54 Bitter Truth

Under the chambers of the mansion, Celina could feel herself suffocate, the tense air wrapped around her skin, seeing the pile of corpses strewn close to the table, her mind couldn't process well. She scowled and gazed at Shekurya with a desperate look. "Shekurya what's going on?" Her voice cracked.

Shekurya shook her head, she sighed heavy. "Sorry Celina but for the welfare of the many, you shall be taken to the capital."

It quickly pierced her heart, she gritted her teeth, the feeling of betrayal surged into hatred. Her eyebrows knitted as she looked at Shekurya. "I trusted you!" She growled.

Shekurya couldn't look her in the eye, she bit her lip. "We have to do this, otherwise the entire city will collapse."

Celina swung her arm and hit a plate, the plate got flung and fell with a heavy clank, startling the guards around. She bent her head low. "So you're telling me you're selling us to the demons?"

"We don't have any choice, because if we don't we are doomed to fail. An informant told us that a demon called the Page will come here soon." Shekurya said.

Then from the corner Grim came forward. "That's right, you as well Pillar will be captured and delivered to the capital." He cackled.

Celina had no idea who it was, but it seemed he was the person who pushed the couple to this point. She find it hard to swallow that Helrick and his wife would do this. But when she thought about it, it would make sense since this city stood precariously under the severe threat of the demons.

When she turned to Herana, she was cowering in fear, Herana tried to come close to Skylar but he was pinned down on the ground.

Suddenly, Helrick started speaking. "I'm sorry it had to go this way."

Celina sneered, there was nothing she could do but to accept the situation, these people are only doing the best they could to help themselves and their people. But what could she do, Blue was frozen, Skylar's ability was sealed. She clenched her fist since she thought it might be her end.

Then in a sudden a helmet fell on the ground with a loud clank, Celina turned to check it, she noticed it was dropped by an armored guard. And the armored guard was no other than Pelvin, he winked at her with a smile.

Celina gasped, while half surprised and half glad.

The guards became cautious and Helrick was startled. "Who are you?"

"It must be the invader!" One guard spoke.

"Hurry shoot him."

"Miss mage, cover your eyes." Pelvin said, he dropped two black balls on the ground, then a thick curtain of smoke filled the room. The guards cough hard and dropped on the ground, their eyes became watery as their breath became hot.

"It hurts."

"What's with this smoke."

Pelvin never thought he would use the bombs this way, but nonetheless, he carried Celina on his shoulder.

Then a voice were coming from the smoke. "Pelvin! The deal is already off, a week from now your family is good as dead! Return her immediately." Grim spoke.

Pelvin smacked his lips, yet he ignored him and left the building as fast as he could. When he was outside, there were several guards on standby, he dropped his remaining smoke bomb, then went through them. Upon reaching the streets, he quickly dropped her and they run off as swift as they could.

Celina turned her head to her back. "What about the Princess?"

Pelvin shook his head. "We have no time for her, right now the best we can do is escape."

They then hid in the alleyway, and entered as deep as they could, they heard the clattering steps and the voices of men scouring the streets. Celina leaned on the wall and crouched, she reflected everything that just occured. Her eyes and nose were slightly irritated. The smoke bomb Pelvin threw earlier felt painful when it went through her nostrils. But she focused more on what was important.

"Pelvin thank you for saving me, but I don't know what to do anymore." Celina said.

Pelvin sighed. "Miss mage, you need to know what to do. I risked my life to save you out there, although I admit I intend to capture you once. But its seems Helrick has already claimed you."

Celina gasped as she recalled something important. "Pelvin will you help me."

"What is it?"

"I know where we can gather some allies, perhaps strong ones." Celina said.

Pelvin scratched his head, thinking deep. "Where else? The crusader main force have left the city hours ago, all of the guards are under the command of Lord Helrick."

Celina shook her head. "No, there we still have another. The best we can do is to convince them."

Pelvin tried to think but nothing comes to mind, regardless, he tailed her as they went through the alleyways, they slinked through the alleys since the streets were unsafe for the two. Right now, they were probably being

***

Outside the city walls an army were found standing outside, although they were one, their swords remained unsheathed. Their faces looked calm and their postures bore no hostility. The one who lead the army was Zemur, he gave a smirk as he faced the gates.

Captain Shugart from the rampart aimed his nocked bow unto them. "Zemur you have a lot of guts strolling casually in this city."

Zemur cackled, he wasn't a bit cautious. "Let us pass."

Captain Shugart smacked his lips, defying his words. "Did you turn insane as well?

A guard whispered on Captain Shugart's ear, he acted surprised. "What! Is that true?"

The guard nodded.

He balled his fist and slammed the wall, he went away with a disappointed sigh. "Do what ever you want, I'm done with this shit!" He trudged his feet.

The gates slowly slid open, Zemur and his men marched across the streets, their mailed boots clattered as they made their way on each houses. The civilians on the sides quickly hid when they recognized who it were.

Zemur just gave them a smirk.

They then stopped, scattered outwards and went towards each houses, barging in and yanked the people from outside their houses. "Take the mages!"

The guards from the ramparts turned a blind eye and hid from the civilians eyesight. The city soldiers didn't have any presence as though they just vanished from the city.

The citizens cried their lungs out. "Where are the guards?"

"Please help!"

Zemur grunted. "Quiet, if you just settledown and let us inspect you, we'll let you go. If you're not a mage that is." He cackled.

Everyone of the civilians were forced to leave their doors, they were then positioned on the streets and were being tested out one by one by Zemur and his men. Some who tried to fight were quickly shot down by crossbows, thus they had no choice but to obey.

***

Lord Helrick from the mansion sighed as he steepled his fingers, he sat on his chair with an anxious look. "Was it a bad decision, dear?" He clasped her hand.

Shekurya's face fell as well. "I don't know, but we did what's best for the city. Sacrifices have to be made."

"I hope the civilians can bear with it, I made a deal with Zemur that he'll take the mages of this city. And we'll let him be without resistance. I think it was the best since, I can't command my guards to do such a vile act." Helrick said.

Shekurya carressed his back. "If we commanded the guard to do such, the people will lose their faith in you. I think it's better if we let Zemur take the blame."

Herana who was listening on the side stomped her foot. Tears flowed out from her eyes like a waterfall. "How despicable!" She spat. She wasn't chained but she still wasn't free as she was flanked by two guards.

On the corner, Skylar was locked inside the cage, his hands was also cuffed and he was tied by a rope, it was very obvious everyone was cautious of him. He stared at Herana with full worry, there was not even a bit of concern left on himself.

Helrick cleared his throat, he crossed his leg and leaned his face forward. "Your highness, I think it's better if you keep your mouth shut from issues you don't understand."

Herana clenched her teeth, her face produced some wrinkles, she found their actions very hard to swallow. "What do you mean understand? It's very obvious you're selling out the lives of your mages."

Helrick sighed. "True, but this is a very simple that even a child can understand. You're given five candies, but you're only given the choice to either take three candies or none at all. So, you're highness I would like to hear your answer from that."

"I would take them all of course." Herana said.

Helrick shook his head. "Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way, only naive children think that way, or if they were adults they were referred to as fools by society. If things work that way we wouldn't be in this predicament right now."

Skylar snorted in displeasure, he butted in between their conversation. "If people who think for the best are naive, then I'd rather be one. I'll gladly choose for it rather than living your life everyday pretending everything is fine. Because this world needs change."

Helrick closed his eyes, he wasn't one bit amused. "Such hypocrisy, didn't you tell me that you were gonna leave this country? What change are you talking about, you're even willing to abandon it, unless we bow down to his highness, you won't be saved. That is the reality we lived in."

Skylar smiled a bit despite his situation. "I was just planning to escort her highness to a safe place. Once I ensure that, I will return here and wreck the capital into the dirt along with Dersim."

"Nonetheless I already made my decision, and you won't be able to change my mind." Helrick said.

Lord Helrick then turned around and went close to Skylar. "A few hours from now you will be delivered to the capital, you better say your last goodbye."

Skylar snithely glared at him, his cold eyes gave an impression that if he was free, he would murder him without remorse. "Do anything you want to me, just don't hurt her highness."

"You can rest easy, she well be taken care of. And I'm gonna give her an escort to the RedWaters." Helrick said.

Skylar sighed in relief. "Is that so."

Herana struggled and wriggled like a worm, the guards held her shoulder to keep in her place. "Skylar, I refuse to accept this!"

Skylar lifted a warm smile. "It seems this might be the end of our journey, it was nice serving under you, you're highness."

A tinge of pain struck her chest like a bullet, she shed tears even more than before, she gripped her cloth tight. "This so unfair!"

Shekurya turned to her, trying to comfort her. "Your highness, pardon me if things turned out this way."

Herana's face became fueled in rage, she just might lurch forward and bite her if there were no guards nearby. "You can still free Skylar, please."

Shekurya shook her head. "I know it's hard but we should know how to make sacrifices."

"You can still join us, we'll leave this place together."

Shekurya sighed. "If we choose to go to another country what do you think will happen. I'm a refugee myself and I know the struggle to be one, it will be hard to migrate to another place. Foreigners will treat you differently, and you won't be able to live in the same way as you do in your home country."

Herana bent her head low, unable to give a response.

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