She eyed them carefully, calculating their flushed faces and slack jaws before sitting up reluctantly. “You read the scroll.”
Regulus swallowed and collected himself. “What do you know about it?”
“As the daughter of the great Lord of Draconis… everything,” she shrugged and clamped her teeth on another grape, ripping it off the vine and chewing it thoroughly.
“Tell us, Bello,” Mythia’s voice rang out.
Bello swallowed her grape and smirked at them. “I’ll make you a deal.”
Regulus thought about it for a moment. “What is it you have in mind?”
“I’ll show you everything… for my freedom.” Bello pulled herself up to her feet and crossed her arms.
“Show?” Mythia asked slowly. “What do you mean by that?”
Bello ignored her and turned toward Regulus instead. “What say you?”
Regulus chewed his tongue, thinking hard. He narrowed his eyes at the old Rejicio leader before slowly, raising his hand to her. She grabbed it and shook. “Done.”
“But under one condition,” Regulus suddenly said. Bello’s ears perked up. “You stay here. No title. No power. You stay as a guest in my castle. A citizen. Nothing more.”
Bello smiled and raised her eyebrows. “One can not simply dilute their noble blood.” She sighed and picked at her fingernails. “But my reign ended when the Rejicio placed their loyalty in you, Regulus. I’ll agree to your condition.”
Regulus had the five knights shackle Bello as a precaution, until she completed her side of the bargain. They dragged the chains that connected to her wrists and carried her through the castle. Regulus collected his two best knights, Sir Fort and Lord Pileus, as well as the newest recruits from the Rejicio. Mythia rushed up to the Doctrine’s new quarters in the castle. She knocked at his door.
His sapphire eyes glanced curiously at her. “What can I do for you, my lady?”
“There’s not much time to explain. Come quick.” He followed her down the wide stairs into the entrance hall where Regulus waited with his knights and Bello tied up in chains.
Titus flashed a toothy grin at his best friend. “Ah, the all-knowing phoenix. Just what we need.” He winked.
Regulus handed over the scroll titled “PAX” and the Doctrine read it through quickly but carefully, his eyes growing wider and wider as he reached the end. “Bello will assist us?” he asked Regulus.
The king nodded in assent. “She is taking us up north and will explain further when we get there. It’s going to be at least a day’s journey.”
The Doctrine stood there, looking back and forth between everyone before he understood. “You want me to come?” he asked suddenly.
Titus slapped the Doctrine in the back. “Someone's got to take my place and have all the fun for me."
"Gather up your things," Regulus said. "We leave immediately."
22. JOURNEY
They ventured out into the rain drenched night, the moon and stars invisible in the dark sky. The group pulled their hoods tightly over their heads, trapping in whatever heat they had left in their shivering bodies. A long chain stretched from either side of Bello, connecting her with Miles and Zane, who were both exceedingly keen to take on the job. They traveled up north through the Borra Forest, making their way deep into the trees before Regulus called for them to make camp.
“Not much point going any farther in this.” He slid off his horse as everyone tied theirs each to a different tree. They helped Regulus set up two separate tents and cover them in protective tarps that would keep them safe from the storm. Mythia, Krea, and Bello huddled into one and the men in the other. Just as Regulus was about to leave the women’s tent, he hesitated. “I’m not sure I’m too happy with this arrangement. I promised you I would never leave your side again,” he spoke quietly to Mythia. His eyes gazed over at Bello who sat grumpily in front of a small, contained fire, now shackled to Krea. “Especially with her here. Doesn’t feel right.”
Mythia peered over at the ex-Rejicio leader. “I wouldn’t worry about her, Regulus. Her greatest form of magic is manipulation. I think Krea and I can handle her. We’ll take turns keeping watch. Don’t worry.” She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss before he grudgingly backed out from the tent and into the storm. Mythia tied the tarp closed.
Krea whistled from the corner of the tent. “You and the king, huh? I mean… again.”
Mythia bit her lip. “It’s more complicated than that…”
Bello let out a loud “ha!”
“What?” Mythia demanded.
“You are more clever than I’ve been giving you credit for, Mythia.” Bello's cold gray eyes narrowed behind the fire.
“What are you talking about? Tribus forced me into marrying him, Bello. I had no real choice. As for Regulus… my heart fell for his. Didn’t feel like much of a choice either, come to think of it,” Mythia said thoughtfully.
“How exceedingly convenient,” Bello sneered. Krea and Mythia exchanged glances. “The king falls for the lady. The lady becomes queen. The king dies… the prince falls for the queen… his own stepmother no less.”
“I’ve been relinquished from my title,” Mythia said slowly.
“No matter what title is placed before a name… royal blood cannot be drained.” Bello smiled.
“Shut it,” Krea said, tugging lightly at the chain.
But Bello’s words echoed in Mythia’s mind for the rest of the night as she stayed awake keeping watch. Even once Krea took over, her dreams were full of spilling blood, tainted with green and black.
Mythia awoke with a start as a gleaming light infiltrated through the olive colored tarp. She peeked over at Krea, who lay slumped on the ground fast asleep. Mythia shot up. Her eyes followed the chain connected to her wrist, the end laying open and empty. She kicked at Krea to wake up.
“Bello’s gone,” she said quickly.
Krea’s eyes were wide open in fear as she pushed herself up. “Damn it, I fell asleep!” She jumped up and landed on her feet. The two of them burst through the opening of the tent to find Bello standing by a large fire, holding a bundle of silvery fish. The grass and the trees were still soaked from the rain, the darkened bark contrasting magnificently with the brightly colored fall leaves.
“Breakfast,” Bello announced. She suddenly noticed Mythia and Krea holding looks of alarm upon their faces. “You thought I ran, didn’t you?” Bello rolled her eyes. “There is no need to chain me up. I sought out the Rejicio and created its city, remember? I’m not one to run off alone somewhere. I have every intention of continuing this mission. Besides… it’s about time the king knew all that his father held back from him.” They watched her as she tossed the fish onto a cast iron pan and held it above the roaring flames. Mythia’s stomach growled at the scent that quickly filled the cool air. They continued to watch in silence while the fish sizzled until they were done cooking, and Bello tipped one fish onto each individual silver plate and passed them around.
Krea took it uncertainly, hovering her fork over the fish.
“It’s not poisoned,” Bello blurted out. Krea waited a moment while Mythia shoveled the delicious trout into her mouth and swallowed. She seemed to finally decide it was okay and ate her food ravenously.
“Thank you,” Mythia said to Bello once she had finished her plate.
“Don’t forget who took you in, placed a roof over your head, and filled your hungry belly with food,” Bello said solemnly. “I’m not heartless.”
Just then the flap to the men’s tent opened and they all filed out, sniffing the air appreciatively. Bello passed around the rest of the fish. Pileus raised an eyebrow suspiciously at Bello as he tugged the plate from her with his only remaining hand. He sniffed his fish and poked it, searching for anything abnormal, before eating. Bello sighed.
“The weather has certainly perked up for the journey,” Miles noted, an attempt to cut the tension.
Regulus nodded. “As soon as we finish eating, we
must pack up and continue.”
“How do we know she isn’t leading us into a trap?” Fort asked quietly, tilting his head toward Bello who was just out of earshot.
The Doctrine pointed his fork at him. “Do not forget I have the ability to see through one’s intentions. I do believe that Bello is leading us with honesty. Or as much honesty as she is capable of.” He peered over at her as she began collecting empty plates and cleaning up around the campsite.
Zane glared at her from the opposite side of the fire and spoke beneath his breath. “Don’t be so easily fooled. She’s always appeared to have honest intentions.”
Regulus raised his voice loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Let’s pack up.”
They put away their supplies and doused out the fire. The horses were watered, and everyone clamored on. Mythia gave Noctis a pat before taking off again through the Borra Forest, where the birch wood trees stood tall and beautiful with their wet, white bark and glistening, red leaves.
They rode without any issues as the sun slid into the sky. It was a much clearer day than the day before, but still cool and breezy. Their horses left deep hoofprints in the muddy paths, occasionally splashing through deep puddles of brown water, as they galloped quickly along.
The group broke free from the condensed forest and out onto the field of yellowing grass, where the Borealis Mountains towered over them. The Rejicio all glanced uncertainly at Bello.
“Are we going to the Rejicio City?” Ten asked apprehensively.
“No,” Bello answered. “But we must travel through it.”
They entered the gaping opening into the mountain and parked their horses in the stable. Regulus and Fort glanced around in awe as they took in the hidden city for the first time.
“It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished here, Bello,” Regulus pointed out. “Even if you did do it under false pretenses.”
Bello led the crew to the opposite end of the mountain, as many curious eyes peered in their direction. Some even bowed down to Regulus, or was it to Bello? Mythia started getting nervous when she brought them through a small opening into a long, dark tunnel. Mythia immediately flipped open her palm and produced a small, floating flame, just as the rest of those who were able to did the same. She smiled tentatively at them.
They bent down and inched slowly through the cave. Fort and Pileus kept close to Bello, clearly not trusting her motives. Miles, Zane, Ten, and Krea were grouped right behind them, followed by the Doctrine, Regulus, and Mythia. They walked in silence and near darkness, as the few floating flames danced and hovered between them. Mythia felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead as the tunnel appeared to be getting smaller.
Just as the walls started closing in on them, a light emerged at the end of the tunnel. They quickened their footsteps and rushed forward.
Mythia sniffed. The air had a refreshing, salty scent that infiltrated her nose, accompanied by a strange sound like harsh blowing wind that swayed off and on. They emerged out into the noon sunlight and extinguished their flames. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust from the dark to the white, shimmering light that filled the view in front of them.
Mythia suddenly felt as though they were back at the enchanted lake in southern Fenniks, and yet it was so much more than a lake. Soft sand filled the ground, specked with random green weeds. At the end of the sand was water, the water she and Zane had seen when they climbed the mountain, but she could not make out the vastness of it until now. It stretched from each side, farther than she could see. White foam bubbled at the very edge as it pushed outward toward them, than pulled back into the massive body of water, sliding with opalescent bubbles across the sand quickly away from them. It did this again and again, and Mythia suddenly realized that the sound she had thought was harsh wind, was coming from the water itself. The air was filled with salt and squawking white birds. Surrounding the sides of the water were the Borealis Mountains, which opened up to allow the sky and the water to continue on north, as far as they could see.
Everyone but Bello looked exactly how Mythia was feeling. Shocked, mystified, and strangely betrayed. This was not a part of Terra they had known about; this was not on any of the maps they had ever seen. The Doctrine looked as though he had entered a dream. His sapphire eyes were alight, reflective off the white shimmering water and sand that all sparkled like diamonds. Mythia could see his mind spinning, thinking, reaching at any length to understand.
Regulus put his hands on his hips and looked out into the horizon, where the water was darkest. The Rejicio recruits were touching the sand, poking the strange, moving foamy water with their feet. Fort and Pileus had wandered slightly away.
Regulus rounded on Bello, who’s face was full of glee. “What is this?”
“This,” she answered casually. “Is the end of Terra… and the gateway to Pax.”
23. THE BOAT
The sound of pattering feet pounded against the sand as Lord Pileus and Sir Fort came running back toward them.
“Sire,” Fort called, slightly out of breath, “we found something.” Regulus glanced quickly at Mythia before they all took off and followed the knights down the sand.
Just around the corner of a mountain cliff, was a massive boat, taller and wider than three houses, sitting partially between the sand and the water. The white foam smacked against its wooden side, which was covered in moss. There were large, white triangular pieces of fabric tied with fraying rope at the very top, so high up that Mythia had to tilt her head and squint her eyes in the blinding sun to see them properly. The entire thing had partially sunk into the wet sand beneath and appeared to have been sitting there for a very, very long time.
“How did it get here?” Zane asked curiously.
“You shouldn’t be asking how it got here,” Miles answered. “But where it came from…”
They gaped at the structure, which was unlike anything they had ever seen before. And then the Doctrine’s scream ripped through the air.
Mythia whipped around to find Bello clutching onto him, a small knife pushing against his throat, a trickle of blood dripping out from it.
“What are you doing!?” Regulus screamed. Everyone else turned around, bewildered.
Bello’s silver eyes were wider than Mythia had ever seen them, with a kind of madness protruding from them. She held on even closer to the Doctrine, who had a sheen of sweat forming on his face as the red blood spilled one drop at a time where the blade touched.
“You know,” Bello started, staring wildly at Regulus. “I was second in line for the throne. After you. Mythia here was supposed to take care of that, if it wasn’t for him.” She shook the Doctrine with her free hand.
Regulus stared at her in bewilderment. “You were never in line for the throne, Bello. You're not even royalty.”
“Hasn’t your father ever told you?” A grin spread across her face as though something delicious had sat upon her tongue. “That we’re related?”
The king paused for a moment. “No. And I don’t believe a word of it.”
“Oh, believe it, Regulus. Believe it. Because my father was your father’s cousin.” Her eyes flicked over to Mythia. “And hers as well.”
Regulus’s eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher what Bello was saying. He glanced over at Mythia then over to the Doctrine. “Is this true?”
The Doctrine struggled to breath beneath the tightly pressed blade. “It is possible,” he choked out.
Regulus clenched his jaw and appeared to be struggling with some internal argument. Mythia just stared in disbelief at Bello.
“I, being the older of the cousins, was next in line. Followed by Mythia.” Bello smirked at Mythia. “Ever wonder why dear old King Tribus was so keen on marrying you?”
“Even if it is true,” Mythia forced out. She couldn’t even bare the thought of it. “Even if it is and he knew about it, what purpose would he have in marrying his cousin?” The very thought made her sick.
“To keep the Dragon King aliv
e, of course,” Bello savored every word. “You read the parchment. The Dragon King's reign ends when the new king does not bear the mark of a dragon. Regulus over here is a unicorn. And since you are a lady of Draconis, your children would’ve passed on the blood of the original king. You are a descendant of him. We both are.”
“Don’t listen to her!” Zane shouted. “She’s a liar. A manipulative liar. She just wants to confuse you!”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” the Doctrine blurted out, his voice hoarse from his neck being squeezed. “Royalty has been inbreeding for many generations to stay within the family line.”
Regulus exchanged looks with Mythia. She could tell he was feeling the same thing as her. Confusion and betrayal. Disgust.
“That’s right,” Bello said suddenly, noticing the two exchanging looks. “That makes you both related too.”
“What do you want, Bello?” Regulus asked suspiciously. “What is your purpose to all of this?”
Bello’s smirk widened. “I want you to take me with you.” She glanced toward the towering boat. “To Pax. Or the Doctrine dies.” She clutched more tightly to him, squeezing his neck so hard with her blade that he was starting to turn blue from lack of oxygen.
“Enough!” Mythia shouted. All eyes turned to her. She glanced pleadingly at Regulus. “Let her come. Maybe she can be an asset.”
Regulus nodded in agreement and Bello finally let go of the Doctrine, who collapsed onto the ground. Mythia ran up to him and helped him up. All of the knights rushed over to Bello, ripping the blade from her hand, pulling her arms behind her and tying them up tight. They showed no ounce of gentleness.
Regulus looked out over the waters, his emerald eyes full of a new kind of pain. Mythia walked up to him, suddenly afraid to hold his hand, whereas it had felt so right only minutes ago. He glanced down at her.
“I don’t know what to make of this,” he said softly. “But I do know I can’t do this without you.”
Mythia sighed, staring off into the horizon. “I feel the same way. Regulus…” She looked back at him. “I don’t know if what Bello says is true. But even if it is-"
Mythia: and the Awakened Beast Page 26
