Xylia

Twenty Five

The stark gray walls mocked me. Volkan shifted from foot to foot, eyes darting around. Drea kept her posture ramrod straight, her tense shoulders and clenched jaw the only sign of her discomfort. Around us, the rest of the survivors let out a hum of nervousness.

Blackbeard was the first to break the silence. "This is our only option." Whether or not he was trying to convince us or himself, even I couldn't tell.

With that, I marched forward giving a sharp knock on Cyra's doors.

•

"So you're telling me," the Commander pinched the bridge of his nose, foot tapping the throne room tiles in agitation, "that the spirit realm is going to collapse and end the world as we know it."

Blackbeard nodded solemnly.

The Commander looked at me. "And we know this because you hosted an angry war creature."

"Angry war spirit," Volkan corrected.

"Angry war spirit," the Commander repeated. "And the elf creatures you found, they are responsible for the beast and have possession of this spirit?"

I stepped forward, "Commander, if I may?" He waved his hand.

"Although, the elf creatures haven't made the best impression on us-"

"They kidnapped and tried to kill you," he deadpanned. Navin shifted nervously, hiding behind Blackbeard.

"But I think they want to stop this collision as much as we do."

The Commander leaned forward, his medals gently ringing along the quiet room. "And did they say this before or after they enslaved you?"

"I've had enough of this diplomacy," Drea muttered before strutting forward. Volkan tried to grab her, but she was already out of grasp.

"Listen, your highness," she spat, "whether or not they want to stop this apocalypse, we sure as hell do. And believe it or not, both of our species live in this reality, so reason would have it, they don't want our world to become a big flaming trash fire." She looked from Volkan's shocked face to my face palm, then promptly curtsied.

The Commander let out a soft hum, his eyes roving on our tired forms. There were seven of us, two weeks ago we'd been a group of fourteen. Two weeks ago we had Bellum and Everest.

"If what you were saying were true," the Commander mused, "then I'd say we're all dead anyways." The guards beside his throne shifted uncomfortably.

"But it's too bad I don't believe you."

I snapped my eyes forward about to protest.

"Nine days ago," the Commander started, " I received a letter claiming how the exiled would come to my city weaving an elaborate story about how the world was ending." He rose from his seat.

"I almost didn't believe it, until I looked at who I was dealing with."

"You guys are the perfect storm for a rebellion." He stopped in front of Drea. "The orphaned amputee. It's a shame what happened to your father, he was one of Cyra's most brilliant minds." Drea curled her lip, spitting in his face. The Commander wiped his nose, unperturbed.

"I guess the apple fell far from the tree."

He sauntered over to Volkan, who squared off in defiance, but the small flash of fear in his eyes had Drea and I stepping in front of the Commander.

"I should call your father in here and have him see what his son has become."

Volkan stood straighter."That man is not my father. He never has been, and he never will be." A rush of pride flowed over me, Drea shot the Commander a smirk that read 'suck on that'.

The Commander's eyes slid to me. "I remember you."

"I tend to have that effect on people." He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped as he caught sight of Blackbeard.

"Speaking of remember," he mused. "I did not think I'd see you again old friend."

Blackbeard slightly shrunk before catching himself, tilting his chin up in a scoff, yet he remained silent.

The Commander was about to make another remark but I cut him off. "Enough of the monologuing." I put space between the Commander and the pirate.

"You started off good, but honestly you need to learn when to cut it off." I took a step back, herding our group towards the exit.

"You don't believe us? Fine. But we have a world to save and a beast to kill. If you want to believe random letters, you do you." I turned, ready to storm out of this cursed city.

"Everest wrote that letter." I stopped. Volkan gasped. Drea cursed.

The Commander's lips curled, a satisfactory gleam shone in his eyes at having the upper hand.

"And since your so eager to kill the beast, you'll be more than happy to hear that your friend brought it along with his letter a little over a week ago." He practically sang.

Blood roared in my ears and I saw red.

"But I'm feeling festive," the Commander drawled. "What do I always say," he nudged one of the guards, "we need to add a little more culture to Cyra, a pizzaz so to speak ?"

"You do say that sir,"The guard agreed.

"Well what better way to do so than a live performance." More guards poured into the entrance, blocking out any chance for escape.

"You were never going to help us." Drea growled.

The Commander clapped his hands, elbowing the same guard. "She is as smart as her father." Drea lunged but was held back by Blackbeard.

"I'd save your energy if I were you." The Commander surveyed us, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"It's been a while since we've used our arena," he sat back on his throne, adjusting his medals.

"But I am a sucker for tradition."
•
I am eternally grateful for those who have been patient with this story! Honestly I had writers block and simply didn't know where I was taking this, but with more free time on the horizon and a spark of inspiration, I am starting to fall back in love with this book and it's characters.

Also! I plan on doing a rewrite/ edit for Xylia, so be on the lookout for updates and alterations. Most of the storyline will remain on there same trajectory, but there will definitely be changes in character arcs, major events, and dynamics.

Much love,
-H