Chapter Nineteen

Cassian tried to understand the book he was reading but it was hard. He sighed and took off his reading glasses then he heard a knock and Zemira came in with a tray, "Coffee break?" she smiled as she held the tray up. He smiled and she walked to him.

He took a cup and took a gulp out of the coffee. Zemira looked at the open book on the table and saw some weird drawings about a person being strapped on a bed. Cassian saw her eyes scanning the page he was reading and he quickly took it and covered it.

Zemira looked at him and he smiled, "You are not meant to see that" he said and she pouted then she looked at her belly, "Bubbly, your father is hiding things from me" she said and Cassian looked at her, "Bubbly?" he asked and Zemira took his hand and placed it on her belly.

Cassian felt a little kick and his eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Zemira who nodded and smiled. Tears fell from his eyes as he placed his ear on her belly.

He felt the kick again. He rubbed her belly and felt a small curve. "Is that---" he looked at Zemira who nodded, "That is our baby's knee" she smiled and took his hand then she traced it to her lower abdomen. He felt a bigger curve, "That is his head" she smiled.

Cassian laughed, "Our baby has a big head" Zemira held his face and kissed his forehead, "Our baby has a big head" she said and slowly wiped his tears. Cassian lowered his head to her belly again and listened to his baby's movement.

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Cassian jumped on Gerta. He was going to see Soteria and tell him that he could not understand the book and perhaps, they could try and understand it together.

"My Lady, can you please stop running, you are heavily pregnant!" Gertrude said exasperatedly as she placed her hand on her hip.

Cassian got down from his horse and sighed, "Zemira, what are you doing?" he asked as he rested his hands on his hips. Zemira panted when she got to where he was standing, then she arranged her woollen shawl to cover her cleavage.

"I would like to follow you to see the king" she said and he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Zemira, you know..." "Women are not allowed to those meetings, of course I know, but I know someone who understands that book you were reading last night" she said and Gertrude came down the steps.

Cassian looked at her, "Fetch me the carriage!"

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Cassian entered the armory with Zemira and Soteria's smile dropped but he quickly fixed it back. "Lady Monterey" Soteria took Zemira's hand and pressed a kiss to it. "Glowing as usual" he said and squeezed her hand a little. Cassian grimaced when he saw how Soteria let go of Zemira's hand gently.

"Excuse me" Soteria smiled and pulled Cassian aside. "Why do you bring her here? You do know this is dangerous and she is with your child" Soteria said. "Do you think I will bring her here because I wanted to be with her? I mean...I will but not about something dangerous like this" Cassian said and pulled Soteria closer, "She knows someone who can decipher that book" he whispered.

The door to the armory opened again and two people walked in. "Ivar!" Zemira said and hugged her brother. Soteria and Cassian looked at the people who had entered the room.

"Zemira, you look beautiful while pregnant. I can not wait to be pregnant" her sister-in-law, Oralie said as she hugged her.

Ivar turned to the two men watching them exchange pleasantries, and bowed, "Your majesty". Oralie held her skirt and curtsied, "Your majesty".

Soteria gave a small smile and waved. Zemira bowed, "These are the people who will help you understand that book. My father had sent my brother out of the kingdom to study sciences while Oralie's father was a junior scientist at Dune".

Cassian brought out the book from his inner pocket, "If your father was at Dune..." Soteria cleared the swords from the table and Cassian dropped it on the table, "... then you should recognize this!" he looked at Oralie.

Oralie touched the leather book and looked at Cassian, "My father was a junior scientist so he only took care of the children that were taken and he also helped in the experiments. I think this experiment was for the higher-ups because it looks illegal" she said.

Cassian opened the book and Ivar gasped. In all his research, he had never seen something like that. "I think I remember my father telling me something about this" Oralie said. "Is your father alive?" Soteria asked and Oralie shook her head, "He died when the laboratory was destroyed".

"Isander was the only child who had escaped that destruction" Cassian said. "But he was just a child, he possibly could have not known about this!" "Perhaps there is a scientist still alive and helping Isander" Ivar said.

"That is how he was able to make an army in such a short time. He was using dead bodies" Cassian gasped and Ivar nodded, "And I think those dead people only obey him and they have no recollection of their past lives" "That explains Caviare's amnesia" Cassian said.

Oralie looked at the book again, "Whatever Isander is doing, we can stop it because these dead bodies can be killed again" "Whatever do you mean?" Soteria asked and Oralie turned the book to him and pointed at a page.

They all looked at it; in that page, four people, actually children, were used as batteries for the machines. "This was actually their main goal. To create immortal beings. The children were just the first step" Oralie said "And since Isander is the only one with those abilities, he can not create immortal beings" Ivar said. "But if he has a scientist helping him, he can turn all those ones he has brought to life into people like him, making immortal beings" Soteria said.

"And if that happens?" Zemira looked at Cassian, "There is no stopping him" Cassian said and everyone looked at him. They had to stop Isander before it was too late.

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Cassian packed some clothes into a bag and Zemira entered the room, "I know you have to train the soldiers to be prepared..." she said as she walked towards him then she slipped her hands around his waist, "...but must you go away? Can you not be going to the palace and training them and then come back home into my arms?" she pouted.

Cassian held her shoulders and kissed her, "My dear Zemira" he said and ran his fingers through her hair, "You are the reason why I am going away. I have to protect you and Isander will keep on sending people to this manor and you might get harmed. Do you think I want to be apart from you?" he asked and she looked at the floor.

He chuckled and held her chin with a crooked finger and made her look at him, "I do not want to be away from you, for even a second. I want to watch you eat as grossly as possible, I want to talk with you till you fall asleep, I want to read stories to you and Bubbly and listen to his movements" he said and rubbed her belly, "I want to be with you so badly".

She interlocked her fingers with his and smiled, "I also want to be with you. You are my joy" "You are my joy too" he kissed her knuckles and let go of her and continued with his packing.

Zemira rested her head on the poster and stared at Cassian as he arranged his clothes neatly into his bag. "What?" he asked as he looked at her and she shrugged, "Nothing, I just want you to promise me that you will come back alive" "Zemira..." Cassian stood up straight and she walked to him.

"I am not a fool Cassian! After you finish training the soldiers, you will go to war. I want you to promise me that you will come back to me. Not in a cart, being rolled to me, not with one arm, but alive and with your complete body parts" Zemira said and Cassian held her arms, "Zemy..." "Promise me, Cassian! Else I shall come to the battlefield with my pregnancy and drag you back home with me".

Cassian stared at the teary-eyed woman who was ready to do anything just so he would come back to her from the war. "Please promise me" she sobbed and he kissed her forehead, "On the night we had became one, we made a promise to each other..." he interlocked his fingers with hers, "We had promised to die like this together and I shall not break that promise" he kissed her knuckles and hugged her.

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Cassian looked at the thousands of soldiers in the king's courtyard. Most of them were not going to come back. He knew it and they knew it too.

He cleared his throat, "You all are aware that you may not come back to your families. You are all aware that Isander and his cronies are powerful people, which is why you can go back if you scared" Cassian said.

The soldiers looked at themselves, then some left the lines. Cassian nodded, "Anyone else?" he asked and more left. He clicked his tongue, "Anyone else?" he repeated and more left. It was only a few hundreds that remained.

He looked at the men who had left the lines. They were more than the ones who had chosen to stay. He tsked and slammed his fists on the table then he walked inside the armory.

Thurtian had gone soft. In his war days, men were eager to go to war and fight for the kingdom and their families, but now, the men of Thurtian went into politics and business. It was not their fault. They were scared. Anyone would be scared of Isander. In their last war, many lives were lost and most people feared to send their sons, husbands and brothers out to war.

But if everyone was scared, who was going to fight Oculus? Isander could not be defeated with mere hundreds.

Soteria looked at him as he punched the wall. He knew Cassian's pain. Cassian was ready to kill the son of a gun who had killed his wife, but he had no comrades to help him.

Cassian continued punching the wall angrily. If only he did not have someone waiting for him at home, he would have taken his sword and gone to defeat Oculus himself.

"I do think Lady Zemira will be heartbroken to see her dear Cassian come home with bleeding knuckles" someone chuckled as he walked in.

Soteria and Cassian turned to the person who had just walked in. It was Azrael, with a group of men behind him.

Azrael lifted up the tail of his coat and got on a knee and bowed, "I pledge my loyalty and my life to the king" he said and his men got on a knee. "When you had given me the position of a duke, I had pledged my life to you. I had told you to do with you whatever you wish. Now, give me the command and I shall get rid of those that disturb you" Azrael said.

Soteria looked at Cassian and he nodded. "Is your wife aware about your decision to join the war?" Soteria asked and Azrael looked at him, "She sends her full support" he said and Cassian looked at Soteria, "I have a few soldiers at my manor. I can bring them too" "That will not be necessary Lord Monterey" Azrael stood up, "My soldiers are more than this. Leave those soldiers with Lady Zemira" he said.

Soteria held Cassian's shoulder, "We can work with the number we have now" he whispered and Cassian nodded, "Tomorrow at dawn, we start training. No man leaves the palace!" he said and stormed out.