The Scarlet Scepter

Chapter Twenty (Revised)

The look on the soldiers' face when we appeared in the sky above them was priceless. They stared at us wide-eyed and open-mouthed, and I had to suppress laughter when one soldier in the back fainted. I recognized their armor, the ones I saw only several days ago.

They all saluted when they saw Cyrus. "General."

As I saw up there in the sky, the Woods formed a huge and long barrier between Seriah and what Cyrus said was the land of Eirene. The tents were widely spread all on the Serian end of the Woods, with the bigger tents farther from the trees, forming a ring around a grand tent. We were preparing to land, but then the eagles started acting strange. The feathers I was holding onto began shrinking. When we landed in front of the grand tent, the eagles were reduced to half their size. Out of the tent came out the mirror image of my father.

"Ah, General," Arioch said gently, "and my dear Princess. You have made it safely. Also we have rare visitors."

We got off the eagles and they quickly flew back into the sky.

"Your Majesty," said Cyrus as he and all the soldiers bowed.

"The guardians, eh?" The king glanced around. "Where is Cepheus?"

Cyrus did not even pause before answering. "Your Majesty, that would have to be discussed in private."

Out of a sudden, old men dressed in silk robes came out of the adjacent tents. "Well, General, you're back," Jabal said with a twinge of excitement in his voice.

Cyrus eyed him coldly. "Jabal, I see you and the Council have decided to join us in our battle."

"Our battle?" Jabal's eyes were twinkling. He glanced at Cyrus then at me, and then frowned. "I see that you have failed. Where is the Scepter, General?"

Cyrus was seething, and I moved closer to calm him down. "You useless, pompous, nothing more than a shadow of a man..."

"Enough," Arioch commanded. "The General, the Princess and I have much to discuss. All of you go back to your positions." Arioch then beckoned us to follow him inside the tent. We didn't really have any choice.

"Are you all right, Annaliese?" Arioch enveloped me in a warm embrace when we got inside.

"I'm fine, Your Majesty," I said. He quickly released me, and then inspected Cyrus.

"What about you, Cyrus?"

"I am all right," Cyrus replied. Arioch waved us to chairs at a rounded table in the middle of the tent.

"So, tell me what happened there." That he didn't ask why we didn't have the Scepter surprised me. But he seemed genuinely worried.

I recounted the events starting from the fog, to the Maze, (I left out the part about my parents), and then how we met Celia. He only arched a brow when I told him that she was the younger daughter of Altair. Then I proceeded to the giant, and Cepheus's apparent death. His forehead creased when I described Cornelia. Cyrus looked ill at ease. When I got to the point where Cepheus reappeared, I felt queasy. I stopped, and Arioch was bothered. "What happened?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came. The memory was still fresh, and I vividly remembered the touch of his lips.

"I will continue for you." Cyrus said and quickly related the story, leaving out those parts and getting to the main point that Cepheus clearly betrayed us. He looked at me when he was finished, and I smiled gratefully.