Chapter 20

Dawn of Glory [the half-breed]



Chapter twenty



Theme: Tracking, two



Conjuring all the earth on the surface to protect her against any unexpected attack, Nicci, the red widow, smashed her body against the gate that serves as protection for the lower Isle people. As her body collided with the gate, a large whang was heard, which echoed throughout the field, while the red widow was forced to take cover as a canyon ball came plummeting towards her head.



Standing a few metres away from the fortress gate was Sarah, who had a deadly smirk on her face. She was standing beside General Rick, her long sharp claw dripping blood, and her teeth were red. She had been watching the red widow and the Duke's Thane men ever since they started making attempts to break down the wall gate. "Such a fool," she mumbled again as the red widow rammed her body against the gate for the sixth time. Despite the force she is using, it doesn't jerk the gate.



That's what they have been doing since a few hours ago. Ever since the war began, the lower Isle men have been shooting down Duke Thane's men. They had the upper hand and a height advantage. All thanks to their fortress gate and balcony. It took her and the red widow a lot of effort before they could make it to the gate. Now they have been trying to bring it down, but it's impossible. Without being told, Sarah knew it was the work of dark magic.



The loud whistling of cannonballs crammed the air, followed by the painful screams of the Duke's Thane men. She zoomed in on her vision. She could see General Drax aiming for something with a long black spear. It was a spear she hadn't seen before. She knew, without being told, that General Drax was aiming for someone important. Slowly, she used her eyes to trace the victim, and it was Nicci.



She could see that the red widow was busy trying to break the gate, so she didn't notice the incoming attack. General Drax was aiming for her exposed back. Even though Nicci had told Sarah not to interfere ever since she had informed her about the familiar scent, now she wanted to go against her order. She sniffed the air again, and she could see that the scent had grown stronger. 



Sarah quickly scrutinized the field again, but she couldn't see any beings or signs of who she was looking for. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, then opened them back, and they turned deep red. Her claws grew longer, and while her body was blazing with a green flame, Before the blink of eyes, much faster than General Drax could imagine, Sarah dashed towards the gate and pushed the red widow away in the last seconds.



Out of anger and frustration, the red widow turned back to analyze who had pushed her. Seeing that it was Sarah who had just saved her from a deadly attack, she let down her guard. However, that doesn't stop General Drax and his soldiers from killing the upper Isle men. The red widow sighs in irritation, stomps her feet on the floor and screams in defeat. She had never thought that the lower-island men could be this difficult to conquer. She didn't even think that there would be any magic guarding their gate.



Without being told, she knew whoever cast the spell must be a great and powerful sorcerer. Perhaps one of the first wizards, or witches, She ransacked her brain, trying to guess who could be responsible for the magic shield. She knew almost every sorcerer and sorceress in the middle land, and she knew what could weaken them. If she could guess who was responsible for this shield, Nicci was sure that it would be easy for her to bring down the shield, together with the fortress wall and gate.



"Perhaps I can help," Sarah offered, her voice bringing the red widow back to reality. She furrowed her brow in surprise, wondering if Sarah meant it or not. Under normal conditions, she would have taken that as an insult and had her killed. But now she couldn't do that. Not when her life and that of the upper-island men are at risk. That also means that Sarah is more powerful than she is if she manages to bring down the gate. That will not only make her useless, but it will make the people around her cherish Sarah and obey her more.



Seeing that the red widow isn't going to grant her request, Sarah says again. "Allow me to give it a trial, or we should just stay here till they kill us all." Reluctantly, the red widow moved out of the way as a sign that Sarah should proceed while Nicci and the remaining soldiers ran out of the archer's shooting range.



Sarah took in a deep breath and conjured earth to form protection around her body, just like Nicci had done earlier. Instead of using earth alone, Sarah summoned all the elements. She didn't know how she was doing this, but she just had a feeling that she could use the universe's power. It was like Sarah was holding the universe and its power in her hand. Letting out a loud groan, she rammed her body at the gate while dust filled the atmosphere as she collided with it.



A loud explosion occurred, followed by the cracking of the city wall. They shake violently to its foundation, which causes the people on the lower island to open their mouths in surprise. Like a great tornado, the fortress wall came tumbling down, followed by its gate. It caught General Drax and his men off guard, which didn't give them a chance to react. Before they could blink, they found themselves on the ground while the wall brick crushed some of the unlucky soldier's skulls.



Like a dam that was opened, the red widow led the upper Isle men towards the crashing gate. They let out a great battle cry and started killing General Drax's army in a close rage fight. Channelling all the anger and frustration in her body into her sword, the red widow slashed at two men at once. She swung her sword high above her head and cut down two other enemies. Left and right, she started killing them. 



The Red Widow was like a tsunami. She was swinging her blow viciously and using it to kill three men at once. She didn't care who her blade was chopping. All she knew was that none of them would be alive. Before a soldier could bring down his blade, she would slash two at once. To her, they are like snails. She was moving twice their speed, killing them left and right, front and back. Her eyes wandered around at the same time, and they met with her main target. General Drax.



He was standing on the other side of the gate, his double-edged sharp blade slashing and killing the upper Isle men at the same time. Even from afar, the red widow could see that the man was perfect with his skills, swift in his attack, and fast with his speed. That made her double her attack, and she cleared the path toward him.



********





"What did you mean by calling me Darius Rucker? Mrs Sandra," Joy inquired. They were walking along a wooded path that was filled with dry wood and snow. She stepped on a branch, and it made a cracking sound as Joy's leg crashed with it. She was in the middle of Dan and Mrs Sandra, while her dog, Bingo, was in their hell. She would go in another direction, sniff the ground, and return to them. It was like she was their guardian. 



Seeing that Mrs Sandra isn't going to answer her, she complains. "For goodness sake, what are you hiding from me? This is the fourth time I will be asking you the same questions. What are you hiding?"



"Joy, be patient," Dan said as he patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure she has a reason for doing all this." He elaborated.



"And what reason could that be?" She asked him, rolling her eyes dramatically. "At least she should tell me something about my real parents. Even if it's a clue." She let out a deep sigh, then walked towards Mrs Sandra and blocked her path. "What are you hiding from me?" She asked her, holding her waist to show that she meant business.



"You didn't even ask for feedback from my friend that I went to visit," Mrs Sandra retorted. "You know that without the book, our hope of defeating Darius is not certain."



"You better answer my question first," says Joy nonchalantly.



"Don't mind her," Dam quickly joined the conversation. "What did you find out, and where are we going? How did you even escape from Zedekiah's ambush?"



"Duncan's wife was right about her speech earlier. I didn't meet the friend that I was looking for. After asking around for her, I was told that she was now living with the lower Aisle people." Mrs Sandra elaborated.



"That means we are on our way to one of Duke Thane's territories." Dan guessed.



"Yes, but not really." Mrs Sandra answered, and he raised his eyes in confusion. "The reason is that Aaron, king of the lower Isle people, is just a great friend, and helper of Duke Thane. Hope that explains everything." 



"Yeah, sure!" Dan said with a smile. However, it was cut short by the barking of Bingo. All of them stopped in their tracks and focused their attention on the dog. Without waiting for anyone, Joy ran towards the dog, squatted beside her, and rubbed her white fur gently. Suddenly, she heard the loud roaring of people.



Her ears caught the sounds of battle cries, the clanging of swords, and the dying of men. It was closer to her ear, the same way it happened in the city hall. "War," she said impatiently. "There is a great battle going on." 



Before Mrs Sandra and Dan could understand what was happening, Joy flickered out of their sight with her super speed. After a few minutes of running in the woods, she finally arrived at the bloody scene. She zoomed in her vision so she could see the good and bad sides, and it worked perfectly for her. She could see a woman who was clad in a red outfit, fighting with a man she couldn't recognize. From her mode of dressing, she recognised her instantly. "The Red widow," she whispered inwardly.



Not waiting for her companion, Joy drew the blood sword from her scabbard. The sound of the sword cut through her ear, and it shone in the sun. She dashed at the ongoing fight, her blade slashing and chopping down the upper Isle men like paper.



"At least she should have waited for us," Dan mumbled to Mrs Sandra as soon as they arrived at the scene. "What if this is a trap?"



"We can't blame her," says Mrs Sandra. "That's the work of the half-breed instinct. She won't be able to rest until she does what is right. So, whenever she makes a decision, we mustn't question her because the saviour will always be right." She clarified.



"Well, we gotta help her in the battle," Dan said while letting out his claws. "See you later." With that, he hurried into the battle and stood beside Joy as her guardian.



******



Sarah was busy killing everything in her path when she smelled the familiar scent again. This time it was stronger, and it overwhelmed her. She thought it was the same as always, but she was proved wrong when it became unbearable for her. Seeing that she couldn't stand it again, she examined the frozen battlefield for the last time. Instead of doing it in a rush, Sarah moved to a safer area, zoomed in on her vision, and allowed it to travel throughout the entire battlefield.



She could see how everywhere was painted red with blood, and all the corpses that were littered throughout the entire field. After searching for another few seconds, Sarah saw who she was looking for. Standing in the front line of battle was Joy, while Dan was standing behind her. However, she didn't recognise Dan. She thought he was just one of the minor soldiers. She wanted to call the Red Widow and tell her what she had just witnessed.



However, she was busy duelling with General Drax, and Sarah suspected that she wouldn't want to lose the fight just like she failed to bring down the gate. Not having any choice, Sarah made her move toward Joy. Sarah believes she can tackle Joy all by herself. She had made the red widow useless by bringing down the fortress gate with an unknown power. Sarah believes she can tap into the power and use it to defeat Joy.



Walking stealthily and pretending to be on the good side, Sarah managed to find her way towards Joy. When she was close enough and sure that Joy wouldn't notice any unexpected attack, she filled her hand with flame and directed it at her. With an evil smirk on her lips, Sarah watched in awe as the green plasma ball made its way toward Joy.



A few inches away from colliding with Joy, the fireball stopped mid-way and shattered to pieces. "She is a true half-breed which means she is invisible to some imbecile magic." A voice whispers beside Sarah. 



She spins back instantly and tries to attack the being at the same time. However, she let her guard down as soon as she saw who it was. Standing in front of her is Dan. He was now in his Alpha mode. 



"Besides, you guys are hosting the same power. She is even your Alpha. Why did you think of betraying her?" He asked with a chuckle.



T.b.c