Chapter 152: Right Infront of You

Chapter 152: Right Infront of You
"I need to visit the current Chief of the phantoms," he said and folded the scroll.

"When will you be going? I too want to pay a visit to Sabine," Rojan told him.

"Then we will leave together at once, I also need to see Sabine on some issue-" he was still speaking when the door to the living room opened and Sabine walked in.

She looked unusual.

Her red hair was disheveled and seared in different spots like she had run through a furnace. Her clothes were dirty, both hands and knees had grit and were bruised as though she had crawled through a pile of debris. In her hands, she held a ripped jacket which she clutched tightly.

Wayne was taken aback by her untidy appearance.

What had happened?

"Wayne! Rojan!" She exhaled as she came to a stop in front of them. It seemed she had been running and was only now, trying to catch her breath.

"What is the matter?" He asked, concerned.

"Did you run all the way from the portal at the gates?" Rojan asked with worry.

She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath "Y-yes I did, I had no moment to spare. I needed to reach you guys immediately."

"You could have chartered a ride here," He pointed out.

"I do not have a dime on me and could not wait for an empty coach to pull up. It is very urgent," Sabine said between breaths.

Rojan frowned as he looked behind her "Where is Bernice?"

Yeah right, Rojan definitely liked that human girl. No matter how much he lied to himself.

"Take it easy, catch your breath, and tell us what the hell is going on?" He tried to calm her.

Sabine shook her head, still panting "Not much time. You have to go now; you have to go help Bernice."

"Bernice?" Rojan stepped forward. "What is wrong with her?" Alarm rang out in his voice.

"Zipporah, the Fey sorceress. She attacked my home, trying to capture me. But instead, she got Bernice," Sabine narrated.

Zipporah?

He knew that vicious sorceress. The one that had helped his uncle fortify his fortress with the spirit of the dragon. When he had infiltrated her castle, she had run away, escaping by herself and leaving her attending servants to face his wrath.

The sorceress had stayed hidden in his uncle's lair, so why come out of her shell to attack now?

Had she believed him to be mad, was that why she could boldly go after his people? Sabine was under his protection, anyone that had a brain knew that.

Touching her would be an offense against him. That Fey sorceress was pushing his buttons once more, demanding his attention. When he got hold of her or breached Waylon's fortress, he would ensure she was impaled at the other end of his sword. She had it coming for a long time now.

"Fine, let us leave at once. I was even about to come to you…" Wayne trailed off when he saw Rojan cock his head to the side as though he was listening for something. Then he swayed on his feet, his nostrils flared and his body convulsed.

"What is it, Rojan?" He demanded, concerned.

"I can…smell…her…" Rojan said somewhat dazed.

"Smell who?" He asked.

"My mate, she is here, among us," Rojan declared.

Everyone looked around, wondering who that might be.

The only people present were Jason, Sabine, and himself. Was the scent coming from elsewhere within the house, from some other female staff?

Surely it was not Jason, or was it Sabine?

He looked to Sabine and found Rojan's eye trained on her.

Wait, was it really Sabine?

Rojan took a step forward, toward her and Sabine stood with her eyes darting. She looked like she wanted to flinch, turn around, and run away.

Had Rojan found his mate at last?

And was it in their friend, Sabine?

"Rojan…" Sabine whispered with unease as he grew close.

He had come so close to her that her palms were poised to shove at his chest, when he snatched the jacket from her hand.

He inhaled it deeply and said "The scent of my mate, calls to me from this jacket. Is this yours?" Rojan asked with emotions brimming in his eyes.

Sabine's eyes widened and she placed a hand over her chest "No, that is not mine Rojan. That belongs to Bernice."

"What?" Rojan asked as his eyes turned yellow with his emotion.

Wayne felt dumbfounded as well.

"Bernice is mine? How can that be?" Rojan seemed to be baffled.

"If your instincts recognize her scent, then she is yours," Sabine said relieved.

"But how? I have been with her for over four months and my instincts didn't speak to me," Rojan said, unable to understand what was happening.

"She was under a hex. A spell was cast on her from her early days as a suckling child. That was probably why you could not recognize her. The hex was broken and her true nature was restored by the dragon plant," Sabine explained.

Rojan looked lost in the grip of shock "The reason why the universe had guided me and her to planet Uranus was to break her spell. The cure was meant for her, than it was for Candice. To restore her true nature so I could recognize her for who she was to me."

He clutched the jacket and inhaled again "What I was seeking, hoping, and praying for was right in front of me the whole time but I couldn't see. I couldn't see her."

Rojan's shoulders sagged "What have I done?"

He dropped to the ground in agony "I rejected her feelings for me. I told her that she could never be mine. That it would be punishment to be paired with a nymph. I looked at her with disgust and abandoned her at her vulnerable moment."

"What have I done?" Rojan echoed as he clutched the jacket to himself, wailing his eyes out.

From what Wayne understood from the conversation, Bernice had gone from human to nymph.

A detail Rojan had kept to himself. He could not blame him for his actions, neither could he ask why he had kept it a secret from him.

This was a very important moment in his friend's life, where he had finally found the woman, he had been faithfully waiting for all his life.

He knew exactly how Rojan must feel. How much he was regretting his past actions and berating himself for the mistakes he had made.

He had been there and done that.

So, he went to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder, bereft of what to say to console him.

Rojan raised his teary eyes to him "I have to go after her, Wayne. I need to chase her and make sure she takes me back."

He nodded "Do so my friend. Find her, get her back by all means," he agreed.

With that in mind, Rojan rose to his feet and placed the jacket over his heart "I am coming for you, Bernice. I will chase you to the ends of this earth and the worlds beyond. I will not rest until I have gotten you back and won your heart."

After which, Rojan walked out of the mansion, with his future ahead of him.

It was going to be a long ride.