CHAPTER 30

PALACE, KINGDOM OF TRETERRA, CITY OF AGER

KING MAXIMILIAN proudly sat on his throne room, facing his sudden visitor, but the warlord didn't even bow his head to show his respect, enraging the king in secret. But the king didn't show his exasperation toward the warlord's attitude. He was told that the warlord was a savage and barbaric warrior. Must be why the warlord didn't have manners.

Honestly, the Kingdom of Treterra would never allow a sudden visit, but it was a warlord of the empire. And whether the Kingdom of Treterra liked it or not, the Infernal Empire was more powerful than them. From their weapons to their soldiers, they were more superior. The only reason the empire didn't want to seize the Kingdom of Treterra was because of the barren lands. Crossing that would be hellish for the soldiers. If not for that, the new emperor would've captured Treterra by now like how he captured the other small kingdoms.

The four largest kingdoms of Azitera were not as friendly as before. As their leader changed and their kingdom flourished, they became hostile with one another, especially the Infernal Empire and the Kingdom of Treterra, which had the largest lands in Azitera. Caelum Kingdom could care less about the struggle for land since they're up in the sky, same with Nayale Archipelago. And in terms of strength, the Infernal Empire would trample the Kingdom of Treterra anytime, and the kingdom knew it. Maybe if their land didn't become barren, they might stand a chance.

Holding his head high, King Maximilian spoke coldly and detached to show his authority. "May I know the purpose of your visit, warlord?"

The warlord answered with the same tone, "I'm here for the Mistress of Flame. The emperor asked me to bring her back."

King Maximilian hid his displeasure. Now that the warlord was here, he couldn't use the Mistress of Flame to take advantage on the Infernal Empire. Curse you, Gabrien! he thought. "As of the moment, we do not have the Mistress of Flame, but we do have some information about her."

"Oh?" The corner of the warlord's lips curled up. "Pray tell."

King Maximilian didn't immediately answer. "Warlord, important information has a price. What are you willing to offer?"

The warlord smiled, and it was a cunning and wicked one. "How about I offer not to destroy your city? A good price if I say so myself."

The king became livid of the warlord's arrogance. "Don't look down on us!" King Maximilian gritted his teeth, his hands trembling with so much fury. "We are not a powerless nation. Our soldiers are well trained and could easily outnumber you!"

"Want me to prove you wrong?" The warlord drew one of his war blades from his back. The moment his blade was unsheathed, flame engulfed it, and everyone in the throne room felt the scorching heat of the flaming sword.

Everyone present knew that one slash with the warlord's blade was enough for their bodies to combust in flames. His weapon and his savagery in battle were known far and wide, and that's the reason he was a feared warlord, renowned in the Infernal Empire.

If only the general was here, he could definitely fight the warlord. This was what everyone was thinking while feeling the heat of the warlord's flaming sword. But the general was still in Castetava, checking on the nobles and fixing the mess the Mistress of Flame left behind.

King Maximilian was livid, glaring at the arrogant warlord who dared to draw his weapon in his presence. "How dare you!" King Maximilian bellowed. "This is my kingdom! My throne! Show some respect, you barbarian!"

But the warlord was not fazed by the king's anger. "My respect is not freely given, Your Highness." The sarcasm in the warlord's voice as he said Your Highness enraged everyone in the room. It sounded condescending, like he was mocking the king. "They're earned."

King Maximilian slammed his fist on his chair and stood angrily. "You are in my territory, warlord! I can kill you anytime I want so mind your barbaric manners!"

"Do as you wish, but I will never pay for the information you have." The warlord said nonchalantly. Unafraid of the threat even though it was his first time coming to Treterra. "But if you keep the information from me, the empire will take Belrac, with me as their commander. How's that for an offer, Your Highness?"

King Maximilian gritted his teeth in so much anger, but he couldn't do anything. Belrac was their last surviving city that was still not devoured by the dead soil. If the Infernal Empire took it from them, they had no chance of retaliating because of the barren land separating them. Their soldiers would never reach Belrac in time.

"Mongrel!" King Maximilian hissed at the warlord.

The warlord shrugged as he rested his flaming blade on his shoulder. And it was a chilling sight to behold for everyone. Usually, flaming swords were always kept away from the wielder's body because it might burn them, but the warlord's flaming sword was different. It didn't burn him; instead the flame became even brighter and fiercer like it was excited to fight.

"What kind of flaming sword is that?" one noble asked.

"It felt sinister." Another one spoke.

"Just as wicked and cunning as the wielder," Another noble chimed in.

King Maximilian, on the other hand, was fuming mad because he didn't have any choice. The kingdom's renowned general was not present, and even if he ordered his sorcerers to fight, winning would cause a lot of bloodshed, and the damn warlord would surely never let anyone alive, from the nobles to the minister present. They would be slaughtered before his army could take down the barbaric warlord.

To save the ministers, the nobles, and himself, the king grudgingly resigned and gave in. "The Mistress of Flame is traveling to the city of Ager, as you probably know."

"Your Highness!" Hearing the king speak about the Mistress of Flame, the nobles and the ministers were outraged because they knew the king gave in.

While the warlord smiled and sheathed his sword. "And?"

"I issued a wanted list and a gag order to my citizens to trap the Mistress of Flame inside the city once she entered." The king was grinding his teeth as he spoke. It was against his will, and he was losing face by doing so. "She's with two hunters—a twin-blade wielder and a dagger wielder—and a female elf. The Mistress of Flame carries a staff with a fire stone and looks like she already recovered her strength. She burned a lot of my armies, and we want her punished for that."

The warlord smiled like the information the king told him was somewhat humorous. "Are you certain that the Mistress of Flame carries a staff? When she escaped the empire, she had none."

"We are certain." The king was annoyed that the barbaric warlord was doubting the information they were freely giving. "They even burned the forest in Castetava."

The warlord nodded. "And how do you plan to trap her?"

The king's eyebrow furrowed. "It's confidential, warlord."

"I want in," the warlord said, not minding the king's words. "I will capture her and drag her back to the empire."

"I can permit you to capture her, but I cannot permit you to cooperate with us," the king stubbornly replied.

"Even if I asked the empire to pay for your cooperation?" The warlord dangled the carrot in front of the king to tempt him, knowing how greedy the king was when it came to money. "I want the Mistress of Flame by any means."

"How much are you willing to pay?" the king asked. When it came to money, he would never be bested.

"How much are you asking?" the warlord asked back.

"Five hundred gold coins."

"Deal." There was no hesitation in the warlord's voice, and his confidence eased the king's doubt, especially when the warlord immediately provided half of the payment and gave it to one of the king's ministers. "Now what's your plan?"

Seeing the warlord honoring the deal, the king's tongue became smooth. "As of now, we are pulling back our moonrite stone, hiding it for the meantime until the Mistress of Flame entered the city."

"You'll trap her inside," the warlord concluded.

The king nodded. "My general will be coming home tomorrow with his gryphon. However powerful the Mistress of Flame had become, she's no match against the moonrite stone and my soldiers."

The warlord nodded. "I have a moonrite stone with me as well. We have to make sure she will be captured this time. If she escaped, she would surely go to the Mistress of Nature's prison. Don't let your guards down just because you have a moonrite stone. The Mistress of Flame escaped her moonrite prison after all."

The king nodded. "No one will let their guards down. The hallowed valley was foolproof."

"Hallowed valley..." The warlord became curious. "Is that where your prisoner is being held?"

The king nodded. "It has been fortified. Moonrite stone and soldiers everywhere."

The warlord nodded. "Good. I will take my leave now. I'm staying in the city of Ager's finest inn if you need anything."

The king nodded and watched the warlord leave the throne room. And when the warlord was finally gone, the king let out a relieved breath. "With the warlord's help and the empire's payment, we are surely at an advantage."

The head of the minister nodded. "With the Mistress of Flame taken care of, we won't have to worry about our prisoner, and we can focus on cultivating our land to prosperity once again."

The king nodded. "How's our espionage team? Any report?"

The head of the minister stepped forward and spoke to report. "The Mistress of Flame and her companions are still in the town of Sarnau, but they're still clueless of what awaits them here in the city."

King Maximilian grinned wickedly. "Make sure it stays that way."

"Yes, Your Highness. This will be our win for sure," the head of the prime minister said with confidence, earning a triumphant smile from the king.

♕♕♕

MEANWHILE, in Sarnau, Cira finally went back inside the town to meet her highness, while Xeke followed her, letting the spies he sensed in the forest think that he didn't notice them. He didn't move recklessly and just followed the most ungrateful elf he ever met.

Cira was quick on her feet when Xeke just appeared out of thin air in front of her, and she was about to collide with him. "Can you stop doing that?!" Cira glared at Xeke. "Stop appearing out of thin air!"

Xeke just smiled and walked beside Cira. "You haven't eaten since yesterday. Let's eat."

Cira narrowed her eyes on Xeke. "How did you know? You're not stalking me, are you?"

Xeke pulled a hurt face. "That's some accusation. For your information, I was just looking out for you."

Cira scoffed. "I can look out for myself just fine. Just admit that you're stalking me."

"If I was," Xeke replied, looking away, "it's not like I'm going to do bad things to you."

"I'll shoot you before you can even do anything to me." Cira glared at Xeke before she continued walking. "Anyway"—Cira's voice changed from harsh to sweet—"thanks for saving me back in the noble's hill. I owe you one."

Xeke sighed. "So you're not an ungrateful elf after all."

Cira went back to glaring at Xeke again. "You're annoying. If not for your useful dagger, I'll hate you."

Xeke smiled before he became serious. "What's with the stone you'd been studying whole day and night?"

"None of your concern." Cira didn't want to trust just anyone when it comes to the stone.

"Come on, maybe I can help."

Cira didn't answer and just continued walking, while Xeke just stared at Cira's back, thinking why Cira didn't want his help. Xeke knew he could help, so he offered his assistance, inconveniencing himself again for one single elf, but that elf declined.

Xeke sighed and mumbled, "Why am I even doing this?" before following Cira to the inn.

♕♕♕

AT THE INN'S TAVERN, SOLLEL was feeding the little girl she bought in the slave store when Cira entered with a wide smile for Her Highness but immediately lost it when she saw the girl. "Who's she?"

"A slave I bought," Sollel answered in a matter-of-fact voice.

Cira immediately became a nagging mother to Sollel after what she just heard. "Your Highness! How could you buy someone from a slave store?" Cira was half-shouting, half-whispering so the girl wouldn't hear them. "Who knows where that girl came from?"

Sollel glanced at the girl heartily eating her meal. "She has no memories..."

Cira sighed, seeing the compassion in Queen Sollel's eyes. "You really like helping others, don't you, Your Highness?"

"Old habits." Sollel sighed. "I don't think she's human."

Cira narrowed her eyes on the girl, and her eyes could sense that the queen was right. "Yeah. She's not."

Sollel breathed in relief. "Then it's all good. Let's help her until she regains her memories."

"Would you abandon her if she was human?" Xeke, who heard the whole conversation, asked.

And Sollel answered mercilessly, "Yes. I will."

Xeke was too stunned at Sollel's answer that he froze. Cira didn't mind and continued asking Her Highness, "When are we leaving for Ager?"

"I'm waiting for Hakken's information," Sollel answered. "He left before us to make sure our safety. By the way, Cira, can we buy a wagon and a horse?"

"Sure." Cira's answer was immediate. "I have lots of money after all." She grinned and turned to Xeke, giving him money. "Do me a favor and look for a horse and a wagon. Thank you!"

Looking at the money in his hand, Xeke just sighed, but before he left, he told Cira, "Don't go into the forest alone. There are spies everywhere."

Cira nodded and whispered to Xeke, "I'm aware. Don't worry about me."

Xeke nodded and left the inn, while Cira went to sit on the table and ordered food. Seeing Cira heartily eating like the girl beside her, Sollel smiled and returned to her seat again to finish her tea.

While outside the inn, Xeke, who was walking toward the town stables, saw a falcon flew toward him. Xeke calmly raised his arm where the falcon landed.

Xeke softly cradled the falcon when he saw a letter tied to its feet before he let it fly again. Only when the falcon was gone did Xeke opened the letter and read the message.

X,

Don't forget our plan. I don't care whom you have to betray and lied to. Make it work.

—H. A.

Reading the message, he crumpled it in his hand and sighed before he continued walking toward the town stables as if nothing happened...as if he was not about to betray someone.



CECELIB | C.C.