*Pant Pant Pant*
"Major General Sin, Sir?! Hey... Are you okay? We put the body in a sound proof container and it's buried now. Why are you wearing yourself out on the practice dummy?"
Wiping the sweat from my eyes, I stand and just shrug, "Working off some steam."
I unstrap my gloves and take a swig of water. "Anything else?"
"We received a message from B team. At your convenience you should consider going there. That was all it said." The soldier stands at attention, ready to go back to what he was doing prior.
"Alright, Thank you. You're dismissed."
He salutes and takes off as I wipe myself off with a towel. I'm in the gym of the local police station that we've been using as a holding area for any prisoners we take. Just this morning, I had Johns death replaying in front of me. I almost forgot that he was not my John. Yet.... When he said , 'I wish I was' it nearly snapped my heart in two.
Why would he betray the Erlking right at the end and tell us not to let him get a hold of Bavarthos? We already knew that. It's become more evident over the past month since John has been taken that the Queen, while dealing with her odd situation best she can, loves her son and would do anything and everything she can to help him. If the Erlking captured him, she would destroy everyone who stood in her way. However, since the Erlking wants Bavarthos so badly, we all know that he wants her to come to him.... It's all an elaborate trap that he has planned out meticulously.
I hate making John go through this, he's been gone a month, who knows what horrors he's been put through? My gut starts to twist in angst and I decide to make my way to B.
I snap myself to B's workroom which is bustling with activity, like all hell has broken loose. It's chaos as everyone of B's men move around urgently. I look for a familiar face that I have a name to go with and finally catch Viekar coming into the room.
"Viekar, where's the fire?" I ask as I grab his attention by snapping right next to him, making him jump three feet up in the air, bleating.
"Shivers and grits! Sin! You startled the life out of me!" He clutches his heart as I fight a losing battle of suppressing my laughter.
'Who says shivers and grits??'
"Sorry, Viekar... What's going on?" I gesture around to the swarm of moving bodies.
"The suits are ready! We're preparing to give them a hell of surprise!" He shouts, happily grabbing my arms.
"We can get John back?" My hands tremble as Viekar nods. My earlier tension starts building knots in abdomen, making me more uncomfortable.
"Where's Bavarthos?" I ask swiftly.
"With Rakara in his quarters..." Viekar says and I'm instantly leaving heading towards his room. Now that I knew how to find my way through here, I can make my way there without aid.
The sound of my breathing fills my ears, as I focus on it to calm down as I come to his door way.
Lifting my hand up, I knock firmly.
I need to go get my John. However, something just is not right. I need to find out what's going on.
Now.
....
Red lights flash as alarms are blaring, drowning out any sounds that could be heard in the room prior. I grasp Turks arm and shout into his ear to get that siren turned down.
It doesn't take long before the red lights still flash, but the alarms have been turned off, even though the memory still sounds in my ears, my pulse keeping time with their timing.
"Thietian! The Erlking has swarmed the area where Major general Sin is located, sir! Our people are being evacuated but it's not looking good." One of our men runs to inform me.
'Shit! Thietian, we have to help and send them back up!'
'Cass, I know this, but I could be sending more people to their deaths.'
'THAT'S BULLSHIT! This is Sin we're talking about! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her! WE CAN NOT ABANDON HER!'
'CASS SHUT UP!'
I push Cass's to the side in my mind, blocking him from interfering with my thoughts and from hearing anymore information.
"Turk send air support, snap the demon snipers and all available troops there now!" Turk nods and disappears to carry out my orders. I walk to my office and lock the door.
Frustrated, I grab the closest thing and throw it hard against the wall. The small glass object shatters, as I fall to my knees and pull my hair.
We are losing. The Erlking, my father is going to slaughter everyone till he gets what he wants.
'What do I do?!'
I get up and begin to pace, my thoughts racing at what I can do. I glance out the window and something on my desk catches my eye. I walk over and see a note on the desk.
-Thietian,
Do you think you will win? Why do you continue to defy me? Come to me, my son, I have a person of interest you may want to see. Maybe we can come to an agreement.
That's all the note says, but I already know who it's from. My father the Erlking.
'He has a person of interest?'
''JOHN!'' I shout out loud and snap myself to where I need to be.
I turn at the clearing of a throat, followed by a hoarse chuckle.
"Your majesty." I immediately bow.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
I'm startled as I glance up and freeze, John sits chained to the chair next to the Erlking. Hate fills his eyes as he struggles against the chains that glow, making him scream in pain but continue to struggle.
"John..." I whisper, not sure what I could say at this moment.
.....
'Thietian! What the fuck?! HE betrayed us...!'
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" I scream at him, lunging towards him, ready to rip him apart.
'Does Cass know what Thietian has done to us?!'
Anger unlike I've ever known fills me, as I throw myself not caring, using magic to try and get at him. Waves of pain crush me, but I do not care, my anger overrides the pain as I continue to scream at him.
"HOW COULD YOU?! WE TRUSTED YOU?!" My heart feels shattered as it breaks, he's betrayed us!
The pain rises overpowering my anger and I feel the streams of hot, angry tears.
"We loved you! We accepted you as a part of us...." I hoarsely scream out weakly as my energy has disappeared and I collapse against the chair, my chest heaving, trying to catch my breath.
"What have you done to him?!" Thietian cries out and moves towards me, but I snarl in response making him stop.
"What he's alive? I just fed him too." The Erlking looks bored at Thietian but leans forward and taps the arm of his chair. "What brings you to me, Thietian? Have you finally remembered why you are still alive?"
Thietian takes a step back and sighs out, "Why can't you let John go? ALIVE. He is wasting away and you know that if anything happens to him and Sin, mother will never forgive you."
"I DON'T NEED HER TO FORGIVE ME!" He shouts slamming a fist on the chair. "I need her to come home and be my wife! My Queen! It is where she belongs."
"I think you fail to grasp the fact that she would have come home a long time ago, if you'd just leave the other races alone." Thietian shakes his head, wide eyed and in disbelief. "Why is that so hard to do? They're not as beneath you, as you think they are."
I hear the Erlking scoffing, "Disgusting, now you are a lover of these...THINGS? I knew you fell for that human girl your host body impregnated! However, this is still surprising you coming here...." The Erlking pauses in thought, "but I will tell you again! This philosophical inference of these creatures lives is abhorrent! I WILL NOT DISCUSS YOU OR ANYONE ELSE'S AFFINITY FOR THEM ANY FARTHER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" He stands bellowing at Thietian, who falls to his knees under the oppressive aura of the Erlking.
"Your majesty." Thietian trembles, making me disgusted at his frail lack of spine and obvious display of where his loyalty, truly, lies.
"Now! Why have you appeared before me?! Are you ready to give me your deceptive other half, Bavarthos?" He begins to pace stroking his chin in thought.
I cough and struggle to stand up enough to sit in the chair again, making the Erlking stop his pacing and look in realization at me. His eyes go wide with a knowing smile, as he begins sharing his epiphany.
"You're fighting a losing battle. You've been worked so thin, your resistance doesn't have much left in them to fight." The Erlking whirls around to Thietian who keeps his head down low, but from the redness on his neck, you can tell he's upset that the Erlking's correct.
"You ARE here to discuss terms! HA! hahaha!" The Erlkings deep triumphant laugh bellows like trees in a windstorm groaning and cracking. He takes a proud seat on his chair, smiling hauntingly down at Thietian.
Tears begin to roll down Thietian's cheeks, as he raises his heated glare to the Erlking. He doesn't even spare me a glance as I finally pull myself back into the chair and spit in Thietian's direction.
The Erlking turns his gaze to me and warns me with a smile, "Manners, John. Or I will not treat you so favorably...."
I return my glare at Thietian, wishing my eyes could burn holes into his soul occupying Cass's body.
Thietian only stares ahead and suddenly looks to me, but it's Cass's eyes that look at me, sadly, before they return to Thietian's eyes who looks coldly back to the Erlking.
Through gritted teeth he says reluctantly and fiercely. "Release John, right now, and I will find mother and we will all be a happy family again."