Chapter 143 - Brewing
Chapter 143 - Brewing
After sighing, Seth says, “Fine! But only with Theo, at least him–I trust will not hurt you.”
I frown. “If you know that then—”
“He will not hurt you, but he might take you away!”
“Oh,” I mutter because Theo might really do it.
I take a deep breath and the room spins for a moment. Seth helps me back to the bed and sits with me while the room steadies.
“You should rest more,” he says, but I shake my head.
“I can’t waste any time,” I whisper, trying to suppress the tremble in my voice. “Invite Theo. I will meet him in one of the sitting rooms.”
“There’s no need for you to move. I will lead him here.”
As Seth leaves the room, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I analyze the current situation. Theo will always help me. The only problem is, I need him to understand the situation. All we need is to trap General Brandon, take out the Moon Goddess, purify her, and that’s it. I can talk with the Moon Goddess and plead with her about my case. All I need is to be strong enough to wrestle against the goddess to make the ritual and the succeeding purification a success.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Theo strides into the room, a look of relief spreading across his face. “Kaiya!”
I brighten up upon laying my eyes on him. “Theo...” I whisper as if I haven’t seen him for a while.
He rushes towards me and takes my hand, looking deeply into my eyes. “Are you alright? I was so worried about you.”
“I am,” I respond, giving him a small smile. “But we need to talk about General Brandon.”
Theo looks at me with confusion and concern. “What about him?”
I take a deep breath and explain everything to him, about the Moon Goddess and General Brandon’s possession. Theo listens intently, his expression becoming more and more serious as I continue.
“That’s a dangerous undertaking,” he comments.
“I know. Wrestling against the Moon Goddess, and winning, will not be an easy task.”
“Not that,” he says, caressing my cheeks. “You plan to free the Dark Lord inside General Brandon–where it’s safely hidden—just so you can purify and kill it?”
I frown. “What? I told you. The Dark Lord is not real. What’s inside General Brandon is the Moon Goddess who’s been corrupted because she can’t return to her realm.”
Theo sighs. “Brandon warns me about this, too.”
“Warned you about what?”
“That you will say that the Moon Goddess is inside him, despite him not being a werewolf.”
“Because he is a descendant of—”
“Seth really has great control over minds, huh? For him to make you believe these lies.”
“Theo!” I scold. “Listen to me! This is another way for us to be together. This will cause less suffering from our friends!”
Theo grips my hands tightly and says, “Don’t worry. I will take you out of here. We will be together—”
“No!” I say, slapping his hands away. “If you won’t help me, then the vampire’s help will be enough! Maybe they can stop the army outside our gates while we try to purify the goddess.”
“Shhh, Kaiya... It’s fine. I understand. I—”
“If you can’t help me by stopping this vast army from attacking us, then so be it! Just leave! But I will never condone your plans where we need to hurt Klevon for a lifetime!”
“He is willing to do it! He is even worried about you! He is out there willing to take you out of here!”
I shake my head, feeling tears prick in my eyes. “I cannot sacrifice Klevon for our own selfish desires. He’s done nothing but protect me and our people.”
Theo looks at me with a mix of frustration and sadness. “And what about me, Kaiya? Don’t you think I would do anything to be with you?”
“Of course, but not at the cost of innocent lives,” I say firmly.
There’s a moment of silence between us as we both realize the weight of our decisions. But then we hear a loud explosion outside, followed by screams and the sound of swords clashing.
“I guess this is your answer,” I say.
He purses his lips, and suddenly, he lifts me. I struggle at first, but then I realize that he’s moving me toward the window.
“What are you doing?!” I shout as we approach the open window.
“I’m taking you to safety,” he replies without looking back at me.
I see the determination in his eyes, and I know that arguing with him would be pointless. But then, a loud banging interrupts us and we look to see the door to my chambers being forced open.
It is Gezer. He goes into action and pushes Theo down the floor, while I hit the floor beside them.
“What should I do with him, Kaiya?” Gezer asks.
“Just let him go. Just let him return to his army,” I say.
“Are you sure? He will return for you.”
I look at both Gezer and Theo on the floor. “Yes, I’m sure. Let him go,” I say, my voice firm and resolute.
Gezer nods and stands up. Theo gets up from the floor, a look of bitter disappointment on his face.
“You have a minute to leave, King Theo,” Gezer says.
“Fine. But I’ll be back for you, Kaiya. I promise,” Theo says before turning and exiting the room.
I watch him leave and then turn to Gezer. “Thank you,” I say, grateful for his help.
“By the way, I am here because Inanna felt you awake. She says that the time is nigh and we need to start with the ritual.”
“And King Seth?”
“Trying to hold off the army. He is with Darius so he’s safe. After I escort you to the hall with Inanna, I will join them. Ninus and Ruth will be there to guard the two of you. However, Ninus will come to guard you once he has kidnapped General Brandon.”
“Kidnapping General Brandon won’t be easy.”
“Let Ninus handle it.”
Then he walks towards me and lifts me. “Hey! I can walk!”
“But can you run? Inanna specifically ordered me not to let you expend unnecessary physical energy. She said you will need every bit of it during the ritual.”
I purse my lips and relax in his hold. “Sometimes I wonder why you even allowed yourself to be tied up by a vow with me.”
“Because seeing your struggles and experiencing them–gives us an idea of how to escape our own god’s hold, Kaiya,” he answers before running out of my room and into the chaos outside.