Chapter 35 The red headed stranger
Chapter 35 The red headed stranger
Time passed as my eyelids grew heavy. I stayed in the same position as I slowly drifted off to sleep.
The storm had already passed when Alaric shook me awake, telling me we had to go. Getting up immediately, he shoved food into my hand as he forced me to sit back down.
“Just because I said that we had to go does not mean that you have to start this journey on an empty stomach.”
Must’ve been the hunger for all I answered was a muffled “mhmm”, since my mouth was full of this bread and some type of dried meat.
Alaric must’ve eaten already for he was packing our things onto the skriff. Chewing faster, finishing the rest of my food, I helped him dismantle the tent. Then we were off again to the middle of nowhere.
According to Alaric and the map, we were close to our destination which only made me more anxious for the upcoming confrontation.
Alaric must’ve noticed my nervousness for he held my hand as he said softly to me, “We will get her, but can you let go of the reins? You may need those pretty little fingers of yours for this upcoming fight we may or may not have.”
I nervously laughed before letting go of the reins and handing them over to Alaric. I needed to save my strength in case we did have to fight them.
From afar, I saw a skriff lying idly with some nytharis on it. The closer we got to the group, the more I saw. Scarlet seemed comfortable sitting on the skriff while, who I assume could be the prince sitting beside her.
They both seemed to be awfully close to each other, which confused me. Was my sister lying about being captured? Did she form an ally with the Prince from Mujari?
Well at least she didn’t seem hurt, while also wearing a new pink dress. She seemed calm and relaxed sitting next to the Prince, it seemed unnatural which made me a little uncomfortable.
“Alaric….”, I whispered.
“I see them, Vi.” He must be confused as I am for this is not what I was expecting to see.
They turned their heads towards us, while about three guards started to form out of the sand in the thin moist air already formed in their defensive positions.
“Stand down, these are not our enemies for they are family”, I heard the Prince say. The nytharis didn't dissolve back into sand, but didn't retreat from their stance either.
“Lilith, I’m so glad you came. I’m sorry it had to be this way, but it was the only message I could get to you”.
“Scarlet, what the fuck is going on?”, her face turned stone cold.
“You wouldn’t understand, Lily. There’s much at stake here. It’s not about me. You just have to trust me that I’m doing the right thing”, that face that was so stoic, I didn’t recognize my sister at all.
“Then what was the point of sending that urgent message telling me that you were in trouble and that you needed me to save you?” Did I really make a journey for nothing?
“No, I was in trouble, but Prince Jarheri saved me. That is when we went against the Queen’s orders and escaped instead”. She said while looking at him with this wistful smile towards the Prince.
She seemed to be telling me the truth, but it was still concerning that she hadn’t contacted me earlier to let me know that she was okay, unless she lost her mirror.
“Well then, why haven’t you contacted me? This isn’t like you, Scar?”, something changed within her, but I just can’t see to bring it about.
She looked at me sheepishly, “My mirror broke while we were escaping, and a lot has happened after that”.
I nodded, for that may be my only answer for now. Just now, I just realized that the young nythari who died gave me the message to see my sister out here in the desert.
“So were your little friends part of the attack that happened during the wedding?”. She couldn't be capable of hurting innocent nytharis, although at the moment, I’m not sure who this redhead is.
“Yes, but there were no casualties that we know of. So we gave our message, which was the important part of our mission”.
“No casualties? There were casualties! How heartless are you, Scarlet? The messenger that was part of your ‘mission’ died from his injuries. Half of the nytharis from your ‘mission’ died from their injuries”, I ended up yelling out of frustrated I was feeling that Scarlet didn’t seem to care about their deaths.
The Prince interrupted us by clearing his throat, “If I may add something?”
We both looked at the Prince and yelled, “NO!”. The Prince sat down quickly as if being scolded was something that he wasn't use to.
“They knew what they were getting into, what they were risking. But as you know, ‘captain’ Lilith, not everyone can be saved, so we try to save as much Nytharis as we can". She paused before continuing, "That also means that unfortunately some lives will be lost, but we have a goal set in mind".
“But we can’t send Nytharis to their deaths either, you know”.
“So why did you?”, she asked me softly.
At that moment, it was over. She crossed a line. That story was my biggest failure as a captain, and I told her in confidence.
“We are done here”. I was staring at my sister, waiting for Alaric to sit down. I grabbed the reins and went off, leaving my sister and her little fragile Prince behind in the dust.