It's Them

"OH! IT IS FROM THE MASKED I FOUGHT"

"You fought one of the kidnappers?", Seth asked with wide eyes.

Anthony froze for a bit as he saw Seth's widened eyes. It emphasized the snake eye which he hadn't gotten used to yet.

"Anthony?"

Coming out of his shock, he said, "Sorry. Yes, I fought the first one to approach us. I guess that was when I ripped this piece from what he was putting on"

"I see". Seth said as he continued to study the cloth. He had followed the generals on a patrol one day and had come across soldiers who were putting on a rich purple vest. He had admired the color and wondered who would be so vain enough to dress his soldiers this way...

"What are you thinking about?", Anthony asked.

Seth shot him a look, [what kind of stupid question was that?], "What do you think I am thinking about, Anthony? And please, do not answer me".

Seth was close to the answer, he could feel it. It was in a corner of his thoughts. [It will come to me], he thought.

"First, let us ride to your home. I will take over the situation from here. I think I know where the princess is", he told Anthony.

Anthony didn't argue with him... he was beginning to feel dizzy and unwell again. He also wanted to see Greta. [Her soups will bring me comfort and I just want to hold her], he thought before jumping on his horse.

"No, we will use mine so we make it to the boundary in a few hours".

[How is that even possible?], Anthony thought. The Red Kingdom had vast lands and the distance from the palace to where Ruby, Anthony, and Greta stayed was no joke.

Seth saw the disbelief on Anthony's face. "I am getting tired of your stares. Jump on this horse before I leave you thinking here", he warned.

[On one horse? That is too close for comfort], as Anthony was thinking, Seth grabbed him with one hand and put him on the horse. By the time Anthony knew what was happening, Seth was galloping away. The riding was so fast that Anthony had to grab Seth's sides otherwise, he'd have fallen off the horse.

Anthony wasn't sure anymore whether they were on a horse with legs or a horse with wings. They were literally flying.

"H-how are you going s-so fast?", he asked Seth.

(No response).

Seth had all his concentration on sharing his speed with the horse he was riding which had become his companion through all his journeys outside the Red Kingdom.

It felt amazing.

"The Taterra Kingdom!", a woman's voice said in his head.

That familiar voice again.

It had to be! The information was valid because he remembered now. [THE SAME PURPLE!]. Seth had seen the material with the same color on the commander he spoke to in the Ziviel Kingdom.

"So they are partners in this?"

"WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?", Anthony shouted from behind. He hadn't heard what Seth said because of the wind in his ears.

Seth ignored him and continued with his thoughts. He wondered what the best form of attack would be. The one that wouldn't put Ruby's life in danger.

"They want to kill her son, hurry!", the voice said.

Seth remembered the pain he felt when Ling told him it was because she had died, he could hear her voice like that. [I will see to that later. I have to get Ruby!], he thought.

If Ziviel and Taterra were partners in this, he didn't think Ruby would be back in her kingdom by now. The person sitting on her throne must be receiving help from the established Taterra Kingdom with that greedy king. Seth knew that fact, everyone knew that King Vasso was a greedy human who wanted more than he could chew. "I will start there", he said.

In Seth's mind, he put himself in their shoes. [What will I do if I were in the place carrying out such an act?], he thought.

"MY HEAD HURTS!", Anthony screamed.

Seth slowed down and stopped. "Too fast for you?"

"Yes. We will soon be there too. I think I can walk the rest of the way"

"Oh? How many miles? I can see the waterfall already", Seth said. ['That water fall']. His heart raced as he thought of the days he met Ruby there. "I don't care the number of miles. I have to get to Ruby. I know where she is"

Anthony's mouth fell open. The way this man had spoken of Princess Ruby was so familiar as if he knew her personally... like they were friends of some sort. He summoned up courage and asked the prince, "Have you met the princess before?"

"You are full of questions, aren't you?", Seth asked. "We keep riding. No time"

Seth also wanted to see finally, where Ruby lived.

* * *

In The Taterra Kingdom...

King Vasso was in his throne room with his wife, Queen Vassi, sitting beside him.

"What are you thinking about, Vasso?", she said as she placed her left hand on his right arm.

He flinched.

"Sorry, my love. You know me, always thinking about one thing or the other"

"Yes, I do. Always scheming. That is why you are a great king"

He loved his wife, she always fanned his ego. He made a good choice when he married her.

King Vasso never left his queen in the dark, he always carried her along in whatever plan, and in whatever move he was going to make.

"The princess is in my custody"

"Which princess?"

Vasso looked at her, a bit annoyed that she wasn't following smartly enough. "The Princess of the Ziviel Kingdom"

"Oh? the red-haired girl that came visiting some time ago... what do you plan to do with her?", a smirk on her face. Queen Vassi and her husband both had kinky traits. They would bring exotic people, sometimes, women... or men, from other kingdoms or countries, into their bedroom. The fun would last all night. They thought it sustained their marriage, preventing boredom from setting in between them.

King Vasso noticed the smirk on her face, he rolled his eyes and said, "It is not what you are thinking, Vassi. I am handing her over to her uncle, Thress"

"Oh". She thought for a whole minute then said, "She is his only threat. You know what he will do to her, right?"

"That is not my business. I have a lot to gain from Thress being on that throne. You know of our deals, don't you?. I have tried to think of options, but none had come to my mind"

"Options for what?"

"To prevent the girl from getting killed. She was so respectful even though I didn't give her what she came for. I admired that a little", King Vasso said while stroking his blond beard.

"How about this?"

Vasso faced his wife, giving her his full attention. He praised her manipulative skills. Vasso knew how cunning she could be. "Go on"

"Give her an offer to stay here with us. She will be given a room, given maids, and be treated like the royalty that she is. That way, she will be off Thress' back, will have our protection, and you, my king, will have more stake in the Ziviel Kingdom"

"Oh?"

"Think about it. She will become 'our' concubine", she winked at her husband who gave a throaty laugh.

"You devil", Vasso said.

"You love me like that, don't you?"

"Sure. I will think about that before I act on it. If it won't be so favorable, sorry my dear, but I will have to hand her over to Thress", he said, cradling Vassi's cheek.

"My King, a letter for you", a royal messenger said.

"Bring it to me", Vasso replied.

As he tore open the letter, Queen Vassi excused herself, "I have to see to something important, my love. Update me later, okay?"

"Sure", Vasso's focus was on the letter in his hands.

[It is from Thress], he thought.

This was the third letter from Thress within four days. [Such an impatient man. Desperate to the core. Very irritating], King Vasso thought.

'I am still expecting the worm', Thress had written.

"I have to do something fast", Vasso said. It annoyed him that he was concerned about the princess' life. [I shouldn't be. Things like this bring complications in plans].

There was a ruckus just outside the door of the throne room.

"WHAT IS GOING ON THERE?", Vasso screamed.

A guard walked in and informed him that a soldier had a message for him, and they had told the man to wait, but he said it was very important.

Vasso shook his head, [One trouble after another]. "Let him in"

* * *

The guards surrounding the palace walls were dead.

Most had been decapitated.

Some had their guts... their intestines in front of them. Their bellies cut open.

"THE PALACE WALLS HAVE BEEN BREACHED!!". Shouts, alerting the other guards filled the place.

Seth advanced. He could see the palace building in front of him.

One of the soldiers, at the point of death, had told him about the red-haired princess locked up in the dungeon in the right-wing of the palace.

Seth had no business seeing the king or anything of the sort.

With a wave of his sword, the gate to the underground passage, leading to the dungeons blasted open. The movement sent the guards that had been running towards him, flying.

The only reason Seth was bleeding, was because of the stones that had hit him from all the raging blasting.

He was inside the place housing the dungeons.

"RUBY?!"

That voice could not be mistaken. "Seth?... SETH I'M HERE! DOWN HERE!"