Good afternoon, readers! A slightly shorter chapter today because some longer scenes are coming up, but there's still plenty of a good read here for everyone! There's also going to be a small bit of a horror element in one of the scenes- are you ready? I hope you enjoy as always!
Jasmine was finishing up with some dishes, gasping when she looked up to see Ambrosia standing in the doorway. "My goodness- Ambrosia, you should be resting!"
"I have rested long enough, Jasmine. I must go to the Hulder and-" Ambrosia was stopped by her cousin.
"You are going nowhere. Do you not remember what happened the last time you ventured out at night on your own?" Jasmine said.
"Then first thing in the morning. I must warn them of this threat." Ambrosia replied.
"You would warn the Hulder before the Vi? Our king, our protectors?" Jasmine asked.
"I do not know if they can protect us from this. It is nothing I have ever seen before. A darkness so potent that it will never come to light." Ambrosia said.
"The king is already investigating the matter." Jasmine said, turning to place away the dishes.
"Jasmine, you… told him…?"
"What do you expect of me? What do you expect me to do when I am faced with nearly losing my cousin? Remain hushed, keep secrets? No. You may do as the Hulder have asked, but I am no Hulder. You are too easily influenced by others, too trusting. For goodness sakes, do you know how uncomfortable Rosemary was when she had to sit in the same room as a Trold?!"
"Jasmine, sir Chase wouldn't-"
"Do not call him 'sir.' They have slaughtered our people. This carelessness must stop, Ambrosia. There will not always be someone there to catch you when you fall. It frightens me more than you can imagine." Jasmine looked down, her ponytail swaying lightly as she shook her head.
Ambrosia's expression softened, approaching Jasmine to take her hands. "My dear cousin, I shall endure. We are a strong people. We shall overcome what darkness may come. But it is my obligation to help my friends; those who are kind to me, those in need of help." She kissed her forehead. The pair hugged, Ambrosia gently petting Jasmine hair. "So… that is what I intend to do." She took a step back. "I will do what I can to defeat this darkness."
Chase looked up at the stars as he and Wind remained bound to the wooden pole a short distance from the Valkyrie's main camp. Still a bit groggy, Wind rested his head against the pole, glancing to the side. "You are so easily amused." He said lowly, rolling his eyes.
"Huh? Oh, I love looking at the stars. I always wonder how long they've been around… if they can live forever." Chase said, sighing lightly.
"That's stupid. They're not even living things." Wind sighed.
"Yeah, but... it's something my mom and I did when I was little. So... when I see the stars, it reminds me of her." He frowned a bit. "I don't remember much of her now, but... I still miss her a lot."
"Guess it's safe to assume she's not around?" Wind asked.
"She was killed... so was my dad, during the wars. It was dark, and I didn't see who it was, but... it was a Hulder, I can say that much."
Wind sighed. "Look, I just want to know one thing. Why in the hell were you so hell bent on getting the Valkyrie off my back? I could have handled them."
"Well, because they were going to kill you. I wasn't going to let them do that to you."
"Why do you care what happens to me? You and I have nothing in common. We're not even from the same clan. You don't have to do a thing for me."
"Because… that's what friends do. Maybe one day you'll see me as your friend. I mean… we're both trying to help Kapra… that's something in common." Chase shrugged. "She's special, like Ambrosia is."
"I know Ambrosia's special." A pause. "A special pain in the neck."
Just then, rustling was heard, and to their surprise, Ravyn emerged from the bushes, making sure no Valkyrie were watching. He looked over to see some of the wolves nearby were resting.
"Hey… a Hulder!" Chase cried as Ravyn approached, putting a finger to his lips. He wordlessly began to cut their binds as the pair stared in confusion.
"Follow me." Ravyn said to them.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, pal." Chase narrowed his eyes.
"Either follow me or I will return you to your prior situation." Ravyn narrowed his eyes. "Believe me, if I had not been sent here, I would not be risking my life for either of you."
"Then why are you?" Wind growled.
"Not here. The wolves are beginning to wake. Come now, make haste!" He exclaimed as the wolves began barking, pursuing them as they alerted the Valkyrie. Wildfire reached where the pole was, seeing Brooks inspecting the rope.
"How did they escape, that little Trold bastard?! I knew I should have had his head!" Wildfire shouted.
"These binds aren't undone, or loosened… they were severed." Brooks said, handing them to Wildfire. "Someone cut them loose." She said as Wildfire clenched her teeth, tightening her grip on them as she seethed.
A safe distance away, Ravyn turned to look at Chase and Wind as they slowed down. "Alright, start talking Hulder!" Chase exclaimed.
"Kid, shut up." Wind snapped, but grabbed Ravyn's collar as he shoved him against a tree. "But you can do what he said."
"You are very lucky I was not ordered to kill you, Imugi." Ravyn hissed.
"Like you could even try." Wind scoffed.
"I'll make this short, I am punished enough being about your inferior kinds. It was communicated to me that the king is making his way here, and that it is critical that you are not questioned by him."
"Let me guess… this has to do with the girl, doesn't it? Why would your chief sap not want the king to not know about her, what does he care? Oh, let me guess again… because he's probably using her for something. Do all you Hulder do nothing but con every person you come across every single day of your miserable lives? Doesn't that get exhausting?" Wind asked.
"No more exhausting I'm sure than living like a wild animal." Ravyn growled.
"Wait, you're talking about Kapra? How is she? You guys better not have hurt her!" Chase exclaimed.
"Hey. I said shut up." Wind snapped at him. "We're getting nothing out of this guy. Besides, we have better things to do. Come on." He let go of Ravyn, turning to head off without another word. Ravyn seethed, picking himself up before silently making his way back towards the keep.
"But can't we at least get some kind of news?" Chase frowned as he tried for keep up.
"No news is good news. Who knows what lies they're filling her head with. I don't want to think about it right now."
"But you wouldn't be saying it if you weren't thinking about it. There's nothing wrong with caring about someone-"
"I DON'T." Wind shoved Chase away from him, the Trold staring for a moment as he stormed ahead. "Keep up or I'm leaving you behind, kid." This was his last word for some time as Chase jogged a bit to return to his side, the pair travelling quickly in the night.
Ravyn returned to the keep, growling lowly to himself. He went to the dining hall where Arsenik was pacing around by himself, moonlight pouring in from the tall windows.
"I've done what you asked... the Imugi and the Trold are freed from the Valkyrie." He said.
"Were you seen?" Arsenik asked.
"I don't think so. I moved as quickly as I could." He replied.
"Good. Now, you will take care to remember to treat my nephew as your superior and future chief, lest I send you out on another unpleasant errand to remind you." Arsenik shot him a look.
"I need reminding?" Ravyn narrowed his eyes. "Speaking of the position, chief..." He spat the word. "... need I remind YOU all the secrets I've kept, all the messes I've cleaned up that were instigated by yourself... the lies I've kept in the dark lest everyone turns their back on-"
"You will cease this rambling this instant or I will do so myself." Arsenik growled lowly. "I actually have regret for my mistakes. I have simply accepted I cannot undo what's already been done."
"Oh, you have such great regret... I'm sure you don't regret having become chief yourself by default... and despite all the work you pour into trying to raise Viktor as one, he's still a little-"
"Get out of my sight." Arsenik glared at him angrily. "Now."
"Very well... but just remember, Arsenik... keep your enemies close." He curled his lip, storming off. Arsenik furrowed a brow as he watched him go before looking out one of the large windows, sighing lightly.
In Kapra's room, she had been sound asleep when she began to furrow her brows deeply, her breathing changing, becoming shallower. Her eyes slowly opened, her pupils a bit dilated as she slowly and stiffly sat up. Her feet quietly touched the floor, shuffling towards the door. She opened it, slowly exiting the room and making her way down the corridor.
Meanwhile, as Ravyn turned the corner, stopping when he saw someone. "Good evening."
"And good evening to you, Ravyn." Lylith smirked lightly. "Have you completed your punishment?"
He shook his head, sighing. "Please, Lylith, it's too late for this."
"Come now... perhaps you shall watch how you treat Viktor in the future, hm?" Lylith narrowed her eyes a bit.
"You may find pleasure in fawning over him, but I certainly do not. Besides, he isn't the source of my problems here... it's the girl. Have you already forgotten that she outdid you as well earlier in the evening?" He smirked as she grimaced. "Not that I share the same sentiments with all the others... She sounded like a dying feline compared to you."
"Oh, don't mock me." Lylith curled her lip. "So if the girl is the problem, then what do you plan to do about it, hm? Will you allow Arsenik to continue to obsess over her until he would be doing anything to win her favor? You know the only reason he is being so gracious is because he feels she could be the key to overthrowing the Vi. There is not a shred of care in his heart for her. That is reserved for another.'
"Did you have anything in mind?" Ravyn asked.
"Hm... we are Hulder, are we not? It is not we who do wrong, after all. Perhaps... it will be the night which takes her." As she said this, Ravyn smirked as she glanced over at him slyly.
As Ravyn was about to turn the corner, he hissed, hesitating. He hushed Lylith when she questioned him, looking at her. "The human is coming our way... stay against the wall."
She nodded, doing as he told her. They heard her shuffling footsteps, Kapra's head bowed a bit as she came around the corner. She was inches from them, stopping right in front of them and remained still. Lylith furrowed a brow, looking at Ravyn with bewilderment as he returned her gaze. They were about to say something when she resumed her shuffling, heading down the corridor slowly.
"What is she... doing?" Lylith whispered.
"... She seems to be... sleepwalking. Did you see how she did not acknowledge our presence?"
"Then why did she stop just before us?" Lylith asked, Ravyn not answering as he went to follow Kapra.
"We give her a warning. She either leaves this place tonight or she does not make it to morning, understand?" Lylith nodded as the pair followed her. As they were only a few feet from her, Kapra suddenly stopped, the pair stopping also. Lylith looked between the two, nudging Ravyn. "Human." At this, there was no response. "You will answer me when I address you." He hissed. There was still no response, Ravyn beginning to lose his patience.
"Ravyn..." Lylith pointed out that Kapra began to breathe a bit quicker, her hands beginning to tremble. "Just seize her. I will help you keep her quiet. She's acting very suspicious."
"She's sleepwalking, she's not acting by her own accord. I'll take her back to her bedchambers and we will deliver our message there-" Ravyn went to grab her shoulder, but before he was even one inch from her, Kapra's upper body suddenly swiveled around, her spine making a loud cracking sound as she did so. Lylith gasped at the body contortion, Kapra breathing heavily as she stared at them with dilated pupils, clenching her teeth.
"Don't touch me!" She exclaimed in a deeper voice than normal for her before she began to shake, gasping for air before she collapsed, passing out. As this happened, Ravyn had reeled back, drawing out a dagger as he held out a hand to keep Lylith behind him. After a few moments passed, he slowly approached Kapra, his facial muscles tightening. He raised the dagger into the air, but not before Lylith stopped him.
"Ravyn, Arsenik will retaliate against you if you slaughter her." She said as she held his arm.
"This creature must die and I will not stand for-"
"He believes she is a prize he has won, you cannot kill her, not like this!" Lylith hissed. "We will find another way." She said a bit softer as Ravyn lowered his arm, shooting a glare at the now unconscious Kapra. Just then, a pair of quick footsteps were heard down the corridor. "If he sees you here, he will suspect you. Go. Go!" Lylith hissed in a whisper, nudging Ravyn as he swore under his breath. He strode quickly, stopping just around another corner as he silently listened. Arsenik appeared then, Lylith putting on a concerned expression as she quickly went to him. "Arsenik, thank goodness! I heard a sound, and when I came here I found-" She stopped as he strode past her upon seeing Kapra, swiftly falling to one knee to check if she was still breathing.
"You found her in this state?" Arsenik asked.
"Yes." Lylith responded, nodding.
As Arsenik lifted Kapra from the floor, he pursed his lip. "Tell me, Lylith... it's unlike you to be roused from bed so late. What were you doing down here?"
"My mouth was parched." She lied, clearing her throat. "Thankfully I came upon the human here, I was about to seek you out for help-"
"Kapra. Her name is miss Kapra, and you will address her as such. She is not a lowly savage. She has earned her place among us here." Arsenik said firmly.
It took all of her willpower to not show her anger at this. "Understood." She nodded.
"You've done well, Lylith. Now, go back to your bedchambers." Arsenik said before turning, his feathered cloak whirling behind him as he proceeded to carry Kapra back to her own bedroom. Once he reached there, he laid her down gently, frowning lightly when he noticed her hands were freezing. As he held one of her hands with his own, he extended his other hand to move some hair away from her face, able to see it a bit better in the moonlight. He had a difficult time looking away, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. Realizing he had done this, he withdrew his hands, inhaling sharply as he stood up straight. He then turned without a single glance behind him, shutting the door.
Why did he feel like this? He remembered the last time he felt this strongly for someone...
That was when he began to make mistakes which he regretted to this day.
The following morning, Wildfire heard a stirring of voices, hopping up and whipping open the door to her hut as she was quickly met with Brooks, pulling her head over to whisper urgently to her.
"The king has entered our midst, he seeks you out." She pulled back to look at her with a hint of fear, looking behind her.
"Bring him here. I will speak to him." Wildfire said, Brooks heading off to do as she was told. A short time later, she returned with King Barium and another man, tall, lean, with short, cropped black hair. Wildfire stood tall until he approached, taking her fingertips to her lips before extending the same hand, falling to one knee in humble greeting. The surrounding Valkyrie followed her action before Barium motioned for them to rise.
"I hope I haven't come at an inconvenient time, Wildfire." Barium said to her.
"There is never an inconvenient time for you, m'Lord." Wildfire replied, taking a moment to look him up and down. "Come. Let me offer you somethin' for your visit."
Barium nodded before turning to his guard. "Night, wait out here." He said, the guard doing as instructed as he eyed Brooks for a moment, she returning his gaze as he stood outside the small hut.
After preparing some tea, Wildfire watched him silently as he drank. She wanted so badly for him to just say what he had to, but maintained keeping her tongue. She instead decided to focus on his features. His skin was the color of crimson, the color of blood. She secretly wondered what it would taste like, but decided to subdue such thoughts for the time being. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here." Barium said, placing the cup down.
"I cannot think of a reason for the honor, m'Lord." Wildfire replied, raising a brow.
"I'm sure you're aware- better than I, of some incident that happened in the south a few days back. A… storm, of some sort? Can you tell me what you know about it?" Barium asked.
Setting up the story… Wildfire knew exactly what- and who- this would lead to. She realized in this moment she had to be very, very careful. "This was no ordinary storm, your majesty. Not water, but darkness rained from the sky. I'm not entirely sure why you would come all the way here to talk about the weather, though."
"Because there are rumors that something else fell from the sky. Or rather... someone."
"Someone?" Wildfire asked.
"Yes. A girl, apparently... and this girl was among your people for a small amount of time before she went missing."
"Oh..." Wildfire feigned ignorance. "So that is where the girl came from. We knew she was different when we took her in. I do assume... we are speaking of the same girl?"
"Presumably, yes." Barium replied.
"I see. We were, by tradition, leaving her out in the night for the sky mother to judge her. Unfortunately, she was taken by a Trold. We could not catch him."
"Well… that's quite a shame. I'm sure that you would have notified me of the girl come the next morning and allow me to take her for questioning. That is what you were really keeping her for, correct?"
Wildfire swallowed thickly. "Of course… your majesty. I… kept her overnight in the hopes of making sure she was not too great of a threat to you."
Barium smirked a bit. "I appreciate your gesture, Wildfire. Loyalty is a powerful thing. However, let me assure you that my forces are more than capable of handling any threat to me. You know this, hm?"
"Yes, m'Lord." Wildfire nodded.
"Good. So, a Trold took her? So… that must explain why you took one captive last night." He took the cup into his hand to sip upon it, Wildfire clearing her throat as she nodded firmly. "But that doesn't explain the Imugi, does it? You know what the punishment is for unwarranted abduction of another clansperson... especially from our source of slaves. We are often in need of replacement Imugi, so we traverse there often for new selections." He set the cup down. "So I do hope you have an answer for this, Wildfire. I would hate to see you charged. You know how my brother feels about breaking the rules, and I can't always control him."
"… He had accompanied himself with the Trold that took the girl that night. I… told them of my… intentions for her, that she should be in your hands, not theirs. They refused to tell me where she is now."
"Ah, I see. Well, we've searched your grounds for… anything out of sorts, and it seems you decided to let them free after questioning." Barium held the severed binds from the night before. "So, I'll just say that was a smart move on your part. I will have to look for the odd pair on my travels. Perhaps… did they go up north towards the Trold territory, or south towards the Imugi territory? Mind pointing them in the direction of where they went?"
Wildfire hesitated. She had become caught in his trap. She slowly looked towards the small window of her hut, staring at the trees outside as they swayed to the soft breeze. She internally prayed to the sky mother to guide her, to give her the answer which would save her life. She inhaled, finally looking to him.
"South. They went south, m'Lord."
He leaned back a bit, nodding. "Ah, I remember now. Night spotted some tracks heading south on our way in here. Thank you for refreshing my memory." He sat up. "I appreciate your help in this matter, Wildfire. It won't soon be forgotten." He said before rising to his feet, Wildfire doing the same as she followed him out. "If you happen to come across anything, you will report it directly to me, correct?"
"Always, m'Lord." Wildfire said as she fell to her knee once again, biting her lip as he bid her good day. Night joined him as she heard their footsteps distancing themselves from the camp. She heard one approaching her, feeling Brooks taking her hand and squeezing it as the rest of the Valkyrie felt relief. She looked up past the tree tops once he was gone, whispering a thank you to the sky mother for sparing her life another day.
Kapra groaned as she opened her eyes, hissing as she went to sit up, holding her head. She jumped when she felt a cool hand replace hers on her head.
"It's alright." Arsenik said quietly. "Forgive me for intruding like this... you seemed to have been unconsciously wandered the halls last night. Thankfully, I found you. Do you feel unwell? Your face is pale."
She slowly sat up a bit more. "Oh... shit, was I sleepwalking again? I haven't done that in a while... started when I got on this medication."
"Ah... I see. Yes, I do believe that's what happened." Arsenik replied.
Kapra thought to herself that his hand actually felt nice against her head, the cooler temperature a bit soothing at the moment. "I've been causing a lot of trouble, huh?"
"Please, do not think this. You are the unfortunate victim of your circumstances. I was planning to hold the interrogation with the other human today, but if you are not feeling well enough-"
"I want to do it." Kapra looked up at him. "It's not something that can wait."
"Miss Kapra... as much as I greatly respect your determination, your health is more important. Perhaps sit a while and regain your strength. Here, I brought what I believe to be your favorite breakfast foods here. If you would rather spend some time alone, I will abide by your preferences."
Kapra was quiet for a moment, looking over at the tray. "You can stay... if you want." Arsenik was surprised, but delighted by this response as he smiled.
"Alright then." He looked over, noticing Kapra had already read a few chapters of the book. "You've been reading quite diligently, I see."
"Yeah... been learning a lot." She replied as she ate some bread and fruit. "The sooner I figure out how to overcome this, the better off everyone will be."
"I hate to think you are bearing this all on your own, miss Kapra. You are not alone." He replied.
She nodded. "Thanks." She smiled a bit. "Sometimes I just feel like there are certain problems can only be fixed by me."
"It may seem that way at times... but believe me... doing things on your own, unchecked, unsupported by others... it only leads to destruction." Arsenik said as Kapra looked at him. "I would not wish to see such things happen to you."
She looked down at her hands, sighing. "Arsenik... what are you really keeping me here for?" Kapra suddenly asked, admittedly taking Arsenik a bit off guard.
"Whatever do you mean? I am keeping you here to aid in your recovery."
"You don't know anything about me. You don't know if I'm dangerous."
"You aren't dangerous, miss Kapra."
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"Remember our first encounter? When I tasted your blood? I learned so much information in just a single drop. You see... everyone has their own flavor. I can pick up certain qualities, personalities. Your blood is... sweet, but not sickeningly sweet. There is a wholeness to it. But I also sensed... a certain degree of taint. Taint which is not originated by yourself. This was confirmed when miss Ambrosia reported her findings to me. I have not tasted blood with... your particular type of flavor for quite some time. It is a taste that brings me comfort, but also great sadness and longing."
Kapra stared at him for a moment. "Was it... someone you loved?"
"Very much so, miss Kapra. Very much so." He replied as she glanced to the side for a moment, placing her empty tray aside.
"I'm... feeling a bit better now... I want to see the prisoner."
"Very well. If you feel any discomfort, please alert me. I will make preparations." Arsenik said, rising to go towards the door. Once there, he stopped, glancing back at her. "You must... understand, miss Kapra... I do not say such things which we have spoken about just now to anyone. I only speak of these things to those whom I trust above all others. I... hope you think the same of me someday." He smiled lightly before bowing his head, exiting the room. Kapra could only stare at the door for a few moments before snapping out of it, pushing the blankets off her legs to get ready.
As you can probably tell, we're going to be seeing more of Pyramus in the next chapter- will he reveal his secrets to Kapra and the Hulder? Is Barium one step closer to finding Kapra? Find out these answers and much more in the next update! Thanks again for reading, and see you next time!
