Chapter 66 #2
My father’s mask slips; Randall Brackwell doesn’t hide his fury well. No, it twists across his face, resembling a storm taking shape, a familiar look. He knows who she is now. The General always had a strange fixation for the Queen, an edge of admiration wrapped in something darker.
Probably started when he was a young cadet, that’s when they all met, Wyll’s parents, Sensei Sato, the Queen and King Loras, a century ago. Randall treated Camyla with a kind of veiled reverence, the sort reserved for things you want but can’t have.
He spoke kindly to her face, but behind closed doors, he spat venom about the Morween’s ruling. Over the years, I saw that bitterness evolve, and it became talk of lycan superiority, whispered during full moons when the valkyrie guests had their backs turned, his resentment dressed as facts.
"I warned you years ago," the General says, his voice swelling with vindication.
"Before the Bloodmoon War and again after the battle.
I repeated myself again and again. The valkyries want to rule Elgar.
They want Kvirr for themselves, and now you finally see it.
The prince we thought dead has been working with Nekros all along, plotting our downfall.
All they needed was the lost princess, and we, blind, trusting fools, handed her to them on a silver platter.
" He spits the words as facts, motivated by voices echoing in agreement.
While a few stay silent in skepticism and others mumble in confusion, I try to seize back the moment.
"Avilyna is not the enemy!"
A low chuckle slips through the tension.
“Oh, son,” the General says softly, pity tainting every syllable. “We all know the power of a pretty face.” The words strike like a slap. Wrath surges through me, and I stride toward him. Shoving Sergeant Blake aside, towering over my father by at least three heads. No one else dares to intervene.
Good.
This is a family matter.
“How long have you been plotting this, you piece of shit?” I growl, gripping the front of his uniform, the fabric crumpling in my fist.
"You've always been a disappointment, Kai,” he sneers. "Too soft, too weak. You let your emotions cloud your judgment."
"Maybe," I snap back, "but at least I still have a soul." The words hang in the air, heavy and biting. His eyes narrow, the smirk faltering for a split second. But then the General laughs in my face.
“You’re deranged, boy. Enough of this, or I’ll suspend you until your conduct reflects the values of a true Legion soldier. Maybe some time in isolation will do you good.”
At that, the doors slam open with a thunderous bang, making heads turn.
And for the first time in what feels like forever, relief floods my chest. My real family has arrived.
The General uses the moment to wrench free from my grasp.
Straightening his uniform with stiffness, trying to mask his damaged ego behind a polished sneer.
But the cowboy who walks in commands all the attention. Every inch, the chaos he was born to be. Hat in one hand, revolver in the other, he dips into an exaggerated bow.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Wyll drawls, a razor-edged grin on his face. “But everyone knows important people always make an entrance.” At that, the Bloodhow Unit all roll their eyes.
“Effective immediately, Alek and Avilyna Morween are declared traitors to the realm of Elgar and are to be captured at once—” The General doesn’t get the chance to finish, an annoyed voice cuts through the chamber.
“It’s Avilyna Morween Rey,” Vanessa says from the threshold.
“If you’re going to sentence people based on paranoia, at least have the courtesy to get their names right.
” She adds flatly, leaving the room in a tense silence, every pair of eyes shifting between them.
A smirk tugs at the edge of my mouth. We may have started on a rocky path, but at this moment, Van’s my sister in every way that matters.
The General looks at each of us, unimpressed, before his booming voice sentences us. “And anyone who aids or harbours them will be arrested and brought before the Council on charges of treason!”
"Ah, yes, nothing says innocent like silencing anyone who disagrees with you,” Sakura murmurs under her breath, just loud enough to sting, and that’s a step too far for Randall Brackwell.
“What better way to start than with her closest friends?” He turns to the nearest guard, “—Arrest her.”
The soldier doesn’t hesitate. He draws manacles and grabs Sakura’s wrist, but before he can bind her, Kazuki Sato and Caleb’s fists connect at the same time on each side of the soldier’s face, hard.
The man drops like a bag of flour, the blade clatters harmlessly to the floor.
Both standing between Sakura and the soldiers surrounding them, eyes blazing.
“If anyone else raises a hand to my daughter again,” Kazuki’s voice burns, “you’d better be ready to lose it.”
“Arrest them all!”
The room explodes into movements. Soldiers shout, weapons get drawn, and everything descends into chaos.
Caleb moves fast, too fast for anyone to stop him.
He tosses a small, metal orb to the ground.
Bursting with a snap-hiss, thick smoke floods the chamber, swallowing guards and nobles alike in blinding white light and gas.
“Now!” he shouts.
They all follow me, Wyll on my heels, hidden through the fog. Finally out of the room, we run up the stairs. I led them to the right toward the library, locking ourselves in. I yank on a half-burned leather tome, and the wall shifts, groaning open.
“This way!” I call, one by one, they slip into the darkness. I am the last in, sealing us as soldiers shout behind the walls.
Crashing through the underbrush, we run through the dark woods toward the third nearest lookout post. Branches whip at our faces, breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts.
Every step is driven by desperation. We huddle in the shadows of the lookout, the air damp and heavy with tension as I finish recalling the last events.
“We can’t stay here,” Vanessa murmurs, checking out the window. “Not for long, that’s for sure.” She and Sakura did clear the path from any trails that would lead them to us, but it won’t be long before they catch up to us.
“Oh, we know Sunny,” Wyll agrees, pacing like a caged animal, his voice barely masking the rising tension.
“And we have to get Lyna!” Van’s voice rises, taking a slightly high-pitched tone that’s unaccustomed.
“I agree with Blondie, we can grab a demon. I know where a portal could be.” I hurry to add.
“And face the whole Netherworld, alone and unprepared!” Caleb bites.
“She’s alone and unprepared,” I snarl in his face, meeting him chest to chest.
Sakura slips between us, imposing some distance.“We all want Lyna to be safe, and for that, we need a plan. Otherwise, we’ll end up as demon food, and that will be quite a predicament.”
“I agree with Saku. Alright. Elveron? Nalaka’s there.
She likes us! She’s reasonable, she’s kind, she’s part of the Bloodhowl Unit, and she’s.
.. a literal Princess. Princesses fix things, right?
” Wyll throws the words out with a half-unhinged laugh, trying to convince us as much as himself.
“Right?” A small flicker in the edge of his bravado.
Spinning panic into humour, and right now, he reminds me so much of Vi it hurts.
That same reckless hope burning too bright for a world this cruel.
The same way they fill silence with noise, unable to sit alone with the weight of their thoughts.
The same stubborn refusal to stop believing, even as the ground crumbles beneath them.
I betrayed her.
I’ve never hated myself more than I do right now.
She’s gone, and the echo of her is standing with me, a whisper in the air.
I grit my teeth, shoving the feeling back down where it belongs.
It won’t save her, I will. And when I do, I’ll beg for her forgiveness.
Even if she has nothing left to give, I’ll plead for the scraps.
The moment hangs in my chest, choking, but there’s no time to drown in guilt.
“And Elveron’s alpha is practically the General’s drinking buddy. We won’t last one night there.” Caleb adds.
“Arvendal’s not an option either,” Sakura says softly, almost as if she's commenting on the weather. “It’s much too peaceful. People notice new faces right away, especially if they’re the kind with wanted posters.
Ruby might hide us, of course, but she’s probably still in Elveron, working on the cure. ”
“So… nothing but closed doors and enemies. Cool, cool.” Wyll mutters.
“Just what I needed to calm down.” He wanders over to a dusty cupboard, rifling through it, searching for salvation.
I know the urge too well, my fingers itching to do the same.
But now’s not the time, I’m a Sergeant, I have a mission to focus on.
Wyll finally pulls a dusty amber bottle from the back of the shelf and takes a long swig.
Followed by Vanessa snatching it from his hand and taking a smaller sip herself, leaving him to pout like a scolded puppy.
“That leaves Saltmere. It’s remote. Not under Council control. If we can get there, we might be able to regroup.” Caleb adds a pensive tone.
“Saltmere? That’s at least a week by horse.” Sakura frowns.
“We have motorcycles,” I say.
Wyll turns to me as if I just suggested becoming a vegan monk. Finally, he throws his hands up.
“Alright! Fine! We’ll take the bikes. But if she gets stolen, I will make it everyone’s problem.” Van glares at him before rolling her eyes.
Caleb continues, completely ignoring him, “If the roads are clear and we avoid patrols, we can make it in a day or two at most. We move now, before words spread. Before anyone else knows we’ve gone rogue.”
Through it all, Kazuki Sato remained silent, standing apart from the chaos. “I can see now, you’re ready for the real world,” addressing all of us.