Chapter 12. No flames please.

12

I must have fallen asleep, because someone was shaking me.

"Night hunter, get up!" I grunted and slowly opened my eyes. Black was there, kneeling down beside me.

"What? Just leave me alone." I said pushing him away.

"The queen ordered you fifteen minutes ago, so you better get up." I nodded and rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a thump. I picked myself up and walked slowly to the door. Black ride walked behind me, but I didn't ask why.

The royal chambers were busy. People were rushing with towels, bandages and liquids held in weird shaped bottles. Oxanna sat at the back, watching everyone. I walked straight to her, narrowly missing someone with a bunch of towels in their arms.

"You wanted to see me your highness?" I said.

"Yes night hunter, I wanted you to come with for a walk" I was surprised.

"You want me to come on a walk with you?" I asked. The queen laughed.

"Yes child. That is what I said." She got up off the chair gracefully and walked slowly out of the room. "Aren't you coming child?" she called, and I hurried after her.

She led me into the court yard, and sat down on a bench.

"Back in the royal chambers, you kept on calling me child. Why was that?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

"I called you child, because you are one. You are the youngest warrior in the world. All the other warriors who have qualified are in their late 1300's." I was silent while I thought about that. "And you could probably beat most of them too."

"Wow. My mother would have been proud." I said thoughtfully.

"She still is" the queen said.

"What do you mean? My mother left 500 years ago"

"And now she's back."

"What? You mean here? She back here? Right now?" I said excitedly. Oxanna nodded. "Well, where is she?"

"She's up in your room, waiting. I just needed a distraction while she got up there."

"Was that the people running about?"

"Yes"

"Well, can I go see her now?"

"Soon. Very soon. I just need to talk to you first. Nobody has told her about your brother. So don't mention it when she asks about him. Just say he's gone somewhere, but he hasn't told you. I'll tell her when she's ready." I nodded and ran back to my room without even saying goodbye.

I burst into my room and saw my mother sitting on my bed. Her tail curled gracefully round her arm, showing the three red rings on it. She sat like a proper lady, back straight and legs crossed. She had many more swords, knives and daggers than me. When she moved her weapons clanged together. I bounded towards and hugged her. Hard.

"Mother!" I cried

"Darling! It's so good to see you! Wow, you've grown so much! I can't believe I wasn't here to see it!" she said in her smooth voice.

"Well, you're here now!" I said.

"Yes I am, darling. I heard something special about you!" she said playfully.

"Really what is it?" I asked.

"I heard that you are the world's youngest Appian warrior!"

"Yep. It turns out I am. I just found out a few minutes ago"

"Really?" My mother and I talked and talked until Holly walked in with hope. Hope still had two red lines of blood running down her face, but she was better.

"Hi night hunter, I tried to clean up Hope the best I could. Who's this?" she said looking from me to my mother.

"This is my mother." I said.

"Oh, hello" she said and blushed, as if she should know who my mother was. Holly took hope to the bathroom, to clean up the rest of the blood.

"Who are they? They're human." My mother whispered.

"That's holly. She's one of the gifted, and she's my human. That's Hope, Black ride and I found her beside the lake, half dead. And now we found out she has a power. She has visions of the future and present." My mother nodded. "There is Sarren as well. I don't know where he went, but he is veela's human."

"Ahh I see. But why are they here? Have they shown power yet?"

"No I had to bring them here for their own safety."

"Why?"

"Holly's boyfriend was an immortal host. I had to kill him."

My mother looked shocked for a second, but then relaxed. "Well done honey" she put her arm round me and hugged me. "I have something to ask you. Where's dying thorn?" she asked suddenly.