Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
She also shared that these powers had been given to her, and to all the other females the chieftain had sent to the Isle of the Sacred.
The chieftain asked what they watched.
She told him they watched over all on the great blade of earth the gods had granted to them.
The chieftain asked how they did that, and why.
She said this was the concern only of the gods and the Sisters of the Tribe.
She said it was a test of faith.
The chieftain heard no words of faith.
He’d earned his throne through might and slaughter, beings feared him…as it should be.
He was the power, thus he heard no words of enraged gods.
What he did hear were words of magic and more might.
And jewels.
And an island of bounty.
But he knew he had to be very careful. He had to plan. This was going to be his most formidable opponent yet.
And they could not be forewarned of his plans.
She was of his clan.
She was of his blood.
She was his brother’s daughter.
He struck her down where she sat at his feet.
He stepped over her corpse.
And he planned.
He built ships.
And he, himself, along with hundreds of his warriors, boarded to sail to the Isle of the Sacred.
He, himself, saw the mist shrouded island on the horizon.
He gloried to himself in what would be his victory, as he’d never tasted defeat.
He would claim the isle.
He would bind its inhabitants to his ambitions.
And then he would set about conquering the entirety of the blade of earth that rose north of his lands.
As they sailed, the storm came swift and unexpected.
The chieftain did not perish.
But he did witness the end of the Sisterhood of the Tribe, as naught but the gods could create the colossal swell of sea that rose up and swallowed the island completely.
As the tidal receded, gone was the mist.
Gone was the storm.
And gone was the island and all who called it home.
“Vid pause,” Tanyn called out.
“Figures,” I snapped. “Males.”
We were in a lounge watching a documentary on the screen about the Sisterhood of the Tribe.
It was the next evening.
Predictably, it had been a super busy day.
Shit was getting real.
Needless to say, Aleksei and Laura were still in Night’s Fall, dealing with the fallout of Arnaud’s escape.
They couldn’t contain the news, so it was all over the media.
And obviously, the citizens of Abyssinia did not miss that they went to sleep with a snow packed castle on a rise in the middle of the city and woke up to a fearsome black bastion looming over the place.
As such, earlier that day, I’d stood at the back of Tanyn’s study next to Mira and Jorda and among a bunch of mediabeings as Tanyn leaned casually against the desk (Mira’s idea, a good one), making a statement (that Mira wrote, also a good one) that the lore was true.
When the king of Sky’s Edge found his mate in troubled times, the curse holding Berg Castle frozen would lift.
And the king of Sky’s Edge had found his mate.
Me.
He then went on to share—allegedly (huh)—that the former queen, Tatra, and the disgraced, dethroned pretender king, Arnaud, had conspired to murder King Riland and Queen Darynda. The murders had been confirmed. The evidence was pointing to Tatra and Arnaud. And the citizens of Sky’s Edge should rest assured every effort was being made to conduct a thorough investigation, and as the evidence was mounting, seek them throughout the realms and return them to Abyssinia to answer to these charges.
The language around how Arnaud had circumvented the truth serum was very careful.
And no mentions were made of the attack on Sigil, the attack at Berg last night, of Tatra controlling Riland for decades, or of the existence of the Sisterhood of the Tribe (in fact, that last had been sworn to secrecy between Tanyn, me, Nayden, Uly, and the other three couples).
Of course, after this was broadcast, the media and social tapes flooded with commentary, opinions, guesswork and conspiracy theories.
Though, I was coming out on top.
There were many who were pissed their fabulous snow castle was gone, and that “ugly black monstrosity” had taken its place.
But most thought it was rad.
“Way more demon. It finally represents us!” one vid on the tapes said.
And they were thrilled Tanyn found me, because, obviously, I was mega.
Although Aleksei and Laura had to deal with things in the Fall, Bain and Aleece, and Mac and Gayle had spent the day wrapping things up because they were returning early (they were due back in about an hour). Aleksei and Laura would return on Saturday morning.
Fortunately, nothing shitty happened to any of those four the night before.
But they weren’t fucking about with getting back to the crew.
Tanyn also wasn’t fucking about.
Manny and Zyra were already back from Nocturn.
He’d sent the Blood Scythe to guard Mom and Dad.
And he’d demanded Nayden, Uly and Estra move into the castle.