Chapter 1
EMMELINA
The rain started pouring the moment I stepped into the carriage and took my seat, marking the beginning of a life-changing journey with Glicine’s Castle, Fortis Vero, as my final destination.
It was almost as if the clouds were as unhappy as I was, their tears the first raindrops of the year.
Big drops splashed against the carriage window and drummed on the wooden frame, while the wind lashed through the trees of the forest. The ride was anything but smooth, and each bump made me jolt in different directions.
I wiped my trembling fingers over my eyes and cheeks, brushing away the tears, then took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. It was already bad enough that the beautiful woman sitting across from me could see me in this state of fear, but I would not allow myself to show this side of me to the Dei Andrici family. I didn’t want them to think of me as weak, because I wasn’t.
Since I was able to walk, my father had been training me to fight. When I was ten, I defeated him for the first time in sword fighting. At age sixteen, I could take down five grown humans at once. By the time I was twenty-two, I had won various competitions, including the biggest tournament in the kingdom, the Battle of Beliefs, making me one of the best human fighters in the land. I was not weak. I was strong.
The sad truth, however, was that compared to the Dei Ancrici family, anyone and everyone was weak and insignificant. Not only were they strukulias—strong creatures with two sides, part man and part monster—but they also ruled over the Kingdom of Glicine and had been for many centuries, their bloodline ancient and powerful.
I was born into this world as a vessel, a human female, made by the magician’s magic to carry and give birth to strukulia offspring. It was my purpose, the reason for my existence, and for years, I’d been anxiously waiting for when the time would come for me to fulfill that purpose. That day was upon me now, and it was even worse than I could have imagined, because an unexpected and unfortunate turn of events had led to the Council of Ministers making a surprising decision. They had chosen me, of all people, as the vessel for the royal family, making my existence irreversibly intertwined with one of the Dei Andrici princes.
That family was my destiny now, and I hated it.
I fucking hated it.
While the carriage bounced on top of the rain-soaked road, one burning question formed in my head, “Which one of them have I been chosen for?”
A shudder ran down my spine thinking about the fifth son, Prince Sabia, also known as the Blood Prince. He was the family’s black sheep, infamous for scandals and conflict, and often shunned by his father. Despite his reputation, he was still the one to lead Glicine’s troops in times of war because he was a very skilled fighter and a ruthless brute on the battlefield who’d killed more men than his brothers combined. His strugi side, the monstrous alter ego of strukulias, was said to be a terrifying beast. And his other side, that of the man, was equally feared and dreaded. He always wore a mask, concealing half of his face because it was so ghastly and deformed it was a disturbing sight to behold.
“We’re almost there,” said the woman I’d been sharing the carriage with for the past two hours. It was the second thing she said to me after barging into my room with a few of her men and telling me that the time has come for me to do what I was made for.
Her tall posture, white skin, sharp facial features, slightly upturned eyes, and thick, silken, dark hair told me she was strukulia, too. She had to be one because she was hired by the Ministers to guide me during this trip, and humans didn’t work for them or anyone else in the government. Only magicians and strukulias called the shots in this world.
“Great,” was all I managed to answer, my voice but a whisper.
“You’ve been chosen for your strength, so dry your tears, little one.”
I sniffed. “Piss off.”
She laughed. “Being foul-mouthed won’t help you in the castle. In fact, it will only work against you. Take that as a word of advice, vessel.”
“Thank you, monster.”
“Yara.”
“Huh?”
“My name is Yara.” She smiled, her sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight that shone through the window.
“I’m Emmelina,” I replied, although those who knew me typically referred to me by my nickname. “Em for short.”
“I know,” Yara answered.
“Do you also happen to know who I was selected for?”
She leaned forward. “I do.”
I waited for her to continue, looking at her in question.
“Well, who is it?” I asked when no answer came.
“It’s not up to me to tell you, Em. You’ll just have to wait.” Yara dropped back in her seat again. “Why don’t you get some sleep before we arrive?”
“I don’t want to sleep.”
“Is it because you don’t trust me?”
“You’re right, I don’t trust you,” I sighed in answer, looking at the wet scenery outside.
“Are you nervous to meet the king and his family?” Yara asked.
What a dumb question.
“Of course, I’m nervous.”
I was without friends or family, going to a place I’d never been before, meeting people I didn’t want to meet, only to be handed out to a strange strukulia, who was to fill me with his monstrous spawn, which might kill me during birth.
To give life to a strukulia baby was so dangerous and torturous that nobody naturally survived the birth. The magicians, therefore, made vessels: women who were strong enough to endure the birth so that the child could live too.
The only benefit of being a vessel was that I healed faster than other people. Sure, a stab wound or a broken bone was just as painful to me as it was to someone else, but my body healed fast.
“I understand you’re nervous and scared. I would be too—I was too,” Yara said.
She was too? What did she mean? Was she once a vessel too?
Yara continued, “But the Dei Andrici will take good care of you, I promise. Much better than most other strukulias.”
Why didn’t I believe her?
Bolts of lightning lit up the air, and hardly a moment passed before the loud clap of thunder overpowered the sound of the rain, the horse’s hooves, and the crunch of the bumpy road under the carriage’s wheels.
My fear of thunder only made me more anxious. My sweaty hands clenched the velvet-covered seat as the carriage only seemed to rock and shake more violently with each passing moment, making me feel nauseous on top of my fear and worry.
Yara closed the curtains so that I couldn’t look outside anymore. “Lightning gone. Now you just need to deal with the sound. And I know exactly how.”
“How?” I asked, my heart leaping in my throat.
“By talking to me.”
“Fine.” My voice trembled. “D-distract me, please.”
“Alright. Uhm…” Yara thought for a moment. “What’s your favorite weapon to use?”
“T-the crossbow.”
“Oh, that’s a good one. I love watching archery. The king and his sons are big fans, too.”
Suddenly, a loud clash of thunder rumbled through the sky, and I couldn’t hold back a startled gasp. I nervously clutched at my chest. The thunder was so loud we had to be close to it.
“I’ll keep that”—I let out a choked gasp at another boom—“keep that in mind, for if I want to impress one of t-them.”
“How come you are so terrified of thunder?” Yara asked.
“Not sure.” I swallowed. “I’ve a-always been like this. Ever since I was little.”
The following rumble of thunder was much less loud than the previous ones, and my racing heart finally began to settle again.
“The storm seems to be passing already,” Yara said.
“Thank the gods,” I exhaled.
“You poor thing. When you feel more at ease, please consider taking a nap.” She placed her flat hand on her chest. “I promise I won’t hurt you. In fact, if anything happens to you, I’m a dead woman. And I don’t want to be dead yet—I’m way too young.”
“How young are you then?” I asked.
“Your age, but with a zero.”
“270 or 207?”
“The latter.”
“Quite old.”
She chuckled. “I can see it’s old for a twenty-seven-year-old human, but it’s not old for my species.”
“How old were you when you were turned into a strukulia?”
“Thirty-one.”
“Voluntarily?” I asked, wondering if she had been a vessel before, given her comment that she’d been afraid in my position too.
“Yes…” Yara raised one finger in the air. “I’m not hearing anything anymore, are you? I think the thunderstorm has passed completely now.”
“Yes.” I was glad for it.
If only the storm inside my heart could pass as well, but I suspected I would have to wait until we reached the castle before I could find the answers to my questions. Hopefully, they would comfort me a little more. Or maybe they would only further complicate things.
Right now, though, I didn’t know anything. I had no control over anything. And that scared me the most.
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