Piercing Silver

Chapter 5

The dark forest wasn't a safe place for anyone, especially an innocent, powerless girl like Alison. It broke Robert's heart to have to do such a thing. The fae were unkind and evil. The forest was their world. How did Edna expect the girl to survive? Unless she didn't expect the girl to survive and was hoping the fae would succeed where she had failed.

There was no time for Robert to consult his handler. He knew he had to wing it, so instead of one light stone, he took two.

The portal was the least preferable way to travel, but it was the only way to another dimension.

The dark forest was without daylight, hence its name. The colourful flowers and gentle beings were what lit the place. Their glow was sufficient for light. The forest was like the milky way, only that it had gravity, ground, and plants. Though the creatures were beautiful, they were mostly mean and evil. The stronger ones picked on the weaker ones, and the slave market was booming. Alison was too weak to survive in such a place.

Robert knew why Edna had taken such drastic and dangerous measures. Edna could not stand another being higher than she was. The dragon race was the highest in the earthly hierarchy. A supreme being was the highest in the universe. Edna knew she was outmatched and outclassed, so she opted to get rid of the problem before the word got out, and she had him do the dirty job. Why didn't she send Boyce, her most trusted, whatever he was? Or Abel, her favourite lapdog? Thinking of the task he was given angered him. He knew a time would come when he would get the opportunity to put her in her place. For now, he was just a spineless Cheetah. The lowest of all the shifters. He had been instructed by his handler to remain that way until otherwise.

Robert slid the light stone into Alison's left pocket with a small note he had prepared when he went to get the stones. He left her by a tree. Her body was still cold, but she was already showing signs of recovery. Robert left her there with a broken heart.

"The Fae forest?" Abel exclaimed. The three of them were now in a private chamber. Edna usually held secret meetings there. Alison was a secret matter, so it was best they discussed it there.

Boyce was still shaken from what had happened. All his life, he had believed there was no such thing as a true immortal. He believed that although there were beings that lived longer than others, they all had something that could end their lives. Alison had just made a mockery of his belief. He began to dread if there were others like her. He wondered if they would come for them. He knew Abel was right; Edna should have rolled out the red carpet for a superior being. Now they would have to live in fear and watch their backs. They had beings that couldn't be killed as potential enemies.

"Shut up, Abel!" Edna yelled, fed up with Abel's tantrum. "Do not forget your place," she told him, flashing her green eyes. She was shaken at first, but now she was calm. Even though Dinah, or whatever, could not die, there was no way she could find her way back from the dark forest.

"He's not overreacting." Boyce cut in, still shaken by what had happened.

Edna looked at him in shock. She felt a tinge of betrayal. She had not expected Boyce to side with Abel against her.

"What we did was unnecessary. What you had Robert do was worse," he began. Before he could continue, Edna burned his chest with anger. The fire was light, but it did some damage.

"Are you out of your mind?" She began, "how dare you reprimand me?"

"You have put a big target on all of us," Boyce said in agony.

"Soon, her kind will find out what we have done, and they will come for us." Boyce continued, "even you can die, oh mighty dragon," he said with sarcasm. "I am leaving with my bears," he concluded. "They will not pay for your actions."

Edna could not respond to what Boyce had just said. She wasn't expecting he would abandon her, but he just said he would, and she knew he meant it.

"No hard feelings," he continued. "My duty is first to my bears. I would have to get them out of harm's way first before I can think of helping you," he explained.

"There'll be no need for that," Edna pleaded, knowing she had lost grounds. The truth was, the two Alphas now knew that there were beings greater than her. She had to be wise about it, or what she had feared all along would happen.

"She's with the fae now. She can not return." She explained gently.

"You know nothing about her," Abel began. "You know nothing about supreme beings. They get things done by just thinking about it," Abel said.

"Come on, Abel, stop it," Edna said, reprimanding him. "Boyce is already scared enough; we do not need you fueling his fear with things you read in human tales."

"You seem to forget something," Abel replied. "Humans have the most accurate stories and descriptions. We may live longer and maybe stronger than them because of magic and the supernatural, but they are part of the original beings, older and rank higher than us. So yes, they may be tales, but their knowledge is a lot more vast in matters like this than yours," he completed, and they all went silent. Boyce was hell-bent on leaving the settlement.

"Before I leave, I need to know the truth, Edna," Boyce said, and her heart skipped. He had called on the truth oath. She knew the oath compelled her to tell the truth; lying was not an option for her. She hoped the answer to whatever he would ask would not cause him to break away.

"I need to know why you couldn't just let her remain here as one of us. Why were you hell-bent on killing her after you knew what she was?" he asked, and she swallowed hard.

She knew her answer would drive him away because the truth was far from pleasant. It wasn't that she felt threatened by Alison; she just couldn't stand another being higher than her. She feared she wouldn't be revered. She would lose her power and respect, and dragons would no longer be feared. It was selfish. This much she knew and refused to answer the question.

She had helped him make up his mind by denying him an answer. Boyce decided he would leave the settlement immediately. Edna tried to plead with him, but he refused. He knew that she had used all three of them for something selfish and unnecessary, and in doing so, she had put the entire settlement and others alike in danger.