Chapter 10 – Movements in the Dark

Darkness. The frigid sensation of flight, high above the heads of unwitting enemies, the chilling wind biting at her snowy wings, seeping into her back. It was a temporary sensation as the Galra base began to center below her position, but still bone chilling all the same. Almira's body floating high in the air with steady beats as she prepared to descend, helmet picking up the air shaft through which she was to enter, a green rectangle flashing and magnifying on her screen to alert her of its precise location in the black morning. For all the tension that threaded through her body, the anticipation of the sudden drop that had to be precisely coordinated with the temporary skewing of security cameras on the Galra base to obscure her entrance, her mind remained calm, choosing to focus and prepare her body for the descent. All was quiet, placid in the dead of night.

Clicking and various beeping sounded in the background through the audio connection, the familiar sound of Eaghan clearing his throat alerting Almira to a change on their end. "Are you directly above the base?"

"Yeah." Her eyes never once left the pipe shaft, focusing with clear intent. "Ready when you are."

"On my mark, we'll be skewing the images on the cameras. You'll have ten ticks from there."

"Got it." It was all information that she had been rehearsing and constantly reviewing in her head since her meet up with her brother and their assistant, Ten, that morning. She had been running through their plans every second of her journey from her home to this current moment in the air, mentally checking back up plans and reviewing emergency tactics. There was no room for error, and Almira knew that she had to get things right. The stakes were high, but her knowledge of the plan was as intimate as could be. She was ready.

"Three, two one. Mark!"

Twisting and dropping out of the sky, she angled her body so that her feet were aimed at the ground below. Diving headlong into the shaft would have been a terrible idea, as she would have needed to change her direction before entering, which would only slow her descent. Her entrance had to be fast, given the time frame. Gut levitating in her torso, she swallowed hard, keeping her wits about herself as the air raced over her uniform. It was bound to be a rough entrance.

The shaft approached quickly, and she kept her eyes trained on the entrance, adjusting slightly as she drew closer and closer. At the last second she willed her wings back into their hidden position, vanishing them just as she slid into her destination. Safe, out of sight, and now adjusting to the sense of claustrophobia that bubbled in her chest, she drew upon her powers to soften her descent while simultaneously using her feet and hands to grasp the chute. The darkness of the small space consumed her vision, and her eyes strained to see the end of the tunnel she descended.

Eventually her pace slowed to a gentle hover, meticulously guiding herself down the chute without smacking the weapons on her back against the cool metal that surrounded her on all four sides. A hazy gray blip in the distance gradually became clearer on her monitor, and she softened her drop to stare at the grate that separated her from the next room below.

She couldn't believe her luck. "I'm at the bottom. Looks like I'm in a vehicle bay." With what little visibility she was offered, she picked up rows upon rows of various crafts along with a small number of automated sentries. While there were few offensive aircrafts, the majority of them boasted various means of transportation and cargo builds. "Few weapons, save for the guards. Mostly cargo ships."

"Can you get in?"

Almira wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained, only a sliver of sarcasm lacing her voice as she replied. "I've limited visibility, but I doubt a grate and a handful of robots that don't have enough common sense to look up at the ceiling will cause any issue."

Taking her time looking at the grate that barricade her entry, she furrowed her brows in confusion. From what she could see, there were no screws to loosen, no bolts to untighten. In fact, they were hidden so well from her view, she almost began to doubt her statement. Was she truly about to be locked out from the only entrance afforded her? Obviously she could slice through the metal with her blades, but that would have created a stir, the entire point of her secret mission blown. But this grate was proving to be too well made, too—

Ah.

Lifting her feet off the object in question, she pressed into the walls of the shaft in order to support herself. Hovering, suspended in the air, she took her one free hand and pulled up, half surprised that it worked, half irritated that such a simple mechanism had almost had her reaching for one of her daggers. Muttering a curse under her breath, she carefully pulled the grate into her grasp, tucking it underneath one of her arms. Then, she slowly began to lower herself into the space, first peeking her head into the room and looking around. When she was confident that no one would witness her drop, she fell from the sky and ducked behind a cargo ship, wedging herself between it and the wall.

Safely hidden for the moment, Almira reached into one of her pockets, withdrawing a handful of security drones of her own. Barely half the size of her own eye, each one flickered to life and began to fly away, darting through the air. It was mesmerizing to watch the small mechanical flies take off into the air and disappear without a second thought. "Drones active."

"Starting scanning now."

Almira herself had been on the design team for the little creatures, although many of the current modifications and vast improvements had carried out after she had left the tech savvy brigade of her brother Akil. With the drones zooming through the Galra base and capturing critical information of the infrastructure of the building, all she had to do was wait. Senses alert and ready for any disturbance, she crouched in the darkness.

"It looks like a lot of our guesses had been correct about this building, although there are a couple of sectors that are being clarified."

A duo of sentries walked into the room, oblivious to the new combatant that lay hidden in the shadows. "Do you have visuals on a kill switch and backup generator?"

"Give us a minute." It was Ten that responded this time, the rapid clicking of his keyboard picked up by his monitor and sending nervous chills down Almira's spine. For every second that she lay waiting in the dim purple lighting of a foreign base seemed like a minute, stretching into eternity. Ten couldn't answer fast enough for her liking, and Almira found herself exhaling a sigh at his response. "Found it. Exit through the north entrance, then take the first right. You'll have moderate sentry coverage until you get closer to the building's core."

To her fortune, the sentries that had paraded through the vehicle bay had exited through the West entrance, situated directly across from her position. Rising from her hiding spot she skulked along the walls, darting through the northern entrance, the doors opening and closing without discrimination. From here on out there seemed to be a labyrinth of hallways that all looked the same, with the same stale purple lighting and cross sections that were evenly paced. Still Ten never failed to give her the proper directions, with Eaghan occasionally pointing out troop movement from his own monitor. With coordination and a bit of luck, Almira found herself speeding through the halls in the proper direction.

It was after nearly ten minutes of heart-stopping mad dashes and halts that she finally came to a large door that screamed of its self importance, waiting to be opened. Narrow, yet looming high above her heads, she shifted her weight from side to side as she waited for either Ten or Eaghan to get her an answer on how to open the door. A hand scanner was placed on the wall to the right of the doors, and Almira didn't want to think about what would happen if she placed her own hand on it. But as the seconds drew on again, she began to get nervous, head on a swivel as she watched for guards even though she knew that Eaghan was on sentry duty from his position. "Come on, guys," she grimaced, arms crossed, "what's going on?"

"We're sorry," Eaghan pleaded through the line, although his voice was strained as well with frustration. "We can't get a reading on exactly what kind of security is on this door."

"It's a biometric system, I can see the hand scanner on the door."

"Yeah, but there's something else."

"Incoming, Almira." Eaghan's voice broke over Ten. "On your six, twelve seconds until visuals."

Swearing, she put her hands on the door, eyes closing as she began to concentrate. Her consciousness extended into a small gust of air that snaked under the door and up into its inner workings. It darted between gears and fiddle with various components, pulling and pushing until finally, something gave way. A hiss sounded, and her mind drew back into herself as she pulled away from the doors, the object in question sliding open without hesitation. Almira barely had time to dash inside before the doors closed, locking her inside a new room, completely isolated.

"What did you do?" It was Ten's voice, breathlessly coming through the speakers. "I couldn't even hack into the biometrics fast enough."

"Wind bender hack." The next room before her was just as purple, except with the major difference of a gigantic crystal hovering in the center of the room, hooked into the walls. Without a doubt, this was the primary source of power in the facility, and Almira found herself striding forward with both reckless confidence and awe at the sight before her. "If you're careful enough, you can use air to put pressure on different mechanisms inside doors or other things."

The technician let out a "huh" before the vicious clacking of his fingers could be heard in the background again. Tilting her head, Almira stared in wonder at the crystal before them, various information screens popping up in her visuals as analysis began. Her curiosity did not stop her from striding up to the central control panel, although she was disappointed to look away from the sight as she began to scrutinize over the panel's many functions. "Talk with me, Eaghan," she said as she crossed her arms. She would rather not put everything in danger by accidently flicking the wrong button. "What do I need to do?"

"Lift your communicator panel on your forearm to the screen. I'm going to initiate a hack on the system. You shouldn't have to do much of anything, but stay alert."

Doing as the tech genius commanded, she watched as the panel lit up and went to work, staring in wonder as Ten worked his magic. The terminal on the Galra station mirrored the power up as various screen were flicked through, a sorting game as the distant hackers worked to overcome the security systems. It proved to be a simple feat, as a screen similar to what Almira would have guessed was a "power down button" flashed onto the screen momentarily at the end before the panel went dark. Instantaneously, the facility followed suit, a groan unleashed through the building and some sparks flashing from the crystal as the tide of energy decreased. A brief power outage was followed by emergency lights booting up, the entire room taking on a more ominous feeling that matched Almira's gut feeling about the mission.

"Done. The entire facility is running on a backup generator. I was also able to shut down all communications, so they won't be getting any help any time soon."

"You're up now, Almira." The command from her brother sent a shiver down her spine, anticipating hiking up. Their part was out of the way, and now it was time to get dirty.

Unsheathing her sword, she twirled it around before readying herself to exit the door. She heard the approach before the door had even opened, cleanly slicing their bodies in half and frying the circuits of the sentries who had come back, most likely alerted to her presence and tampering with the generator. They felt to the ground in an unceremonious thump, and she stepped into the hallway with senses on overload.

"Tell me why those sentries weren't shut down."

"All active sentries will continue to roam the base until out of their own power. The facility wide shut down prevented any more from being loosed from their charging stations. You won't be going scott free."

Almira scoffed. "When have I ever?" glancing around, she noted that there were no other robots in sight yet. "Tell me the base is at least sealed."

"Confirmed. All exits are shut. No one's going anywhere."

"Which means the same for you." Eaghan's voice was tinged with worry, but Almira brushed it away.

"That's a problem for when I'm ready to leave. Where am I going next?"

Right on cue, a new schematic lying her path out appeared in her helmet, and she looked distractedly as she heard another whir making its way down the hallway. Standing still, she stretched her hand out, sensing the small flying droid from around the corner and easily crushing its small, spherical frame. Eaghan's voice came back in as she turned around, scanning her surroundings once more. "We found what appears to be a series of holding tanks at the back of the facility. It's the most suspicious thing we've found so far."

Taking a better look at the map, she headed down the hallways to her left, increasing her pace to a slight jog. "I'm on it. Any updates on the rest of the attack?"

"Wind benders are commencing their attack in thirty minutes. Voltron and the rest of the forces are still in preparatory phases."

"Good. Keep me updated."

Free to move about the hallways with little worry, Almira's sword was likewise free to taste the metal of the sentries that had the misfortune of crossing her path. With almost everything down and out for the count on the Galran side of things, the forces in the base were scattered and disorganized at best. With every small wave she found herself growing more and more bored with the enemies that practically threw themselves in her path, although her mind remained sharp as ever, watching for new threats. The launch time for the wind benders was drawing close when she finally arrived at the mystery room that Eaghan and Ten had marked for her to explore.

Unlike the door to the crystal generator, this one seemed plain. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and Almira had to pause in front of it. "Are you sure this is it?"

"Positive. The interior seems like some sort of containment center, but we need you to get eyes first hand."

"Here goes nothing." She muttered to herself as she placed her hands on the door again, feeling for the right gears and locks to push and prod. In just a few moments she managed to crack the door open once again, stepping into the space.

The first thing she noticed was the containment pods that lined the walls. Each was filled with shriveled corpses with some that appeared to be asleep, others whose eyes stared unseeing into the distance. They were submerged in some sort of liquid, wires sticking out of their gaunt bodies to keep them securely in place. The room glowed purple just like the rest of the base, a sort of watered down intensity thrumming due to the backup generator's power, but this room alone held a distinct sense of foreboding and deathly curiosity.

The next was the smell. Antiseptic and hospital grade sanitation sent shivers down her spine, an unnatural sort of vibrancy coming from this room in particular. Even the floors seemed that much cleaner, the walls that much shinier, the deadened air that much more crisp than any other place she had been in the facility. Underneath the harsh cleansers lingered something metallic, a smell that Almira had difficultly placing yet knew from some memory of her own.

But it was the air that clued her into the fact that something was desperately wrong. The space was too still, too pristine. Had she been any other person, she would have halted in her tracks. Yet her feet kept moving, carrying her deeper into the space. The air did not stir, did not move, save for when she moved through the space. It was too quiet; surely in such an important looking portion of the base there would have been at least one or two scientists manning whatever dastardly equipment they had.

Light footsteps traveled with uncertainty further into the room. Almira was passing the tanks, trying to figure out just what these creatures were. It was hard to tell in their late stages of deterioration, and nothing seemed easily discernable through the liquid in which they floated. But she made her way to the other end of the room, its contents ominously shrouded in darkness. As she edged closer, her stomach dropped instinctively. She knew she shouldn't have looked. But before she could stop, the lights flickered on.

"What do you see?"

A hand instinctually raised to her mouth. But she made no noise, refusing to even breath for a moment.

"Almira?"

"Captain?"

A pair of wings. No, not just one. Another three to the right. And to the left. Stretched as though to test the limits of how far they could spread, they had been suspended in a glass case, the trappings of a most heinous hunter. Desperate to see something else, her breath left her in shock as she stared into the distance. There were not seven cases of wings. Behind each of the seven cases stood row upon row of additional cases, each filled with wings of various colors, shapes, and sizes.

"This isn't a holding tank," she whispered, frozen in place. "It's a trophy room."

Pressing a few buttons on the communicator on her forearm, she began to broadcast the sight in front of her. She barely heard the gasp of Ten, Eaghan's vulgarity, as she wove through the cases, swinging her head left and right. It was mindboggling. Hideous. And yet, she found herself entranced. Someone had the forethought to think this through; this was no accident. This was meticulously done.

She would have recognized those plum colored wings anywhere. A cry wrenched itself from her throat as she ran to the last row of displays, hands banging against the glass as she looked the downy feathers up and down. All this time, she had held onto the hope that Lavena had simply disappeared into the caverns. Almira had managed to fool herself into keeping the hope that her eldest sister was alive; with the planning of the mission and attending Voltron, she had been more than busy. But as her fingers traced the glass, twitching in desire to grasp the feathers in her hands once more, it all came to a halt.

But nothing made sense. Why, of all places, would Lavena have been brought to a Galra base? Had she been kidnapped? It was the only possible answer, but even as Almira's brain ran at a thousand miles an hour it seemed impossible that the Galra could have raided one of their most well protected and hidden homes. Questions upon questions, she only felt her chest sink at the fact that she would have to tell Arden and the queen mother about this revelation. She could see the queen sink to her feet, Arden's silent tears as the two would cling together.

So absorbed in the horrific display and tangled in her own thoughts, she hadn't noticed the shadow creeping up on her, stalking her every move from the corners of the room. It had been following her every move since she had opened the door to the room, had sealed the door shut behind her and locked it without her knowing. Unwittingly she had become the prey, and the predator was hungry, thirsty for blood. Emerging from the shadows and materializing behind her the creature drew a spark, caressing it and amplifying it into a thunder strike, ready to annihilate the poor prey that had stumbled into its domain.

Almira heard the charge before she saw anything, turning sharply before gaping at the massive figure before her. A hooded figure donning a white, bird like mask towered above her figure, unleashing an unearthly shriek as she turned to face it. She nearly stood motionless in fear, so caught unaware by its sudden appearance that she barely had time to dodge the strike, warping to relative safety at the other end of the case of wings. Ducking behind a case, she flinched as the strike destroyed the glass cases that had been protecting the severed wings, standing up and readying her sword to face this new threat.

It had not moved from its position, merely turned its body to face her head on. For a moment they simply stood, staring one another down. Almira's golden eyes desperately roved over the haunting mask with yellow slits, trying to determine exactly what the creature was. Never in her life had she encountered such an advance being before; it certainly wasn't Galra, as its mastery over the energy blast had revealed. She would have thought that this thing could have been a renegade Fleogan, but the way that the energy reacted also dispelled the claim that they could have been a wind bender. They did not manipulate the space around them, rather drawing from a power within their own bodies. And that, frankly, was the most terrifying prospect. How much more energy could they dispel?

But it was sure to charge again. Sheathing her daggers at her hips, she pulled out a small metal bit, popping it into the air and releasing the mechanism that expanded the piece into a full length lance. As soon as the creature saw her move it shrieked, darting forward and vanishing into thin air. Lance now in hand, Almira looked around confusedly before hearing the static energy charging once again behind her, ducking and rolling just in time to avoid another shot. Eyes narrowing, she charged in its direction, leaping into the air in order to attempt to catch the creature off guard. Swinging the weapon in a swift arc, she jerked in shock at it vanished from beneath her once again, appearing a few feet to her left. There was barely enough time to block the hands that reached out against her, but the physical block allowed Almira to put pressure on the creature. With a cry she pushed the wraith back, twisting mid air and delivering a sharp kick to its head. It emitted another shriek, stumbling and disappearing into thin air once again.

"Almira, you need to get out of there. That creature's being fueled by some sort of energy source, and it's not getting any weaker."

Eaghan's voice had her bolting for the entrance, colliding against it as it refused to open. She hit it with her hands, groaning. There was no time to consider her misfortune however, as she heard the now distinctive crackling of energy that the creature wielded. Turning around, her eyes widened as she saw it rapidly approaching for another attack, flying in her direction.

She rolled to the side at the last second. There had been little else she could do on such short notice, but she managed to take another jab at the wraith as its hands had crashed into the doors, slicing partially through the metal and momentarily incapacitating it. She felt her blade slice into flesh, heard the half shriek, half wail of the creature as it retreated. So it was a corporeal form; the white haired captain had been half certain that the creature was some sort of ghost, considering the way it moved. But this realization did little to calm the racing of her heart. Standing up and focusing her energy at the door, she blew it to smithereens, a spark and explosion of wind ripping the entire piece apart. She had created enough of a hole for her to run through, and she seized the opportunity, dashing back into the hallways.

"What now?" She was now running without any discretion, desperate to outrun the wraith. Coming upon a four way intersection, she resolved to turn left, knowing that it was the general direction that would lead her to some sort of exit. Before she could take a step in that direction, the hallways to her left and right both burst into flames inexplicably, forcing her to pause and instinctively block her face with her hands. The only paths still available were the ones ahead of her and behind, but upon looking back she saw the creature slowly advancing, encroaching at a languid pace. Mind made up, she advanced, desperately running away. "Get me something, Eaghan!"

Another explosion sounded further down the hallway. "It's cutting off all potential paths. It looks like it's cornering, or pushing you somewhere."

Almira cursed. As she approached the next intersection she noted the burning floors once again, her only option to arc right further into the base. It was without a doubt pushing her in some direction, but where?

The helmet thankfully had a filter to keep the smoke out, but the fires were getting hotter and hotter. Tossing a glance behind her, her eyes widened in fear and realization. The creature was beginning to advance, igniting the path behind her in flames. She was boxed in, running for her life down a fiery gauntlet that could potentially lead to her death. Sprinting down the hallway, she couldn't help the memories and images that flashed through her head.

Eaghan. Lavena.

The flames were only growing hotter, sweat running down her spine both from the temperature outside and the exertion her body was placed under. If she were to continue running for much longer, she knew that her legs would begin to ache.

Arden, I'm sorry.

A door appeared at the end of the hallway, the intensity of the flames beginning to grow even hotter. She had to make it.

"You're coming up on another storage room. Something big is in there." There was little hope in Ten's voice as he spoke quickly, the knowledge apparent on both ends that she was running headlong into a situation where she would be at the complete and utter mercy of whatever was inside. The fact that this was the potential hold for something even more dangerous, more sinister than the dissected bodies of Fleogans should have sent a massive warning sign through her mind, but there was nothing save for the desire to escape her current situation. Behind her, she heard the creature's guttural chuckle accompanying the crackling of the flames that threatened to consume her, licking at her heels.

Raising her free hand, Almira prepared to rip another hole in the door. Her efforts, however, were put on hold. She barely heard the creature charging another blow, powerless to do anything to stop it. A bolt collided with her back, and she screamed as her body flew forward. The doors slid open in time to let her body slide across the ground; she curled herself into a ball as she crossed the threshold and whimpered, attempting to gather her wits about herself. She could still feel bits of lightning licking her limbs and flickering around her body. If something were to kill her now, she was completely open for an attack. Mentally, she braced herself for the pain.

But nothing came. After lingering on the ground for a moment, she pulled herself onto her hands and knees, ripping the helmet off her head as she dry heaved onto the floor. The captain had never experienced anything like that blast. Her entire body felt like it was stabbed by flaming pinpricks, searing the nerves in her body and forcing all her muscles to convulse and clench at the same time. Almira's head was drenched in sweat from the chase, the flames outside, and the physical exertion her body had been put through, including the sprint and the convulsions from the attack.

"So you're the rat they sent."

She wanted to lay down and sleep for a thousand years. But Almira forced her head up, sitting on her knees as she took in the sight before her, golden eyes widening again.

The room was massive, almost empty save for the various stations that lined the walls. Nearly two hundred feet ahead of her was the biggest holding tank she had ever seen, with a vaguely more familiar sight perched on the remains of a rotting log. With a shriek it lunged at the glass wall, talons scraping against the surface but doing no damage to the cage. Tawny wings beat powerful strokes as it hovered in the air, its eyes possessed as it stared into the room defiantly, daring anyone to approach it. Almira gasped in awe. "A griffon…" This was what had been pulled out of the Shendian; a legendary creature who had been lost to time, it had been assumed that all of the proud race were dead. But apparently not so, as the griffon released another demonic shriek, barreling into the wall again.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The voice called out again, and Almira's eyes found a Galra scientist, standing halfway between her and the glass cage. The man didn't even flinch as the poor contained creature raged and flew in fits about the prison, only looking with ill contained interest at Almira's figure on the floor. "But vicious, and unwilling to cooperate. Just like everything else on this planet."

Almira found herself hating the scientist, from the look of his lab coat and deteriorating physique. She had half a mind to run her spear through his gut, but the wraith conveniently appeared just behind him, flickering into view and staring blankly through that haunting mask it wore. Its appearance gave her pause, a moment to reconsider her options as they stood seemingly miles away from her position. The scientist was a small threat, considering the wraith and the enraged animal that continued to howl from its cage.

It was clear that he took her silence as permission to continue. Uncrossing his arms, he placed them on his hips. "I might be willing to spare you, if you come quietly." His voice turned quiet, almost pleading. "After all," he spoke gently, "family helps family."

"What?" Disgusted, Almira rose to her feet, shakily. She was still weakened from the blow she had taken, but she still spat upon the ground, readying her spear behind her and crouching into a defensive stance. "You bastard!"

"Come now, that's no way to speak to someone who knew your mother?"

Faltering for a moment, she readjusted her grip on her weapon, maintaining a terse look on her face. "You know nothing. She died after I was born."

"But who was her kin? Her father?" Even from halfway across the room, the man's bright yellow scleras flashed in a menacing manner, begetting the sense of familiarity he had falsely adopted. "Her mother?"

The white haired girl found that she could not answer. Sealing her lips, she maintained her stance, neither faltering nor advancing. It was clear that the scientist, however malicious and brooding he seemed, had answers that she had sought after for years, somehow. Perhaps it was a lie, all to goad her into making the wrong decision. But the truth had been obscured for so many years, she was at heart desperate for any information, and this Galra knew it. He cackled, throwing his head back. "You poor child! You've served at the hand of the king and never knew you were Galran yourself!"

"No!" That was an outright lie. She knew it. It had to be. There was no way she shared a drop of blood with the monsters that murdered her people.

He ignored her outburst, pressing on. "Your grandmother ran from her home here, into the wilderness of Fleogas. And there she somehow bewitched a native to fall in love with her, begetting a half breed daughter." Pointing an accusing figure at her broken figure, which seemed to droop with every sentence directed at her heart, his expression melted into solemnity. "My mother was a fool, running off to corrupt our line. We would have been respectable, had she not gone off into the wilds, abandoning everything she had here!"

Cold realization washed over Almira. For a moment her voice froze, the connections coming together in an ill fated constellation. "You're…" She choked, half unable to face the facts, but unable to contradict his claims. "My uncle?"

The scientist scoffed. "I'll never be related to such a insult to our line. In fact," another sinister grin took over his face, "did you see my masterpieces?"

"You mean those wings?" If she had been hesitant before, fire began to flow through her veins. This was the creature that dared desecrate the bodies of her people, seemingly at a whim, at the behest of his ignorant assumptions of his superior blood. Seamlessly she slid into a different stance, this time ready to attack at a moment's notice. Molten eyes narrowing, her voice was laced with a vicious venom. "You're a monster."

"Your mother's wings were among that collection. I still remember how she screamed, how she bled dry."

"Blood is blood," Almira spoke solemnly. "Yours will stain the floors of this room."

"Oh, but there's more I'm sure you'd love to hear." His face split into another grin. Even though she had been shocked with these revelations, she imagined that there was little else that could surprise her.

She was wrong.

"Don't you know that it was your king himself who sent you on this mission?"

AN: Just imagine me, driving down the highway, middle fingers up because damnit I'm going to finish this story one way or another. We up in this now, boiiiiis

If you couldn't tell, we're really ramping up the action in this story. Hopefully I've done enough set up, because the content in these next chapters may seem like they're coming at you really fast. Yay! We're getting it done!

As always, thank you for your kind words and reviews everyone. I really appreciate y'all helping me get out of that writer's block/ bog. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story by the end of this year (wow... this story as a whole is over a year old now?). Please leave a review or a comment and let me know how I'm doing! Love you all, and as always, have a great week. :)