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This is for all who saw the excerpt.

Payback
She was three years old and playing with a couple of paper birds of her own creation. Her beautiful, pure white half-angel wings flickered slightly then fluttered with delight as she squealed with laughter. Her silver hair had already grown to fall at the middle of her back. She also had a small moon-shaped birthmark on the bottom of her throat. A woman with equally pure white half-angel wings and even longer silver hair strided into the room with quite stillness, her face like liquid paper. She gently lifted her laughing daughter and held her close to her chest soothing her with a sweet lullabye. The night was wasting quickly and she was very worried, not just for herself, but for her daughter as well, then she heard the hurried footsteps in the hallway. She walked briskly over to her child's crib and placed her in it, telling her to sit quietly. She placed herself defensively in front of her daughter's crib, and just in time too, for the door blasted off its hinges and lay in pieces as a tall strange man with very dark curly hair walked into the room.
"Why didn't you tell me of our daughter?!"
"I knew you would be mad, because you didn't want her!"
"Let me see my child, after all she is my daughter too!"
She scooped up the girl in her arms and quelled her trying to clarify the situation to her daughter. The man grabbed his daughter and held her close looking into her eyes, her amazingly pure green eyes. She smiled at him and giggled sweetly. He laughed in return and played with her, throwing her up in the air and catching her again. He hugged her tightly, but not too tightly. The man looked at his wife.
"They shouldn't be separated Strena. Let me take her with me, back to where she belongs."
"No Lennox, she belongs here with me." She took her daughter back and placed her on the floor, so she could resume playing with her cranes.
"I knew you would say that Strena," He grabbed for something at his side in a holster,"So, if I can't have her, neither can you." He pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her while she was putting their daughter into her crib.
"Are you mad Lennox? Let's be reasonable here, I'll let you come and visit her as often as you want. You don't have to do this."
"No. If she can't live with me, then she can't live with you either." He shot off the pistol at Strena and it hit her in her chest. Lennox then presumed to shoot himself in the head. He crumpled and fell to the floor. Akuya climbed out of her crib and rung a little bell that would alert the servants. She went over to her mother and knelt beside her.
"Mama?" Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her mother's blood flow around her.
"I'm here baby, don't cry anymore, Mama will be all right."
As if on cue, several of the servants came in, and covered Lennox's dead body with a sheet. Some of Akuya's nurses tended to Strena's wounds, while the other nurses took Akuya out of the room. Akuya looked behind as they left and saw them casting a white sheet over her mother's body. Akuya jumped out of the nurse's arms and ran to her mother.
"Mama, mama, you gotta wake up, you said you was going to be okay. Mama? Mama?! " Then she walked over to where her father lay.
"Daddy why did you shoot mama?! Why did she have to die? Daddy why did you have to die? Why couldn't everything just be okay with me and mommy and daddy?"
She fell down and layed on top of her dead father and cried. She cried for her mother, for her father, and for herself. She was alone now, and she was only three years old. That's where her grandparents found her. Her grandmother carried her out of the room, whispering the lullabye her mother had created for her. Just before they covered her father's body with a white sheet, she noticed that her father also had a moon-shaped birthmark at the base of his neck.
"Hush little one, precious little one,
Everything is going to be fine,
One day you will fly away,
Just hush sweet precious child of mine.

You are the shining star of my world
You are the one I love the most
You are the queen of the world
Just wait until you can fly out of here

Hush little one, precious little one,
Everything is going to be fine,
One day you will fly away,
Just hush sweet child of mine.

If ever something goes wrong,
Just remember I'll always be there,
If all else fails remember this song
Just don't play foul, play fair

Hush little one, precious little one,
Everything is going to be fine,
One day you will fly away,
Just hush sweet child of mine."

Her grandmother layed her gently on the bed, and tucked her in. She put her cat Leo on the bed next to her, and he curled up underneath her arm. Reena looked at the gently sleeping child, then left for the medical ward to await news of her daughter and son-in-law's deaths. The autopsies came back with Strena being shot in the chest directly into one of her main blood vessels, making it pop and kill her. Lennox died of a gunshot wound to the brain. Reena decided to make the funerals for a week later, so that everything could be arranged.
That night when Reena layed down to sleep, she thought about her granddaughter and the future she would now have. No parents, no friends, only her books, and cat for company, because she wouldn't let her granddaughter anywhere near harm's way and in her eyes everything was dangerous. But what about the boy, what was going to happen to him? She could have him brought here, but then again, he might influence Akuya to leave and not come back until she needed her help, just like Strena. Akuya couldn't stay here. It was too dangerous, he would probably come looking for her anyway, and if Akuya disappeared, then she would be able to buy some time. She would hide Akuya, it's what was best for her.
After the burial of Strena and Lennox, Reena took Akuya and Leo on a walk in the woods, on a track unable to trace. Akuya had all her posessions with her.
"Grandma why do I have to have all my stuff with me when we're just going on a walk?"
Her grandmother didn't answer just brushed back a tear and grabbed her granddaughter's hand. They made it to the village, and Reena read the sign titled "Culinos". She walked into the town with Akuya behind her and Leo in her backpack. She stopped at the water fountain and sat Akuya down.
"Stay here darling. I'll be right back. I love you Akuya."
"I love you too grandma."
Reena never returned for her granddaughter. She went back home to her duties and resumed a life without her granddaughter. Akuya took to wandering around the town asking if anybody had seen her grandmother, and when nobody had, she sat down and cried. First she lost her mother, then she lost her father, now she lost her grandmother and she didn't even know if she would ever see her again. It was getting dark and now it was starting to rain. She didn't know where she was going to go when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly dried her eyes and looked into his eyes.
He was an older man and had his two daughters by the hands. He looked concerned for the child and gave her his coat. He smiled and tousled her hair then left with his family. Then another person came up and engaged in her conversation. This boy had dark black hair contrary to his namesake.
"What's your name?"
"Akuya and my cat's name is Leo."
"Hi Akuya, my name is Red. Do you want to have dinner with us?"
"Sure."
Red walked with Akuya to his house in the back of the town and was greeted by his mother. She gave her son a hug and kiss and took Akuya's coat and showed her the house. She sat down at the table and let Leo out of her bag and he proceeded to sit by the fire to sleep. She smiled and Red came and sat next to her. He gave her a blanket and wrapped it around her, then brought her some hot chocolate. That night after a supper of chicken dumplings and shepard's pie, they gave her back her coat and Red decided to walk her back home.
The first place she went to was the water fountain in the middle of the town.
"Is this where you live?"
"I don't know. I guess so. My grandma told me to wait here. She said she was coming right back."
Red's mother looked on from the doorway. When Red came back she was puzzled because with him was Akuya.
"What's going on Red, I thought you were going to take her home."
"She doesn't have a home. Her grandma left her here. Can she live with us momma?"
"Of course she can."
Red was elated and led Akuya to his room, where he set up a makeshift bed for her. Leo curled up on the pillow and they both laughed. They sat in his room talking for hours about everything until his mother came to tuck them in. She gave her son a kiss and bade them both goodnight, then turned out the light.
That night she talked to her husband about the events of the evening. During the meal, he didn't talk much, he just was observant of their guest. When she left he started washing dishes to keep his mind off the strange little girl, and when she came back he was even more worried. Where had this child come from? Where were her parents? Why was she here? All these thoughts and more ran through his mind, and when the kids were finally asleep he and his wife had a chance to talk.
"She can't stay here Elena. You know that. She'll have to go to the children's home, we just can't afford to take care of two children right now. Red's a handful by himself."
"Reno, why not? She's still a baby, only three years old. At least let her stay here until we can figure out what to do with her."
"She's not like one of us Elena, or did you not notice the white wings that sprung from her backside?"
"I saw them Reno, but that doesn't mean that she's not human. I mean after all she probably doesn't even know what's going on."
"She's one of them Elena, can't you see that? And did you see her headband? A mark of royalty. She's important, and despite what her or the boy says, somebody will probably be looking for her."
"What do we tell Red when she just disappears under his nose, or better yet, how do we separate them, seeing as they have already become inseperable?"
"We'll come up with something when the occasion arrises. As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is over. Goodnight."
They went to sleep, but it wasn't pleasant. Elena woke up several times to check up on the sleeping child. The first time she checked up on her, she saw that she had crawled into the bed with Red and Leo was in between them. Akuya's head was laying on Red's chest, and his head was flopped to the side. They looked so at peace, so she didn't disturb them for the entire night. She woke twice more and saw that they hadn't moved or changed positions in their sleep. Finally the sun arose and with it a new day.
Red was awake first and since Akuya was on top of him, he had to gently tap her head to wake her up. She redponded with a squeak. She smiled and sat up rubbing her eyes. She crawled out of the bed with Leo at her heels. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her book. It had only one thing written in it which was her lullabye. She cherished it deeply. She put it next to her bag and pulled out a bottle with milk in it and gave it to Leo via a bowl, she had also pulled out of her bag. Red looked on in admiration. She was doing this all at the age of three years old. Well he was only four, so he couldn't do that much more than her.
Elena made some eggs, plenty of it too, for Red's cousin Machete was visiting. Machete was a year older than Red so he was 'the oldest' and was 'in charge' of play time. At first Akuya shied away from Machete, but she eventually got used to his company. The biggest thing that kept all the kids entertained were Akuya's wings. She could fly, but not very high or very far, and every time she tried to go higher or farther, she would fall, but Red was always there to make sure she didn't get hurt.
During what Red called "nap time" Elena and Reno took Akuya from the house. At first they thought about dropping her off at the orphanage but Elena pointed out that it was very poorly kept and she didn't want the innocent child going there. They dropped her off deep in the woods, hoping that her kin would come for her.
When Red woke up Akuya was gone. His mom and dad told him that she had run away taking all her things with her, but they hadn't noticed her little notebook still sitting on the floor next to Red's bed. Red said they were lying and he wanted her to come back, but they told him she wasn't like them and didn't belong there. Red cried for a couple of hours then got over it.
Akuya was standing with Leo when it started to rain. She had no where to go so she headed back to town. Elena and Reno thought Akuya wasn't paying to where they were bringing her, but she knew exactly where to go. When she got inside the town she was met by a strange man. He took her to the orphanage, and since she was 'different' he gave her her own room.
A couple of years passed and now she was seven. Leo was a lot bigger but not as big as he could be. She was sitting in the cafeteria when a new boy came in. He had red hair and a face that seemed so familiar. She walked up to him and as she got closer, she recognized who he was.
"Red?"
"Akuya? Is that really you?"
She hugged him and he hugged her back.
"So this is where you were sent."
"No, they took me to the forest and I found my way here, and thats where Mr. Freid found me. What are you doing here?"
"Mom and dad died. Something like daddy was working, momma was visiting him, and a huge tree fell ontop of them crushing them."
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. They weren't the best parents in the world."
"How long do you think you're going to be here?"
"Maybe a couple of days. My aunt and uncle are going to take me with them once they get the notice."
She walked away at the news. Great. I'm going to lose him again. He walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Her eyes clouded with tears. She turned around and cried into his shoulder as he held her. She stopped when Christopher walked over to her.
"Hows it going freak?"
"Shutup Christopher."
"Struck a nerve have I?"
She pushed away from Red and stood in front of Christopher. Her eyes were naturally green but now they were starting to change colors. Her hair was getting darker too. Her eyes became an unnatural red color and her hair was black.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
She looked at herself, not knowing what was happening to her either, then she gave him the most evil stare ever invented. She pointed at the door and gestured that he should leave before things got even uglier. Christopher nodded with wide-eyes staring, then fled. She calmed and her hair turned back to silver and her eyes went back to green, but she collapsed. That was the most magic she had used since she was three, and after not doing it for a while it completely drained her of her energy. Red layed her down on her bed and watched over her, waiting for her to wake up.
She opened her eyes slowly just to make sure that she was alive. She sat up only to be pushed back down on the bed. Red was there, then it all came rushing back to her. She sat there and let the events run through her mind. She was baffled at how it happened. She didn't think she could do magic anymore.
"Did I really do what I think I did?"
"Yeah, and it was so cool! Where did you learn to do it? When I met you, you never did magic, so how come your doing it now?"
"I didn't think I could show you becuase your parents already thought I was a freak,and if I showed them I could do magic they would have gotten rid of me sooner."
"So, how did you learn how to do your magic?"
"My mother taught me, through songs and rhymes, I learned slowly how to harvest and use my magic, so by the age of three, I could do hundreds of spells without getting tired, but that was before."
"They have a magic school here for students who want to learn magic, but they only let certain people in." He took a quick glance at her wings.
"They wouldn't let a 'freak' like me in there would they? Well, I could trick them, but then I would have to do it everyday, and if I forgot even for one day, then I could get thrown out."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just watch."
"Don't hurt yourself."
Her body tensed then relaxed as she did some breathing exercises. Then her hands came together and a rush of wind was expelled from her hands. But know floating in the air were two feathers. She concentrated on them, and slowly they disappeared, and as they did, so did her wings. She fell, but Red helped her up.
"That was-"
"You can't tell anybody that I have to make them disappear. I'll tell Mr. Freid in the morning then he can transfer me to the magic school, then he would have one less person to mess with."
"Oh, I almost forgot Akuya, that night you disappeared you left your notebook. I read it every night and it helped me go to sleep if you don't mind that I did."
"My lullaby! I was wondering where it had gone. I thought I had lost it."
She took the book from him and held it close. This was the only thing left that really connected her to her childhood. It was all she had left. She hugged him and then one of the moderators came and took them downstairs for dinner. After that they were ordered to go to bed, but Akuya and Red were able to sneak a couple of hours of talking before they got caught.
Red and Akuya went to bed and in the morning like Akuya had told Red, she went to Mr. Freid and told him that they had magically disappeared, and that she would like to be transferred to the magic school and he did. Of course, she said goodbye to Red before she left. Fortunately that same day, his aunt and uncle came for him, and he left without having to endure much torture.
That night over dinner, they had a most unusual topic of conversation. Machete was nine and was in the magic school, amazingly enough, he had forgotten about Akuya's wings so she didn't have to worry about him blabbing on her. Anyway, they were talking about Red starting to do some works in the field with his uncle when Machete burst into the door.
"I met the most beautiful girl today, but she turned me down. She said she was liked someone else and that he liked her, and she did have that weird cat that followed her around." Machete sat down at the table and grabbed a role and the butter. He tore into the bread and grabbed some chicken before the conversation continued.
"So how are you doing in school? Are you still the top pupil?"
"Right now I am, but I was watching that girl today and she is really good. Oh, and guess what I talked to Mr. Yensetti about today."
"What did you talk to Mr. Yensetti about?"
"I told him how Red was going to be living with us, and then he asked how old Red was and I told him I was one year his senior and Mr. Yensetti, said he would love to have Red join us."
"Aunt Ophelia, would you mind if I went?"
Ophelia turned to her young nephew and thought about it for a few moments. She was already having to pay so much just for Machete to attend, but if Red really wanted to go there, she didn't care.
"I'll sign you up tomorrow, but you must promise to behave and that you will listen to Mr. Yensetti."
"I will Aunt Ophelia. I promise."
Red wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that night. Akuya stared at the ceiling in her new room at the magic school. She smiled as she reminisced on the day's events. Mr. Yensetti was already impressed that she could do second level magic, because for her age and experience, that was quite high. She was ahead of Machete, who fortunately didn't remember her. She excelled in all the exercises and quickly climbed to the top. But, she had to retire quicker then everybody.
She revelled in the excellence of her disguise. Of course as soon as her magic waned her wings came back. And as persuasive as she was, she was able to get a whole wing to herself as well as Mr. Yensetti's promise that no one would disturb her without her full approval. She was able to walk freely in her room with her wings spread wide. But she did have to resist the urge to fly around, becuase it would cause major disruption.
It took her hours to calm down, and by the time she finally did, she only had a few hours to get some sleep before Mr. Yensetti would signal the beginning of the day. In those hours she dreamed of a future where she was completely free. Red dreamed of times where there was no pain and everyone was free. They both awoke early not to the noise of the morning bell but to the bell to come at arms. They were under attack.

Cat was not always as he was now. He didn't even have the name Cat. His name was Nathaniel Barnes. He didn't have long dripping black hair, or dark grey eyes that screamed of memories from his dark past. He wasn't a blood thirsty vampire who stalked even the weakest prey just to slake his thirst. He was human with a wife and kids, but all of that changed in the blink of an eye.
He woke up early to begin his job as a carpenter in the lowly town of Pupalimansia. It lied about thirty miles from the city of Culinos. In fact, he had just come back from a vacation there. He loved roaming the streets with his two beautiful daughters Katy and Annie, while holding the hand of his beloved wife Kelly. Katy was six and Annie was almost ten. They loved the fountain in the middle of the square and were admiring its beauty when the lights hit it at night.
Katy and Annie walked around the fountain and when it started raining they ran for shelter under their father's umbrella. Nathaniel went to leave when he noticed a small child clinging to probably all that she had. He touched her on the shoulder and handed her his jacket. She needed it more than he did. He gave her a reassuring smile and he tousled her hair then left, but not before looking into her pure green eyes. He could never forget those eyes, they just left a mark in him, an eternal memory. They were staying at the inn and were leaving in the morning.
That was one of his last memories of his children and wife alive. He went to work early in the morning and didn't come home until late that night. He ate his dinner and went up to his bedroom where his wife lay. He got undressed and layed next to her, and when he felt her cold body he initially thought, that it was just the blankets, but when he felt blood being soaked into the sheets and onto him, he jumped out rushed to the other side of the bed and looked at his wife.
Her eyes were motionless, white, and were in the back of her skull. Her night-gown was torn and bloody especially around her neck. He peered at her neck closely and saw the two teeth marks that a vampire marks into the skin of his victim. Then another wave of fear ran through his body and he ran down the hall to his daughters' room. He didn't even have to open the door for he knew what lay inside and he couldn't take it. He slid and fell against the wall near his dead children's room and mourned. He mourned for his wife, his children, and himself.
He was soaked in his wife's blood when they found him. When he wouldn't speak or at least try to point out they weren't killed by his hands, they took him into custody and he was charged with three murders. He was to be hung in front of the town the next full moon, two days later. He sat in silence through his trial and through his sentence. No one looked at him the same and treated him like they would a mistreated dog. He didn't sleep and he didn't eat. He sat there, knowing he was innocent but not telling a soul.
On the day he was to be hung, a massive force attack of about three-hundred vampires attacked the town. No one survived, save one. Nathaniel Barnes was taken away from his jail cell and taken deep into the forest. There he stood in front of one of the most notorious vampires in the world. The Blood-King. Nathaniel was made to kneel in front of the Blood-King and beg for mercy.
"I don't want your mercy. I want to die as my wife and children did."
"You will not die Nathaniel Barnes. You were meant to live and to help you live longer you must accept this precious gift from my people."
"I accept."
They stood Nathaniel on a platform and restrained his arms and feet. They sweeped his blonde hair from his eyes to expose his neck. The Blood-King walked over to Nathaniel and stroked his cheek before sinking his teeth into his neck. Nathaniel squirmed but was limited since he was restrained. He could feel his blood being sucked out of his body but felt something rush in to take its place. When the Blood-King had slaked his thirst, he had his men unrestrain Nathaniel.
"You will not fully turn until a week has passed and until then you must be careful where you go, because you will be instantly recognized. Everything will change about you, your hair, your eyes, your build, everything will change, but you will retain memories of your past, and that is your punishment when you attain eternal life. You must live with all of your past mistakes, and even though your family will die quicker than you can count, you will live on in eternity."
After a week of being confined to a limited amount of area in which he could roam, he transformed. He was laying in his bed of leaves and sticks when overwhelming pain seared through his body. He started fidgeting and several of the vampiric guards stood over him reassuring him it would soon pass. He felt the enamel of his teeth extend out, he felt his eyes change shape and watched his vison become extremely powerful. He could feel the roots of his hair extend making his shaggy hair even longer. He felt his stomach muscles tighten and his arms swell to sizes of a regular body-builder.
As fast as it started it ended. He stood up and took in his surroundings with his transformed body. He could see farther and more clearly than he could ever before. One of the vampiric guards gave Nathaniel a bowl of water which he used to look at his reflection. He saw long shaggy black hair, and dark piercing grey eyes, but something was weird about the shape of his eyes. Instead of a regular sized pupil he had slits like that of a cat. The Blood-King walked over to Nathaniel and gave him an inspection.
"You look like a vampire, except for the eyes, but that can happen sometimes. And we will also have to change your name. Nathaniel no longer suits you. Cat will work."
He took a black duster from the hands of one of his guards and placed it on Cat. Then he handed a him a beautifully crafted double-edged sword, which he hung at his waist on a holster. He also handed him a set of daggers that he placed in his boots for emergencies.
"I have decided to make you my third in command. Do you accept?"
"Yes. I do accept."
In addition to all of the weapons he recieved full body armor and his first set of orders. He was to take over the covenant in the southwest of the country. That he did, and he did it well. Years passed and he grew stronger. He had several mistresses, but none he would marry for memory of his wife. The covenant he ran was stolen away in the woods only a couple of miles south of Culinos. They say none will challenge him except for the Blood-King for no one was stronger. He was also able to do a heavy bit of magic.
It was the year 2063. Cat was sitting in his office brooding about that night's events. He had been ordered by The Blood-King to attack the city of Culinos. They both knew that the city was heavily guarded and it would take a massive amount of arms to over-run it, but Cat knew he could do it. He had the strongest army of vampires this world had ever seen. He pushed back his chair and went to his closet where all his gear was held. He was ready for battle, he just hoped his men were.
He rallied his men just outside the city. His men were fierce warriors, and they all knew that some of them might not make it back. His archers jumped to high branches to shoot from a distance. The rest of his army, the foot soldiers, stood in battle position waiting for the command to go ahead. Cat positioned himself in the middle of the army and told them to march.
The bells sounded throughout the town as the first watchmen got a glimpse of the mass about to attack. The town was thrown into chaos as people panicked and tried to get out of the city in time. The magic school was a bit better organized. Mr. Yensetti had them all meet in the main hall where there training occured. Akuya, who had had no rest, used the rest of her strength to mask her wings, then ran down with the others. Red and Machete ran into the building when they heard the bells going off, and stood side by side.
Mr. Yensetti had his older students stand toward the front of the entrance, and he organized the rest of the school based on their level of training. Akuya and Red were the only ones on the back row, since a lot of the students didn't show up. Machete was in front of them with several of his classmates including one of his good friends Chris Rayne. She was stronger than him in all aspects of magic, but he knew he would be able to beat her. One day. If they survived the night.
Akuya turned to Red, and Red knew what was wrong. She had used all of her strength, and if she tried to use any magic the shield on her wings would fall.
"I can't fight, or everything I've worked for will have gone to waste."
"I'll protect you, and if you must use magic use it, don't worry about what the others will say about your wings. You're stronger than them anyway." She smiled, and feeling better she relaxed. But then they heard the first screams of death and of sword on sword combat. It was time.
Cat's men killed the guards ringing the bells no problem, but when they got into the city they were met with a blast of fire, which slowed their attack just a little. His three front lines were burning, and it enraged him. He used water power to douse them then he ran headlong into the city. There he was met with the ferocity of many soldiers, but they fell easily with one swipe of his sword. Those were the first screams of death that rung through the city though many more would follow. Around him was his army killing guards and people alike. Some were met with strong competitors who matched them sword to sword but finally fell.
He looked down at his sword covered in blood. He looked at the mass of bodies piling in the streets. He watched as his men ran through the houses killing the members inside. He hadn't particularly liked the idea of leaving no survivors, but it wasn't his decision. It was the Blood-King's decision. He saw the fountain in the middle of the city and walked toward it. It was no longer filled with water but with the blood of the people of Culinos. He focused his attention on the magic school, but was surprised at what he found.
The first soldiers ran into the building only to be knocked off their feet by a force from the students. Mr. Yensetti was in the back of the group to help the younger students. And that was where Cat found the flaw in Mr. Yensetti's plan. Even if he had stronger students in front, they would die by the edge of the sword, and Mr. Yensetti also did not think about the fact that Cat could do magic. So Mr. Yensetti watched as the older students were either killed by the edge of a sword or by the magic of Cat. Mr. Yensetti ordered the younger kids to run for cover.
When the first string of magic students were killed, the other students started getting nervous. Several ran through the back. Two of which were Machete and Chris. They knew where they could go to hide. Cat and his army were now approaching the remainder of the magic school, only about twenty students. Mr. Yensetti turned to Akuya and Red, the two who were the most inexperienced in magic.
"Run! Get out of here!"
Red started toward the exit when he noticed Akuya standing firm by Mr. Yensetti. He ran back for her but was pulled away by the other students. They were ordered to evacuate the building. Only Mr. Yensetti, Akuya, and Cat's army remained in the building.
"I told you to get out of here Akuya."
"I'm going to help you Mr. Yensetti."
Cat and his men roared with laughter. This was amusing. An old man and a child thought they could stand against his army.
"Listen to the old man little girl, or you could stay here, you'll die anyway."
"Listen mister, whoever you are. I'm not what you think I am."
She walked backwards and tensed up. The men snickered but watched. Akuya breathed in deeply and a force of wind emerged into the air. As she did some arm movements, two feathers came into view in the wind bubble, and as they appeared so did the feathers on her wings. She breathed again and jumped to hover in the air. She looked at Mr. Yensetti.
"I'm sorry I had to hide this from you, but I wanted to advance my magic further."
"I knew Akuya. But I couldn't expose you to the other students, at least not yet."
Cat was growing impatient, were they going to fight for their lives or not? Yet, he could not take his eyes off the little girl. She looked so familiar. Then it hit him. She was the little girl he saw before his family died. He sent a message to his archers to aim for the little girl. She was just one more thing from his past that he needed to delete.
"Alright already! Are you going to stand and fight or are you going to run?"
Mr. Yensetti and Akuya wasted no time in attacking. Akuya sent ever-lasting fire balls, ones that couldn't be doused, at the men. Most of them fell. Mr. Yensetti sent a blast of ice that would not unfreeze. The rest of the men fell. Cat had somehow managed to dodge both of those attacks. Mr. Yensetti was going to kill him quickly when an arrow, aimed at the little girl, missed her and landed in Mr. Yensetti's chest. He landed with a thud, dead. Akuya took off into the skies. Cat let her go and urged his men to start cleaning up the city. It was theirs for the taking. They had won.
Akuya landed outside a run down shack, and walked into the house where she ran into the arms of Red.
"He's dead. I let him die, I couldn't save him. He's dead." She cried and some of the older students that had survived took her into another room to calm her down. The other students were looking strangely at her as she passed because they had never seen her wings before. Red looked at them in disgust and when some started snickering and whispering to themselves he got really mad.
"She's had them her whole life. Did you know that? Did you also know that she had to use magic to hide them from ya'll so she could learn magic?"
"That doesn't mean a thing Red, you probably didn't know about the wings either."
Red looked at his cousin with pure hatred then ran at him, tackling him to the ground. The other kids crowded around urging the fight. Red punched Machete in the jaw several times and kicked him in the stomach a good two times before Machete was on top of him punching him in the face and stomach. Then they were both flying backwards off their feet by one of the elder students. His name was Danny, and he was one of the only older students to survive, and really by the looks of it he was the oldest to survive.
"Will somebody tell me why these two were knocking each other senseless?"
"He insulted Akuya, so I defended her."
"Is this true Machete?"
"Yes Senior student Danny."
"You both may go to the infirmary and get your wounds healed then you will report back to me. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
"Yes Senior student Danny."
Machete and Red didn't look at each other, they just reported to the infirmary then back to Danny for punishment.
"Now who started this all?"
"He and the others did. They were pointing and laughing at Akuya behind her back."
"He started it by running at me and tackling me Senior Student Danny."
"Both of you are in the wrong. Machete for pointing and laughing at another student and Red for starting the physical fight."
"What is our punishment?"
"There is none. You are both still so young, and have much to learn. You are dismissed."
Machete went back to his group of friends and Red went to stand by Akuya who had by now been calmed down. They sat on one of the couches and talked, and before they knew it, they had to go to sleep. They were all being taken out of the city stealthily during the day, but they had to do it at a certain time or all of them could be killed. They were going to the neighboring city of Sithentia. It was three miles to the east of them. As far as they knew Sithentia had not been overrun by vampires, so they were leaving their homes on that fact.
They were supposed to sleep in separate rooms but Akuya found her way to Red. She snuggled next to him in his sleeping bag. Machete wasn't too far away and saw her enter the room, but he kept silent and watched.
"You know you're not supposed to be in here Akuya."
"I know. I just couldn't sleep. The other girls were all staring. You're the only one that understands me."
"Machete told me something at dinner before I started going to school here, and I knew he was talking about you."
"What did he say I said?"
"He said that he said he liked you but you turned him down saying that you liked someone else who liked you back. Did you really say that?"
Machete had scooted closer when he had heard the mention of his name. He wasn't prepared for what he heard next.
"Yeah I did. Because its true. At least I think its true unless he doesn't like me back. Does he like me back?"
"Yes he does. Very much."
A huge smile found its way across her face and Red smiled back at her. They hugged each other tightly and then she left and went into her own sleeping bag. But not without a kiss from Red. It wasn't long or as intense as one would imagine for two so in love, but we have to remember they're only seven and eight years old, they shouldn't be saying things like that in the first place. It was just a short sweet kiss on the cheek that maybe lasted for a couple of seconds.
Machete lyed there in his bag dumbstruck. He never thought that she liked his cousin. He didn't want to believe it, she was supposed to be with him. He was jealous. He was man enough to admit it, even though he wasn't a man yet either. But at the age of nine he felt like the most important man in the world. He decided not to confront the two about it until the morning. He was tired and he needed his rest if he wanted to make it to Sithentia in time without being captured by the vampires.
Akuya woke up to Red's breath on her ear.
"They say it's time to go."
She sat up in her bed and looked at him. He smiled and she returned it holding out her hands, for him to help her off the ground. She hugged him, and he grabbed her hand as they gathered with the rest of the children survivors that were heading to Sithentia. The elders said nothing about them holding hands at first, but once they hit the road, they separated the boys and girls. The boys were in the back and the girls were in the front. Red and Akuya didn't want to part, but they had to for the time being, if they didn't want to get into trouble with Senior student Danny.
The trail to Sithentia was long and treacherous. The magic students treaded the path carefully weary of any of the army that now invaded their home. Many were scared and didn't think they would survive. Once, a girl collapsed, apparently drained of all her energy. One of the older students healed her and she continued the trek but under the supervision of many of the students. Somehow, by midday, Red and Akuya had found themselves next to each other, and as long as they didn't cause a disruption, they were allowed to stand side by side. Machete of course hated the idea, but after a while he didn' t care, he was getting tired, and they hadn't even made it halfway yet.
They stopped for a couple of hours to eat, drink, heal, and rest before continuing. Many of the students fell right to sleep, while others seemed to be full of energy, two of which were Red and Akuya. They found a rocky overhang, that cast enough of a shadow, that they were both able to stretch out underneath it and talk about the future. They talked about defeating the vampires, becoming superheroes, you know, kid stuff. Somehow they fell asleep without meaning too, and when Senior student Danny found them he smiled. He was happy that, with them being the youngest, that they were able to keep a bright outlook on the future. He woke them up grudgingly and told them it was time to continue on with the journey.
The whole group traveled well far into the night and even into the early morning hours. Finally they had arrived at Sithentia. They had all survived to see another day. They were able to divide into smaller groups and find temporary housing. Of course Akuya and Red got grouped together along with some of the youngest magic pupils. They found housing near the edge of the town in the back, and they were virtually by themselves. No one was around for a couple of blocks, which made them almost excited.
Senior student Danny talked to the Sithentia town council about letting them enroll in the magic program. They didn't like the idea of bringing in about twenty-odd students into the program, but when the teacher of the magic school, enthusiastically pointed out that with what they learned, these students were able to enter Sithentia virtually unharmed. They were enrolled that night, and the next day their training recomensed, and for others, just began.
Their new teacher, Mr. Silvan, allowed all types of students into his school, and particularly loved having Akuya around. She was already very advanced for her age, but she had much to learn. These students were in for a rude awakening. The things they thought were advanced were being learned by students in their second year, but many of them were fast learners. Machete advanced quickly for his age and Red and Akuya were the quickest learners by far advancing further in one year than Machete had the whole time he was in there.
Year by year as Akuya and Red advanced further in their magic, so did their love. They were never seen alone, or if they were the other was closeby. They brought back the carefree attitude that Sithentia so desperately needed. Machete got over his love for Akuya and fell for his lifelong friend Madison. Things were going good for those who survived the attack on Culinos. Meanwhile, things in Culinos were going rough.
Cat and his army were able to take over the town without much effort, and when they found some of the survivors hidden among the city, they let them stay, on the condition that they would work for them and pay tribute to them in the form of heavy taxing. When The Blood-King heard that Culinos fell in one sweep of Cat's army he upgraded everybody's rank and Cat became second-in-command of all of The Blood-King's armies. Cat knelt in front of the king and bowed his head.
"Word reached me from one your officers that you let one of the magic students escape. It pains me that this might be true. Tell me this isn't true."
"I'm sorry my lord, but every word of it is true. I had my men aim at her and when they fired they missed her, but they did hit and kill the old man. She had wings and was able to fly away, too fast for even my best archers to hit her."
The Blood-King thought to himself, then spoke aloud, "That's strange. Tell me Cat do you know the rules pertaining to entry into Culinos' magic school?"
"No, sir I do not."
"Well then let me tell you. In order to be allowed for entry into the school, you must be interested in magic, male or female, and have no abnormalities about you. Now, didn't you say she had wings Cat?"
"Yes but-"
"And wouldn't that be against their own rules?"
"Yes but sir-"
"So why did they let her into their school?"
"Sir, the teacher said he knew she had the wings, but he didn't want the other students to know."
"He lied. This child was cunning. I like cunning people. Find her and bring her to me. If she refuses, you know what to do."
"We don't know where any of the survivors went. It's like they disappeared off the face of the world."
"That's why you're going to search every rock, tree, and home for her. Ask around, people are bound to know where she is."
"Sir, that's the problem. She's not going to be the same girl, it's been nearly nine or ten years. Culinos is prospering, people are forgetting about the attack on Culinos and people are beginning to move here, can't we just leave it alone?"
"No, I want to meet this girl, see what she knows. She might be one of the forgotten race, which we will be handsomely rewarded for when we return her to her people. Who else has wings? That is all. Go and don't fail me this time."
Cat withdrew and prepared his men for the one journey that they may never get back from. On they went through the countryside searching for the girl that was going to save them all.
The day was drawing to a close and most of the students were heading home which included Red and Akuya. Hand in hand they walked down the dirt path that led down to their home. It was just them now. Red had bought a house for them not too long ago, which they both liked cause no one disturbed them, and they didn't disturb anybody. The sun had set and they were enjoying dinner which consisted of some lamb, corn, and potatoes. Red always made Akuya do the cooking, just because she was so good at it.
They were now both highly skilled in magic, even though they still ranked below everybody else. Oddly enough, after they came from Culinos, the magic school decided to not let anybody else in, because they said it was "overly populated" but everyone knows it was because Akuya was there. The teacher loved her wings, and openly admired them. Most people had gotten used to her with wings, now and many were even curious about them.
After dinner they went out into the backyard to practice their swordplay and arrow targeting skills. They had both joined the militia, and after what they had been through, nobody refused. Red was very skilled with the double katana and Akuya was awesomely skilled with the bow and arrow. There were several straw dummies set in the backyard where Red could practice his offensive skills. There were hundreds of targets for Akuya to shoot at, both far away and close by to help with her already awesome aim.
After two strenuous hours of target practice the couple went in and got ready to lay down for the night before their shift came for border control. Since they were in the military and still in magic training they weren't allowed to do as much as many of the other soldiers in the army. They only had about four hours of sleep then they had another hour to report to their posts and get their equipment on. After her shower, Akuya laid down on the bed that her and Red shared and got comfortable just listening to the birds that lived in a tree next to the window in the bedroom.
Red came out with a smile upon his face. He jumped onto the bed and kissed Akuya passionately. She giggled and turned over onto her back. With a whisper of a spell, all the lights in the house went out and they were able to take advantage of each other nicely. Their pleasure lasted well into two hours and then they had to reluctantly stop so they could have some rest before going to duty. Reluctantly they put their clothes back on and slept. The two hours of sleep that they did have, seemed like an instant and then the bell rang for the shift changes. They got up and dragged their weary bodies across the lawn and up to the armory to get their proper uniforms on and to get their weapons strapped in place.
Akuya had the north tower and Red the south tower. They had to be separated because of the disruption they had caused a couple of weeks earlier, when they were all over each other in the middle of guard duty. Akuya's partner was Danny. He was in his mid-twenties by now, and even more advanced in magic than ever. He had become a tutor for many of the magic students that lived here, and was constantly seen with a fellow peer or pupil studying magic, but he was also known as a vigilant guard for the town's defenses. Red was unfortunately partnered with his cousin Machete.
Machete and Red had been close when they were young, but all of that changed when they got into that fight over Akuya. Machete had deemed Red a traitor and had stopped speaking to him for several years, but he eventually got over his jealousy and started talking to him again, but very reluctantly. They were kin after all, and they had to get along for their families sake. They shook hands like men do and started the patrol. They barely spoke to each other except to comment on the weather or other small things like that.
Akuya and Danny were deep in conversation on the latest magic lesson, of course, since Danny was much more experienced in magic than she was, he gave her small tips on how to conserve more energy and to make the spell more powerful.
"Take deeper breaths, and concentrate on that single thing and most of the time, the spell will just flow out of you just as if you were laughing."
"Do you think it will be on the final exam to get up to the next level? Master Silvan, hinted that many of the new magic that we are learning will most likely be seen later on."
"I wouldn't underestimate Master Silvan, he is a man with many tricks up his sleeves."
On the south tower a similar conversation was going on, but not about magic, but about the girls of the town. Machete was proudly proclaiming that Madison had finally agreed to marry him, after four years of dating and living together.
"She wants a really big wedding, and I can't say I won't let her have one, I mean she is the love of my soul, and whatever makes her happy is fine with me. She'll probably be the talk of the town by tomorrow, and she'll be showing off that pretty ring that is on her finger to prove it too."
"You know how women are, they can't keep a secret that big in for too long, and when a wedding is concerned, you know that many of the other ladies of the town are going to want to be in on it."
"You know cousin I was thinking, why haven't you proposed to Akuya yet? I mean, hell you guys have been together forever, and ya'll already act like a married couple. People have been expecting it for years, you can't keep them waiting for too much longer."
"I know, that's exactly why I'm waiting. I want to spring it on her when no one, not even the best mindreaders, could guess it. Then she'll be completely surprised."
"Just don't wait too long to marry her cousin, she might just go for someone else with a more forward attitude."
"She's not like that. She wouldn't leave me for anybody no matter what happens."
"Okay, okay don't get defensive now."
"I'm not getting defensive, I'm just telling you how it is."
That seemed to end their conversation because they began to tread the area of the wall they were supposed to for the rest of their shift. When it ended Machete walked over to his fiance' and wife to be giving her a hug and a kiss and Red ran down the steps, jumped over the wall and gathered Akuya in his arms. He kissed her passionately and then all those around them, namely Machete, Madison, and Danny all laughed. Senior student Danny told them all to be on time to class this time even if that meant that he was going to have to personally retrieve them.
Machete, Madison, and Danny left in one direction while Akuya and Red went in the opposite direction. They walked home hand in hand and eventually they started running home in a friendly competition, which Akuya won by cheating by flying home. Her wings had grown to be almost eight feet long. Red loved that about her. She wasn't shy about her wings anymore and if anyone had anything to say about them she listened to them and then she usually she gave them a piece of her mind. She wasn't one to let somebody get away with insulting her without them recieving a piece of her mind.
But many people didn't tease her about her wings like they used to. In fact many of the older people thought of her as a descendant of the lost people. Who the lost people were was a mystery to everybody, but now and again they would run into a stranger who had a tale of people who lived deeply in the woods and kept to themselves like they were afraid of the outside world. This person would also go on to explain what these people looked like by using Akuya as a "live one" as they put it.
Life in Sithentia couldn't be any better for the two. They were finally full of bliss, and they were living normal lives, not that they didn't lead normal lives before, its just now they have a routine that they have been practicing ten years. No one was the same except for Senior student Danny, even though he wasn't the senior student now, he just kept his title. Sithentia had grown to be the most populous of towns since the refugees of Culinos came in. Many left the magic school after their training and became merchants or farmers, or in most cases joined the militia.
Sithentia was full of renewed life and prosperity. Merchants and farmers alike grew more prosperous quickly in the years after the refugees from Culinos came. There was peace in the town of Sithentia for ten sweet years. Many of the people in the town thought that the militia had weakened since they hadn't really had to do much defending, but they were wrong. The militia trained day and night, whenever possible, to make sure they weren't caught off guard, just in case they got attacked. They had drills every few weeks where they went through the town and practiced evacuating the people in case of an emergency, and they timed it to see how many people they could save in a few minutes.
That night, it seemed like any other night. It was a warm, summer night with the breeze sweeping through the town with the waft of an on-coming storm. The rain was expected to come during the summer time in Sithentia with all the warm weather and high humidity, they had huge storms. The townspeople all prepared for another thunderstorm by wrapping flowers and small trees, tying down stands, and putting up the rain collecting mats. Akuya and Red played their part in preparing the town, as well as the rest of the magic students. They put up a sort of shield that let in just the right amount of rain, but didn't hinder the people from shuffling in and out of the gates.
Everyone in Sithentia had an identification card that tells everybody who they are and what race they are. Thought most of them were human, there were a couple of rebellious elves, that preferred the city life rather than the cramped lifestyle in the forest, but their numbers, were so few, most people knew who they were without looking at their cards. For Akuya's race they put her down as unknown because she had no birth records, and at this time most technology was still primitive, so it was hard to identify most people if you already didn't know who they were. Without a card you couldn't get in or out. In the case that you were inside without a card, you were taken to the jailhouse, questioned then put through mindreaders to see if you really who you said you were.
As always, there were people who were able to get past the security measures and fool even the best mind readers. One of these people was Lucian. Many thought he was elven except for the part about not having pointed ears. When he was brought before the mindreaders, they looked into his mind and found no past, one that they couldn't see, so they had no choice but to let him go. They gave him a temporary visitor's pass and he roamed the town. He was especially interested in the town's defenses, of course he wasn't allowed inside, but he said he didn't need to go inside to figure out the defenses. He was also interested in one particular member of the militia. Akuya.
As soon as he saw her he knew that she was the one he was looking for. She had the long silver hair, the white wings, and the pure green eyes. She was taller now and was accompanied by a man with medium short red hair. He watched as the pair hugged and kissed passionately. He snuck closer and saw the birthmark. A moon. He looked at the one at the base of his neck. He refused to touch it, for every time he did another memory came flowing through his mind that caused him to wince in pain. She was definately the one they were looking for.
She saw him first from a quick glance at the gate. Her heart leaped in her chest for an unknown reason. Then her breath became ragged for just a moment. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. He had short silver hair and pure green eyes, the only thing she didn't see were the wings. She felt in her heart as if she knew who that was. She touched the base of her neck where her birthmark was and saw that he looked at his. Who was he? What was he doing here? She had endless questions and no answers. Red fortunately came and cheered her up.
He slowly walked up to the pair, to introduce himself in a way. Akuya saw his approach and turned Red around to greet him. Like most men do, they shook hands politely and talked of news. Then Red introduced Akuya to him. Lucian took her hand and kissed it, bowing. Red glared at the stranger.
"I almost forgot my manners. My name is Lucian. I prefer to just give my first name."
Akuya giggled. "Welcome to Sithentia Lucian." She smiled, but Red glared at him. Something about him wasn't right, and he didn't trust him.
"Excuse us for a minute Lucian." Red pulled Akuya out of earshot of him.
"I don't like this guy Akuya. Something around smells like treachery. I wouldn't tell him too much if I were you."
"What is with you Red? Are you jealous because another man, besides the ones in the town is showing respect towards me?"
"No, its not that, I just don't want to see you get hurt. Trust me, there is something wrong about this guy."
"Alright, whatever you say."
When they returned to where Lucian was standing he was in deep admiration of the walls surrounding Sithentia. He stared at all the tower guardhouses and all the lookout towers toward all sides of the town, North, West, East, and South. He looked at the middle courtyard where several of the lower ranked footmen were practicing. Akuya tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry sir, but visitor hours are over."
And indeed they were. Visitors were required to be out of the city by sunset, and the sun was already halfway down the sky. Lucian bowed, tipped his hat and left the city. He made sure to be out of sight before he stretched his pure white angel wings out. He flew down the rest of the way to the valley below Sithentia, out of sight of all four lookout towers. He touched down with a whirlwind of dust, but it soon settled and he walked over to his commanding officer's tent.
"Hello Lucian."
"Hello Cat."
"What do you have for us, that we don't already know."
"The girl's in there. All of them are there, all the ones that escaped, and from what I saw they have a mildly strong defense set up. It will be easy to penetrate the city."
"Here's what I was thinking. We should attack from all angles, at different intervals, so while they all rush to one end, another rushes in from a totally different area, that way their defenses will split, and it will be easier to scour the city."
"You did it Cat. After ten years, you finally found her."
"We finally found her Lucian." Both men turned around to be staring at The Blood King. Both bowed in his presence but he quickly told them to rise.
"I told you not to let me down, and now you haven't boy. And to make sure the girl doesn't escape, I'm giving you new orders. Cat you are to do as you planned with the interval attacks, and you Lucian, instead of running one of the attacks, you will go in ahead of the army. Act like you're distressed. Warn them of our coming. When we don't show up, they'll think you're crazy. Get the girl to follow you to the cellars. Once there you'll know what to do."
Lucian left Cat's tent and went to his own almost on the other side of the camp. He was going to have to hurry if this plan was to work. He put on some chain mail armor underneath his clothes then put on his cloak. His broadsword went on his back, and his various knives went at his waist in their sheaths or in the holders on his lower legs. He thought of bringing his bow and arrows, but thought that may look to suspicious. He left as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. He flew like he had before until he was in sight, then he started his act.
Akuya and Red were running the northern wall, where the main entrance was. Their punishment had ended but if there were any more infractions, they would have to get them to work on separate days, so for right now they were behaving, but every few minutes they would steal a quick kiss, then go back to patrol. That was when she saw him staggering up the slope. He looked like he had seen a ghost or something, he looked terrified. She ran down the stairs to the gates and she opened them. He walked in and almost immediately collapsed.
He felt a cold sensation on his face and realized they had poured water on him so he could regain counciousness. He sat up and was pushed back down. "What happened to me? Where am I?"
"You're in the infirmary in the lower part of defense headquarters. You passed out as soon as you came through the gates. Mindreaders tried to tap into your mind to see if they could figure out what was wrong with you but-"
"They said they were met with heavy shields that even the master couldn't crack. Akuya says that the body does that naturally, but me I think your very powerful. You couldn't be human for that fact."
"Red stop it. Let him explain what happened."
Lucian sat up and rubbed his wrists. He laughed a bit nervously, only to make him seem more innocent. "You shouldn't be one too quick to judge others."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the beautiful woman you have standing by your side, isn't she different than you, but you trust her? You never know, she could just one day betray you."
"She would never do that to me! She means more to me than anything I have ever known, you don't know what type of person she is or what she has been through!"
"Struck a nerve have I?" Lucian recoiled after a fast punch to his mouth by Red. He felt the blood flow into his mouth and he shuddered a bit. Akuya was looking rashly at both of them.
"Men act like such babies sometimes. We're all on the same side aren't we? Aren't we supposed to be fighting the enemy, and not our comrades? I don't know where you come from Lucian, but you need to learn to close your mouth when you have no place to speak. Now, if we are going to get through this attack we need to get everybody on guard."
She took Red by the hand and left the room where Lucian sat. Tears were streaming down her face. Red stopped and held her. "What's wrong?"
"I have a bad feeling about tonight, and I don't want us to get separated because I was trying to be nice to Lucian."
"You have nothing to worry about." He bit his lip and fingered the box in his pocket. He was going to do it tonight, during dinner, but since the attack, he really had no time, so he went down on his knees. This got her attention.
"Akuya darling I know this probably isn't as romantic as you imagined it would be, but I love you with all my heart, and I really can't wait anymore, so will you marry me?"
"Yes. I will marry you."
He stood back up and slid the ring onto her finger. He hugged her and wiped the tear from her eye.
"You need to stay here with Lucian and make sure he is all right, I'll go get with the rest of the men. I don't want you to get hurt."
"What are you saying?"
"The men say that we won't survive the night."
"What do you mean? There's been no alarm raised yet."
"They say Lucian had said something about a vampire army that was right behind him, before he collapsed."
"I'll stay behind only if you promise that you'll come back so we can get married. I love you."
"I love you too."
She watched as Red disappeared down the hallway and up the stairs to the armory. She walked quietly into the room where Lucian was laying. She wiped the tears off her face and sat down. It seemed that Lucian had gone to sleep. She was very tired, and she tried to stay awake but she just couldn't. Her head slowly fell onto her chest as she drifted into sleep. After almost four hours, she was woken up. Red was standing abover her.
"What's wrong? Is it over already?"
"It never happened. He lied Akuya, just to get us in a frenzy. They moved him down to the prison hold."
She sat up. "Why would he do something like that?"
"I told you Akuya. I don't trust him. But he has requested to talk to you alone. I would be careful around him. I'll show you where he is."