Chapter 1 - part 2

The soldiers parted to reach the corresponding areas of the camp and the woman who was helping me followed Tynov and the princess to a large tent in the center of the vast settlement. Poles supported the sand-colored tent and two soldiers were posted at the entrance of what must have been the princess's post. I expected more luxury from her, but apparently they too could not afford certain comforts in war.

The horse on which I was traveling stopped a few paces from the big tent and the soldier got out before me. She surprised me by holding out her hand and encircling my waist once more to help me get off the horse; despite the pain, I smiled at her, winking and without being seen by anyone, I brought my lips to her ear: "I am grateful to you my knight. I hope to see you soon."

"Prisoner!" I snorted when Tynov separated me from the confused and still embarrassed soldier and dragged me in the boss's tent.

"Wait Tynov, I didn't even ask her name! "

"What do you care woman?! " He screamed grunting.

" Rude people like you could not understand! " I said, struggling and trying to go back in the direction in which my favorite soldier had left me (not that I knew others at the moment). I missed her already!

" Her name is Keira ... now let's go!" Frustrated, he decided to really use his strength on me and threw me inside the tent, under the amused eyes of the other soldiers. They chuckled, exchanging glances and comments, but I ignored them, just as I had learned to do from an early age.

"What a gentleman! " I yelled after him as I struggled to get up. That bastard had made me fall on my ribs in pain but I couldn't expect more from a barbarian like him.

"Sit down."

I snorted, but decided to turn to the princess, only to realize how close she was; she was a few steps away from me. She had taken off her armor and was wearing a long white dress: the material must have been precious, I certainly could not have afforded even the skirt of her dress. The fabric embraced divinely the curves of her body and my lustful eyes lit up, reflecting the flame inside me of both anger and desire.

I tried to distract myself, observing the space around me. The warrior princess's tent was spacious: I saw a series of cushions arranged on a dark carpet and I thought it was the place where she slept, then I dwelled on the various objects that were scattered around the area, such as weapons, clothes, small furniture, a large heavy"looking trunk and a table placed at the center of the area, with maps spread over it. The chiefs of the army probably gathered around that piece of wood to discuss strategies.

"Will you make me wait for a long time? "

"No princess" I replied snorting and reaching a chair placed near the table I was observing. She took a seat in front of me.

"Do you all dress like this here? "

Asked the princess after having gazed at me well. The woman was certainly enchanting in every situation, even ethereal, but I would not have let myself be easily fascinated; not when I was an enchantress myself.

"No, why? " I answered stretching my elbows on the table and placing my face in my hands: I smiled with false naivety.

"So I'm dealing with a fugitive of some kind or simply a woman who dresses differently from the others... the first hypothesis seems more reasonable to me, am I right? " the princess got up to take a bottle from a basket a few steps away from us and looked for glasses in a small cabinet. After hearing her words, a strange tension had enveloped my body and her eyes as cold as ice took away all my confidence.

"I have not committed any crime" I crossed my arms over my chest and licked my lips seeing the red and certainly tasty liquid that the princess was pouring into the glass. The platinum"haired woman watched me curiously as she sipped from her goblet; I wanted to steal the glass from her hand and drink it all in one gulp. I felt like centuries passed since I last drank a glass of wine...

"Why are you reduced like that? Why did you wander through the woods? "

" Why should I answer you? "

She put the goblet down and rested her elbow on the table, bringing her head to her free palm as she tapped the wooden surface with the fingers of her other hand. She was looking really stern at that moment, especially with those steady eyes, who seemed to be sure they had full control over me too.

"Do you know what could happen to you if you don't cooperate with me or my army? "

"Yup."

"Yet I see that you do not even make an effort to answer my legitimate questions ... it seems to me that you want to irritate me on purpose, you show disrespect towards me. Maybe I should just use hard manners and not treat a woman of your kind kindly."

"What are you implying? Anyway, I don't understand why I should be polite and respectful to whoever got me arrested. Kindness? Yours is only hypocrisy."

The princess was silent for a few moments: she was searching my eyes, perhaps to understand what I really thought, but her hand clenched in a fist made me realize something else.

"Tell me at least your name."

"Alex" I replied looking around me so as not to meet her gaze.

"What can I do to get some answers from you and show you that I have no intention of hurting you if you cooperate?" She asked me tiredly. I stared at her dazed and I lost all that stubbornness: was she sincere? Could I trust that impassive and indecipherable expression?

That royal coldness was beginning to irritate me: I hated nobles when they tried to show sympathy to win the favor of the people, and I would have recognized that falsely good"natured attitude everywhere. Probably the princess had already planned to make me talk, and then abandon me to her soldiers if I didn't help. I couldn't allow it, so I would have to come up with something, but what could I say? I was poor, orphaned, without valuable knowledge, unless...

It occurred to me that magic was not widespread everywhere and that probably there were no wizards or people with an affinity for magic in Athenarte; moreover, the reaction of the princess when I had used my spells on her, showed a completely sincere amazement: perhaps playing this card I would not have died at the hands of Zeyana or her men! I could only hope my reasoning made sense, but anyway, I wouldn't have let myself be caught a second time without putting up more resistance. At the first opportunity, I would have run away!

"Princess, something surprised you when I grabbed you, didn't it? You may be wondering what I could have done to not allow you to move freely... you must know that I can do much more... things you could never imagine."

"What things are you talking about? Was it... witchcraft? "

"Would you like to try it a second time? Do you want to see with your eyes, without distractions, what I am capable of? " I asked her smiling, aware that my words had become drops of delights for her curious and greedy palate. The princess nodded her head after thinking for a while and brought her torso near the table, showing interest.

Perfect.

"But first... if it's possible, I would like a drop of wine."

I rested my elbows on the wooden surface and cast a thirsty glance towards the princess's bottle of wine: she made a grimace of annoyance and started to pour some into the other glass, but I surprised her with a sudden gesture. I took her goblet from the table and took a sip, licking my lips.

" A real delight, as I imagined" I said holding the glass in my hands.

"You are playing with fire."

"I'm not scared of flames. They even wanted to set my body on fire, but they couldn't, he was too loyal to me to kill me...! " I replied spitting out one of the truths that had marked my life, but showing a grin and depriving those words of their meaningfulness. I was like that, I narrated my tragedy as if it were a joke, mainly because I didn't want anyone's compassion, I didn't need anyone.

At a certain point the princess looked at me as if she had just realized something and she jerked away from the table, bringing a hand to her chest: "You were running away from whoever wanted to kill you, because you are a witch...? Are they chasing people like you here? That explains all those cages and forks..."

She made a disgusted face.

I remained silent and crossed my arms over my chest again. Was it possible that I was wrong in my evaluations? Wouldn't she throw me into the hands of my hunters? No, she would never cooperate with her enemies. She was too proud and she sure didn't need it. Imperial strength was far greater than Fokranstad's resistance.

"I have little strength, for the moment you will have to be satiated with this" I said, advancing my hand and placing it on the glass of wine still between us. I smiled at the fascinated woman as the red liquid began to move and then came out of the glass, a dancing stream in the air. My eyes were probably shining right now: her staring was intense.

After making the liquid do a few more vaulting in the air, I returned it to the glass, lowering my hands. It was a silly trick but I knew it would leave anyone speechless who had never witnessed the powers of a witch.

"Could you be able to do it even with a huge mass of water? "She asked me holding back a smile; Got her, I thought. She was definitely intrigued.

"Sure, too bad I lost a lot of energy during my captivity and speaking of that... how long will you keep me here? Surely I'm taking too much of your time. I will not block your way, on the contrary, go ahead and please kill Ferguso III before you leave Fokranstad" I spoke with my hands clasped at the table, in a poor attempt to hold back my frustration.

"You won't leave until I say so. I need to understand what use I can make of you. You shouldn't have talked about your powers if you wanted to get your beloved freedom" said the princess slamming her hand on the table and getting up from her chair to approach me. A few drops of wine had stained the woody surface, it looked like blood... I would have spilled some too if I didn't find a way to leave as soon as possible!

"In Atenarte a witch like you could be really useful... I have done my research and I can recognize when I have a rare and precious jewel in front of me. I immediately understood what your intent was by talking to me about it: don't think you were smart, but at least you immediately understood what your destiny would have been if you hadn't been so interesting to me" her clear and attentive eyes stared at me with pleasure seeing me tremble on the spot because of her behavior: the reason for my fear was caused by the intense force that had emanated from princess a few moments before. An energy capable of destroying anything and full of murderous intent.

Her noble hands slipped on my face forcing me to look at her: "Now I want to know everything about you, understood? "

Seeing her fury and realizing that I wasn't in front of a mentally stable person, I understood that it would be better to tell her what she wanted and hope for the best. If they really needed a witch like me in Atenarte, I would have taken the opportunity to save my skin. I didn't want to work for anyone, let alone become a slave after everything I'd been through, but one way or another I would have to start living again somewhere, before planning my revenge. Furthermore I had heard of something precious in the realm of Atenarte that would have been perfect for my plan and it would have strengthened me enough to become invincible!

It suddenly dawned on me that I didn't even remember where I got this information and what that precious thing really was. I tried to retrace the latest events: I had woken up in a cell

why they imprisoned me after the accident... there was a fire, my family was gone, they caused all of this, but it was something so satisfying to see the people of Clevwood reaped after the arrival of the enemy soldiers.

My mother, my family... they were...

I held back the tears trying to chase away those damned images, those nightmares that I had already lived every night for months, without stopping, without peace. Was it all true?!

"Alex" she said authoritatively.

I opened my eyes and stared at Princess Zeyana: "Clevwood. I come from there..."

"What really happened? "

"Clevwood no longer exists ... because of your orders... how can you not know? " I lowered my voice, letting sarcasm tinge my words as I looked at the woman with her hair as bright as sunlight.

If only she had come before her with her cursed troops. If only she had killed everyone before the trial!

"What? "The princess walked away but she remained a few steps away from me; I got up in a hurry, dropping my chair and did not hold back my fury: " Clevwood is now a den of corpses! Are you saying you are unaware of this fact ?! And you'd be the commander of"! "

The princess grabbed me by the arm and with a haunted look dragged me out of the tent, ordering the nearest soldiers to fetch the horses and prepare to leave the camp immediately.

What was happening?