Adrianna reached the palace and went to her bedroom. Even though her anxieties were at peak, she had to take rest. Her quench for blood was slowly diminishing but she still wanted to have it once in a while. To her relief the bottles were placed on the table for her. She walked to the table, picked up one and poured its contents into a glass. She sat on the chair and opened the drawer where she had left a letter for Dmitri. It wasn't there. Instead there was another letter from him, which stated only one sentence—'It's done.' She smiled. She folded the letter and placed it back in the drawer.

She looked towards her bed and saw the inviting silk bed sheets. Picking her glass, she walked to the bathroom for a much needed soak in warm water. As usual the servants had already prepared for her bath. The Jacuzzi tub was filled with bubbles and petals of flowers. Fluffy towels were arranged in a row and aroma candles were lit at various places for her to relax mentally. She stepped into the tub and put her head back to rest as she closed her eyes. Sensing some movement around her, she opened her golden yellow eyes only to gaze deep in his arctic blue ones. Before she could react, he had picked her gently and placed her on his lap, her face towards him.

​​

"It's difficult to stay without a wife," he said nibbling her earlobe softly. He dipped his head to her neck and kissed her

Adrianna stretched her neck for him. She placed the glass on the edge and curled her arms around his perfectly chiseled and muscular shoulders. "Difficult to stay without a wife or your wife?" she asked.

"Missed you," he whispered.

Adrianna kissed his hair. "I missed you too."

Dmitri's hands went under water to touch her breasts that were becoming heavier as her pregnancy grew. He caressed them and moved his lips up to her lips. At first he gave her a light kiss and then as the kiss deepened, her breasts lifted in his hands. He squeezed them softly. After a while he left her and rested his forehead on hers.

"How will this pan out, love?" he asked, breathing heavily.

She stroked his hair. Even she didn't have an answer.

---

Isidorus was keeping a watch on the movements of the wizard who was the source of the current conflict, but Ziu was devising new ways to escape his watchful eyes. Even the Mozia couldn't handle him. The night he had gone to meet the General, he had actually escaped. He had called his Head of the Guards to his chamber and possessed his body. Ziu's own body was lying still on the bed. He used the guard to pick his body from the bed and then made him create a vortex, which sucked him out right into the forest that was on the periphery of the Human Realm.

As soon as he reached there, he left the guard's body. The guard was stunned as to how he reached there. He looked at Ziu with questions in his eyes.

Ziu took his wand out. Before the guard could even react to what was happening, Ziu cast waved his wand and cast the spell on him "Nuyyn!" His movements were arrested and he fell on the ground.

The stunned guard looked up at his master with fear and helplessness. He couldn't understand the reason as to why he was being tortured in that way.

Ziu waved his wand in the air. "Ponos," he hissed.

A beam of strong red light emerged from it and hit the guard on his head exploding it into thousands of pieces. Moments later the body disappeared leaving no traces behind.

Ziu walked out of the forest.

---

"Who are these people?" asked Dmitri as he walked along with Adrianna into the main hall of the palace. Isidorus was sitting with the group. He was so much in awe of the entire lot except the youngest one that apart from ordering the servants to take care of their food. He wasn't speaking much.

"These are the people I need at the moment," she replied. She walked to them and introduced Dmitri. Enya's lips twitched again into a faint curl upwards.

"What is the latest update?" Adrianna asked Isidorus.

"Ziu is missing. He has escaped the Wizard Realm, it seems. The Mozias are hunting him but he is nowhere to be found," answered Isidorus. Inside he was extremely happy that his queen had returned safely with the child but on the outside he appeared sober.

Haldir pursed his lips at the inefficiency of the Mozias. Maybe he had to talk to those five Mozias who were stationed outside Ziu's house again. Were they compromised?

Adrianna lowered her head in disappointment. She could feel rage inside her head.

She waved her hand and a map appeared on the table. She took a quill out of the stand from the side-table and made a cross on the map. She said, "We need to place some of our army on the east side of the kingdom."

"You should place them inside the realm," said Inyanga.

"Why? We need to place some on the outside too. Otherwise how are we going to know about their positions?" countered Isidorus. He knew she was simply too young and immature to think about war.

Inyanga sensed his hostility the moment she met him. She wanted to react but she wasn't there for him. She ignored Isidorus and saw Adrianna who was focusing on the map in front of her. "Humans and their weaponry outnumber us. We cannot let the wizards be a victim to their weapons. As long as they stay within the Wizard Realm, they are safe. We have to take very calculated moves."

"Hmm, what else?" she asked.

For the next one hour, the group formed their strategy. When the meeting was over, it was already noon.

Shang Kui went out in the garden along with Haldir. "Create the portal for me a hundred feet away from here," he said.

Haldir nodded. He went to the garden on the west and created a portal.

Shang Kui started walking towards it. His walk soon erupted into a marathon and then he ran. He ran at a high speed. When he was about twenty feet away, he jumped inside the portal, shape shifting into the dragon he was.

Haldir watched him fly away on the other side of the portal.