Chapter 6

NYLA sat in the illuminated space provided by the fire-lit lamps hanging outside the guest quarters of Juno palace where the chirping crickets accompanied her. The crescent moon was hidden by the passing clouds, darkening the surroundings ever so slightly, enough to calm Nyla’s otherwise troubled thoughts as the warm breeze caressed her skin. The decision made by the Preators felt too sudden, she would have preferred to find and capture the thief as soon as possible. Getting rid of their problem by the source, instead, the Preators would rather sit back and wait for the thief to attack again. Prepare all they might, she knew it was futile.

With furrowed brows, she drew in the sand with a long stick she had picked up when she felt a presence near her. She quickly made it to her feet as she spotted Kai, who stood with his hands behind his straight back, a few feet away.

“Kai.” She greeted. Her heart suddenly began to pump faster and louder and every impulse in her body screamed at her to run away and hide. She wiped her sweaty hands on her pants as Kai walked closer. “Why are you still up?”

“I could ask you the same.” He stopped a few feet from her.

“I was just thinking.” Nyla brushed her bangs from her face as she rocked slightly on her feet.

“About the Faite attack?”

Nyla let out an embarrassed breath as she nodded. “I’m trying to figure out the thief’s endgame. Why would he go after the Althea Sphere now? What cause could be so justified to ruin the lives of so many.”

“You’re trying to emphasize with him.”

“I’m trying to understand him.” Nyla said. “The Althea Sphere is a powerful artifact, even in its many pieces.”

“That’s why we have to destroy it.”

“Yes, but the problem is, several of the pieces have been lost in time. I fear by us looking for them, we’d only be leading whoever is looking for them right to them.”

“What do you suggest we do then?” Nyla shrugged with downcast eyes.

Seeing as the thief figured out how to create Faite, it was only a matter of time before they figured out how to create something more dangerous and deadly. It was inevitable to find the remaining pieces, but it was also risky. So many things could go wrong, one of those being that they could lose a piece once they found it and that was the biggest threat they would face. Destroying them had to be a priority, but it had to be done quickly and with stealth.

“Sybil Kai.” Nyla jumped when a Jade Guarde ran toward them, silent as a ghost. Kai smirked at her inattentiveness. “Jade Forest has been attacked.” As quick as it came, Kai’s smile faded and he took off toward the palace, Nyla and the Guarde trailing after him.

Outside the counsel room, the Guarde from Jade stood in neat rows, waiting for orders. They bowed as Kai passed and rushed into the palace.

Caeden and Roland stood beside Lilo in conversation as Kai entered the hall with Nyla. Lilo turned toward his brother with saddened eyes. Nyla walked over to Enid and Rowan who stood a respectable distance from the converging Preators.

“What’s going on?” Silas asked as he entered with Ezra. Oriel not far behind them.

“Jade Forest has been attacked,” Roland said.

“Smart move attacking the region furthest from Juno City,” Enid muttered.

Smart indeed. How did the thief move so fast? It was only hours ago that the Juno village was attacked. It was all happening too quickly. Whoever stole the first sphere piece was not going to wait for the Preators to prepare. Who knows which region he would attack next. It was obvious what the thief wanted, and he was baiting the Preators to think they had to take action immediately.

“We predicted this.” Caeden sneered. “We should have left the moment trouble arose.”

“We had no way of knowing.” Oriel placed a hand on Lilo’s shoulder.

“We must leave,” Lilo said, despair slightly audible in his otherwise calm voice.

“We can take you.” Caeden offered, to which Lilo nodded.

“We’ll join as soon as we can.” Oriel squeezed his shoulder.

“I’ll await your arrival.” Lilo bowed and he and Kai followed after Caeden, who nodded toward his son who turned around to conjure a glowing white portal. Nyla and Rowan moved out the way to allow the departing party to pass them.

The moment the portal closed behind them, Oriel turned

to Nyla, “Let us be on our way, Filla.”

“We shall go with you.” Silas stepped forward, “You can pass through Sage Mountain on the way.”

“Very well, I’ll send word to my general to meet us in Willow village.” Oriel turned to Roland, “Thank you for your hospitality, Preator.” He exited the hall without waiting for a reply. Nyla bowed and followed her father out.

The journey through Sage Mountain was a long and silent one. The company had ridden on horseback all the way to Sage’s border where Silas had fresh horses waiting for the Lily company to continue on their way. After a few days’ ride and rests in between, they had finally arrived in Willow Village, a small village on the edge of the border separating Sage and Jade.

Even though the sun was getting ready to set, the village was still alive with movement. A group of elderly women were grinding and washing herbs while they conversed around a large bucket of water. A man walked beside his donkey which pulled a cart loaded with several small wooden barrels. Nyla suspected they had to have been filled with wine as she recognized the sigil branded on the barrels. One of the breweries from Kesmet. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man stopped at a tavern further up ahead where he handed the bartender several of the barrels before continuing on his way. Street candles were being lit, to provide light when the sun would set, by several Guarde with long sticks that were ablaze. The flames flicked and wavered as they moved from lamppost to lamppost.

The path they walked was embedded in stone. Moss outlined them and grew in between the cracks. Patches of grass surrounded the tea house to their left where the scent of ginger and chamomile wafted from. Beside the tea house was a small herb garden that was warded off by a small wooden fence. Two young teenage girls were picking herbs and placing them in the small baskets hanging from the nook of their arms.

Nyla wondered if the village has heard of the recent attacks in Juno and Jade. Being a village on the edge of the region, the people seemed perfectly calm. Perhaps news hadn’t reached them yet. She was sure the more populated villages were more abuzz with preparing medicine and other healing materials. Preator Silas would see to it.

It would have been a tragedy if Sage was targeted first. Luckily, most of their villages were well-protected within the mountains where the ground was more fertile. A country without its Healers was a doomed one. Nyla hoped the Preators would take that into consideration when they converged again.