Dark Queen: The Cybelline Prophecies

Chapter 38

"Let the child go." A voice, deep and commanding said. Cybelline looked up, it was Jinon. he was dressed in silver, battered armor. A cat sat his feet. There was gold edged fire in his hands as he faced a man in dark grey.

The man in dark grey cloak smiled, "Finally, he speaks." He lifted a hand and Cybelline fell down. Rather, she was smashed into it as the man in grey landed gracefully on the blackened earth strewn with bodies of dead soldiers and mages. 

She coughed and spat out a mouthful of dust, then climbed out of the hole her impact had made.

The man in grey raised his hand again, and Cybelline was frozen again, though this time, she could still breathe and to her relief, speak. 

"About time you showed up old man." Cybelline admonished Jinon, "Next time try to be a little earlier." 

Jinon tsked, "I'm not the one who was idiot enough to climb a mountain during a hailstorm of boulders." 

"Ahem. I'm still here." A slightly amused voice called out, "Or did you two forget the mortal peril that you face?" 

Cybelline frowned at the man who interrupted the conversation between her and Jinon, "And you are?" 

The masked man bowed, "Mattias, at your service. Though I doubt you'll live long enough to enjoy it." 

"Challenge accepted." Cybelline retorted. 

Mattias smiled, gave her a slight, mocking bow, and turned back to Jinon.  

"Jinon, what have you been up to all these years?" The man said with a genuine smile, as if he had seen an old, dear friend. "Why is it that you won't visit me? It's always me that has to find you. We've know each other since we were lads, is this how you treat an old friend?"

"Have you considered maybe you're just a dick and no one wants to be around you?" Cybelline asked, "Maybe take a hint?"

The man in grey turned around, his bright blue eyes, hidden behind a grey mask inspected the youth and turned to look at Jinon, "Is this your son?"

"Who the hell wants a child like that?"

"No mother of mine would marry a beard like that."

They both glared at the man in grey, who seemed to have reached a wholly wrong conclusion from their reaction

Mattias began to chuckle, which became full blown gales of laughter.

"You...behind her back..." The man in grey wiped a tear away, "If she could see you now. Did you ever regret it?"

His voice had changed from the pleasant baritone to a much harsher hiss, "Did you regret leaving her alive? If only you hadn't betrayed her, perhaps the person sitting beside her would be you. Perhaps we would still be friends, and I wouldn't have to hunt you down like a dog."

"Mattias. You're no match for me."

"We'll see." The man in grey named Mattias grinned and took out a box, in it was a crystal that seemed to shine with the power of the sun, "You know, I acquired this recently, the blood of a elf. So very rare in this day and age, with the fae and folk nearly all gone." He took the crystal blood drop and swallowed it. Power spread across his body through his veins in flashes of blue.

Jinon looked down at his cat, "You take care of his beast, I'll take care of him. We have to destroy him before he absorbs all that power. Get to Cy and get her off the mountain."

Mattias's eyes narrowed and he turned to  Cybelline, "You're not worth my time. Caephius, rip the boy apart!" A those words, a snarl ripped through the air as a giant grey wolf howled and came straight at Cybelline, it's silvery yellow teeth reaching for her neck.