A KINGDOM OF DEAD HEARTS [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 39: HOSTAGES

Each winged snake had a child wrapped by its tail. Each of those children cried, screamed, and those were the harrowing sounds they heard from far away.

"Leidra! You have gone completely mad!" now Xander was furious.

"Myrana will begin attack soon. Our master Ares has unleashed his winged snakes, and those children are the children of the people of Halgard. Listen, Xander," Leidra walked to the grass clearing and just stood there with an unmistakably gruesome smile on her gorgeous face. Then she spoke again in a slow, clear tone,"Surrender the sword of Zeus and Lyanna to me. Then I will make sure these children will be returned to their crying, grieving parents."

Each of the winged snake flew lower and lower, uncurled its tail that tied up each child, and dropped each child on the grass clearing. The children were crying even louder and some tried to run to Xander, but an invisible wall seemed to throw them back to the middle of the clearing. There must have been about fifty children about four to ten years old who by now just kneeled and bawled in the middle of the grass clearing—innocent hostages in Leidra and Ares' brutal plan.

It was clear they were snatched in their sleep because they were clothed just in their pyjama. No jacket, nothing, in such cold night.

"The sword of Zeus and Lyanna. By sunrise. If not, I will command the snakes to devour all those children. They would love fresh tender meat." With that threat, Leidra turned around and walked to the forest followed by the soldiers who had been standing behind her; those Halgard soldiers who were under her hypnotizing sorcery. They all walked back to the main palace of Halgard.

The winged snakes flew away right above Leidra and the soldiers.

<<<>>>

There she was. Standing at the edge of the grass clearing with Xander next to her, watching the children crying in fear, and there was nothing they could do because there was an invisible wall, a sorcery of Leidra that prevented them from going to the children and the children from coming to them.

Those little ones were effectively held in prison in the middle of the grass clearing.

"We can't let these children die , Xander. They are innocent," she was not sure Xander could hear her because it felt to her she was just talking to herself.

Xander was quiet, he just stared directly at the grass where the children were. While the cries of the children got to Airin. She walked and stood by the side of the grass where the invisible wall was. The children seemed to know that she meant no harm to them, and they all rushed to come closer.

She lifted her arm, and placed her both of her open palms on the invisible wall which felt cold to her palms, it was tough, in fact it felt like she was touching a thin layer of glass.

The children were still sobbing, but those who stood right in front of her also lifted the palm of their hands and put them on the wall. Soon the others were pressing the wall and tried to reach her hands too.

"Shhhh ... it will be fine, sweethearts. It will be," she spoke and tapped the enchanted wall to try to calm the children down. She remembered the times in the classroom when she had to calm agitated children down, and she decided she could try it with these children. Though she did not know exactly how they would be fine in this situation.

"Let's ... let's sing ... would you like that?" she nodded her head to the children while speaking loudly so all of the children could hear her.

The children got quieter but nobody answered her. Their tear-stained eyes were wide open, looking at her with fear and sadness.