Chapter 13 Chimera and Nagga

I dreamed of blood.

A drop of blood falling onto a cup. As it rippled a new image formed. A light and a dark figure growling at each other. The darker figure stood tall, towering the lighter figure. The darker figure snarled and lunged at the light. The smaller figure went underneath and tackled the dark figure. I heard them snarling at each other.

I was confused, but the more I tried to focus the more clear the image became.

The darker figure had the front body of a lion and the back body of a goat. It has two heads. No three. At the very front it has two heads. A lion, with it's fangs smeared with dried blood, and the other a goat, it's longhorn sharp and erect. It's tip has a bit of flesh on them. The other head was at the back. Or more likely to say the tail. The snake head was hissing and snapping at the air, trying to intimidate their opponent. My heart pounded inside my chest as realization dawned on me. It was a Chimera.

I focused on the other figure. It was a large version of Custard when he transformed back into the woods. Only this other wolf was bigger. What's more weird about it is that this particular wolf had blue tattoos on it. Something tugged at the back of my head. I know this wolf. And something tells me from my connection with Custard that this wolf is....

"Nagga." I whispered. As soon as I mentioned it's name, the white wolf turned it's head towards me. It's red eyes glistening with intelligence. It's ears perked in recognition and it's tail wagged slowly. Nagga was a majestic wolf. He was so beautiful and mesmerizing to look at. Suddenly it snorted as if saying 'took you long enough'. I thought that it was addressing me, but I realized that it was referring to my wolf - Custard. Wherever he is I assume that Custard and I were sharing the same dream.

And Nagga can see us both. Suddenly Nagga raised it's head in the air and howled. Wind rushed towards me and I was pushed back to reality.

I gasped as I woke up. Sweating heavily as realization dawned on me. A chill fell down my spine as the thought sank in. I looked around me. I was back in my room and fully changed into my pajamas. My head still had the remainder of pain from my headache. But it was much more bearable now and I can finally see that I wasn't alone in my room.

Nate was sitting on a chair with his head resting on his hand. Dan was completely down on the couch. Ren was sitting on the floor right beside my bed. And PRINCE Ace...

"Took you long enough." As mentioned, Ace was there. Sitting on a sofa beside a balcony with a book in hand. "I thought you would never wake up."

"Must you always look like a villain?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Must you always be a damsel in distress?"

"I hate you."

"Right back at you." He said. "You've been asleep the whole day yesterday. You must be really hungry. Since you didn't have anything to eat yesterday."

It was true. I have not eaten since yesterday and..."Wait what!?" I yelled in surprise. "I was asleep the whole day!?!?"

At my outburst, the princes woke up. They all jumped up in alert instead of falling to the ground like I would have.

Geez. These guys are always ready for battle. I sighed in jealousy at their reflexes.

As soon as the princes saw me they all jumped on the bed, which woke up Custard. The poor baby wolf immediately ran into my arms as the princes crowded me.

"Are you okay?"

"Does your head still hurt?"

"Ren was beside you the whole time. Fun fact." Dan earned a hard slap on the face from Ren.

"That's because you wouldn't share the couch you greedy bastard!"

I smiled weakly. Even Ren and Dan's bickering couldn't cheer me up this time. "I'm feeling better now. Thank you." I turned to Nate, who seemed surprised. "Thanks for helping me yesterday."

Nate placed a fist on his lips and looked away for a second. Was he trying to hide his smile? I don't know. Ah nope. He was just coughing to clear his throat. When he turned to me he was grinning like an idiot and trying to act like his typical playboy self. "Does that mean I get a kiss?" He winked.

"Not even close." I laughed.

"If you want to kiss Rose, you have to kiss me first." Dan said arrogantly in challenge of Nate. He was sure that the vampire would back out of his threat. "Huh. I knew it would work."

"Brother, you are sick in the mind." Ren looked at his brother with disgust.

"It's for your own good. Don't you judge me!"

Nate contemplated. He looked at me and then he looked back to Dan. He shrugged. "I think it's worth it. Come here, Ren."

"It was Dan." I corrected Nate.

"Okay. Dan, come here and pucker up." Nate reached out to grab Dan's cheek. Dan saw him coming and jumped back. He was scared.

"What are you doing!?"

"If I have to kiss you to kiss Rose then I wouldn't mind."

"You are sick!"

"Nobody is kissing me!"

"Except my brother!"

"Don't drag me into your stupid schemes brother. Rose and I are best friends."

At the mention of best friends, Dan's face turned red and he looks like a tea pot that's about to blow. He was angry. "FOR THE LAST TIME YOU TWO ARE NOT BEST FRIENDS! YOU TWO ARE MA-" Before we could find out what Dan was about to say, PRINCE Ace got up. "ENOUGH!" He yelled.

Ace glared at each and every one of the princes before he locked eyes with mine. He strode in my direction looking as pissed off as ever. "You. What is it?" He asked.

"What is what?"

"I was just getting to the good part." Dan grumbled and kicked a nearby chair and shattered it's legs.

"Silence!" PRINCE Ace yelled. "Tell us now what you're hiding."

"What? I don't know what you are talking about." I averted my gaze knowing fully well what he meant.

"I have been watching over you since you woke up. You seem troubled. Tell me, did you dream of something?"

I looked away and sighed. Why must this PRINCE have to be so observant?! "I'm not in the mood to talk about it right now."

"So you did have a troublesome dream. And judging by your expression, it's not just an ordinary dream. I know a linked dream when I see it."

"A linked what?"

"Someone or somebody was calling out to you. Trying to send you a special message or a warning. It's rare but I have seen some gifted elven folks having it."

At his words I despaired even more. It only solidified the bad news that I was holding. "Leave me alone, I want to eat." I said looking away from the rest of the princes. Custard snuggled closer to me and comforted me. I may not be wise at solving dream codes, but for some reason Custard as I have the same idea.

"Answer us first." Ace demanded.

"I'm not in the mood." I said and got up from the bed. I was headed for the door when Ace blocked my path.

"If it's important then we need to know. Now." He inched his face closer to mine. He was trying to intimidate me into telling the truth

"Back off!" Ren got up with a snarl. He got in between Ace and I. "She said she wants to eat. Unless you want her to starve to death that is. I appreciate you helping her when she was sick and I am sorry for calling you a monster before. But can't you just be a little more sensitive to her situation? And what is up with you getting so angry all of a sudden?"

Ace narrowed his eyes at Ren. Then his eyes laid on Ren's hand touching my arm protectively while I was behind him. Ace gritted his teeth and turned back heading towards the door. "Do what you want. If she becomes sick again, you take care of her." And then he was out but not without slamming the door behind him.

"I see." Behind us Dan hissed. "Another love rival. Damn it!" At that we heard Nate face palming himself at Dan's behavior.

I sighed in relief. My hands trembled at my sides and I clenched them to hide it. The memory of that Chimera and Nagga. And how Nagga reacted to Custard.

My head jerked back to my bed, remembering my little wolf spirit. Custard was sitting on my bed looking at me. His head down and his posture was slouching, seeming guilty. Looking at him, I could tell that we had the same dream. "Custard, come here." I beckoned and noticed how shaken that little wolf was when moving. I picked him up as soon as he sat in front of me.

I looked at Ren and others who were still giving me worried looks. I sighed and gave them all a small reassuring smile. "Well? Are we gonna sit and gawk all day or are we going to eat?"

__________

We ate together at lunch. Well all except the king and queen. And of course, PRINCE Ace. Everyone was pretty quiet except for Liliana, who was constantly bugging Ren about trying the food on her plate. "I have hands and eyeballs, Liliana. I eat what I want and I am perfectly capable of feeding myself." Ren snapped.

Both of them were sitting across from me so it was pretty hard not to ignore them. Nate looked pretty amused sitting at the other side of Liliana. He took it upon himself to hand over plates of food to her saying, "Ask him to try these. It's good."

"These are his favorites."

"A special bond will form when two souls eat this at the same time."

I couldn't help but give Ren a look of pity as he struggled to eat in peace. I noticed Dan wasn't eating, so I looked at him. I saw him stare at Liliana. Then I looked at Liliana and raised an eyebrow.

I looked at Dan again. His hand was clenching his fork.

I peaked at Liliana trying to feed Ren. Dan, now stabbing his steak and taking a huge bite out of it. I gasped.

I saw Liliana hugging Ren's arm.

I looked back at Dan and saw him munching on his food aggressively and a grin began to spread on my face. A very unpleasant grin that when Dan noticed me looking at him, he gasped and choked on his stake. He grabbed a water and drank in big gulps. "Geez. What are you, a serial killer!?"

I was still grinning from ear to ear and pointing at him with my fork. "YOU LIKE-" Before I could finish, Dan shoved a huge slice of stake in my mouth and dragged me out of the room and yelled. "Oh no. She is choking. I will save her. Do not follow us or she may die seeing your ugly faces." He said dramatically as he dragged me, slightly suffocating, outside.

I was able to breathe once he let go of me. I grabbed a stake off of my mouth and started to nibble on it. "What?" I said in a mouthful of steak when Dan gave me a look. "You can seriously eat anywhere, can't you? We need to work on your manners."

"Hey, you were the one who dragged me all the way here." I reminded him and finished off the rest of the steak. He handed me a napkin to wipe the grease off of my hands.

"If I hadn't, then you might have said something that will make me want to deck you." He warned.

I paused and looked up at him. A grin spreading over my lips again. "So," I said teasingly. "You like her? Liliana I mean."

Dan looked surprised. "W-what? Don't be ridiculous! I have no such feelings for her." I stared at him. Really. Starred. At. Him.

"Are you being serious right now? You just-" I didn't get to finish what I was about to say when a hand covered my mouth.

"Hey! What are you guys doing there?" Ren suddenly popped up behind me. "Oh hey, Rose. Mind if I take Rose for a bit? I need to speak with her." He told Dan and did not wait for his reply as he dragged me away to who knows where. "Alright. I think it's safe to talk here." He whispered.

Getting the hint, I bit on his hand that still covered my mouth. He let out a yelp and finally released his hold on me. "Good. Good." I said sarcastically. "Now, would you mind telling me why you dragged me here?"

Ren glared at me while still shaking his hand. "Well I can't let you ruin my entertainment."

"What entertainment?"

Upon my question, Ren straightened with an arrogant stance. "Well, child. Once upon a-"

"Oh just go straight to the point!" I yelled.

"Hey hey! Patience my dear. You wouldn't know if I didn't start from the beginning."

I groaned. "Oh-heavens-kill-me!"

"It all started 10 years ago. The first time we met Liliana." Ren went into his narrator mode which made me roll my eyes.

"Let me guess. Love at first sight?"

"Jealousy is appreciated, but only at a right time." He glared. "As I was saying, the first time we met Liliana, was during a conference for the higher ups. Her parents brought her along with them to formally introduce us. She was a very stubborn girl and wouldn't bother to talk to us at first. That afternoon Dan and I realized that she was missing."

"Oh no! A boogeyman took her?" I said and earned another glare from wolf prince over here. "Fine fine. Please continue." Boogeymans are real!

"Dan and I went in separate ways. But of course, being the paranoid big brother, I was also worried for my baby brother. So to say, I followed him." He grinned. "It wasn't long before he saw Liliana. She fell in a small crevice and couldn't get out. Of course my baby brother, being a little smart turd, made a rope out of vines by enforcing them together. Soon he got Liliana out of that hole." Then Ren started tearing up. "Well, as you would have remembered, I told you that Liliana actually likes Dan, right? But still she clings to me?" I nodded. "Well it's because when Liliana ask for which twin he was that day, he answered my name instead of his." Ren let out a heartfelt laugh. "The little idiot! It was obvious that they made a bond at that time."

"Hang on. They made a bond?"

"It's what us Beast Men do. Kind of like our inner spirit telling us that we found our soulmates. At that time, their inner beast was telling them that they are potential soulmates."

This time I was getting more and more confused. "Ren, I don't get it. If at that age their beast were telling them they are potential partners, then why is Liliana your fiancé and Dan being a weirdo in denial?"

"Actually I can't say Dan is in denial. More like he doesn't get it. But Liliana does. That whole fiancé charade was just to make Dan jealous and snap him out of his idiotic state."

"So you mean," I trailed off. "Dan is in love but he doesn't realize it?"

Ren grinned and nodded. It wasn't that long until the both of us doubled over laughing. "Oh man I know you guys are idiots but how can people not tell when they are in love?"

"I know right?" Ren laughed. "I mean, Dan has his wolf to tell him about his soulmate, but he is too dense to figure it out."

"I bet his wolf must be frustrated." I added.

"For sure. All those years-"

"Rose!" Our conversation was cut short when we saw Nate running towards us. "Rose it is urgent. You must come to the Queen's office." Nate said. His face was grim. "Come on." Ren and I looked at each other one last time before we followed Nate.

In the Queen's office everyone was already there. Well the queen and all the princes were there. "Rose." Said the Queen. "We have news regarding the rogues." She gestured towards one of the chairs in front of her. I sat down and waited patiently for what she was about to say. Her brows creased, which made me conclude that whatever it was, it wasn't good. "The rogues want to perform a ritual using your blood." She paused. She was looking at me, trying to read my expression.

"Um." I started awkwardly. "Don't we know about this already?"

"Stop being rude in front of the Queen." PRINCE Ace hissed.

"Stop being rude in front of the Queen." I mocked and rolled my eyes at him. If the Queen weren't here he might have thrown a dagger at me or something.

The Queen cleared her throat, the universal language to catch everyone's attention. "As I was saying. Yes, King Ferius needs your blood, but there is a very special item that they need to acquire. A chalice of some sort. We have not clue what it looks like-"

I was suddenly thrown back into my dream at the mention of a chalice.

"-there are a lot of magical chalice." The Queen continued, but my mind was already elsewhere. In my dream I saw a cup. But not it wasn't a cup. It was a Chalice being filled with blood.

"We don't know that color or what material was used for it-"

'A drop of blood falling onto a cup.'

"The chalice is made out of wood. Oak wood. The very first one." I cut her off. I don't know how I know the specifics, but the words just formed right out of my mouth. My heart was pounding rapidly as the images from my dream started to visualize clearly right at this moment.

'As it rippled a new image formed. A light and a dark figure growling at each other'

I saw Nagga in my dream. He wasn't just a symbolic image. No. Nagga was there. With trembling hands I looked up to the queen. "I think Nagga is alive. And he is trapped with the Chimera."