“Well, I wouldn’t want to gloat, but I should be the one to travel back south,” said Vaeludar.
“Why you?” asked Galvin.
“As you saw: I battled a Dragon, I took out a horde of Hobgoblins, and I can fly faster than anyone here, including the Griffin. And I have far more power here than anyone, alright? Someone had to travel with the greatest haste back to the capital city and inform the king of these matters, and I can’t carry you all there.”
“Well, you did carry us on a rock with a tail attachment,” said Wonomi.
“All because you had to grab a weapon and caused a big ruckus waking two Dragons and engulfing me in a collapsing cave of rocks, burying me in there. There was a risk I could have died in there, but as rocks were falling upon me, I managed to slip the gauntlet. And once that happened, it got absorbed into my body and changed my appearance completely. I don’t know if I should blame you for touching a weapon that could have killed me or thank you for bringing together all of our enemies into one place and annihilating them all together.”
“I won’t comment,” replied Wonomi.
“As much as I want to stay and teach these people of the southern territories, I must be the one to go back south and tell the others of what was going on here. Flavius, I want to take Naìra back as well.”
“I agree with you,” said Flavius. “A little girl shouldn’t be this far up north. She was once again a victim to those witches and she was almost drained. I’ve spent time with her last night and she needs to go back home. She misses the others and she no longer wants to be up in this village.”
“Then I might as well stay and teach these people basic knowledge of the south,” said Monico. “I do have experience training new recruits in the culture and histories of what’s happening down south. The king may not like my decision to stay, but he will have to respect it. I saw what we’re up against and it is not going to be an easy task facing it. I’ll stay here in the Northern Region and see what peoples and different cultures live up here.”
“If you’re staying up here, then I’m staying as well,” said Wonomi. “If you’re going to have the fun of being a showoff to these people, you’re not going to do it without me.”
Vaeludar looked at Monico and Wonomi, who were volunteering to stay behind. Then he looked at Galvin and Flavius; they didn’t say anything. And the Griffin flying overhead came soaring down to join with the others.
“I’ll for sure tell these people about the creatures living down south,” said the Griffin. “Centaurs. Dragons. My kind: the Griffins. All bunches of them. But we have been ordered by the king to be under your command. Whatever you command.”
Vaeludar blinked once, not knowing what to think about that. Since Flavius and Galvin hadn’t said anything yet, he was thinking of volunteering them both to train what fighters the few clan leaders may have. He knows Flavius was the son of an earl who commands the largest army in the Western Region of Shimabellia, and the looks of Galvin make him a brute fighter to train the weakest soldier.
“Then this is what we must do: Galvin and Flavius will find any potential fighters this village may have and see to it to start an army. Wonomi and Flavius will teach these people of the other people living down south of the mountain border. Flarefur will teach these villagers of the creatures living with the people living down south. And I will travel back with Marina and Naìra and try to inform the leaders of these events and try to have them send help here to the north. Agreed?”
They all nodded their heads.
Vaeludar smiled at their response. He was going to have to leave as soon as possible. The sooner he left the village and head back south, the sooner he could inform Geraldus and King Uragiru of Lusìvar’s latest evolvement. And he had no idea when the Shadow King may lead another attack.
He was going to be looking at a long flight back. He may have strength to his wings, but he doesn’t have the speed to fly back in a matter of days. He was going to have to start about now.
He was having a certain, icky gut feeling sometime somewhere the Shadow King was going to strike again. Vaeludar couldn’t tell how he was suddenly having a dreadful, sickly feeling, but he was just feeling it and it wasn’t pretty. He just had a sudden feeling Lusìvar would strike somewhere and he felt like it was going to be on a glorious, happy day that would be ruined.
Only time would tell what would happen when Lusìvar strikes again. After all, Vaeludar was the one with the strength and power to fight the ancient Shadow King. He is just going to have to wait and see what would happen next.
TWO WEEKS LATER
B
ack down south, where Geraldus and his children: Alaric, Arron and Nerio, and two of the three daughters, Eliana and Andrei, had stayed; they were living briefly at the castle. They knew Flavius traveled with Vaeludar, but they had noticed the other twin girl, Naìra, had completely disappeared a day after Vaeludar and his group left for the north.
The twin girls were present when Vaeludar left with the dragon king, but Naìra suddenly disappeared without a trace. Whispers began to emerge about the hybrid kidnapping the girls and taking them north with him. Many rumors ran around Geraldus’s homeland about the girl’s disappearances like rabbits running from their predators.
It had nearly been three weeks since Vaeludar traveled north to find the armor artifact
