In the shadows of history, beyond the reach of mortal eyes, the Immortals have waged their secret wars, bound by the sacred code: *There can be only one*. "Eternal Duel: Untold Chronicles of the Immortals" brings to light the hitherto unseen sagas o...
Venice, 1576. A city of splendor and shadow, where whispers hold more power than swords. In the labyrinth of its canals and alleys, resides its most enigmatic figure: the Immortal Courtesan.
For centuries, Lyrissa has navigated the treacherous currents of Venetian society. Her beauty and intellect are her weapons; her salon a crucible where empires rise and fall. Yet beneath her poised facade lies a wound that has never healed - the loss of her one true love, Raphael.
Lyrissa had thought him lost to her forever, a casualty of immortal feuds and human wars. Until a moonlit encounter brings them face to face once more. No longer allies but rivals, pawns in a game of thrones.
As Venice teeters on the brink of chaos, Lyrissa and Raphael must confront not only the ghosts of their tumultuous past, but a love that even eternity could not diminish. In a world where nothing is certain, can they find their way back to each other? Or will the tides of fate tear them apart once more?
Chapter 1
The evening fog crept in from the lagoon, smothering the cobblestone alleys in a veil of silver and shadow. Lyrissa moved through the mist like an apparition, her velvet cloak trailing behind her.
She paused before a heavy oak door, cast a glance over her shoulder to ensure she hadn't been followed, then slipped inside. The stone chamber beyond was lit by sputtering torches, their flames dancing over the faces of the men and women gathered there. Poets and spies, courtiers and cardinals. All waited with bated breath for her arrival.
"Welcome, my friends," Lyrissa purred as she glided to her throne-like chair at the head of the room. "What secrets shall we unravel tonight?"
A figure detached itself from the shadows. A man in the scarlet robes of a cardinal, though the hard lines of his face betrayed a life spent on battlefields rather than in cloisters. "We have news from Rome, my lady. The Pope plans to forge an alliance with Spain against the Ottoman threat."
Lyrissa arched an elegant brow. "Is that so? How...intriguing." She beckoned to a servant. "More wine for his Eminence. I believe this night may be a long one."
As the hours waned, secrets were bartered like coins, whispered in the smoky haze. Of armies massing on borders, of assassins sharpening their blades. Lyrissa drank it all in, sifting rumor from truth, storing each morsel away. Knowledge, after all, was the greatest weapon of all.
It was past midnight when the last of her guests took their leave, vanishing into the labyrinthine city like wraiths. Lyrissa lingered a moment, savoring the silence. Then she too stepped out into the night, the fog swallowing her like a lover's embrace.
She hasn't taken more than a dozen steps when a voice rang out behind her. "You play a dangerous game, Lyrissa."
She spun, her hand flying to the jeweled stiletto concealed in the folds of her gown. Then she froze, her eyes widening. "Raphael?"
