Her Dawning Empire: The Prophecy

Chapter 63

"Emut, snap out of it! You're in charge! What are we to do without you?!" Maya spoke and I turned my gaze to focus on Demir instead.

The Naddaha was draped across his towering form too with a petite hand caressing down his face with an airy stroke.

"Oh, an exquisite face and magnificent powers! How splendid!" The creature said sweetly, in a way that made my ears ache. Demir, however, looked entirely transfixed with her words, listening to her with sheer focus that seemed so uncharacteristically odd for him.

"Demir." I said tentatively, remembering the dangerous glint in his eyes on the boat. Instead of lashing out on me, he ignored me, his eyes enraptured on the Naddaha's form who looked at me with a small smile, making me scowl. I moved closer at this, placing my hands on Demir's face and pulling him to gaze at me.

"Please, listen, we need to leave." I muttered to him, searching his eyes for understanding, but the blank expression on his face stated otherwise. I noticed his eyes were different- a dull grey that could almost be likened to white and that was when I realised reasoning was a lost cause.

He pushed my hands off and they dropped numbly to my sides.

"Then leave." He said bluntly, but it lacked the playful mirth it usually had and I watched as he turned to look back to the water creature, his eyes whitening further when she lay her hands on him again.

"Hanna! Maya!" Ayla's cries made me whip around and I looked around to see that Abrax had escaped her grip. But, that's not what she had called about.

There, surrounding the boat, were around 30 Naddaha, who were working hard on trying to tip the boat. Ayla looked to us in anguish as she rocked back and forth on the surface to which Maya turned to look at me with a hard expression.

I looked back at the boys then before looking to the small glowing cave and letting out a sigh. I could hear the sounds of Ayla's cries, the boat sloshing wildly in the water, the creatures as they whispered to the boys and Maya calling my name, but I ignored it as I searched my brain for answers.

Then, after a few beats of silence, I opened my eyes with a renewed sense of vigor before turning my gaze to look at Ayla, who I knew to be the weakest in combat.

"Ayla, you're responsible for the boys. Don't engage with them. Just keep transporting them away from sirens and onto the boat. As long as you can keep them away from the Naddaha, they won't be able to take them. I know you will tire, but hold out whilst we do the rest." I directed to her and she nodded at my words without question. I turned my gaze to Maya then who looked at me with a stern look.

"Maya, you'll handle keeping the boat upright. Can you create a ring of fire around the boat?" I asked to which she nodded without hesitation and I pursed my lips as I looked to the creatures, shaking the boat with all their might.

"They're water creatures so my best guess is that they will have a slight aversion to fire." I concluded and Maya nodded before looking to the boat.

"And you?" She asked and I gestured to the cave.

"I'll get what we came here for." I muttered to which she smiled slightly and I nodded at the two, making them jump into action.

Ayla transported at lightening speed, bringing Abrax back to the boat before appearing near Demir and taking him with her. Maya had run to the boat in the time and was now working her abilities around the boat, creating a sheer sphere of fire around the boat. I ran as I heard the hiss of the water creatures as the fire grazed their skin.

I moved to the cave with as much speed as I could muster yet screeched to a halt when I reached. There, in my path, was a Naddaha and it wasn't giving me the friendly look that it gave the boys. No, it's teeth were jagged and claws extended in sharp glossy triangles, making me cower.