The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 323: Unexpected Invitation

Chapter 323: Unexpected Invitation

It was another sunny winter afternoon following a heavy snowfall early in the morning. It had been over a month since winter had taken control over the world and nearly two and a half weeks since the snow covered everything with a white and cold blanket.

Marley looked really excited as he rushed inside the castle and tried to sense his friends whereabouts. He sensed Ezra, Valerius, and Elijah’s presence in the library, so he decided to head there first.

Annalise was accompanying Kenric and they seemed to be in the basement. And Leela was in the kitchen with Aunt Claire.

Marley came across Vladiya on his way to the library and told her to ask Leela to join them all in the library as soon as possible.

When he finally entered the library, he found all three men towering over a really thick book that was laying open on the wooden table between the three of them.

"You look somewhat excited. Anything special?" Ezra asked as he spared a glance in Marley’s direction before turning his attention back toward the book and turning the page.

"There is indeed something special. But let’s first call Dsmien, Kenric and Annalise here. I have already sent message to Leela." Marley directed his second sentence toward Valerius who, even though looking confused, still nodded his head in understanding and sent a message to his mate and brothers through the mind link they shared.

In the meantime, Marley took a closer look at the book his friends were reading and found that it was a book on weapons.

"What are you all doing?" He asked curiously as he moved to get a closer look at the pages that had intricate patterns carved on them.

"We are looking for a powerful weapon." Elijah answered as he placed a stack of books on the table.

"Why all of a sudden?" Marley asked as he looked at the three men in confusion. Since he had gone out early in the morning right after breakfast, he was unaware of any new ideas or plans that had been made throughout the day.

"For Annalise. She still doesn’t have a weapon of her own." Valerius was the one who answered the question and finally cleared Marley’s confusion.

"Oh."

"But don’t mention it to her. This is supposed to be a surprise for her." Elijah reminded almost immediately.

"I won’t." Marley promised just as quickly. Even he was looking forward to see what kind of weapon would find its way to Annalise since she sure wasn’t a sword woman.

Right at that moment, the door of the library opened and Leela stepped inside with Sera and Freya following behind while carrying trays of tea and snacks in their hands.

"Place them on the table and then you both can leave." Leela ordered the two young women who immediately followed her words.

Annalise and Kenric also entered the library as Leela was busy serving everyone tea and snacks. Elijah and Ezra helped her as well.

"Is this tea time or something else?" Annalise asked as she took a seat next to Valerius who immediately welcomed her into his arms.

"Marley seems to have some sort of exciting news for us." Ezra responded as he handed Annalise a warm cup of herbal tea.

Damien, who was patrolling the perimeters of the castle, also appeared in the library and took a seat opposite Kenric who was sipping the refreshing tea that Leela just served him.

"What is it, Marley?" Annalise asked as she turned her attention toward the man and waited curiously to know the reason behind their sudden meeting.

Finally getting to the point where he could reveal the reason behind his excitement, Marley placed a letter, that appeared in his hand out of nowhere, on top of the wooden table.

"What is this?" Leela asked as she eyed the letter with suspicion but didn’t move to pick it up.

"You all must have heard about the Winter Solstice Festival. Right?" He asked them as his eyes scanned their faces curiously.

Slowly but confidently, all his friends nodded their heads in affirmative even though they still looked somewhat confused.

"It is a winter festival started millennia ago to celebrate the season with fun and joy. Every year, a different Realm hosted this festival and invited people from other realms to come and enjoy. But it hasn’t been celebrated for nearly a century or so. Why are you suddenly talking about this?" Leela asked with her eyebrows arched high in question while she looked at Marley.

The smile on the Dragon shifter’s face only became bigger as he announced - "That’s because the rulers and the head of the councils have decided to bring this beautiful festival back. We will finally be having a Winter Solstice Festival after a century and Sky Castle will be the one hosting it this year!"

"No way."

"You are not fooling around with us, are you?"

Everyone seemed surprised by the news and it was Kenric who hurriedly reached out for the letter and opened it, revealing a formal invitation accompanied by the seal of the Dragon King - for the residents of the Castle to join the three day long festival and the ball.

"Is this for real?" Annalise couldn’t hide her surprise as she took the letter from Kenric to get a better look at it.

"It is. There is indeed a Winter Solstice Festival starting the last day of this week and will be concluded with the Blue Midnight Ball three nights later." The one who responded was actually Valerius to everyone’s surprise.

"You knew about this?" Damien asked as he looked at his brother.

"Mother sent a message last night. She said the council members were the ones who came up with the idea. It’s a way to bring some positivity in the hearts of people, to bring some happiness and fun back in our world." Valerius answered not only for his brother but for everyone.

"It sounds like a great idea. We sure are going." Leela declared before she dragged Annalise out to start preparing for their trip to the Kingdom of Dragon Shifters.