*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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A fitful attempt to sleep with the aid of Saint's sleeping draught had me once again laying wide awake, blankly blinking up at the dark ceiling. I hadn't moved an inch for hours, yet I wasn't sleeping. I was resting to say the least or as much as I could with the thoughts pouring through my mind every second.
What would I do with August? I couldn't let him stay with me in Darrose because humans weren't respected in mage territory, and then I couldn't send him to Ustgard either. I figured I could put it off, think of it another time, except that time would be soon once we returned to Darrose. I'd have to face it one way or another.
For now though, I thought of what to do with The Remnant and our dwindling resources and allies. I wanted to approach Magnus on the issue, yet there was always Altair behind his back, and it had worsened as of late. Magnus was levelheaded and easy to speak with, while his husband, Altair, wasn't. Neither of them saw eye to eye on the issue of the Vale, which had always put constraints on The Remnant's mobility within Krak.
One would believe that The Remnant's time was coming to an end if they didn't look beyond its surface.
I jostled from my state when I heard rustling footsteps outside my guest chamber. When they continued past my door, I slipped off my bed and grabbed my cloak then in one motion pulled it on. What was someone doing up, and at this hour?
With only my eyesight to guide me in the dark, I crept my way to the door. Then I edged it open, enough to peer through the crack before I opened it all the way. Nothing was outside. I glanced up and down both sides of the corridor, seeing nothing and no one again. Perhaps I had been imagining things. It wouldn't have been the first time.
As I began to close the door, I froze and listened hard. Footsteps shuffled further down the hallway, coming from the right. Hushed voices echoed off the walls along with light coming from a source. It could've been nothing, but my instincts told me otherwise.
Careful and aware of my surroundings, I snuck into the hallway, pulling the door gently shut behind me. I stalked down the hallway and followed the moving footsteps. I kept my distance and would pause every now and then when their footsteps would stop, ensuring they wouldn't hear me. The endeavor continued until I took notice of how we were headed out of the keep by way of a side door.
Perhaps it was nothing but the guards doing patrols, but that didn't make sense since I would've heard them earlier as well. This was new. I had reason to be suspicious of late-night movement, especially in Aegar or any place that was run by a conniving lord or lady. You couldn't trust a single soul and I wasn't willing to risk anyone going behind my back.
I ventured into the courtyard under dark, wind whipping around me and kicking up snow into my eyes. Through it, I could see a lantern flickering in and out then disappear into a building across the way. The building was connected to the keep and was used for the servant's from what I had gathered on my past ventures through here.
