“Thank you,” I said, once the fighting was over. “I greatly appreciate your help. I promise you, my father, the Alpha, will hear of your bravery and reward you accordingly.”
The ginger haired woman handed one of the men her big axe and walked towards me with her right hand stretched out. Her firm grip took me by surprise. For a moment I thought it she was trying to threaten me like most men do when they pretend to be friendly in public, but her smile and calming gaze quickly put an end to all thoughts of malice.
“Don’t worry yourself about it. What kind of people would we be if we didn’t help other people in need?”
People! What is she talking about? And why is her accent different from Monica and the other humans I have met.
I was somewhat relieved to see that Monica looked as confused as I was. Seeing as I was the one who had started conversing with her and whose hand was still in a death grip, I decided to continue playing the role of ambassador.
“Forgive me, my lady, but what do you mean by people?”
“Oh I see! You’re a Kelorian aren’t you?”
“A what?”
“A Kelorian. It’s what me people and I call you people…. I mean creatures, of Kelor. To answer your question, people are what you would call creatures. Speaking of creatures, what kind of creatures are you? So far we’ve met only two kinds but we’ve been told that there are more.”
I was about to ask her a question when suddenly, she pushed me to the side and quickly placed her hand on a knife’s hilt tucked underneath her fur coat. At the same time a sound of swords and axes being unsheathed in unison came from behind her. The men seemed ready for combat, all except one dark haired one with a medium height and dark eyes. Although he had his axe in his hand, he didn’t stand at the ready like everyone else.
“What’s that?” she asked. It took me a while to realise that the ginger haired woman was talking about Leon, who before this moment was a few feet away kneeling besides a dead horse. The fog had gotten thicker and had concealed him completely but now that he had stepped out of it, the humans could see a stream of blood stains that run from his mouth all the way down to his boots. Even I had to admit that he looked like a dangerous creature, or rather a dangerous Kelorian, as we are now being called.
“Wait!” Monica said and quickly jumped in front of the ginger haired woman with arms stretched out wide. “He’s with us.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing. He was feeding on horses that’s all.”
“And why was a human feeding on living horses?”
“He’s a vampire, not a human.”
The woman looked at her men questioningly. They either shook their heads or shrugged. Turning to Monica she cocked her head to one side and asked, “He’s a what?”
“A vampire!”
“I’m not deaf, I heard what you said. What I meant was what is a vampire?”
“How can a Kelorian-human not know what a vampire is?” I asked.
“We are Vikings not Kelorians.”
“And what exactly is a Viking?” Leon asked.
“I would need a whole day to explain that to you.” Sif replied. “So how about we make camp and you explain what a Vampire is before I tell what makes a person a Viking?”
“That sounds fair enough,” I said. “And tomorrow we will continue our journey.”
“Where are you heading?” Sif asked.
“To the land of the fairies.”
“So are we.”
I couldn’t understand where, and how, Sif and her men could have met A’el. Whatever the case, I was eager to hear her side of the story.
************
Prince Valark had his back hunched and his head lowered. His long wavy hair covered his face and swayed in rhythm to the sluggish movement of the horse. For fear of having to lift him off the snowy ground and back on his saddle if he should fall off, I slowed my horse’s pace until his horse was by my side.
“General Gunther, how far are we from home?”
“Not far, just one more hill to climb and we’ll be there.”
“Father is going to kill me.”
If he is going to kill anyone it will most likely be me.
We had fought off the black eyed invaders with every ounce of our strength, but more of them kept coming and more of our dead kept changing. I was forced to retreat and eventually abandon the small town. The following day, I woke up to the screams and cries of some of the locals who had fled with us. I had rushed out of my tent to find more of the enemy’s numbers in our camp. Only after the chaos had subsided did I understand that the enemy had not attacked us but had turned those who were gravely injured into their kind. They lacked reason and emotions. They only seemed to be filled with blood lust as they attacked their family and friends without mercy.
After we had put them to rest, I made it a rule for all those who were injured, mild or otherwise, was to be kept a few feet away from the main camp. It wasn’t easy to rip children from their mothers arms or to tear apart loved ones who held on to each other, but it had to be done. It turned out to be the best course of action for none of the injured were with us now. After the second night, most of them either took their own lives or chose to be laid to rest for fear of turning into those shrieking creatures and murdering their loved ones. Without food or water, we slowly made our way back home.
As we descended the final hill, the capital city came into view. A light grey stain on the snowy canvas below. The last time I had rode into the city I had felt proud and I smiled and waved at any of my kind who stood along the streets but today, I couldn’t bring myself to look at any of them. Worse still, I couldn’t even look my King in the eye when we reached the castle gate. He and his queen had come out to welcome us but I’m grateful that they didn’t throw out a parade or roll out the red carpet.
The queen rushed to Valark’s side and aided him down his horse. Barking at the castle servants she said, “Get the people food and shelter. Dedicate a room in the castle for the wounded.”
“There….There aren’t any wounded, mother,” Valark said.
“What happened?”
“The boy needs to rest, let him be,” said the king.
“No. I’ll rest once I’ve given my report.”
The king nodded and proceeded to lead us to the castle.
We walked past the servants as they ran up and down carrying out their various tasks. In the hallway that led to the Council room, a servant firmly held my hand forcing me to stand next to her as the others walked passed us. Only when they where an earshot away did she lift her head and look at me.
“I’m glad you are alive,” she said as she shoved a letter in my hand.
Her disguise was perfect and I wouldn’t have noticed her if she hadn’t shown her face. “Mage! How did you get in here?”
“Don’t worry yourself with my secrets commander. What you need to be concerned about is the contents of the letter. When you’re done, come and meet me behind the stables with your letter, tonight.”
“Is there a problem?” the queen asked. I was surprised to see that they had stopped walking and were waiting for me a few feet ahead.
“No, my queen.”
The mage bowed like any other servant would do and I left her alone as I joined the royal family. Once we reached the Council room, the king ignored all matters of courtesy. He simply pulled out two of the closest chairs, gestured for us to all sit while he remained standing.
“Now, tell me exactly what happened.”
To my surprise, Prince Valark began to narrate the events. I was even more surprised when he told the king of his own attempt at mutiny. However, when he got to the fight in the small town, the boy could barely speak. I took over the narration and when I was done the Council room fell silent. It was as if the king and queen were too stunned to say anything.“I apologise for my foolish behavior, my king,” Valark said.The king moved close to his son and laid a hand on his shoulder. “We live and learn from our mistakes, my son. I hope you’ve learnt from yours.”Turning to me, he said, “Tomorrow we set out with our best and put an end to this shrieking infestation. Send a letter to the Human Queen, The Fairy Queen and The Vampire Count, tell them what has happened and what we will be doing about it.”“Why are we informing the humans and vampires?” I asked.“Deven uncovered a lot while you were away. He sent a letter, once he arrived at the fairy’s capital, informing us of the origin of
I knew I was going to be late. It's funny how parents tend to give so many orders to their children but offer little time for those very same orders to be carried out. I quicken my pace and the drumming echoes of my footsteps bounce off the grey stone walls of the castle corridor. The echoes grow louder and louder by the second, and I catch the attention of a Castle Guard standing near one of the pillars. I don't recognize his face, but the flaming-glare he throws my way sends my spirit into a fighting stance. His eyes are cloudy and swollen. Must be one of those pure-breed lunatics and a drunk one at that. I hold his gaze, hoping he will make this easy, but he doesn't back down. When I get a little closer I let my eyes glow red. He slowly lowers his gaze like a piece of paper sinking to the bottom of a lake. I can’t help but grin as I hurry along the corridor. Why do most of them contend with me? I didn’t choose to be born a half-blood, nor did they choose to be born outsid
“The timing of this report is troubling,” the King says. “Is there something more to it, my lord?” “The humans have gone to the creatures they fear the most and offered them their blood? And all this at the time we get reports of some human-like beings causing death and destruction to the towns near our south-eastern border.” “My lord,” the queen says. “What do you mean by human-like beings?” “Our commander has received reports of human-like creatures with black eyes attacking two of the towns closest to the border we share with the humans. Apparently, these creatures have killed nearly everyone there and my people failed to kill a single attacker.” The queen widens her eyes and stares at the army commander. “It’s what the report said, your majesty.” he replies as little rivers flow freely down his face. Presently, she narrows her eyes as if peering into the depth of Gunther’s soul, searching for the smallest speck of a lie. Finding none, her face heats up with rage, but like th
********** "Our chief will be the first to set foot on the new land." Ragnar had said when we saw a shimmering silhouette, floating in the distance. He is an excellent ally, a great counsellor and a loving brother. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead, me body turning to dust or giving life to the crows and other animals back on our land. If not dead, then I would be drowning in a lake of self-guilt and sorrow or wandering in the dark corridor of me heart, not wanting to get out but to walk forever and find no rest, no light. Me sorrow’s rising to the surface, threatening to overwhelm me. Not now Sif, I tell me-self. Not in front of your people. The voyage across the sea was long, too long. I lost track after sixty-nine suns and sixty-eight moons. After that, we lost 5 ships to storms and 10 ran away on the night of the 27th moon. I don't blame ‘em, but am grateful that Ragnar, me younger brother, is still by me side. I spare a glance at him and our father is engraved heavily in h
“Marriage! To who?” “Who do you think?” “I wish you and Valark all the best.” “Ha.Ha. Very funny, my love.” Is this really happening? For a short moment my body forgets how to breathe. “Who proposed this plan? Was it your mother?” “Does it matter?” Yes it does. “Well… it….” My heart moves up to occupy the space where my voice originates from. Taking a few deep breaths, I try to regain my trail of thoughts only to abandon them in favour of a new one. “Are you accepting this plan?” “Are you against it?” Will you please, just answer my questions? “I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter.” “My thoughts aren’t important, Prince Deven.” Prince Deven! I’d rather drown in the sea than hear her say my name like that. “Your thoughts are important to me, A’el.” I take her hands in mine and I can feel her trembling. She tries to free herself but I hold on to her. I don’t want to marry her, but I don’t want to lose a close companion either. “Please drop the royal act and ju
The first of them charges at me and swings his claws towards me head. I duck under his arm and let Ragnar deal with him. I hear the sound of flesh being ripped apart by steel. “Great Chiefs! What are they?” Ragnar asks. “They are flesh and blood,” I reply without looking back. “Didn’t you see what just happened?” What’s he talking about? I keep me eyes on me next attacker. She approaches me while hopping from side to side. What fighting skill is this? I swing my axe at her head and she crouches under it. Her claws rip into the side of my clothes but do not penetrate the chain amour I have underneath. I turn around and feint an attack from above. As my axe comes down, she steps to one side and I shift my body to adjust the motion and thrust of my axe. Just as I am about to cut her in half, another native pulls me down from behind. I release my axe, hoping that it will do the job, as I roll on my back and pull out my knives hidden in my boots, and remain crouched on the ground. I
********** “Prince Deven,” one of my servants calls with his head sticking from the other side of my bedroom door. “Yes?” “Prince Leon’s envoy has arrived.” “Thank you,” I reply as I pull my cloak from my bedside and put on my boots. Perhaps I can get some information beforehand about this blood treaty. I step outside and see the envoy coming up from the gate like a giant serpent. Not a single horseman or carriage is out of line as it moves up the road. Bending its head, it turns and moves on past the main castle door and only stops once the last carriage is in front of us. One of the servants opens the door and a human lady with a lean figure steps out and moves aside. I find her outfit to be rather amusing. Leather pants, a shirt, and light leather armour. I take note of a knife hidden in her left boot. Leon comes out after her. His dark cloak droops around his shoulders just like his black hair. If someone were to take a quick glance at him, t
********** I wake up before sunrise and make my way to the stables nearby. I tell one of my men to alert the others as I intend to leave earlier than was originally planned. I find the young lady who gave me the letter and give her my response to this friend that I have stumbled on. “Make sure that our friend gets this.” “Yes, or no?” she asks. “You don’t need to know that.” “Actually, I do.” “And why is that?” “I have prepared two methods of delivering your response, but it all depends on your answer. Lying to me won’t help you. Is it yes, or no?” Whatever it is, it’s not like you would confirm it? Or would you? “That would be a yes.” Her eyes glow as she stares at the envelope. She blinks a few times, dispelling the glow in her eyes before raising her head with a smile. “Thank you for not lying to me. I will send it right away, Commander.” She tucks it beneath her cloak and I watch her leave. Just as am about to turn away, she motions to a group of children playing in the