THE ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES: BONUS CONTENT

Chapter 1: Angelus

Angelus: Clan Leader of the Cheetah Breed,

Lore Highlands,

Realm of Spells

Angelus stepped into the makeshift hall that the Niberius clan used for their meeting and scanned the premises cautiously. His warriors were right behind him, ready to defend him when the need arose, but no one knew that Angelus had a trump card up his sleeve. There was no warrior in that tent that could take him out—not even Amara, who was the current clan leader.

When Angelus received the invitation to an audience from the clan, the first thing he thought was that he was going to walk right into a death trap. The Niberius clan never associated with any other species because they believed they were superior. The clan went around claiming land by slaughtering thousands, burning down their towns, and kidnapping their children so that they were raised like soldiers.

Because of that, Angelus had to move his people several times before they were able to settle up in the mountains, where their lithe bodies gave them the advantage of navigating the treacherous landscape. Centaurs could barely scale up those boulders, so they were safe for a while. It frustrated Angelus that not only were they avoiding conflict, but they were barely keeping their babies alive. Thanks to the herbal formula that Sophia concocted for them, they were about to keep several babies alive, but still, they were not as strong and needed constant monitoring.

Angelus thought that he was going to meet with Starx, the male centaur so brutal and hostile that even the brotherhood refused to challenge him. If it were him, Angelus knew there was only a margin that he was going to be given to survive. Some said that he used the dark arts to keep himself alive and invincible. However, it was communicated to him that it wasn't Starx who wanted to meet him. It was his first daughter, Amara.

His advisory board was completely against the invitation in the beginning but soon learned of the death of Starx. Angelus was curious as to what Amara wanted to meet him for. The clan had been driven to the outskirts of the Lore Highlands, where there was barely any food after the Lord Mage intervened. If King Tyran wanted to rid of the clan, he would have done so in such a short period of time, but he left it to the northern sector, specifically Orisidia, to take care of it. By that time, Orisidia was working with the rebels, trading Iyrosium out of the Realm. Those were dark times but Angelus was glad that a trustworthy female took that position, his sister Naznin.

"Welcome, Prince Angelus." The sultry voice of the new clan leader came through the dimly lit hall, and Angelus could make out her silhouette. She was seated on a chair clad in animal fur. As Angelus and his warriors made their way into the camp, he could see that all the structures were made in a way that they would be easy to fold and carry to the next site.

That part of the Lore Highlands had bitter cold season winds and nothing grew of the earth, so the clan had to hunt for food or ravage nearby smaller settlements and steal their food.

"Clan leader Amara." Angelus acknowledged her. Even though she was a clan leader, she was not of royal blood and thus couldn't be referred to as a princess.

"I do apologize for the short notice meeting, but our circumstances are dire. Please, sit down." She extended her hand out and gestured for Angelus and his warriors to sit. "I did not hear any horses or cars that announced your arrival. The speed and agility of the Duma must be true."

Angelus didn't know why Amara was spending precious minutes having idle conversations when he had so much to do. He and his people traveled a great distance, and they didn't share information with the brotherhood, so if they were called to an ambush, no one would know what happened to them.