The Lost Warrior Princess

Message From Above.

Everything seemed to stand still. Was there really documentation on this in our historical records back home? Had the commanders at the time really ordered this hit on the family I was meant to have? Everyone was silent while my mind was anything but quiet.

Looking at Max and the sadness deep in his eyes I knew he was speaking the truth, I knew I didn’t need to question him on if he had it right because Max had an exceptional memory. He had Hyperthymesia after all, he remembered everything that ever happened to him down to the smallest detail.

“What did you read Max?” I asked in an almost whisper. Nicolas had pulled me closer to his chest and a soft almost purr was rumbling in his chest trying to calm me.

“ Please Max, I need to know.” I had to know who was given this mission and who had taken the family I didn’t even know I had away from me.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy with the family I did have. It was that it felt like it had all been a lie, that everything I grew up knowing wasn’t real.

After a long breath Max nodded, “The commanders at the time, heard about a peace meeting happening between the Ravenwood royals and the werecats of the south, the Flaming Sands Pride.” Max took a long breath before he continued explaining what he had read. “ The commanders ordered a team of specially skilled warriors to infiltrate the castle and assassinate the King and Queen. They staged it so that the werecats would be held responsible and the peace treaty would never happen.”

“Why would they do that though? I thought that eighteen years ago everyone was trying to come together to fight the rogues?” Alice asked from her place on Gareth’s lap.

“ I was only a small child then, but I might know someone who does know.” Gareth said looking at her as if she was the sun.

“Max, do you know who it was that ordered the attack and who was on the team that carried it out?” I asked hoping that he had been able to get that information as well. He nodded but the look on my face told me that we all knew who had carried it out.

“The commander that had ordered the assassination was promoted to Governor after the success of the mission, Governor Marley ordered the hit. She ordered our current commanders to carry out her orders. . .” Max said trailing off as his words hit me, the people that we were meant to put our trust and respect in carried this out? Is that why they agreed to escort the prince here? To gain insider information on their defences, how many warriors they had if our leaders decided to attack? The entire time I was stuck in my own panicked thoughts, Nicolas was rubbing his hand up and down my back. He was still trying to calm me but I couldn’t be calm when the lives of everyone I cared about could be at risk. Turning to look at Alice and Max, our eyes locking and my own panic reflected back at me from theirs, we had all come to the same conclusion, there could be someone trying to assassinate Gareth or Nicolas. This could have all been a ploy to trick them into letting their guard down.

“You need to increase security on the pack house and anyone that is of importance to the pack, I hope I’m wrong but this could have all been a set-up to get someone on the inside to assassinate one of you. Alice, you will be Gareth’s protection detail.” Alice giving a stiff nod back, she was back in business mode and wouldn’t let anyone get close that shouldn’t be. “Max, you are going to be Leo and Lily’s protection detail. Nicolas, I will be yours. Is everyone okay with that arrangement?” Everyone gave me a small nod back.

“What about Riley? What’s going to happen to him?” Max asked with a worried look on his face.

“He is lucky Nicolas hasn’t snapped his neck already.” Alice said sounding slightly irritated. “Besides how do we know he isn’t the one that’s meant to carry out this order? Did you see the way he zombie ‘kill, kill, we will kill.” She said in a zombie voice.

“He wouldn’t do that!” Max yelled back earning a growl from Gareth.

“Watch your tone boy.” Gareth said through gritted teeth. Alice grabbed both Gareth’s cheeks and pressed her forehead to his. He slowly calmed but was still giving Max dirty looks. “He may be your friend but if what I saw in the hall was anything to go by, he needs to be monitored, we need to know he isn’t involved or compromised with magic.”

I was inclined to agree, I may not like how Riley has this possessive attitude towards me but he was still a member of my team, someone I grew up with in my teen years. I didn’t want to believe that he could be involved in this even if it wasn’t voluntarily.

“Okay, Riley will be with Anya. I can ask if there is some kind of spell to see if she can get any information out of his mind while he is still knocked out. We can’t risk waking him up if he is involved or being manipulated somehow. ”

I looked at Gareth and Nicolas who then looked between themselves before giving me a reluctant nod. I could see on Nicolas’ face he was not happy about this and that there would be a discussion happening once we were alone.

“And if he is proven to be involved of his own choice?” Nicolas asked, Drawing my eyes to his. “What will happen to him then?”

“Then. . .” taking a deep breath before I spoke the words I hoped wouldn’t ever happen. “Then the leader he has wronged can punish him how they see fit. . . ”

After we had finished talking everyone went back to their rooms, Gareth had said Riley had been moved to Anya’s room so she could see if there was anything she could do. He said she was confident that she would be able to find out the information we wanted to know.

…………………………

That had been two days ago now, the treaty meeting had been put on hold with everything else that had been happening, there had been more rogue attacks in the time we had arrived then there had been in the previous year, Gareth was concerned there was something more going on in the shadows. Anya had said we should keep Riley asleep until we had no choice but to wake him, she had been trying to gather information from his mind and find out if he was being controlled by someone. It was a very slow process, I would go and check in as often as I could and get an update on her progress.

I had been worried about him not being able to eat but Anya had explained that he would be fine because his body was ‘frozen’ at that moment, but that he would be very hungry once he woke up.

I had come back from visiting Anya and checking to see if she had made and progress but she hadn’t had anything to report. I had showered and changed and was sitting on the bed while I went over everything from the past two days in my head, when there was a knock at the door.

I had stayed in the room while Nicolas was in the shower because I didn’t want to be tempted by his perfectly sculptured body but I hadn’t been expecting anyone.

I got up to open the door, but as I got up the banging became even louder and more impatient. Quickly grabbing a dagger from my weapons bag at the end of the bed, I slowly walking over to the door. As I grabbed the handle a hand wrapped around my hand and my mouth. Quickly turning I come face to face with Nicolas, with his finger up to his lips to tell me to stay quiet. Slowly leading me away from the door, pulling me to the other side of the room. The person on the other side of the door was still banging on the door like they were trying to break it down.

“Who is it?” I whispered to Nicolas.

“ I dont know, I wasn’t expecting anyone and I can’t smell any scents coming from them. They have their scent covered somehow.” He replied. How had no one heard all this noise? Surly someone would have heard it out in the hall. Something had to be wrong, we had to find out who it was and then I needed to go make sure my friends were all safe.

“I’m going to go and open it, be ready to run and get help. I’m not sure what they might be but I’m not going down without a fight.” I whispered taking a step towards the door. Quietly and quickly before Nicolas could stop me I ran and pulled the door open. A large hand coming towards my face as I opened the door.

……………………

Nicolas POV

Gods my mate was a little minx, before I could even try to stop her she was already running to the door and throwing it open. A large fist coming towards her face as she did, rushing towards her, I managed to grab her just before the attacker could land the blow. Quickly regaining her balance from the sudden rush, she gave a quiet thanks before running towards the person in the doorway.

Quickly moving into action, I charged the large man my mate was currently trying to subdue. Grabbing his arm only for the other to come in contact with my face. My head snapped back at the impact, recovering quickly to block a kick to the gut.

“Who are you?” I growled at our attacker between blows. He wasn’t a supernatural, he wasn’t that strong but he was very close. “Why are you here?”

“Go! Go get help!” My little mate yelled as she drove he dagger into the attackers leg, causing a scream of agony ripping from his throat. Only for rage to contort his face before he back handed her across the face.

She landed with a thud on the floor a few feet away. With his scent being covered somehow I couldn’t tell if he was human but there was something off about his inhuman strength.

Growling I tore forward grabbing the dagger from his leg only to drive it through his shoulder while he was distracted, another scream ripping from his mouth. It didn’t stop him for long though, kicking his leg into my stomach like he had never been stabbed in the leg at all. Pushing me back just enough to get his hand around the dagger in his shoulder and pulling it out.

“You’ll pay for that blood sucker.” He gritted out through his teeth as he swung the dagger in front of him trying to make contact with my body. “You and your little toy.” He spat in the direction of where my little warrior had been only for her to be gone now.

In my moment of distraction he drove the dagger into my torso, twisting it before he pulled it back out. Before he could drive the sharp blade back into my body a blur of movement behind him caught my eye.

My beautiful mate.

She had attacked him from behind, kicking the back of him knee, causing him to tumble and drop the dagger. I watched on as my vision started to blur, the dagger hadn’t been made from anything that could seriously injure me but he had hit a vital area and blood was pooling on the floor around me. Just as I slumped to the floor, with black spots invading my vision, more figured came rushing into the room. I could hear people yelling but it was all fuzzy. The last thing I saw before my eyes closer was my little mates emerald green eyes with unshed tears gazing at. I was to die now, I would be a happy man because the last thing I saw was her. I’m sorry my love, I will wait for you in the realm of the gods.

………………………

When my eyes opened again, I was surrounded by a bright white light. Had I really died? I thought to myself only to hear a woman giggle behind me.

“My sweet child, you are not dead, at least not yet.” She said with a bright smile. “I called you here because I need to warn you.”

“Moon Goddess?” I asked as I got down on my knees in respect.

“There is no need for that Nicolas my dear, stand and walk with me.” She said as she held out her hand for me to take. I stood and she started walking away with me following behind her. Why was she here? Why was I here? She had said I wasn’t dead yet but it sure did look like it.

“I can hear your thoughts my child, I brought you here to give you a warning. There is a darkness coming for you and your mate.” She said with a serious look on her young face. Her long white hair was pulled back out of her face. She was a lot shorter than me and it was a little odd to be looking down at a Goddess. Her words were running through my head, anyone that tried to harm my mate would have a death wish. I would see to it that they were sent to the darkest pit of the underworld.

“What is this darkness?” I ask looking down at her. “How do we defeat it?”

“ This darkness that I speak of is called Melantha, she has turned away from the light and seeks to take power from others. She will bring chaos and destruction if she is left alive.” The Goddess said with a sad look on her face. “You will need to find the others.”

“What others?” I was confused, why couldn’t she just tell me straight out?

“Oh sweet child, I can not interfere directly. I have already interfered enough but I can tell you this, you will need to remember it.” She said stopping and turning to look up at me. “In the darkness there is light, break the chains that hold the life, bring it back into the light, for it cannot grow in the dead of night. Find the pillars of six for then you can heal that which is sick. The power is within but they’re not yet complete. Seal the deal, to make them complete, for they cannot succeed if left to the darkness to seize.”

“I will remember, but Goddess, how will we know who the six pillars are?” I asked already concerned that we wouldn't be able to figure this out.

“You will know my child, you will know.” She said before smiling at me. “Your mate is the key to all of this, keep her safe, protect her no matter what. She is the key to finding the six.”

“But Goddess. . .” I was cut off by her raising her hand to silence me. I did not want to disrespect her, she gifted me my mate and could very easily take her away from me.

“It is time for you to go back, remember what I said, find them Nicolas, find them before Melantha comes for them. Your world depends on your success. Now go, your mate is waiting for you.” the Goddess said before she disappeared into the bright light. I needed to remember, I needed to to tell the others of my encounter with the Goddess. Most of all I needed to get back to my mate.

Slowly everything started to fade and the bright light surrounding me faded into blackness, “I’m come my little warrior, I’m coming back to you.” I said aloud as I closed my eyes and let the darkness consume me. I’m coming my love. I’m coming.