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T he prince strolled out and headed back towards the building with the white stone.

Lilith and the group followed the prince as he descended the wide staircase that led to a set of huge wooden doors.

The throne room was breathtaking. Hues of oranges and blues from the sun setting filtered through the glass rooftop, casting the hall in a warm glow.

Tall white pillars carved like tree trunks supported the vaulted ceiling.

There was a noticeable presence of soldiers inside of the throne room.

Men wearing polished silver armour stood at the base of each pillar.

They stood as statues, unmoving to the new presence.

The back wall of the room was entirely made of glass, with a large white ash tree growing in front of it, spreading its branches to the middle of the room.

At its base was a throne made of an ash grey wood, similar to the tree that stood behind it.

It was simple in design and weathered by age.

A throne that had seen many kings and stood the test of time.

In front of the throne stood a row of white hooded figures.

They wore crests of a white ash tree on blood red stoles around their necks.

Their white hoods draped over their faces, obscuring their eyes.

Only a wolfish smile was on display, as the group walked closer.

“Welcome, Prince Demetrius,” called out one of the hooded figures.

“We are the twelve Apostles of the Reckoning.

" In unison, they extended their hands out.

“We have been expecting your return.” Had they practiced that move?

Lilith shivered as she took in their disturbing presence.

Her face shifted to one of a sneer, translating the disgust she felt inside.

As she walked closer, she quickly covered her expression to a neutral one.

She looked at the others, most were wearing an expression of stone.

Felicia wore a gentle smile, the epitome of innocence. She knew how to play this game.

Prince Demetrius stood an arm's length away from them and confidently smiled. “It is a pleasure to meet you. With Skilheim closed, I will be resuming my role here.”

“Do you not wish to stand with your fellow classmates at the encampment?” the Apostle in front of the prince asked. They were eager to get rid of him.

The prince brushed their question off and instead said, “I should thank you for diligently aiding the crown. There is to be a feast in honour of my arrival tomorrow, please join us. I wish to learn more about your work with the civilians and your work with the king.” The prince rested his hand on the Apostle's shoulder. He leaned in and whispered to the Apostle. The white hood tilted up, listening to the prince’s words.

Lilith felt something shift in the air, as if a heaviness pressed down on her.

Prince Demetrius stepped back and surveyed the other figures.

“Will there be any issues with my presence here?” he said coolly to the twelve .

The Apostles were motionless as if lost in a silent conversation.

The centre Apostle lowered his hands. “This is your home. We are here to offer any guidance, should you need.” Once more they stood in daze as if listening to words in their minds.

“Yes.” The Apostle said quietly. He paused to look at the rest of the group standing behind the prince.

His hood draped over his eyes, but Lilith felt his gaze land on her.

His mouth, though, formed a smile. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Lilith did not want them knowing her name. She tried to mimic the sweet smile on Felicia’s face as she made her introduction, “Likewise. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

“We have no names. Our identity does not serve a purpose, so we relinquished our titles. We are all the same, sharing our spirit and our faith. We put aside our differences to focus on what really matters.”

Felicia cocked her head, and spoke with her smile, “Would that not become complicated, if one of you were to perform an act that was deemed unfit by the others? How would you know who stepped out of line?”

The Apostle’s creepy smile moved to Felicia. “We are responsible for each other. Should one of us ‘step out of line,’ we all take the punishment. That threat keeps us all unified.” Felicia’s gentle smile didn’t falter as they stood, quietly assessing one another.

Lilith was sweating from the pressure. She wanted to either leave or kill them just to be done with this charade.

She wanted to accuse them of being the reason the king dismissed his councilmen.

There were twelve Apostles, plus several guards, against six of them.

The odds were not terrible. The urge to lash out danced on her fingertips as she grazed her sword, a move that did not go unnoticed by the Apostles.

She could do it; her reserve of mana was still plentiful.

Felicia moved carefully beside her, shifting her hands to her side, closer to her daggers.

Prince Demetrius spoke once more, “We are tired from our journey and are in need of rest.”

The Apostles stood at attention, the centre Apostle speaking for them, “Then we shall make our leave. We look forward to the banquet.” The Apostles moved as one and walked to the exit.

Lilith expected more resistance from them, and thought they would try to fight, to claim their dominance over the prince, force them to submit. But they remained calm. They stayed their hands and gave them no opportunity to defy them. This fight would drag on for another day.

Once alone, the prince turned to face the group. “We need clear minds. Let us retire; we’ve had a long day. Lady Tessa, please show Miss Flavian to one of your guest rooms. I wish to speak with Lilith. Guards, you are dismissed.”

She watched the guards that were stationed at the pillars salute the throne and then leave, followed by the rest of the group that walked away, shoulders heavy with exhaustion.

Prince Demetrius pulled Lilith closer to him.

“Were you expecting me to slit their throats here and now?” He placed his forehead to hers. “I wanted more time.”

Lilith closed her eyes and savoured his touch.

More time? She didn’t know what to expect.

Part of her wanted to be rid of the Apostles, part of her started scheming, thinking of ways to use them to their advantage.

“I think you made the right move. It has been a long day. My thoughts are scattered and I’m too tired to think clearly.

We have been running from one issue to another. ”

The prince intertwined his hand in hers.

“Then let us rest for tonight and resume our thoughts tomorrow. We do not need to fight all battles today.” He led her up to the queen’s wing, through beautifully carved white stone arches.

They passed several doors, until he came to a stop and opened one.

The inside of the room was lavishly decorated: calming sage walls with large white arched windows overlooked the garden below.

The room was separated into two parts, a small lounge with couches and chairs, and a sleeping area.

Thick rugs laid beneath a mammoth sized bed.

It was the luxury she expected from a royal room.

“Is this your room?” She explored the areas and stood to look at the garden. It was all too neat. No piles of books or melted candles. Nothing like his room back at Skilheim. She thought back to her home with clutter and mess. Her personality on display, with tiny treasures she found in the woods.

“Yes. I hardly spend time here and I’ve been mostly at Skilheim for the last five years,” he said, slowly coming to stand beside her. “Would you like a bath?”

He walked through the room, taking off his clothes.

Lilith followed the trail of armour, stained clothes and chainmail into a grand washroom.

Everything was covered in ornately carved white stone.

The bath tub could easily fit a group and was steaming with hot water.

Prince Demetrius lowered himself, while Lilith stood in a stunned silence.

She wanted to join him. She wanted him. With shaky hands she fumbled her own clothes and armour off.

Piling her daggers and swords on top of her stack, she confidently entered the bath.

The prince eyed her with predatory hunger, studying her naked figure.

She was barely thigh deep when the prince pulled her into an embrace.

“You captivate me.” He moaned as he kissed her.

They explored each other with kisses and licks.

His hands kneaded her full large breasts, making her moan.

Lilith reached for the soaps lining the tub and lathered a cloth.

Her finger drifted over the small scars on his back.

She washed him with the cloth, gently massaging him.

“These scars… Did you get these at school?” she asked him, as she switched to washing his hair. He leaned back to her touch, relaxing under her fingers.

“These are from a different time. I wanted to keep them as a reminder.” He rinsed himself off and lathered another cloth, ready to reciprocate her attentiveness.

His touch was gentle, savouring this time.

Hints of a floral scent filled the air as they soaked in the hot water.

Their muscles let go of the tension. The prince climbed out of the tub and grabbed two lush towels.

He wrapped one around his waist and then took his time drying Lilith’s hair and body.

Rough fingers wrapped around her wrist, covering the runes.

He slowly turned her around and gently caressed her cheek.

“Say you want this. Give yourself to me.”