to pull away at the touch, but he resisted. Through the dirt that had gathered on her palms, he could see patches of coarse skin.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRqmtZ9QZ9
“Excuse me?”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB8RUWcOYd
“Back in the forest you were more of an open book.” Calysse sighed glumly as Adian came to a halt in front of a large curved oaken door with a brass door knocker. The hallway was illuminated by only a few torches between the other empty rooms.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cZcUwrSDF
“Was I? My mistake.” Adian snarled and opened the door. Calysse just stuck out her tongue slightly, her eyes squinted in little slits. As much as she most likely wanted to slice her nails across his face, he wanted to strangle her.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dlDcKKmcM
“Why do you even stay here with Nesami when she obviously distastes you? And why is this castle so damn silent and gloomy all the time? ”Calysse placed her hand on her hips as she inspected the room. Adian knew better then to tell her the castle was only silent when something big was happening. He noticed how cold she seemed as she shivered, her clothes were atrociously stained and torn, it was no wonder the castle was too chilly for her.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DKj32UPGU
“Why don’t you stop asking questions?” Adian pulled his cloak around his shoulders and breathed out. Maybe he wouldn’t have been so harsh if he wasn’t teeming with anxiety. Nesami had summoned him to the dungeons that night, and whatever it was for, if it took place in the dungeons it wasn’t something to be eager about.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwG2gmpLa5
Adian followed after Calysse like a shadow as she bounded into the room. Hers wasn’t nearly as big or as grand as Narunis’ was, there were a few sun faded tapestries hanging high above on the sides of the room, the bars on the window openings were rusted. Unlike his sister’s, there were only two connecting rooms which led into a bathroom and a bed chamber.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGDQyB3ZEX
Adian’s brows rose as Calysse fell backwards onto the bed, a deep sigh escaping her lungs. It must have been ages since she’d embraced anything soft. The blanket were embroidered in a lush forest green with decorative beads on the outside. Together, they looked like some kind of design, but no one had ever bothered to look that closely. All the rooms had different tapestries, as they were all artistic originals, most depicted the Nytteot race. The horned beasts that had once dominated the earth had been reduced to a fraction of their glory when the Indignor house rose into power. 751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznCz20Zu4K
“My feet hurt in these shoes more than they ever did when I didn’t wear any at all!” She frowned in a pitiful outburst, her lips curving as she tilted her head back towards him. Wasn’t Calysse grateful she even had something on her feet? Her whiney nature astounded him as she ripped the shoes from her feet.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡertusTCIdh
“I doubt they hurt that much.” He crossed his arms, letting his shoulder lean against the arched doorway. The hint of respect he held for her snuffed like a weak flame with every second he spent with the clawed Venefica only to be replaced with something different, something more menacing. It wasn’t loathing, or jealousy, or any general emotion Adian could pin down. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked with Calysse, her eyes were intoxicatingly beautiful, and that was what he despised. 751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfdW4DGD5o
“I don’t lie.” She stiffened, the way her legs hung off the bed reminded him of an old doll.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9fIBfie2h
“I doubt that too.” His heartbeat steadied.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvzDs8YPA9
There was a moment in which neither of them dared to make a sound louder than the slight whisper of breath. A moment where Adian forgot his envy of her blessed birthright, when he just looked, and saw. Then that moment, like all things when they go up, came crashing down.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaG2iLr5wn
“Adian, Queen Nesami has-“A servant waited for him out in the hall, the young man was trembling as Adian cut him off.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06O8KarNGF
“Yes.”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7W4HlNTiS
751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0L3dAALT2
751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKrjU5iY9n
Adian treaded further and further down the narrow stairwell. In one hand, he gripped the dim lantern that provided him his only hope of finding his way through the catacombs, and in the other, he held the latch of his still rustling bag. The murmur of many voices mashed into one hummed from the bottom of his path like a swarm of locusts. What could have gotten the prisoners riled up like this?751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LlKhfzXIC
As he stepped down into the catacombs, Adian felt sickened by the fact that on nearly every side of him sat row upon row of filled cells. It seemed like there were more people under the castle then in it. He took the middle path that lead straight to the center of the prison, it didn’t seem likely that Nesami would want to meet at the end of either of the others. The left path ended at the torture chambers, and the right would put you right in the middle of the mass graves. Even though Nesami seemed to have a taste for anguish, there was no place for a meeting.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptqnqD77na
He could hear the prisoners banging on the cells as he proceeded down the nearly endless pathway. They called out for someone to save them from their eternal darkness, for a chance at redemption from whatever had landed them there in the first place. Most of them weren’t even criminals, some were Tezalians born either outside the country or without golden eyes that hadn’t pledged themselves to Nesami’s citizenship qualifications. The Venefica detainees were tortured, usually until they were to broken inside to use their powers, which was what likely would have awaited him. Adian would be rotting with them right now if he hadn’t given in, and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he too would be begging for a release from the darkness.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluw1ggAmW7
A clapping noise nearly sent Adian sprawling out of his skin, he’d reached them. About ten paces ahead, there was a large circle of small candles that illuminated a wide area. A revolting feeling rose in his stomach as his eyes met Nesami’s golden gaze.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDltBJxXKX
“Go get the prisoners Marleya, the executioner has arrived.” Her voice felt as if he’d shot his own ice down his back. Marleya shuffled to a metal cell and twisted a key inside the lock. The door creaked as it opened, the prisoner’s steps were slow.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGK1rocmOL
“Nesami, I don’t do killings,” Adian grated his teeth.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEXe6VrqQr
“You told me you wanted to show you were worthy of being a Tyzalian, you said you’d do anything it takes, I assumed I could count on you for anything.” Nesami took a few steps forward, was this a test? This was a sick test. The queen hadn’t given him a task like this since…751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaFoviOQUV
“There was a day when I thought that was what I wanted.” He felt his knees go weak as the memories he’d shoved so far back resurfaced, a demon wreaking havoc on his thoughts. The look on her face when he-751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7b9SmtD5N
“You know the consequence of disobeying me Adian.” Her eyes flickered to the line of cells. In the faint light, his eyes caught sight of an axe.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGat3NpEFF
“What about Waylar?” Adian’s nails dug into the palm of his hand as the guard, Marleya, held one captive by a chain.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjnunjIG7f
“He left the castle to find better work, and I’ve yet to find a replacement. I don’t like doing this but, again, I thought I could count on you for anything.” Somehow, he didn’t question that the former executioner had abandoned his post, as most lasted a few months before bailing. Adian shook his head and scowled,751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7RyAnrwBG
“I thought I proved that to you.” Marleya’s eyes glinted gold as she shoved the female prisoner down on the ground. Adian noticed two horns that grew out of her head, she was a Nytteot. But what was a Nytteot doing here? A spy perhaps?751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0lrjMmUXj
“You’re all sick if you think this is justice!” A voice cried out from the shadows. Adian tilted his head, the girl on the floor looked up at him. Long mangled locks of platinum blonde hair fell to her waist, Adian traced his way up her body, finally resting on her face. He found it hard to breathe as he looked into the Nytteot’s eyes. They were an otherworldly shade of red-gold, something only present in the half blood race between two unnatural pairs. These girls were both Nytteot and Tyzalian. They didn’t hold the terror and distress that most prisoners did, instead they had an untamable and wild glint.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIovPS4zLkd
“They are sisters, both caught exchanging information about possible war movements with a fellow Nytteot within the city.”751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknu1w9KgF1
“Was there a trial?” 751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMhC2sh5Gu
“Whether or not these monsters got a trial doesn’t concern you.” Marleya suddenly spit at Adian, her lips pursed. He wasn’t surprised, he’d known Marleya long enough to know how detestably she thought of the other races.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZFEoeqD8Z
“Now pick up the blade Adian, we don’t have all day.” Nesami growled impatiently.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagKrP9AfAI
“Find some other slave to do your dirty work.” He may not have been in chains, but he was just as much in Nesami’s possession as any of the people down here.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd4XhFOGar
“Adian, its two lives for an eternity of darkness.” Nesami stepped closer, so close he could feel her breath on his shoulder as he looked down on her. Her smile made the knots in his belly so inextricably tight he wondered if he’d ever get rid of it.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkR1ad8MCP
He wanted to scream, to tell her what he truly thought of her. But to do that, he’d have to pay for it with his life. With that thought, he knelt down selected an axe that hung from a rack. In his distraction, Adian hadn’t noticed his hand slip from the bag, he also hadn’t noticed as a shadow crept from the satchel.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWITs6pkJfL
But he did notice when he heard the gentle sound of wingbeats in the stillness of the prison.751Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFAYLuXdZf
Penana
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