"Sorry. I'm just a little nervous." Iris laughed again, but she sounded really nervous as she looked away. "I don't know what to expect after this. I've never left Calaren town before, except whenever I hunt in the woods. Asnar is something I know nothing of. I'm not sure what to expect once we arrive there." She admitted nervously.
Iris thought that she must've lost her mind to say these things to a darkling. Was she trying to get herself killed? She sighed and shook her head. It didn't matter. There's no reason for her to worry about a problem that wasn't there in the first place.
Iris fell silent, not knowing what to say anymore. She had already confided her worries to a darkling anyway. She should be worried, but Iris didn't think that this darkling would use it against her. The darkling didn't seem like he was concerned about her at all.
She sat there in silence with the darkling and sighed, She should be cherishing the remaining time she had with their family, but Iris didn't want to break down and show any sign of weakness in front of them. There was nothing else she could have done to avoid their separation this time. As much as she wanted to stay with them, breaking a royal decree was a ticket to their quick deaths.
'Just as I thought we'll be together, forever. I'm sorry, Father.' She covered both of her hands and wept for the first time in years.
The wolf darkling was startled by her sudden outburst, but didn't budge from where it was seated. Instead, it turned its head away from her direction, as if it was pretending that it couldn't hear her. Iris was grateful for it, because she would rather not let anyone see how low and broken she was right now. Even for just a moment, Iris wanted to lower guard and be true to herself.
"I'm sorry that you have to see this unpleasant sight." Iris apologized, but as she dug her fingernails into her palms, she knew that there's no other way around this problem.
The darkling only looked at her blankly and Iris felt like she was being silly. There was no way a darkling would care about her feelings, much less about her woes in life.
Iris admitted that she was afraid. She didn't know what awaited her and her friends once they reached Asnar, and she could only hope that the world of the magical beings and monsters would allow them to at least fend for themselves and not give them away as some sort of gift that the Kingdom of Dravial had sent to appease them.
She said no more and the darkling didn't make any indication that it was bothered by the scent of her tears either. It was said that darklings had heightened senses, far superior to a mortal human.
"I guess I should get going now. I should return home before they realize that I'm missing."
She sighed, rose to her feet, brushing off the dirt from her pants and smiled at the darkling. Iris doubted that she and this wolf would cross paths again in the future, but at least the debt between them was already settled. The darkling remained unmoving in its place and Iris gave it one last bow before leaving.
Once she was out of sight, it transformed into its other otherworldly form. The Undead Lord's eyes remain glued to the direction where Iris disappeared, thinking that their fates were no doubt intertwined together, no matter how he tried to convince himself that he wasn't concerned about this human.
When Iris slipped back into Calaren town, the guards were still oblivious about her little escapade in the woods. She scoffed inwardly and threaded back home. Shoving the front door of their cabin open, she silently slipped inside and shut it behind her, making sure to put the latch back in place. She then took off her coat and hung it on the hook by the door.
'I hope Jun won't blame herself for this.' Iris thought as she entered their shared bedroom and saw that her younger sister was still asleep.
'This is for the better.' She added, knowing that Junifer would surely be heartbroken if she was forced to send away to Asnar as a tribute to the thirteen demon lords.
As soon as her head hit her pillow, Iris fell into a dreamless sleep. It wasn't until she felt someone shaking her did Iris wake up. Cracking her eyes open, she saw that it was Ren.
"Sis, you only have an hour to prepare before the emissaries arrive." He reminded her with a pained expression on his face.
Iris sat up on her bed, drew her brother into an embrace and held him tightly, allowing Ren to shed the tears he had been holding back.
"You'll return to us, right? You will find a way?" He asked between his sobs.
"I will!" Iris promised. If she had to tap into and rely on her magic to make it possible, then she would. "It might take some time though."
"I don't care." Ren insisted. "I will wait no matter how long it takes."
Junifer arrived and stood at the doorway, looking at them with tears in her eyes. Iris could see the guilt and rage in her sister's eyes and knew that Junifer was blaming the royal court in her mind.
Her sister had held deep resentment towards them ever since a young maiden Junifer was close to when they were children was sent away as a tribute. Seeing that Iris was now one of the tributes this time had surely fueled that hatred Junifer was nursing in her heart.
"I'm sorry, Iris." She heard Junifer say.
Iris shook her head.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Jun. I have no doubt that you will be a beautiful bride on your wedding day. It's just a pity I wouldn't be able to witness it."
Hearing those words, Junifer broke down in tears again.
Iris had a quick breakfast and went back to the town square with the rest of her family. They stopped by the local cemetery where their father's remains were buried along the way. Chosen maidens like her were forbidden to bring anything on their departure, so Iris didn't bother to pack anything, but dressed herself in a pale blue shirt, black trousers and leather boots.
This time, the town square wasn't as crowded as yesterday. This was a common occurrence as the rest of the townsfolk would usually try to avoid the darklings that would come to take the chosen maidens away out of fear. Even Junifer and Ren clung to both of her arms, wary of the darklings who had yet to arrive.
"Iris."
Someone called her attention and Iris turned her head to see who it was. She found Luca and his parents with crestfallen faces.
"I'll take care of Junifer and your family. I'll work harder to provide for them." Luca exclaimed, his fists clenched so tight that his nails dug painfully into his palm.
"Just make Junifer happy and keep her safe."
Tears welled in Junifer's eyes again and she held Iris's hand tighter this time. Whether her sister was afraid of her departure or the darklings, Iris wasn't sure.
Prince Rupert, who had arrogantly looked bored yesterday, looked distressed. Iris figured that even the royal family feared the darklings. Unlike maguses like her, mortal humans stood no chance against these darklings anyway. At the very least, magic could help her buy some time to escape from dangerous beings like the direwolves she and her friends recently encountered.
Waiting for the emissaries of the Court of Shadows was pushing everyone to the edge, except for Iris. It was odd that unlike her fellow townsfolk, she didn't feel any fear at that moment. She had yet to understand the purpose of this millennia old treaty that Dravial had with the thirteen demon lords and why they needed virgin maidens.
Conversations around her reached Iris's ears. It sounded like bees playing in a field. Ever since that night when she unleashed her magic, Iris noticed that her senses were heightened somehow and she could hear sounds more clearly, see things, even from afar, much more accurately. Her sense of smell remained the same though, which Iris was grateful for because she already had a hard time tuning out the sounds that were coming from the woods.
Suddenly, Iris stiffened, which wasn't lost to her siblings. She could sense several darklings' presence drawing near Calaren town. One part of the iron fences was opened, expecting their arrival.
"What's wrong, Iris?" Junifer asked her worriedly.
Iris turned her attention to her sister and shook her head, forcing a smile on her face. She was somewhat relieved that her siblings didn't have any magic like she did, because the darklings' aura were quite frightening.
"Look there!" Someone shouted, which gave Iris the opportunity not to answer her sister. "The darklings have arrived!"
All heads turned in the east direction and they saw a small legion marching towards the town square. Humans made way for them, faces blanched with fear as they fled for their lives. The legion was being led by a man who rode a black steed, which was covered with dark tendrils of shadows around it and its rider, like a mist that was forming and fading with every step it took.
The man had long white silvery hair that fanned across his shoulders and fell over his back. Iris could see a hint of blue as the sunlight shone on it. There was no crown adorning his head, but he gave off the impression that he was a noble by birth. His pointed ears were a give away that he wasn't a human and his blue eyes looked so cold and intimidating at the same time.
This man was nothing like the darklings Iris and Junifer had seen ten years ago. His face was ethereal, handsome and hard as a diamond. However, the aura he radiated was enough to make a mortal man soil his own pants and make Iris shiver in fear of how terrifying his presence was.
"Announcing the arrival of Lord Kieran Fleurnoir of the Court of Nightfall, Leader of the Frost Guards!" A royal guard officially announced their arrival.
From the corner of her eye, Iris saw Prince Rupert rise from his seat and stood at the edge of the platform, his face one with uncertainty and fear. Her eyes then returned to the leader of the emissary.
Lord Kieran Fleurnoir. She had heard of this name before.
It was said that Lord Kieran was one of the ancient and most powerful demon lords Asnar ever had. He was also the one assigned to lead the Frost Guards to make sure that no darklings would enter the Kingdom of Dravial to feed on the mortal humans or force them into slavery.
He sat atop of his steed, looking down on the townsfolk as if they were nothing but insects in his eyes. A legion of darklings in different species followed after him, dressed in armors and armed with weapons, which Iris found ridiculous, knowing that her kind was obviously no match against them.
As Iris stared at his face, something about him triggered familiarity. A sheen of sweat dampened her skin, her fingers twitched on her side. She could swear on her father's tomb that she'd never seen this man before, but this feeling of familiarity was too strong for her not to notice.
Lord Kieran dismounted and Iris thought that she'd never met a man like him before. She wondered if he glamored himself to look like this, but immediately rejected the idea. His features were hard, but his movements were as fluid as the black coat that was draped over his shoulders. He scanned the crowd until his eyes met hers, making Iris hold her breath.
She realized why he felt familiar.
He was the white wolf darkling in the woods.
I apologize for going MIA for the past week, not updating any of my novels. I fell sick and took a short break. I still haven't recovered fully but I will try to pick up the pace asap.
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