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CHAPTER 10 – NEVER AGAIN

Castle Xanthe City of Aphelion, Wolfen Territory The Realm of Xathos

Ailara's eyes opened when she felt a tingling sensation in her skin.

Everything was quiet but she knew that things are not always what they seem. As quietly as she could, she moved to the opposite side of the room and gently shook Andreas.

She cupped her hand over his mouth when he opened his lips to speak. Slowly, Andreas got to his feet. He looked around the room warily. She could see the confusion in his eyes.

"Ailara..." a voice whispered.

At hearing that voice, Ailara stilled. It was the voice that haunted her dreams and turned them into the most grotesque nightmares. She closed her eyes and prayed to Selene that it was just a figment of her imagination.

"I know you can hear me."

The voice was like a fog that muddled her brain and wrapped a fist around her heart. It belonged to none other than Heilen; the king of the Cerran.

"You cannot control me anymore, Heilen," Ailara hissed.

"Princess! What's happening?" Andreas asked.

Ailara shook her head. She could feel Heilen trying to control her again. It felt like being drugged. Her limbs felt heavier with each passing second. Her eyelids grew heavy even as her heart started to beat faster.

"No!" Ailara screamed.

Heilen only laughed. It sounded so evil that she shivered. She covered her ears but it did nothing to drown out the sound. Ailara's head ached as she fought not to get under Heilen's control.

"Princess! Tell me what's wrong!" Andreas said. He stepped forward and reached for her. Ailara pushed him away just as the door burst open and one of the guards entered.

"What are you shouting about?" the Wolfen hissed.

"You have to warn everyone. Heilen's here!" Ailara told him.

"What?!" asked the guard and Andreas at the same time.

Then the guard burst out laughing. Andreas, on the other hand, looked concerned.

"Please, you have to believe me. The Cerran are truly here," she implored.

"Vampyr, in case you haven't noticed... Tonight is the night of the full moon. It's when our kind is strongest. The Cerran aren't huge fools to launch an attack on us tonight," the guard answered.

"Besides, the city of Aphelion is the safest place," the other guard added. Then, both of them snickered.

But they were wrong. Heilen was here. And wherever he was, it wasn't safe. The threat here was even increased because she was also here.

"Please... You have to warn everyone. Increase the guards around the wall!"

The guards shook their heads and continued laughing. "If you are planning to escape, Vampyr... forget it. You would not make it as far as the wall. And with your diet of animal blood, you won't even be able to trace."

Ailara's heart sank. She will be too weak to fight Heilen and his warriors. At the same time, she also had to fight to not get under his control once more. She didn't want to wake up again covered in blood in the middle of a field littered with corpses.

The tingling sensation Ailara was feeling increased. It felt like insects were crawling all over her. And then suddenly, it stopped.

"Prepare yourselves!" Ailara shouted.

She jumped towards one of the guards and grabbed his sword from his belt.

"Vampyr!" he shouted. The other guard lunged for her but she sidestepped him. She jumped over him as he fell and ran towards the corridor. She didn't know where she was going but she had to get out of here or she will be an easy prey for Heilen.

Ailara heard the warriors run after her but she just continued running. She tried to trace but nothing happened.

"Stop that Vampyr!" the taller guard shouted.

There were screams as Ailara ran past startled castle inhabitants. Some tried to stop her but she just dodged them and continued running.

She reached the great hall and the door was within her reach when the Cerran poured out from the shadows.

"Aiken, help me," Ailara implored. It was too late to run. And there was nowhere to hide. There was nothing else she could do but fight.

If she died in battle, then it will be better than being alive but under Heilen's control once more. Ailara scanned the nearby area for any weapons. On the far corner of the wall hung several weapons. They were more of a decorative nature though because Wolfen needed no weapons. Their claws and teeth were the sharpest weapons they had.

Two Cerran blocked her path. By instinct, Ailara tried to trace past them but she couldn't for she felt very weak. Tracing inside this castle also cost her a lot more effort. It was probably warded against tracing so that Vampyrs cannot infiltrate the Wolfen castle.

So she went running once more. And then leapt atop the Cerran and landed on a crouch near the wall. Ailara lifted one of the swords from its peg on the wall. She noticed a little rust on the blade but prayed that it was still sharp and that she might get to kill a few Cerran with it.

"You're not really going to fight us, Princess. Stop this madness and come back," one of the warriors told her.

Ailara bared her fangs. "Never," she hissed.

"Guess it's the hard way then, princess," the Cerran replied. Ailara recognized him as the warrior tasked to guard her prison.

"I will only go back if I am nothing but ash burnt by the sun," Ailara spat. Then she rotated her wrist and tested the balance of the sword. It was light and it suited her just fine. She grabbed another one from the wall and now held two swords in her hands.

Dual blades. Just like the weapons she was known for.

Ailara shook her head. There's no use to be distracted now. She was weak and already at a disadvantage.

"We shall see," the warrior replied. Then, he traced. Ailara anticipated where he would appear and raised both blades in defense. Sparks flew as the metal of the sword collided with the Cerran's claws. The force of the impact made Ailara take one step back.

She put all her weight into the blades and then kicked the Cerran. He went stumbling backwards and collided with another Cerran who was poised to attack.

More Cerran poured from the shadows. Some of them tried to grab Wolfen children and also the elderly who looked scared and confused.

"Stay together!" Ailara commanded. "Get behind me!" she shouted as she dodged another set of attacks from the Cerran. Slowly, she backed away until her back was no longer to the wall but to the frightened Wolfen.

"Don't let the childen get too close to the front!"

Ailara ducked. Razor-sharp claws almost tore the flesh from her cheeks. She kicked out in a wide arc to unbalance the Cerran. Then she used her sword and buried it deep within the warrior's chest.

One Cerran warrior grabbed one of the children. The Wolfen child burst out screaming. Ailara ran as fast as she could and sliced the Cerran's arm clean off his shoulder.

"You're supposed to be on our side, princess..." Heilen whispered in her mind. A thousand memories of torture assailed Ailara. The pain of the memory was so intense that she almost dropped her swords.

She could feel Heilen trying to control her again but like earlier, she tried to fight against it. It felt like a thousand needles was being pushed into her skull.

"Stop fighting me..." Heilen whispered.

"You will never have me again, Heilen! Never!" Ailara screamed.

Then, she stopped playing defense. She ran into the fray of Cerran warriors who were struggling to reach the Wolfen. Maybe they were ordered by Heilen to kill as many Wolfen as they could. Then, she won't be able to take her hands being stained with more blood of the innocent and she would come running back to him.

But that was the former Ailara.

This Ailara would rather die in this battle than live as a puppet once more.

"Stay back! Stick together and keep everyone safe!" she shouted to the elders. They grabbed the children and pushed them to the wall behind. The elders reached for whatever weapon they could and brandished it against the Cerran.

This was the only thing they could do for they could no longer shift because of their age.

"Ailara!!!" Heilen shouted.

"No more, Heilen!" she screamed as she brought her blades down together and severed a Cerran warrior's head from his shoulder. From the corner of her eye, Ailara saw black and grey figures enter the great hall. She also heard several growls that made the hair on the back of her neck stand.

The wolves were here. Finally! Aiken was merciful after all!

Ailara went to the far side of the wall and fought her way through the remaining Cerran. Her blades became an extension of her body and she stabbed, slashed and sliced at whatever was blocking her way.

"Help!" a voice cried. Ailara turned around and saw one Wolfen child being choked by a Cerran warrior. Upon seeing that, Ailara's vision turned red.

"Put him down!" she roared.

"You know what Heilen wants, princess. You belong to us. You do not belong here."

Ailara and the Cerran warrior circled each other. She had to be careful with the way she attacked for she might end up harming the child.

"Put him down and perhaps I shall spare your life," she hissed.

The Cerran threw back his head and laughed. That was the distraction Ailara was waiting for. With every last bit of energy she had in her system, she concentrated all of it into tracing.

It was a very short distance but it felt like a thousand leagues. Every muscle and nerve ending in her body protested. But with a huge burst of energy, she was able to cross the distance.

The Cerran didn't even see the attack coming. Ailara used her elbow and jabbed it upwards on the Cerran's chin. His head flew back and his grip on the boy loosened. Ailara quickly tugged him from his grip and pushed the boy away. The boy went running back to the elders.

With the last of her energy, Ailara brought her blades up and slashed at the Cerran's leathery skin. His innards spilled on the floor.

Ailara looked around her and saw the Wolfen in action. Truly, they were a magnificent sight to behold. They were the best warriors in all of Xathos. They were tall, strong, lithe and moved with an innate grace. They were also very fast and their wounds healed fast as well.

Because it was the night of the full moon, the Cerran didn't even stand a chance. And it looked as though some were already retreating.

"My praise to Aiken," Ailara whispered. She sent a fervent prayer of thanks to the mighty god of the warriors. Finally, a battle where not a drop of innocent blood was spilled.

More Wolfen warriors flooded the great hall. They stood guard beside the children and the elderly. The others finished off the remaining Cerran. Among them was Dimitrios.

"Dimitrios..." Ailara sighed. There was no mistaking him even in his wolf form. He was the largest of all the wolves. Also, he had fur as black as night. But his eyes were what gave him away. From all the Wolfen she's seen, it was only him who had eyes that looked like it reflected the deepest pools of the ocean.

He fought with lethal grace and untamed ferocity. He was a glorious sight in battle.

What would it be like to fight alongside him?

"But you're his enemy. He will fight you and tear you apart. He is not someone you can imagine fighting alongside with..." Heilen whispered.

Then, without warning, he called forth the bond between him and Ailara again. This time, it was as if he used all his energy.

The shock and the pain was so great that Ailara's vision blurred.

"Stop!" she cried.

Her blades fell to the stone floor as she lifted her hands to cover her ears and try to alleviate the throbbing pain in her head.

But it was too much...

Ailara felt wetness against her lips followed by the taste of blood. She touched the fluid and her hand came away red.

This time, the entire world spun.

And then she collapsed on the floor right in the middle of battle.





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