"He's finally out. The note did the trick",a man said in the darkness. He was hidden in the cluster of thick trees, a few meters away from Evaleen's home. Beside him were two other men crouching low. They had dark hooded cloaks covering their heads and hiding most of their faces. Gripped tightly in their thick fists were wooden clubs and daggers and they watched as Sebastian started making his way towards the west river.
"He's heading towards the west river", another said. "We don't have much time. We must attack before he finds out it's a trick".
"Let's go",the first man said. The three figures stood on their feet and began to creep up on Sebastian, stepping carefully over the grasses so they wouldn't make a sound. The sky was pitch black, save for the occasional lightening and rumbles of thunder. The only light was the lantern Sebastian held and the men followed behind it carefully, moving swiftly and closing the distance between them.
As quiet as they tried to be, their light footsteps was picked up by the sensitive ears of Sebastian. He knew instantly that he was being followed. He pretended to be oblivious and he continued towards the west river, swaying the lantern left and right. Strangely enough he didn't feel any fear of being attacked. His senses suddenly became heightened and he could hear every sound of the night. The swish of the men's feet on the wet grass, the flutter of wings as a bat flew past. The hooting of an owl in the trees. It was all so strange for Sebastian. But he remained alert and continued walking.
Thunder rumbled again and the clouds opened up and it began to rain. Sebastian could clearly hear the men cursing, probably unhappy with the sudden weather change. It only made him smile. The rain would make capturing them easy.
He got to the west river, a large amount of water gathered at the west side of Duville. Just as he predicted, Nicklaus wasn't there. The note had been fake. A way to lure him out and it clearly came from someone with malicious intent. Whatever the intent was, he was going to find out.
Suddenly he disappeared.
The men came to an abrupt halt. They looked around and squinted through the heavy rain to be sure. Sebastian had been standing a few meters in front of them, looking around with the lantern raised upwards when he suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Where did he go?",one whispered fiercely.
"He was right here just now",another said and turned in a circle, looking around him fearfully.
"Be quiet",the third said. "Remember the Master's warning. He has no idea of the kind of creature he is. It could already be happening".
"What could be happening?",the first man asked.
"His powers could be...."
"Impossible",the second man burst out. "I'll kill him with my bare hands! Half demon or not".
"Spread out quietly",the third man said. "And search the grounds. Give the signal if you have eyes on him".
With the rain pouring down hard on them, they went in three different ways and began to search the grounds.
Sebastian stood beneath the oak tree beside the west river with a perplexed expression. What just happened? A second ago, he had been standing in front of the river, waiting for the men to come closer enough to him. He remembered closing his eyes and taking a deep breathe to calm himself and the next instant he opened his eyes, he appeared under the oak tree. He heard the men wondering how he disappeared and this confirmed his suspicions. He suddenly remembered the words of the Angel he met.
...you're one of us... a half demon too...
Could it be...? He shook his head. This wasn't the time to wonder about that. He had three men who were obviously sent by someone to kill him. He would deal with them first, then think of what just happened later.
He looked up at the large oak tree. It would be a perfect place to scout the three men. Moving swiftly, he leaped up and grabbed the nearest branch. He swung on it for a while before hefting himself up. He was as silent and as agile as a wild cat. He climbed up the tangle of branches and leaned on the thick trunk. From that height, he could clearly see the men searching for him.
One began to head towards the oak tree, looking all around him. From his back pocket, he brought out a flashlight and gripped it tight. But he didn't turn it on. He was probably waiting for something.
The signal! It was the signal. If the man were to see any sign of Sebastian, he would flash the beam of the light, alerting the others. Sebastian couldn't let him send the signal to the others. He prepared to jump down the tree and knock the man unconscious when he stilled suddenly as a searing pain shot through his back.
He groaned in pain, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth as the pain increased. It was like a thousand knives were set loose on his back. His bones crunched and reformed, making a loud cry tear out from his lips.
The man beneath the oak tree suddenly stilled. He looked upwards, squinting in the darkness. The rain had subsided a bit and the light drops pattered on the leaves before falling to the earth. He could make out the shadow of someone up in the tree as the cry sounded again and he knew instantly that Sebastian was up there. He promptly turned on the flash light, blinking it severally. The other men saw it and headed towards the tree.
The man beneath the tree grinned triumphantly, thinking he would get the reward for being the one to kill the boy before the others came. He pulled out his dagger and gripped it. A strange sound from the top of the tree made him turn the beam of the light upwards and what he saw turned him completely still, his mouth wide ajar, his legs trembling.
Up there in the tangle of oak branches was a man.
Not a man.
A Demon!
A massive demon that was currently glaring down at him.
His eyes were the colour of emerald, eeriely glowing in the beam of the flashlight. His fangs were elongated, gleaming in the harsh light of the torch. He was crouching on a thick branch, his shoulders hunched with muscles, thick claws gripping the tree trunk. His clothes were torn to shred and behind his back were two massive powerful black wings.
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Evaleen couldn't stop pacing behind the closed door. Her stomach churned with nerves and she was physically restless. She constantly wringed her wrists in worry and with each tick of the clock, became increasingly worried.
It was already twenty minutes since Sebastian left and he was still not back. She felt like going after him, just like she said she would. She could go over to the nearest neighbour and explain to them.
But something kept holding her back. A part of her strongly believed that whoever came for Sebastian was connected with the royal family. And she couldn't risk letting anyone else find out about her son. Someone must have suspected Sebastian's resemblance to the King. And that someone must have reported straight to the King.
No not the King!, Evaleen thought. Cyrus met Sebastian in the Kingdom square and he did nothing. Whoever that person was must have reported to the Queens, or worse the Princes. The peasants and elites of Duville were ready to do anything to get a little favour from the royal family. And that person might have spoken about the resemblance of Sebastian and the King. Someone else would then add it all up together and begin to suspect. She couldn't let this secret out. Not after keeping it hidden for so long. The risks were too much. She would go herself. She would just have to be quiet so she wouldn't get caught.
With that decision made, she rushed to her room and grabbed her cloak. Taking another lit lantern, she stepped outside the house, shivering as the cold wind bit into her skin. The rain had completely stopped and the wind blew harshly. She pulled the hood of the cloak around her head and tightened the string, making it cover her fair hair and pale skin. She decreased the lantern to a low glow and began to pick her way towards the west river. She hoped Sebastian wasn't in any form of danger.
Halfway there, she heard a gut wrenching and spine tingling roar pierce the silent night.