Chapter 5 - Blood Oaths and Betrayals

Kade’s POV

It's been 3 days since the attack from the deathly dark beings called Wraithborn. Ever since that night, Nyra has been unconscious. I've called in expert healers from around the quarter, yet none of them have been able to bring her back. They kept saying the same thing, "she'll heal, just give it time."

So, I'm deciding to focus on other problems, for example, "how the hell did the Wraithborns manage to break through the veil?" I barked at my father's most trusted ally, the guardian of the veil."

"Hello, Kade. It's good to see you." He responded calmly. 

Frost-bitten leaves crunched under my boots as I approached the grey-haired man.

"Don't test me, Eryndor." I whispered in a quiet voice with a sharp cutting edge." "You have watched and guarded the border day and night for many years, even before I was born. You must have sensed their presence before the rest of us. You knew they were coming, so don't play dumb with me."

His eyes scanned me like grizzled steel, without warmth or animosity. "Your accusations are as heavy as the metal chains used for prisoners in the Abyss."

"That's not an answer, old man."

"Do you think me so careless? Or rather, cunning?" He asked.

"I'll decide on that when I get the necessary answers."

"This right here," he said, tapping the crest stitched on his chest, a symbol other than the stars, "does it look like a joke to you? I took an oath, a vow to protect the veil at any cost."

"Yet, the wraithborn managed to pass the veil and harm the people you swore to protect."

"They didn't pass through the veil!" He barked. "This wasn't a spontaneous attack. It was planned, premeditated. They've probably been waiting, observing us. It's no news that our wards are strongly fortified."

"What are you insinuating?" I asked.

"I'm not insinuating. I'm telling you there is no way they came through the border. A tear in the veil would have raised an alarm." 

"Not if they got help from you."

"I had nothing to do with this. Why would I willingly put my people in danger?"

"You're the only one old enough to have that knowledge. I agree the attack would have been unsuccessful without a traitor, but you're looking in the wrong place."

"So you know something. Now, tell me, who was it?" My voice was harsh and loud; I had lost every bit of patience I had left.

"Alright. I'll tell you what I can. I am not your enemy. I'm not your friend either. There was a breach somewhere, but it wasn't the breach. You're correct, they got help from inside, but it wasn't me."

"Then who was it?"

Ï can't tell you that, you have to figure it out on your own because even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. Your enemy is really close.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out eventually. The truth would always come out. Until then, watch your back. Sometimes, those whom we call family inflict the deepest wounds."

"Watch your mouth!" I snarled. "If you think my family would betray me, you're mistaken."

"Have you forgotten so soon? Your father was a man of many secrets."

"Secrets that led him to an early grave."

"Secrets you never got to hear. Secrets that question every single thing you've believed and fought for. They were no ordinary secrets."

"You speak of him as if he were noble. We both know how much blood he had on his hands. His greed and insatiable thirst for power made him dangerous even to his own people."

"He built an empire from ruins. There would have been no veil without him."

"As if that is enough justification for his vicious acts."

"I am well aware of his shortcomings, but I'll respect him until my last breath. He had many burdens or secrets, as you might call them, but they were not without reason. He kept them from you to keep you safe. His ways might not have been perfect, but he cared deeply for you."

"I didn't come here to have you taint my memories of my father."

"The attack was no accident, I assure you, but you're chasing the wrong target."

"I wouldn't hesitate to slit your throat if I have to. Who was it?"

Eryndor's voice thundered with heat for the first time since I've known him.  "You embarrass yourself by being so blind. I swore an oath to protect. The one who betrayed you lies within your castle."

I ground my teeth in anger, "If I find out that you have anything to do with this or so much as told a half-truth to me, my face would be the last you'd ever see."

His lips curled in a grim smirk, "Be prepared for the truth when it comes because it surely will," he called as I walked away. I couldn't take my mind off what he said. His words crawled across my mind all the way home, but as soon as I arrived at my castle, the thought of another consumed my mind. It was none other than Nyra.

Though dimly lit with torches, the hallway was quiet, but I could hear her heartbeat. As I neared my inner chambers, a part of me wished to see Nyra sitting conscious and alert in her bed. However, to my utmost disappointment, she was still unconscious, in the very spot I'd left her in earlier.

But something was off. Her chest was heaving visibly, and her heart was racing faster than the average wolf's. I wasn't sure if it was normal or abnormal because I'm still uncertain about what she really is. I pulled out a book to distract myself from thoughts of Nyra. I flipped open the first book I found, scanning through the yellowed pages filled with legends, rituals, and curses. It was unimportant, but I kept reading until I found something interesting. 

"On the night of the blood moon, the Wraithborn will answer to the one chosen by its light," I muttered aloud. That doesn't make any sense, mainly because the wraithborn have no light; they are as dark as night. I'm sure a drunk witch probably cooked it up one night, and they thought it was one for the books. This isn't what I need right now. I need to forge weapons. I need an army. I was just about to shut the book when I noticed cramped red ink at the bottom of the page, "Watch out for the Hollowborn, for when she rises, every blade, veil, coven, and pack, will surely fall. She is the beginning of the end."

"Hollowborn," I whispered with a trembling hand and the taste of iron in my mouth. I slammed the book shut, sending a gush of cold night breeze across the room, but something colder settled inside me.  

If what I had just read was true, then Eryndor's warning had a deeper meaning. The attack was never about crossing the border. It was about something far darker.