Chapter Sixteen

How do you kill a god or goddess? That has been all my mind is focused on ever for two days ago, when Dregh surrounded me with her words that flowed from her silver tongue like a river. Kyril is right in the fact that you can never trust a word that his mother speaks; however, I am to never underestimate Dregh, as I know she loves a good old game. She wants to play a game of chess, but not one against me, no, but one against other gods. It was clear when she spoke to me, how she said she knew other deity's weakness and how to use them to her advantage. My one question in her game of chess, is not which piece am I to her, but who is her opponent? If Dregh plans on using a human from the line of the strongest hunter, a human with no knowledge or ability to kill someone of her stature, then is this opponent that weak, or does she just want to play a game? With my mind wrapped around those thoughts, I completely disregard the conversation before me, as Kyril talks to his trackers, showing them a map and he points along different mountain ranges and bodies of water. King Kyril of Iduna, a naive and weak king for his kingdom. Sure, before I saw him as some strong and mighty king, the way he conducted himself, how people talked of him, and hell, how my first impressions of him was him holding me over a balcony as I screamed. However, I see it now, I see his arrogance in a new light, his yearn for someone to belong beside him. Being King at a young age and having grown up in a palace where you have seen your father murdered, your mother never visiting because she is a goddess who gives no concern for you, and his only friend to be his mentor to teach him academics and battle skills, I see how that has made him appear weak to me now.

The king I once thought of as mighty and bold is nothing more than someone my age now, prone to being taken advantage of, someone so desperate for the company of someone their age that could offer them a simple slice of happiness, and someone I too will play just has his mother has played him. Kyril does not believe Dregh because he always thinks she is to lie, to try and take a piece of his happiness from him, while in reality, he should have listened to the woman he detests. Dregh told me of a possible future, yet I wish to disprove her, to show her I will not murder, and to show that I will leave Iduna with my father. So, what if my relative was some mighty hunter, for he has been long dead and any fighting skill I have in me, Kyril has easily been able to disarm me. If I cannot even defeat a demi-god, then how can I defeat a god? I have been told that Heka has slayed many demi-gods, as if that his is goal here, but he made a mistake in slaying Kyril's father and not Kyril himself. If this is true, then I do not know the image I expected my father to have.

"Lady Candice?" My presence in the discussion around me is acknowledged once more, snapping me out of my thoughts as I sit before a group of men that overlook a map, their eyes locked on mine as my throat runs dry. "Did you not hear the plan?" Duke Gravon asks, his voice a tad shaken as it has been since the day on the mountain when I saw in his eyes a fear not caused by Dregh but caused by me. Ever since that day, Duke Gravon has tried to pull himself away from me, no longer someone for some friendly conversation, but someone who makes comments every now and then, avoiding me as much as possible. Why? He knows not of what Dregh said I could be capable of, but he knows that Dregh confided in me, treated me as if someone to associate herself with, and wished to see me again. That alone is enough to make him fear what assumes me to be capable of. All of Kyril's other men see me just as a mere human, seeing me as no threat as they only think that I am here to help their king find a man that has erased himself from the maps. "Our plan is to head out tomorrow morning, before the sun rises, and to head west into the Forest of Zella, taking a shortcut through there and then into the mountains Heka is said to be residing within."

"How long of a journey?" I ask, sitting up straight as I remember the golden eyes of Dregh the moment she told me I would murder my first enemy on the day that I am reunited with my father, before the sun can even set. But who would be my first enemy? It would have to be someone here from the camp, someone already plotting something against me, but who? Duke Gravon is a no, as he is too scared me of, plus, he knows his king is head over heels for me, meaning he would not dare threaten the life of the king's supposed mate. The king looks to me, his head probably filled with conflicting thoughts. He must be smart than how he is acting now, some part of him knowing that because his mother left with haunting words hanging in the air, I am more than just some human who came to Iduna on accident. Kyril believes that his mother was playing another game, trying to take some form of happiness from him. What happens when he discovers who my father is? My father who has traveled around this realm, murdering the children of the gods, and here Kyril is, unaware that I am the daughter of the man he wishes to kill. Why do I hold such high loyalty to a man who I barely know, who perhaps has murdered so many like what I have heard? He is family, flesh and blood that has been missing from my life for years. It is not just loyalty alone that keeps me persistent on finding my father, but the fact that I want to know why he never returned home to mother and me, why he spent so much of his life trying to leave his perfect life back home behind for one of a lone traveler seen as an enemy or a demon. A sense of curiosity aids my determination to find my father, not to mention he may hold the key to return back home.

"The forest is a day's ride, then we rely on the gods to guide us to Heka," Duke Gravon responds, his voice shaky, already knowing to believe in the warning Dregh gave. Was he right to fear that warning from Dregh? He believes her words to be set in stone, but that kind of fate Dregh believes is mine, it cannot be right. Dregh does not know me, does not know who I am and is only basing her believes off the character of my father. "There is a tribe of elves within the forest, perhaps even helping to protect Heka."

"Why would elves try and protect Heka?" I ask, turning to Kyril as he takes from the table a goblet, running his fingers around the gold rim, eyes glowing bright gold. A golden mist comes from the goblet, expanding into the air as the king looks bored, as if this magic that he is capable of does not fascinate him.

One of the men in the room beside Duke Gravon steps forth, opening his mouth as he forms his reply. "There are those in this realm that have sold their souls to the belief that the gods should pass away, that the realm is better off without supreme beings running things from afar." The more I listen to this, the more I wonder how complex the inner-workings of this realm are. Beliefs, the morals, religions, the deities, and even the governments here, I truly wonder how this world compares to my own. "Heka has been slaying children of the gods for years here, but he does not yet have the power to go against a god." My father, a man that has spent so much of his life perfecting his magic, slaying the children of gods, and hiding away, has not believed himself to be strong enough to kill a god, much less fight one. However, even with all these facts, Dregh believes me capable of slaying a god when my father has been practicing longer than me and cannot even try his skills against a god. How can Dregh be so sure about what my supposed fate is to be?

"And what happens when we find Heka? When we find the elves? Will we not be fought against?" I ask, seeing that every man here has a sword, or some form of weapon held by their side, but I have no way to protect myself. I cannot be kept from the battle if these men plan on murdering my father, I must be there. I have to be there to make sure that my father and the only man that holds the key to getting out of this world does not die.

Kyril nods, placing the goblet down as he points to a map, one where a forest is marked out. "The leader of the tribe is not too keen on my race, Lady Candice, but she does enjoy a good human, especially a female since she has not set her eyes upon one in centuries."

"And when we find Heka?" I question, getting ready for the words that will make my head race with thoughts and a sense of duty fall upon me.

Duke Gravon takes in a deep breath, knowing the words that must be spoken before we head out for the elves. "When we find Heka, Lady Candice," he begins, placing his hands upon the table, "then justice will lie within the hands of the one who holds the sword."

By sunrise my horse is saddled up for the journey, the cloak placed around my shoulders, wind blowing, and my eyes sore from the sunlight that extending out upon the land. A soldier hands me the reins to the horse, my eyes looking past the individual as they interlock with the eyes of the king, his lips pressed firmly together as I wonder what the day ahead has not for us, but for me. It is as if we stand against one another now, knowing that this moment is one we have been waiting for if Heka is there today. Though just hours ago Kyril thought his mother to be speaking lies, but now he knows that we are close to the man we have both been trying to find. I am to be a loose cannon, unsure of how well I will be able to control myself the moment I set eyes upon my father once more. But just as I am a loose cannon, so is King Kyril, bloodthirsty and obsessed with revenge that he could become my biggest threat today.

The moment I get onto the horse and find myself nervous for the next few hours, the king only follows in mounting his own horse, ready to lead his men into a forest filled with elves that perhaps protect my father. As the crowd of horses become rowdy and the king leads the way, I no longer find myself beside him as usually, but rather pushed back in the middle of those just obeying the orders of their king. With their swords, bows, arrows, and axes tucked away and ready to be used if necessary, I find the need to grab one and keep it as my own for later only growing within. If I am to meet some elven ruler and there is to be some siege underway, I find it necessary to keep something pointy by my side to live another day.

By the time the sun is halfway up in the sky and a forest that stretches long and wide to a mountain range filled with ice and snow, I know that the moment to find my father is only approaching. My heart racing faster than a humming bird and my head spinning, my nerves only pick up as our destination becomes closer. Looking over the forest below, I can see a small stretch of white marble structures, running between a group of trees with slightly darker shaded leaves than the rest. Even in winter the tress have not lost their green hues, untouched by the snow just meters away from the territory of trees. In this world of the unreal and everything a child could read in any bedtime story. To think I have spent all my time within this realm on no break, constantly having my arm twisted as I wonder where the next day shall take me. If my father is there today and I watch him die, I know that Kyril will not let me go, but I also know that I will not go easy on any of them. Hell, I would try as hard as humanly possible to get out of here, to find my freedom and either seek a way back home or some form of haven as I live my life out here in this world. But if my father does not die today and I find myself beside him, I swear our mission will be to return home, to rebuild the family we once had. No, I will not spend the rest of my years within this realm, hunting down gods and goddess, playing Dregh's games.

"Lady Candice," a voice calls out, turning my attention over to the individual as I see Duke Gravon there, skin pale, and before the dark forest ahead as our horses come to a stop. "The King wishes for you to venture with him into the forest beside him." As my horse comes to a stop and I am helped by a soldier off my horse, the forest stands tall before us, causing me to feel miniscule.

"Thank you, Duke Gravon," I reply, knowing that the Duke is just scared of me, of what someone says I am capable of. Looking to the king who stands before a small path made by the trees, I know that he too has many questions spiraling through his mind. "My King," I speak out, walking over to the male who seems lost before the mighty forest ahead. "You wish for me to walk beside you." The King nods, not even turning his head to look my way.

"We should be to the tribe before sunset," the King announces to his men, turning to face them as he almost reaches out for me, fingers almost grasping my hand, only to brush past as he reminds himself what is about to happen. "Keep your swords close and your guard up at all times, for the elves are sly creatures, sly as foxes."

Turning around, Kyril faces the forest, looking at me through the corner of his eyes as I see his eyes dull for once, in a state I have never seen before. With his first step taken and my eyes focused to the forest ahead, I only follow him in pursuit, the men behind us not daring hesitate as the smell of dirt and sound of birds chirping seems so rare to me. The path before us is narrow, vines from the trees overlapping the stone path along the way, trees shading the forest floor as I look through the forest, to the strange plants growing within. Flowers grown up the trees, shades of light pink and orange, as if a vine as they only make the forest more beautiful. As we walk further in, birds fly above in the trees, bright blue wings and long beaks, their little bodies perched upon branches where small mushrooms grow upside down. For most of the journey in, we walk beside a small river, one with crystal blue water, silver fish swimming with the current, jumping in and out like a dolphin would in the ocean. If anything from this forest, it is far more stunning than any other portion of Iduna I have seen. Just as one of the men behind me begins to hum a tune, soon enough many of the other men have joined him, filling the silence with some song. A song about a dragon, one that had sacrificed itself for the king who he had sworn to protect. They sing of a dragon not having caused destruction as I would expect, but one who helped the land and dedicated its life to the safety of a single man.

"Tell me, Lady Candice, does your world hold any stories of dragons?" Kyril asks, drawing my attention away from the song and to the man that walks before me. "Stories that go back centuries ago about the mighty and scaled beasts who breathed fire."

So practically anything about a damsel in distress who was saved by some dashing prince from the dragon's layer or the mighty tale of Beowulf who died fighting the dragon. "Just stories mostly told to children now. Dragons who terrorized a village or stole some princess from her home. Nothing too memorable," I reply, pulling the cloak around my body closer in as a warm breeze brushes past. "Most stories now are about different types of futures that hold nothing pure and good in them." It is true, for most stories now read back home are about dystopian societies or themes that warn people from technology.

"Sounds like a home with no sense of imagination or history," Kyril comments, briefly looking over his shoulder to me, his eyes holding a hollow emotion. Looking back to the path ahead, he suddenly stops, holding up his hand as his men also stop, grabbing onto their weapons as they become worried. Looking to the men behind me, they are still, eyes scanning the forest floor as I look out into the trees, only, I do not see some beast or creature to be frightened of, but a woman dressed in a pale blue dress.

"King Kyril," the woman greets, a small distance away as her words feel soft and welcoming, a small smile tugging at her lips, and her gray eyes falling upon me. "The High One has been expecting your passage since sunrise." The High One? Is that the name of their ruler?

"As we have been on our way to greet the High One," Kyril replies, talking with a respectful tone, watching as the woman draws closer. She is an elf, her ears pointed at the top, a thin silver crown placed upon her head that holds emeralds on the bottom rim, her black hair pushed behind her shoulders, and her skin seeming to illuminate like the moonlight as she comes closer.

The elf stands before us now, tall, as tall as the King as she overlooks even the men in this group. As her eyes scan the crowd, they almost go past me as I am the shortest of the bunch, but the moment her eyes land on me, they stay put, widening she tries to hide a shocked facial expression. "What a peculiar creature to have by your side, King Kyril. The High One will be very intrigued by this." Because I am human. That must be why, because my father has been hidden by these people. "Tell me, King Kyril, why do you carry so many weapons with you?"

"We are traveling to the mountain, to train the new palace guards. We are passing through the forest to save time," Kyril responds rather quick. "We are requesting shelter for the night within the halls of your High One."

The elf smirks, looking smug as she keeps her eyes locked on me. "One would be unwise to withhold the wish of their king," she responds, taking her eyes off me and back to Kyril. "I shall take you to the palace as the Holy One has been expecting you and your guest."

"Then remember, elf, that she is my guest and not a gift to your ruler."

"We are simple creatures, my King," the elf explains, "never wishing to upset our lord." The way she talks, how she says her words, the elves know. They know what we have come for, and what Kyril's endgame is. They know we are here for Heka and they also know that I am human, meaning that they would have told my father. I may not know elves, but if these people have been sheltering my father for years then they would inform him that another human has entered their forest. My father already thinks that it is not me that has entered Iduna, but my mother, meaning he expects to see my mother when all of this is over, not the daughter he left ages ago.

"Then lead the way," Kyril instructs, the elf turning around, everyone following in pursuit as I feel myself becoming anxious. With the path being led by an elf and all the men around me positioning their hands close to their weapons, I find the need for a weapon in my hands only increasing with every step. As a child I was always told about elves in story books, about this wisdom, their kindness, and the special powers they possessed to help make the world beautiful. But these elves are not those from the books I read as a child. I remember calling Soka an elf back many nights ago, only for her to take it as a direct insult and warn me of the disintegrating morals of those who always seem so pristine. But as I watch this elf, as I have heard this elf speak, I find myself not wanting to get out of the reach of Kyril, but of the elves instead. Something is going to happen today, before the sun can even set, and I can only pray that I do not find myself becoming the person who Dregh said I would.