Strena The Vengeful Ones Part Five

 The Scorned

They soon set off the moment that Strena was ready to leave. Once they were on the move they were able to make a good amount of progress. They were able to get a good couple of miles in and that included food breaks. Once night fell, they were able to get some sleep. Yet Bash and Cerpheres stayed close to Strena. Mainly to help her get some sleep and stay asleep.

The following day they were able to eat their breakfast. Strena, feeling slightly ill after the events of the day before, found it difficult to eat. However, out of fear of being force fed by Cerpheres, did her best to force as much food down her as she could.

When it was in the middle of the morning, they approached a young man. He had green hair, blue eyes and, by his skin tone, was from Middeast. He wore long blue and red robes. He looked at Chashathrophogh, Zaryb and Cerpheres. He then closed his eyes as he took out a small silver fob watch from his pocket.

“Who are you?”

“Eahes Akumr of the Desert Planes.”

Chashathrophogh nodded as he looked at his robes.

“Are they the robes of students of time magic?”

He looked down, slightly dismayed and pouting.

“Yes.”

“Are you here to kill Strena?” He asked.

Eakes Akumr twisted the rim of his robes.

“Yes.”

“Why? What did my father do?”

“He killed my parents after they refused to give my little sister over to him. See my sister was one of the most beautiful in my land. He saw her merely by coincidence as he was visiting and she was out fetching herbs to help with my illness. However, once he saw her, he had to have her. So he tailed her, wanting to get her alone. Yet my sister was very clever, she kept to the streets that were heavily populated so she was never out of sight of anyone and soon made it home to treat me.

“That was when there was a knock on the door and that was him.” He said as he looked at Strena as if she was noting but a piece of dirt.

“Yet when he came in he demanded my parents to hand my sister over to him. He offered us money and everything! Yet they refused as she was promised to another. So he did everything that he could to find the boy that she was promised to and killed him and his entire family so that she could not be promised to another of his kin. Then he returned and demanded it again. Again he was denied by my parents.

“So he killed all the males, apart from me and my father as I was too young and came back. He was denied again so he killed my father then he took my mother to one of his men to pleasure himself with her as long as he wanted until she said yes. That was when he turned his attention to me and, once I was well, I was given to another of his men as a slave. Yet months went by and my mother, bless her heart, still did not give him the ‘yes’ that he wanted. Not even when her face was coated in bruises and cuts. So he ordered several of his men to do it. 

“That was when she fell pregnant to one of them. Yet he made sure to use that to keep her from the soldiers and she was tied to a bed as he told them to take all the women of the village and make sure they too fell pregnant and ordered all the men to be killed and the boys became their slaves. Soon they did and she was forced to watch as I had to clean up after every one of them. 

“Then she gave birth shortly after and died. He calmed that, in her dying breath, she gave him the ‘yes’ that he wanted and took her to bed that very night and if she did not do as she was told then he would watch me be killed. But upon finding out that she had fallen pregnant and gave birth to the child to the man she was promised to, he killed her that night. Then he destroyed what was left of my village. The only reason why I was spared was because I was such a good slave for a good ten years and how much I looked like my sister. So I used all of that to work my way to the top, waiting for my time to strike only to find out that he and his wife were killed.”

That was when both Chashathrophogh and Zaryb’s clothes were too big for them. They looked down at their hands to see that they were smaller than they were a moment ago.

“Bash! Shoot that watch out of his hands!” Chashathrophogh shouted, only to notice that his voice sounded and felt strange. Almost like it was breaking again.

He looked at Zaryb. He looked like he was fifteen again! He looked at the man again. Strena looked up at him as Bash shot an arrow at his hands. This broke the fob watch. He laughed.

“My, my! Don’t you children know? A spell like that is when the caster is dead!” He laughed.

“Then, looks like we’re going to have to kill you then!” Purred Cerpheres.

Heblooked at hom shocked, outraged and confused.

“What? That spell I cast upon all the adults! Why aren’t you like a child too?”

He let out a lyrical chuckle.

“Adorable! That kind of magic won’t work on me.”

He frowned and opened his mouth to speak when Zaryb ran to the man at an inhuman speed. He threw several tiny daggers at him. Yet he saw this and dodged yet one hit him in the arm. He then took out a sword and slashed at him. Only to be hit by a rock. He looked at Chashathrophogh to see another rock floating behind him. He threw it. He dodged out of the way then he caught Zaryb in the corner of his eye. He flung his sword to his chest trying to slash it. Zaryb jumped back, holding his chest. He looked at him like a wounded wolf.

“Sorry Zaryb, that’s going to leave a scar!”

He frowned as he was hit by a rock. He was knocked to the ground. He then got up to see an arrow in his face before he got to his feet. He looked at Strena then kicked Bash out of the way. He ran to her as fast as he could. She dodged out of the way and pulled out Orion and Darkector. She blocked his blade with Orion and drew his hand away, using his own strength to do so, and went to stab him with Darkector.

Orion, do you have a power?

“Yes. I believe I do.”

How do I use it?

“Get in touch with your spiritual side of yourself!”

She nodded as she pushed on. Then she was about to hit but was kicked in the gut. She flew. She saw he was behind her. He raised his blade to her. She saw her life flash as she knew that if nothing was done, she would land upon the blade. Then she was hit in the head by a tiny dagger and she rolled away from the blade as she fell. Instantly she flicked up and the tip slit something.

Both Chashathrophogh and Zaryb returned to their adult state and looked at Cerpheres.

“Why didn’t his spell affect you?” Chashathrophogh asked.

He chuckled his lyrical chuckle.

“I could show you one day!” He purred as he took out his violin and started playing. 

Strena started to clean Darkector and then Orion. She suddenly felt her mind clear like there was a fog of thoughts that was suddenly lifted,giving her a clarity of thoughts that she had not had not had in a long time. Yet she knew what to do and where she saw to go.

Then Orion started to glow. She looked down to see it was a faint and pale yellow colour. Almost like she was looking at the sun on a foggy day or through the clouds.

“Cerpheres, can you teach me how to play that?” She asked.

“Sure. Why? What did it make you feel?”

Her eyes carried determination.

“I know what I should do. Yet I don’t think it’s the right time to know what it is.”

He let out a sound like a sigh and a moan as he smirked.

✴️

Ahken Naaken knew that all that he had sent to kill Arielsa Zuvé had failed. Yet even though he did not want to nor did he like the idea, but he knew that he would have to kill the girl himself. So he set off to do just that making sure to use his Sphinx to get there fast.