After running for most of the night, Nick and Stella followed Hati until they reached an old altar, which was covered in vines and plants sprouting out of the cracks of the rock. Nick slowed his walking when Hati turned around, smiling as she pointed her head at the altar.
"Ta da! Here it is!" She said happily. Nick walked up to the altar and cut away the vines, looking at the writing on the bottom.
Signa lapidem in sanguine, et accipient
"Seal the stone in blood, and they shall accept," Stella translated. Nick looked at her, confused.
"So with what, our blood?" He asked. Stella shrugged and he looked at Hati, who shook her head no.
"No! I know what you're thinking about and the answer is no!" She yelled, backing away from him. He leaned over to Stella and whispered in her ear.
"Will anyone miss her?" He asked.
"Yes!" Stella and Hati said. He sighed through his nose and looked at the blood altar.
"We have to figure out something," He said when he heard the sound of horses. He turned towards the noise, seeing through the trees, burning torches. He nodded at the two of them and walked over to the burning torches, them following him. They approached the light until they came to a path, where about three men stood around a campfire, holding curved blades and wore headdresses, hiding their features.
"Great, Persian messengers," Nick mumbled. Stella looked at him, confused.
"What?" She asked.
"They try to spread the will of Persia, but end up looting and pillaging our villages. Yeah, that's the might of Persia," He said, rolling his eyes.
"What do we do?" She asked, making him think when Hati got in between them, smiling.
"We kill them," She said, nodding. He looked at her like she was crazy.
"Are you insane?! You really want to piss of the Persian army?!" He hissed, pointing at them.
"Don't you see? Our blood sacrifices are right there! If we kill them, we got all the blood we need to get our message!" She said, smiling crazily. Nick sighed and rubbed his temples, thinking, when he stopped, looking at the Persians.
"Fine, but you stay here," He said, making her smile disappear.
"What?! No, but this is my idea!" She protested when he looked at her angrily.
"You really want to help?" He asked.
"Yes!" She said.
"Then you stay here. Stella, give me cover fire," He said, walking out of the woods, spinning his Kusaris. She gripped her staff and walked out of the woods when Hati sat on a rock, frowning. She then got an idea. She smiled and started to rub her wrists on the rock, cutting the rope. When the last strand was gone, she tried to take the muzzle off, but it was no use. She sighed and snuck behind Nick and Stella, watching as they approached the Persians.
***
Nick whistled and the Persians turned around, pointing their swords at him when they realized who they were facing.
"The Spirit of Arogia!" One of them yelled, shaking. The Persians got into a defensive position and waited for him to attack. Finally, one Persian charged him, sword raised high, but Nick parried the sword and sliced him across the throat, blood pouring out of his wound. Then another Persian charged him and Nick punched him in the face, blood exploding from his nose and then Nick shoved his Kusari into the Persian's mouth. Then the third one pulled out a bow and fired an arrow, it almost about to strike Nick when Stella yelled a spell.
"Caudex!" She yelled and the arrow bounced off of an invisible force. The Persian started to run away when, out of nowhere, Hati pounced on him. She shoved her hand through his chest and pulled out his heart, it still beating. She threw it on the ground and turned to Nick, smiling. He frowned at her. He then walked up to her with anger in his eyes.
"I told you to stay back," He growled. Hati rolled her eyes and pointed at the dead Persian.
"If you don't care, I stopped the Persian from getting away," She said, crossing her arms. He looked at the bodies, grabbing one of the dead bodies by the leg and hoisting another on his shoulder when he heard screaming. He turned around to see another Persian charging at him, holding a knife. Nick dropped the bodies and kicked him in the face, knocking the headdress off of his face. He turned around, blood spilling out of his nose to reveal a young man with brown eyes and black hair, with tan skin. He charged Nick again and he smacked him on the side of the face, knocking him unconscious. Nick stood over him, crossing his arms as he kicked him in the side, hearing him moan in pain. Nick then turned around, grabbed rope, and tied his wrists together. Nick then nodded and grabbed the two dead bodies and walked away as Hati grabbed the third body. Stella looked at the Persian boy and then back at Nick.
"You're seriously not going to leave him here, are you?" She asked, pointing at him. Nick turned around and looked at the Persian.
"He tried to kill me and now your expecting me to help him?" Nick asked. Hati walked past him, nodding.
"He's got a point," She said. Stella frowned at him and then walked over to the Persian, pulling his sleeve up to reveal a tattoo of a sunset.
"His name is Mahdi," She said.
"So?" Nick asked.
"So, his name means rightly guided," She said.
"Ok. Why do I care? He's a Persian, and I don't trust Persians," He said, turning around to leave when she casted a spell on Mahdi.
"Mutatio," She said and he sat up, his eyes flash a color of blue before he looked around, confused.
"Wh-Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here?" He asked, looking at Stella. She put her hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly.
"We found you injured, and I healed you," She said, making Nick sigh. Mahdi smiled and grabbed a sword, spinning it in the air before he bowed.
"In the name of Persia, I will do all you ask," He said, looking at her. She smiled and patted him on the head as Nick rolled his eyes.
"Come on then, let's give them what they want," He said, dragging the bodies over to the altar.