Chapter 23

As I realized that the sound of a breaking wall would attract a lot of attention I looked back to Isabella as I turned into a Guava bird.

'Wow so pretty.' said Isabella. Though she had seen Guava's before it was only after they were prepared for dinner. Never had she in her sheltered life seen a live Guava which basically looked like flying balls of colorful cotton. Then I heard guards opening the heavy doors downstairs and I could hear their clattering armor as the came up the stairs. Isabella and Iphiaeneira were urging me to fly off. But I was unrecognizable in my current state so I decided to stick around for a bit. I flew past the wall and landed in front of a window from where I could look inside without there being any danger of being caught. I held the signet ring in my hand and the bracelet had somehow gone around my neck. As I looked I saw the guards surprise at the giant gaping hole in the tower. Next I heard muffled yelling of the guards asking what has happened. As it all happened relatively fast nobody had figured out a way to explain it yet. Then the guards noticed that I was gone. I had been a strange guest due to my foreign appearance and as they knew that I could stealth they started to look around them nervously screaming to the guards downstairs to keep the door shot and only open when they came fearing that I would stealth and escape. But there was no reply.

I then heard the sounds of mana shooting. The guards immediately backed away from the stairs. Their faces turned pale as they readied themselves. Some were gathering mana orbs while the rest gathered in a line with their shields up and their spears at the ready. But nothing could prepare them for what came next. The ground beneath them received a huge shock from below as the dust blew up into the air. Then as the dust started to settle there appeared some very strong looking men. They were scarcely clad as they had pulled back their robes to where it looked like they were wearing capes. Their skin was the same color as what they were wearing. Black. But not an ordinary black but a deep ashen black. Their skin also seemed dried up and shriveled. Then as they appeared the ground beneath the guards they were facing fell away after which they were swallowed up by something very dark.

I was now nervously looking around to check where Isabella was but when I found her in the crowd of nobles it was only after one of the dark men had gotten to her grabbing her by the arm and pulling her with him while the 2 other ashen men seemed to be shooting mana at the nobles who after several casualties rallied and shielded off the mana-shots with mana of their own. Seeing my sister being taken I felt a rage coming up from the deepest parts of my soul. I had seen people with this countenance once before. It had been a warm day as I returned from my lab to the kitchen where I saw one of them. They were standing over my mother who lay bloodied on the kitchen floor. I sought to release that rage from that time when my mind had gone blank as I grew a pair of mana-orbs in the air above them and started raining down mana at them from the orbs. After getting hit by the onslaught of mana-arrows I noticed that after the initial volley all the other volleys went off target while the first volley didn't cause nearly enough damage to warrant their surrender. I kept shooting and saw that all my mana was sucked into the dark orb beneath the floor. It acted as a divergent but it was quickly shrinking. It seemed to be anti-mana of some sort.

Seeing that it was quickly shrinking I blasted even more arrows fueled by my frustration and rage I grew an extra pair of balls of mana which was my limit due to the size of my bird-brain I was limited in the use of mana. To increase the output. The immense concentration it required made my head feel like it was bursting but I didn't relent and kept shooting. Then without any effort one of the Ashen men raised his head and a black orb appeared at the center of each of my mana orbs and swallowed them up. They then left. Isabella was well out of sight. I then jumped from the window and flew around through the hole I created to give chase but by the time I had flown down the hole in the floor to the towers entrance they were nowhere in sight. Guards were lying on the floor everywhere. It was a slaughter.

Feelings of helplessness overflowed from within me replacing the gap that my rage had previously filled. Tears started to well up in my small bead-like eyes as I cried making chirp sounds. After crying for several minutes I flew up again to check on the state of the palace and my father.

As I flew to the room where I had previously seen my father I saw him sitting on the throne in the throne room. But that was not all.

There was another person standing in front of him who had the exact same appearance as him.

Confused I flew down and landed on the balustrade of one of the upper hallways looking down to try and figure out what I saw.

'We now have both your children and it would be unfortunate if they had to bear the punishment for disobeying us. Wouldn't it?'

'Are they alright?' asked the Yoran on the throne.

'I assure you that they are fine but not for long if you don't sign the treaty.'

The Yoran on the throne then looked down at the paper that was thrown onto his lap by the other Yoran; I couldn't see his face but judging by the shivering of his back I could only imagine what the treaty said.

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'Sign it now and we will make sure that no harm befalls upon your son and know that once you sign that treaty it will be permanent. If you are to break that treaty at a later time the destruction upon your people will be swift and thorough.'

The Yoran on the throne then signed the treaty. Judging by the way they talked I guessed that the Yoran on the throne is my father and the other one isn't.

The other Yoran checked the signature and grinned; 'good. Now just sit on that throne and look pretty.' followed by obnoxious laughter as he put the treaty-scroll in his jacket.

Then the wall opened up to the right revealing a secret passage. Through it an Ancient entered the room holding a plate with a golden bracelet on it much like the bracelet I was wearing.

'You will be wearing this and listen to our orders that we will be giving through it.' The Ancient said as he presented the bracelet to Yoran looking at Yorans surprised face with his red eyes. Hesitating momentarily he said: 'You are too cruel.' when he looked at the other Yoran. The Ancient then took the bracelet and put it on Yorans right hand.

Afterwards the other Yoran shone a bright green light. After the light dissipated it revealed a Tamarin. Or... There was no way a Tamarin could do that. Then I remembered. My bracelet had picked up a Huin Seseum when I met father. Then; he is a Huin Seseum!?

I wanted to head down to save father from them. But I was sought after by the Ancients. Having seen the ashen men take Isabella specifically they might have something to do with the Ancient and Huin Seseum downstairs too.

Then I heard a loud crashing sound as the massive door to the throne room was smashed into little pieces. The resulting shock-wave pushed me off the balustrade and into the wall behind me. My whole body hurt as I tried to stand up I noticed that I had lost my sense of balance and besides a constant high pitched sound I heard nothing. I then steadied myself with my wings on the floor. I slowly looked up to the balustrade I had previously fallen from and after trying out my wings I jumped up trying to land on the balustrade again. But I miscalculated and flew over it. So I then used my wings to stay flying but then another shock-wave blasted me into the wall behind me. This time the drop was a lot more painful as I fell all the way to the ground floor. In preparation of hitting the ground I fluffed up my feathers holding my legs downwards. As I hit the ground I could feel that my legs snapped from the force. Spreading out my wings hadn't been able to bring my falling speed within reasonable ratios. I then lay on the ground; unable to move anymore than my wings.

All I could do was look as I saw the Ancient and Huin Seseum fight against the ashen men that had blasted the door. There were only two of them and Isabella wasn't amongst them.

The Ancient and the ashen men hid behind pillars. The ashen men were shooting mana towards the Ancient and occasionally at the Huin Seseum whom seemed to lack any combat ability. Then suddenly the mana-shots stopped and a group of Tamarin appeared.

'We have taken care of the assailants.' said one of the Tamarin.

The Ancient then said; 'Thank you; I had not expected to see our arch-nemesis the dark elves in these parts. Go and find out what they were doing here. I highly doubt they came here to assassinate just me.'

Then a guard came in through the door behind me running to Yoran.

'Sir the prisoners have been attacked by ashen men. All the guards are dead and Isabella is missing.'

Then before Yoran could reply the Ancient said; 'Ah I see, thank you for your report guard, you may go now.'

The guard looked warily to the Ancient but seeing as he was an Ancient he left without asking any further questions.

'What is going to happen to my daughter?'

'I do not know. All the more reason for you to help us. The dark elves live in the realm of Jagun. Allying yourself with Jin and subjugating Jagun is the quickest way to save your daughter.'

'Then what about Frank? Is he alright?'

'As there was no report of Frank being capture I am certain that he is fine. But until you follow through with our orders you will not be allowed to see him. We cannot risk it.'

I of course couldn't hear nor understand any of it due to still being deafened by the two shock waves.

I just lay their in pain. Slowly the pain ate away at my mind forcing me to pass out.

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Authors note:

It took me quite a bit longer to write this. It went through several revision and I completely scrapped what I had first written. As we approach the end of volume 1 I want to make the setting to start volume 2. I also tried to clearly define the powers at play which I had been reluctant to do in the previous chapters.

This is all thanks to a certain comment I got on chapter 20 and I'm hoping for more comments like that so that I can further improve on the story and how it is written. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.