Chapter 5

Eleanor walked blindly on the dark road and for a thousand times in her life she thanked the stars that there were no plagues killing people. She hummed as she continued going south of the kingdom when she heard breaking of trees around her. She stopped in her tracks and carefully looked around to hear again but she heard nothing. She continued moving but no longer hummed and as she expected, the noise came again. She guessed that she was being followed and looked around to catch a human figure, however before she could see one, they had come from behind and hit her hard to unconsciousness.

Low creepy songs were sang and there was so much heat that Eleanor woke up only to see so many people surrounding her singing scary songs, all covered with cloaks like the color of a snake and on each of their foreheads had the image of a snake and a sword in between.

“Deuxmites.” She sat up fearfully and looked at each one of them and when they noticed she was awake, they stopped singing.

“She’s awake.”

“start the ritual.”

“Hey! What ritual?” Eleanor asked confused and in fear but no one answered her. A woman came forward with a bowl and a small knife and began chanting some words that were neither in English nor in black belt. Eleanor stood up and tried to run but they pushed her back and covered up any space she could pass through. The woman cut her palm and poured a portion of her blood into the bowl and gave the person closest to her to do the same and so the bowl passed on and on to the next person.

“Oh, god.” Eleanor exclaimed and brought out her sword to threaten them but they were neither scared nor bothered. The bowl soon reached the last person and back to the woman who went nearer to Eleanor, saying the word “accept our offering mighty” over and over again until she stopped in front of Eleanor and brought the bowl forward.

“Take and drink and receive the blessings of our great snake.”

“never! You’re all mad!” Eleanor shouted more in fear than in anger but the woman paid no mind and put the bowl to Eleanor’s mouth but Eleanor pushed the bowl to the ground and the woman looked at the bowl on the ground in shock. Meanwhile, Eleanor tried once again to make an escape but there was no place to run to. Tears fell from her eyes in fright of the sight of ritual and she felt something strange inside her coming out like a defense. She turned to the woman who picked up the bowl and the knife to cut herself again and pass to the others but an arrow passed through very straight to the woman’s head and at the same time, Eleanor shouted in tears and behind her, a glowing blue light shone very brightly and a dragon appeared, with a faded form as in a spirit guide and scared the cultists away, some fainted at the sight while some were able to run away. Meanwhile, Eleanor looked at her glowing skin in surprise and at the scared Deuxmites in content. When the dragon had successfully scared them away, the glowing light faded and so did the dragon and Eleanor fell on her knees panting.

“what was that?” she heard a voice and immediately stood up, quickly picking up her sword to attack but upon seeing the man that saved her, she lowered her guard but not her sword.

“What are you doing here?”

She asked but he looked almost as scared as the Deuxmites only that he tried to hide it unsuccessfully.

“I was following…you.”

“following me? Why would you do that?”

She asked and dropped her sword.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know but whatever it was, it came a little late.”

“that thing defended you. It saved you.”

“yes. Now tell me why you would follow me.” She asked already making to move and he quickly followed her.

“there was something I wanted to give you.” He said and she stopped walking and faced him.

“Give me? What is that?”

“here.” He said and brought out a necklace with belt like scales on the pendant and handed it to her

“what is this?”

“it is a royal decree.”

“And I’m supposed to have it because my family were miraculously royals?”

She asked once again sarcastically but he scoffed

“No, you are the only black belt left.”

“that is not an explanation.”

She said but before he could answer her, someone came running.

“Oh, Damien. I thought I lost you.” Eleanor and Damien turned to see who it was and when Eleanor saw it was the stranger that gave her away to the guards for capture, she drew out her sword and shouted.

“Stop there!” the innocent looking man stopped in quick surrender and looked closely to see it was the same lady who tried to kill him.

“You again? I thought you were captured?”

“thanks to you.” Eleanor said and brought the knife closer to his neck.

“You know her?” Damien asked the stranger and he nodded.

“you Damien, right? How do you know this man?”

“we are friends since childhood.” Damien answered.

“then you are a bad person.” She said and pressed the sword further to the stranger’s neck.

“whoa, whoa, I only held you because I thought you were causing trouble. Why else would the guards be at your tail that night?”

“none of your business.” Eleanor replied and dropped her sword.

“I was just doing what I thought was right.”

The man said and smiled nervously at Eleanor as he tried to move away from her before she could bring out her sword again.

“Fazz, what are you doing here?” Damien asked and Eleanor chuckled.

“what is so funny, huh?” Fazz asked and she looked at him.

“Your name is funny.”

“that’s not my name, it’s Fabian. I don’t know why this sly friend of mine keeps calling me that.”

“what are you doing here?” Damien insisted but not without a certain smile on his face.

“oh, I was following you. Garret says you went after a lady so I was curious to what that lady.”

“speaking of lady…where is she?”

Meanwhile, Eleanor had started moving when she noticed the two men were distracted, however she didn’t last alone for long because they came running after her.

“hey! I was saying something before your frenemy came.”

“he is not my frenemy and I’m not interested in whatever thing you have to say.”

“where are you headed?” Fabian asked

“south.”

“there is nothing south of this kingdom. No one has ever gone there before.”

“or someone has but refused to say because he has a life there.” Eleanor put in

“or because he didn’t make it back alive.” Fabian said and Eleanor stopped walking.

“what do you want?”

“your name.” Fabian replied.

“To take this necklace.” Damien also replied.

“I’m Eleanor and I’m not taking that necklace.”

She said and turned to continue going.

“Thanks.” Fabian said with a smile to which she did not return.

“Eleanor, people are dying and they need the rightful ruler.”

“well, they have a ruler.”

“a false ruler.” Damien said and once again she paused.

“He didn’t seem false to me. She did.”

“no, of course he won’t you don’t know him. He is starving his subjects.”

“I have been eating good food.”

“Eleanor, you don’t understand. For thousands of years humans and black belts lived together in peace and harmony and they each got to rule. Humans rule for four years and black belts rule for four years. And it has been going on like that until recently.”

“go on.” Eleanor said and Damien continued.

“During the reign of King Vincent the fifty-sixth human to reign, another group of humans began to rebel against the coming together of humans and black belts. They didn’t like the fact that the two species got married and had children and also for the fact that black belts were better at everything than us humans. So they tried to convince the King to kill all black belts but the king being a just person disagreed to it and even wanted the next royal black belt to rule after he died. These rebels heard of it and killed the king and all black belts…”

“This was three years ago?” Eleanor asked, remembering how those humans slaughtered her people and Damian nodded.

“that man that is ruling now, is among the people that conspired all these. And right now, he is starving and enslaving the old and children and those who won’t bend the knee. A lot of people protested that they want the kingdom to go back as it was where humans and black belts got to rule and died for it, and since then, no one has tried to stop this madness.”

Damien finally finished his story and Eleanor thought for a while before replying

“I won’t be the one to start another protest.”

“no, I’m not asking for a protest. I’m asking you to make things go back to normal.”

“I can’t do that.”

“he killed your kind, Eleanor!”

“I know and killed everyone that killed my people, he wasn’t in my list.” Eleanor said and started going once again.

“Why won’t you do this?”

“because humans deserve everything that is happening to them. They are selfish, and wicked.”

“but not all humans are bad.”

“that is what bad humans say.”

“Please!”

“why are you even holding that necklace by the way?”