Over fifteen years… He looked at the winding road ahead. This bend meant they were close to Murai. Did that much time already pass? General Wey continued down the road. He didn't go back. He couldn't. Not after Sorah died there, but now he didn't have a choice. The Kreato were on their way to Murai, and Liang, that ingrate bastard picked a fight with General Ryas.
King Taeyer ordered him to leave right away, afraid General Ryas would kill the entire Biah clan, but the King's main concern fell on Murai. They could lose the whole city to the Kreato's.
The Kreato's were the worst of their kind and did as they pleased. He'd seen entire towns destroyed, women and girls dragged off as breeders and the dead bodies of men and boys left behind. As General of the North, he had a duty to protect the people, even if it meant returning to Murai.
All morning long, he toggled between thoughts of Sorah and their past. He raised her daughter as his own, but every time he looked at Yuliah, the uncanny resemblance to King Baasa made it hard for him to get closer to her. Yuliah's father tricked and stole Sorah from him. A frown spread across General Wey's face as one painful memory after another began to play again in his mind.
"General?"
The Captain's voice became a light drawing General Wey out from the dark corners of his mind.
"Yes." His hardened eyes softened, and he returned.
"We've reached Murai, and the scouts are back. General Ryas turned Liang into a cripple."
The Captain's voice showed a lack of care. General Wey was sure if they didn't serve the same king, both clans would be at war with one another. The Wey's and the Biah's were no longer on good terms, especially after Liang killed Yujen and walked away free.
"Is that everything?" General Wey asked, trying not to show his disdain. It's unfortunate General Ryas didn't kill Liang, that would have made him happy.
"Yes, except General Ryas threatened to kill us all then send our bodies back home."
General Wey shook his head. "Hurry before this turns into a war." He only wanted to get Yuliah away from Liang and out of the North. To know his brash decision had turned like this. He should have sent Yuliah away long ago.
He grew curious though why General Ryas would kill everyone and Liang over Yuliah? Did something happen between them, being on the road together for so long? "What's the relationship between General Ryas and my daughter?"
"I'm not sure. The scouts said he saved your daughter in the mountains then paid 2000 Geneoshi gold coins to the Biah's when Liang tried to reclaim her."
"What do you make of that?" General Wey asked.
"Love or lust. The two reasons I can think of."
"Is it more lust than love?" General Wey questioned. He did all sorts of things for both, even up till now, sometimes never knowing which was which.
"Probably love more than lust. There's no way in the hell, I'd pay 2000 gold for lust, Geneoshi gold at that.
"You're right... Neither would I."
"Love it is then, for it, makes us all fools," the Captain answered.
"It does." General Wey tightened his hold of reins. "Where is Advisor Biah?" He changed their conversation.
"He's camped up ahead and from what I gathered planning to attack General Ryas. I don't know why he's mad. It's not like he cared much for that bastard son of his."
"Liang is the only son of Biah Manor. Without a male heir, he'd lose his status with the King."
"Of course. I hope the Biah's will," the Captain answered.
"You and I both. Regardless we'll have to stop by the Biah camp first," General Wey replied. He would rather ride straight through, but Advisor Biah would use this to raise suspicion with King Taeyer.
After meeting, and spending an hour pretending to care about Liang's state. He spent another hour trying not to reach across the table and beat Advisor Biah to death. A short while later, General Wey finally convinced the Advisor to return home without any further conflict. It wouldn't last long, but it would give General Wey enough time to get Yuliah and everyone else out of the North before Advisor Biah changed his mind.
He left right away without caring to wait for the Biah's to depart first. If he stayed any longer, he might end up killing Advisor Biah. Another half-hour later General Wey finally arrived in Murai. More roads and homes filled the town then he last remembered. Murai no longer looked familiar, and a part of him felt relieved because it took the edge of his pain.
He headed towards the Regents home. They were old friends who grew up in the capital and then went to Murai as soldiers with Sorah.
Ryas, Zehan, and the Regent were going over plans when General Wey burst through the doors.
"General Wey," Zehan stood up then strode over, being the first to greet him then followed by the Regent. "I know you entrusted us with a task and I apologized we've failed you," King Zehan said.
He bowed to the King before speaking. "No, you haven't. None of us expected this to happen. Where's Yuliah?" he looked around eagerly. His eyes caught sight of a familiar face in the room, one who did not greet him at all.
"The Kreato still have her, because of Liang."
He looked over to General Ryas' who sat across the room, looking vexed. An expression worse than the last time they met. The tension between them swelled up.
General Wey roughly caressed the sides of his face. "A woman would never be safe with the Kreato. How many days now?" He turned a shade whiter.
"Four days," Ryas answered coldly.
General Wey met eyes with Ryas again who's face now changed to that of blame. He better not be blaming me for all this? It's not his fault the General could not keep Yuliah safe.
"How will you get my daughter back?" he reached for the glass cup next to a jar of red wine. Four days... They Kreato could have bred Yuliah already. "I need a drink. You don't mind, do you, Regent?" His weathered hands trembled as he tried to grip the glass.
The Regent took hold of his hand. "Of course, but allow me to pour you a glass instead, General. We're friends," he noded then filled General Wey's cup.
"What truth do you hide from me about Yuliah?" Ryas spoke from across the room in an authoritative voice.
He withheld the truth to protect Yuliah not to harm her. General Wey downed his glass of wine in one go. "What do you know already?" General Wey turned to his Captain. "Wait for me outside please." The fewer people who knew about Yuliah's true identity, the safer she would be.
When the door finally closed, Ryas answered. "You're not Yuliah's Father. Her real Father is King Baasa. Is that why you resentment Yuliah?" Ryas asked.
"I.." He couldn't answer right away. The words lodged in the back of his throat. "You know nothing of what he did to me..." Deep down, he knew Ryas was right. He resented Yuliah because of King Baasa. He could never forgive the King.
Ryas cut him off. "I don't care what happened between the two of you. Your resentment made Yuliah weak and unable to protect herself. She needs to be strong," Ryas snapped. "Tell me what you know!"
"Why do you care so much, suddenly? You were the one who didn't even want to help Yuliah in the first place," General Wey took offense to Ryas' raised tone. He did the best he could with Yuliah. She wasn't his responsibility, to begin with, he could have abandoned Yuliah, but choose not too.
"You're not even Yuliah's real Father. I don't owe you an answer," Ryas shot back.
"Look, General, I get it your upset, but don't take your anger out on me. I'm not the one who let the worlds biggest fucken idiot waltz into town and take her."
The tension came to an all-time high between the two Generals suffocating everyone else in the room.
"My General has taken your daughter as his wife. Please, I hope you'll understand his rudeness."
"Zehan," Ryas scolded.
"No, General. He may not be Yuliah's real Father, but he raised her like a daughter. I believe he loves Yuliah."
His suspicions were right, a secret Geneoshi and Nomen marriage. It didn't work well for Sorah, and his heart sank reminded again of how she ended up. Would Yuliah have the same fate? "You think you can keep Yuliah safe?" After two glasses of wine, his nerves calmed down, and he spoke carelessly. "King Baasa thought the same, too and looked at how they all turned out." General Wey crossed the room - his heavy steps clamped on the wooden floor until he stood in front of Ryas and glared down. "You couldn't even keep Liang from taking her. The biggest fucken idiot in the North." He wasn't going to let General Ryas speak to him this way. He knew nothing about the hurt they've endured. "I," his right hand slammed against his chest. "Raised and kept Yuliah safe for over fifteen years as a Father should, until I handed her off to you. So YES, you do owe me an answer!"
General Wey took a step back as a precaution when Ryas stood up. He braced himself for a hit.
"GENERALS." Zehan jumped between them. "ENOUGH. We need a solution. This fighting doesn't solve anything. What can you tell us about Yuliah," he turned to General Wey.
A sense of relief washed over General Wey, thankful that the King came between them. Humans aged faster than Genoshi and in human years, Ryas would be in his mid-twenties only, but he was well into his late forties. Taking a hit from a Geneoshi would not go well for his body or pride.
"It's said that the Geneoshi were created by the Ethereal Spirit, in his image. Yuliah's Mother is a direct descendant of the first Geneoshi's and carries that bloodline. Blood that holds a map to the Ethereal Spirits source of power. A power greater than any in this Universe, not even the other Immortals can match his."
"Who is Yuliah's Mother?" Ryas asked.
"Sorah. She never wanted to fall in love or have children, but on her way back to see me. She ran into King Baasa. He bonded Sorah to him, and you know the rest..." His voice trailed off.
Zehan gave Ryas a quick look before turning back to General Wey. "What does this all mean?" Zehan asked, confused.
"That thing in the Ethereal Forest, the one called Aleric. He hunts for Yuliah's bloodline." General Wey answered.
Ryas shook his head at General Wey. "You - you better find a way to protect the city and make sure nothing happens to King Zehan or his Brother," Ryas snarled and pushed passed General Wey.
"Where are you going, General?" Zehan called out.
"To find my wife," Ryas took off.
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How could he be so careless? Ryas pulled the reins of his horse and headed west. When Yuliah emerged from the cave with the Ethereal Spirit or when she released the mark, he should have questioned it. Instead, he got caught up in his feelings and even accused Yuliah of working against him. Guilt swept over him.
Now it all made sense. Yuliah would be in more danger than he thought. Her blood was a fucken map to an unlimited source of power. A power that would free Aleric from the Ethereal Forest, and once he broke free. Aleric would kill this world along with everyone in it. How did he miss these details?
If the Kreato's take Yuliah into the Ethereal Forest, it'd only be a matter of time before Aleric found her. Worry snaked through his thoughts.
How would he find Yuliah? With this much distance to cover, it's impossible without a way to track her, and half the day had gone by already, Ryas began to grow impatient but continued riding.
Several hours passed, and the sun began its descent, turning the sky a crimson red like blood.
An alarm went off in his head, and a memory from long ago came back to him. Geneoshi's can pass their ethereal spirit from parent to child. If his child possessed the same ethereal spirit and he could get close enough, he might be able to track it. This would require an immense amount of concentration and ethereal spirit, and he needed both to fight the Kreato, but there were no other options.
Ryas released his ethereal spirit - it flowed into every part of his body then stretched his mind out towards the vastness around him. He rode through the night and repeated this action until a force pulled him further left. Ryas turned slightly and raced towards that direction. He opened his mind again and reached even further than before. This time a familiar warmth resonated back. Hope formed inside his thoughts. It could only be Yuliah... and dashed ahead.