Dark Queen: The Cybelline Prophecies

Chapter 47

"Where is the rest of your family?" Jinon asked, his host did not notice the slight pinkness of his ears.

"My mother and father are in the inner courtyard. My sister." Here Torin sighed. 

Jinon's brows furrowed, "Is she alright?" Torin shook his head, "She's confined to her quarters."

"Confined?" Jinon's voice was edged with worry. 

Torin, not noticing, continued, "She punched one of her suitors in the mouth so hard his front teeth came out. Father told her she was not to attend any more parties until she has learned manners."

Jinon breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Your sister sounds spirited."

"She is one of the most powerful mages I have ever seen, but she doesn't like using her powers. Rather, she spends her days learning how to fight. She does what people tell her not to do." Torin laughed.

Jinon smiled and followed his host into the party.

Jinon had not meant to get lost at the party, but he had taken a wrong turn and left the main part of the house.

He found himself in a courtyard that was delicate and beautiful. Large peach trees lined the walkways, their pale pink bloom whispering secrets in the wind as the young general walked beneath them.

"Who's there?" A fire ball flew at his face. Jinon dodged and an unfortunate tree caught the brunt of her power. It exploded into ash as Jinon casted his own fireball on reflex.

A figure grinned and back flip somersaulted out of the way, landing lightly like a falling petal.

Sometimes he wondered if Kyria was made more of air than human, always out of his grasp. She wore a flame red dress that threw a glow on her complexion, a beauty in red in a sea of white and pink petals. 

Her toes barely touched the grass before she jumped lightly onto a big branch of the peach tree.

Sunlight glanced off her skin, dusting her with a golden glow. It encircled her her hair like a halo. Jinon felt that he could look at like this forever 

Jinon stared at the faerylike creature who grinned at him, her eyes were like jewels on a face he had often dreamed of but dared not touch.

"Aren't you suppose to be the greatest general. They're singing the praises of young genius warrior of his conquests. How come you can't even reach the hem of my sleeves?" She teased, her voice carried down to him like pollen from wandering flowers. "Maybe it's all just talk."

He smiled "Lady Kyria, I assure you, it's not just talk." He had learned a lot in the last three years, he was no longer the bumbling youth. He remembered what Andars said, he needed to be more assertive.

Kyria just laughed from her perch on the tree, "Prove it."

"They also say that I add a hundred women to my harem for every city I conquer." He remarked casually, "Do you think that's true or false?"

Her feet slipped from the branch just as she was about to sit down.

She fell, still unable to react after that bit of news. She was as light a falling leaf, redder than the heart of a rose. her glorious robes flowed around her as if she was in water, not air.

He nearly flew to her.

Before Kyria figured out what had happened, she was in a pair of strong arms. Her red cheek pressed into a wide and powerful chest. The heartbeat she felt matched the thunderous sound in her ears.