MISTRESS OF FLAME

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

GENERAL ADRI was speechless after hearing the report early in the morning. His fear for his life was increasing day by day. As long as Yther's Mistress of Flame was roaming free and not back to her prison, his head was in a great risk of being separated from his neck. The emperor already told him that he'd have his head if the Mistress of Flame was not caught, and now that it had been a week with no good news, General Adri was starting to become desperate.

"The soldiers that were sent to Mistvale Village has not yet returned. After investigating, we found out that all the soldiers had been slain. No one was left alive. And after further investigation, we found out that whoever took the woman from prison was the same person who killed the soldiers. It was a brutal killing, just like what happened in the moonrite chamber a week ago."

Captain Hamlin, who was reporting to the general, looked up from bowing his head down to ask, "General, what is your next order?"

General Adri wanted to massage his forehead out of frustration, but he chose to show the captain of his soldiers in front of him that he was not a bit shaken by the news. He was a general; if he showed weakness, then what would his soldiers say? "Prepare five groups with a dozen soldiers each. We will hunt her down!"

Captain Hamlin was stunned. "Y-you're hunting with us, General?" The soldier was surprised because it was uncommon for a general to hunt down prisoners. Even at war, generals position themselves behind the soldiers to command. They were not known to fight on the front line.

"Yes. That woman must be recaptured, or I will die trying!" General Adri swore, and Captain Hamlin felt an admiration toward the general. Unbeknownst to the captain, the general would really die if he couldn't capture the Mistress of Flame. "Tell the soldiers that whoever captured the Mistress of Flame will receive honor and reward."

General Adri wanted to take matters into his own hands. He would capture the Mistress of Flame and be in the emperor's good graces again. He worked hard to get his position; he will double his effort to keep it. Besides, to stand behind the emperor was the greatest honor for a general, and he swore to support Emperor Gabrien until the very end.

So early that morning, General Adri and his elite soldiers rode their horses toward Mistvale, moonrite stones and chains ready.

♕♕♕

SOLLEL knew she fell from the cliff and almost drowned, robbing her consciousness away. So when she woke up and saw a run-down shack with a thatch roof, she immediately got up and winced when she felt a searing pain from her shoulder. The wound caused by that moonrite arrow.

Discarding the pain, Sollel became alert as she looked around. Where am I?

Just when she was about to leave the bed made of dried straw, the door opened. Sollel immediately grabbed the knife she saw from the old table, ready to defend herself, when she saw a beautiful young woman entered.

She was petite and tall, maybe as tall as Sollel. The woman was wearing a dark green tunic dress that did not reach her knees. It covered her arms and had a leather cincher around its waist. She also wore black leggings underneath the dress to cover her legs and black leather boots, with a bow and arrow strapped on her back. But it was her ears that caught Sollel's full attention.

An elf? What is she doing outside their sacred forest? Sollel had a deep frown, still tightly holding the knife, ready to kill. Sollel did not care if the woman didn't kill her while she was unconscious; she did not even care if the elf took care of her while she was weak. She had suffered enough to know that no one can be trusted, not even those who extended their hands to help.