The moment Cruxia saw Celeste's head meeting the stone collum with force, she expected a loud, painful cry to escape her lips. But things didn't turn out as expected. Celeste didn't cry out. Instead, her body collapsed and hit the ground. Cruxia didn't need to closely look at her to know she had lost consciousness. The fact that Celeste remained on the ground and didn't attempt to get up was evident enough.
Karilla tilted her head, and strands of turquoise hair fell into her face as her bilious green eyes met Cruxia's. "One down, one more to go," she hissed as she threw her dagger, which whizzed past her Cruxia's ear. Karilla had not missed her; Cruxia had only managed to avoid her attack due to her quick reflexes.
"Why did you do it?" Cruxia asked, wanting her voice to sound as neutral as possible. It was more difficult than expected to keep her emotions in check. She was angry because she felt betrayed. After what happened between them that night, she hadn't seen eye to eye with Karilla for years. She and her half-sister had once been very close; they had been inseparable. Until that fateful day. Since then, love has been replaced by hatred. Only because Karilla couldn't take no for an answer.
Despite their differences in the past, she would have never thought it possible that her sister would betray them. She couldn't help but wonder what the clans had offered her to betray the people she had known for decades.
It didn't matter to her if it was a good offer. It was treason, and there was only one answer to it. Death. The clan law was unambiguous in that matter. It was unclear whether the clan would survive at this point, but that didn't mean she couldn't abide by its laws. Nevertheless, she hadn't decided if she would kill her sister or take her captive. She didn't have the time to consider what to do with her since she had to fight her first.
She had spent enough time with Karilla to know she was not to be underestimated. She was a dangerous enemy.
Another dagger flew through the air, directed at her, but she blocked it with her mace. She charged at Karilla without thinking twice, but the dagger thrower jumped to the side, avoiding the mace's head. Karilla was swift; her moves were more elegant and precise than Cruxia's.
The light-purple-haired woman was taller and more muscular; her body was heavier than her opponent's. Her armour may be thin, but it was still heavier than her half-sister's leather clothing. Karilla's speed was her advantage, but fortunately for Cruxia, the room wasn't that big. Karilla had only limited space to dance around her opponent. Cruxia could use that to her advantage.
The warrioress charged forward at the exact moment as Karilla pulled two daggers from her belt. She threw them, but since she didn't have the time to aim properly, the throws were not as precise as the previous ones. The first dagger bounced off Cruxia's armour, falling to the ground. The second one missed her entirely, landing in the wall behind her.
Karilla was about to throw another pair of daggers as Cruxia caught her left wrist, grasping it tightly. A loud hiss escaped the other woman's lips as she tried to pull free; Cruxia managed to avoid a swift slash of the other dagger at the last second. Her opponent was not strong enough to free herself on her own; Cruxia's grip was too tight for her. Cruxia was superior to Karilla in terms of brute strength.
The warrioress took advantage of the situation and swung her mace, hoping to hit the other woman, but Karilla managed to duck beneath the swing and even pull her and Cruxia's arm down. She still hadn't gotten free of Cruxia's grasp, but she remained uninjured for the moment.
Cruxia's swing was still in motion as her sister shut upwards, and her next move was too fast for Cruxia to react to. A painful cry escaped the taller woman's lips as the other dagger slashed her right cheek. Blood was spilt, and the pain she felt distracted her, causing her to loosen her grip unintentionally. Karilla took advantage of that and managed to tear her hand free, immediately stepping backwards.
The taller Yxal cursed loudly as she touched her cheek and spotted the blood on her fingers when she regarded her hand. Her gaze immediately wandered back to her enemy. The smaller woman had increased the distance between them; her back was turned against the wall. Literally
A glance at Karilla's belt told Cruxia precisely what she needed to know. Unless Karilla had more daggers hidden somewhere, she only had four left. The warrioress didn't want to give her the time to aim properly, so she charged at her again, ignoring the throbbing in her right cheek and the blood that was running down her skin.
Her sister aimed for her head when she threw the daggers she was holding; one graced her cheek, leaving a cut right next to the other one. The other Cruxia blocked with her bracer; a clanking sound echoed through the room as the weapon landed on the floor. Karilla could only aim for her head since the rest of Cruxia's body was covered with black armour, too thick for the daggers to pierce through. Larger, more powerful weapons were required to surpass the material.
Cruxia held her brace before her face as she enclosed the distance between them. Karilla tried to escape to the left, getting closer to one of her daggers on the floor near the room's exit. She reached it but didn't get the opportunity to pick it up. She barely avoided a mace swing but wasn't so lucky with the second. Despite her quickness, she couldn't dodge the mace's heavy head. The swing was powerful enough to throw her backwards. A painful scream escaped her lips when she got hit, and another one as her back hit the hard stone floor.
The pain-filled expression on Karilla's face didn't stop her sister from approaching her and pinning her to the floor. She sat on top of her, a hand on her throat; the other held the mace. "Why did you do it?" Cruxia breathed out. Her eyes gazed into her sister's, which reflected no fear.
"Why should I answer you? You wouldn't kill me anyway," Karilla replied confidently.
"Are you sure about that?" Cruxia asked, dropped her mace to her left and pinned the smaller woman's arms down, denying her any chance to free herself.
"I'm your sister; you wouldn't hurt me, would you?"
"Half-sister," Cruxia corrected.
"We are still related by blood."
"That didn't stop you from crossing boundaries in the past, did it?"
The dagger-thrower rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you are still upset about that after all those years."
Cruxia bit her lip, reminding herself not to get distracted by Karilla's attempted change of subject. There were more important things to discuss than their shared past. She wanted to know why Karilla betrayed them; then, she had to decide what to do with her before she would get out of this place. Karilla might have told the clans about the secret tunnel, so she mustn't waste too much time.
"Tell me why you did it," she hissed through gritted teeth. She was still angry, and it was difficult for her not to let her emotions speak for her. If she wouldn't hold back, there was no way Karilla would survive this interrogation. But she didn't want to kill her, at least not without finding out the reason for her betrayal, and so it was only with difficulty that she managed to keep her feelings in check.
The turquoise-haired woman tilted her head. "You want to know why I did it? I tell you why I did it. Father's greed for power and his pride would have cost us all our lives. The eastern clans were too afraid to challenge us while we had the artefact, but since those bastards stole it, there was nothing left to protect us from the wrath of the other clans. I didn't intend to die for anyone's folly, so I did what was necessary to survive. You would have done the same to save your skin."
"You are wrong about this! I would have never betrayed our people. I would have fought to the very end for the sake of our people."
"Then why are you running like a coward?" Karilla spat.
That hit a nerve. Karilla got a point. Nevertheless, Cruxia knew how to answer this. "There is a difference between fighting a fight with lesser odds and fighting a lost battle. The Bonebreaker, Skullcrusher and Man-Eater Clans do outnumber us with their combined forces, but we still had the advantage of our fortifications. Thanks to your betrayal, the battle would not have been as one-sided as it is now."
"You are still a coward; you should have fought to the bitter end."
"I don't care about the words of a betrayer," the warrioress replied, interrupting Karilla's attempt to give her a bad conscience. She was not proud of fleeing, which spoke against her pride as a warrioress, but sometimes it was necessary to swallow one's pride. There was nothing she could have done for her people. Most of them were already dead, and there was no point in dying without purpose. She may have tried to help others escape, but she had spotted none and didn't get a chance to look for survivors. There had been too many raiders in her near; she could have never dealt with all of them.
Instead, she had dragged that Anxoyal with her for some reason. She couldn't explain to herself why she did it. Celeste was her enemy, after all. But she had done it regardless. Perhaps keeping her as a prisoner would prove beneficial in the end. She could only hope the light-brown-skinned woman wouldn't become a burden.
"What shall I say? I value my own life more than I value the lives of others," Karilla said. "Kill me if you must. I doubt you have the guts for it."
Cruxia bit her tongue softly, knowing there was no point in arguing with her sister. She was not considering what she should say but what she would do to her. Her father's laws were unmistakable. Betrayal must be answered with death.
But her father was dead, and her clan would no longer exist when the attackers would be done with their raid. She was not her father. She was not as cruel and merciless as he was. Family meant a great deal to her. Karilla might be her half-sister, but she was also the reason why there wouldn't be much left of the people she considered as family.
She felt immense anger, perhaps even hatred, towards her older sister. A voice in her head told her to punish her for her crimes; another told her to spare her. The second voice sounded similar to her mother's, not that she remembered much of her. She was asking herself what her mother would do in her shoes. She would spare her despite what she had done.
"I know you couldn't finish me. You are too weak to do what is necessary. It's hard to believe that I once felt differently about you. You disgust me," the other Yxal spat.
"Shut the fuck up," Cruxia replied in a similar tone, removing her left hand from Karilla's wrist. She raised it and didn't hesitate to execute a strong punch, hitting her sister right in the jaw. She knocked her out cold with a clean hit.
She got up and let her gaze wander over to Celeste, who was still unconscious. Once she got closer to her, she noticed the blood on the back of her head. She looked around, trying to find something to dress the wound with, but found nothing. Karilla wore leather, so she couldn't rip pieces off it to use it as a bandage.
She didn't have the opportunity to look anywhere else for material she could use to dress the wound, so she could only hope the Anxoyal would make it. During the past months, she recognised her prisoner's enhanced healing abilities. The wounds she had inflicted on her had healed rather quickly compared to other creatures she had interrogated. She hoped that those abilities were enough to save her.
The warrioress didn't hesitate to unlock the trapdoor and open it. She peered in the darkness, but her enhanced sight allowed her to recognise everything after a few moments of concentrated looking.
The tunnel beneath her was not too deep; she guessed it was about seven feet, meaning she could walk through it without having to duck.
Celeste was not wearing armour, so Cruxia had no problem throwing her over her shoulder. She was muscular but not too heavy. She jumped down, landing steadily on her feet. She pulled the trapdoor shut before she set off to march through the tunnel ahead of her.
---
The first thing Celeste noticed when she regained consciousness was the pain that shot through her head. It was not unbearable but not pleasant -either. She opened her eyes slowly, realising she was not in a dark place. There was a campfire in the middle of the room. She turned her head; her eyes wandered over the walls surrounding her. They weren't straight and smooth. She was not in a room built by anyone. Her first guess was that she was in a cave or place formed by nature, not by creatures.
Celeste tried to remember what had happened, but the last thing she remembered was that Cruxia had opened the door to her cell and entered it. She tried hard to remember what happened after that but couldn't. There was nothing but darkness. She had no idea what had happened after.
She wondered who had brought her to this place and where it was. Was it beneath the ground of the settlement? Or outside? Was this another prison? There were no chains around her wrists and ankles, so she highly doubted that. Not to mention that the Yxal wouldn't put a campfire in her cell. They wouldn't care if she would feel cold or not.
She checked her surroundings for the third time, but she didn't spot anything that could give her a hint about her whereabouts. Her gaze fell on the opening on the left side. Even with her muscular form, she should fit through.
Celeste stood up slowly, noticing her back was hurting a little, but the pain was not as bad as her aching head. She ignored the pain and made her way to the opening. Walking barefoot over the uneven ground was unpleasant, but she had no choice. She reached the opening and spotted a tunnel before her. It was wide enough for her to walk through, so she didn't hesitate.
She passed the half and went further; she was greeted by bright sunlight when she came close to the exit. She was only a few feet away from it as the sunlight suddenly weakened. Someone had stepped before the exit and blocked out most of the sunlight. But it was not a stranger she had never met before. It was no other than Cruxia, whose head was tilted to the left, and one of her eyebrows was raised. A mix of curiosity and surprise could be seen on her face.
Before Cruxia could say anything, Celeste attempted to move away from her, but the Yxal grabbed her by her left wrist and held her tightly, preventing her from moving away. "I do not want to hurt you. This is the only way out of the cave, so getting back in there won't help you at all." Celeste tried to get free, but Cruxia's grip was too firm. She had little space to move around; she couldn't turn her body to pull with more strength or do another manoeuvre to get free. The Anxoyal had no other choice but to give in. She stopped resisting, but her eyes didn't leave the other woman.
"Where are we?" Celeste asked demandingly.
"Far away from my settlement," Cruxia answered.
"Why are we here?"
"I will tell you everything when we return to the cave."
"No, I want to know it now!"
"I will tell you when we are back in," Cruxia replied in a voice that sounded much stricter than before.
"It won't be easy for you to shove me through the tunnel. It's almost impossible if I resist."
Cruxia puffed. "There are other Yxals out there looking for us. Yxals that belong to other clans, if you don't want both of us to get killed, you better move through that tunnel again before someone spots us."
"I will only move if you tell me what happened once we are inside."
Cruxia sighed. "Fine, you have my word."
"Your word means little to me, but it seems I have no other choice if I do not want to get killed."
Cruxia nodded. "I'm glad we have come to an agreement."
Celeste regarded Cruxia for a few more moments, noticing two long cuts on her right cheek for the first time since they had started talking. She wondered why she hadn't noticed them before, maybe because her gaze had been drawn to the Yxal's eyes like every other time she spoke to her. These eyes were by far the most beautiful ones she had ever seen. She had not seen many creatures with yellow eyes and black sclerae.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want to get us killed?" Cruxia snarled.
"Sorry," Celeste muttered and started to walk through the tunnel again, but this time in the other direction. She arrived in the room with the campfire once again. She turned her head and looked at Cruxia, who was not far from her. Although her physique was somewhat sturdier than hers, the Yxal could cross the tunnel without any problems. Celeste was still wondering if her armour was very thick or if she was pretty muscular beneath it. She must be very strong to wield such a heavy mace with only one hand.
Cruxia took the bag off her shoulders once she was inside the cave and put it on the ground. She opened and took two creatures out, which looked similar to rabbits. They had red eyes and horns coming out of their foreheads, and they were a little taller than rabbits, but other than that, they looked similar. "I brought us something to eat," Cruxia announced as she approached the campfire and sat close to it. Celeste regarded her for a few more seconds before she went to the campfire and sat opposite her.
She watched her pulling a sharp knife from her belt and starting to skin the first animal. "What happened to your face?" Celeste asked.
"It is. My sister wounded me when she attacked us."
"Karilla? Why would she attack us?"
The Yxal tilted her head a little and raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember?"
Celeste shook her head. "My last memory is about you opening the door to my cell."
"So, you missed quite a lot."
Celeste shrugged. "Seems so."
"You really don't remember anything? The attack? The fire? My sister following us?"
Celeste shook her head.
"I see," Cruxia mumbled. She was done skinning the first animal and continued with the second. A thoughtful look could be seen on her face.
"What are you thinking about?"
"About what I should tell you."
"The truth would be nice. You said your settlement was attacked, and another Yxal clan is looking for you. If they get you, they get me as well, and I don't want to imagine what they will do to us. We are in the same boat. We need to work together to survive," Celeste responded.
Cruxia's eyes fell on the light-brown-skinned woman. Her hair was no longer purely blonde. It had grown over the past months, and her natural black hair colour had come through. Celeste gave her a sincere look. She was not joking; she was dead serious.
"To make it short, my clan was attacked by three other clans. We belong to the few survivors." Celeste got the impression that Cruxia spoke the words with such ease as if she didn't care about what happened to the rest of her clan.
The truth was that it had not been easy for Cruxia to say that. She didn't want to show the other woman how devastated she was. She was very emotional but wouldn't cry, especially not in front of Celeste. She didn't want to show any signs of weakness. Her father had always told her that showing emotions was admitting weakness. She didn't want to show the other woman how vulnerable she was. She didn't want to give her anything she could take advantage of.
The fate of her clan did affect her. She was not as cold-hearted as the rest of her clan. She was not like her father, who did not care about his subordinates. She was not an emotionless killer. She was different from most members of her clan. She had empathy and other positive emotions.
Most of her clan members didn't have that. It was one of the reasons why most of them had kept their distance from her. They had treated her like an outsider, not all of them, but many. Too many. The only reason why no one had ever dared to mistreat her was because of her descent. If her father hadn't been the clan's warlord, she probably would have experienced more harassment and exclusion from them.
She still hadn't processed what had happened. She didn't want to believe that most of her clan had been slaughtered. She didn't entirely hold Celeste and her group responsible for what happened to them. The Bonebreaker, Skullcrusher, and Man-Eater clans attacked them and killed most of her brethren.
It might be true that they only did that because the artefact was stolen; they would have never dared to attack if her father had still possessed it. But in the end, it was all her father's doing. Their clan was at peace with all other Yxal clans of the East until her father decided to violate that peace when he annihilated the Corpse-Speaker Clan. The three remaining eastern clans had said nothing and done no action because they feared being annihilated next. They came out of their holes only when they discovered their father no longer had the artefact.
Her father's greed for power, resources and territories sealed their clan's fate. He had always been greedy. He had never changed, not even after the fall of the Seven Sinister Sins. Nevertheless, her father's fault didn't excuse what Celeste and her group did. Without their actions, her father would still possess the artefact and her clan would still exist. She would never forgive her for that, but she didn't plan to punish her, at least not yet. She was sure she could make use of her skills once she had recovered. She will make the eastern clans pay for what they did. One day, she will. And she will make Celeste help her in one way or another.
Cruxia told her everything that happened. After she was done telling her what they had experienced together, she told her what had happened after she had lost consciousness.
"Your sister betrayed you and your clan, but you didn't kill her when you had the chance? I wouldn't have expected that from a Yxal."
Cruxia tilted her head. "What is that supposed to mean? Not all of us are merciless butchers. Yes, I had the chance to kill her, but...," a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "Now it is too late. I cannot change the past." The sadness in her eyes was clearly visible, but Celeste didn't know how to respond.
"I wonder why you took me with you. You could have left me there after your sister knocked me out. That way, I wouldn't bother you in the future."
Cruxia was thinking about the answer she should give. If she was honest, she had no idea why she insisted on taking Celeste with her. She didn't want the other woman to die for some reason. She had no idea why she felt that way. Celeste was her enemy, after all. She still couldn't explain why she dragged Celeste with her and carried her through the secret tunnels and the vast forest to the cave.
Celeste regarded her with an expecting look on her face; one of her brows was raised. "No answer?"
"Don't push me, birdie."
"I have a name."
"Who cares? You are my prisoner, nothing more. You do as I say, and I make sure you stay alive."
Celeste folded her arms before her chest; her eyes didn't leave the light-purple-haired woman, but she said nothing in return.
Cruxia said nothing else as she impaled the animals with wooden sticks, whose tips were sharpened, and handed one of them to Celeste, holding hers over the flames. Celeste did the same and turned the animal frequently, roasting it from all sides. Once the flesh was brown enough for her liking, she pulled it away from the flames and waited until it cooled down, taking a bite. It was not as good as the meat she usually ate, but it was better than nothing. It served its purpose and satisfied her for the moment. Since the animal was not very big, it would only take a few hours for her to get hungry again.
She said nothing as she put the wooden stick aside and watched Cruxia devour the remains of her meal. She noticed for the first time since they met that her teeth were sharper than hers. While the surface of Celeste's teeth crowns was horizontal, Cruxia's were serrated. She had never paid close attention to them before, but the form of Cruxia's tooth crowns didn't surprise her at all. They were called the Gore-Eater Clan for a reason. She had no idea if they actually ate the corpses of their enemies. She had heard stories, but she doubted their veracity. Sometimes, stories were just stories and nothing more. Nevertheless, the stories could be true. She had no hints that spoke for it or against it. She could only hope Cruxia wouldn't eat her one day.
Cruxia put the wooden stick aside once she was done eating; her yellow eyes fell on the Anxoyal. "Is there anything you want to say? If so, do it now," she requested.
"I just want to know what you plan to do and where we are going. We cannot hide here forever."
"We need to find a place of refuge where the eastern clans cannot find us."
"They will never dare to set foot in Tenaria."
"Nice try," Cruxia replied. "We are not going there. Your people will kill me on sight. No chance."
"What if I put in a good word for you?"
Cruxia tilted her head; a frown appeared on her forehead. "You would? After everything I did to you?"
"Well, you said it yourself that you found no joy in torturing me...You could have left me at the mercy of the other clans in my cell, but you didn't. Not to mention, you defended me from your sister. I may not know why you did it, but that doesn't matter, I suppose. You saved me."
Cruxia was suspicious. "You might say that now to convince me, but once we reach Tenaria, you will do anything to get me killed."
Celeste shook her head. "I won't, I promise." She meant it, but she doubted that the Yxal would believe her.
"I don't trust the word of a poultry," Cruxia spat. "I don't believe any of the words you say."
Celeste lifted her hands in surrender. "Fine. Do you have a better idea?"
Cruxia hesitated. "Not at the moment," she admitted.
"Consider my offer then."
Cruxia groaned but said nothing else in return. She moved backwards and leaned against the uneven, cold walls of the cave; her brain worked non-stop as she thought about where they could hide from their pursuers.
"Our only choice is to take refuge in a clan outside the Eastern Lands."
"What if I refuse to come with you?"
"Then I will tie you up and leave you there. The eastern clans find you and treat you much worse than my clan did."
Celeste groaned. "Seems I have no choice but to go with you."
"Exactly. You don't know these lands as well as I do; you will get lost if you flee. They will find out; I have no doubt they will. So, you better stick with me and do as I say if you want to live. I'm your best chance of survival."
"Survival? For what? To live as your slave?" Celeste asked sarcastically.
"I will not keep you as my slave once we reach another clan. I might have to tell the other Yxals that you are my slave. Otherwise, they won't tolerate your presence. But, in secret, you can live as a free person. As free as possible in a Yxal settlement. I wish I could offer you a better solution, but I don't have one. And going to your people is not an option for me."
"What if you bring me near the borders and then go somewhere else?"
"If I bring you to Tenaria, I must return to the Eastern Lands, where the other clans will still look for me. The chances that they catch me are high. I cannot do that. You must come with me. There is no other choice."
Celeste was anything but pleased, but she knew there was no way to convince the Yxal. Shedidn't havea weapon either, so she couldn't threaten her. The only option she had was to pretend to be asleep and then wait until Cruxia would fall asleep. Then, she could try to take her weapons and take her captive. That way, she could force her to come with her to Tenaria. Or she could leave her behind and go to Tenaria alone. But that was only possible if they would rest somewhere before reaching the settlement of any other clan. She had no idea how vast the Eastern Lands were and how long they would need to reach one of the other Yxal territories. She could only hope she would get such an opportunity.
But even if she managed to do that, they would have to travel for days to reach the western border of Tenaria. Cruxia could follow her and try to catch her. The only way to prevent that was to tie her up, but she was not sure if Cruxia had something with her that could be used for that purpose. Not to mention, the chances were not low that Cruxia would seriously hurt her or even kill her if she failed to take her captive and turn the tide.
She had to consider whether she wanted to take that risk if she would ever get that opportunity.
"I hope that when we go, you won't refuse to walk. I don't want to drag you all the way. I count on your common sense. Our chances of survival are much higher if we work together."
"Seems I have no other choice if I don't want a knife in my throat."
"Well said. Also, if you dare to summon your wings, I will kill you before you manage to rise in the air. Is that clear?"
Celeste nodded. "Crystal."
"Now that we have come to an agreement, we can go."
"Where?"
"To the west. The Eastern Land is not the only territory possessed by Yxal clans. As you might know, the once glorious kingdom of Dragdom was split into several areas after the Great War. Some territories are ruled by one clan, but many areas are not controlled solely by one clan. There were once five clans in the Eastern Lands; now only three are left..."
"How many clans are in the west?" Celeste asked curiously.
"Two. The Painseeker and the Deathchanter clan. As far as I know, they are much larger than any of the clans in the Eastern Lands. If we take refuge in one of them, we should be safe. I doubt the Bonebreaker, Skullcrusher and Man-Eater Clan will risk a war with them only to get us."
A thoughtful look appeared on Celeste's face. "How are you so sure that they will take you in? Aren't you an outsider to them?"
"I have relatives in the Deathchanter Clan. As long as they are still alive. I haven't heard of them in years, but it's worth a try."
"And you are sure your relatives will let you in?"
"I cannot be sure; I can only hope."
"That doesn't sound convincing to me. I cannot put my trust in hope alone."
"We have no other chance than to try."
Celeste was silent for a few moments as she thought intensely. "Fine. I will come with you. After all, you helped me get out of the settlement. You could have left me behind, but you didn't. But don't think I'm grateful for that. I will never forget the pain you inflicted on me."
"Fair enough. I don't expect you to," Cruxia replied as she stood up. "Let's go then."
"You don't happen to have a weapon for me?"
"You won't get one until I know I can trust you."
"And what if we must defend ourselves?"
"Then I will give you one. For now, you must live without one."
Celeste stood up as well. "Very well," she grunted.
---
"Have you heard anything of my daughter's group?" Helen asked the armoured man in front of her.
He shook his head; his voice was neutral. "No, I haven't."
"She better be okay, Aldrich. It was you who decided she was ready for this kind of mission. If she doesn't return... You will have to deal with the consequences..."
"I assure you, your Highness, that she and her group are okay. She is a powerful warrior, and her comrades have much experience. Sergeant Crownwell is one of my best men," Aldrich the Pure replied reassuringly.
"If he is one of your best, why is he only Sergeant? Why doesn't he have a higher rank?" probed Helen.
Aldrich shrugged. "He doesn't want to have a higher rank. I wanted to make him Commander long ago, but he refused my offers multiple times because he didn't want more responsibilities. He is happy with the rank of a Sergeant."
"I hope he brings his group home without any losses."
Aldrich sighed. "It's not in my hands, your Highness. There is nothing I can do but hope they will return soon. The mission wasn't supposed to take months. Something must have happened, but I have no doubt they will make it back home. I trust my men, and I trust Crownwell's leadership."
"Then I hope your trust is not misplaced..."
"I will send a group to investigate if that soothes your nerves. They will look for Celeste and her group and figure out what is holding them up."
"Do that, Aldrich. You better bring my daughter back home. Otherwise..."
Aldrich said nothing about the hinted threat. All he did was reply politely, knowing he was not in the position to speak against one of the Nine. "I will, I promise."
"Good," was all Helen said in return before she walked away from the leader of the Vanguard. She made her way to the entrance of the Sanctuary of the Nine. She ignored the guards around the entrance and greeted her as she stepped inside the entrance hall of the enormous building. The inside was as glorious and beautiful as the outside. Only rare and expensive materials had been used to build and adorn the walls. Many statues stood in front of the walls, all showing Anxoyals. There was not a single statue that depicted a Keristian.
Helen made her way through the hall, following the vast corridor, whose walls were also heavily adorned by paintings, symbols and other decorations. Just as in the entrance hall, guards stood before the walls with equal distances between them. She followed the course of the corridor and the bordering ones until she entered a gigantic room much larger than the entrance hall.
The statues of the previous members of the Nine that stood in front of the room's nine walls reached the ceiling from which many chandeliers hung. The builders hadn't saved any cost, not even for the chandeliers made of the most expensive known crystals. In the middle of the room were nine golden thrones in a circle. Eight seats were already taken, and only one was empty.
She didn't hesitate to walk over there and sit down, letting her gaze wander over the members. She noticed the bored expression on Superion's face; his golden eyes rested on her. "You are late," he expressed, his voice reflected boredom.
"I had to talk to Aldrich about the mission to retrieve the Sceptre of the Ancients," Helen explained.
"Any news?"
She shook her head. "The group hasn't returned yet nor sent us any messages. We know nothing about them and the sceptre."
"That's very unfortunate," responded Superion.
"Aldrich has agreed to send out a troop to investigate why the group assigned to this mission is taking so long."
"Has agreed? He has no other choice than to do as we say. He has no say in this. He has to do what we want from him. Otherwise, there will be someone else to take his place," Superion replied.
"I know. Nevertheless, the troop will be set off as soon as possible."
"When can we expect them to return?" another member of the Nine asked. It was a man whose left side of his face was covered by ugly scars. He had very short blue hair, and an eyepatch covered his right eye. His name was Vendel.
"A month, maybe. I don't know."
"A month is too long," another member replied. It was a female with long pink hair whose tips were dyed blood-red. Her name was Princilla.
"I agree," said another woman with pink hair. It was Princilla's twin sister, Keyla. Except for the hair, they looked identical. Keyla had short hair, and the tips weren't dyed. "We need the sceptre as soon as possible. As long as it is in the hands of these fiends, it's a danger to our people."
Helen's gaze fell on her. "What do you suggest? What should we do instead? Is there any other way to get the sceptre sooner?"
"We should send someone who has lots of experience when it comes to the Yxals. Someone who ensures the troop is successful, unlike the group which was supposed to get it within a month."
"We don't know yet if the group wasn't successful. Maybe they have the sceptre but didn't manage to get back to Umbral yet," Helen argued.
"We need the sceptre as soon as possible; that's why someone with great experience should lead the rescue mission," replied Keyla.
"Who do you have in mind?"
Keyla turned her head slowly and nodded at the man with the long platinum hair. "Superion should go. He participated in countless battles against the Yxal; he knows their territory better than anyone else. This mission is not like any other. It is of great importance, and we cannot allow it to fail. Is that clear?"
Helen looked at Superion. "Is that okay for you?"
She didn't miss how the corners of his lips went up and formed a small, barely recognisable smile as he looked back at her. "Of course not. There is no one better suited for this mission than me."
"Does anyone have any objections?" asked Vendel.
Helen looked around, but no one said anything. They either shook their heads or remained silent.
"Then it's decided. Superion will retrieve the sceptre," announced Vendel. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"
"No, there isn't," replied Superion.
"Then I will announce this meeting as over if there aren't any objections." No one said a word.
"Very well, have a nice rest of the day," Vendel said half a minute later and got up from his throne. Everyone else did the same, and the Nine left the gigantic room one after another. All except for Helen and Superion.
The man in the heavily expensive armour didn't hide the grin on his face. He looked at Helen, pointed at the massive door on the opposite side of the room, and started walking towards it.
Helen didn't hesitate to follow him, knowing exactly where they were going.