chapter 16
998 Words
Andres glanced at the woman and then at Silitsia with a shy look. “I guess you’re not available. Have fun,” he said, and Silitsia retreated to her room.
Andres returned to the room and said to her, "I want you to leave here right now. I'm tired, I'm going to rest." The woman noticed Andres's attitude and said, "Okay, okay, don't be angry. Anyway, good night," and left the room.
As Silitsia returned to her room, she pondered Andrés's attitude and the complexities of the situation. Was this night's retreat in the village an opportunity to carry out her plans, or the beginning of even bigger problems?
Later that night, a stranger quietly entered Andres's room.
Andres quickly reacted to see who had silently entered his room. He held the gun to the stranger's throat. "What are you doing?" he asked. The stranger replied calmly. "Samon, is that you?" Andres asked.
"Yeah, you i***t. What happened to you?" he replied.
"Don't ask, Samon. After what happened that night at the palace..." he began, but Samon quickly cut him off, "I know, man. That's why I'm here. I came to help you."
Samon pulled several maps from his bag. Every city, town, village, and even the smallest caves on the planet Onir were meticulously mapped out. Andres studied the maps and said, "You're a genius. This map will be very useful to us."
"How is he?"
"Who?" asked Andres.
"Wingless princess-said Samon.
"He's had a rough day, but I think he's breaking something in his room right now," Andres replied.
"I don't understand," said Samon, but without pressing the subject, "Anyway, I'll explain later. Come on, let's go downstairs for a drink," Andres soothed Samon.
Andres and Samon were sitting in a corner of the village, listening to Andres tell Samon what had happened. Samon said, "Tell me
"Let's see, what's going on? I heard you were helping the wingless princess," he said.
Andres looked around and replied, "Queen Beni cast a spell on me and along with these wings, I also gained other powers."
Samon asked, "And why?" Andres replied, "Samon, don't you understand? I was assigned to protect the princess."
"You?" Samon said, smiling, and then added, "And why would the queen entrust her daughter to a wingless blacksmith?"
"I don't know, Samon. But she trusted me, and I am now bound to her daughter, Silitsia. I am here to protect her and bring her home safely until all this is over," he replied.
"Things are very complicated in the palace. From what I've heard, the wingless princess's relative, King Aris of Irad, is after her. On the way here, a pack of vampires and werewolves were searching the forests.
"How far is it from here?" Andres asked.
"About two days, I think. Because that's when I last saw the vampire," Samon said.
Samon and Andres were sipping their drinks and talking about old times in the dimly lit bar. During the silence, Silitsia, Alessandra, and Rodrigo joined them. Rodrigo stared at Samon, then turned curiously to Andres.
“Who is this stranger?” he asked.
“My old friend Samon,” Andres said with a slight smile.
This answer immediately brought a look of unease to Alessandra's face. Without taking her eyes off Samon, she asked carefully, "What are you doing so far from home?"
Samon smiled calmly and took a deep breath before replying, "I came to help you. I want to join this journey too."
Andres paused for a moment. His eyes flickered over Samon's face for a moment, then he frowned. "This is too dangerous, and..."
Just then Rodrigo intervened, with a serious look in his eyes: "Yes, Andres is right. From what I can see, you are a wingless person. So it will be difficult for you to deal with the dangers."
Samon nodded slightly at Rodrigo's words, laughing heartily. "No problem," he said. "The Wingless don't just train for service. They learn fighting skills, too."
“This is dangerous,” Andres said confidently.
“So, tell me, what’s going on at the palace?” Rodrigo said with a grin, leaning back in his chair and sipping his drink.
Samon took a deep breath and began to speak. "King Aris and King Setis are planning to declare war on their cousin, King Artis. So that's the rumor. They're considering executing King Artis's daughter, the Wingless Princess."
Silitsia's face fell when she heard the words "Wingless Princess." Alessandra, noticing this reaction, quickly intervened. "But we don't call her 'Wingless Princess,'" she said, her eyes fixed on Samon.
Samon bowed his head in embarrassment. “Really? I’m sorry, princess.”
Rodrigo chimed in playfully. “Just call her ‘Kanita’ for short!” he said, and the crowd turned to him for a moment.
Andres angrily snapped at Rodrigo. “What are you doing? Someone will hear!”
"Come on. Everyone knows about the Black Knight, Kanita. They just don't know you're here," Rodrigo said nonchalantly, looking around.
Samon frowned and asked, "Wouldn't it be better to keep your identities secret?" But Alessandra thought for a moment and then answered boldly.
"I think they should know. Knowing who the princess is might help increase the number of people who will come to our side and support us."
Andres nodded sarcastically, glancing at Alessandra. “Yes, and that would add even more creatures to the list of those who want to expose and kill us.”
After a moment of silence, Samon asked curiously: "So, which way are you heading?"
Taking a deep breath, Alessandra replied, "Our first stop is the Kingdom of Iris."
Samon frowned at that answer. "It's a twenty-day journey from here. Besides, you can't just pass through the kingdom. According to ancient rules, a member of another kingdom can only enter another kingdom for an important meeting or diplomatic reason."
Rodrigo noticed Samon's worried expression and laughed softly. "We know that too. So we'll go around it," he said.
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