part 3:

Irina on agreeing to the favor which Lord Vincent had asked of her, he patted her lightly on the shoulder then left the throne room leaving her with the general to give the details of the situation which had risen. The general stood still for a couple of seconds after lord vince left, taking his time started walking slowly towards the windows overlooking the palace's front garden Irina followed closely behind.

"The weather is beautiful." General stated watching the gardens.

"Yeah, it is." Irina replied. "Guess you are the one who recommended me to the Lord."

"I am the one." He replied shortly.

"Can you at least tell me why?" Irina asked then went and stood beside him in the window.

"Not every choice requires reasoning and logics some are just meant to be." He replied calmly without even looking at Irina.

Irina knew of general answers and heard the stories from the fellow soldiers, He never gave straight ones they were always aired in logicality which seemed too philosophical and ain't needed. Irina saw it different though, she believed general was always strategic and passing down logics to others he needed simple illustrative language for them to understand.

"You are going to leave Skyler this afternoon." Then he remained silent. "There is a mission which have risen of far greater importance than going to fight the mountainers head on."

"what's that supposed to mean?" Irina always knew how to maintain her composure even on such sudden news although they shocked her, for she never saw any other way of fighting the mountainers other than head on.

"You will be sent on earth to fetch the sceptre of kings." general turned and looked Irina directly in the face.

Irina gaped at the general she couldn't believe what she had heard to fetch the sceptre? , if her memories served correct the scepter was said to have been destroyed long time ago on earth during the pre-world war.

"Isn't it destroyed?" Irina questioned uncertainty clearly heard off her voice.

"That was what you were meant to believe." General replied then he took a watch from his pocket and checked the time. "I haven't got all day to explain to you what is and what is not, so have to be quick and brief."

Irina just shook her head up and down in agreement, she knew the time was not on their side. she didn't have the seconds to waste on knowing what she didn't know about the history of their nation and earth, further more history was never her favorite subject to begin with.

"The sceptre still exist but we don't know the exact specific location of it we just know of the nation on which it was lost during the pre-world war." Then the general turned to look at the gardens. "Though it's known in a different name, now is called America."

"Then how in hell do you expect me to find a sceptre in a nation?" Irina asked the general, the whole idea seemed to be getting crazier within minutes.

"We still have people who are loyal to us on earth, they will help you in the quest of finding the sceptre." General replied. "I believe when you will use the dimensional gate it will drop you in an area closer to the location of the sceptre if not within the country itself."

"Here I thought all those gates were malfunctioning." Irina stated.

"All of the gates are not working properly we have remained with only one gate at the time tower which is still capable of transporting Skyler's to earth." General explained.

"So that means its probability on top of probability." Irina gave a long sigh.

"I would have said odds against odds, still probability explains it just clear enough."

"How will I know the loyal ones, down on earth?" She asked the general.

"I will give you a list of families who were loyal to us for we agreed on them to remain with their surname just in case, we were to go back on earth. I do believe many will have perished already the remaining few you find will be capable of helping you still."

Irina remained quite staring to the garden, the mission which lay in front of her was too risky to lose. she knew it was necessary to be done so as to increase their chances of winning the war against mountainers.

"Which time will I leave?" She asked the general.

"This afternoon. we have already prepared an escort to take you to the time tower for the path have already been taken over by mountainers." General explained looking at his watch. "I suggest you should leave now, and Irina do remember we have an ultimatum four days at most and the mountainers will have already taken the city by then, employ any means necessary to come before that time.'

"Well, that doesn't pressure me at all." Irina sarcastically replied before turning heading for the door.

"Lord Vincent have asked you to go and see your parents first before you leave just you know, for a little bit of their blessing." General called to her.

************

Her father was not far away from the city center. Their house was located just on the second street from the town market, it was decent looking house made of mansion's stones.

When Irina was across the road, she saw their kitchen door wide open it was also the backdoor. Her mother loved to leave it open as she cooked, she usually joked that the smell of her cooking made the workers know the meal hours and they would take a break to go and eat, but since the war had begun and getting closer to the capital, the street became unusually quite even business in the markets lowered and occasional passing of soldiers on the town streets kept everyone on their toes.

As she expected her mother was in the kitchen cooking, the aroma hit her the moment she entered their backyard, her mother was busy with pans in the stove.

"Hello mom." Irina greeted her.

Her mother was startled by the voice, she turned and saw it was Irina.

"Irina." Her eyes light up with joy, she went and hugged her. "Come in, it's been some time since we last saw you."

"Yeah, I've been a little busy doing this and that." Irina replied.

"Launch is nearly ready you can stay and eat." She welcomed Irina.

"Is daddy home? I have something to tell him." Irina decided to cut the chase not enough time was at her disposal.

Her mother saw urgency in Irina's face, her look became quickly concerned.

"Is everything alright?" She asked looking worried.

"Yeah, no big deal." She lied but her voice cracked a bit.

She watched her closely, she knew Irina was hiding something but didn't want to rush her to speak up.

"Your father will be home soon, let me go and get you a cup of tea." She told her with a smile.

Irina dropped herself on the couch once her mother left the room, she knew that her mother saw right through her lies. Though that was always how her mother acted she didn't rush Irina into anything until she was ready to open up.

Her father came home by noon, he had a big body although he left the army years ago, his eyes were brown as Irina's but his were more calm and calculative, in his hand he carried a leather bag. After he had retired from the army he became a mechanic, he always ate his meals at home and now he was back for lunch. When he entered into the sitting room he found Irina seated at the couch.

Irina had not visited home for nearly two months due to the training she was undergoing as an elemental at the camp so as to be prepared for real battle, she had graduated five months ago from an academy then came home for short holiday and was taken back to the field for sharpening her skills. When the mountainers started attacking she was one of the air elementals who was highly recommended to join the capital's army for war against them only when she was already chosen for deployment was also then Lord Vincent called her for a favor.

"Hi dad." She greeted him with cup of tea in her hands.

"How are you doing?" He asked her lowering his bag to the ground.

"Fine." She answered shortly, then added, "I am here to tell you something."

"That you have been chosen on the troop deployed to the eastern zone." He spoke calmly as he removed his coat.

"You know about that?" She questioned looking him in awe, and here she thought her father was still in the dark.

"Mmm, the commander informed me yesterday that he was going to choose you to be in his troop." He told her, then went on. "I agreed to it not that he required my permission or anything."

"That's great for the record he wasn't going to keep me close in real fight, he just wanted me to do some heavy lifting on the supply and bombs for motor guns." She said with a smile.

Her father gave low hearty laugh, "that's the way he does his job, still I am proud of you." he praised her as he sat on the couch opposite from her.

The comment gave Irina joy, she was afraid her father would be against it. Her going to war, she didn't know he was the one who permitted her deployment.

"Inspite that I won't be going to the deployment, there is another mission I have been assigned." She informed him calmly.

Her father slowly leaned back on the coach as he looked at Irina. Irina could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

"I understand your decision, even me I was scared on my first mission."

"No I am not scared, it's just that Lord Vincent gave me a mission of retrieving the sceptre."

This statement made her father sit upright, by the time her mother was coming with lunch dishes from the kitchen.

"The one lost eons ago on earth?" He inquired seeking assurance, Irina shook her head in agreement "that is insane."

"That's why I am here seeking for your blessings before I go for a little bit of luck." she told them.

Her mother hold her husband hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, then she turned back to Irina.

"Don't worry about us, you have our blessings." She told her with a smile.

Her father gave out a long sigh then scratched his forehead.

"Whatever your mother said." He grumbled then went on, "Lord Vincent himself gave you the mission if we disagree it would be selfish of us."

At that Irina's face beamed with joy.

"So are we going to eat now or what?" Her mother questioned as she looked at both of them.

"Always." Irina and her father replied at the same time.

******

Irina was on her way to the dimensional gate located at the time tower, the tower was in the mountain cliff of the Valley of the Kings, escort of five soldiers was in her company for a protection against the mountainers who had already penetrated that side of the capital. Their enemies were getting closer and closer into the heart of their nation Irina had a hunch they were given assistance by a person who knew of the old ways into the city but whom was it? that she didn't know. It had been about three hours since they left the capital and their horses had been galloping at full speed.

"Watch out!" The warning brought Irina out of her thoughts, it was from one of the soldiers before she had known what was going on, arrow flied past her head only by inches instincts kicked in she pulled horse reins very hard which made the horse to rise on its hind legs neighing loudly.

"Defense position!" Their commander shouted and every soldier fell back and formed a circle, Irina checked the surrounding but couldn't see anything they were out in open and everywhere were surrounded by trees and bushes suddenly she heard a string of a bow being released.

"Down!" She warned others, as the soldiers went down the commander rose his shield the arrow struck.

"From the bushes." Irina said as she pointed at the thick bushes that were roughly a hundred meters away from them in the trenches.

Then rose war cries filling the air and the mountainers rose out of shrubs they hid beside the road in the trenches, by quick look Irina saw they were fifteen of them. Some carried clubs in their hands while others had swords, they wore clothes made from animal fur and skin, and had covered themselves in mud which made them look huge and scary as Neanderthals.

"Off the horses and let's put these clowns down!" Commander ordered. In no time Irina was on the ground the soldiers kept close distance to one another so they could not be easily scattered.

one of the mountainers came at Irina with full speed his face ((contorted)) in rage when he was close he brought down his club hard and in swift strike, Irina rose her sword and braced the impact then struck him right in the abdomen with air punch the man went flying back into the bushes, when Irina turned she saw their commander slashing one of mountainers throat then he also turned his head and found Irina looking at him.

"Get out of here we can take them down!" He shouted at Irina.

"what about you?" She asked.

"Don't you worry about us, if they have brought a backup we all be in big trouble in reaching the valley." Then he dodged an attack from one of the mountainers, "Go Irina that's an order." Then he turned back into the fight.

Irina hated to run away from fights it made her feel like a coward though she knew her commander was right, anger boiled inside her when she turned ahead another attacker was charging right at her, she kicked him right in the chest with a foot the moment he was down a sword was driven right into his chest from one of the soldiers then he turned toward Irina and indicated with his head at the direction of her horse. When she landed on top of her horse the soldier whipped the horse back which sent it into motion, Irina on nearing the bushes where she saw arrows being shot a man rose from behind the bushes aiming an arrow towards her, the moment he released it Irina threw at him an air ball the man was taken off the ground screaming and landed right in the trees branches.