The old man got into the room and stood there watching the introducing session:
"-Gabi this Howin…Howin this is Gabi." Ellie said with grinning and Howin land his hand for handshake.
"-Howin. Nice to meet you.
-Gabriella. Pleasure is mine…oh hi uncle." She looked up at the standing man who for the first time showed another expression than his usual gloomy expression.
Howin turned to glare at him, but the old man smirked at him and walked with steady steps toward the pissed guy. They made a glaring contest for a while before Ellie interrupted them and hugged the old man tightly.
The incubus's look softened for a moment but got back dark expression filled with anger but he hid it from the huntress.
"-I think I knew now what Kieran felt." He said to himself.
"-uncle Gau!
-slow down little girl you are crashing my weak bones." The two girls and Gau laughed while Howin was looking at him up and down before he muttered between his grunted teeth.
"-sorry for interruption but we don't have time to waste Ellie. Don't you think you should inform them about the plan so that we can get ready first?
-yeah please sit down." She said politely and they sit around the table discussing the plan then each one took their way to do their part.
***
He was looking for her around the castle after coming back from Andrew's.
"-Where is she? ...did you see Ellie?
-yeah she left with sir Howin this morning to Achlys. She is expecting you to come if you had time.
-come? ...thank you, have a good day." He left the guard and went to get ready for the journey.
***
"-is everything ready? Everyone in their places and don't forget to stick to what I told you! … Oh my god I am going crazy. I shouldn't mess up." She ruffled her head in frustration but someone turned her around and held her shoulders firmly with a reassuring smile:
"-you are not going crazy calm down I am sure everything will go as you planned." Howin explained but he was lying, lying to her and lying to himself. He had a bad feeling about what's coming but he decided to ignored it for now…for her.
***
"-Are you ready for the mission young man?
-not exactly." The masked guy answered honestly.
"-what do you mean? I gave you everything you asked for.
-I am not trying to sound greedy your highness but I need one more thing.
-what is it? ...
***
It was almost midnight and the guards didn't show yet; Ellie was getting more nervous than any other time in her life.
Every woman went outside and they all gathered in front of her house waiting for the young lady orders.
"-please got back and wait a little bit more.
-how long are we going to keep waiting for those monsters to corrupt us? Are you even sure about your plan young lady?" a middle aged woman protested making Ellie more anxious but Howin answered instead of her:
"-she is sure of her plan! You have to trust her as she is trusting you!
-what will we do if your plan failed? Did you even put that in consideration?
-I will protect you all till my last breath no one will get harmed. Please trust me and wait a little bit more inside.
-I'm quitting this bullshit! This heavy armories are useless." That old lady throw her axe on the ground in front of the red-haired girl. She took a step forward and said spitting venom with her words:
"-I accept performing that stupid show just for your mom. Put it in your head Ellie, you are a shame for your family to think of yourself high just because you are a huntress… You are worthless just like your father." She whispered the last part smirking. Howin was about to attack her but Ellie stopped him without breaking her gaze with hers.
The middle aged woman left between the crowed who did the same as her but they put their armory down without uttering a word. The look in their eyes explained a lot.
Even her mom and sister who hold her hand for a while before looking down and leave with the old woman. Ellie didn't want to leave her small hand.
The road got empty and silence filled the air that she could hear her racing heartbeat from the unknown future.
"-let's go and tell the others to get back home it's getting late and cold." He didn't say anything and just followed her.
The roads were foggy that you can't see your own hand, Howin was scared from any sudden attacks.
Their horses were attached with a rope to not get lost, walking slowly. He was feeling down looking at her broken expression.
In the middle of the way to Gabriella who was waiting for the incubus arrival to stop them, Ellie was about to shoot a burning arrow to announce the end of the mission before it start but she heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground alongside with the wheels of carts.
Some loud shoutings to hurry up and horses snorts made them both panic. They looked at each other and with every passing second the others are getting closer.
She have to find a way out quickly.
"-run to Gabi and tell them to take positions.
-I don't know the way.
-count to 10 then turn left, do it three times then take the right side you will find her there. Now run!" she cut the rope and run back to the village.
"-I promised. I will make it! I can't lose them." She told herself to calm down a bit.
She got near them she could shoot the riders but what if she missed her target. No! She has never missed her target before. Pryor trained her, Malin helped her improve her performance and use her senses, and Ray believed in her, encouraged her. But where is he now? When she is at the bottom of her despair he is not here?
Between the thick fog, she could spot two sources of light, and two bodies sitting riding the horses.
She smirked before shooting two arrows with venom hitting directly the heart. But soon she heard a loud laughter, the horses got loose and the carriage fall with the two strangers' bodies, someone shot out of nowhere an arrow setting the carriage on fire.
Everything was clear to her view, she wished she was blind that moment. She yelled at the top of her lunges. What made things worse the same laugh echoed again but louder, more dark and psychotic.
***
"-Did you finish what I told you?
-Yes your highness everything is settled as you asked. We sent the carriage. They are filling the rest now.
-Good…I can't wait for her reaction." He exclaimed laughing like a maniac.
***
She covered her mouth and cried in silence, she couldn't say anything, she kept looking at the lying corpse of her dead mother and sister.
She killed them.
Fire was eating their bodies and she couldn't move from shock, tears are streaming down her cheeks and the sight of fire was hurting her more than she did to them.
But her breakdown and the state of her frozen body didn't last long before a group of carts running her way made her move away fast, she fell down and almost her startled horse kicked her.
"-move out of the way stupid broad!" one of them teased and he chuckled alongside his acquaintances.
She got up quickly on her horse and run to the village as fast as she can, at least she will try and save some.
"- I fucked up but I won't make it worst! I promised them! I will do it for them, just them!" she said to herself gritting her teeth; wind hitting her watery eyes drying them up.
In the village,
"-it was nice working with you.
-me too, but I want my money." She demand it and he looked her with disgust from under his mask and throw the money and she caught them swiftly.
"-no word to anybody." She nodded counting the golden coins and shooed him outside.
"-greedy bitch!" he muttered but she was busy with her fortune to care about his comment.
The last carriage was filled with every woman in the village.
"-are they all here? If yes let's not waste time and leave.
-actually there still too and we couldn't get them.
-you couldn't get two bitches! How the fuck are you even Hired!" he stormed at the incubus and went to the closed door of the house that was strangely open.
"-listen girls get out and I won't hurt you." He said walking around but no sound was heard.
He suddenly felt someone behind him and moved out the way of his punch… the last person he wanted to see… a furious woman filled with rage and broken inside.
"-listen huntress I don't have time to waste with you. If you value your life then you'd better leave.
-you are not the one who can tell me what to do.
-awe…the good little girl listen to her boyfriend. Unfortunately he is not her to save you.
-I don't need a man to protect me or guards to cover my back.
-your boldness won't help you. I won! You should accept that…now get lost sweetheart cause I have important thing to take care of than you." He waved his hand and kept looking for the girls but she jumped on him.
He was expecting that reaction from her so he knocked her down in a swift move however she didn't gave up and kept fighting.
He let down his guard and she pinned him on the wall with his sword on his neck, her eyes full of rage but his full of amusement provoking her more.
"-go out!" the two girls ran out with their lives and he smirked under his mask and declared:
"-I got admit, you are strong to protect yourself…" she smirked at him but soon her smirk faded when she heard the cheering of the incubuses who caught them and they were screaming with fear.
"-but too dumb to find a way to protect others." He switched positions and now he was pinning her to the wall making her unable to move. Suddenly the room got totally dark but she could still see his bright amber eyes.
She strived to take advantage of the opportunity to free herself but nothing, he chuckled before pulling down his mask and kissed her forcefully, a long deep kiss.
She tried to move her face away but he held her chin with his other hand.
A loud scream was heard and he pulled away breaking the kiss and pulling his mask back, however he didn't lose his grab.
Howin and a group set the girls free and killed the culprits and she smiled with a sense of victory at him.
Nonetheless he chuckled again before he said:
"-I love your little game but maybe another time sweetheart. Before I forgot, I am not an incubus." He then snapped his fingers and everyone fell asleep, from girls to Howin and his group, except for the group of incubuses who went collecting the laying body of girls and threw them in carts as fast as they can.
***
"-your majesty they are setting the girls free and killing our guards.
-relax and enjoy the view! It has been long since I had a beautiful show like that…those morons think they are the heroes while they are just little pathetic toys." He laughed and tilted more his head from the window of his luxurious carriage.
But the show was over once he heard the snap.
"-ugh…couldn't he wait some more." He snapped his fingers too and everyone lost consciousness.
A moments later the masked guy got into the carriage and sit opposite of his sir.
"-I have to admit the show you promised me to have was better than I expected. I guess it was worth leaving my bed for.
-thanks your majesty, I'm happy you are satisfied." The king smirked and once they were in the middle of the way home he ordered him to look outside, fog decreased with morning.
"-why is there a burned carriage here? It wasn't in the plan as far as I remember." The amber-eyed boy looked with a questionable look at the king who was smirking mischievously before he explained unbothered:
"-a small gift for our little huntress to not mess with me again.
-can I know what is it?
-her mom and sister." The king laughed like a psychopath and stopped to look at the widened eyes of the boy. He gave him a dark expression as if he was going to end him before the other one exploded in laughter too like a maniac; until he cried and whipped his tears away.
"-that was a genius idea. How I didn't thought about it?"
The king smirked and he patted the boy's shoulder before he added:
"-today I made sure I chose the right one, it seems like you enjoyed the kiss with her.
-yeah…but can I ask for some privacy if you trust me now." The king pulled his hand in defeat and reassured:
"-I have never trusted someone that much but now I won't read your mind or mess with you. You proved your loyalty boy." The masked guy nodded and thanked the king sincerely to look back at the road.