Home / Fantasy / The Dark Protector / Chapter 2: Merethyl

Share

Chapter 2: Merethyl

Author: Cooper
last update Last Updated: 2023-02-07 01:34:46

“Yhendorn, what are you doing? We need to get down to dinner. You know mother will be mad that we’re late. We have guests.”

“Mere, you worry too much. Mother won’t be mad at us.”

“She won’t be mad at you, you mean. You can do no wrong in her eyes. She’ll probably blame me for us being late.”

“You realize, you’re acting like a 5-year-old, not a one hundred and five year old?” He says.

“I’m still young by elven standards. It’s not my fault that there is such an age gap between us. I’m sure mother felt that there was no way she could have a more perfect child than you, so it took father nearly 50 years to convince her to conceive again.”

“Bitterness is not becoming in a Princess.” He says to me.

I roll my eyes behind his back. My brother is the perfect Prince. And he’ll make a great King one day. Me, on the other hand. I’ve always been the wild child. Ready to explore the world, question everything and endlessly test my mother’s patience. Or at least, that’s what she always says to me.

As we enter the dining hall, filled with our people and those of the visiting elves, my mother rushes over to us. “Merethyl, Yhendorn, I’m so glad you could join us.” She says through gritted teeth, giving us 'the look'.

“It’s my fault, mother, I caused us to be late. My apologies.” Yhendorn says, knowing my mother will never believe that.

"Of course you are. Come. Let me introduce you to our guests.” She says, giving me a glare. My brother turns and winks at me. I shake my head and follow them.

She guides us over to a table where I can see that a Lord and Lady have brought their daughter, their very eligible daughter I'd guess, to meet my brother.

Before I can get away, he grabs my arm, turning as he pretends to hear something only to speak quietly to me. “Leave me and I’ll never forgive you.”

“Mmhmm.” I acknowledge, turning to look in the direction he is looking, making it seem as if we both heard something.

My brother and I have been doing this for decades. He and I agreed long ago that when our mother tries to hook us up with someone, the other won't leave their side, no matter how awkward it gets.

“What are you two looking at?” Our mother asks, trying to redirect our attention. “I want to introduce you to Lord Luthais, his mate, Lady Penelo and their daughter, Lady Shaerra.”

We nod our heads in acknowledgement. "Good evening." Yhendorn and I say.

“And please let me introduce you to my children. This is my son, Yhendorn and my daughter, Merethyl.” Our mothers says.

“It’s very nice to meet you all.” Yhendorn says.

“Yes, very nice to meet you.” I say.

“Merethyl, why don’t you come with me? We can let Yhendorn sit with them and get to know them better. It’s good for the King to know his subjects, wouldn’t you agree?” She asks Lord Luthais.

“It is.” I say, butting in before Lord Luthais has a chance to answer. “And as my brother’s trusted advisor, I think I should stay and get to know them as well. Thank you so much, mother.” I smile at her quickly before turning and dismissing her. I see my father's head duck at his table, hiding his smile in case my mother turns in his direction.

I see my brother’s lips twitching as he pulls out my chair, and we sit down. For the next hour, we listen to boring tales of all the wonderful things that Lady Shaerra has done and what a fantastic mate she will make some lucky man, aka my brother, if he’ll have her.

We’ve just about finished eating when I hear a commotion outside. I turn, looking at Yhendorn, but he doesn’t seem to have heard it. I tune in and I hear it again.

“Yhendorn.” I say quietly, putting my hand on his arm. “Do you hear that?”

“Mere, I’m in a serious conversation here.” He says, thinking I’m trying to get him out of a conversation, but that’s not it.

“Yhendorn!” I say more forcefully, just as the windows all around us shatter and tear gas grenades are launched into the room.

I grab my brother and pull him down to the floor. “We have to get out of here.” I say to him as everyone around us begins screaming and running. Shots ring out everywhere, hurting my delicate ears.

“We need to get to our parents.” He says.

“Okay.” I say and we’re just about to move toward where we know they are sitting when I hear my father’s voice.

“I am King Thallan. What is the meaning of this?” My father says coughing through the gas.

A man in a gas mask comes in, walking up to my father.

“Ahhh, the Elf King. Surrender or die.”

“Surrender to whom? Who are you?”

“They call me The Chief. I am a scientist, and I am here to collect you and your family for my experiments. Now, if you’ll just point out which ones are your family, we can take you out of here, unharmed, before we kill everyone else.”

“How dare you?” My mother says, moving to stand beside my father.

“I’m guessing you’re the wife, mate, whatever you call yourselves.”

“Yes, I am Thallan’s mate, and you will never take my family.”

I only have a moment to be thankful that she didn’t say my son and daughter, letting him know that we are here, when he pulls a gun and shoots my mother in the head.

I sit there in shock, watching as her body falls to the floor. Her head, with the hole in the dead center, faces me. Her eyes are open and unseeing, her mouth still open in her final state of shock.

I hear a scream before a hand clamps over my mouth. Yhendorn leans close to my ear. “We have to move now. They want us. We have to get out of here.”

I feel him tug something off my head, my elvish crown, before he begins pulling me away. Just before I turn, I see my father turn on the man in the mask. His gun moves to my father and in a moment, my father is lying dead beside my mother.

Yhendorn begins dragging me down the hallway. The air here is much clearer, and I take gulping breaths as I hyperventilate.

“Did you…did you see…”

“Pull it together, Mere. We need to get out of here. You heard them, they want to experiment on us. We’ll be lab rats until the decide to kill us. I need you to focus. We need to get out of here, now.”

I nod and follow him as he tugs me down the long hallway to the secret passageways. They’ve been here for centuries. Yhendorn and I used to play in the them when we were kids. But, I haven’t been in them for over 80 years.

We’re almost there when we hear someone behind us.

“Hey, you there, stop.”

“Run Mere.” Yhendorn says and we rush to get to the secret passageway. Just as he reaches to open the panel door, a shot rings out and Yhendorn slams against the wall in front of me.

I scream, grabbing him as he crumples to the floor. “Yhendorn!”

“Run, Mere. You need to run.” He says before he loses consciousness. I don’t know if he’s just passed out from the pain or if he’s dead.

I don’t run. I stay with my brother, holding his head in my lap until they rip me away from him.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Comments (1)
goodnovel comment avatar
Amapola
Too easy for the hunters
VIEW ALL COMMENTS

Latest chapter

  • The Dark Protector   Epilogue 2: Avani

    After Enki was born, Merethyl and I spent one more week together, letting Merethyl readjust to the loss of dragon DNA in her system. I had noticed it after Gaia’s birth, but I’m noticing it even more now, her body is absorbing dragon DNA every time she gets pregnant. She still had some dragon tendencies after Gaia, and now, after delivering Enki, she has even more. Her ability to cdonnect to me mentally, sift through my memories and thoughts, is nearly as strong as mine. It doesn’t bother me that she has the abilities that she has, it’s more that I’m worried about the long term effect of her body taking on the dragon DNA. Once things are settled with this assassin, I'll be taking her to visit the doctor. When we get back to the elf lands, I know I can’t stay long. I’ve been out of the hunt for two months and Ancalagon is still missing. But, when we arrive and my little girl, now nearly 8 months old, comes toddling out of the castle, her arms raised to me, I refuse to leave without sp

  • The Dark Protector   Epilogue 1: Merethyl

    Four months later We still haven’t found Ancalagon. I’ve searched with Avani periodically, but between our daughter needing her mother and my belly starting to grow with our son, I’ve stayed home more than I’ve gone out with him. A few months ago, Ishir started finding shifters that had been murdered. At first, it was a rare occurrence, one in the first month. We assumed that it was some sort of lucky hunter kill. Then there were three more in the month after that, then more. Lately, it feels like Avani and Ishir are finding a dead shifter or supernatural every few days. Not only that, but the ones they are finding now are apex predators or leaders of their supernatural groups. Avani had told me that they had found a high priestess of a coven along with a very powerful warlock. Avani has refused to allow me to leave the pack lands in the last month and has asked Kenna and Bajaro to guard us. Kenna is happy to stay here. She wants to protect her mate, even though Yhendorn doesn’t lik

  • The Dark Protector   Chapter 75: Avani

    Being loved and cared for by my mate goes a long way to making me feel better. I’m still distraught, still angry that I can’t find my son, but at least now I feel like I have the strength to start again. I fly Merethyl to Cedric’s pack lands. I already knew that Zephyr wouldn’t be here. She hasn’t stopped and unlike me, she doesn’t have a rider to care for her. I know Mere thinks that Ishir is her mate, but without being claimed, the draw to her son, the need to protect him, will be stronger than the draw to her mate. When we arrive, I pull Mere into my lap. She is all that is keeping me sane, having to be here, listening to this when I should be out searching for my son. I know this meeting is important, but I’m struggling with this feeling of helplessness and weakness. ‘You’re not weak,’ Mere says in my mind. ‘Or helpless, and they may be able to help us. It’s good that we’re here.’ Kaylani begins telling us that the most recent dragons that they have found are hybrids, all of th

  • The Dark Protector   Chapter 74: Merethyl

    Zephyr told us that she had left Ancalagon with the mountain goat shifters, while she went into town. She was oddly vague about where she was or why she was gone, but it doesn’t matter. Ancalagon should have been safe. He’s nearly a year old now. When she had returned, Zephyr said she could smell death and the paralytic. The hunters had killed all the goats and paralyzed Ancalagon so they could take him. Zephyr had been frantically searching for a day, when she finally gave her dragon’s call, knowing she needed help. We began searching immediately, Avani tearing apart every hunter’s lair and laboratory that we could find. He had contacted Ishir to get more intel, but he wasn’t able to tell us much. He gave us a few more laboratories, but most of them had been destroyed when Kaylani, Cedric and Ishir had hunted them down, rescuing the dragons. I had to split my time, hunting for Ancalagon and taking care of my newborn. I love my time with Gaia, but I worry about my mate every moment

  • The Dark Protector   Chapter 73: Avani

    I walk Merethyl to the stage that is set up for the event. As his only living relative, she will be leading the coronation ceremony for Yhendorn. She looks gorgeous as always, but dressed as she is right now, the royal blood in her is much more obvious. She was meant to be a queen. I’m just the lucky dragon that gets to claim her as MY queen. She stands beside Yhendorn, who also looks regal in his dress robes. Merethyl begins speaking in elvish. I don’t understand the words, but I understand the intent as I sift through her mind and feel the words she’s speaking. A peace settles over the people, an acceptance of their new King. I look out over the elves, watching as they begin to sing and chant in Elvish. I look behind us at where Kenna is laying, being here for her mate in her dragon form. The air around us begins to feel magical and I look over at Bajaro. She’s holding Gaia and I swear, my daughter looks like she’s paying attention. Maybe she is, both Mere and I have the earth as

  • The Dark Protector   Chapter 72: Merethyl

    After Avani dropped me and Gaia off on the mountain and went to get me some clothes, it wasn’t long before I hear an eagle’s call. I look up to see Shiv and it’s only a moment later when I hear Bajaro in her hyena form and Kayid in his fox form yipping as they run up the side of the mountain. As soon as she gets to the top, Bajaro shifts and walks toward me. “Please tell me you’re going to let me hold that little one.” I walk to her, putting Gaia into her arms. She immediately starts to purr, gently rubbing her face over Gaia’s. “Bajaro, meet Gaia,” I say, stroking my daughter’s hair. “She’s beautiful. She smells like you and the earth dragon,” Bajaro says quietly. I can tell that Avani was right. She will want to be a surrogate mother to Gaia and will protect our daughter with her life. “Speaking of the earth dragon, where is he?” Kayid asks. “He went to get me some clothes.” I say, watching as Bajaro begins humming a strange tune that I’ve never heard. It’s a gentle but hauntin

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status