IVORY: The age of Gloarian

Chapter 14

    The leader of the hybrids spent all night looking through the boring parchment that stated all that was valid under the Truce Acts, and on several instances, found herself dozing off on her sofa. Though every time she did, the fortunate woman awakened at the sound of her own snores, and refocused her attention back to the task at hand. Eliana had been exhausted from the past few days, from dealing with Razaar to now Balthazar, and wondered when she would finally find a moment of peace. 

    The night of Razaar and Eiva’s engagement celebration was supposed to be the last time Eliana had to come face to face with the man that was unfortunately her mate, however she found herself yet again frustrated at the flame for causing ruptures within her life. It was one thing for the flame to toy with Eliana as an individual, but the fact that the flame had been messing with Eliana the leader hadn’t settled well with the hybrid leader. 

    It wasn’t until daylight approached that the woman finally found what she was looking for, and in her excitement, had dashed out of her cottage to her office to start preparing for the calamity she intended to bring by ending the chaos. By the time Razaar returned to her office, the woman had manically scattered around papers through every inch of her office, and the poor Alpha was left speechless. 

    ‘What is going on here? What is all of this?’ he questioned, slowly closing the door behind him as he glanced at all the pieces of parchment hanging around. He began, he noticed that his words had little to nothing of an effect on his mate as she continued glancing through documents, wide eyed as the sleep deprivation began catching up to the woman. Having noticed this, Razaar stepped towards her, turning her around to get her attention. ‘Have you slept at all?’ he asked, taking note of the sleep bags under her eyes. 

    ‘I found a way’ she responded, ignoring his question completely. A grin covered her face, but before she could carry on, the big headed Alpha returned with his questions.

    ‘Eliana, I won’t ask you again. Did you get any sleep at all?’ his words had caused Eliana to roll her eyes at the Alpha, and walk away to seat herself down on her chair. 

    ‘If I had fallen asleep I would not have found us a solution now would I?’ she commented, a slight brag hidden within her tone. To Razaar, however, none of that mattered as he watched his exasperated mate carry on with consciousness. 

    ‘Eliana, I’m glad that you’ve found a way out but you need to sleep. Go get some rest, we can discuss this later’ he demanded, grabbing her hand in an attempt to get her out of her chair. The arrogant leader surprised her mate when she pulled her arm out of his grip and slid her chair back.

    ‘I don’t have time to sleep right now Razaar. There’s a bloody war going on! My community members could have gotten hurt yesterday and I’m not going to be risking that again any time soon you hear me? If I have to sacrifice one night of sleep for my community then that is truly nothing’ she finished, hearing the lie in her voice. The truth was that Eliana had skipped out on many nights of sleep, for reasons she did not wish to acknowledge. 

    For the past few days the strong leader had laid in her bed with her eyes closed, attempting to fool herself into thinking she was getting a good night’s sleep when she was, in fact, daydreaming about her dear mate that soon after that was bound to depart from her life for the second time. The thought had most certainly not brought the woman any ease, though she refused to shed light on the feelings, and as a result found herself locking up her emotions in a safe in her head. 

    Razaar watched the leader as she tentatively attempted to return to her work, before he snatched the parchment off her hands. 

    ‘Go and sleep’ he ordered, watching her face heat up with anger. 

    ‘Who do you think you are ordering me around? You-’

    ‘I’m your mate, and you are speaking out of sleep deprivation, so please go and sleep before you do or say anything you regret’ he pointed out, shutting her up instantly .

    ‘Fine. Can I atleast just tell you what I learned? Then I will go to sleep I promise,’ she bargained. Her grin reappeared as he nodded his head after deep consideration, and she raced to grab the document that held their escape ticket. ‘Act of Truce [1.3bv]: Financial flame’ she began reading out before sliding it to her rejected mate that awaited her response. He collected the piece of parchment in his hands before he proceeded to scan over the words of the Act, taking it in line by line. As he did so, Eliana sat impatiently on her chair, fiddling with her fingers as she waited for him to complete his reading and come to a conclusion. 

    ‘You want to appeal to Balthazar for a truce by what, bribing him?’ he questioned in disbelief. It was most certainly not the reaction she had been expecting, though she kept her calm as she proceeded to explain. 

    ‘Think about it: you want your revenge, I just want my peace. Balthazar must have invested a minimum of 100 gold coins on training his men and perfecting his gear. I’m compensating for it by paying him 100 gold coins. It’s an offer he can’t deny. You can still have your revenge and I’ll be exempt from having to deal with him’ she described, his eyes narrowing at her plan. 

    ‘What about Eiva? And what makes you think money will be enough for him? How do you know how much he spent on fighting gear?’ he questioned, still in doubt of his mate’s plan. 

    ‘After I’m relieved from his radar, there shouldn’t be a problem why I house Eiva. That treaty relieves me from picking a side, which means if a member of my community were to invite Eiva to stay over then that would have nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t be picking any sides, and by allowing her on my lands to allow her in I’m simply doing my duty as a leader. As for the armour, we retrieved one off one of the Lycans that had emerged at the attack. Whatever he was wearing, it isn’t something that’s sold commonly around Gloarian. It explains why armour everywhere else on Gloarian is roughly 10 silver coins. Every individual armour must have cost him at least 1 or 2 gold coins, so why wouldn’t he jump at the opportunity to have that compensated?’ she responded, successfully grabbing his attention. 

    ‘How sure are you that the armour is expensive? And where are you getting the money from?’ he retorted, annoying Eliana by his resistance to her plan. 

    ‘I’ve had my people look into it. They’ve done a thorough check to ensure that what I’m conveying to you is correct. As for the money, you’re giving me half of it’ she then stated, shocking her mate. 

    ‘Why would I be giving you 50 gold coins?’ he snapped in response. The hybrid leader smirked as she leaned back in her chair. 

    ‘That is your compensation for putting me in this scenario in the first place. You should be grateful that I am not making you pay the entire thing. Besides, if Balthazar is made aware of this, it will be an emphasis on just how indifferent I am on picking sides in this war.’ she completed, feeling pride swell up within her. 

    ‘Fair enough. You’re sure that this plan will work?’ he questioned one last time, facing his mate. 

    ‘I’m not sure of anything, Razaar. I can’t predict the future. But it’s all we’ve got right now. You want to be able to peacefully fight him off to complete your revenge and I want nothing more than to opt out of this misery that I’ve been dragged into. So the least I can do is try to end this in the most peaceful way possible’ she responded, allowing a moment of silence before pulling out a fresh piece of parchment. ‘I think it’s time we wrote lovely Balthazar a letter inviting him to a truce’ she stated as she commenced the process of scripting the letter to her enemy. 

    ‘Where are you planning on holding this meeting exactly?’ he then raised, realising he had completely blanked out on the idea of having to face his nemesis in person without lunging to destroy him. 

    ‘At the Galon temple on my grounds, of course, it’s the most sacred one in all of Gloarian’ she responded, looking up once she finished addressing the letter to Balthazar. 

    ‘Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous. We can have it in one of the Galon temples in my pack’ he responded, deciding to have the final word. To Eliana, however, his words had no effect as she ignored his prior statement and elevated from her seat, stepping out of her office for a brief second to hand the scroll to the tiny assistant, who had orders to send the scroll to whomever corresponded. As she returned, Razaar cornered her by the back of the closed door. ‘Do you have to defy my every order?’ he questioned. She chuckled, pushing him off her and walking back into the liberal space of her office. 

    ‘I think you forget Alpha, that you can’t order me around. I may be your mate and unable to succumb to your intimidation, but I am the rejected mate and also a leader, I expect you to treat me as such. Don’t think for one second that because I am your mate or a woman that I will tolerate being treated any differently. I am not working a game of hierarchies with you Razaar. I am your equal, so treat me like your equal.’ She completed, now regaining her calamity back. The Alpha clenched his fists as he calmed himself down. He had yet to get used to the challenging manner his mate possessed, and intended on taking things gently from that moment onwards. 

    ‘I apologise, I did not in any way mean to patronize you, I am merely protective-’

    ‘Then don’t be.’ She interrupted, her frustration taking over her sleepy state. ‘It’s a fact Razaar, you rejected me and now you’re worrying for me as if I were yours. The truth is I am not, nor do I want to be. Eiva is yours, so perhaps you should redirect your possessive, protective attitude and radiate it in her direction.’ She finalised, walking towards the door, ready to end the conversation hastily. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, as you had suggested earlier, I’m going to go get some rest, I suggest you check up on your Omega in the meantime. I reckon Balthazar will take his time before sending in a response.’ She suggested, taking her leave instantly after. 

    Razaar, on the other hand, remained stunned as he extended his stay in her office by a few minutes before he returned to his cottage. The tone of his mate had certainly aggravated him, but for once, her words had not. She had been right, amongst the chaos Razaar had lost his sense of direction, and he seemed to have let his guard down from the facade he normally held. He thought once more of what he wished to do, be with her or remain with Eiva, and despite the protests maintained his response about sticking to his proclaimed mate. It seemed that the Alpha had been more distracted lately, and as a result, was found getting vulnerable by the mate bond that tied him to Eliana. Forcing away the feelings, the Alpha straightened himself, knocking sense into his own mind about sticking to the mate he had already chosen.

    Balthazar Tin was a man that for most of his life, suffered with being a villain. From an early age, the man held issues that were way beyond his control. He had grown up with loving parents that had maintained a respectable reputation for the Lycanthropes. Still Balthazar was rebellious. He caused commotions all around the packs, stealing money, abusing kids, and a lot more on his record. His parents had unfortunately never encountered a way to mend his issues, and since his birth, had become private to their matters. They ran the pack like any other, cancelling all ties with any other community seeing as it was best to do so before Balthazar stepped up to ruin those relationships. Their untimely death brought sorrow over the Lycan community, and as expected, Balthazar had been ruthless, even with his own kind. The introduction of his mate in his life did nothing to change his behaviour, and when his mate couldn’t agree with his plans, he would beat her in an attempt to correct her thoughts. By now the poor woman had lived in the shadows of her own pack, a Luna in hiding who barely stepped out of the room unless called for. The pack had lost their humanity, and from then on forward, Lycans became merciless, destroying any and everything in their way. It was unheard of for packs and communities across Gloarian to have rogue creatures, but for the Lycans being rogue was a common thing, as the very attitude of their Alpha had embraced its individuals too. Balthazar was aware of what he was doing when he murdered the brave Edith Solonov, but that was his plan all along. The monster thrived on action, and took every opportunity he could to shed some blood. 

    As the barely neatly written scroll reached the hands of the cold hearted man, the first thing he found himself doing was letting out a dry laugh in the comfort of his office that only he heard. He cringed at the innocence of the hybrid leader, and decided to play along for the time being, knowing that it would be more fun to conquer the werewolves before annihilating the hybrids. The man gripped onto a fresh piece of parchment, scribbling down his response. 

    His mind wandered around the geniosity of his plan, as he thought of the pleasure it would give him to stab the hybrid leader in the back by going against his word, and as he smiled a wicked smile, his body shook with pleasure to the core. 

    Rushing out of his office, he threw the scroll at his Beta, whom he instructed to send the message back, and returned to his chambers where his poor mate awaited, ready for another session of pure and utter agony at the hands of her mate. 

    By the time the message had gotten to hybrid territory, Eliana was well rested and wide awake, and as the tiny assistant dropped the scroll to her cottage, he wondered just how much was going on around the community. The hybrid community had certainly been informed of the traumatic attack, though they had yet to receive an explanation as to why it happened in the first place from their leader. 

    As Eliana unfolded the scroll and read the contents, she found herself jumping with excitement as she dashed towards the location she knew her mate would be in. Pushing the door open slowly, she watched Eiva and Razaar stand closely by the figure of an unconscious Demillo. As always, Eiva wore the expression of worry she normally did as Razaar maintained a rigid stance, as if slightly uncomfortable being in the presence of an unconscious form. Eliana had waited just a minute before she finally decided to step in and take control. 

    ‘How is he doing?’ she asked, alerting the couple of her presence. Eiva shook off her fear as she weakly smiled at a closely approaching Eliana. 

    ‘He’s doing better, we think he will be alright within the week as the doctor said’ she responded as Razaar placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. 

    ‘That’s good to hear’ responded the hybrid leader, intending to intrude further and guide her mate back to her office, however before she could, the Alpha himself interrupted. 

    ‘Any word from Bathazar?’ he questioned, stealing the words out of Eliana’s mouth. As he did, she held up the scroll in her hands, and pointed towards the exterior of where they stood, insinuating they return to her office to discuss business. He curtly nodded, turning back to a frail Eliana and placing a longing kiss on her forehead. ‘I’ll be back soon. Go back to the cottage and stay there’ he suggested imperatively. She nodded as she watched the pair go. 

    ‘Do you feel well rested?’ he questioned as they approached the small office building. The woman briefly glanced at him before focusing back on the path. 

    ‘I do, thank you’ she concisely responded as they stepped into the office room past the tiny assistant. 

    As soon as they did, Eliana found herself handing Razaar the scroll and seating herself on her chair. 

    ‘This can’t be true. Balthazar isn’t the type of person to maintain a truce or keep the peace. This has to be some sort of scheme’ he began, bringing himself down onto the chair. Eliana sighed as she looked at him. 

    ‘I get that he has anger towards you, Razaar, but he has no reason to hate me or the hybrids. I’ve already clarified in that letter my lack of a stance in this fight, there should be no reason for him to be lying. Even if he is, it’s just a risk I’m going to have to take to ensure the protection of my community.’ Stated Eliana. An unconvinced Razaar leaned back on his chair, thinking of the several things that could have possibly been going through his enemy’s head as he re-read the letter. He knew for a fact that something didn’t add up, he just wasn’t aware of what it was. 

    ‘Balthazar has always been cruel, he murdered my mother solely for the reason that she tried forming an alliance with him. All she was trying to do was convince him and that is why he slit her throat. It doesn’t make sense why he would accept, and even if he has, I can’t seem to place my finger on what it is he’s planning to do exactly. I know you might not believe me Eliana but I really think this is a trap’ responded the Alpha, looking pleadingly into the eyes of his mate. The hybrid leader couldn’t help but hear her mate, and took a moment to accept his words, thinking through the several possibilities that lay in front of her. 

    ‘I believed you’ she started, instantly drawing a smile on Razaar’s face ‘But the damage is done. I can’t take everything back and I certainly can’t leave Balthazar hanging now. I suggest we allow him in tomorrow, lead him straight to the Galon temple, have the council meeting, and see what happens before deciding any further. At this point the best we can do is be well prepared if he decides to attack. Call you best warriors and I’ll gather my top guards, we’ll set up patrols starting tonight. As for Eiva, I will find a secure location to keep her in, and I’ll keep some of my best guards with her. Hopefully it won’t come  to that with the amount of security we will have around the entire perimeter.’ She completed, having a mental image ready in her head. 

    Razaar nodded his head, looking deep into the eyes of his mate, that he so desperately tried to avoid attaching himself to. His efforts, however, seemed futile as for the next minute the pair were lost in the seas of their eyes. It wasn’t until Eliana interrupted with a cough that Razaar realised what he had been doing. 

    ‘Whatever happens tomorrow, be careful’ he found himself saying, taking his leave from her office. 

    As Eliana sat back in the chair where the woman mastered her mind, she thought of the events to come, as well as the words emanated by her mate. She wondered what Balthazar was really up to, and what she would do in the worst case scenario. As always the hybrid leader found herself in the depths of planning her strategies, having yet another sleepless night as she continued figuring out solutions the whole night for any case scenario. Whether the leader admitted it to herself or not, one thing was for sure: she was most certainly scared of what was to come, and wished deeply that her desire to be a strong leader would not fail her when the time came, for she was a respected leader, and intended on maintaining that reputation.