Princess Cari The Right Side Of Pubove Part Three

The Tree Of Illusions

“So, all we have to do is take down all these trees and then go to the next land and free then of whatever the Dark Master Lord had placed in that land to keep people imprisoned there. How long do you plan to go along with this?”

“Yes, and I plan to go along with this as long as possible, although, once we defeat whatever it is. Although, what that child said. I just can not get it out of my head!” she said as they came to the next page.

“Me too. Although I do have to ask, how long do you expect to be able to do this?” he asked.

“As long as I can. Although I have to admit that I have never felt like this free regardless.” she said.

“I mean avoid getting killed by bounty hunters and assassins?”

“As long as they don't have any immortal killers, although, I never took my vows under my true name.” she said.

“And how long do you think that it would be until one of them does?”

“I can no quite say. They are rare things to find and most of them were destroyed in the great wars especially dragon wars.” she said as she glanced to the sleeping Ryo and Cari.

He looked over to them.

“Tell me, are they the royal dragon hybrids?” he asked.

“Yes, and their mother is the dragon queen. The older, Cari was the one to kill her. Although she was weakened dramatically when she did.”

“How come?”

“I don't know, but what I do know, is that there was a rumour that the last person that she saw was the witch princess.” she said.

“Who's that?” Ryo asked as he stirred from his sleep.

“Your step-mother. As far as I an aware that he looks and rules better of now that she's been dead for months.” Kir said.

“And Riku?”

“He's fine and sometimes he gets help from King Alexander.” he told him. “In fact those two are as close as brothers these days.”

“Yeah...” he said as looked over at the sleeping girl. “I think that we have something to do with that.”

They soon came to the tree. It had blood red leaves and roots, with the bark the colour of dried blood. With scarlet glowing eyes showing an expressionless face.

“Grim.” Ryo commented.

“I know.” Cari said as she stirred. “I wonder what it cane do?”

“Can't say I know.”

Cari's eyes wandered to the pair of glowing eyes. She suddenly felt that they were looking at her and then her body became stiff and had no desire to move. Her mind started to hurt, like it had something that was penetrating her mind. Then her vision went black.

She then saw that she was looking at her sister's room. She saw Hikari next to her, she was seven years old. She was braiding her hair, even-though she did not like how she looked with the countless braids in her hair, she let her do them anyway. It always brought a smile on her face and that was all she cared for, regardless of what her kingdom thought.

She then finished one braid, one more to go until it was complete. She often wondered whether or not this was what it was like to have a mother as she sometimes felt herself daydreaming as her sister brushed her hair and then, sometimes she would fall asleep as her sister made her way from one side of her hair to the other. Her sister was always good at them, and brushing out her messy hair. Even when it came to the nots, she would brush them out gently.

Cari's heart ached from nostalgia. She missed her sister and father deeply, she wished that she could go back home to them. She wished that she could walk the streets of her kingdom again.

Why are you showing me this? She thought.

“Oh, you'll see!” Came a voice that she knew was not hers.

That was when everything went back as she heard a loud noise, no it was a loud roar coming from behind. They turned around to see a dragon descend from the skies. She didn't know it back than but she knew now, while she had often though about her, this was when she met her mother. They were paralysed with fear for a moment. Then Cari ran in front of Hikari to protect her but with a single whack she flew back. She was helpless to see her sister scream and as she ran to her, the dragon's claws wrapped themselves around her tiny body and she was off.

Her father did not return for quite sometime. No, only that day, he was out hunting with Earl, he had insisted that they were to go out hunting that day.

Hold on! Earl had insisted on going out hunting that day! Well, wouldn't it have been interesting if he had known that mother was on her way? What's more, that he knew that she was going to kidnap Hikari that day.

Yeah and if he knew what that would lead to?

Soon she snapped out of her memory. Her heart raced and her mind became as sharp as a blade. She knew that the only way that she would ever have the answers to her questions was to return home. The sooner the better, after all she knew that she would forget all about it if she left it too long.

Why had I not thought about it before? She questioned herself. Because it wasn't relevant.

“Cari!” she heard Oran shout, snapping her back into reality. Just in time too for she suddenly realised that her hand was about to be bitten off. She whipped her hand back as the mouth of the tree bit down onto nothing.

She quickly loaded her crossbow and fired an arrow at it. She then aimed for the eyes of the tree and fired one shot and another in the other eye. That way none could look in then again and become entranced by their gaze ever again. She then ran at it and picked up a flint but as she ran to the tree she felt a root wrap itself around her wrist.

Her vision became black again. She found herself surrounded by dead bodies. She soon recognised that they all belonged to people of her kingdom. She looked at her reflection in their blood. She could see that she was an adult. She looked on as if she knew where she was going. Like she was tracing steps that she had already taken before...A long time ago...Back in a much more simpler time.

She had a cross bow in her hand. And she saw that her quiver hand arrows of all colours and knew that they were all made from dragon scales. She could feel that her heart was heavy and her mind felt like it had too much in it. She knew, somehow, that it was filled with dangerous knowledge.

She soon came to the throne room to see none other that Earl sat where her father or sister should be sitting right now. She raised her crossbow and felt a fire in her and her mind was at piece than everything went white and her vision faded and she saw that the tree was nothing but ash.