The Last Feres

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The Feri War

Chapter 21

'Let's run this plan by Eric and see what he thinks,' Wren said.

'Hold your horses. I need to do something first. We need to get the wings.'

Already out of the water and dried, Wren reached for his pants.

'It's obvious you're going to ask Seth to come. How are you going to get him here? You've never teleported someone who wasn't in your line of sight. Is that even possible by the way?'

I rolled my eyes. I just teleported the lube canister from our wagon which was a click away in the fort. After all this time, he should have known I can teleport anything and anyone from anywhere within our realm as long as I know and can visualise their exact location. Unfortunately, I'm not that familiar with Yull, the eagle shifter hometown. Been there only once and I wasn't sure where everything was given the emotional state I was in back then.

'I can't teleport Seth just like that. I'll send him a lumium like I did to summon the professor.'

'Oh, ok.'

I created a fair amount of lumium, imbued them with power and sent them on their way.

'You sent so many?'

I shrugged. 'If anything happens, at least one of them will make it to him.'

When we got to the compound, the professor was already there. And he wasn't alone.

'Ned, what are you doing here?' He opened his arms and I rushed into them. He hugged me tightly while he laughed.

Wren joined in and I nearly suffocated to the death between their beefy arms and hard muscular abdomens.

'Good to see you, Wren.'

'You too, my friend,'

'I came with the professor, just in case he ran into trouble. We can't risk losing a brilliant mind like his. Uh, commander Stryker's words, not mine,' he said laughing.

'You two catch up. I'll go talk to Eric about what we discussed, Rye.' And to Ned he said. 'Good to have you here buddy.'

I introduced Ned to some people while I explained what we intended to do. 'Just say the word, Rye and I'll send for my troop,' he said.

'You, leopard bastard, you have to get involved, don't you? You can't stand to let yourself be outdone by the likes of me, huh,' Fiori said appearing from nowhere. The two met in Koff when Wren and I went in search of the professor. They joined forces to keep Uren's guards busy while we attempt a takeover. They turned the whole thing into a contest it seemed.

They hugged. 'You cheated the last time. But I will not lose to you again, evil witch.'

Fiori cackled louder than I've ever heard her. 'Let me take him off your hands, your Majesty. I need to discuss something with the bastard.'

'Be my guess,' I said shaking my head side to side.

'"Clear the courtyard, we're coming in." Maya's whisper brushed my ears.

I did as she asked and whispered back, "clear."

I sent Eric a telepathic message informing him of their arrival. Two minutes later, he, Doug and Malik were by my side when the mystics and their cart of provisions materialised.

I was surprised to see that Mother Gretel made a personal appearance. 'You Majesty, it's good to see you again. Maya told us about your mission and we are glad to be of help.'

I gave her a slight bow. 'Thank you, Mother Gretel. You truly are a lifesaver.'

She laughed. 'The Sear is our homeland. We'll do anything to help our fellow witches.'

I introduced her to Doug and Eric and they left to discuss other matters.

'Eric likes your idea,' Malik said to me when they were gone. 'The mystics are powerful earthmovers. I'm pretty sure he will try to enlist a few for the upcoming battle.'

Huh! It explained the presence of Mother Gretel here. Although, dealing with the outside world was Mother Celia's job, wasn't it?

From Malik's mind, I saw that they have built on my idea as well. Interesting.

Many volunteers came to help put away the supplies in storage. Sylvia, the cook and storekeeper with the help of the older women would be responsible to make sure everything is distributed fairly.

I wanted to talk to Maya but Connor was quick to steal her away.

Alone now, I stood and watched him drag her somewhere out of sight.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the hair on my arms stood up as a chill spread over my skin. I couldn't tell what caused it; whether it was the chill in the air or the unsettling feeling of being watched. Now that I think of it, it might be the latter because I have had that feeling since we entered Doug's Fort. I wasn't one hundred percent sure but I can't rule it out either.

A hand clasped my forearm and I jumped out of my skin. 'Jesus!'

'It's only me,' A familiar voice said. 'You did this?'

'Did what, Agatha?' I said as my racing heart calmed down.

'You know very well what I'm talking about larka.'

'I have nothing to do with the benevolent kindness of these people. My role is insignificant compared to their devotions.'

She grabbed my hand. 'You don't see what I see but someday you will. Now come. It's lunchtime. I heard you don't eat meat. I've prepared you a little something to munch on,' she said with a kind smile.

I resisted the temptation to read her thoughts to find out who told her that.

She made payo, a spicy dish with a variety of wild tubers, which I enjoyed with delight.

Silas and Trash were also there eating with Agatha's granddaughter. Joking and being his old self again, Silas seemed to be bouncing back from his depression. I was proud of him.

Agatha was the grandmother I wish I had growing up. We spent a long time talking about trivial matters before Rhett interrupted us.

'I'm looking for Ferard and Russell. Have you seen them?'

I could sense them in the meadow outside the fort, they were having one of their sexy moments and they deserved their privacy. 'I have no clue where they might be. Although, if I were you I would stop searching. We both know what they're up to. They'll turn up eventually,' I said giggling. That put a smile on Rhett's face.

'By the way, you're looking cheerful. Did something happen?'

Rhett blushed. 'He's coming back. He didn't say when but he said as much.'

I laughed. 'Good for you both. What did you need Ferard and Russell for?' I said to change the subject. He was getting embarrassed and that wasn't my intent.

'Too many restless people here. Eric seemed to think that a group project might be good for bonding and taking the edge off from the pending battle.'

'What kind of project?'

'We're renovating the fort; the fences, the cabins, the pole barn everything. Alright, got to go.' We watched him jog away.

'Ah! I missed being young and in love.'

I pulled a disbelieving face. 'And you think it's too late for you, why? And you think I didn't see you flirting with old man Pete. He has the hots for you, by the way.'

The old woman cackled. 'Nonsense!'

'Ok. It's your loss.' I shrugged and got up from the mat. She laughed so hard that she had to hold a hand to her chest as if to keep a seizure at bay.

I worked alongside Rhett and Zeek, the renegade leader. He was a nice guy. He, Ben and some others talked about their life in their respective villages before the attacks began, how they banded together after that and the hardship and fun times they had. It was a moving collection of stories.

We worked for the whole afternoon. By then we managed to reinforce the fort's walls and built a secondary outer wall with room enough for expansion. At the four corners of the fort, we built towers, simple platforms with access ladders. We could accomplish all of this in such little time because of our abilities. My telekinesis came in handy for lugging logs and poles. Maya and the five mystics who decided to stay behind dug trenches with their earth powers and even grew a few trees for us to get the logs. They were big on protecting the environment and wanted the forest to remain intact. It was a collective effort thing. Everybody brought something to the table. There was even a guy with the ability to melt rocks. We used him to pave the courtyard and to reinforce the outer walls.

An hour before sundown, we stopped everything. I joined the procession of men and women to the stream to wash up. People of both genders didn't shy away from getting naked and frolicking in the shallow water.

'Tomorrow we're turning the pole barn into a proper hall,' Wren said.

'I thought tomorrow we would be mounting the attack?'

'We're not ready. Fiori's men and the eagle shifters haven't arrived yet. Even when they do they will need time to rest for a bit before it could happen.'

I didn't think of that. 'What about the weather? Wouldn't it ruin the plans if it starts raining?'

'Relax. We would have good weather for the next few days. It's a sign that winter is coming to an end,' Rhett said.

Wren told me as much. They should know because wolf shifters have an innate sense of smell that allow them to detect small changes in the air.

Wren, Ned, Fiori and I entered Doug's cottage later to join the professor and the Malakai.

'Ah, there you are?' The professor said when he saw me. 'I've been here all this time and you didn't even come to visit me,' he teased.

'I was busy and you were busy, you do the math.'

He bellowed with laughter.

'You just in time,' Eric said. 'Dorek was about to reveal the reason for Vitara's condition.'

I approached the bed and peered at the sleeping woman. I reached for her core and felt her life essence. She was still alive and mending from having the foreign object removed.

'Her health is returning; I can feel it.'

Musa sighed in relief.

'Thank you, professor. I'm glad Vitara is going to be fine. Although, I'm curious to see the object you pulled out of her,' Doug said.

Most of us were curious to know as well.

'It wasn't easy to extract that thing. I nearly gave up because it was resisting me,' the professor said moving towards the tight kitchen area.

We circled the table staring at a wooden bowl covered with a piece of cloth. The professor tugged at the cloth to reveal a fist-size red stone. Could be a ruby but then again I wasn't too sure.

Something that happened when I lay eyes on the stone, was my amulet. It began reacting by emitting small vibrations that shocked my entire body. I forgot the last time it reacted so forcefully. Trying to quiet it down, I grabbed it. A vision was coming and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it.

In a vast chamber that resembles a cross between a library and a laboratory, a man stood over the corpse of a naked woman. He held a glowing red orb in his palm over the body. He was chanting in what appeared to be a made-up language. A heavy orange-red fog descended from the orb to the corpse. That was when the swirly clouded portal of the Keeper of Sandridon opened in the chamber and three figures walked out. I recognised all three of them; my father, Kan and Helledon. I was confused for a moment but then realised the moment was in the past before the fallout between Helledon and my dad, and a time when Kan was still alive.

The man dropped the stone when he saw them and attempted to run. But Helledon was faster than him. With a flick of the hand, a bolt of lightning brought him down.

'You are Xell, are you not? Where did you get the dragon core?' Joen, my father asked.

Helledon picked Xell up off the floor by the arm and held on to him. 'Answer him!' He said shaking the warlock.

Xell went mute. But the look he gave my dad was enough to vaporize him if he had that ability.

Kan picked up the ruby red dragon core.

Way younger, Xell looked nothing like he did last summer when he kidnapped me.

Kan walked over to the corpse. 'And this must be his mate.' He reached down to touch her. 'She's been dead for a week at the most. He was trying to bring her back to life.'

'While necromancy isn't a forbidden practice, bringing someone back to life is. Caught red- handed you are facing some serious penalties,' my father said.

Again, Xell said nothing. He just peered at nothing.

'Kan. Take the dragon core away for safekeeping. It has matured and at this stage it's indestructible.'

'Can't we keep it in Notwitt? There's no safer place,' Helledon said.

'No. I foresee trouble because of it. Better Kan take it and don't tell anyone where you hide it, including us.'

Kan nodded.

'What about him?' Helledon said referring to their captive.

'I'll take him to the dungeon for now. We'll deal with him later. And you brother, burn the corpse. In fact, burn the entire place down.'

Finally, a reaction from Xell. His screamed.

The vision faded and I was brought back to the present. Only Wren seemed to feel that there was something amiss about my reaction. I shrugged at him because I didn't want to discuss my vision in front of the Malakai. No matter how friendly they are we still don't know much about them. The other reason I didn't want to tell them what I know was that the feeling of being watched was back.

'However, your friend has been carrying this thing for quite some time. The way her organs has shifted to accommodate it made it clear,' the professor continued. The vision lasted for seconds so I wasn't as lost as to what he was saying. So, Vitara had that stone in her even before she was attacked. Interesting.

'If that is so, then why is she still in a coma?' Greene said.

'The stone was protected by a sealing spell. The blow to the chest somehow put a crack in the seal.'

'Now we are left with only two important questions. Who put it there? And for what purpose?' Eric said.

'That's what I want to know,' Musa said.

I know that staying quiet is worst than lying but this is a powerful stone. Its secrets and existence cannot be made public.

'It must be powerful, why then would they hide it this way,' Malik said looking at Doug.

'Just like you, I don't know why Vitara has this thing in her. But I guess we'll find out when she wakes up,' Doug said.

I didn't offer any comments. Although, I have many questions for Devlin when I get back to Notwitt. He'd been around for a long time; he must know something.

'What are you planning to do with it?' The professor asked.

'I think Rye should hang on to it until we can figure out what it is,' Wren said. I don't know how he knew I wanted to keep it, but he did. Surprisingly, no one argued against it. If anything, Doug looked relieved to be rid of it.

I teleported the stone to a secret compartment in my chamber at the Notwitt citadel. It would be safe there until I can talk to Devlin or my father.

We had dinner at the pole barn before we followed the other youths to the edge of the woods behind the fort. A bonfire had been set up and people were gathered around it sitting on logs and boulders. Firebrew was distributed for the seniors and stories were told.

Ben and his gang talked about the incident where Wes got injured. I tapped into Ben's memories because he was exaggerating too much. That was when I came across a secret. Technically, it wasn't his secret but he was the only one who knew it. The secret was Wes'. People think he was a hag; a witch with no magic. He wasn't. Wes' mother was a witch but with targs, it's the father genes that determine someone abilities. And his was a shifter. Meaning Wes was probably a shifter too. I've been around Wes a lot and I wondered why I didn't pick up on that fact earlier. Probably because he was hurt and I got distracted by his pain.

The laid back atmosphere did lots of good for the team. By the end of the night, I saw that many people were in a frisky mood. And by the looks of things, a few will be scoring tonight. Ferard and Russell set the mood for it all. The constant touching and snogging turned a lot of people on.

When Ben lay a sloppy kiss on Jared, Rhett got up. Like me, he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. Perhaps he was leaving because he already figured out the outcome of this little get-together.

'Eric put me on guard duty. I have to go.'

'Wait for me. I'll join you,' Connor said. Maya was spending time with her sisters from Mathyel, so he had nothing to do here.

We watched them shift and took off in the night carrying their clothes.

Wren glanced at me. 'I'm on guard duty too. Do you want to leave with me now?'

Although I didn't want to participate in the debauchery, I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts with Wren gone.

'No. I'll stay here for a while.'

He nodded, got up and stripped. I clang to his clothes as he bent down to kiss me. 'See you later.'

I gave him a little wave as he broke into a run towards the meadow still in human form.

'He's a lucky guy. Too bad he left you here alone though,' Zeek said. He moved to be closer to me from across the bonfire. I recognised the entry line of his would-be attempt to seduce me.

I shrugged at him. 'No. I'm the lucky one. And just so you know, my bed will remain cold tonight.'

'Ouch!' He said laughing. 'Sassy. I like that. Seriously though, there's a guy over there eyeing your bondmate and probably jealous of what you have.'

It was my turn to laugh. 'You shouldn't be worried for me, but you should for him though. I can be a nasty bitch when it comes to defending what's mine.'

He laughed even louder drawing attention. Especially the attention of a petite female that was throwing me daggers with her eyes.

'I take that back. You might be right. I am in trouble,' I said pointing at the girl.

He sent her a blow-kiss and her mean exterior collapsed. 'That's my girl. We haven't been together long and she's still a little insecure.'

That girl was showing anything but insecurities. She was letting me know that she has the first claim on Zeek. Like many women in Targeten, she was brazen, fierce and unapologetic.

He took a sip of his drink while I glanced around.

People were in different stages of undress. On a log not far from us, a girl was riding a guy hard. Bouncing up and down, her ample breasts were out of her dress and mesmerising her partner with their rhythmic movements. Across the bonfire a big guy was bent over, clinging to his log while being pounded from behind by another tall yet slim guy with a massive tool. The big guy yelped with each thrust. Beyond, another group on the grass were sucking each other with gusto. Standing next to them, a guy and a girl were heavily petting each other with their tongues in each other's throats.

'So tell me, where were you before all this began?'

'You mean before the war?' Zeek said. I nodded.

'My father had a farm outside Duma. A town southeast from here. And my three older brothers and I worked with him on the farm. I liked it there, working the fields in the morning and hunting or fishing in the evening. Market day was the most fun. I get to meet new people and do a little something-something.' I joined him in laughter. 'I admit that even then life was hard. The merchants practically ripped us off at every sale but it was a fun life. I loved it. I missed it even.'

'Is that what you want to do? Go back to your farm?'

'Yes. I didn't set up to be the leader of the renegades. It just happened. I was older and had to step up otherwise these nitwits would fight all the time or get all of us killed.'

'Doug told me, Ben escaped recruitment. Did the same happen to you?'

Zeek took a long gulp of his drink emptying the whole goblet. His eyes were bloodshot red and he slurred a few times while telling his story.

'When the attacks began. My father, brothers and I did what we could to save the farm. Dad didn't want to leave. We managed just fine defending our patch of land but then the recruiters came. They took my two older siblings away and the three of us were forced to move to Duma for safety. Rent was high and my other brother had to enlist for an allowance just like the older ones. Unfortunately, they all died and the money stopped coming. The recruiters came knocking on our door again and this time I ran away. How ironic though, I didn't want to die a meaningless life like my brothers yet here I am fighting alongside my friends to stay alive.'

A cry beside us caught our attention. The girl was coming and she became a beast onto the guy. Grabbing her tits, he fought to reach his climax; spilling his essence all over her butt crack.

'That was fun!' Zeek said with a slur.

I only laughed.

My eyes fell on the big guy being pounded by the tall one. He'd gone quiet because now he had something in his mouth. He must be a good sucker because the guy in front of him came way before the one at his back. In the end, out of the wind, they were a heap of corpses on the ground.

'Hey atsa, you ready to leave,' Zeek little bondmate said. A handful of people didn't partake in the fuckfest and she was one of them. She spent the entire time whispering and giggling with her two girlfriends all night.

As soon as he got to his feet, Zeek kind of made a little dance. 'Well, your Majesty,' he gave a short laugh. I think the effect of the booze had finally caught up to him. 'It's crazy to think you're a king. You surprise me. You're not at all what I thought you would be. I like you. I like you. yeah, I like you.'

His mate gave me an apologetic look.

I just smiled and watched she and her friends, half drag Zeek towards the fort.

...........................................

End of chapter 21