RETURN OF THE HYBRID (Book III)

Chapter 14

It was another morning of failure in Cassandra's search for the prince. Location spell after location spell there was no sign of him. She was starting to believe in the rumors. Maybe he was dead and the future was f****d up. There was no one to save them. She was woken up by Gaia drooling on an ancient book of magical spells.

"Let me sleep" She complained facing away from the golden rays of the sun that were penetrating through the open window.

"The sun is up" She said politely.

"I know what have you prepared for breakfast? Don't tell me bread and honey am so tired of those"

"Well am sorry but that's all we have"

"I will give you time to finish your sleep mistress” She said retreating.

Cassandra raised her head to confirm that indeed she was gone before she went back to sleep. Except that she was not sleeping. Her eyes were closed but her mind was active. It was not giving her peace. Then an idea lit up her mind. What if she went to find him? What if he was hiding or kept as a hostage by General Baxter? He was not a normal human being like they thought. Killing him would have taken a lot. She was betting hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He was alive she could feel it and if they met she wanted to strangle him to death but first she had to consult the spirits.

This time she wanted to do it different so she drew a chalk circle on the floor with a symbol of resurrection. It was a colossal spell that drained her the last time she did it. She lit the candles and started chanting, calling out multiple spirits including her grandmother Frida of iris but the gates of the underworld seemed to be closed for her. There was nothing that was coming out. It was time she faced the journey ahead of her alone. Cassandra had never been in the battle field before. It was going to be her fast day. She wished her face and went downstairs to take the annoying breakfast. The girls were quiet, she did not have to shout that she was having a bad day. It was written all over her face.

"Take care of the coven am going to find him" She said after barely eating the bread.

"Am coming with you" Gaia said.

"No am going alone" she made it clear taking her sword form behind the door.

And again you might wonder what a witch was doing with a sword. She was a good swords woman. Cassandras father was a Viking and her mother was a witch back then when being a witch was forbidden. She had the gift but for years she hid behind the title of an oracle just in case King Rhode changed his mind on letting witches keep their heads like his predecessors and other kings of the five lands. As a Vikings daughter training for combat was necessary.

"You haven't used that in a long time do you even remember how to swing it?” Dahlia asked.

"Am not intending to use it unless they force my hand, you girls give the people medicine” She said locking the door.

Stubborn Gaia was not going to let her go alone. She was still standing by the window watching Cassandra ride away. Cassandra was the closest thing the girls had for family after their parents were murdered in cold blood for being witches. They were actually not from Clivestone. In the five lands only Rhode allowed witches. Most of them died trying to run to Clivestone others made it and renounced their gifts. It was a dangerous time to be a witch.

"Don't do it" Helen said.

"Do what Helen am just staring"

"Cry baby here means don't follow her. She made it clear she wants to go alone" Dahlia said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, I will be upstairs cleaning her chambers" she said going upstairs.

Helen maintained her gaze on her and mumbled a spell but Gaia was quick she cast hers before Helen could. She fell with a thud, an invisible force pushed her to the wall. Gaia looked at the knives and forks on the table and with her eyes used them as nails to pin Helens cloak on the wall.

"Don't try that if you can’t be quick about it" Gaia warned.

"You can go" Helen said.

"No, you are on her side now?" Dahlia asked.

Gaia mumbled a spell that set Helen free. She landed with a thud, clicked her tongue in anger and dusted herself as she got back on her feet.

"Cassandra needs us even when she says no she doesn't mean it" Helen said.

"I knew you are smart" Gaia said happily going back downstairs.

She took a smaller blunt sword and marched out. The sword could not cut anything. Dahlia stared at Helen with judgment eyes. She expected her to be against the decision to advice their friend on the importance of following orders from their mistress.

"What? Let her go o don't like her anyway” she said taking a seat.

But before she sat Dahlia cast a spell that flew the wooden chair away. Helen dropped again with a thud. It was a good thing her backside was thick else she would have broken a hip bone or two.

"That's for being an evil witch" Dahlia said leaving the table.

"I know you hate her too!" Helen shouted after her.

The door shut with a bang scaring Helen who seemed to have lost interest or rather strength to get back on feet. It was obvious she did not like Gaia that one was no secret. Cassandra seemed to give Gaia more attention than she gave the rest of them.

*****

Three different groups went to search for the prince. Two with good intentions and one was not that good. It was twenty four hours since his disappearance and the king was having a hard time coming up with what to tell the people. The few days he had been around prince Adonis had given people one thing they had lost and their king could not offer. Hope. It was what they were really lacking to take fight back not weapons, not men.

One of the three groups also was driven by love. The strongest and most abundant emotion no matter the timeline. And as they say people do crazy things for love. Too bad the bad intention group was led by hate and vengeance and they were getting close.

"I can't believe he sent you out with an entire unit" Ariella said riding closet to Aliya.

"Well, he loves me that's why am precious" she said.

They were sandwiched between two armies. In the front was general Osteen leading the way with an elite team of his best men. Three had spears and were damn good at it, the best in the entire kingdom. Three were archers, their quivers hanging on their backs as the horses went up and down hills, pebbles and pot holes on the paths. They were also the masters of their craft, they could all hit a moving target miles away. Three were swords men. Together they had decapitated thousands of men. They couldn't keep count but they danced to the tune of blood gushing from a headless body and a head rolling on the ground, no screaming no crying. One who was Osteen, was good at all of the categories and magnificent at close combat.

"How far Osteen?" Aliya asked.

"Two villages north your majesty" Osteen said.

"Okay" she said as they continued talking with Ariella.

At the back was General Gilbert with another ten men. It was actually a mixed group with swords men, explosive experts and archers. However, what made them a little better, just a negligible difference, was their sniffers. Two men on the squad could follow a trail to the end without missing. The funny bit being they were all blind yet they could see and feel, hear more than men with eyes. They were a perfect example of nature knowing how to balance everything. Now it would get a point, and that happened frequently, when the life of twenty two souls was on the shoulders of two blind men. Quiet motivating right?

"We are almost there, take your positions!" Osteen shouted.

Two men from his squad and two from Gilbert's went to the side of Aliya and Ariella. It was now hard to get to the two. Protected like the queen of bees. She was the queen of men.

"Why are you doing this Osteen, you need to be telling me things" she complained.

"I think we ate getting to enemy zone" Ariella said.

She could feel Leon’s presence. His blood was becoming stronger. They shared the same blood it was not hard to smell him and she forgot the smelling thing applied both sides. Leverage is a fickle b***h. What she couldn't tell was if he was dead or alive.

"We are closer to the enemy your majesty, I suggest we keep the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot" Gilbert said Alighting from his horse.

He came to help the queen when it was Ariella's turn she did it with ease smiling at him.

"My feet hurt already" Aliya complained.

"That's what this men go through every day to keep you safe" Ariella said.

"Because they are men they were born for this not me, get me am umbrella will you the sun is too hot"

She was annoying but royalty. Were it someone else they would have thrown her in the river. A guard rushed with a skin made umbrella to cover the two. They were dressed in black boots with trousers. Their upper extremity from the knee caps upward protected by silver amour. She kept drinking from her water skin as they walked through the woods. Osteen send scouts upfront to give a signal on case of any danger. So far there was none.

"This is where we found his royal robe and boots" Osteen said when they got to a first opening.

Ariella tried to bend down and taste the blood but she couldn't.

"How do I get out of this thing?" She asked.

"You don't" General Gabriel said.

Perhaps it was time she introduced herself to them. They had no idea who they were joking with. She cast a spell, it went all dark. To all of them except Aliya. Who could still see her despite the soldiers screaming they couldn't see and constantly asking if she was okay. Then one after another the silver suit started flying off her body onto a pile under a tree. She took a wineskin and collected the blood on the ground using her hand sending it drop by drop into the wineskin.

"Your majesty are you okay?" Osteen asked.

"I can't feel anything!" Gilbert complained.

"She is fine don't worry all of you keep calm" Ariella said.

"Just let them see" Aliya said.

"I prefer my brother most" Ariella said setting up for a spell.

She cut her arm and mixed with the blood. There was nothing, her blood remained on top.

"What?"

"I said I prefer my brother"

"Who is your brother?" Aliya asked looking around just in case he was standing behind her.

Ariella laughed out loudly. The soldiers were still screaming walking in the woods with their hands trying to hold onto something like zombies. She had enough and zipped them with another spell. If you would have had a chance to see them you'd see no mouths.

"Come out Zeli!" She said.

"His name is Zeli?"

"Big brother! I need your help"

"I..."

Before she finished her neck snapped and she collapsed on the ground.

"There he is, keeping tabs on me without making it look like it. What do you think of this place?"

Aliya got up. Her eyes were glowing white.

"It's filthy, tell me he is dead"

"Not even a drop of his blood here" Ariella said looking around.

"There is a grave, I can also see names" Zeli said moving closer to the tree.

He looked at them.

"It's a mass grave" Ariella said.

"Check in there, I think he is looking for something that can kill me" Zeli said.

Ariella cast a spell and drew blood from the corpses. She tested each blood against her sample. There was no match.

"I think you guys never met...he is not among the dead"

"God damn it, find him and kill him. Use everything you got or you are stuck here forever!"

"But that was..."

Aliya snapped again and collapsed. She got back up looking around suspiciously.

"I wanted to say that was not the deal but anyway he is gone" Ariella said facing Aliya.

She got up like she was in a dream.

"What happened?" She asked massaging her head.

"You slipped and fell but now you are okay" Ariella said helping her back on her feet.

Meanwhile the soldiers were still dead quiet. She freed them at last.