The snow stopped filling the worm-cave as soon as it was completely stuffed. The two serpents who were inside were the King of Serpents and his General. All opposition from the Serpent Kingdom that Adrianna had ever thought of was now over. Who would have known that the King of Serpents would be frozen to death in the Northern Mountains? More than taking revenge from Adrianna, he wanted to avenge the death of his son Ziu. His ego was hurt, his pride was smashed and his people were killed. He was so blind to take his revenge that he didn't realize that it was ultimately because of Ziu that his downfall occurred. If he had stopped Ziu or not helped him to further his greed, things would have been different now. Only a handful of people remained in his kingdom. His children were all killed or not found. Only Rhys remained whom he detested to the core. He had banished him from the kingdom when Rhys tried to stage a coup against him. He had lost complete interest in his kingdom and in his life. Only one thing was in his mind—revenge.

It wasn't easy to hit back unless he found an insider to know what was going on. He found Yanga outside the Wizard Kingdom in a pitiable situation.

​​

Yanga was so mad after she had left the noble court that she went to her home and in a fit of rage threw everything around her. The servants came to help her but she attacked them too. All of them scrammed. Hours later when the servants came back to help her, they didn't find her. Yanga had left the Wizard Kingdom. She had lost her mental balance. For two days she wandered outside the Wizard Kingdom in the dense forest. She didn't have any mission. She would spend her nights in caves amongst beasts and reptiles. None could harm her, as she would create a protection bubble around her. It was on the second day that she found herself surrounded by strange men who were half serpents and half men. They took her to their King.

The King had received an invitation from the Head Council. He knew that even Adrianna and Dmitri would come there. Since their child was too young, he was certain that they would bring him too. "Would you help me in killing Adrianna and her family?" he asked directly.

Yanga's eyes that were dull, gleamed with new hope. She nodded vehemently. "What do I have to do for that?" she asked.

The King of Serpents gave her the plan. They had planned on entering the Northern Mountains and masticating the rocks beneath the inn within those two days. That much time was enough for the mountain to become hollow and the inn to cave.

Yanga was taken to the small cave opposite the plateau where the in was located. The King of Serpents had killed two of his men and offered them to her to create the spell. That night Yanga stayed awake and worked on the spell. She had to use all the fresh flesh for the spell. And when she succeeded, he wanted to be the first one to be blasted there.

But their plan failed. They hadn't anticipated that Adrianna would come in two days before. Her timing coincided with the time when Yanga blasted the two serpents inside the mountain.

---

Adrianna was on her broom. The harsh cold wind tousled her hair, which slapped her cheeks. Her face was pale. The hole was plugged with white snow. Only its outer black ring was visible. She had killed the King of Serpents, father of Ziu. "How many more?" she muttered. "How many more?"

Understanding her gloom, the broom slowly moved from there. It brought her to the inn on the front side. Dmitri and Ed were standing there looking as nervous as cats. The moment they saw Adrianna, they rushed to her. She looked so pale and disheveled that they became alert as to what happened to her. Adrianna dismounted her broom and immediately stumbled on the ground.

"Adri!" Dmitri said and ran to her. He picked her up in his arms and she clung to his chest. She hid her face inside.

Ed was totally worried. "What happened, Adrianna? Tell me. I heard rumbles in the ground."

But Adrianna didn't speak a word. She only clung to Dmitri and hid her face because she was crying. When Dmitri's shirt became wet, he understood. He took her inside the room they were given and closed the door.

Ed on the other hand, went to his room where Ileus was playing with Jun's antlers. He knew he had to give husband and wife their space.

Dmitri placed her on the bed and sat beside her. He wiped Adrianna's tears after covering her with the blanket. He caressed her until she was stable. "What happened, darling? Please tell me. I am worried."

"I killed Ziu's father," she revealed with trembling lips.

Dmitri was stunned "What?" he asked with wide eyes. "He was one of the Council members. You killed him in the Northern Mountains. Do you realize what kind of penalty that would incur? This is a place for peace, not for our personal battles. And why did you do that?"

Adrianna turned away. Her breathing became ragged. She knew all the rules of the Council but she didn't have an option. If she hadn't killed them, they would have killed her family.

Dmitri got up from there and scraped his hand through his hair. They were in deep trouble. He turned to look at her and upon seeing that she was quiet, he became irritated. He was planning on taking up the position of the Head in the Council and his wife came up with the news that she had killed the King of Serpents in the Northern Mountains. They would now be expelled from the Council. Niiya would leave no stone unturned to go against him. "Can you tell me what happened?" he almost spat at her.

Adrianna got up to sit. "If you want to know, you will have to see yourself what happened."

"Then take me there," he demanded gritting his teeth.

"Come sit with me," she said tapping the mattress near her.

"Sit with you? We are short of time here and you want to sit with me. Adrianna this is a serious situation!" he scolded her. He was pretty mad.

"I will take you inside my cell. You will be able to see everything yourself."

Dmitri narrowed his eyes. "How can you do that Adri? I thought you could only enter other people's cells but entering your own? That's bizarre. Are you fooling me?"

"No Dmitri," she sighed. "Please come and sit with me. Trust me."

Dmitri exhaled loudly. This was too much. Shaking his head, he sat down beside her. Adrianna held his hand softly. "Close your eyes," she said, "And remove every thought that is in your mind."

Dmitri closed his eyes and focused on a dark spot. He remembered the darkness he was surrounded with when Vikra had possessed his body. Within seconds he found himself propelling into a vortex. He felt like shouting but no voice came. Suddenly when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the small cave where Adrianna was talking to Yanga.