《Alliance by Marriage》Chapter 18
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The day is busy, but at least my tasks occupy me enough to help me forget about my troubles. It's been a week since the poisoning attempt, and the issue begins to fade away from my mind.
It's cooler today, semi-transparent clouds absorbing some of the sunshine, and I don't feel the heavy tiredness that usually enwraps me by midday. I dine with Sagaristio, Messenio, Techo and a few other nobles who are invited to join us for the first time in a week. The food is delicious, and some of it I even eat before my food tester tries it, which earns me a few reproachful looks from Sagaristio.
The guests act cheerful, but they don't eat much. The wariness underneath their fake merriment annoys me. Only a handful of people knew about the poisoning attempt, but the rumors have clearly spread.
I send for Emilio, hoping his habit of speaking his mind would provide a refreshing contrast to the fake pleasantries of my guests. Yet a eunuch comes instead, to announce that Emilio has left for one of his rides. I shake my head and continue to eat, making a mental note to limit his riding hours to the mornings, when I'm busy and less likely to have a need of him.
I retreat to rest after the meal. With a hint of satisfaction, I close the door on my guards, leaving them outside, and unlock the one connecting my room to that of Narin. She comes in, quiet and efficient, as usual, and does her magic until, sated and exhausted, I drift to sleep in the bliss of the perfect summer afternoon.
I wake up alone, groggy and disoriented. My midday naps never last more than a couple of hours, and yet the room looks too dark for what's still supposed to be an afternoon. I get up and throw some water on my face from the basin in the corner, then walk over to the window, my muscles stiff from sleep. The sky is almost completely covered by clouds now, and not the transparent ones from before, but grey, thick ones. There's wind, too, its cold tendrils crawling under my shirt immediately, making me shiver.
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From the courtyard below come the sounds of doors clapping, voices and hurried footsteps as the inhabitants of the palace prepare for the bad weather. A few guards stand by the main gates, discussing something. Then two of them walk leisurely towards the gates and start drawing them closed, one from each side.
Before they can finish their job, there's sound of hooves, and a white horse runs in through the remaining opening. The two men pause in confusion, and the others turn to look.
The horse makes a round in the courtyard and then stops, snorting and jerking its head. It's saddled, but there's no rider. I watch it dumbly until my sleepy brain catches up, and then I recognize it.
I'm going down the steps in no time, bellowing orders to bring me someone from the Women's Quarters and to find Sagaristio or Messenio. I burst into the courtyard, my bodyguards stomping behind me, their weapons clattering. Curious spectators scatter away.
"When did he leave?" I snap at the eunuch who's approaching me hastily as I walk over to the white horse. It snorts and backs away, but then stops, allowing me to catch it by the reins. It's Manilla, for sure, the calm, powerful beast Emilio has been riding. It doesn't look calm now. Its sides rise and fall rapidly, like after a long run, and it eyes me wildly.
"He's left before supper, my king," stammers the eunuch. "With his servant and his guard, as usual. He was late, but...I wanted to inform you, but... The guards told me you were asleep..."
"When before supper? How many hours ago?"
"About three hours." His voice trembles when he adds, quieter, "Four, at most."
I clench my fists, feeling more chilled than can be explained by just the wind. Four hours. Even if he's ignored my order to limit his riding to one hour a day, this is too long. He hasn't escaped—we're on an island, albeit a large one, so there's nowhere for him to go.
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Something must have happened.
Perhaps he's had an accident, a broken leg or something. Even though he's a good rider, such things happen. But wouldn't his companions have brought him back already?
Sagaristio is striding across the yard towards me, and behind him, a few people lead horses out of the stables.
"Heard you were having troubles with your pretty boy," he says, coming closer, looking serious despite his playful tone. "Want me to lead the search?"
"I'll lead the search," I say. "Let's go."
The air is heavy with the upcoming rain as we ride across the river, heading towards the mountains. A smaller group was sent to search the town and the harbor, but those are unlikely places for him to have gone to, too crowded for riding. There's nothing else for him to do there since he's allowed no money and can't buy things or stop to eat in taverns. He must have gone to the countryside, like he usually does.
We continue up the main road, past the fields and the low sharp roofs of the villages. Everything seems deserted, people having taken shelter before the storm, and we only encounter a few peasants. We stop to ask if they have seen Emilio and his entourage, but they claim they haven't.
It means nothing, I tell myself, kicking my horse. He must have passed here hours ago, what are the chances these men saw him?
Yet my heart is as heavy as the clouds above us.
Our group is getting smaller as we pause occasionally to send parties of two and three to investigate new directions when the main road splits into smaller ones. By the time the road begins the incline towards the forest-covered slope, there's only half a dozen men left. As we ride into the forest, it gets darker still, the leafage swallowing what little light still gets through the thick clouds.
We reach the place where the road splits in two and there we stop to let our horses rest and to decide where to go next. One direction leads to the waterfalls, the other—to the deep Garas canyon. I contemplate each direction with a heavy heart. In both places, accidents happened.
"All right, we split," I tell Sagaristio, and then I pause as my eyes fall on a strange-looking patch of ground under the hooves of his horse.
"Move," I tell him as I make my horse come to his side on the road.
The whole area of the sand there looks as if it's been soaked by—blood, my mind cries, but I push the thought away—by something dark, and the trail of color is leading to the bush growing by the side of the road.
Something pale is peeking from the tall grass underneath it.
As I come closer, I realize it's a human hand.
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Beast Mage
*Completed story arc with more to come* A young man is transported to a strange land of magical beast companions. Kellen Lars may be the most unremarkable person on Earth. In the mana-enchanted land of Oras, he could become a legend. After his little sister vanishes before his eyes, Kellen awakens in another realm inhabited by mythical creatures and people who shape the very forces of nature. These are the Beastcallers, wielders of elemental magics who ascend alongside their beast companions. In search of his sister, Kellen explores a savage new world full of magical storms, animal demi-gods and warring tribes. Just surviving isn't an option. If he ever wants to see home again, Kellen must wield his budding powers and train his newly-bonded Mana Beast. Even if he succeeds, nothing will ever be the same again. A young man from Earth. A Mana Beast. Together, they'll progress into legend. Digimon meets Avatar: The Last Airbender in this new progression fantasy adventure! Author's Note: This is essentially a rough draft version. Constructive feedback will be taken into account during revisions. Thanks for reading and providing your input! [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Chapters update at a minimum of once per week on Thursdays. You can get early access to chapters and lots of other insider perks via my Patreon. Come one, come all to Discord!
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8 176Red Mantis and Avenger Doll
"Anything can be a dildo if you're brave enough." That is the motto Red Mantis lives by - and she is the bravest of them all. The nymphomaniac inter-dimensional assassin for hire, also known as Olethea Sykoria in most worlds, is on an endless quest to discover the highest form of pleasure, which generally means getting it on with anyone and anything that can give it to her. She has a steep fee and only takes jobs she finds interesting, but when she boasts a 100% success rate, her customers never have reason to complain.Cynicism. Cheek. And a serious personality streak. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect sassy girl. But Meakashi added an extra ingredient to the concoction... Meta Knowledge. Thus, the Avenger Doll was born! With her fourth-wall breaking, Ootsuki Senka has had her life dedicated to becoming the straight girl in this dimension-traveling duo. The only reason she is going along with Olethea's antics is that the author forces her to do so, but maybe she will develop a deeper connection to her new partner. Follow the inter-dimensional misadventures of a resourceful but sex-addicted elf, and a cynical, sassy genre-savvy cursed doll, as they carve their names into the legends of the multiverse - as troublemakers and a menace to society. Maybe the assassin for hire will discover more to live for than just ephemeral pleasure. Maybe the doll girl will finally find the reason for her tortured existence. Whatever the case, the one guarantee is that there will be plenty of cynicism, killing, sex, and breaking the fourth wall. _________________________________ This is a side-project to my main story Maou Shoujo Magical Chaos and is basically a spinoff to it, featuring a character from its supporting cast as one of the two protagonists. Warning: This will have tons of mindless funny gory killing and lots of potentially disturbing casual sex. Updating Schedule: On Hiatus. Disclaimer: The cover picture is by the fan DanP, my eternal thanks!
8 205The Harmony of Redemption
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8 161ဗီလိန်မက သစ်ရွက်လေးတရွက်လှန်ကြည့်ချင်တယ်။
Decription: MMtrans-8. Villainess Wants To Turn Over A New LeafPaid- Complete.
8 117The Cruel Tyrant
This is story is not mine. For offline purpose only. Forcefully snatching handsome men and imprisoning them into his harem is nothing out of the ordinary. Murder and arson is everyday life. Exterminating entire families and massacring whole cities are just recreational hobbies.The common people wish daily to rip his tendons and flay his skin. The court officials and chancellors desire strongly to see his death. His royal brothers itch to swallow him whole. Warding evil spirits during the day and expeling demons at night - he is the tyrant who strikes terror in the hearts of the common people.Creating the foundation of a thousand year dynasty, leaving behind accomplishments that change generations - he is the controversial Emperor of Qing debated over in history texts.Note: The Qing in this story is 青, which is made up and different from the existing Qing 清 dynasty of China's history.
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