Page 110 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

“It’s better to do this quickly.” His voice is low and cold.

She nods in agreement, the little movement sending pebbles off the cliff. Svenn extracts the weapon from her with a single pull.

The seadragon roars and the island itself shakes. Birds take to the sky, fleeing that bellowing.

He cast the spear to the ground, and I know it’s my turn now. I hover my hands over the gaping wound, the light of Anastarros flaring through my fingers. But the God of Healing’s power alone might not be enough to purify this infected wound.

Lead from the metallic spear has tainted the seadragon’s blood over the years. She would have died in a few months. I finally understand her desperation from earlier.

I close my eyes and open the door to the blessings I collected in Astefar. I don’t usually return to the realm of the forgotten gods twice in a day. You get careless and you die.

The chamber is not as empty as before. Soft noises whisper through the wall, like the fluttering of a thousand butterflies. I hasten my footsteps to my secret storage room on the lower floor.

I ease the door open and enter the chamber silently.

My chest tightens at as I stare at the giant ball of wool.

I can do this. I must.

The strands hum eagerly when I pluck them. Its dark power eager to be unleashed upon the world.

Three pieces will do.

Pain echoes down my spine at the force of their energy, but I can handle it. I head straight back to where I came from when light suddenly dance from the corner of my eyes.

I trace it to the far end of the hall to find Lulu resting on a chaise. The God adorns his mortal form of a handsome golden-haired male with long hair. I’ve always wanted to know why he is always without a stitch of clothing on his body. But then itdoesn’t seem polite to ask. He wears a bored look on his face as he moves his chess set on the board.

His opponent is none other my friend.

Jessica waves demurely to me. “If it isn’t our Rhianelle.”

I return what I owe her and give her a warm hug.

“You could have held on to her eyes at least till tomorrow,” Lulu grumbles with the lyrical voice of a songbird.

Jessica gasps when she sees three more strings in my hands. “That’s eight strings in a day.”

“Hey, are you sure you can handle that?” Lulu asks. I can’t tell if he is concerned or simply curious.

“Of course, she can!” Jessica says brightly.

I feel a flush of warmness over my cheeks at her cheer. All that hard training with Svenn is worth it to reach this point. I nod to Lulu’s question slowly, even though I am practically bursting at the seams with pride.

His smile widens, stretching to the corner of his ears. “I’ve always believed in you, kid. Will you join us for a game?”

I adore chess but it’s easy to lose time in this realm. The seadragons and Svenn are waiting for me. “I don’t have time to play.”

He lets out a long breath. “You never seem to these days.”

I hear the disappointment in his sigh.

“She has a husband now,” Jessica croons with a light giggle.

“Yeah… I think I’ve met the guy,” Lulu mutters absently. “He’s delicious.”

Delicious.

One simple word.