*Book One of The Accursed Chronicles*
August was a man from a normal world, living a mundane life until one night everything changed, and he was sent spiraling into a world stuck forever in winter, full of magic, creatures, and a curse that has grip...
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(AGE OF ISOL, PRESENT DAY)—
It had been a while since I had stumbled into a human trespassing in mage territory. I'd been out on a walk when he'd come tumbling down the hillside and into the path of a patrol. If I hadn't told the patrol to leave him to me, then he would've been blown to bits in a matter of seconds. Humans were always careless when it came to messing with mages and things they didn't understand.
When I'd gotten a good look at the human, I couldn't tell where he was from, whether it were from Ustgard or Misonte. He had fiery, long ginger hair and a beard to match, and pale crystal blue eyes. He had on odd clothes, clothes that didn't fit any fashion I'd seen in Laelmos, as the texture of his coat was strange, and his pants were torn at the knees. He'd matched my disguise's height of six feet and one inch, but his body wasn't anywhere near to my disguise's as he had full thighs and a bit of pudge around his midsection. By weight alone, I thought him an aristocrat, yet what would a human noble be doing in Krak?
Humans kept to themselves in Ustgard and Misonte unless they were part of the house of Miltos or Grimwar. Neither noble families appeared to be able to keep their noses out of mage or elf affairs. That alone had been why I'd been in Merk with Ambassador Daesa and had misfortunately stumbled into August. He, as most humans did, had thrown off my plans for this trip.
However, if Ambassador Daesa wanted August looked after then that was what I was going to, if only watching from a distance.
I opened the door to the apothecary's and stopped just within the doorway when I saw Saint down on his knees, servicing a mage I didn't know. I cleared my throat loudly, making both men jump and Saint scramble up onto his feet.
"Ro—I mean, Gloom, is there something you needed?" Saint asked as he cleaned his lips. His face was flushed red, and his hair looked like it hadn't been brush.
"Ambassador Daesa wanted you to look over the human, she said he has injuries on his back," I stated, pushing August forward and ahead of me. He shrugged me off, scowling back at me as I closed the door behind us.
The apothecary was dim, lit mostly by two perpendicular windows and then a fire in the hearth. Dried herbs hung down from the wood beams and bundles of freshly picked herbs sat scattered across tables and in baskets. I watched August with a keen eye, seeing how he picked at the dried herbs, examining them closely. One would think he had never seen such a place.
As I glared at the unwanted guest, he quickly excused himself, understanding my cue to leave. Then I glanced Saint when he sighed and adjusted his glasses. It seemed he hadn't changed a bit since I had last seen him, still ever all over the place and wooing any man he could. I'd wished he had changed, yet having your whole life ruined by others was difficult to come back from.
"I'm sorry, did you say a human?" Saint adjusted his glasses again, peering at August from head to toe before he gasped. "Great Kiin, what in Laelmos are you doing in Krak?"
