Ash Of Secrets (book 1)

A fantasy novel draft

: an alternate dimension

Peony will be the mc, her name means healing in Latin origin and is a pink flower that blooms in spring in China. She dreamt of a huge but worn out painting of a single purple peony plant swarmed by black roses under a brilliant night sky, hanging in an abandoned godown. she always had this dream on the night of Christmas, of course, she never remembered it.

Black roses generally give the meaning of death and destruction but also rarely symbolize obsessive love. So what could the painting be saying? :) It was painted by a prophet/oracle

When it's time for a peony to arrive at the underneath she would be taken to that same godown from her dreams but in the absence of the painting.

The painting looks somewhat familiar to her when she enters (drumrolls) the bedroom of the unknown 7th prince.

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1) the coven of scions(imperial fam?). Royalty. 7 princes, emperor dead, empress rules :) receives utmost respect from all.

2)The enchanters: Christmas was the time of the year in the underneath when the portal separating them and their world was weak as the mage(for now let dis be the name) were busy with mana harvest (from something and somewhere) which took quite a lot of energy.

3)Ardents: passionate and fiery, realists with goals set way before. Her ancestor was the only human prophet(mages can be prophets too ig?) in the underneath, I think she can be the one to create the painting too so ya. prophets/oracles

4)Coveters: possessive, the lowest rank in the nobles, so basically, 7th prince is the only one,infamous for his possessiveness and terrible personality(ofc he never behaved like that to peony, at least not in front of her :))

5) Nyctophiles: let's say the black roses are named nyctophiles as they bloom only at n8?

"When the dusk changes to dawn, so will he"

*****

He curled his thin and long fingers around her jaw, his grip as hard as steel, and gazed at her eyes with a piercing intensity that made her feel as terrified as a mouse under the preying eyes of a cat. Knowing how much strength he possessed, she was aware that if he truly wished to kill her she would be dead right then and there.

"Cause darling I'm a daydream dressed like a demon."

"Pretty sure that's not how the song goes." She squeaked out, trying and yet failing in mastering bravado.

His lips curved into a cute smile at that, nose dangerously close to brushing her own. He tilted his head slightly forward in another attempt to fuel the already tense atmosphere. Or maybe, just maybe it may have been to have a clearer look at whatever ran in that curious little head of hers. After all, her brown eyes told him everything he ever needed. *cringe*

dropped as of december 2020. clearly i needed help💀