Seven Devils and a Rose

Book 3: A Kingdom of Roses and Magic - Chapter 135

When my eyes fluttered open, a soft groan automatically escaped my lips. I raised my hand to touch my forehead, wondering where I was and why my body felt so hot as I worked on clearing my vision. I found myself looking up, staring blankly at the high ceiling above me.

Hanging in the middle was a gigantic chandelier, the many tiny crystals gleaming prettily in the morning light, giving out rainbow-colored reflections here and there.

On that ceiling, too, was artwork, colorful and beautiful, like the ones you'd see in a grand castle in Europe. It was certainly stunning, and I gazed at it for a moment, mesmerized, taking in the scene of the illustration.

At first, I wasn't focused on the painting, just admiring the work, since my brain seemed to be slow in processing anything this morning. Then, once my gray cells decided to kick into gear, something interesting caught my attention.

The picture in the center was of a magical, beautiful place, with a stonehenge stationed in a circle, and within that circle were eight women in white robes. Those women's faces, however, were hidden under their hoods, so no features were shown. Though, I bet they were beauties.

I flicked my gaze to the figure in the center, which I assumed was one of the main focal points of the illustration, and that glowing orb fascinated me. The longer I stared at it, the more I was convinced I had seen it somewhere before. I felt this sense of familiarity, like when you saw something that belonged to you, such as your bag or notebook.

The radiant ball was in the hands of a dark-haired man wearing a mask in the form of a beast face with lion-like eyes, snouted nose, growling mouth, and protruding fangs. He was one grotesque-looking beast; that was for sure. Yet his figure—tall, lean, and muscular—wearing dark clothes similar to the type the lords of Acaedien wore, told me that this man was handsome. I suspected that if he were to take off his mask, he'd transform into a paranormal being very much like the lords of Acaedien. And I had no doubt he was one very powerful individual.

I stared at it for a moment longer, wondering why I was paying so much attention to a ceiling painting when I should be getting up and figuring out where I was. More importantly, where everyone else was.

The figure of the masked man kept staring down at me, and then just like that, it hit me. That man looked like Lord Aslan in my dream.

Oh my God! How was that even possible? I had dreamed of Lord Aslan, and now I saw a painting with his image in it. Suddenly, I wondered if this was a scene of an event that had happened in the past. If so, then it would have to be an important one for it to appear here, drawn and painted on the ceiling of a...

I shifted my gaze from the ceiling to look around me.

Bedchamber! Of course.

I found myself lying on a massive, luxurious bed in a sumptuous room. No doubt in a fancy mansion or castle somewhere.

I racked my brain, trying to remember where I had been the last time I was conscious.

That was right. I had been in my cabin on the airship. We were heading toward Wulin, and we had entered the territory of the Forbidden Forest.

I frowned, trying to recollect what else had happened. I remembered leaving the dinner table early, since I had been feeling exhausted due to working with Lord Noah and Brenna, followed by the intense training. I remembered being carried by Caleb back to my bedchamber, with Felix coming along with us. While in bed, Geoffrey and Aaron had turned up, and Geoffrey had given me some blue pills.

My eyes brightened as more memories came flooding back.

I remembered waking up in the middle of the night feeling extremely hot...and sweaty...and achy. That was right. I had had a fever, hadn't I?