Chasing The Cure

Chapter 28: Sins Of The Father

"Uh huh," Celeste continued. "If I find something, I will let you and the council know. Out you go, now. My scarf is not going to knit itself."

Soon after that, the visitors left. The three men stayed inside the room for a few minutes, waiting for Celeste to call them out. When she finally did, Sir Christian brought the barrier down.

"All of you need to leave," Celeste spoke, sounding like she was in a rush as she paced around the room, gathering items. "If the council finds out that I'm not only entertaining humans, but the prince whose family has hunted our kind for generations then they will have my head."

"I—"

"And do not even get me started on what they will do to me if they get to know that Col's son is here," Celeste let out a dry laugh as she grabbed three small bags, filling them up before mumbling words in another language. "They will punish me even in the afterlife."

"Col?" Archie asked.

"Col. Nicolas. Your father," Celeste clarified.

"But I thought you said he grew up in the village. That he was liked here," Archie questioned.

"He was. Once upon a time, but things change, do they not?" Celeste paused. "We do not have time for this. Christian will tell you all that you wish to know. But as of right now, you three need to leave. And you need to be quick. Here."

Celeste handed one hex bag to each of them, telling them to keep it in their pockets and not lose it under any condition until they were out of Bluestone Lake and back into their own realm.

"—These will keep you hidden and you should hopefully not run into any trouble until you are out of here," the witch said.

"Thank you," Archie spoke. "For everything."

"You will not be thanking me when you find out the whole truth," Celeste replied, a soft yet sad smile on her face. "I will surely pray to the Gods that you do not go down the same path as your father."

"What do you mean?"

"I think we should leave now," Kenric interrupted as he moved the curtain aside slightly to peek outside. "The sun is beginning to set."

"He is right. You all need to go out the back door," Celeste added.

Archie begrudgingly nodded, he wanted to ask more, to know more but he did not have time. Kenric grabbed Archie's hand as if realizing his reluctance to leave. The two were about to exit through the back door when they turned around to see Sir Christian still standing inside.

"Give me a minute, would you?" The knight said. Kenric pressed his lips in a thin line, not saying anything as he walked out with Archie.

Sir Christian stepped closer to his mother, looking at her with a pained expression. Celeste stared right back at him, a mix of emotions on her face.

"Mother, I..." Sir Christian paused. "I did not wish to leave you. But I had to. You know that I had to. The prophecy—"

"Will come true one way or the other," Celeste's voice was curt. "The boy will either kill the witch or..."

"Or she will kill us all."

***

It did not take long for the three men to find their way back to the cave. The journey to their own realm was spent mostly in silence; they had to be quiet and stealthy so as to stay hidden. They returned to the forest, finding their way to their horses until they finally settled down.

The stars were out, and they had to set camp for the night. The tension in the air was thick, and Archie did not know where to even begin. As the three men sat around the fire, Sir Christian finally spoke up.

"Your father, Nicolas, and his family lived in Bluestone Lake with us," the knight began. "They were human, same as you, but a gifted line of warriors. Your ancestors have always stayed beside us, protecting the supernatural from...well...your family."

Sir Christian glanced at Kenric briefly, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Archie looked at him too, not knowing how to feel about their families being on the opposite sides of the fight.

"What happened to him?" Archie asked.

"That happened," Sir Christian motioned at Archie's bow, which he had kept with his other belongings. The stable boy frowned, unsure of what the knight meant. "I told you that I would tell you the meaning behind the engravings on it someday. I suppose now is the time."

"Go on, then," Archie urged.

"It has belonged to your family for generations. It is not just an ordinary bow, Archie, but a weapon of destruction," the knight said.

"Those are scary words, Sir Christian," Kenric added, making the blond sigh as he nodded.

"It was made with blood magic," he paused. "Linked to your family's blood so that nobody else can use it."

"What does it do?" Archie questioned.

"It can kill, well, anything. Even the scariest beast. And it never misses," the knight answered.

"But I suppose that comes with a price, does it now?" Kenric asked.

"It does," Sir Christian spoke. "With each kill, it takes a piece of your soul. Until you are left with nothing. Until...until you are a shell of who you used to be. Till you become a monster with no heart, no conscience."

"Why would my family use it, then?"

"They did not," the blond replied. "Until your father. He met your mother and he fell in love, and when they were attacked by a group of bandits he had no choice but to use the bow. Once a piece of his soul was lost...it was a rabbit hole from there."

"What happened after that?"

"He left your mother. Left you. He knew that he would not be the same once he had used the bow, and he did not want you both to pay the price for it. So he came back, thinking that he could find a way to restore what he had lost but...but there was nothing anyone could do," Sir Christian took a deep breath in before continuing. "Having to stay away from the woman he loved, from his only son...he grew frustrated. And then he used the bow again.

"He kept using it. He killed...and he killed. He left to go to the South, and he hunted creatures simply to fulfill his thirst for blood. And then he came back to Bluestone Lake again and he was...he was not the same. At all. His soul was barely left and he was paranoid that somebody would try to take the bow from him, so he killed the only ones that could use it."

"He killed his own family?" Kenric asked.

"And a lot of others that stood in the way. My own father included. The bow does not just kill, it protects too. So he kept going until he lost his entire soul and then...then the bow became useless to him. Just an ordinary weapon," the knight answered. "He was finally put down after that. That was how he went from the most loved person in the village to the most hated."

"And you brought the bow to Archie? How could you do that knowing very well what would happen if he were to use it to kill someone?" Kenric raised his voice, feeling appalled at the idea that Sir Christian would give his stable boy such a dangerous weapon.

"I was just a child at that time, but before Archie's grandfather died, he told me of a prophecy," Sir Christian said. "Like I said, your family is gifted. The prophecy spoke that one day you would—"

"Have to choose between one or all," Archie finished the sentence, remembering the seer that he and Kenric had come across over a year ago. "And the fate of the kingdom will depend on it."

"Yes," the knight nodded. "I had no choice. He told me it was my duty to be by your side, that you and I are destined to fight together. Once I was older, I left despite my mother's wishes. I knew that I had to find you but I did not know who or where you were, I did not even know your name."

"But you found me."

"I just...I just knew I had to go to the capital, I cannot explain how or why. I did not know who you were until Prince Kenric made us go against each other in that archery competition. But once I saw you shoot...I immediately knew that it had to be you. And I was right," Sir Christian replied. "Fate led me to you, Archie, just the way it has bound all of us together."