Mynera stepped forward, walking alongside Reginald and behind Yugger and his friend. The camp was huge, almost a bit bigger than the vampire's camp. The layout was almost similar except there was more space between the large tents and the ground was grassy instead of dirty. There was a cool breeze drifting through the camp, falling on her face and brushing her hair away. She pulled at a stray strand, trying to ignore the stares that were on them. Or rather, on her.
No one thought the sight of the vampires dressed up from head to toe to be a weird one, but a human in their midst, was. They all stared at her but instead of staring at her with shock and interest, and just a tad of hunger, like the vampires did, the lycans stared at her with hatred, curiousity, and accusation in their eyes. She met there stares one on one, although she doubted she was portraying the look of defiance she wanted. It probably looked more like fear, but soon enough, it was too late to change it. They reached what looked like the centre of the camp where a massive tent stood.
Yugger ducked into the tent, his associate standing guard outside and watching Mynera with wariness in his eyes. She waited, a bit impatiently, beside Reginald.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
She barely glanced up. "Yes, I'm quite fine. The lycans are rather ..."
"Humanlike?"
"Yes, quite so. I didn't expect that."
Thael chuckled. "They are mostly human in every aspect, except for the fact that during the full moon, they turn into raging beasts."
She glanced at the lycan at the tent flap. "Don't worry," Thael assured her. "They take no offense to being called a beast. They are well aware of what they are, just as we are aware that we are undead creatures of the night."
"They keep staring at me," Mynera murmured.
"You're a human," Reginald said. "Unlike us, they haven't tried to be aware of what is going on outside. They stay cooped up right here harbouring their hatred for humans. We try to update them sometimes but they aren't willing to listen."
"Huh. 'Tis funny that they haven't jumped me yet."
"They're merely curious as to why you're here with me."
"This Yugger needs to hurry up or else their curiousity will run out and they'll have me by the throat."
"I won't allow that to happen."
At that Mynera looked up at him. His eyes were trained on the tent flaps, waiting for them to separate. There was sincerity in his voice that made her believe him, so she pushed aside her anxiety and waited along. While they waited, the others wandered about, talking with the lycans. Soon, the tent flaps separated and Yugger came back out.
"He will see you," he announced, his eyes still on Mynera although his words were obviously directed at Reginald.
Reginald, Thael and Mynera started forward but then suddenly Yugger's arm shot out in front of her. "Not you," he growled.
"Excuse me?"
"Not you," he repeated, this time baring his teeth a bit. She frowned. Was he really being that hostile just because I'm a human? she mused.
"She comes with me," Reginald spoke up. He grabbed Mynera's arm and looked Yugger in the eye. "Please step aside. She is important."
"But ...!"
"Do I have to repeat myself?" The look in Reginald's eye could have killed. Mynera said nothing. There wasn't very much for her to say really when Reginald was taking care of it so well, even though it hurt her pride a bit. She could fight her own battles, but no way was she going to say anything right now.
Yugger must have arrived at the same conclusion. His eyes fell and he gave her another angry glance before he stepped to the side. As soon as he did, Reginald brushed past him, pulling Mynera along.
Inside was a bit dark and it took her a moment for her eyes to adjust. The darkness faded after a while and a silhouette appeared, forming out slowly into the shape of a man sitting at the head of a large table. His eyes were glowing a bright gold and they locked unto her as soon as she came into view, not shifting away the slightest bit even as Reginald spoke.
"Lute," he greeted.
A few seconds of intense silence passed before Lute's eyes shifted away from Mynera and landed on Reginald. "Reginald," he growled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We've important information for you."
"You know I have no interest in whatever information you have if it concerns humans."
"You assume it does."
"Then why is she here?" Lute's eyes went back to Mynera and this time they were filled with disgust.
Reginald released a silent sigh and took the board covering his head off, placing it on the table. "Just listen to what I have to say, Lute. Please."
Lute remained silent. Mynera didn't know what Reginald was about to say next but she took the silence as her cue to speak up. She wasn't about to let Reginald become her spokesperson. Lifting her chin just a tad bit higher, Mynera took a step forward.
"Good day," she greeted, keeping her voice strong, despite the glimmer of fear that shot through her when Lute, once again, shot to her. Those scary gold eyes and his gruff features were not welcoming in the slightest. "I am Lady Mynera Antarian of Typena and –!"
"Antarian?!" Lute shot out of his seat, slamming his hand down on the table with the roar. "Did you just say Antarian?"
Her hands were trembling now but she hid it well, as she was currently wiping the sweat that had gushed forward onto her cloak. Mynera frowned slightly, trying to keep back the fear and only show her confusion.
"Yes, I did. Is that a problem?"
But Lute wasn't looking at her any longer. His eyes were glaring holes into Reginald. "You dare to bring her before me?"
"Listen before you get angry, Lute," Reginald tried to placate, but Lute was obviously not hearing any of it.
"Listen?" he roared, stalking away. "Why should I listen to you when you've conspired with the offspring of the devil herself?! Has she so brainwashed you that you've forgotten what happened so long ago?"
"I have not forgotten, Lute and neither should you. But we've come to peace with it. There is no need to bring up something that she clearly has no clue about."
"What exactly do I have no clue about?" Mynera asked, itching to know. Being in the dark was beginning to override her earlier fear.
Reginald's red eyes glanced down at her with another silent sigh. Then he looked back up, as if judging if he should tell her anything or not.
"Go ahead!" Lute shouted. His pacing didn't lessen in the slightest. "Tell her. She deserves to know what blood she has running through her veins."
"Long ago," Reginald began, facing her. "When we were being hunted left and right, there was a man who fought under the king. He was a terror, and both vampires and lycans – even humans – feared him. He had no mercy. He would torture us, kill is in the worst possible way imaginable."
"And he is my ancestor, isn't he?"
"His name was Belgar Antarian and he was close with the king. He and the king led the forces against us."
Mynera looked over at Lute who was watching her intently. "That must not be the whole story. Your hatred seems too intense for that."
He harrumphed. "You're smart. Yes, my hatred is intense. That's because Belgar killed my entire pack. My family included."
Mynera didn't answer for a moment. She wasn't sure which direction to take: apologize for the actions of a man that was alive years before her and whom she never before met, or cut straight to the chase and tell him to get over with it and stop acting like a petulant child. For some reason, she felt the last one wouldn't be very appreciated, especially given the fact that she was trying to win him to her side and he looked too emotionally unstable and easily angered to be won over that way. But she still couldn't bring herself to apologize for someone else's actions. so
So, after careful deliberations, Mynera answered and said, "The Puritans War will forever be the worst war in history. I'm sorry for your loss." Then she managed a simple curtsy. "However, over a century has passed. You may still be upset over your family's death but there is no need to take your anger out on someone who has nothing to do with what happened in any shape or form."
She saw that her words caused Lute's face to become boiling red, despite the darkness in the room. Before he – or anyone else for that matter – could say anything, she held up her hand and continued. "And judging from the way you're clenching your fists and your jaw is so tight, you want to kill me. And you could. You could kill me right now as some form of revenge, but where will that get you? My death will not bring you any satisfaction as your family will still be dead, you will still be hiding here in your refuge and the person who killed them will not be, in any way, affected by my death as he is so far along in my family tree that we practically have no relation except for the name we share."
"Instead," Mynera pushed on. "You could join us and in joining us, escape this lonely life and live as a free man out in the open."
"Is that why you brought her here?" Lute asked Reginald incredulously. "Because she's going to let you live in the open?"
"Yes," Reginald answered. "And we want the same for you."
"And you are so dumb as to believe her?"
Now that got Mynera angry. Who does he think he is belittling her that way when she's standing right in front of him?
"I've decided to put my trust in her yes," Reginald said, effectively cutting off the retort that was right on the tip of her tongue. "I have, and so have many of my men. They saw an eloquent woman with a powerful background and influential connections with other powerful people, one of which includes the Prince of the Five Nations himself. She has the both the power and the drive to free us and all she asks is that we fight with her against the usurper."
"Usurper?"
"King Damon has been overthrown ... and killed. Now a usurper sits on the throne and the prince and my lady here has been in hiding."
"He wants their heads?"
"The prince's," Mynera interjected. "He wants the prince dead but he wants me alive."
"Why you?"
"Apparently, he's heard of my beauty."
Lute's face slowly transformed from angry to curious. Obviously, the recent turn of events in the Nations was holding his interest more than the fact that she was the descendant of Belgar Antarian. He slowly sank into his chair, absorbing all he had heard.
"Tell me more," he said after a moment.
Thael, who had been silent this entire time, stepped forward and took a seat at the table.
"We'll update him," Reginald whispered Mynera. "You go take a walk outside."
"I'm staying."
"Your presence will not win him to our side. Your words are too blunt and they will only serve to anger him, even if he knows them to be true. I know how to speak to him."
"But even so ..."
"This is for the sake of the army you need, my lady. Please, allow us to take it from here. We will make sure that we get the lycans on our side."
Mynera didn't want to leave. She didn't want relinquish control and let Reginald take the reins but he was right. Her little speech did little but make him angrier. Reginald knew him well enough so he knew what to say and what not to in order to bring him to their cause, so she should just leave him be. Still, she sent a reluctant glance at Lute who sat staring at Thael as the red eyed man spoke, before heading back outside.