Chapter 64: Chapter Sixty-four: Damien’s Story IV: Be a king, a husband or a warrior.
"Your highness, we should get going now so we can arrive some hours before the banquet."
"Come on boys. Let’s get going."
"Ok mama."
Damien and Cassian ran down the stairs in their little blue vests and white shirts. Even the ever serious butler softened up at the sight of them. They looked so adorable and precious. What demon could possibly hate them?
The family got into the carriage being pulled by two grey horses. Mira looked up.
"Which kingdom are we visiting this time mama?" Damien asked softly along the way.
Mira pulled him into her arms and stroked his hair gently. "It’s one of the neighboring kingdoms, we should arrive there in a few hours love."
Damien nodded slowly and snuggled closer to her before dozing off. Cassian who sat at the far end, had his head pressed against the window. His heart ached painfully seeing how much attention his mother lavished on his brother.
He wanted to be cuddled too!
A million thoughts raced through his tiny mind. ’Maybe Damien feels left out that’s why mama’s loving him more.’ he thought quietly to himself. Soon, he started to doze off. His head fell back, hitting the window lightly a few times as his body grew drowsy.
Mira, who had been petting Damien all the time, noticed her other son hitting his head on the window sleepily. She chuckled softly and tapped him lightly.
"Come here my love." she said, rubbing his arm. Cassian turned and slid over to her. Mira opened her legs and placed Damien on the space between them while Cassian took Damien’s former spot, resting his head on her arm.
Mirenelle felt her heart become full. No one ever cuddled her in her sleep but that didn’t matter to her now. Having her little bundles of joy with her compensated for all those years of pain and rejection. She placed a kiss on their hairs, never taking her eyes off them all through the ride.
As the journey continued, her wind flashed back to her husband. He always told her everything he was doing no matter how little or insignificant it sounded. Why didn’t he say anything now? Mira shook her head "He’ll be fine." she said quietly so she wouldn’t wake them up.
All of a sudden, the coachman slammed the reins of the horses to stop.
Mira almost fell from her seat. She instinctively secured her kids’ heads with her hands and ended up scraping the one on Damien’s head against the seat opposite her.
A slight, bloodless bump caused by the rough scratch against the seat formed on her hand. Mira ignored it completely. What was that?
"Weston. What’s the matter." she asked, still protecting their heads.
The guards on horses riding beside their carriage stopped together with the ones in front. The leader of the guards jumped down from his horse and hurried to the side of the carriage where the queen was.
He bowed slightly. "My Queen."
"What is the problem? Why have we stopped?" she asked him quietly. Damien stirred from his sleep but Mira was quick to resume petting his head.
"Your grace. There are some beggars blocking the way. We have threatened them to leave but they still remained there. What shall we do?"
Mira arched a brow. "Beggars?"
"Yes your grace."
She bit the inside of her lips and looked down on her body where her two sons were resting on her.
"Cassian dear." she said gently as she laid him flat on the white, padded seat beside her. She rose slowly with Damien in her arms and placed him on the seat opposite hers. After ensuring they’re in safe positions, she got out of the carriage.
Mira turned to the leader. "Take me to them at once."
The bulky man bowed again. "As you wish, your grace."
The queen was helped onto one of the horses and led to where the ’blockage’ was. After walking for some time, the horse stopped.
She got down and moved closer to the small ball like materials on the pathway. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.
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"Your majesty, we have located where the killing took place but it is blocked off. Should we proceed?" one of his three trusted allies asked.
Alexandria got down from his horse with a grim look on his face. This was the second outbreak of strange creatures attacking the people at the borders. Since Veylar directly bordered Zerathane, this was not only a threat to the king alone but to the entire kingdom. They got to the barricade separating the two kingdoms. Alexandria sighed deeply and pried the iron barricade open with his two hands. He walked through the opening created, now stepping into Veylar.
"Let’s go." he said as he walked in front of them, moving closer towards the dead bodies littered along the sandy, desert floor. The surroundings were quite dark but as a royal blood, he had heightened eyesight. He reached out and touched the body—cold. The face of the woman on the floor was seriously disfigured with the one moved all the way to the ear with blood all over the face.
"How many were attacked this time?"
"Fifteen, your majesty."
"And they all looked this way?"
"Some. Most of them had their eyeballs, noses and ears ripped out. She’s the only different one."
The king inspected the body for a few seconds more then got up. "Take me to the other bodies."
The three men led the king to the bodies piled on top of each other as if they were purposely left there to be seen.
Truly, they all had their eyeballs, noses and ears ripped out.
"We can—"
"Hold it." one of the men said, shutting up the other who was speaking.
"What is it?"
"The vultures have stopped grunting."
"It’s an ambush."
Right then, a loud, screeching sound echoes throughout the impossibly wide desert. Soon, red eyed, towering, black creatures appeared from the darkness as if they were summoned.
"Damned hell." one of the men cursed. The creatures in front of them were taller like trees and skinny with strong, iron like ribs.
"Well, this will be a long night." Alexandria said the leapt to where they were coming from.
Right then, a loud, screeching sound echoed throughout the impossibly wide desert. Soon, red-eyed, towering black creatures appeared from the darkness as if they had been summoned.
"Damned hell," one of the men cursed. The creatures before them were as tall as trees, their bodies stretched thin like shadows pulled taut, ribs jutting out like blackened steel.
"Well, this will be a long night," Alexandria said, and leapt toward where they were coming from.
Sand exploded beneath his boots as he landed in their midst with his blade flashing in the dimly moonlit desert. The first creature came at him, slicing his claws through the air with a metallic shriek. Alexandria twisted and his sword cleaved through its arm sending back blood hissing as it hit the sand before smoking like acid.
"Don’t let their blood get to you!" he barked. Behind her, the rest of the men scrambled into a half-circle, raising glowing spears and daggers for killing.
A second creature roared, sprinting forward on all fours before rising to its full height. Its mouth opened grotesquely, splitting its face down to the neck. Alexandria met it head-on. His blade slashed upward in a clean, precise arc, splitting the creature itself in half. The creature shrieked as the blade divided it before bursting into black liquid. A patter of it landed on the collar of the king’s shirt and it instantly dissolved it as if there was no collar there in the first place.
But there was no time.
Another set of beasts burst from the shadows towards two of the king’s men. But they were quicker. One threw a dagger and the other threw a spear that clashed in different directions on the creatures’ bodies. The spear and dagger sliced through each and every one that had come after them in a straight line causing them to immediately erupt into a pool of black blood.
Their screams echoed briefly before fading into the desert. Fury flared through Alexandria’s veins. He dashed forward, spinning into a low sweep that severed the monster’s legs, then drove his sword deep into its chest. It convulsed once before collapsing into the same acid-like black liquid.
Even with their formation, the fight still looked oddly won. The creatures were endless, swarming continuously against them in a tide of black flesh and glowing eyes.
Alexandria’s breath came in ragged bursts. His sword in his arm trembled slightly as if attacked by a tremor. Nonetheless, he gripped it harder. If those things entered his kingdom, his people would never be safe. Neither would his children...nor his wife.
"Your highness!" one of the men yelled while fighting.
"They’re getting too many. We have to stop them from coming!"
"They seem to be advancing from behind that hill. We have to destroy the source!" another one yelled.
The king immediately understood the message. He sliced through the ones who had cornered him and ran towards the hills. The rogues, sensing his flight, ran after him but his men quickly stopped them from attacking.
Admist the fight, one of them came to him. "Be careful." Alexandria said, patting him on the shoulder.
"You too, Alex." he said then hopped back into the battle.