FOURTH BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘈 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦.
Xanthiene Vivenca, a fairy with a bounty for her soul, is caught between...
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Nyxis raised an eyebrow but the Grand Royal was already trudging out of the garden, into the outer patio of the Palace. He looked back at his basket of noprary and shrugged. He followed the Grand Royal who passed the glass windows by and stepped outside, weaving through the rows of potted plants Nyxis had yet to study.
The roar of the waterfall as Nyxis tailed the Grand Royal into a grand patio overlooking half of the huge chasm that surrounded Acosa. Nyxis had never felt so small in the face of something far, far greater. He had a fear of heights not because it's high but because he'd be ingloriously splattered at the bottom. That would be a shameful way to die.
A sharp whistle speared through Nyxis's ears and he turned to see the Grand Royal having two fingers propped against his lips. A caw tore through the clouds as a huge bird descended from the sky. Nyxis blinked at the mass of orange and yellow feathers and shielded his eyes against the sun behind the bird. Was that a manwari? It's a long way from Alkara, though.
The Grand Royal spread an arm east and turned to Nyxis. "You might want to step aside," he said. "Ixy does not take well to strangers."
Nyxis nodded and fell a few paces behind the Grand Royal. A bird with bright orange, red, and yellow landed on an empty spot in the patio exactly where the Grand Royal's arm pointed.
It's not a manwari. The bird inclined its head at Nyxis, its dark, beady eyes trained at his whole being. The crown of red feathers on its head rose from its curl. Its tail feathers swept across the floor with the sun's rays making them look like they were on fire. Talons as sharp as swords clacked against the patio's stone floor. They looked like they could tear a man's head off with one clench.
A shiver passed through Nyxis's arms as the Grand Royal strode towards the bird and stroked its feathery chest. Must everything be so large here in Dwanzeig? With a grunt, the Grand Royal reached for a set of reins attached at the bird's curved beak and led towards a saddle buckled at its back.
The Grand Royal flicked the reins and the bird approached Nyxis. He extended his hand out. "Ixy memorized your scent. It is all good," the Grand Royal said. Oh.
Nyxis took the Grand Royal's hand and hauled himself into the bird's back. The bird shook its head, puffed its neck feathers, and cawed at the empty air. Hold on...Ixy? It sounded so much like Nyxis's name it's uncomfortable.
The Grand Royal whistled sharply again and that thought flew out of Nyxis's head as the Ixy launched towards the sky. After riding Sahili while escaping a murderous heir, the ascent felt like an everyday occurrence. The wind stung Nyxis's face; the bird's shriek rang in his ears loud enough to rattle in his brain long after it had faded.
The bird steadied its flight into a lazy glide and Nyxis mussed his hair back into his desired style. He blew out a breath. Don't look over.
Through the thin haze of clouds zipping by Nyxis's feet, Dwanzeig sprawled like a woven rug he routinely saw in the Commons. When he flew with Sahili, he didn't really have enough time to ogle but now...
