Prologue

Thirty years ago - Village of Asrail

Bells chimed from a single bracelet; it’s resonance echoed along the walls of the twelve stone homes of the village. The woman wearing the noisy bracelet stormed down the cobblestone road in the dark of night driven with purpose. A rumor had spread from mouth to mouth until finally, it reached her ears. Except she knew…she knew that this rumor was real. The moon shone white light from its full circumference.
Opening the door to the nearest building with a slam, the irate woman gave one glance around the inn’s tavern and it’s confused occupants before she made her way to the nearby staircase. Right after she took the second step, she froze hearing the sound that confirmed her suspicion: the deep moan of a woman followed by the chuckle of a man. Red rage blinded her vision but somehow the woman kept her mind about her as she walked up the rest of the stairs and down the hallway to the bedroom where the sounds were coming from. Her hand grasped the knob and without a second thought, she opened the door, ignoring the initial scream of surprise.
There in front of her lying in a simple wooden bed was her husband, Amuel holding a woman who wasn’t her. He looked up at her and his eyebrows furrowed.
“Nithya! What…what are you doing here?”
Amuel’s eyes, which had an unusual glaze over them, then looked side to side with misunderstanding. “W-what am I doing here? Where are my clothes?!” Enraged green eyes caught the caught woman’s frightened brown ones and then with her hands raised as if to strangle her, Nithya pounced.
The naked woman screamed with fear as the bed became full of three people instead of two. Blankets flew off onto the floor as Nithya clawed at her, roaring out as if she were a lioness after prey. “Toa! You dare come after my husband. MY husband, you bitch? You have made a grave mistake!” Toa didn’t even take a glance back as she escaped from the bed and ran out the door. Her own ankle and wrist jewelry clanged against one another as she took the stairs. Sudden agony rose from the scalp as Toa felt Nithya’s hands pull her head back by her strands of hair. She shrieked, grasping onto Nithya’s fingers to pull them off of her.
Nithya kept her grip strong, pulling the smaller woman past the now appalled tavern patrons and outside. Tangled limbs made the two women fall to the ground and they rolled over and over with loud screams. Lights turned on in houses all over the village, doors and windows opened and people made their way to the scene being made in the middle of the square. Toa somehow found an escape from Nithya’s grasp, getting up and starting to run. However, she found herself blocked by curious village folk. They knew both of these women and also knew both for their reputations.
The naked Toa was known as one of the most promiscuous women in the village; there wasn’t a man she didn’t have an eye on or her legs open for. Nithya was known for her wicked temper. As beautiful as she was, she didn’t let her looks stop her from making a black eye to somebody who needed one. She also let her spells do a lot of talking and nobody wanted a curse from her mouth.
Toa turned to face her adversary, her hands covering her round breasts and down below to the best of her ability. “Nithya…please…I had no idea he was…” She started.
“That he was what? My husband? Bullshit. I’m not dense, Toa. I know you have had eyes on Amuel for weeks and I also know that he didn’t do this on his own accord.”
The crowd grumbled and gasped at what was insinuated and Toa shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“Cut the innocent act, girl! I know you gave him Heart’s Flare somehow. That potion makes sure that whoever drinks it falls for you and does whatever you wish them to.” Toa’s eyes glared as she was indeed caught red-handed and she dropped the innocent act that Nithya was speaking of. “He wanted me just as bad as I wanted him.”
Nithya growled with clenched teeth. Just the audacity of this woman’s actions made her want to wring her neck. “Lies! He would never want a slut such as you!”
Toa rushed to pluck up a black cloak that a village woman graciously threw towards her for cover and she laughed saying to Nithya, “No? Then why did he follow me here then? Not for no reason.”
“You’re right, you treacherous snake. It wasn’t for no reason. You gave him a potion and intoxicated him. I know the art of potion just as you do. I know spells.”


“I curse you, Toa Le'Sable. I curse you with attraction. That beauty you covert will be your downfall and everyone in your family will suffer from your mistake. Every man who looks at you and yours will plague your life tenfold. You wish to open your legs for my man? Try opening them for a hundred more whether you want to or not.”
The clouds rumbled as they quickly rolled in, covering up the full moon’s light and a chilled breeze surrounded the group. The crowd suddenly spooked by the mention of a curse ran back toward their homes for protection and Toa shivered not missing the flash of green coming from Nithya’s eyes. But she didn’t want to believe in curses; not being a superstitious person. Gripping the sides of the borrowed cloak closed, Toa chuckled again at Nithya saying, “Whatever you say, you crazy woman. Take your husband and go away. He wasn’t a good lay anyway.”
Amuel frowned, looking at Nithya in question. Nithya stroked his face and said, “It wasn’t you, my love. You didn’t have control and I don’t blame you.”