A Baby For The Beast

38. Shifting Brokenly

"Another chapter of life. I have a pup to protect now. People in the castle keep testing me. It's time to scrap the Goodchild off my name." – Ava Knight

...

"Leave it to me,"

Some voice suddenly said.

"Let me take it from here."

I wriggled my brows confusingly at the feminine words.

"Who are you?" I asked curiously.

"Your wolf."

"Y-You're here again." I stated brokenly, sitting at the floor of my chambers with tears surrounding my eyes.

I was tired.

So tired that for the first time, I reached for a bottle of rum, drinking from it.

I wanted anything that could make me forget this world I was in. This harsh world that everyone was after something. Anyone could betray anyone. Because of power.

Used to look up to Lydia, you know.

I really wanted to be like her. Her fighting skills and Knight indulging were out of this world. This was why I had so much confidence in myself after defeating her.

I remember how I had dropped a part of my torn piece of cloth, bowing down to pay my last respect, in honor. Of her magnificent fighting skills.

Pained me to know she worked with the main enemy. With the main villain— King Teta. That she wasn't who she said she was.

The Witch's words reminisced into my head...

"In disguise of a mere pawn, she used her spells to feign the fighting peak gifted by the Moon Goddess." Nynaeve had said.

"She has been the one feeding the major enemy with information. And she will be back. Back for you, Ava. Back to destroy the castle as she has always dreamed of."

"W-Why? Who is she and what's truly her aim?" I had asked, stuttering.

"At first I was confused too." Nynaeve admitted, with her hands sweeping over the crystal ball.

"As to why you had those war visions. I assumed you were blessed to be a clairvoyance. But that wasn't the case at all."

"Now the Goddess shows me all,"

"She shows me all..."

A bright light shone from her eyes and the entire room began trembling, as she held my hands. The crystal ball turned into pitch black. I gasped at it, looking and searching. Only to see pictures. Moving pictures.

Of people. But I didn't understand it at all.

"Tell me..."

"Lydia was a descendant of Lady Archer's Kingdom— the Khalayans."

"L-Lady Archer?"

It was made sense now. On why she had contacted me, from the spiritual realm. She wanted to warn me about Lydia, but her time was limited.

I needed to know about her tribe, still.

"Who are the Khalayans?"

"The Khalayans are known in history to be a hidden Kingdom. Only women, they are extremely strong and beautiful. More like Amazons, highly skilled in the use of bows with maddening abilities of fighting."

She explained.

"Lady Archer, the Queen Khalayan of her clan, trespassed King Teta's border in one of her expenditures. He threw a great fit, with an intent to have her punished."