Lupus

@Seraph28 Very good points, thank you for the comment.🙂 Elyssa is a person driven entirely by just a few key motivations: a lust for power, greed, chasing men, and motherly love—and probably in that exact order. These are the things that keep her going, but they're also her downfall, blinding her judgment just as you said. You described Tac really well. As a villain he differs greatly from someone like Mocvann, who was cruel and spiteful all the time and didn’t even try to pretend otherwise. And yeah, in the end, it doesn’t matter who sits on the imperial throne if the dreaders have already taken over the world. Unfortunately, very few people have woken up to realize this.🥶

Elyssa The cheerful chatter faded the moment Elyssa stepped into the room. Two all-too-familiar young men turned toward her. The older of them crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow in exactly the same way his father used to do. The younger one's slender body went stiff as a board, and the smile drained from his face. He glanced at Elyssa, but not in the way boys usually looked at their mothers. Wariness shone from Zdain's face, and in his eyes flickered pure pain.

@Seraph28 @chrstphrl Thanks for the comments. Let’s just say that this story has quite a lot of characters (especially villains), so something has to happen before the end.😼

Rezak Dimalos, Andiol Empire He cursed and slammed a fountain pen onto the table. It struck the desktop with a sharp crack and bounced to the floor. The generals in the map room exchanged uneasy glances, but none of them said a word. Cowards, the lot of them. The general staff were nothing but weaklings, incapable of acting decisively. What was needed was blazing fire and cold steel, not vague lamentations about how hopeless the situation had become. Rezak knew perfectly well how dan

That was a truly fitting ending to an intriguing story. Or rather, not an ending at all, but the beginning of a new adventure.😊 I’m curious to see what kind of journey the next book will take Sam and Graeme on.

@drsawzall True enough. For all his wisdom, Zal can be recklessly foolish at times.😬 @Seraph28 Thanks.😊 We’ve reached the point in the book where the tension really starts building toward the climax. There’s still plenty left to unfold.

Franz The wind howled in his ears, and the morning sun wasn't yet strong enough to warm him. Franz was far too excited to feel cold, though. He stood at the very edge of the basket, tirelessly peering down to where the land shimmered far, far below. It was their second day of travel, but flying still felt just as wondrous to Franz as it had at the moment of departure. Heights didn't frighten him in the slightest. On the contrary, he had leaned out so recklessly that Ikarr had ordered h

Then I’ll have to come up with a new adventure for our heroes.😉 In the next chapter, the narrators are Franz and Zal.

Unfortunately, there are still plenty of villains left.😬 Thanks for the comment.😊

@chrstphrl Thanks for the lovely comment.😊 The holiday went really well; I travelled through several countries in Central Europe. Bartos has clearly found his confidence along with Might. He’ll no doubt be a great help in the fight against the Darkness. Mocvann got the ending she deserved. I doubt anyone will miss her. Ivas is fine, no worries.☺️

Mocvann Torn apart. Empty. Shredded to rags. But still alive. Her lower body burned and stung, even after the draughts Bendac had given her. Nausea rolled through her, making her almost vomit. She felt so weak she could barely lift a finger. Yet triumph bubbled inside her. She had done it — she had survived as the victor. A tired smile crept across Mocvann's parched face, and for a moment she no longer heard the creature screaming in the background. The servants wiped her with coo

@Seraph28 @chrstphrl Thank you for the comments — very insightful observations from both of you.🙂 The dream at least shows that Josel has had a lot on his mind lately, and now his thoughts are trying to sort all that confusion into something that makes sense. Whether it means anything for him and Zdain, only time will tell. It’s also true that Josel has been forced to grow a great deal, and he’s no longer in every way the same boy who fled Paidos in the spring. Hmm. Could Ivas be leading Bartos into a trap? It would go against his gentle nature, but on the other hand, he is a Gravenhild. We’ll find out soon enough.🤞 In the next chapter, we return to the same characters again. There will be action and dangerous situations ahead.

I hope you found this chapter interesting. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to publish the next one next week, as I’ll be on a holiday trip. So you’ll have to wait two weeks for the next update.😕

Josel Vendum, Grand Duchy of Malkania There was no Josel Sandkan — no such person had ever existed. It was as if he'd been erased from the world. Idalae Sandkan had never been his mother, only an actress Zal Fizol had hired to play the part of a wife to Josel's father. And Dad hadn't been some Paidos-born writer, but a nobleman from Naldau in Malkania. Which meant that Josel's entire life so far had been built on a lie. Mocvann Gravenhild had explained all of this to him, in such det

Patience.😅😁 At some point in this book, but not quite yet.