Chapter 10-Land of Nod/Adah

Don't worry, I won't try anything, even though I want to. Prestiney pulled away and swung to catch her smirk just before it slipped off her face as Miah turned to leave.

"Little sis, touch my cookies, and you are dead to me! I swear I'm going to kill you and watch your dying eyes with a grin on my face. " Miah responded as she went to the door.

The younger Fae was looking at her as if she was measuring what coffin would fit her the best and gave her a small smirk. "Himp! As if I won't fight you, but trust me, I'll give you to the monster before you can even take that sword. " She repeated, stepping aside as a sign for her to leave.

This wasn't over, you pig. I'll make you disappear in a blink within this week, and I'll feed your heart to the dog. "

"We don't have a dog, you dickhead," Pristina screeched.

To the calf:

"We don't have a cow, you stinky brat,"

 

"To the horses."

"Not to them... they're not even yours," she replied, and more name-calling and squealing erupted as the sisters continued to squabble.

Minutes passed when Miah masked her surprise as one of the messengers of Fae was running towards them. Her heartbeat quickens as she runs after her friend.

Miah spun her head to look at the young Fae, Chiprey. He was breathless and scared.

She was a messenger fae of the grassland, slim and a little smaller than she. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were cast downward in a mournful gaze. His mouth was set in a semi-pout, his eyes full of sadness and weariness. There was more to this young boy than just a fellow Fae. Miah was startled at the emotion in his tone.

"Bad news," he then said, the color drained from his face. Miah's mind was distressed with emotions; her lips pulled tight. She couldn't bear to see her friend suffering. Her smile faded. She got up and closed the distance between them. She reached for his face, soothing the side of his cheek with her fingertips, and whispered, "Chip, tell me what happens, okay?"

He opened his mouth to talk, but no words came out. Miah waited and observed the boy. "The Fae of the South were coming," he swallowed, "and we're making our way north right now."

She went white, nodded her head in understanding, and stepped back. They were not alone, so she kept her comments to comfort, meaning only for him to hear. She doesn't want him to break down.

They have your human companion, the skinny one with blue eyes. They held him hostage. " He continued.

"Nathan?" she asked. Her lower lips quivered.

"How?"

They took him while he was in the lake, fishing for something. That's what I heard from an acquaintance. They brought him to the Dark Forest and bathed him in the Golden Pool. "

"This is not good... Oh, poor soul... My guess is that he was already dead! " Prestiney added, and Cheena frowned, not liking the way she was taking the news.

"Of course not, we won't let 'em have him," Cheena replied, as tension bled from her shoulder.Her eyes widened with confusion, her bottom lip quivered, unsure of what to make of her sister's strange words. Never had she heard of a human companion in the hands of Dark Fae Alton. 

There was one thing they wanted the messenger to understand and be certain of. Miah's pupils dilated, fury rolling off her as she seethed, "How about Catherine and Sean?" A wave of heatrage

 

washed over her as she remembered her human friend, Catherine. Their bond was as strong as the Fae's bond. It was the giggles that were the sails of their boat, the laughter and the smiles. She saw the humor in everything, and this was their stumbling block.She guesses the challenge was learning how to give so much with so little in return and still expect no help or kindness. Not only that, but she was the most gentle of souls. That was Catherine, and there was nothing on Grassland that could keep her from rescuing her friend from Alton's hand.

"Catherine was fine, and so was his companion," the young boy replied, fear crossing his face. Both were out for a walk when Alton's army took the skinny one.

They nodded, unable to speak, as they went to pick up their weapons. Sadness clouded their features.

"Inform everyone and let's go defend our land," Cheena said, with the seriousness of a mother. She added, gripping her weapon. "Gather our warriors and tell Catherine to meet us in the clearing." Today was the day, and she wished them good luck. 

--

In the grassland clearing, the wind blew and the screeches of the birds could be heard above. Alton's army and the sister's warriors were assembled face-to-face and ready for battle.

"No! Fight me instead, motherfucker. " Sean growled and moved to step in front of him. His expression hardened.

When Alton steps forward with confidence, he doesn't want the human male or any of the sisters. He wanted Catherine, but he needed the Mark and the Prophecy Coins.

And one look warned Sean that he was not a simple opponent. 

Alton anticipates that Sean will give her up without a fight.But he was mistaken, Sean thought, because he would never give him the satisfaction of obtaining the coin because it belonged to Mark, his wife. His brain was racing for a way out. He couldn't fight Alton with his stupid voluntary effort. But what about Nathan? Sean thought. He doesn't need him traumatized like that. He's a gentle flower, loving, and he's been through enough in his life. 

"Are you out of your freakin' mind?" Catherine murmured, a vein popping out in her neck. But Sean ignored her.

 

But being alive was better than dying, so he tells Catherine to close her eyes and move backward. Yet, he knew his request would be ignored.

The battle began. Swords and arrows could be heard from a distance. The sisters were incredibly fast, and they had an enormous advantage. They attacked from many angles and struck with great percussive forces against the armored enemy, yet they had the momentum and leverage to make them extremely difficult to deflect, let alone block. The fight between the fae sisters and the northern warrior proceeded, clashing their steel with enough force to sever a limb. The force of their collision sent up sparks, showing just how powerful, sharp, and deadly the sister's words were, and as the two opponents attacked and thrust against each other, the cutting edges of their blades sparked. 

Sean stows Alton between his legs and realizes just how naive he had been. The odds were not on his side, but he tried anyway. His blade was good at slashing and plunging. It gave him remarkable hand protection, but he was too awkward to haul it properly as he wasn't skilled with it. "Shit!" He murmurs.

Sean knew every part of his blade could be used as a weapon; the tip for slinging, the edges for hacking and slashing, and the pommel could deliver a blunt-force hit; but he wasn't well-trained. Instead, he ended up shoving and punching Alton. 

He knew he would not make it; he would die on Alton's hands, and yet, he tensed his arms and drew out his blade. He says a prayer while he keeps his eyes shut tight. Then, from nowhere, another sword followed. It was Catherine, as her eyes narrowed.

Distantly, the sisters and their Fae warrior still battled with the enemies. Blood spreads among the grass, and the sounds of anguish and distress can be heard miles away.

"Are you out of your mind?" He was a powerful Fae for a reason. He will kill you without a single remorse, dammit Sean! " Catherine said, and she swung her sword towards Alton, blocking his advancement. Her eyes flickered with fury.

She held the sword even, a perfect, courageous horizon, always level with her nose, just as Miah and Prestiney had taught her. 

 

She had stalled Alton's strike but watched a wretched-stained grin split the Dark Fae lips as her blade shivered under the brutality of his engaging strength. "Weapons do not belong in the hands of a mortal," he crooned, pressing closer to her face. The sword flashed as he moved it over his head and hummed a low, abrupt tune when he drew it down. "Stupid woman!" 

As the battle continued, Catherine could feel her fire inside her, a fierce light covering her arms, running into her veins, through her sword. It was so bright, yet it was warming her. She blinked to clear her vision, as Alton's shocked face was visible among the flaming sword, his brows snapped together.

Catherine weighed the blade in her right hand, tremblingly slashing at the air, and the orange torch flame danced within the cool steel.

It bound the handle of the blade with black leather, and yet it wasn't burning; the hilt was decorated, though understated, and the sword was long enough to make her deadly swing towards the Dark Fae. She was certain this time; her face dimmed as she pressed down with her weight and superior strength. She forced the sword backwards towards her face. When he least expects it, she knocks the weapon from Alton's grip, and it lands just unreachable. She then drives her elbow into his face, almost knocking him unconscious, breaking his jaw, and leaving his face looking like a misshapen representation of what it used to be. She gets to her feet, standing over her. The tip of the sword was pointed towards his heart in both hand-on grips. She plunges the blade into his core. 

 

When Alton took his last deep breath, it concealed a visible smile on his lips as his eyes closed.

The battle was halted. The three sisters, Fae of the North, then asked the South Leader to return the hostage to them. They also demanded the South give back the weapons and their human friend, Nathan. But the South turned a deaf ear to these demands. The Fae Warrior of the North responded to the South with even fiercer warrior intervention. The fight continued, and as the sun set, they could hear a sky of fire and battle cries on the distant horizon.

The North's troops attempted to defend against the South's attack but were already faced with overwhelming odds. It inflicted heavy damage on both sides. However, if they turn to the forces of Dark Magic, they may be able to completely defeat the North Fae Warrior.

But with Catherine with them, the idea was disregarded, yet it was a battlefield that appeared to be anything but bloodshed. The bodies of the fallen were scattered like slaughtered animals, and both Fae Warriors from north to south were unaware of their roles, so each of them was just a sacrificial lamb for the battle that had been fought for ages.

Catherine wished she could have told them all what reality was. They have ignored the conflict and disagreement between the two parties. Hatred and ambition were the basis of the feud. For once, if only, maybe they can agree on one thing. Peace. 

But peace was behind them now.

She hoped she could avoid the voids that opened the knives and cut through every Fae's heart; voids that appeared in the hand without asking for them. 

 

Each sought to be on the right side, convincing themselves that they were.

 

When they did the bidding of the darkness, they made up stories to justify their actions rather than face what they had done.

The battlefield remained quiet, for it was now a graveyard for the unburied. Their corpses lay down among the filthy. The sunset was warm, and the wind still blew, but somewhere mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters waited in vain. They were now meat for the birds. Their eyes were as immobile as their limbs. They lost the battle; the enemy had won. 

Currently, they are camping a mile away to plan the ransacking of the grassland itself. And for Nathan, they will travel without disdain.