Mythical Guardians

※23. Favours Owed※

  The lone figure appeared at the mouth of the brightly lit cavern, her pupils contracting swiftly as her eyes quickly adapted to the amount of light outside the dark tunnels. Her lips were pursed in annoyance that her servant would notify her at such a time when she was busy preparing for her grand plan. Every muscle in her body was tense with anticipation and anger, as if she was constantly expected a fight. Which, she was. This had better be important.

  "What is it, Darkkris?" She demanded, blowing a strand of stray black hair out of her face, the knives stripped to her waist glinting dangerously in the torchlight," I am not in the mood for your games."

  "Don't be so grouchy," came the drawling reply from beyond the dark moat," Whatever I do, I have to report to you. Those were your words, don't you remember?"

  "Of course," she said impatiently, drawing one of her silver knives and inspecting it," Get to the point."

  "There were five kids here, just a few hours ago, asking for your whereabouts," Darkkris said.

  "Really?" Her lips lifted in the slightest smirk.

  "Don't laugh," Darkkris warned,"Those guys are being fully serious."

  "Kids? Why would they be interested in me?" She laughed," Stop bullcrapping me, Darkkris."

  "These five are not ordinary people," Darkkris grumbled," In fact, they are the five that fought you at the seaside of Baracca."

  Herno's laugh died upon her lips," What?"
 
  "Yes," she could had sworn Darkkris sounded a bit smug, how she hated that," And you would like to know what they are, would you?"

  "One of them looked like my brother," she muttered," But it should have been impossible. He was dead, and this boy appears to be distraught about his parents' deaths. And the prince of Hell was there, too. I have no idea who the others were."

  "You did kill the boy's parents," Darkkris replied matter off factly," How he managed to look the same as Azir, I have no idea, but he seems quite hell bent on getting you for revenge. You do know that he flew all the way from Oxira to Baracca just to pursue you, do you?"

  "That sounds like the Azir I know," she sniffed indignantly," Stubborn, reckless and stupid."

  "We don't have proof that he's your brother for sure, lady Herno."

  "Maybe not," she ground her teeth," but how do you explain the mechanical wings? Humans don't do that in their spare time. They don't have the technology to build something like that and control the wings like he did. And those wings looked exactly alike with the ones he had before he died. Don't you dare tell me it was a coincidence."

  Darkkris was silent, but Herno was fuming. Everything she had done, the ploys to put Azir to his death had been proved unsuccessful. He had the nerve to refuse her offer, and when she thought that she had gotten rid of him for good, when Xevolar the Devil Prince had slain him, this boy who looks almost exactly the same appears out of nowhere, working alongside a centaur. And now along Azir's killer as well? How on the name of Heaven would something as absurd as this would happen?

  Had it been Azir, the two would had fought to the death without a second thought. Her pulse quickened, then she calmed herself down. No. They couldn't have. They couldn't had known it was her all along.

  The boy seemed to be genuinely angered by his parents' death. That seemed to be the only logical answer. Still, he had guts, cutting cross country to get her. And now, he wasn't alone. Four others were with him.

  "Who are the others?" She forced herself to reduce her anger to a slight undertone.

  "There's a mermaid. She's the princess of Atlantis. Then there's a vampire from Kippanza, and a centaur. One of mine."