Chapter 28: Rivalry

Everything stood still.  Kieran, Augustus, the Lycan warriors and Reds around us… I could even hardly hear the sound of the horse as it stood on its hind legs, as if spooked.

I braced myself for the worst.  My body had stopped moving a few moments ago, and I still couldn't produce even a spark of magic to create a barrier or attack the stranger.

Is this the end?

The spear's tip approached my chest in an unbearably slow motion.  I closed my eyes.

Then, nothing.

My eyes swung open as I heard the horse's piercing whinnying as the Red raised his other hand, holding a medallion with the emblem of the Crown Prince of the Reds.

As if on cue, the remaining Reds  began to march away, back to where they came from.  Kieran immediately ran towards me and helped me get up, his hand instinctively reaching to wipe away the blood on my nose.

I looked at my shaking hands.

That was a close call…

I heaved a sigh of relief as the last Red disappeared from sight.  Due to the injuries of some of the warriors sustained, we stayed for a bit longer on that passage to let the healers do their work.

“What was that?” I mumbled to myself, my dirty hands still shaking.  Despite resting, I could still feel my energy drained to the last drop.

Two Divine Links.  Augustus  wasn't even my Vassal.  I clenched my fist at the thought of him potentially siphoning my energy to weaken me, but I immediately pushed the idea to the back of my mind when I saw him sit in front of me, exhausted.

He should be bursting right now if he stole my energy.

“Hestia…”  Kieran called, placing a small aluminum cup of warm soup into my hands.  “Drink this. Lind made that.  He said that'll help your energy…”

I took a sip from the cup, staring off into space.  Kieran sat beside me, picking up the slab of metal that has cooled off.  We both could barely make out what his axe once was.  I heard him cuss under his breath.

“Maybe it's time to learn how to use other weapons,” he said, before putting the metal slab in his bag.  “I should really start learning, anyway.  It'll be useful against rabid hounds trying to prey on you…”

His tone was different.  It was as if he was trying to brag…  like a kid competing for attention.  My eyebrow raised as I followed his line of sight.

“Kieran,” Augustus snapped.  “What are you even implying?”

Kieran's jaw clenched.  “Everyone saw the Divine Link between you and my Queen.  Don't you think you're being greedy, Augustus? You're already a Vassal to someone else.”

Augustus scoffed, already at edge from fatigue.  “And you think I can control the Divine Link Mother Goddess grants? Besides, everyone here knew that I was once Hestia Locke's Vassal.  I came way before you.”

Kieran stood up from his seat.  “Yeah, and everyone here knows too how you betrayed her.  So don't you think you're quite shameless for letting Mother Goddess grant a Divine Link between you and Hestia?”

“Kieran,” I called, my head already pounding.  “Stop that.  This isn't the right time for that.”

Kieran stood still, his eyes locked on Augustus.  He stepped closer to him and whispered something to his ear.  Augustus's fist curled into a ball, and the next thing I knew, Kieran was already bruised around the eye.

Augustus's fists rained down on him, each hit filled with irritation and retaliation.  However, Kieran, being the way he was, didn't take his hits without hitting him back.

“Enough!” I screeched, as blue light came from my hand.  The energy from it was enough to shove Augustus away, sending him a few feet from us.  “You two, aren't you ashamed of yourselves? You're both Vassals, so act like it!”

Kieran remained his hostile glare at Augustus as he wiped the blood trickling from the side of his lips.  Augustus, on the other hand, spat on the ground and got up.

“I'll ask His Eminence to fix that damn Divine Link,” I said. “So there's nothing to worry about, Alpha.”

But who am I kidding? No matter how powerful Castiel could be, he can't just destroy bonds and blessed unions granted by Mother.

Come on, Mother…Can't you at least tell me what's going on? What are you really planning?

Mother didn't answer, like before.  I  let out a deep sigh and grabbed my things, determined to finish the journey.  “It's getting darker.  We need to get going.”

I gasped as Kieran lifted me off my feet, and carried me over his shoulder as if I was nothing but a sack of potatoes,  like how Castiel described it.  “Kieran! Put me down, right at this—”

I closed my mouth shut as I saw his red eyes ablaze.  He marched forward, deliberately bumping against Augustus's shoulder.

And if this tension was a knife, it would've been able to cut through my sister's fake-ass face in one fluid motion.

How Kieran managed to bring me across the trail like that, towards the entrance to the base, without him complaining about a single ache in his body, was quite…

I cleared my throat as I tapped his back.  “Put me down, Chief.  At this point, all of my blood would go up to my head.”

As if breaking out of his trance, Kieran placed me down.  I looked up to his eyes as our Divine Link manifested between our wrists once again, this time burning a bright blue flame.  I winced.

Isn't he a bit… too intense?

“Kieran—”

“How much devotion do you need from me, so our link would  burn brighter than yours and my brother's?”  His lips pouted like a kid throwing a tantrum.  “Tell me, Hestia…”

Before I could even utter one syllable, a group of Augustus's men greeted us, their faces grim.  Beta Kaiden, Augustus's right-hand man, stepped forward and gave Augustus a salute.  “Alpha, His Eminence managed to slow down the outbreak.  We've managed to hold our fort until the Reds called for a temporary ceasefire…”

Our eyes lit up with his words.  Kieran's ears perked up when Kaiden turned to me, still wearing that grim expression in his face.  “However, I'm afraid they have a condition… and it involves you, Your Highness…’’