Bertan`s quest - Michelle Tarynne (best beach reads of all time txt) 📗

might save some of their bloodlines that might have mingled with ours, but will not save their kind. It was foretold by the Oracle… has it ever been wrong?" she wished, it was wrong at least in one place, though. The moment of a final sin revealing neared relentlessly. The more she tried to make it go away in time, the stronger force the Fates thrown at her.

"They had to be wrong at least once to disappear like that over the ages," Aru snorted at the impossible fate that met the Oracle. The sudden disappearance had been the most potent tool for the ones opposing any actions considering the prophecies. How could anyone take seriously words by an Oracle that let herself be gone throughout the ages to never be heard ever again?

"The Fates rule in their own ways. We are not to question them," the Duchess claimed stiffly.

"We are not to let the innocents die either," the Two frowned stubbornly in his views.

"Look at me, Two," the Duchess demanded sharply, "Look deep into my eyes. No Axe is innocent. The blood on their hands isn't going to disappear just like that. Not now, not ever. They have been damned to their bones and the only future the Fates bring for them is utter extinction. Not one of them deserves to survive."

"None of us deserves that too, for we share bloodlines with them," he argued relentlessly unwilling to remind her of his own mixed blood just yet.

"Let's just hope the Fates still embrace us… Wake up that man!" she exclaimed furiously at Hunn, to quickly compose herself into a somber silence. She frowned for a while, then just as quickly she picked up a parchment to scribble fast with a black lead-liner.

 

Delicate and soft knock on the doors brought short relief from the insults flying viciously at the futile attempts of trying to wake Hunn up. The Duchess opened the doors cautiously to find two still and statuesque figures waiting behind them. She frowned but made no move as fiery twins took no time to introduce themselves, barging in not so subtly instead. The two conscious men tensed up at their arrival.

"And you are?" the Duchess asked cautiously bringing her hand to her chest where a small invisible blade had its placeholder.

"We are truly impressed with your dart-work," the dark twin drawled and smirked unabashed. She looked right into the older women's eyes. She nodded at unconscious Hunn. "The men around you seem to be losing their minds, don't they?" she laughed with a mischievous spark in her eyes.

"That they do," the Duchess relaxed enough to look at her visitors, "The Daughters of South if I am not mistaken. What could possibly bring you into the heart of the Axe stronghold?" she asked sharply.

"The usual business of sorts," the dark twin was all too happy to sweep that business' details under the rug she was standing on.

"Are you visiting me considering your business?"

"Not really, no… We just got off our previous assignment, and we only just heard the King bellowing… We thought you might need our services, the Duchess of Old," one of the fiery visitors said evenly.

"We do need a discreet way into the Throne Room," the Duchess whispered into Si'Waters ear, "Just the way into as we don't intend to leave it anytime soon," she paused, "And we do need our friend to regain his senses as soon as possible."

"None of your problems seem to be really problematic… to us. We are the Southern Daughters, Si' and Gi'Waters" the smile on her face reassured everyone around that they just knew what needed to be done and how to be successful at it.

Si'Waters' mind easily mapped all of the plans to follow through. She smirked yet again as she walked up lightly on her feet to where Hunn laid down. She kneeled down and blew some air softly albeit persistently into his nose. At first, nothing changed, then lights seemed to dim, leaving only a murmur of glow shading ghosts of past-times when his chest heaved the precious air in.

"What is the payment you would want to demand?" the Duchess was quick to calculate her resources too.

"Information." it was Gi'Waters time to speak now as her twin lost herself in the blue eyes of the male she just brought back to life, "The real power has always been the information. You do know it as well as we do."

"We can discuss that matter on our way then," the Duchess said preparing for the imminent departure.

 

Not at first and not at last. An unexplainable numbness brought a rare state in Hunn's mind, just as he tried to reclaim any control over his body. It felt as though he had none. He recalled, tiny pricks biting into his body. He was far from panic, glad it's a poison that seemed to seep his life away. Calm and ready to leave this world he couldn't help but notice that death was being kind to him. Maybe he had already passed the great gates of life?

Thoughts came and went away in waves as if there was a tidal process to his dying. Of course, a few regrets visited him, a reminder of a few past mistakes, of the chances he let slip out. In retrospect, there was nothing he would have changed. None of his decisions had been made lightly, so not that much to regret. Just how much longer in that place until he ceases to exist, he wondered, when distinct sensations surfaced. The ones he had no conscious memory of. A moist breeze on his skin, sounds of fresh flowing water, uncontained happiness. He felt slightly uneasy at the thought that this nothingness of his uncontrolled thoughts might, in fact, be his ultimate destination. This kind of ending could take forever, he decided and drifting off could be a good idea.

Instead, a peculiar heaviness started to bear down, as if a rock was driving through him into the ground. Then he knew he was very far from dying. He might as well start planning some sort of revenge while he was still paralyzed. Some would not take lightly murdering the Duchess, though, so he had to tone it down a little. He would bet his life he had just thought to have lost, those were her darts that rendered him so useless and helpless. Weight that was seemingly crushing him had gained in strength robbing him of breath. He knew first hand it was going to get much, much worse for it's not just one dart that had nicked him. Then, a fresh breath brought him back to life in an instant.

"You!" Hunn roared the moment he opened his eyes fully intending to grab the owner of the saving breath by her throat and throttle her right into non-being. Luck had it that while his mind awoke in one moment, his senses and his body still did not.

"Would you please stop trying to kill your savior?" the Duchess yelled testily at him. "It took you long enough and without her help, I might have decided to finish you off altogether to shorten the waiting time we've wasted to wake you up."

"If the time is so precious here, maybe you shouldn't have nicked my bird and me with those freaky darts of yours. I knew the moment I started to pass out it was another of your grand schemes that never seem to work out," he roared while struggling to regain control of his legs." And I seem to have lost the boy I was with." Hunn frowned with worry. That single thought brought him back from the edge of raging explosion.

"He should be safe enough," a fiery owner of the saving breath remarked.

"Where is he?" he demanded forcefully, feeling that his temper was rising again.

"I'm not sure where I know with whom." Si'Waters answered, clearly annoyed with his persistence, "Can't you just take my word for it?" she huffed.

"Amuse me then, with whom is our young companion?" Hunn narrowed his eyes to look at her. There was something about her that called to his memory and his currently disobedient senses.

"You don't know her…" she started a lengthy explanation she had hoped to avoid altogether.

"Her? Another female? By Gods. What is it about?" At that moment, he wanted to break something that preferably wasn't her neck. "Bloody females and their grand schemes," he muttered.

"One more word and you might fall out of my graces yet again, warrior," the Duchess said in time to stop one of Hunn's famous tirades before it really started, "We have things to do and places to be, so please do get up finally and let's go."

"I will get up when my legs feel like it," Hunn admitted in full anger, aware of his current disabilities.

"The Two! Aru! Can you just carry him around for the time being?" the Duchess demanded with a tone that bore no permission for any protest.

"I will not let anyone carry me around like a f… like a baby!" he caught his tongue. Just in time to prevent, even more humiliating tongue-lashing wrath the Duchess was ready to spew at any moment. Once she starts, there would be no finish line in sight unless someone would shed blood. Any other time he might be up for a good challenge, but cursed with immobile legs and hazy mind, he didn't want to risk his pride.

"Get used to it!" she spat out and charged out of the door, to be followed by the copies-of-one females. Hunn had no other choice than to let his comrades lift and carry him to get behind those doors too. Truth be told he ceased to argue out of sheer curiosity rather than surrender. The fiery Southerners had to be watched closely, his core quickly prompted, to calm his pride weeping of its impotence to move on his own and act accordingly.

 

CHAPTER NINE

The Throne room was emptied and locked down again. When it happened, breathing suddenly became much easier for hidden Kyre. He was thankful that Duchess had refrained from opening the throne machinery with the Red Axe King present by her side.

Kyre felt so out of place there, terrified to touch the doors that separated him from the illusion of freedom they might hold behind. Focused on his own breathing, he failed to notice they slowly opened without any of his help.

"You are of her kind, aren't you?" A little girl crouched next to him and regarded him curiously. She scared his soul out of his core. Kyre couldn't recall a time any trained seeker could surprise him like that little girl just did. Her familiar eyes were hungry for knowledge and they sparkled dangerously, not unlike the eyes of the powerful and dominating woman who had just left the room.

"Yes." He knew there was no reason to lie at that point. "As you are, apparently."

"They do seem to argue about me a lot lately," she admitted with a grimace, not sad enough to be able to hide the curiosity in her voice, "But who are you? What is your name? How did you got yourself in here?" she inquired quite persistently.

"I'm ah…" he frowned, "My name is Kyre and I'm a Seekinglander."

"I knew that much," she squinted her eyes, "I mean beside the name. But names are changing sometimes. They have a habit of not sticking to the thing they describe. Sometimes," she paused, "What are you doing here?"

"It's really hard to describe at the moment," Kyre tried to avoid being questioned so closely by a child that apparently had mind wider than her age suggested.

"Try," she demanded not unlike her father or mother would have done.

"I was to assist in some journey but I felt my core to go back here," he explained without giving too many details.

"The Fates called you back here?" the girl asked.

"Maybe you could say it like that. Maybe," he paused, "Have you ever met her? The Duchess?" he asked at a loss