A Tale of The Sun and The Moon [ENGLISH]

3.

Andrej sneered, revealing a sliver of the smile she'd seen on his stony face for the first time. His face immediately softened, and for a moment, it occurred to Katerina how attractive he actually was; but she quickly dismissed it, knowing how irritating he was.

"Don't you know how benders are recruited?" he crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow curiously. Katerina shook her head silently. "Interesting. You'll find out in a few moments.''

Without waiting for her to say anything, he turned and placed both hands on the heavy wooden door. The door opened with a creak, ushering them into a huge room full of people. Although she couldn't see anything because her companions blocked her view, she could hear a huge murmur around her.

Andrej and his two soldiers came to an abrupt halt in the center of the room, causing Katarina to bump lightly into Milenov's back. He imperceptibly smiled at that, and both of them moved aside so that Katerina could come closer to Andrej, who gave her the same signal with his hand. Taking an uncertain step next to him, she saw the person in front of her wrapped in a black robe, facing a large oval table. Although she couldn't see his face, she noticed that he was remarkably tall.

She couldn't help but glance at the large crowd of people, some of whom were in disbelief and some of whom were skeptical. It was a mass of young people, dressed in uniforms of different colors, not much older than she was; although the look in their eyes said that their experience and what they had been through had added a few more years.

"General, I present the princess of Windfalls, Katerina Alekseeva," Popov addressed him formally, making the mystical general stand up and turn towards them with a light step. He was fit, with a masculine face, a short brown beard and slicked back dark brown hair. His gaze flew straight to Katerina, causing her to flinch instantly. He moved like a wild cat, his eyes still fixed on Katerina, making her feel like a frightened wild animal trying to find an escape from certain death – but something wouldn't let her look away. Something pulled her to lean down and look into the abyss, at his dark eyes, at something in him that was so dark and yet so alluring.

It seemed as if there was no one in the room but the two of them, making everyone present feel uneasy, as if they were watching something they shouldn't.

"I've heard stories that the Princess of Windfalls takes everyone's breath away who comes near her. I have to admit that I didn't believe it at first,'' he spoke for the first time, and Katerina felt a chill go through her entire body. "But it seems I was wrong."

Her pulse quickened as the man they called the general stopped a few steps away from her, studying her closely. For the first time, she felt naked. Not because he was looking at her in a certain way no one had ever looked at her before but because she knew everyone could see it. His gaze darted from her injured chin and soiled coat to the colonel and two soldiers who were themselves in a similar condition.

"Did something happen that should worry me, or did the princess attack you in protest?", curiosity flickered on his face as he addressed Andrej.

"We had a minor setback, but nothing we couldn't solve," answered the colonel. "We were attacked by warlocks."

Bogdanov nodded briefly, not taking his eyes off Andrej. ''That fast? Interesting.''

He turned his gaze again to Katerina, who hardly took her eyes off him.

"Do you know why you are here, princess?"