On Preston’s orders, the two assassins dragged Ezra down two flights of stone stairs and brought him to the lowest floor in the dungeon. It had been built over two centuries ago, and the last prisoner who had been shackled here had died abandoned and alone.This floor had never been used to keep any prisoners after the Great Elven War ended. The nobles in positions of power deemed it far too cruel and inhumane to keep someone in that oppressing darkness, even if that prisoner had committed terrible crimes.Ezra was the first one in a hundred years to be taken to the old holding cell where dozens of poor souls had been tortured during the Great Wars. The room was shabby and dark, and the cobbled floor was stained with blood. There were no windows here, and the only source of light was a small chink in the ceiling which illuminated a small portion of the room with a hazy glow.The two assassins spread Ezra’s arms and legs tied his hands to the cuffs attached to the wall behind him, and
Ezra was concerned about his own situation, but he was more worried about Aurelia’s fate. The last he had heard, Lord Wilhelm had sent assassins after her, and there was no way for him to know if she was still alive.“I just want to know you are okay, sister,” Ezra mumbled in the darkness, his voice stifled with grief and his face dripping with sweat. As Ezra was thinking about Aurelia, he remembered the enchanted mirror she had given him. Since she had its twin with her, all Ezra needed to do to contact her was shatter the mirror or stain its surface with dirt or paint. That would let her know he was trying to reach her.Ezra was about to access his inventory and use the mirror when he realized it might not be the best idea to reach out to her in this situation. If she knew Ezra was being held inside a dungeon and Lord Sebastian had been murdered, nothing would stop her from returning to Aranor.“No…I won’t let you put your life on the line, sis.” Ezra shook his head, sweeping his th
Lord Wilhelm’s cunning plan was going to nab him two birds with one stone. Lady Tanya was already bound for Aranor along with her father, Count Gressil, and once they were within the town’s walls, Ramel and Jasenki’s men were going to take them hostage.So far, Lord Wilhelm had advised his companions to keep Ezra alive because they needed him to lure their prey. But now that Lady Tanya was within their grasp, they could dispose of him at their earliest convenience.Ezra was simply too dangerous to be kept alive, and since he was essentially an orphan who did not have a drop of noble blood in his body, no one would bat an eyelid when he was executed.All the other nobles and merchants supporting Lord Wilhelm also wished to exterminate the Romanov Bloodline, save Ramel, who had already joined forces with the cultists and been anointed as Zepheroth’s chosen Initiate.At one point, Ezra was hoping he would be able to steal the keys from one of his captors or bribe one of the guards there,
The town of Aranor looked bleak and dreary as the sun’s dim rays beamed through the oppressive gray clouds. The merchants and adventurers stood there impatiently, waiting to watch the execution.Jasenki joined his hands behind his back and raised his head to look up straight at the crowd.“Valaria used to be a beacon of hope for the humans, and Aranor was its beating heart. This was our homeland…a land where we were free to practice our customs and preserve our traditions…a land where humans could live in peace with their heads held high. But all that changed after the Great Assimilation.”The Great Assimilation that Jasenki was referring to was the gradual mixing of the non-humans with the humans after the Great Elven War ended. It was a historic transformation that marked a transition from the Golden Age of human conquest to an era of peace and compromise.While most commoners gradually adjusted to this change and accepted most of their non-human neighbors, there were still those who
The last death sentence in Aranor had been passed over a hundred years ago, and the one on trial on that occasion was a wanted elven hunter who had tracked down and killed a dozen mages serving the human empire. Even at that time, the execution was carried out in private, in the cold darkness of the dungeon.However, the Morelises had decided to make Ezra’s hanging a public spectacle to inspire loyalty for their cause and also weed out any weaklings who still had doubts about their political and religious allegiance.“You heard my father. Take this traitor to the scaffold,” Jasenki ordered.The two assassins grabbed Ezra by his arms again and hoisted him off the ground. They were about to drag him away when he planted his feet into the ground and resisted with all his remaining strength.“You have betrayed those who trusted you and killed your own neighbors. Is this the utopia you are trying to create?” he asked the crowd in a haunting voice, his face bearing an expression of solemn re
Glenn had used his blood magic to cast a ninth-tier teleportation spell that teleported them far away from Aranor and brought them to a new location. Although most teleportation spells only worked on the caster and his personal belongings, Glenn’s blood magic was powerful enough to teleport his companion as well. However, by casting Blood Mist and then using two teleportation spells in rapid succession he had pushed his body to its breaking point.When Ezra opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a dimly lit room illuminated by a candelabra stand holding thirteen candles and a small lantern on the oak wood table in front.“Where are we now? Is this your hiding—”Ezra’s words stuck in his throat as his eyes fell on Glenn. The blood mage looked old and withered now, his face covered in wrinkles and his arms thin and fragile. His hair had turned ashen gray, and the signs of aging were visible in his saggy cheeks and dull gray eyes.“What happened to you?” Ezra questioned. Ev
Ezra had heard plenty about Valaria’s capital from his father and read about the city in several books, but this was his first visit to Magaravia. It was nothing like Aranor or the villages around it. In fact, it looked far advanced than any city in Valaria.As their motor wagon glided across the streets of Magaravia, Ezra rolled his window pane down to gaze outside. There were no cottages or huts in this city and even the most modest houses had tiled roofs and large oval windows.The other buildings were brightly painted and had multiple floors. Most of them sported glass windows and a small backyard. There were tall concrete structures with dome-shaped roofs as well as stone towers and minarets scattered all across the city.Ezra marveled at the sight of the different shrines, temples, and guild houses. Every architectural wonder had been crafted following a specific style unique to Magaravia. Almost every building had oval windows and open terraces bordered by decorative banisters.
The long-awaited reunion happened at last, but Ezra’s situation had changed so drastically that he did not feel any joy. It was only a fleeting sense of relief calming his heart as he saw Tanya was in good health. However, Count Gressil seemed troubled, and there was a sense of panic looming in the air.The Count welcomed Ezra to drink a glass of ice-cold lemonade and then offered him some pastries prepared by his personal chef. But Ezra only took a few sips of the chilled beverage before putting his glass down.“I am not in the mood to eat,” he said. “I’ve lost everything. My father is dead and my home is gone.”“I am sorry for your loss, my Lord. I know words cannot console you, but perhaps you will take comfort in knowing that the king has promised to keep us safe,” Lady Tanya replied in a soft voice, doing her best to console Ezra. “Please do not give up on yourself. This tale will not end in despair.”“I…have lost everything, my Lady,” Ezra replied, lowering his gaze. His downcas