The Roselands

Chapter 28

   "Daddy?"

   Ginger looked at me who had asked and smiled. "My daddy. He was the Focks who found me. He said he was only taking me away so he could bring me home, but he said he needed to fix something before we could go to our real home."

   I shook my head and knelt down, grabbing her arms and shaking her gently. "Ginger, I don't know what he's told you, but anyone who works for this camp cannot be trusted. The man who leads this camp hurt Sprite and Blossom and he caged all of us."

   Ginger's little ears pinned back to her head and she frowned again. "But the man who leads the camp isn't my daddy. My daddy is the Focks."

   "Yes I am."

   I gasped and whirled around at where a tall male Focks was standing, holding Sprite by her ponytail. "Step away from my daughter and the Faery walks away unharmed." My fighting instincts kicked in and I flexed my wings to attack him when Ginger rushed forward and hugged the Focks' leg. "Daddy, stop!"

   He looked down at her and cocked his head. "Why? Who is this hybrid to you?"

   "She's my friend. So is the man with wings. They cared for me in the hybrid valley."

   The Focks immediately let Sprite go and backed away, his angry snarl becoming replaced with an almost scared frown. "I'm sorry. I just want what's best for Ginger. Honest. Caldwell forces me to work for him, but I begged him to let Ginger live in a decent tent until I could find a way out of this camp."

   I nodded and gestured to her. "Now's your chance. While everyone's fighting, you can make a run for it."

   The Focks looked down at Ginger and held his arms down, hauling her up into his chest as she leapt up. "As easy as it sounds, Caldwell has an ace up his sleeve."

   I cocked my head at him and shrugged. "What?"

   The Focks sighed and shook his head, holding Ginger close. "It's a hybrid his family has conjured over centuries. It's a hybrid unlike any other. It's a mixed up mess of Seerdeer, Drago, Beerth, and worst of all…Histakil."

   Terror suddenly washed through me and I felt Sprite bury her face in my back. Histakils were the most terrifying creatures of the Roselands, much worse than Dragos because of their venomous fangs. They were snakemen that could reach up to thirty feet long and their bodies could be up to three feet in diameter. The upper third of their body was a man's upper body and the Histakil tongue was almost always flickering to smell out intruders. Their venom was ominously black and it painfully ate away at its victims from the inside out.

   The Focks sighed and set Ginger back down. "No. If I escape he'll send that monster after me and Ginger. I hoped that Caldwell would get killed soon, but I didn't get my wish. He's off letting the hybrid out now."

   I gasped and pushed Sprite back. "Sprite. Stay here with Ginger. I need to warn the others that it may be coming."

   Without waiting for a response, I dove out of the tent and flew up towards where dad was circling with Blackvein. I was  about to yell out to them when I saw something I hadn't noticed. On Blackvein's lower back were two identical coin sized scars and that area of his back was horribly disfigured. Another gasp escaped my lips. Now it all made sense. Blackvein had been bitten by a Histakil and survived. In the Roselands, that was a story that made creatures famous. No one ever lived after dealing with Histakil venom.

   I rushed up and ignored that explanation as I caught their attention. "Guys! I just spoke with one of Caldwell's soldiers and he told me that Caldwell's got some sort of mega hybrid Histakil. He said that Caldwell just went to release it."

   I saw Blackvein's eyes cloud over an  then earmarked. "I know what that creature is. It was the Histakil that gave me these veins, but since its been crossed with so many creatures, it's venom was dulled. It didn't kill me, but it's made almost all my blood completely black. It only effected the place where the fangs entered. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and find my family."

   He suddenly dove towards the ground, yelling at his soldiers to keep alert for anything suspicious. I followed him, eager to see his family for myself. He rammed into the side of a shack and the entire building shuddered. From inside came a couple small feminine screams, but they silenced when Blackvein cane around and walked into the massive door. I stood outside and waited as Blackvein killed the guards inside.

   I winced as I saw two bodies fly out of the door, their necks limp as if they were broken. I watched as Blackvein emerged, a lovely red female under his left wing, and a tiny pink baby Drago clinging to his tail. I landed and smiled at him, earning me a scaly smile. He walked over and rubbed his wife's shoulder. "Tisko, Kooka, this is Zeek, the boy who convinced the soldiers to help fight, allowing me to come save you."

   She smiled brightly and touched my shoulder. "I thank you dearly."

   Suddenly, their daughter, Kooka, came barreling towards me, fluttering up into my arms, hugging me as best as she could. I laughed and handed her back to Blackvein. "Well I had a girlfriend in here and so I guess me and him had something in common."

   Tisko opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly a loud sinister hissing sound came from across the camp. Soldiers started screaming and running and the Dragos took to the sky, mingled in with the Zytreys. From across the clearing came another hiss before a gigantic beast began slithering across the campground. The blood rushed from my face and my wings itched to carry me into the air, but I had other plans.

   Blackvein handed Kooka to Tisko and his wife gave him a loving kiss on the lips before taking to the sky where Drago soldiers surrounded her, giving her a barrier as she flew towards the main crowd. Blackvein glanced at me and patted my shoulder blade. "I'll take it from here. Go and make sure your sweetheart is safe."

   I paused, torn between staying and going off to help Sprite, but I shook my head solidly. "No. I wanna stay and help you kill it. It's venom may be weakened, but a second dose could kill you."

   Blackvein snarled and shook his head, smok curling around his nostrils. "No! Now go find your girl!"

   I frowned and stood my ground, frowning back at him. "No. I'm gonna stay, even if I just have to hover above you."

   The big red Drago roared and turned to look at the approaching Histakil creature, shaking his head slowly. "I see that I can't get rid of you, but if you aren't helping me, you're getting in ny way. Now let's kill this thing so we can go home with our loved ones."