Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
He is one of the horrid enemies our kingdom has been fighting for years and years—they look like humans but inside, they turn into animals—which is why we call them “beasts.”
For inside each one of them, is a huge, fire-breathing dragon. They can change at will, so it’s said, and no one would be safe from them were it not for the magic net our Court Magicians use to keep our skies dragon-free. It’s invisible, of course, but if it wasn’t there, the skies would be full of huge, fire-breathing dragons flying down to incinerate our castle and the whole rest of the kingdom too!
They’re so dangerous, in fact, that my mother was quite upset when my brother captured the beast and brought him home.
“Kellis, I don’t think you ought to have done that,” she said, when my brother bragged about it proudly—how he had bested the beast in a duel and forced him into human form and dragged him home in chains. “What if the magic fails and he’s set free?” she asked. “What if he burns the whole castle to the ground out of rage?”
“Nonsense, Mother dear,” Kellis said, waving one hand in the air, as though to shoo her worries away. “The magic of our bloodline is strong. He will never break the magic chains and collar I have placed on him. And I hold the only key—I keep it hidden safe in my room.”
Luckily, Kellis isn’t too imaginative when it comes to hiding places. I found the key as well as the silver ring and part of an ancient manuscript hidden under his mattress—it was only the second place I looked. I went directly after dinner, knowing that my brother would be spending time with the Court ladies and I would have plenty of time to search. So, I was able to take my time.
I studied the scrap of manuscript well, for it had to do with the magic used in the collar, chains, and the ring I now wear. It was written in the Old Tongue and was difficult to puzzle out, despite my tutor pounding it into my head for hours. I am grateful for his lessons now, for I understand what I’m doing. Well…mostly.
According to the manuscript, the power used to control the beast is two-fold—there is magic in the ring I now wear and also the collar around his neck and the two of them are linked. That is, when I give a command, the collar will force him to obey it. That’s the first part of the magic—the second part comes from having Royal blood flowing in my veins.
Our family has always had magic—some more than others. It’s one reason we rose to rule the kingdom of Theravan in the first place and also why we’ve been in power for so long. Family lore says my great-great-great-great grandmother was a powerful sorceress and she bent the land to her will. Then she chose her own husband and ruled with him as she pleased.
Over time, the magic transferred more to the males in our line, or so said the Court Historian, when I pestered him to learn more about my amazing ancestress. But I still have magic in my blood as well, though I am only a lowly female. I know it because the moment I put the silver ring on my finger, it shrank to fit me and glowed blue, acknowledging my ownership. It wouldn’t do that if I didn’t have enough magic to wield it…and to control the beast.
I am almost certain of that.
The manuscript held knowledge but also a warning to the wearer of the ring.
“Be ye not too hasty in the making of an order,” it said. “For he who wields the ring must pay in body when the beast wearing the collar fights in spirit. If thy will be not strong enough to overcome his temper, thou may be drained of bodily force, fall ill, or even die.”
I have to admit, I’m not one hundred percent sure what that means, but there is an even more ominous warning contained in the ancient text. And if you’re wondering what could be more ominous than possible death, let me tell you.
It also said, “Be ye aware that the one who controls the beast must also clean him and rest with him nightly. Also, he must feed the beast…not on food or drink but on the wearer of the ring’s own blood.” Only, because it’s written in the Old Tongue, the manuscript spelled it “Blude.”
So if I want to control the beast, I have to let him bite me.
This warning almost made me put the ring and key back under my brother’s mattress. Everyone knows that beasts have long, curving fangs and that they drink from each other in some kind of bizarre, perverted blood ritual. Just the thought makes me shiver.