Bride of the Dark Lord

#23 Boundaries

Before we reached the camp, I already heard the loud growl of Shalott. "Guhhhh!" She must know Regalis was close by. I smiled.

"Shalott must've missed you" Brayton said to Regalis, who beamed.

I love the way Regalis returned the love of those who loved him.

And then, suddenly, the horses of Ashton, Brayton, Cederic and Nadia stopped. I stopped too. What were they focused on?

And I looked up at the sky. The direction, their eyes all faced.

Five birds were in the air.

"Those are not normal birds" Brayton said.

Of course, he would know, he was the king of shifters.

"However, in this case, mortals didn't Transform into these birds. The eyes of the birds are being used to watch the camp" he said.

Bird controllers. I thought. They are the ones in control of the minds and eyes of these birds. And right now, I could imagine the birds counting the number of soldiers, food stored, etc. They were definitely from an enemy kingdom.

"How come no one in the camp has noticed the birds?" Ashton said as the gates of the military camp opened, and a young soldier sped out, holding a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"They were leaving the task for Regalis" Nadia said.

And I wondered why.

She looked at me and said, "Regalis has to prove his identity before entering the camp".

"Why?" I said, baffled.

"He's our head, here. If an enemy could successfully get a sorcerer, or a Gifted person who changes faces, and they take on his appearance. Do you know in a single day, they could wipe out almost half of Armalith's soldiers?"

"So, we've learnt to take caution" she said "whenever he arrives at the camp, before entering, he displays a unique skill, every soldier in Armalith, knows only him has".

And then, as quick as his Gift of lightning struck, Regalis jumped down from his horse. And the soldier who came out from the camp, met him half way. And at once, blindfolded Regalis.

In Regalis's palm, the soldier placed the strong bow. And with his eyes blindfolded, Regalis's fingers set his arrows so swiftly and confidently in the bow. And then, I noticed, his hand touch the arrow tips. He was making sure, each was covered with a cloth. Whatever he intended to hit, he didn't want to hurt it.

He lifted the bow into the air. And then, I watched him listen.

His ear twitched.

What is he listening to? To the sound the birds made?

Blindfolded, could he really hit a target? I watched the birds fly further and further away from him. Further away from where they were, when his eyes were just covered.

His ear twitched for the last time. And with sudden speed, he whirled around, and fired the arrows into the air! Voom!

The arrows sped with full speed. And each, stabbed right at the birds! As they tumbled from the sky.

"Huhh!!" cheers came from inside the camp.

I too, was stunned. The skills one could develop, if intense focus, became one's priority.

Regalis removed his blindfold and climbed back unto his horse, but not before, walking to me, and pushing a stray lock of my hair back to behind my ear, with such gentleness. He never needed to say too many words. With the way he treated me, and gazed at me, I could feel the contents of his heart.