Murtagh's hands tightened around the reins of his horse. His blood ran cold at the thought. If he didn't get out of here, he was sure that they would capture him. He looked in the direction of the cave frantically and then at his men who were pallid as fear sank deep in their bones. Feeling extremely scared, Murtagh kicked the side of his horse and loosened the reins. The horse took off. Murtagh ran for his life, abandoning his men.
"Stop Master!" His servant called him. He also turned his horse in his master's direction. Two other men followed him.
All of a sudden, another explosion bolted the trees nearby and the next they saw was splinters and twigs and branches and leaves flying all around them. They ducked over their horses as they rushed out of there. "They are coming near!" the servant shouted. The only way to get out of this mess was to shift and lope into the forest. He had no plans to return to Murtagh now. All he wanted was to save himself and then blend into the werewolves of his pack. As soon as his horse stopped, he jumped on the ground and shifted. He ran inside the forest only to see that others too had joined him. They all chuffed and then ran in different directions. No one was bothered about Murtagh anymore.
Murtagh was on his horse when another deafening explosion sounded. Scared, his horse bolted in an unknown direction. Somehow Murtagh caught hold of its reins and kept himself steady on it. Murtagh wasn't bothered which direction the horse took as long as he was safe. Through the dense jungle, he sliced the branches, tall roots and spiderwebs to clear for his horse to run. When they had run for a long time, Murtagh looked behind, sweat running down his forehead. There was no one. A surge of relief washed down his body and he sighed.
He slowed down his horse in order to calm himself. He was so mentally tired, that he closed his eyes and leaned back on his saddle to relax a bit. A smile curled his lips up. He had once again escaped. He was going to form a new army and start his machinations to plot against the kingdom. This was his first time. He had underestimated the king and the queen. But so had they underestimated him. He chuckled. He turned to open his saddlebag and take out a skin from it. He opened its lid and gulped down the water. Some he poured over his head too. Water sluiced down his face onto his neck making him feel better. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the golden irises of the dark prince. Murtagh froze.
Ileus tilted his head. "Have we met somewhere?" he asked, his voice cold and sarcastic and as serrated as blade. Sitting on a horse, surrounded by half a dozen Mozias who hovered around them either on horses or brooms, he looked deadly.
"No!" Murtagh rasped with disbelief. He turned his horse sharply back to run, but he found three Mozias behind him. Their fingers crackled with blue lights that swirled viciously around them. Murtagh knew this was his fear that had come out. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Ileus could never find his hideout. As realization slowly dawned upon him, his body became cold as he shuddered and dread skittered down his spine. He turned to see Ileus again who had come dangerously close to him, his eyes blazing with fury and sizzling magic coiled around his arms.
"How did you know—" Murtagh asked, his voice a mere whisper.
"The right question is 'what will I do with you'. Ileus punctuated his sentence.
"If— if you kill me, the rebels are going to blow this kingdom up into pieces!"
"You mean dead rebels, or better we call them rogues?" Ileus replied with a raised eyebrow and chin dipped. Murtagh stared at him, numb. Ileus continued, "You had planned an attack on five villages and sent your rogues over there. Did you think that my people weren't keeping a watch on you?"
Murtagh audibly gasped.
Ileus snarled. "We wanted to know who was it who supported you blindly and with whose help did you come so far. The moment Tasha escaped with you we knew that she was one of your staunch supporters, but Luke— he was a surprise." Ileus nudged his horse closer. "Luke was killed by Vaarin."
The news shocked him to the core.
"And do you want to know what Kaizan did with Tasha?" Ileus asked.
"Killed her?" Murtagh replied, his lips trembling.
Ileus tipped his head back as a mirthless laughter came out of his mouth. He shook his head. "No, he gave her a fitting punishment. She is sent to slave for soldiers in the north frontier from where she would be rotated every month, that is, if she can endure it." Ileus didn't let Murtagh to open his eyes wider. He flung his hands forward and the magic that coiled around his arms shot at Murtagh and trapped him. It coiled around him, sizzling like electricity. It burned his skin and he screamed in pain.
"Leave me! I am sorry!" Murtagh shouted. "Have mercy!"
"I don't know what got into my mother's head to promise you my little sister, but I am glad that she found her mate!" Ileus growled. The magic passed through his fingers at him, its intensity increasing by the second. "There is nothing that can stop me today! You have done enough damage. My mother and father were kind enough to not let the Mozias take over this war, and you took maximum advantage. But no more. I am going to make your death slow and painful." He clenched his jaw hard. He increased his magic a notch more. The white lights became thicker. They punctured his skin, burned it and sliced it.
Murtagh jumped down from his horse and ran to the left to find water, but there were only more trees. He started rolling on the ground in order to douse the burning sensation, but even the grass and weeds on the ground burned. "You bastard!" he shouted through his pain. "You will pay for this. My men will get to you!"
Irate, Ileus sent a full blast of his beams towards him and fire blazed around him. Murtagh's yells could be heard from inside. Ileus continued to watch him go still till his screams stopped. And once they stopped, he burst into shadows and smoke.
—
Olivia was sitting beside her father, her lips swollen because of crying. He was lying on his side, bandaged across his chest and his stomach. There was green soft light with yellow orbs that swirled around him softly. Olivia knew that it was Ileus who had made her father encase in those lights. A warm hand came on her shoulder and she leaned in it.
"Olivia, you need rest, love," Kaizan said. "Kaia is awake and she will be here anytime." He placed a kiss on her head and wiped her tears. He knew that she was mourning the death of her brother.. It was difficult for her to believe that he wanted to kill Vaarin.
