- Don’t quarrel. – Adeline couldn’t stand it and stood between the couple. – It won’t lead to anything. I’m sure Artemis isn’t trying to hurt Thea, right? 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

She turned her puppy-like, pleading eyes to Those, but did not meet any support there, which made her heart shrink with fear. Was she mistaken? Did Artemis decide to finally take possession of Thea’s body?

- Okay, Raphael, please...

- Your Majesty. - He put her down threateningly and Adeline swallowed.

- Your Majesty, please, let’s not change anything. Maybe it’s for the best so far? No one knows Artemis, it will be an excellent disguise, respectively, Thea’s body will be safe. Isn’t that more important now? We will all go with her and take care of her, and you will finish the job with the magicians, I’m sure they are also in a fuss because of this whole situation.

- The girl says the right things. Disunity on the warpath leads to death. - Ivrim finished. – Instead of swearing, why don’t you take a walk to the ornitharium?

Raphael’s eyes widened in shock, looking at Ivrim as if he were mad. Was he in his right mind?They were just discussing an important issue, but instead the elf offers him to admire the birds? Is he kidding?

Exhaling slowly to calm his shattered nerves, he tactfully ignored the words.

Raphael could have argued endlessly and put pressure on, but he understood that this was only delaying time. Now it was simply impossible to get Thea back while his wife was angry and hysterical. Perhaps being apart now would really be the best solution, then they would be able to think about a lot and, most importantly, cool down.

He chuckled to himself, remembering the saying "from love to hate is one step." No matter how much he loved his wife, he could not justify the fact that she took over someone else’s body for her own whim.

This was no longer the girl he had once fallen in love with.

His Temi was the kindest and most empathetic person he had ever met. She would never put her ambitions and desires above other people, much less take someone else’s life to please herself.

Although he was glad to see her, insanely glad, but he couldn’t help but condemn her act, couldn’t help but get angry and push her away because of it.

- Open the portal. - He ordered Ivrim dryly and too quietly, as if he were nothing more than a servant.

The time spent in Eriad seemed to Raphael painfully slow and for the most part useless.

He didn’t know what to expect from this place, he smouldered in his soul a hidden hope that it would really help, put everything in its place, explain what was happening, but nothing happened. Instead, he buried himself even more in problems, heated up his relationship with Artemis to the limit, turned the others against him, just because his own plan was radically different from what Ivrim had imposed on them.

Raphael wasn’t going to waste his time anymore. She found only one way out–the sooner he finished with Lillian, the sooner he could try to get Thea back. He desperately rejected the idea that he might never see her again.

- It’s a pity that you refused my offer. – the elf king shrugged his shoulders and drawing an intricate pattern in the air with his finger, outlined it with neon magic lines that intertwined together, creating a swirl compacting to the center. - Cool your head while you’re in Riliya. We will meet very soon, and until then, try to stay sane, my advice to you.

- I’ll figure it out without you somehow. - Raphael waved him off. - If something happens to them, you’ll be next after Lillian."

Ivrim didn’t need to be told that by "them" the vampire meant Thea and Artemis. It was too obvious that that was all he cared about.

***

Two months have passed since Raphael left Eriad. He had not contacted Artemis in any way, had not received any news from her, did not know if they had gone to Abion or were still in the elven lands.

Very often he thought about her, but he could not overcome his pride to send Skars to investigate. Instead, he completely threw himself into preparing for war.

He personally trained magicians, training them on himself, receiving numerous injuries and wounds. Each time the mages’ fighting technique improved, and Raphael had to recover longer than usual. This was partly due to the great blood loss, as he donated even more of his own blood to create medicine for the warriors.

The attitude of the magicians to the vampire improved markedly after his selfless help, he stopped creating problems and threw himself into the development of a military strategy, making adjustments to the existing plan of the magicians.

Horel was his main ally and perhaps even became a friend, but with a stretch. They were united by one aspiration, one person who was unavailable now, who required help.

Upon his return, Raphael punished Richard for his mistake, forcing him to go to the werewolves and resolve the issue with the rebels.

And although Marcel and Jake assured that they had everything under control, but in fact it turned out not to be so. The rebel network had spread to the very depths of the pack, poisoning it from the inside, and Richard was the best head of intelligence that could be found. There was no doubt that Raphael would not have to interfere in this matter personally.

The only thing that kept taking his mind to Norland were the reports of bliars appearing inside the city, there were too many of them and they attacked the werewolves too fiercely, as if they had orders to do so. But how could mindless creatures obey orders? Lillian’s experiments must not have ended after they discovered her lab.

He kept thinking about how to do the right thing. Should he personally go to Norland and take care of the bliars, or leave it to Marcel and his people? If he leave everything as it is, the bliars will create a big problem for his people on the battlefield, but after all, Lillian will not be able to create them forever if she is distracted?

Where was she now?

From the moment Horel had erected a barrier around Marro Castle, Lillian had not even made an attempt to return, and this caused concern. Could she have known that her husband had turned away from her, or was she the person who had dismissed Horel?

The silent calmness was a bad omen.