Chapter 45

Authoress's POV

Deep within the forest lies a cave. A dark cave now converted to a coven by the triplets priestesses.

The priestesses were unique wolves with special abilities. They could tell the future, possessed healing abilities and most importantly, they were the link between the living and the dead.

These wolves were thought to be long dead since the days of Lord Zarin but instead, they remained in the cave, laying in wait for something greater, deceiving those willing to fall into their plot in promises of a new glory. Now, another had fallen and failed.

“That one, Dakota.. I knew he was of no use. The wanna-be Alpha of the Eastern Kingdom was more reliable.” One of the priestesses said.

“Yes. He was never up to the task.. I always knew he didn't have it in him.” Another added as they both faced the last sister.

“Do not blame me. He built a special empire, one of a kind I must say.” The last sister defended.

“And she wiped out his empire in a second.” The first said.

“The girl grows stronger. We must get her on our side before it's too late.” The Last replied instead.

“She has ventured into the Eastern Kingdom.. she will die in the hands of the Shadow slayers.” The Second said.

“No. Not if we save her in time. It'll be the perfect time to get her to surrender the power of the moonstone which lies within her.” The last replied.

“And if she refuses?”

“We'll get it by force. We only need to seal her powers with that special bracelet.”

Meanwhile… Twila, Azrael and Orion followed Zackfronth into the Eastern Kingdom. The entire place was worse than the stories made it seem.

The houses were mostly destroyed or barely hanging on to life. Their farms were nothing but ruins. The Kingdom itself was in ruins.

The people hid in corners as they watched them pass by. The hate and scorn visible on their faces.

Twila felt bad. How could people live in such a state? She really wanted to help them. This was worse than the plague of the Southern Kingdom then.

Zackfronth brought them to a shack, the home of the only surviving elder.

The elder welcomed them and offered them food and drinks.

Twila wasn't comfortable with the way things looked. She wished she could fix it. She hoped.

But some things kept bothering her.

And so, she asked the question that troubled her mind.

“If this is what being here looks like, how come you guys never left?” She asked. Orion and Azrael nodded like they'd been wondering the same thing.

“The plague comes upon every member of the Kingdom. It doesn't matter where you are.” The elder explained. “Many people tried to leave, but when the plague came, they were struck down to a state worse than death. They weren't dead nor alive. They just remained in a void state until they rot away. That's why we stayed, because staying was much better. There were chances of survival.”

Twila looked from the elder to Zackfronth who stood at the entrance of the room, wearing an unreadable expression on his face.

“I don't understand… Why is this happening?” She asked.

“Child…” The elder began. “All these started as a result of jealousy. There was once an Alpha of the Eastern Kingdom who had two sons. He gave them a quest and whoever won would become the next Alpha. And so, the boys completed the quest, performing exceptionally well, but there could only be one Alpha. And so, the best was chosen but his brother seemed to think otherwise. One night, he sold out the Kingdom's moonstone to the triplet priestesses everyone thought to be dead. They promised him power and the position of Alpha, but it was all a lie. When he realized this, it was already too late and so he confessed but there was barely anything we could do. The shadow slayers came and swept through the town, killing thousands of people.” He paused and glanced at Zackfronth. “Zackfronth is from the line of the Alpha who sold out the moonstone. He's the last of the royal bloodline.”

Twila stared at him, the sadness visible in her eyes. “That explains the look of hate and scorn on the people's faces.”

Zackfronth nodded.

“They hate me and I share in the blame of my ancestor's mistake.” Zackfronth smiled a sad smile.

Orion studied Twila, the way she looked at Zackfronth. He wasn't sure how that made him feel.

“The shadow slayers come every one hundred years, right?” He asked.

“Yes.” The elder replied.

“Then why has no one tried to build up the place in the past years?”

“Son, the first time after the Shadow slayers had swept through the land, we tried to rebuild the kingdom but our efforts were futile. Though the slayers were gone, their shadows remained, causing wreck, ruining plants and killing livestocks.” He explained. “So the people gave up hope and we only try to survive in whatever way we can.”

Orion sighed. He felt bad for them. He wanted to help them too. He couldn't imagine the people of his kingdom going through something like this.

Azrael felt the same way too. His Kingdom had never suffered any trouble, nothing at all. Seeing a Kingdom being the total opposite made him feel grateful. He now understood why Zackfronth was desperate enough to kidnap Twila, and why Twila was willing to help him.

“We'll help out, in whatever way we can.” Orion said. Twila stared at him.

He was a good guy. One of the best men she’d ever known.

She loved him, but now— she wasn't sure he was the only one. She stared from Orion to Zackfronth.

Zackfronth's POV

I didn't know how to feel. These guys were willing to help me, without owing me anything. I felt really grateful. Twila was indeed the light in my life. Thanks to her, the Southern and Northern Alphas were willing to help.

"So what now?" Azrael asked.

"We wait." I said.

"No, we don't just wait." Twila said. "Orion, Azrael, we'll need more hands. Your warriors. We'll need them to protect the people when we battle the Shadow slayers."

"Done. We'll send word." Orion replied. "Also, I'll like to suggest that you move the people to a kind of fortress. Is there any place that can work?" Orion continued and I nodded.

"I don't know if it's good enough, but it should do." I said. "The castle remains. It's our best bet."

"That's it then. Go with our available soldiers and transfer the people there." Orion said.

"I'll come with you." Twila said. "Maybe seeing me will restore their hope." She added and I smiled. She gave me hope and I knew she would do the same for my people and even become our savior. I took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Thank you."