Lightstringers

Chapter Sixteen: And the Hunt Goes

"Let's go," sighed the prince. "I have a question before we go," I said as we stopped in front the gates of the park. "What is it?" asked the prince, clearly angry. "Why are you helping me? I could recall from two weeks you wanted to kill me. Now you want to help me, us?" I asked. He sighed and rubbed his temples then said, "I thought what I was doing was right. Aunt Madelia taught me that way since I was a child. I wasn't happy when my son was banished but I had no choice. The queen has spoken." He chuckled a little then completed, "When I came to you in your dreams, I saw a part of my son in you. I thought maybe there's still faith in this world. I wasn't the best father but he was my son!" "You know no one knew about me coming to your dream but somehow the queen knew. Don't ask me how but she knew. After she got the news, she became furious almost mad."

"Then came the ball. I saw you and I thought maybe I can make things right again. I tried to approach you but kept running away. Surprisingly, the queen knew my intentions, so she ordered me to kill you." "Me?" I asked and he nodded. "That's when I caught you in the hallway. I do remember telling you not to tell anyone but I said that because I didn't want anyone to be in danger. But of course you had to run and tell your lover boy," he said. "He's not-," "Alice!" warned Brian as he held my arm. "Stop it! He's not my lover boy! He never was!" I shouted as I yanked his hand off of me. "By my light. You child are blind," laughed the prince. "What?" I asked. "Let's go before Jade comes and bite us in the arses!" He said as he exited the park. "Wait here! We need to complete our talk!" I shouted. "Maybe later. Let's go find my son's fragment," he said as he entered a car. "We are getting into a car?" I asked. It has been weeks since I have gotten into a car. "Yeah! Got any problems with that dear?" asked the prince.

"No. It's just weird that you Lights drive cars," I said as I sat in the back and Brian sat passenger seat. "Dear! We favor the human life over our life. Didn't these pixie ever teach you that we like to be in human form?" he asked and I nodded. Remembering the lecture Amy gave me before the party. "Amy?! Oh god. I am going to cry, aren't I? Nope, I am not going to cry. Nope, I am definitely crying right now," I sobbed silently. I was snapped out of my trance with a shouting Brian saying, "STOP THE CAR NOW!" "Here. I stopped it. What now?" asked the prince. Brian got out and came to sit next to me. He hugged me and started to rub my back trying to soothe me but nothing worked. Amy died for me. Scratch that, Amy died! I can't get over her death! "That's all lover boy. You know you could've told me more politely," huffed the prince. "Drive," hissed Brian and grandfather drove away. I fell asleep while still crying. I woke up to light poking on my shoulder. "What?" I asked, half asleep. "We're here. Come on get up!" "Five mor- We're here?" I said as I sat up. I looked around me and found that we were at a lake. "This is where my father's fragment is?" I asked.

"Come on Alicia. We don't have much time!" demanded grandfather. "It's Alice!" I hissed. He sighed then motioned to us to get closer to the lake. The lake was beautiful. The night sky was reflected on the clear flowing water. The stars were jumping in the sky. The place was quiet except for the hooting of the owls. "It's beautiful," I whispered. "Yeah! It's where your parents would secretly meet," said grandfather. "Grand-. I mean Prince Franklin where's dad's fragment I don't-." "It's right over there," he said as he pointed at the lonely bench that was on the bank of the lake. I ran to the bench and found my dad. He was smiling and looking at the stars. "Dad?" I cried. But he looked at me confused. Oh yes. This fragment should be before I was born. "I am not- Father?" he asked horrified. I turned around and saw grandfather already beside me. "Hello son," he said so sweetly. "This here is your daughter Alicia, sorry Alice," said grandfather. I smiled at him and looked at my father.

Although he was a fragment he seemed to be tearing up. "Beautiful just like your mother," he said as he wiped his tears. "My, my! You seem to be all grown up. It's nice to see you sweetheart." I felt the tears piling up, I knew another word from him and I will break. I sucked the tears as much as I could and asked him, "I need your help." "Ah! Yes. I guess by now you already know about our world?" he asked and I nodded. "Help is the least I can do for dragging you into this mess." "I need to you to help me understand the prophecy," I said. "Okay. What do you not understand in the prophecy?" he asked. "Well, the first line I don't understand, that's at dusk the light will glow and the shadows will go as one." "Ok. It means as soon as you glow, all the Shadows will disappear. "Okay! The second line doesn't make sense like The Lights shall then fall to the one that claims the hall. Who will claim the hall? Is it me? I don't know" I said as I started to pace.

"That line, I don't know what it means. I am sorry," he said. "The world will be dead as soon as they are in red. Red as in bloody dead or as in what exactly?" "I think there will be a war, which lead to a bloodbath. But let's hope it doesn't have that literal meaning," sighed father. "All at last in the final blast of the first one. Soon you'll know what it's like to be their foe. These two lines, I know about them. The first one is queen Madelia and the foe I think is either queen Madelia or our friend Adalyn." "Okay." "Then face the anger of the half Shadows and half lights. I know the half shadows are the Yolimers and the half Lights are the lightstringer? But when the prophecy said 'Hail to the Pure, who will save us from the lure'. What lure? Is it some kind of danger?" I said. "Okay! I think you will be treated as royalty, that's why it said 'Hail'. About the lure, I don't know. By time everything will become clearer. I've got to go dear. Goodbye," he said as he turned into the bright blue light then disappeared, just like mum. "Now what?" asked Brian. "Now we go on a hunt," I said as I wiped the tear that rolled down my cheeks. "For?" asked grandfather. "Yolimers!"

"Yolimers?" asked Brian. "HalfShadows! They are a creature, ok! Just like getures and pixies. But pixies arehalf- shadow, half-light. Getures are half-shadow, half-human. And Yolimers arehalf-light, half-human!" I said. Brian stood there for a few seconds, trying tounderstand what was told to him. "How do you know about them? I mean, theyaren't in any creature books," said Brian as we all started to go to the car."That's because his father," I said as I pointed at the prince. "Killed them.They are existent. At least, they made us believe so," I said as I entered. "Sohow are we going to find these Yolimers you're talking about?" asked Brian ashe entered and closed the door behind him. "Grandfather, would you like toanswer that?" I asked. "Ah, what? You called me grandfather?" he asked.