“We’re from the clan of shadows. We hunt and live in the shadows. As you are already aware. We can infiltrate anywhere. As per your request once, even within the castle of Serdio. That of course having been caught by Sirius. He, like us are the same. We, those before us, served your kind. A guardian and key keeper like yourself. And together with a dragon at our side, we ruled our lands. All was peaceful it was told. Until creed and power ravaged our land. The army who should had protected their king, killed him instead. And we who were supposed to protect him, from all danger, we who were supposed to know every enemy before they became an enemy, failed to protect him.” said Hadi as the queen and dragon listened.
“Viz was our dragon. She was our king’s dragon. She trained us in the art of concealment. Due to our failure, she left us to fend for ourselves. Being not much of fighters ourselves, it was a massacre. Our ancestors saw it beast to come here, where it all begun, for refuge. Your great, great grandfather feared us outsiders and raged war against us. Your commander at that time, from the clan of conquerors, saw us as game, for our abilities. It took your great grandfather to offer us lenience, and put an end to our extinction. Your young king at that time, cause a rift between his desires and his commander’s. With one wanting our survival, and the other our heads.” said Adasa.
Hadi continued, “That’s when the kingdom become two. With plenty of unknown creatures in the land, the commander was busy enjoying himself. That is until there was nothing left to conquer.”
“That’s when war broke out.” said Adasa.
“We won of course, because we were more in numbers. However a few of us after the war joined side with the commander in anger of what Viz had done to them once they found out of the existence of Alshbar.” said Hadi.
“Alshbar?” questioned queen Erlen.
“Alshbar, the dragon before you.” said Adasa.
“So you do have a name. I guess that should have been my first question to you, huh.” said Erlen. “What happened afterwords?”
“To cut the history short. A second war broke out and Serdio still lost. This time, Alshbar helped. And as punishment, all who joined the commander were executed and blamed for his failure.” continued Hadi.
“That can’t be right. You said Serdio, had one just like you. One from your clan. Surely one of them survived?” said Erlen.
“That’s correct. A child survived and grew. Our ancestors before us, trained every descendant of that child. Just as we have trained Sirius. But Sirius, unlike his predecessor’s is faithful to his crown. And thus not an ally to us.” revealed Hadi.
“Before you say a word your highness, yes we are dangerous. But you need not worry. Our ancestors failed in the past, we won’t do the same. We have eyes and ears everywhere. What happened to our first king will never be repeated in history. We swore our allegiance to your great grandfather and to the crown. As far as we’re concerned, you are the crown. Not the king.” said Adasa.
“And Sirius?” asked Erlen.
“Sirius is not an enemy, anymore that we’re his enemy. But if there is ever a need for collaboration, he will be one we can count on.” revealed Adasa.
“Why was I not told of any of this? Why is there no mention of this in the kingdom’s records?” asked Erlen.
“Your highness, the amount of people that have access to these records are too great to restrict. Thus why, we keep our own records. Away from prying eyes. And, unfortunately from you too, my queen.” said Hadi.
“Why? What have I ever done to you to keep this from me?” asked Erlen sobbing.
“Nothing your highness.” said Adasa, quickly kneeling before her highness.
“Then why?” sobbed Erlen.
“It is because of the king. The king and his generals and commander. If they’d ever found out what we revealed to you, he’d want to use us to start another war. And as things stands, Serdio is much stronger than we are. King Bervard, would welcome the idea of war and would stop at nothing to conquer and take the lives and of the royals of this land. The king, we care little for, but you and especially now that you have a child, we couldn’t run the risk.” said Adasa.
“And the dragon? Alsh…, whatever your name is.” said Erlen as she wiped tears from her cheeks.
“We didn’t know about him.” Said Hadi. “We followed you here and only stumbled upon his existence when he dragged you out of the room. Our records makes no mention of what happened to him. Most likely because of the desertion of our kind that happened.”
Regaining her composure, queen Erlen asked, "so, what now?" Looking at Alshbar.
"Your Highness, I am afraid I can't be much of assistance to you. You have yet to tell me what it is you want from me." Said Alshbar.
"My queen, before you speak, I think it is important to listen to what we have to say." Said Saiji approaching forward.
"Speak." Ordered the queen as she regained the composure worthy of a ruler.
"We surveyed the land as you requested but found nothing in connection to a virus. As we speak, we have three of our kind missing. They were sent to patrol the surrounding area around the dark forest. We had sent reinforcement and currently are waiting for their return. Concerning the commander, he's no where to be found. My best guess, would be the dark forest, where.." Saiji was interrupted.
"Why there? I thought no one could enter that place?" Asked the queen.
"No, that's not true. Only those with good hearts can freely enter and come out. If your general is evil as I've come to hear from his own lips, then there's no way he can enter." Said Alshbar.
"That's not all." Continued Saiji. "As to whether he's in the dark forest or not, what lies near it is important. Soldiers and monsters alike made camp there. Our best guest would be that, the commander is staging a coup. Of course, we can't confirm this. But it does not look like the commander fulfilled his duties in eradicating the land of those monsters. It seems your Highness, and I say this with sad news, that villagers have been used as food for his new army. We found a mass grave behind the dark forest, near Serdian territory." Informed Saiji.
"Why am I now learning of this?" Asked Erlen in anger.
"It took us a while to gather this information. We lost 19 of our comrades. 19!" Yelled Adasa.
"Adasa, don't." Begged Hadi.
"No, she needs to stop acting like a child! You're a queen. The world won't like! And if they do, then tomorrow they'll hate you. So what your husband thinks you're crazy. So what your authority has been diminished around the generals and commander, you still remain a queen. So for once, swallow up your feelings and shove them down. Because if you think ruling is all that simple, you're wrong!" Yelled Adasa in queen Erlen's face as she approached closer and closer.
"Adasa, you went to far." Admitted Saiji, kneeling before the queen asking for her forgiveness.
"No, Adasa is right. Our lives are at stakes. Our mission. The crown and the world. Your Highness, if you can't grasps the situation, then j recommend you let it take over. Though our method would be less conventional, it'll unite both kingdom and put an end to this threat." Spoke the last of the spies, Sòna.
"What, assassinate the Royals of Serdio and force them to serve our cause?" Questioned Erlen.
"Something like that." Boldly replied Sòna.
"As if that'll ever work." Retorted the queen.
"We don't want history to be repeated. Your safety is our priority. Yours and that of the other two like you… Ay, you, weren't supposed to know that yet." Said Hadi, regretting that she spoke.
Erlen was puzzled. "Alshbar said they were all dead. Wha, what are you saying?" Erlen was getting emotional. "Am I not your queen?"
"Yes." They all answered in unison.
"Then why treat me like everybody else?" Asked Erlen.
"Because, that is how you treat yourself." Bluntly replied Sòna. Her response, caused the other three spies to casts angry looks at her.
"My queen. The reason we didn't tell was because of your husband. Everything you know, you desperately want him to know as well. You desperately seek from him something which he clearly cares not to provide. And your enemies, mainly the commander, knows this. All it takes is a bit of ale and wine and everything you told him in secret he spills out. We couldn't risk it." Revealed Adasa.
"And telling you to not talk to him, would be torture for. Am I wrong?" Cautiously asked Hadi.
Withholding all tears Erlen mumbled under her breath, "I never asked for any of this." Raising her voice, she address Saiji. "What about Philip, where is he now?"
"The last report we received said they were still in the whispering forest. They'd captured a creature that runs incredibly fast."
"Fast you say? If memory serves correct, they're the type you want to deal with quickly. They are both scouts and seekers. The worst to have sneak up on you on the Battlefield." Said Alshbar. "That explains what I heard earlier. It was used to spy on Serdio. Based on your spies, The king of Serdio is the conqueror I am looking for. If that be the case, it's no wonder Tish wants to go after him. I must go to him at once."
"STOP!" Yelled Erlen. Just stop. For once, let me rule. Taking in a deep breath, she spoke, "Saiji, how far is Philip from us?"
"Assuming that he is still in the forest, I'd say a days ride." Answered Saiji. "Why?"
"You mentioned an army near the dark forest. Are all the generals accounted for?" Asked Erlen.
"Yes, they are all with the king." Answered Adasa. "What are you planning your Highness?"
"What are our numbers in the castle?" Asked Erlen.
"We have around eight hundred able men, your Highness." Answered Hadi.
Pacing back and forth, queen Erlen was thinking of the best outcome to her limited resources.
"Saiji, how many more of your sisters were sent to investigate the surrounding dark forest?" Asked the queen.
"On top of the nineteen comrades we lost I sent an additional ten. Five to track the whereabouts of the Vasquez. The other five to further investigate the disappearance of the villagers." Replied Saiji.
Before Erlen could ask when the next report would come in, a voice interrupted from the shadows. "I pardon for the intrusion. A report just came in." The clan of shadows were well organized. You never saw them coming or leaving. They could relay a message faster than a bird. With their handmade bows, their custom arrows could travel great distances. And that's how information got around. When on a mission, they knew exactly how many were needed to relay messages depending in the distance alone.
Approaching Sòna, the newcomer handed her the parchment that was attached to the arrow. Unrolling it, Sòna said, "dragon, I needed more light." Taking no offense, Alshbar lid his dying ring of fire once more. With better light, Sòna began to read.
'We must evacuate the queen and her daughter immediately. Commander is coming to kill her. To destroy her seal to the barrier. Sirius is among us. He needs help. Currently causing chaos in enemy camp. Send word out to Serdio. Dragon has sight on King Bervard. His ability to rally people to his cause is something they fear. If we loose here, the world crumbles. If we loose here, there will be no one left to seek help from across the ocean.' "end of message." Said Sòna, looking up attn the queen as she awaited further orders.
"Your Highness, what is it you want from me?" Stressed Alshbar.
Pacing back and forth she laid out her situation in her head. 'two enemies on two fronts. One we can hold off. The other too strong. If Serdio manages to take care of that dragon, then in two days tops, we could expect help from king Brevard. Or rather Philip. They've got their three hundred men, their castle won't fall so easily. I've got my spies, so information won't be much of a problem. I've got a dragon that can help me on both fronts. But which is best to start out with.' questioned she, as she looked at Alshbar.
As if reading her thoughts, Alshbar spoke. "If you're worried about the king, fear not, I have a seer. Years ago a young men, tried to come through that entrance. A merchant, I think he was. He saw me in his visions he said. Visions he kept having every night. Ironclad was his name. I'll try to reach out to him. Though it has been years since we last spoke." Said Alshbar.
"Good you do that." Said the queen. "If we didn't know if your existence, then certainty, neither do they. Alshbar, I need you to rescue Sirius and what remains of my spies. Can you do that?" Asked Erlen.
"Your orders is all, I've bee waiting for." Said Alshbar.
"One more thing," added Erlen, "once you've rescued them, head towards king Bervard. It's risky. But if you manage to contact this Ironclad of yours, judging by my experience, seeing is believing." Nodding, Alshbar took off in the shadows of the cave.
"What about us, your Highness?" Asked Saiji.
"It is safe to assume that the commander wouldn't have stage coup, if he wasn't sure to gain aid from within the Castle's walls. Gather your forces. I need everyone inside these walls within the hour." Ordered the queen.
"Consider it done." Replied Saiji, as she disappeared into the shadow of the cave. To later being seen running through the room of records toward the stairs.
"As for you Sòna," Erlen paused, "thank you!" Bowing down before her queen, Sòna and the others were proud to see her in action. "Now," Erlen continued, "I need for the generals and king to be sobered up. You have my one time permission to roughen them up." Smirk the queen.
"With pleasure!" Replied and enthusiastic Sòna.
"You come with me!" Ordered Sòna of the messenger.
"Adasa, Hadi. Your duties won't be so pleasant." Warned the queen.
"Worry not, our queen. Just give us our orders." They replied together.
"Take as much women as you need. Change clothes into plain clothes and fish out every spy. Every out of place soldier. Fully awake and anxious. If they react violent to you roaming about, then more likely they are with the commander. Take them out. We won't little to no opening when the enemy gets here. I want a complete sweep of the castle and surrounding villages. None is to high for your assassination blades. Safe the king and generals. Those you lock up in cell. We'll figure out what to do with them once the storm passes. You have half n hour to do this. And the other half to clean up. Leave no traces. We don't want to alarm the commander. If we do this right, by tonight, I'll have served to our enemies the same humiliation they inflicted upon me."
"We're on it." Adasa and Hadi responded in unison.
"As for me, once all is set, I'll sound the bells of war." Said queen Erlen as she walked back to her chambers.