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watch and, if possible, lead. Videric knew he couldn't count on his brother's cooperation. — I'll talk to her, Videric. Arsene's tone of voice made his brother look at him. Videric had known him for centuries, he could.

smell the redhead's lie, but all he found on his face was sincerity. However, he was afraid of how Arsene

would conduct the conversation, as his brother had a sharp tongue, but he also knew that he would never.

bother a daughter of Atman. Arsene had embraced wizarding blood when he accepted to be the sat of the

Red Crown, and took upon himself responsibility for the lives of the witches who lived within the White

Forests. It did not fall on his shoulders as a weight, but as a blessing from Atman. Videric would never ask for more than Arsene could do. But he knew his brother. — I don't want to bother Nyana. Arsene's smile made

Videric squint his eyes and almost ask him to give up on that madness, but the redhead didn't give him time to regret it. With a wink, he turned and slipped into the trees. The White Forests embraced Arsene, but rejected..

any other vampire who wanted to go beyond, and Videric was no fool to strain the energy that protected them.

The forests could see that as a threat or even an offense. When Gwendolyn was the Red Crown, the barrier was strong. Now, with Lymena in that position, that barrier was insurmountable. Videric knew he had no right.

to look for Nyana. After the small exchange of words before the battle of the South, the witch had given no indication that she wished to have contact with him. After the war, the witches of the White Forests had

become reclusive, little seen in the common villages of Fhár and even on the borders. Domenico and Arsene

had explained that daughters of Atman needed to rebalance their energy when they had direct contact with

creatures from the underworld, and the invasion of demons caused the sacred energy they carried to become

chaos. Few were used to this exposure and, even marching with the Red Crown, they would need time to

recover. Videric only saw Lymena and Krida at the rare and scattered meetings of the Nobilitatis, which always

took place in the Vampire Fortress. Not even Srala was often seen. Videric's instinct told him that something

was happening and the way Lymena looked at him in meetings only made him sure that he was right. She seemed to want to say something, but was always prevented by greater forces: Domenico approaching, Gavin

asking a question or even her being taken by a strange fear, as if she was thinking twice about whether it was

wise to share the information she had. The vampire looked at the forest one last time. The thick trunks of the

trees made space for the peas who remained in place as eternal guardians, protectors of the borders and the

daughters of Atman who lived within. The bright red branches and white fowers told Videric that he was

trying to cross a dangerous limit, and that perhaps the world of souls would not have much mercy if he forced