Phoebus lived in the town of Arachrath, east of the Fishermen’s Village, in the same region as the Ancient Dungeons of Atakana. When Neptune found that out, he got on a bus at five o’clock in the morning and left, because he still didn’t know how to teleport properly. A couple of hours later, he had already arrived in the town. All he had to do was to locate the correct residence. It took another hour or so before he did.
The house stood in a secluded area, surrounded by a white fence with trees all around. After walking down the path, the boy slowed down, crouched down by a tree and peered into the yard. At that moment, a broad smile spread across his face. Small stables hid behind the house, which meant that Phoebus hadn’t sold his horses. Ronin, a mustang that Neptune had trained before he ran away from his foster parents, was one of them.
Not wanting anyone to notice him, the boy crept like a ghost through the canopy of the trees and leaned against the stable wall. Upon observing that no one was present in the yard, he quickly made his way to the open door. Though there were other stalls with horses inside, Neptune soon found his own, which was the largest and blackest of them all.
“Hey, buddy,” Neptune said cheerfully as he gave him a friendly pat on the back of the neck, and opened the gate. “Come out, I need you.”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, “And who let you steal him?”
Frightened, the boy turned around. With her arms crossed over her chest and her back against the wall, Azalea stood near the open door. Being so aware, he couldn’t even begin to question how she might have slipped by so unnoticed.
“Ronin is mine, so I can take him anytime,” he retorted. “Why should Phoebus be angry about that?”
“Maybe not, but what if he doesn’t let you out anymore?”
“Why should he? He’s not my father, I can do whatever I want.”
“Then why did you come here secretly?”
“And why can’t you just leave me alone and pretend you didn’t see anything?”
The girl gestured to turn around, but Neptune was too late as heavy hands grasped him by the shoulders.
“Don’t worry and listen,” Phoebus said in a soothing voice. “We know how difficult it is for you without your parents, and if you need any help, we’ll always be there for you.”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to go back home, does it?” he asked, as the fright made his body go rigid.
The man’s hands slowly relaxed. “Of course you don’t have to, but you don’t need to be scared and run away either.”
Neptune’s fear subsided at that instant when he saw Leida standing in the doorway, smiling.
“I’m glad nothing happened to you during the years you were alone,” she said.
The boy rushed to her and hugged her longingly. “I’m so sorry I left without saying a word; I didn’t think I would be able to talk you out of it. If you’d like to visit me, you can find me in the Crystal Palace at any time.”
“But what are you doing here? What did you need Ronin for?”
“I was just stopping by, but I had been planning to pick him up all along. I have to find Ravenna, so I can’t stay here for too long.”
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Demon Daughter (Book I)
FantasyOn the night of the Blood Moon, a girl was born, destined for a dark future. She is the daughter of a demon, created from a false love, but she knows nothing about her origins because during the war she was sent to live on Earth with Lynn and Roger...
