Chapter 24

Theme: The warning, part three

"Joy, where have you been?" Dan asked. He trudged down from Mrs Claire's balcony and walked toward Joy. "I thought we were discussing something earlier, and the next minute, you disappeared."

"Hmm... I was checking... I just feel like checking the horse we are taking along for the journey." Joy speaks in a stammering tone. "I didn't even disappear, I just walked out through the door." She elaborated while ruffling her hair.

Dan walked closer to her and stared at her as if he was finding it hard to believe her. He walked around her and hugged her from behind. As he did this, Dan noticed that Joy shivered in shock, and that made him raise his brow in confusion. Ever since he and Joy had been together, Joy had never tensed whenever their skin touched.

"Are you okay?" Dan asked in confusion. "You don't even tell me what you saw in the woods. When did you start hiding secrets?"

"Hmm.. what… what are you talking about?" Joy asked. "You know what, I need some time to be alone." She said and walked out.

Dan crossed her arm as he watched Joy walk away. Without being told, he knew something was wrong. However, he shrugged the thought off. Perhaps, she is still suffering from her mother's trauma. He thought and followed her.

"Favour, your in-laws are waiting for you at the altar." Mrs Claire screamed for the third time. However, she was met with silence.

"Perhaps she's busy." Mrs Sandra suggested. "Since you say it's a forced marriage, she might be crying inside her room. Why don't we check her there?"

"Don't get me wrong, Ariel, it's not a contract marriage." Mrs Claire shot at her. "We did this to sign a peace treaty with General Zod and the lower Isle. If we don't do this, there is a possibility that he might have involved Lord Darius in this, and that would mean our death."

"Why are you scared of some stupid Lycans, for goodness' sake?" Mrs Sandra asked in irritation. "We have the half-blood with us; we have warriors who are ready to fight until death. Then what else do we need?"

"Don't get me wrong, Ariel, our army stands no chance against General Zod. He can convince Lord Darius and request an army; and that would make them wipe us out. I mean all of us would be killed before we knew it, and not even King Aaron could stop the invasion. Even the shield I was using to protect the city gate wouldn't help. Not any of our generals, nor you. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

She said and sighs in irritation. "Everything is going on as we planned, so don't disrupt it with your advice."

"I understand you perfectly, Claire." Mrs Sandra said as she walked toward the exit of the room. "However, that doesn't mean we should be doing their will. We can fight against them. We shouldn't give them the chance to be intimidating."

"I will meet you in Moab as soon as I join the couples together," Mrs Claire simply said and returned to the inner room.

Seeing that there was nothing she could say again that would change Claire's mind about handling her daughter to General Zod, she hissed in disappointment and walked out of the wooden door.

"Favour, what the hell on earth are you doing with the blood sword?" Mrs Sandra fired at the young, beautiful girl with tan skin. "Did you think it's for children?"

"What did you mean?" Favour asked in confusion. "I have been using this same sword for the past three days. What are you talking about?" Favour shouted back.

"You must be insane," Mrs Sandra remarks. She stretches her hand forward and then uses it to draw a somatic pattern in the air.

As soon as she did this, the blood sword vanished from favour's waist and appeared in her hand. "Claire is waiting for you. Go and meet her before your husband-in-law comes for our head." Mrs Sandra clarified before walking to the horse barn.

"You can't do this to me," Favour tried to argue, but Mrs Claire emerged from the house.

"Favour, come inside right away." Mrs Claire ordered

"Listen to me, I'm not who you think I am." Favour tried to argue. Before she could finish her speech, Mrs Claire appeared in front of her, grabbed her by the waist, and they both vanished.

"What's going on?" Says Dan. He walked towards Mrs Sandra, while Joy was walking beside him. "We heard some noise now. What is that about?"

"It's nothing to worry about," Mrs Sandra replied, "It seems that favour didn't want the forced marriage. She had been suffering from the trauma of getting married to one of Lord Darius's generals." She explained before directing her gaze to Joy.

"Without the blood sword, you can't kill Lord Darius and other villains out there. Be careful with and don't lose it." She said and threw the sword at Joy.

Instantly, she caught it, and then rubbed her hand on the ivory end. She stared at it with surprise and curiosity at the same time.

"What are you looking for? Has anything changed in it?" Mrs Sandra asked when she noticed how Joy was examining the sword.

"No, it's nothing." She quickly answered. "Just that it felt heavier."

"Joy, what's wrong with you?" Dan asked with a hard tone. "You have been acting weird ever since I found you in the horse stable."

"I'm fine," Joy answered with a forceful smile. "I swear, I'm okay."

"All right then, let's proceed to Moab." Mrs Sandra says

***********

"So, this is Moab, isn't it?" Sarah muttered.

She jumped down from her Zerta and used her eyes to scrutinise the whole vicinity. She took a deep breath and then exhaled softly. Indeed, Moab is different from other territories in the Middle East. It is more of a heated desert than land. The desert floor is also made up of gravel. It's the hottest region in the middle land.

"Yes," Micah Tyler retorted, with a smirk. He also jumped down from his Zerta and made his way towards a small, one-story building.

The building is made up of burnt clay bricks. Burnt clay bricks are created by pressing wet clay into moulds, then drying and firing in kilns. Surrounding the building are hundreds of D'arcy soldiers. Each of them wore a solemn expression.

"Let's get down to business, I still have a rebel to chase." Micah said impatiently.

Seeing Micah Tyler and Sarah walking toward them, they parted ways for them to pass, and now their heads are slightly bowed as a sign of respect.

Well, who wouldn't know or fear Micah? He was a vampire who was turned by Lord Darius himself. Not only that, he had great skills which were passed down to him from generation to generation.

Not bothering to query him, they gave Micah access to the main building. Without being told, Micah knew that Lord Darius had already informed them about his arrival.

"This place is ancient," says Sarah with giggles. She jogged after Micah as he entered the burnt clay building house.

Getting into the main building of the house, Sarah wasn't surprised by what she saw. The room was decorated with different ancient drawings. From bat excrement to hundreds of stencilled hands drawn on the wall and other night-walking creatures. Sarah was certain that she hadn't and would never see it in her life.

"We came here for the ring of terror," Micah said impatiently. He walked to a nearby chair and sat on it. "I'm sure Lord Darius has already told you about this earlier."

"Sure," replied General Clark, a middle-aged man with a long beard. He dipped his hand into the inner pocket of his long coat and brought out a small ring. "Here it is," said General Clark as he dropped the ring into Micah's palm.

Sarah asked in disbelief, "You mean this is the ring of terror?"

She couldn't believe that a small yellow, formless, and shapeless object could be the ring of terror. "I thought it should be inside some sort of protective field. Are you sure this is the right element we came for?"

"Yes, I'm." Micah retorted with a smirk. "Even though I can't feel any energy or special things from it, I'm sure it is the right package."

"I thought it was supposed to be shining and radiating a great aura," Sarah said.

"It doesn't work that way," says General Clark. "A ring can't work alone. Unless the remaining two are found and worn at once, then it's useless." He elaborated, and Sarah nodded her head in understanding.

"Thank you, General Clark," Micah said. He stood up from his seat and offered the old man a handshake. "We should be going now. We still have an uncompleted mission. Besides, you know Lord Darius hates suspense."

"Sure, you are free." General Clark says with a smile that reveals his white teeth. He accepted Micah's hand and shook it. "Keep the ring safe and don't lose it." He warned, and Micah only nodded his head.

Not waiting anymore, Micah walked outside, and Sarah followed behind him. He opened the door, which allowed the air to stream into his nostrils. Suddenly, Sarah sniffed the air and stood frozen in the same spot. She was shocked at the scent she was sniffing. Micah, General Clark, and a few other D'arcy noticed her sudden change in behaviour as they quickly moved towards her.

"What's wrong?" Micah asked with concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nope," Sarah said and twitched her head to support her answer. "The one that bit me, I can smell her scent. She is not far from here. However, I couldn't pinpoint her main position." She elaborated.

Hearing this, Micah quickly brought out his compass so he could confirm Sarah's words. True to her speech, the compass was moving. The problem is that it wasn't stable. Without a doubt, Micah knew that Joy was lurking around, and she was protecting her location with dark magic.

Instantly, Micah turned to General Clark who was still wondering what the duo were talking about, "Tell your men to be on guard and search the whole area. The prophecy half-breed is somewhere

around." He said.

Not wasting any seconds, General Clark and the D'arcy soldiers swung into action.

T.b.c