A/N: I hope you all are doing ok and well!! Here are some chapters for you all! I hope you enjoy them!! It's about to get real in this place!!
" And we are the order." An unfamiliar voice stated behind us. We all whirled around and saw two figures in the doorway to the barn. I had seen these people once before. One was the slim-faced woman when I was in the tent at the orders camp. The other was King Bubba, with his owl perched on his shoulder.
For a second, it was as if every other sound in the world was muffled. Like I was underwater or under three layers of heavy hide blankets. The only sound I could make out was the extreme pounding of my heart. It beat on the inside of my ribcage so harshly that it caused a spike of pain to shoot through me with each pump.
When all the sounds came rushing back to me, the beating of my heart intensified. It felt like there was a hummingbird where my heart should be. I couldn't breathe, It was just too much. I didn't even realize that I couldn't breathe anymore. I was just too shocked and stricken with fear.
I knew what they were here to do. They were here to kill Ambrose and Massama. The rest of the order was probably close by if they were not already surrounding the barn already. Or the entire property as it was. The whole ten miles surrounding all sides of my home were probably crawling with them.
My eyes were open so wide that my eyelids started to feel like they would never be able to close again. I had no idea that I was shaking so hard that my dress was vibrating around my legs. I was so hot that I might just burst into fire right then and there. Taking the barn out with me.
After everything, I had just gone through to get back to and to save Ambrose... After everything we did to save him the Order was just going to stroll in here like it was an average second day and kill him!?!?
This couldn't be happening. It would not happen. Even if they did have an army just on the other side of the Barn walls, Massama would not let them do anything. Not without her giving Hell first.
I could hear her behind me. She let out a snort of hot air that made the air it impacted spark like black powder. One of her front hooves continuously stomped on the ground. As if she was insinuating that their heads would be underneath it soon enough.
The brown and black speckled Great horned owl on Kind Bubba's shoulders was staring right at Malicia. Its unblinking Yellow eyes glowed like a Harvest moon on a cloudy night. The expression it held forpassed the usual intelligence any other regular bird could hold in their brains.
The woman stepped forward so that she was right next to King Bubba. Her neatly cut shoulder-length burgundy hair swayed like cut strands on a tapestry. Her eyes narrowed and her lip raised in a snarl as she glared at all of us as if we were all Rats she had just found feasting on a dead corpse.
Massama stomped forward a few paces, causing my father to grab both me and my brother tightly and swiftly pull us away from her. The grand beast threw her head back and let her yellow mane flair around her elegantly.
" Step no further hunters of a false cause! Or I will strike you dead where you stand! Nothing! No Magic in all of the world will ever be able to save you from the eternal suffering I will curse you with right here and now!!" Her calm soothing voice disappeared, and an other-worldly demonic voice rang out in all of our heads.
" You cannot do such a thing beast." King Bubba said calmly as he walked forward a few steps. His cloak swaying gently behind him. He had an almost apologetic look on his face as he blinked calmly at the Unicorn. " You have wasted all of your magic on trying to help the Warlock. You could not even light a fire as of now."
A lightning bolt of fear shot through me. Sizzling all of my nerve endings to crisps as I froze in complete shock. Was that true!?! Was She really powerless right now?!? If that was true then she could not protect herself nor Ambrose!! The only line of defense we had against the Order now was the brothers. That was if they decided that they really had abandoned the false cause of the order since they were now standing in front of their beloved leaders.
Vincent, Varem, and Amadeus all had some sort of tortured expression on their faces. Vincent wore his usual grimace, while Amadeus and Varem had more shocked and horrified expressions. Could they really Abandon their old friend now? Even if it meant helping their new friends.
The only brother who wore a sure expression was Asher. He stood straight with his sword out, though it was currently not raised. He glared at his leaders with such an intense fury that I was surprised there was not some chaotic event happening around him. I remembered then that he was the only one of the brothers who verbally and physically swore his loyalty to Ambrose... or more accurately Dracal.
Asher had vowed to help Dracal rule out and dispose of all the evil in the order. Which was the vow I knew he meant to make when he first joined the order. It just turned out he made it to the wrong people.
My father gripped me on my shoulder. The hold was strong, and hurt ever so slightly, but it knocked me out of my statue-like stillness as his voice rang out to me.
" Breathe girl..." He drawled out slowly, and my lungs filled with air again as I felt the feelings return to all my limbs and every part of my body. His grip loosened on me, though he remained looking in front of him at the confrontation going on.
King Bubba saw Asher's expression and his expression saddened greatly. He almost looked like a defeated old man as he took in a long, deep breath. He blew the air out of his nostrils before he spoke to Asher.
" Please son... don't do this. We're here to do what needs to be done now." He said pleadingly. His eyes begged for Asher to return back to him. Asher snarled, raising his sword up and pointing it at King Bubba. His brothers flinched back, though all of their hands reached down to their weapons even though they did not unsheath them.
The hatchet-faced woman next to him immediately pulled out her own weapon. Yet next to her, king Bubba remained unmoving and calm. His bird mirrored his attitude, though its eyes were now on Asher.
" Your all Heretics and traitors to the hard-working common people." She seethed. " Housing and helping an evil as great as this is just as bad as being the evil yourselves!" She continued until the larger man next to her held out a large hand in an armored gauntlet to silence her. She glared at him with a fiery stare, but he ignored her as if she were a child.
" Asher... Boy... I am not your enemy. I trained you to use that very sword. I don't wish to clash with it in real battle... please... tell me why you have abandoned us?" He questioned, and I thought I could hear Bubba's voice crack ever so slightly.
" Kentigurm Cameron!!! Don't let this worm try to justify his actions!!" The woman hissed. At the sound of his actual name, the large man snapped his head down at the woman with a wide-eyed glare full of so much warning that it almost knocked me directly on my ass. And I was not even the one in its gaze.
The woman did not back down, but she did not say anything either. She just let out a low growl at King Bubba... Or Kentigurm Cameron as I just found out, turned back to face Asher again. His glare disappeared as he held out his hand for Asher to speak. The owl on his shoulder clicked its beak three times.
Asher stood there in silence for a long few seconds. Maybe even a few moments. I could hear him grinding his teeth as the hand that held his sword up shook with anxiousness and uncertainty.
" Tell me Bubba... and don't you dare think of lying o' sworn knight of righteousness." He started out with a hint of betrayal and sarcasm in his voice. " Have you been deceiving all of us this whole time?" He asked, a hint of nervousness staining his voice that we all could detect.
Bubba reeled back as if Asher had just lunged forward and rocked him in the nose. A look of outrage came to his features as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
" Deceiving?!" He hissed out dangerously. " Think you have your stories switched, boy. I have never once lied to you or your brothers in any way shape or form!! How dare you accuse me of dishonesty and Dishonor!!!" The bigger man snarled, taking a step further. His calm and welcoming demeanor gone.
Asher shook in place but did not step back. Off to the side, I saw Amadeus grip onto the handle of his Halberd as he swung it off of his shoulder. If King Bubba dared to strike at Asher, his older brother would immediately step in. Vincent and Varem also likewise gripped their weapons harder. Though I could see the nervous sweat they produced.
The sweat that myself and my family members also were producing. My father stood in front of my brother and me like a shield. He gripped onto his wood-cutting ax as if it were the only weapon he would ever need.
Only my mother acted like she was watching a babble of children argue and fight over something stupid. She looked like she was about ready to take off her belt and whip some ass. She had her arms crossed and her hip jutted out as she blinked slowly with half-lidded eyes in annoyance. Asher laughed, though it was heavily strained and I could feel the nervousness in it thicken the air.
" I don't Accuse! I confront! In my time away from the order, I've been able to see it from a new angle. I've heard the stories from others. You don't hunt Evil magic casters you only hunt magic casters in general." He replied.
" Are you trying to imply that the Warlock is of a good heart?" Bubba asked with a hint of sarcastic amazement. " I'd like to see the people of Midora, Grisoa, and Sutokoy agree with such a statement." He laughed. That's when Vincent stepped forward.
" Actually Kentigurm... I have been doing my own private research into the subject. Ambrose does not control Grisoa or Sutokoy. He only rules over Midora." Vincent declared. I turned my attention over to the eldest brother, as did everyone else in the barn. He continued.
" I know of some of my brothers and sisters that have traveled to those kingdoms after the time of Ambrose's conquering. I asked them to get some details of everything. He did go through the lands with his undead armies and he did slay the monarchs ruling the kingdom. Afterward, he stayed in each landmark for exactly one year before leaving, never setting foot back in those lands again. Since then new and more trustworthy rulers have taken the thrones. They told me that people from both kingdoms had the same thing to say. He stayed until the overall welfare of the kingdom grew, then he left. Midora is the only Kingdom that he established permanent control over." Vincent finished. I blinked in astonishment at him... was he doing this all while at Leodai's castle?
" What exactly are you trying to imply here Vincent." King bubba growled out dangerously.
" All I'm trying to say is that he has done evil things, yes, but he also saved the other kingdoms and most of their people by destroying tyranny... and we ourselves are not so better off. We have killed off evil... though evidence has provided that not all we have slain in the light of justice was evil. So... what does that make us then?" He asked.
"You're trying to tell me that we have been mistaken this whole time? And that all of those evil doers were good? I can't believe what I am hearing. You have provided no solid evidence of this statement other than perhaps Ambrose is not completely evil, only a little evil." Bubba said, I could hear in his voice that his patience was running out.
" Yes..." Vincent responded. " This is not the only digging into this I have done. After Lady Y/N Gave me the details of the demon I asked others to look into the written details that we had about it. I learned that for that specific case the order was told of two dark magic delivers that had cursed the nearby village with pestilence. So we hunted them down and destroyed them. Then I had other friends... outside of the order do some of their own research on that specific village for me and they discovered there never was a plague on that village. In fact there was never any evidence of anyone from that village coming and actually seeking out the order... I found dozens of situations like this all throughout our order's history Kentigurm." Vincent finished.
" Well now... Aren't you the resourceful once Vincent... You never showed any of these skills with us." The woman hissed at the Prince, who Narrowed his slim eyes right back to her.
" There's a lot that I don't share about myself... not even with my beloved brothers." He growled right back.
" So I'm just supposed to take your word that the order is corrupt? If you had any living witnesses to those events right here and now then I would listen to them. However, you don't have any and I have no way of trusting if you are telling the truth or if you are the one corrupted." Kentigurm eyed the brothers with a mixture of suspicion and disappointment.
That is when the barn doors behind them flew open and a lone figure came strutting in. Tears pricked my eyes as I recognized the long dark coat, the curly blond hair, and deep brown eyes.
Dracal stood firm as Kentigurm and his companion whirled around, their weapons out. The owl raised its wings high and let out a shriek into the barn. I could see the after-effects still all over Dracal. Parts of his hair were singed and pieces of his skin were red with burn marks that had not healed yet. He raised up a gloved hand as he smiled maliciously at King Bubba.
" I am a living witness to one of those said events! I am Dracal of the village of Lodoro! And I was the one accused of causing pestilence one hundred and fifty years ago! I was the one hunted and slain along with my loved one! and I remember every single detail as clearly as if it had just happened!!" He shouted with a passionate intensity so thick that I was once again struck still like a statue. He pointed his index finger at the woman and his glare was alight with the severity of a thousand lightning fires. " And I remember you too... You were there on that day one hundred and fifty years ago."