Chapter 124 Making the pathway

Chapter 124 Making the pathway


“It's time.” Lucien gave a curt nod to Seth, waving him off. Seth had taken ten of his best men, leaving only Marcus and a few other men with him in the palace.

“Come back alive.” He couldn't help the words that came out of his mouth. Fear was overreaching, it was not fear, it was something else. 

Fear was having to come back from the war and seeing Isabella’s body torn open, hung in Central Park and Elias kidnapped. 

This was something else. Say, concern for his friend or merely him reacting to Sam's death. Lucien knew he was tough. He'd witnessed several deaths in the event of his becoming king, but this was centuries ago. Now, if it happened, he didn't know how he would react. 

Seth narrowed his eyes slowly. “I'll try my best to stay alive.” He said dryly as he picked up his bag. 

“Seth?” Lucien called again. “Stick to the plan. We've got only one shot at this.”

“I know that.” Seth sighed frustratedly. “I wouldn't want someone in the future coming to kill me too.” 

Lucien chuckled as he watched his friend leave the room. “Yeah, me too.” He said after him, watching till he could see him no more. He sighed, reclining on his chair. 

He'd done the most important thing. Now, all he needed to do was wait. 


Seth signalled to the man in front of him. They'd been camped outside the river banks for a night, waiting for the elders to show up. 

Some of the members from the ancient Faction had begun arriving, taking their places in the magical forest, waiting for the right time to regroup. 

“It's almost time.” He whispered to the men, clutching his weapon. His years of straying had taught him all he needed to know about these people. 

And if he'd learnt anything over the years, it was how stealthily they moved. 

“Wait.” He widened his eyes as one of the men made to move, ready to launch his attack. 

“They're here, what are we waiting for?” The guard pushed back, already frustrated. 

Seth sighed. This was one aspect of the job that was tiring. Working with people and having to make sure there weren't any slip-ups. 

“No, they're not.” He said, forcing himself to be calm. “It's basically a mirage.” He pointed at the faint mist that had just wafted to where they were hidden.

“It's a trap?” The guard asked in disbelief.

Seth nodded. “Get in there, and there are people, waiting, ready to kill you.” He explained, surprised at his own level of patience. 

The guard sighed as he looked around, still not convinced. “And you know this how?” As he spoke, he peeked into the hole he was spying through. 

Seth opened his mouth and closed it, shaking his head almost pitifully. He had just signed a death warrant by looking in the hole at that point. 

The guard groaned, grabbing his neck as his head rolled off, his body following suit almost immediately. 

He whistled. “That's what you get when you don't follow instructions.” He said to the other guards, moving back stealthily. 

“Hide. They'll be coming for us now.” He whispered, blending into the grass around him. The guards followed his steps, all of them taking cover. 

Seth held his breath, looking furtively as a guard from the opposition stepped out, carrying a huge axe, ready to attack. 

“He's alone. Just an intruder.” He whispered back into the hall, talking to a colleague before stepping inside to join them. 

Seth whispered in relief as he watched him go, before signalling to his remaining men. “It's almost time.” His fingers moved as they returned to their original positions. 

“In three, two, one,” he counted silently, gripping his sword as he faced North. “We must take them alive.” He whispered, nodding gently.  “We lose our bargaining chip the moment they're dead.’ 

The men grunted, all of them set in position. “Now!” Seth lunged as the mist landed, turning into one of the elders who had been present in the ritual. 

He held the man tight, fishing out his sword. “You move an inch or act funny and I won't hesitate to kill you.” He whispered, placing the sword strategically on his neck. 

“You wouldn't dare.” The man whispered, his vein bulging. “There are thousands of men inside who would not hesitate to kill you the moment they find out.” 

Seth gave the man a knowing smile. The kind that said he was not fooled. “Oh yeah?” He muttered, tightening his grip on the knife. “Then I don't mind dancing to their music. As long as I get to kill you first” 

The man’s breath shook, his eyes revealing fear for the first time. “What do you want?” 

Seth snickered. “That's one question I can't answer. But there's someone I know who would love to answer you.” His smile was distant. “Pretty sure you've heard of Lucien Blackthorn.” 

The man's gaze hardened, his knuckles clenching. “Then I'd rather you kill me first.” 

“Very well then,” Seth shrugged, looking around as the other mists appeared, his men grabbing them. “Pretty sure you're not the only option.” 

He drew the knife slowly, allowing the blood to flow. “I could move my hand a bit and connect to your artillery. It's going to be a damn shame, considering we're still gonna take your colleagues over to Crestwood.” 

“Stop.” His eyes widened as he realised Seth was not about to throw a tantrum. He was real and worse, he was already losing a lot of blood. 

Seth paused, a satisfied expression on his face. “Ready to comply?” He asked annoyingly. 

The man sighed before nodding. “You're making a very grave mistake. One that the people inside would not hesitate to kill you for.” 

Seth chuckled. “That's one succinct way to put it, mister. But I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Ones I've regretted.” He had a pained expression on his face. And I don't think this would be counted.” 

He gave a satisfied smile as he looked at the man whose face had paled in contrast to the smug expression he had on, some seconds earlier. 

“Killing you would be justified even by the king himself.” Seth continued, like he was having the time of his life. 

“So, you choose.” His expression turned serious. “You wanna die like a nobody or help everyone inside the room by giving them options to live. 

The man swallowed. “What are the terms?” He ignored the looks of dismay on his companions’ faces, turning his full attention to Seth. 

Seth gave a wry smile. “I could tell you, but then I'll only be biting your ears off with irrelevant words. You're coming with us.” He faced the other man and woman. “You too.”

The woman looked away, contemplating whether to speak or not. She chose the latter, her head down. 

The younger man shook his head defiantly. “I'd rather you kill me than make me go with you.” 

“It would be a pleasure,” Seth said with a smile, brandishing another shiny knife he'd just removed from his pockets. 

“Want it swift and painless or?” He paused, his face expanding into a mirthless smile. 

The man cursed under his breath and looked away, making Seth nod satisfactorily. “I thought so too.” 

He turned his attention back to the older man. “You're going to call some delegates and tell them we have you. “Actually,” he shook his head as he had just thought of some better idea. 

“I think they know we have you, so.” He cocked his head and watched as life drained from the man's face.

“So,” he clicked his tongue. “You'll tell them to let us walk out of here, alive.” 

“They're not gonna do that. They can't.” The man said with a curled lip, his resistance obvious even to the blind. 

“Very well then,” Seth agreed. “I guess we're just gonna stay here till they put us out. Last I checked, I've been anticipating dying since I was a kid.” 

“You son of a bitch.” The woman cursed. “You should let us go now that you can.”

“But I won't,” he faced her, his eyes challenging. “I would really love to see what the Ancient Faction is capable of.” 

“Let it go, Alicia.” The elderly man said from under Seth's grip. “He's ready to die just so we would.” 

Seth's smile was triumphant. “I'm glad somebody finally gets me. Feels refreshing.” 

He turned to the old man. “Now that we're on the same page, how about we get it moving?” 

He turned to the men behind him. “Follow my steps,” before turning to the prisoners. “We've got two options.” His expression was lazy. 

“Last I heard, you've got a big bird and if I'm any correct, it's lying around somewhere. We need to arrive at Crestwood by nightfall.” 

The man clicked his tongue, whistling as wings flapped in their direction. 

“Oh, I forgot,” Seth raised his hand in mock apology. “My friends here are also in need of a transport system.” He continued, shoving his hands in his pockets.