The Veil of Darkness
Chapter 330: Attack on Annalise (Part Three)

Chapter 330: Attack on Annalise (Part Three)

Somehow the long night passed, and morning arrived with a new day. The Winter Solstice Festival was finally over, and so were the carefree days of Annalise and the people around her.

Annalise woke up with a start, her heart still pounding from the attack of the previous night. It had taken her hours to fall asleep, and the only reason she was able to sleep at all was the presence of her husbands. Damien and Kenric didn’t leave her side even for a mere second and their presence was the only comfort she could have relied on.

Valerius had promised to return quickly, and true to his word, he did arrive after an hour and joined her on the bed, pulling her immediately into his arms and enveloping her in his warmth and protection.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Kenric brushed his fingers down her cheek, removing a loose curl from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Are you feeling better now, Little Bird?" He asked while wrapping one of his hands around her waist and pulling her closer to him till the point her body was pressed against his.

Annalise slowly nodded her head before resting her face in the crook of his neck and inhaling his familiar scent.

"You better keep those pretty lips of yours away from my neck, Little Bird. They make me think things... very indecent things." His voice came out deeper than usual, almost like a growl. But the way his hand pressed the back of her head and pulled her face closer to his throat, went completely against his warning.

"Now I wish I could replace places with Kenric."

Damien’s familiar voice made Annalise pull away from Kenric and turn to look at her other two husbands.

Valerius and Damien were already awake, dressed in their regal attire, ready to attend the urgent meeting called by the rulers and members of the high council. They knew it was crucial to discuss the incident of the previous night and handle the breach in security of the Sky Kingdom and Sky Palace.

Valerius walked closer to the bed and leaned down to kiss Annalise gently on the forehead. "We’ll be back soon, my love. Stay safe," he whispered before pulling away and making space for Damien.

The Shadow Prince moved to occupy the space next to the bed before he too leaned down to place a soft kiss against Annalise’s lips. "Have a great time with Kenric... and remember to miss me."

Annalise smiled at their warm gestures as she watched the two of them leave the room and head to the Sky Palace. She knew they were doing everything in their power to keep her safe and happy. Turning to Kenric, she said, "Let’s head to Marley’s house for a meal. It’ll be good to spend time with friends."

Kenric nodded and climbed down the bed before helping her get out of bed as well. The two of them quickly bathed and got dressed and since Annalise didn’t want any of the Inn’s female servants to help her with dressing up, Kenric took over the job to help her get ready.

-

As the two of them walked to Marley’s house, they were joined by Ezra and Leela. The latter spent quite a while inspecting Annalise from head to toe in order to make sure that Annalise wasn’t injured.

It took Annalise and Kenric some time to explain all the details about the previous night’s attack to both Ezra and Leela who were completely baffled at the prospect of their enemies still finding a way inside the Sky Palace despite the heavy security.

When they arrived at Marley’s house, they were greeted warmly by Marley’s lovely wife and their two-year-old daughter, who was an epitome of cuteness. The little girl’s giggles and laughter were a welcome distraction from the recent events, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces.

All of them spent quality time at Marley’s cozy house while enjoying the meal and tea served by his wife.

By the time their meal finished, and they all returned to the Inn, Marley included, who had bid goodbye to his family, Valerius, Damien, and Elijah were also back from the council meeting.

Elijah looked grave as he entered the common room of the Inn. "The situation is dire," he informed everyone. "The council believes that the attack on Annalise was a fully planned one considering the masked man’s words. Worst, there’s not a single trace of any breach in the security. There are no traces of any teleportation or portal spells which leaves us with more questions but no answers."

Ezra nodded, his expression serious. "We need to be vigilant and strengthen our security measures."

"That won’t be necessary. Their target wasn’t the Sky Kingdom but Annalise and the Dark Lords." Leela pointed out and everyone agreed.

"You know why we keep failing?" Annalise suddenly raised the question which was met with silence. "It’s because our enemy is in the dark and we are out in the open. Somehow, they are aware of our every move but we can’t even find a single information about them. Most importantly, they are experts at removing every trace related to them, making it hard for us to track them down."

Elijah placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We’ll get to the bottom of this, Annalise. No matter how powerful or smart they are, the previous night’s attack proved that they are desperate to stop us, which means we are closer to answers than we expected."

"I agree with what you just said. Whoever is behind all this, they surely are afraid of the Dark Lords which means that we are on the right path." Leela supported Elijah’s theory and the others agreed too.

With their plan set, the team packed up, and by the time noon arrived, they were all on their way back to the Cursed Castle, their hearts heavy with the weight of uncertainty, but determined to protect their world and the people they cherished above all.