Cora ran through the hospital corridors. Several nurses told her to slow down but she couldn't. She didn't stop running until she reached the room her grandmother was staying in.
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"We've managed to stabilize her but, we don't know how long it will last," one of the doctors said.
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"Can I see her?" Cora asked.
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"Go ahead."
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She squeezed her grandmother's hand tightly. Her eyes filled up with tears.
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"The Blood King has returned," her grandmother whispered. "The end is near."
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"What are you talking about?"
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"The King of Shadows will not rest until he has found what he is looking for."
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Cora had so many questions. How did her grandmother know about the Blood King? How did she know he was no longer trapped? Who is The King of Shadows? Is he the one that's been attacking them?
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"What is he looking for?" Cora asked.
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Her grandmother let out a loud laugh. "He'll never find what he's looking for."
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"I need you to tell me what's going on!" Cora said desperately searching for answers.
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"I thought I could protect you by locking him away but I see now that was never the answer."
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"What are you saying?"
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"You're a warrior, it's in your blood. I know you'll be able to stop the Armageddon. I'm counting on you." Her grandmother squeezed Cora's hand tightly until the steady beat on the heart rate monitor slowed to a stop.
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Cora couldn't hold back her sobs. This couldn't be happening. She tried to pull herself together but, there was nothing she could possibly do to stop the tears for cascading down.
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She was going to kill whoever did this!
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Cora spent the rest of the day in her room trying to plot her revenge but, she always ended up in tears. Her father knocked on her door.
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"Someone's here to see you but I can tell them to leave if you're not up to it," he said.
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It was probably Dimitri.
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She wiped her tears and stood up. "It's okay I need someone to talk to."
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When she walked down the stairs she was shocked to see Prince Lyon accompanied by two burley men who appeared to be his bodyguards.
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Cora was so nervous she couldn't speak. The prince of Thessonia was in her house.
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"On behalf of the royal family I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Corona Bowman. She was a noble warrior who served the royal family for many years."
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"Thank you," was all Cora managed to say.
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"I brought you some tea," Prince Lyon said raising a cup in the air.
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Cora quickly walked down the last few steps bridging the gap between them. She took the cup from his hands and took a huge gulp. She had been craving tea all day.
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"This must very hard for you I want you to know that you can tell me anything," he said as he placed his hand on hers.
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Cora could feel herself blushing. Cora wasn't usually the type to get flustered. Why was she blushing? The phone of one of his guards rang. He picked it up, nodded, then whispered something in Lyon's ear.
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He frowned. "I have business to attend to. There's trouble on Mt. Nevado. I hope you understand. Don't worry I'll see you again soon."
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Cora went to warrior training the next day despite her mother's disapproval. Her grandmother would have wanted her to go. Ray had begged to go with her.
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"No! What if someone recognizes you?" is what she said. The last thing Cora needed was one more thing to worry about.
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Cora was exhausted she hadn't had a good night's sleep since before this whole ordeal started and it showed during her training today. She was falling behind. She wasn't going to get offers to join any guilds at this rate.
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Mr. Tréville said something about splitting up into pairs but Cora wasn't really paying attention. Dimitri walked over to her with a smile, his face fell when he came closer. "You look awful," he said.
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"My grandmother just died how am I supposed to look?" Cora snapped.
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"I'm sorry I didn't know."
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"It's alright."
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The duo trained in silence until class ended.
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Then Dimitri finally broke the silence. "I received a request to join the Ruby Python guild yesterday."
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"Aren't they the second best guild in western Thessonia?" Cora asked as her blue eyes widened with excitement.
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"Yep. Did you get any requests yet?"
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"No," Cora's heart sank she always thought she and Dimitri were on the same level but apparently he was ahead of her. This meant she had to train harder. A guild would notice her eventually.
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Cora began her walk to through the courtyard towards the break room. She hadn't eaten anything today and she felt fatigued because of it. Her vision became blurred. She could feel her consciousness fading. She started to black out until she felt someone catch her.
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She didn't recognize who caught her until he spoke. "Are you alright, Coraline?"
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"Ray?"
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He looked completely unrecognizable. He was wearing a Metallica tank top and ripped jeans. He had cut his hair. It now fell above his eyes. One side was longer than the other. It was easy to tell he did himself. He still had the same red eyes and mischievous grin.
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She was so distracted she didn't notice that he was still holding her.
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"I'm okay," she said regaining her footing. "What are you doing here?"
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"Please don't be mad at me. I know you told me not to come here but, I must ask you a favor." He sounded so awkward. Cora found it so hard to believe that this was the Blood King. The person that struck fear in the hearts of everyone who heard his name. Cora wanted to laugh but she didn't.
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"I'm not mad," she said sitting down on the grass. "What do you need?"
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He sat down next to her even though his metal made it difficult. That's when Cora noticed he was holding two bags of food from the break room.
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"I need you to ask your magic mirror about something."
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"My what?"
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"Your magic mirror. The one that you stare at all day!" He exclaimed gesturing to her pocket.
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"My phone?"
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"Is that what you call it?"
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Cora let out a sigh. "What would you like to know?"
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"I want to know if Lily was happy with Rivero."
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The blonde stared down at her phone. "I don't think it can tell me that," She said.
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He frowned.
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"Did you love her?" Cora asked and then immediately regretted it.
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To her surprise he said. "No. I didn't. It was an arranged marriage. I was just going along with my mother's wishes. Lily was never happy with me. On the day we met she told me that I was repulsive. I thought I could make things work between us but I was wrong. I just hope he was good enough for her."
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All Cora could say was. "I'm sorry."
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"Don't be."
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He opened up one of the bags. There was a turkey sandwich an apple and a bag of Doritos inside. He examined the bag of Doritos. "How is one supposed to eat this?" He asked.
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Cora took the bag from his hands opened it pulled one out and ate it. Ray grabbed one and ate it. He chewed it for a long time. Then he grabbed the bag out of her hands. "I like these very much." He handed her the other bag.
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"Hey what do you know about the King of Shadows," Cora asked casually.
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Ray laughed. "The King of Shadows is a tale parents tell to children to make them behave. He brings love and wealth for the good and punishes the evil."
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"Like santa clause."
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Ray shrugged. "No one has ever seen him. I don't believe he's real"
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This didn't make Cora feel any better. Someone or something killed her grandmother and she was going to find them. Ray seemed to be disinterested so she changed the subject.
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"You look really nice," Cora said.
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"You really think so?" He asked nervously running a hand through his hair.
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"Totally."
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The pair enjoyed their lunch together.
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As they were cleaning up Zyler came running up to them holding a flyer.
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"Cora!" He called out gasping for air.
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"What's happening?" Cora asked. She hadn't seen Zyler or Val since the Sorting. She wondered why Zyler would come looking for her.
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"I'll tell you what happening I'm putting the team back together!" He held up the flyer. "Mount Nevado is being attacked by killer wolves!"
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Cora took the flyer and read it.
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Tibicenas attack mountain village. A pack of magical wolves known as Tibicenas have awakened from their hibernation early. No one knows what awoke these creatures but several villagers reported strange activity around their den. The usually timid creatures have begun to attack the people of the village and steal from their food supply. There is a reward of 4,000 Euros to whomever manages to stop them.
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"Val said maybe. Please come with me for old times sake."
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None of them were qualified for this mission. Cora was surprised Val was considering it.
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Cora took a close look at the photograph on the flyer. It was a pack of giant wolves with glowing red eyes and blood stained fur. In the distance she saw a familiar pair of yellow eyes who seemed to be enjoying the bloodshed.
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It made her angry.
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"I'm in."
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