Forbidden (mxm)

16. The Breach (Sai)

   The journey is not a happy one anymore. The relaxing night sounds of the animals never came back, as if they all disappeared from the face of the Earth. We are moving as fast as we can across the grass land in complete silence. Everyone is on the highest alert. The mood is gloomy. The tension can be felt in the air. The two kings and queen Airya are riding at the head with us now, with sullen expression on their faces. My hands are still shaking. I'm squeezing the bridle as hard as I can to stop it, but with no success. I'm shocked by the sudden encounter with the hideous monster. There is also something even more horrible that may be hidden behind it. What shook me to the core, though, were the despicable courage which prince Dai Danail demonstrated and my unplanned confession.

   "You know what this means," father suddenly breaks the silence. "We have to..."

   "No!" King Dorth interrupts him abruptly. "This one has survived the last purge. It was probably hiding all this time in the caves. How often do people cross the savannah at night? Who would see it here? We missed it and it managed to grow unbothered."

   "This is not true and you know it," father insists. "Something like this cannot stay hidden for thirty years. It's new. You know it is. Don't try to deny it. That won't change the facts." King Dorth growls in disagreement, but father goes on. "Last time there were one hundred of them but only because we took measures immediately. It can't be postponed. Thousands may invade our world and burn it to ashes before we know. We need to summon... "

  "No! I said no!" The Beast shouts, his braided beard trembling with anger. "I don't want to see neither of their kinds. Creepy witches! None of them has ever brought good to us."

   "We have no choice," King Unufrail whispers. "You'll hear this no matter how much you don't want to. We need to summon a keeper and a prophet."

   "Fuck! I should have slaughtered them all long ago," The King of Eleysan spits out through gritted teeth. "I knew they would crawl back to light one day, just like that flaming insect. Bring them to me and you'll see their heads rolling in the dust next to that moth's ugly muzzle."

   "Darling," The queen approaches, gently placing her hand on his forearm. "When will you stop being so stubborn? There are some things we don't understand. We should accept the fact that they can't be changed. Our whole existence is in danger. You have responsibilities. We need to protect the lives of millions of people."

   "Give me the location and the codes of your accesses to the crystal system," Dorth grumbles, glaring at the Desert King.

   This time it's father who laughs out humorlessly. "You wish, old fox!" he snorts. "I'm not that crazy, you know. There's no way you will use my channels before the treaty is signed."

   "And how am I supposed to bring one of those witches here then?" Dorth rolls his eyes. "The Portal is a dive and a half away and they are all swarming around it like hornets."

   "Send back a soldier with an order for a diver to go and bring The First," Unufrail insists.

   "The First? Are you insane? That horrid woman would never leave her snake pit," the other shudders.

   "She's your subject. She'll never disobey her king," Queen Airya interferes. "Please, my love! We're all aware that it's a matter of no more than a week before the sky will be set on fire."

   "Fine," her husband finally nods in defeat. He shakes his head, squinting at father, "I'll write the letter when we reach The Second Shelter. She'll be at the border at sunset tomorrow. You can send your diver to bring her to The Capital."

   "Very well!" father answers. "The prophet will be waiting for us there. We shall meet them both after the signing ceremony."

   King Dorth purses his lips and turns to Dey. "Did you choose a wife, son? There are ten of Unufrail's daughters that are ready for marriage. I believe he told you which ones. I'm sure each of them will be happy to become your wife." 

   The oldest ten of my sisters are already married. Five of them are still too young. Only those, aged from eighteen to twenty eight, will be considered. My heart painfully shrinks. I peek secretly at Dey's face. He only smiles softly and answers, "I've chosen."

   We finally reach The Second Shelter in the early morning hours. It's only a tent camp at the end of the grass land, near the first sparse grove which will gradually turn into a dense forest. A detachment of soldiers is waiting for us there to accompany us as we cross it. The Capital is on the other side.

   We jump down from the horses and join in the hurried preparations to light a fire and accommodate everyone for a few hours of rest. The girls are tired and upset. They quickly grab their belongings and disappear in the tents. I flop heavily near the fire and cover my face with my hands. The stress finally catches up with me. Every single muscle hurts. I feel tears welling up in my eyes and quickly blink to chase them away. 

   "Sai," I hear Dey's quiet voice next to me. "Why are the keepers and the prophets needed? What does this all mean? I feel there's a lot I don't know."

   "It's true," I faintly answer. "I can tell you the things you don't know, but I'm afraid it will change everything."

   "Then only tell me what is important for the present. I trust you to make the right decision," he smiles. His words warm my heart. His handsome face is illuminated by the blazing fire. The flames are beautiful, not scary like before.

   "These monsters come through The Portal," I utter. "One hundred managed to pass the last time, before the keepers succeeded in closing it. We weren't born at that time. It was more than forty years ago. Many people lost their lives but eventually they were exterminated. The appearance of a grown individual out of nowhere can mean only one thing. There is a breach."

   Dey nods in understanding. This is all I'm ready to uncover and he senses it.

   "Sai," he says, leaning closer to me, "I would've never let that ugly beast kill me. I had faith."

   I'm gazing at him in confusion. He traces my covered arm with the tips of his fingers. My whole body shivers. He's too bold. No one has dared to do so, even though it's not on my bare skin. He smiles again, "Do you know why?"

   I only shake my head.

   "Because I love you too," Dey whispers.

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Photo by Andrew Neel  from Pexels

A/N

Hello at the end of chapter 16!

Thank you for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

We have another confession. Did you expect it so soon?

What do you think the keeper and the prophet will be like? 🤔

Share your thoughts, ask questions and criticize, if you think it's necessary.

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Love: Anny