Raihne's Point Of View
"Wake up, Sable. We need to go now." I said, as I softly jostled her awake.
The sun was rising, and I was feeling increasingly unsettled the more we stayed here. Delcain had helped me pack, and the men had helped get the injured and wounded loaded into the Helo.
"Where are we going to go?" Sable asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
She had been so worried the night before, I feared she'd never sleep. However, as soon as she laid down she had passed out in mere seconds.
"We are going to go to Ferdinand's actual home, in StohneGarrdin." I replied, helping her up off the floor.
"That guy has two houses!?" She asked, both shocked and exasperated.
"Haha! Well in his defense, the house here in Sayenrio was his family home. He grew up here. Once he became a Mafia King, he was given StohneGarrdin to rule over. So naturally he needed to have a home and base of operations there as well." I chuckled.
"Why didn't we just go there first instead? And what the heck is a Mafia King? I knew he didn't look like he had a normal job, but who the hell knew he was a Mafia boss? Does Tristan know?" She asked, looking well and truly shocked.
I realized too late, that they had been keeping that information from the kids so they wouldn't be freaked out or scared of Ferdinand. Luckily for me, Sable was the only one in the room right now, and she was more sensible than most.
"Ah... well... Think of him as a mayor of StohneGarrdin. He helps its citizens with all types of things, and he is loved dearly by his people. The reason why we didn't go there first, was simply because he didn't want Tristan to panic at the far move, and his home in StohneGarrdin is widely known. Thus making it harder to protect him from other Kings." I replied.
We walked out of the room and headed for the front door. Sable seemed to be lost in thought for a while as we walked.
"But isn't going there now more dangerous...?" She asked, looking worried.
I understood her concerns, but with all that was happening, we didn't really have a choice. Plus from what Payhne had said, most of the Kings had accepted Tristan, so in theory it would be far less dangerous now.... In theory.
"Well... apparently the Kings aren't apposed to Tristan having his freedom. Some of them are actively assisting in helping get the kids back as we speak." I said.
"Oh... I see. That's a good thing right?" She asked, clearly still not convinced.
"Yeah, it honestly is. They rarely have times where they mutually agree on something. From what I know so far, most are willing to reform their Omega facilities. I even heard that some who don't even have a facility, are going to build one just the way Tristan wants... It's definitely progress." I chuckled.
She didn't say anything more, but the subtle proud smile on her lips, was unmistakable. We reached the Helo and Rohlander hopped out to assist Sable inside. I didn't know why, but seeing him do for Sable what I was currently incapable of doing, really grated on my nerves. I didn't particularly hate Rohlander, but the Alpha in me was wholly unsatisfied.
*BZZZ... BZZZ... BZZZ...*
"Yes...?"
–Brother, we were able to get the kids... and liberate the facility...
"Then why don't you sound particularly happy about it?" I asked.
Payhne was a hot-headed child on his best days. A ruthless villain on his worst. The fact that he wasn't oozing with satisfaction about getting Arrisa back, was a discomforting sign.
–Well... in our attempt to get the kids back, Tristan was taken... It's not exactly a celebratory time y'know...
I couldn't believe my damn ears. We seemed to keep going from one bad situation to the next. It was becoming emotionally burdensome.
"So what's the plan...?" I asked, nervously.
The kids were one thing, but I knew that Ferdinand and the others would kill anyone to get Tristan back unscathed. They were a fearsome enemy to have.
–Well apparently Bellamy and Cole are en route to retrieve him now... They aren't the best fighters, but I suspect Bellamy's anger will assist him greatly.
"I see. We are heading to StohneGarrdin now. I'm about to get into the Helo now. Justus, Belladohnnis, Tysse, and Jasper are going to drive the vans. Sylvester's men are flying the Helo, and everyone has been secured and accounted for." I replied.
–Good. Be safe brother. Keep me posted. I'll do the same.
"Yeah. Watch your back out there. Be safe..." I sighed, as I disconnected the call.
I threw my crutches into the helicopter and then climbed inside. I sat in between Delcain and Sable, and got comfortable.
"Who was that?" Sable asked, curiously.
"Payhne. He was giving me an update." I replied.
"Is everything okay?" Delcain asked.
"They got the kids back safely. Then I updated him on our situation." I replied, avoiding giving him the full truth, but also not giving them false hope.
"Well that's all that matters, I suppose..." Delcain said.
He gave me a sidewards glance, no doubt picking up on my avoidance in confirming that everything was fine. Thankfully he was smart enough not to pry any further.
"We're taking off now. Everyone get strapped in." Cohrey said.
Sable held on tight to my arm, and I chuckled. Then I pulled the harness around her and strapped her in. She looked up at me in confusion.
"Haha. It's safer than my arm, silly." I chuckled again.
Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. It was a truly adorable and heartwarming sight. My chest tightened immediately. Then there was a sharp jab into my left side. I grimaced and looked over at Delcain, and was met with a nasty glare.
"I like you. And even respect you. But I'll kill you all the same. So control yourself, Raihne. Your pheromones are ridiculous." Delcain whispered harshly.
Muffled chuckles sounded throughout the Helo and I returned his glare. He cared about his siblings so I had no right to be angry at him, but I didn't do anything on purpose, so I didn't know why he was being mean to me.
"I didn't do it on purpose. And it's not like that, so shut up." I whispered back.
"Do you want two broken legs? I said what I said. Gain some self awareness and chill out..." He sighed.
The chuckles grew louder and I began to direct my glare at everyone. It wasn't fair that he was scolding me over something I wasn't doing intentionally.
"Laugh now, but as soon as my leg heals, I'm punching all of you. No one will be exempt!" I sneered.
At that, the quiet laughter stopped immediately. Then I tensed up as Sable rested her head on my arm.
"It's fine Raihne. Only idiots laugh at someone else's expense. No need to worry about a peanut gallery that couldn't hold a proper conversation with another woman to save their lives. And Del, I love you dearly, but if you threaten Raihne again, I'll tamper with your food until I'm completely satisfied." Sable said with a calm and evil smile.
The ride in the Helo became ridiculously uncomfortable and awkward. Meanwhile, Nahana and Sable seemed to relish in it.
"Hey Sable. If you look out that window, you'll see Demhongade. That's where the guys are now with the kids." I said trying to distract the little Psycho Princess.
"It looks so weird. How can it be grassy and dried out? I wish we could land here. I'm interested in seeing what different places are like." She replied.
"Yeah, that would be very dangerous. Every Duhtchy run by a Mafia King has its own laws." I said.
"What's a Duhtchy?" She asked, confused.
"That's what the different plots of land are called. I'll show you a map when we land." I replied.
"I see. Thanks. I'd like to learn all the different places we can go." She said excited.
She was so emotionally interesting. At this point I wasn't sure what to make of her sudden mood swings. She could be kind and caring. Then she could be extremely evil and calculating.
"We're coming up on StohneGarrdin now." Cohrey said over the COMs.
"Since it will take the others some time to get to StohneGarrdin, I called some of Ferdinand's men who are stationed here to send us transportation." I said.
"Okay. The wounded should go first. We need to get them back into proper beds with their anti-inflammatory medication." Khali said.
"Yeah they go first. Then we will all ride with a police escort to Ferdinand's estate." I replied.
"Understood." She nodded.
Once we landed on the Helipad, we were met with multiple vans and ambulance trucks. The citizens really gave us a grand welcome. We piled into the cars and rode out to Ferdinand's home.