Annabelle Farraday cowered in the corner of her bedroom, her breath shaking. She had never been prone to night-terrors before, but the events of the past few days would make anyone quiver. When Prince Vasili didn't call on her for three days after the ball, she had gladly assumed she was safe again, and continued with her life as usual, pausing on occasion to speculate about Kel, the pretty truant-girl.
It was on one of her outings that she first noticed it: the reddish sky, the prematurely dormant trees, the chill in the air. At first, she thought joyously that autumn was coming in early, but the first screeches resounding in the distance yanked her into reality, forcing memories of the Hellgate into her mind.
For two days now, demons had riddled the streets, plagued the fields. Her parents waveringly tried to continue life as normal, but she couldn't, no not she. She knew they were under the control of the men from the tunnels, those High Mages she had glimpsed. And she wasn't sure if they knew she knew or not.
Now, in the middle of the night, she was balled up in fetal position, as far from the windows as she could get. Sleep was out of the question. The king had proclaimed they were an asset, a weapon against rival nations. He had claimed they were no danger to them. But she had seen with her own eyes what one of them could do. She had watched, frozen, from the window as one of them had siezed a peasant from the avenue. Now, all she could bring herself to do was pray.
Arem sat rigid in the throne room of the castle, taking inquiries. The few subjects that made it through the doors were terrified for their lives, with good reason. And he could do nothing about it. He could simply give them his words, then send them away, probably to be assaulted on their way home. To have ventured out in vain.
He had known the moment he hit the bottom step that night who's presence was most prominent among the Mages. He knew why they never sensed a royal among them. There were already Vasilis down there, among the High Mages. His father, his brother. They had been planning this for so long, how had he not known? How had he not sensed the lies in their actions? Everything had been turned upside down.
It was on one of her outings that she first noticed it: the reddish sky, the prematurely dormant trees, the chill in the air. At first, she thought joyously that autumn was coming in early, but the first screeches resounding in the distance yanked her into reality, forcing memories of the Hellgate into her mind.
For two days now, demons had riddled the streets, plagued the fields. Her parents waveringly tried to continue life as normal, but she couldn't, no not she. She knew they were under the control of the men from the tunnels, those High Mages she had glimpsed. And she wasn't sure if they knew she knew or not.
Now, in the middle of the night, she was balled up in fetal position, as far from the windows as she could get. Sleep was out of the question. The king had proclaimed they were an asset, a weapon against rival nations. He had claimed they were no danger to them. But she had seen with her own eyes what one of them could do. She had watched, frozen, from the window as one of them had siezed a peasant from the avenue. Now, all she could bring herself to do was pray.
Arem sat rigid in the throne room of the castle, taking inquiries. The few subjects that made it through the doors were terrified for their lives, with good reason. And he could do nothing about it. He could simply give them his words, then send them away, probably to be assaulted on their way home. To have ventured out in vain.
He had known the moment he hit the bottom step that night who's presence was most prominent among the Mages. He knew why they never sensed a royal among them. There were already Vasilis down there, among the High Mages. His father, his brother. They had been planning this for so long, how had he not known? How had he not sensed the lies in their actions? Everything had been turned upside down.
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