Kyla tried to ignore the shouting voice of Jarlath, to a point where she couldn’t hear him anymore and that was when she found herself at the foot of the waterfall. She flung her bag on the side of a nearby rock, where she sat and buried her face in her hands. She felt Aedan appeared at her side, and just looking at her. “Good to see you again darling.” He smiled.
“Just stop. Tell me the truth Aedan; do you know a man called Jarlath?”
Aedan sighed and knelt down beside her. “Yes. Yes I do.”
“And do you have that weird mark on your arm, the mark with the dragon and the dagger?”
Aedan rolled up his sleeve before Kyla grabbed his hand. “Please tell me your not one of them.” Her face frozen with a glare aimed straight at him.
“I used to be, but it was a very long time ago Kyla, I swear. That’s why I was taken, to become a Hybrid.” He started to roll back down his sleeve again before staring blankly at the ground. “And it’s why I never contacted you for all those years, in case Ennis could track you down.”
“Who’s Ennis?”
“He’s the Leader of the Hybrids. The Alpha if you want to call it. But even he has a Superior.” Aedan hesitated before starting to speak again. “Her name is Milynn or The Master as she likes to be called. Ruler of the Western Colonies.”
“And she’s the one you’ve been running from?” Kyla started to smile widely.
“Hey! She’s terrifying alright! One wrong word in front of her and you’re head could be stuck on a spike on top of the battlements.” He lay back on his back staring up at the sky.
“Jarlath told me I’m the Heiress of ArdDruim...” Kyla mumbled.
“And he’s probably right, you’re very special you know that?” Although his hands where covering his face from the sun, Kyla could see a huge smile stretch across his face. “Not only to people across the border, but to me as well...”
A silence filled the air between them, they didn’t have to say anything, and so they just sat and watch the clouds lazily float by until it was sunset. As they were getting up Aedan leaned into Kyla. “Don’t trust Jarlath.” He sighed after those words and walked ahead.
Jarlath had returned back to Kyla’s house to find her father pacing the front porch while Dervla sat crossed armed on the nearby chair staring at Jarlath. “What’s wrong?” he asked cautiously, trying not to look at Dervla.
“Kyla’s gone and I have no idea where.” He buried his head in his hands while Dervla got up from the chair. “You don’t have any ideas on her whereabouts...do you Jarlath?” Her eyebrows raised and her stare incensed.
“Ugh, can’t say that I do...But I’ll help look.” He went to a local stable where he was lent a horse. As soon as he reached to entrance gates he saw four lines of men dressed head to toe in ebony armour marching straight past him. He pulled his hood over his head and galloped out of the gates, hoping none of them saw his face. They were fully armed with some carrying swords, and others with bows and their quivers packed with metal arrows. He galloped towards the waterfall in high hopes of meeting Kyla, but as soon as he reached it, he saw the blurred images of two people wandering into the forest.
