Daughter of Medusa

11

Avery: Crystal, where exactly are we going?

Crystal arched a brow: You haven't asked Archer? He's the one that would be willing to tell you

Avery: We're not currently on speaking terms

Crystal snorted: No wonder

Avery: Well?

Crystal: You'll find out soon enough, have some patience

Avery sighed

Crystal: Why are you so against working for us?

Avery crossed her arms: You really have to ask? You're smart, figure it out yourself

Crystal let out a bark of laughter: I get it. You're way too independent to do so, unlike the rest daughters of Medusa we employ, you seem to have had led a life where no one got to tell you to do anything

She continued: You should consider it though. Life with us isn't bad. They get to do whatever they want, but answer when called. They're proper soldiers, in that regard, they're not that different from us

Avery: What about relationships?

Crystal: They get to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't end up in hybrids..

Avery: You mean you control their breeding. In that they are slaves. Do you at least let them bring their children up, once they're bred?

Crystal: That is for the proper faction to decide, not me nor you

Avery: Parents should get to raise their children

Crystal: Have you considered the fact that not all of them want to, some don't even want to have the child

Avery was dumbstruck, she knew they were always bred, usually forced to marry a human guy of certain properties and have his kids every now and then, but as far as she knew, from stories collected about her ancestors, mothers mostly wanted their children, had good motherly instincts and loved them in spite of their fathers

Crystal: You do not know all the facts, so stop assuming and being condescending. Once you see them, you'll understand. Why even you yourself, must've been an attempt to breed a stronger weapon, illegal as it may be to try so

Crystal left Avery to mull over what she'd said..

Avery didn't have a pleasant night
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Archer eventually mellowed down to exchange a few pleasantries, but he was still distant, and seemed often lost in thought

Surprisingly, Avery missed him

With only Crystal's passive aggressive company, she was going a bit mad

She figured out belatedly they we're on a ship, heading to one of their cities perhaps, for she knew they were taking her to their king, and that she was going to see other daughters of Medusa, maybe they were going to their headquarters even

She often thought about her friends, Alec and Dryden, but tried to steer her thoughts elsewhere, only for them to stray towards her uncertain future, or the fate of those they left, killed or enslaved by pure bloods after the attack. No direction was safe to wander into

If she tried to distract herself by the enigmas of Archer and Crystal, they only made her confused. She had mixed feelings about them, especially Archer and his warm smile. Crystal was clearly reptilian, she resembled a dragon much more than the royal Archer, who she thought had way too human feelings

She was equally relieved and filled with dread when Archer announced their arrival at their destination, yet she accepted his invitation to look at the view, and what she saw left her in awe