Ileus: The Dark Prince

But he was taking a big risk by going with her to the Tides of Bromval. He wanted to be as discreet as possible on the journey, but Anastasia was a fae. Perhaps the only fae in this realm. It would be extremely difficult to hide her identity. He had sent three Mozias ahead to check out the path to Bromval. 

Next day, when she was feeling absolutely fine, he didn't allow her to wear the outfit, which sealed her wings. 

"Why can't I wear it?" she asked. "It was so comfortable and she had grown used to it. At night Ileus would shackle her wings and she could sleep properly, but during the day, he would make sure that she wore the outfit after unshackling her wings. 

He walked up in front of her and buttoned her tunic. "Let's go." 

"Have you heard from the Mozias?" she asked, hoping he would allow her to retain her outfit, but he held her hand and walked out of the bedchamber. Her hair was braided tightly and the braid fell on her shoulder. She picked it up and pushed it behind between her wings. 

Shaking his head he said, "No, they have just gone and they won't return until at least tomorrow. In the meantime, we—" He became quiet as they passed a royal guard who bowed to them. They climbed up a flight of stairs that coiled around a solid pillar that was painted gold and reached the second level where there was a huge hall flanked by small rooms on all the sides. Ileus guided her through a narrow corridor that led to the rooftop. When they reached the open, wind rustled his raven black hair. "You and I are going to train," he said, completing his sentence. He pointed at her wings that she was dragging behind her. "Those need solid training. I understand that you feel pain when you spread them, but that is what you are—a fae. You have to use them." 

A shaky breath left her. "But the bone in my left wing has healed in a crooked way. Won't that affect my flight?" 

Ileus' jaw flexed. He touched that crooked bone and said, "It won't. You have to learn how to fly with that." 

"Where are we going to go?" she said, wondering if it would be okay to reveal her identity to the people of Ixoviya. There were Sedora's spies around according to him. 

Ileus looked at the snow-capped mountain peaks in the far distance. "Over there," he replied. "No one would see you in that place." He raised his hand up and suddenly the wind blew strongly. A broom came flying from the front and stopped right in front of him. He grabbed it. 

"What is this?" she asked, bewildered for she hadn't seen it earlier. 

"That is how we are going to travel there, sweetheart," he said and offered his hand to her. 

Sitting on the broom, clutching him tightly was terrifyingly exhilarating. They flew within the clouds, over, under, over, under and through the most beautiful landscapes she had ever seen. For the first time she came to know that wizards and witches use brooms to travel in the air. 

"I could have created a portal but wanted you to see and experience this," he said. The broom's wooden shaft appeared to be thin to accommodate two, but when she hopped on to it, she felt that she was sitting on a comfortable cushioned seat. "The broom recognizes who is sitting on it and uses its magic to create the best seat for you." He directed the broom downwards towards the snow-clad mountains. Dotted with tall pine trees, the slopes looked beautiful as the sun rays that fell on the ice crystals reflected the light, shimmering under the effect. 

"Where are Darla, Kaizan, Aiden and the rest," she asked, remembering that she hadn't seen them ever since she had come to Ixoviya. 

"They finally found some respite and I have ordered them to train amongst themselves. They should stay in practice." Ileus gazed at the landscape beneath them. As their broom came nearer to ground, lleus couldn't help asking, "How come your tattoos haven't faded as yet? I am worried if they actually convey a meaning." 

"Why do you say that Ileus?" she asked. The smell of pines wafted in the air. The air was so clean and crisp that it reminded her of Vilinski. Where were they? This couldn't be Ixoviya. That place was so much warmer. They must have traveled for at least two hours and that too at great speed. 

"The inscriptions on your arm—they are in an ancient language. I was hoping to find some literature about them in Norhall's library, but there was very little mention about it. It just talked about a pure race of demons… a very ancient race that doesn't exist now." 

The broom came parallel to the snow-kissed ground that rolled on and on. "What about that race," she asked inquisitively. She noticed that they had stopped in a clearing. The trees around them were so tall that they seemed to kiss the dense clouds that drifted lazily in the sky. 

"It was said that the race was as ancient as the faes. The first faes that came to this realm were two brothers. The elder one came with his wife, while the younger one was a bachelor. They created a kingdom together, which is now known as the fae realm. Once the kingdom was created, they brought in more faes and populated it. For the want to have a pure bloodline, the younger one fought with his elder brother to take his wife and mate with her. However, the elder one fought back severely and pushed the younger brother out of the kingdom. Snatched from his rightful title and glory, the younger brother promised revenge. The land he was pushed into was barren and devoid of vegetation. With his grit and determination, he developed it and it came to be known as the Demon Realm."