Chapter 169
His eyes flew open and he sat up in a bolt; almost like he had just awoken from a bad dream.
Groaning, he ached his back, feeling every part of his body clench in pain.
“Where am I?” He asked, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion and pain as he glanced around the unfamiliar grounds, trying to stand, but his legs seemed to have glued to the ground.
’First of, how are you even alive to begin with?’ Kevin mockingly said and he groaned again.
“Why ask me? I’m not the wolf here p>
’Well, the witch brought you here before you suffered any further damage. Right now, you should focus on healing rather than Infuriating your mate who’s not clearly in your league p>
“Way to rub it in Kevin p>
The bushes rustled and Hakura stepped out, a brown leather bag slung across her shoulders, budging from the herbs she had picked.
“You’re alive.” She simply said, freezing in shock to stare at him, Daniel In surprise, seeing her look so shocked and scared for the first time.
“How long was I out p>
“Like a day or so… ” She pulled a bottle of water from her spatial storage and tossed it to him. Wincing as he caught it abruptly in the air, he brought the bottle to his lips, taking several gulps of the water while she readjusted her bag across her shoulder.
“Um… How are you feeling now?” She grumpily asked, clearly not used to being affectionate.
“How did you find me p>
“I was sort of keeping an eye on you guys, and right now, your friends are in serious trouble p>
“Friends? What do you mean p>
Hakura leaned down to be of his height before opening her hand, pulling out her crystal ball, waving her hands over it and giving him an exclusive view of some people being trapped in what looked like a fire cage while they stared at a woman who seemed to be taming a dragon.
“Nancy? Barton ” He stared at the rest in shock. “I don’t understand… “
“Well, I have one last herb to get before I start on creating the potion to reverse the remote spell, but you should know a few things since you missed a lot since you’ve blacked out since then p>
He finally got up, steadying his legs, holding onto his head as he forced himself to look her in the eyes, trying to grasp every word she said.
“That woman is the legendary Princess Sakuarr… She’s your… aunt-in-law p>
“Huh? She’s Queen Moana’s sister? She’s Naomi’s aunt p>
“And you could guess who the dragon is p>
He stared at the ball for a while, holding it in his arms while Hakura stepped back to watch him apprehensively.
“Naomi.” He breathed out one word, and he felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach seeing her in such state… she was a monster.
Nana.
She was a ferocious, blood lusting monster.
“Why are they locked up?” He tilted his head to the fire bars crossed around Kaon and the rest like a cage, preventing from escaping.
“Sakuarr locked them up. Once she takes the dragon, she’ll take them to the king. That’s what I meant when I said they were in trouble p>
“Sakuarr’s evil? She’s on the king’s side p>
“It’s complicated, but it’s too late now, you have to make your way to the palace. I can only transport you to the entrance of the palace,” When she saw the probing look in his eyes, she added. “Like I said, I haven’t been idle, okay? I’ve been collecting rare herbs and it hasn’t been easy. I think the king’s been watching us because Kitsunes had been coming after me since, and I’ve been in near death experiences more than I could ever count, and I doubt it will be less mild especially when I have to get the last herb p>
“Which means the king knows? He knows we’ve been here the entire time,” He suddenly realized the bombshell she dropped. “You can take me to him p>
“Only as close to him as I can get which is at the entrance.” She stiffly replied, pulling a dagger out her spatial storage again.
“Do you have a gun with you p>
“No.” She abruptly placed the dagger in his hand watching as he winced slightly.
“You don’t have to do this,” She tensed when he glanced up to look at her. “I mean not now… you don’t look like you can stand on your feet any longer than this, and the king… even if he can’t move, you’re nothing against him in this condition p>
“My mate and my friends are liable to die if I don’t do anything but stay here and mop for my sorry state. One way or the other, I have to help them. Is there a way to conceal myself from the king’s prescence in order to get close enough to him without him getting a wiff of my scent p>
“Follow me.” She said after a while and he obediently followed her from behind, pausing as she did before the two cornered the dead body of a Kitsune lying on the ground, her body in shreds.
Without warning, she reached down and cupped a handful of thick red blood, reaching up to smear it across her face.
Daniel watched her in horror.
“Come on… do the same p>
“What p>
“The King sensed our presence with just our scent. If you’re going to sneak up on him like this, then you’re a hopeless cause. I’d rather you conceal your scent with the blood of a Kitsune. It won’t do much after a few hours- it will obviously fade, but for the mean time, he won’t be able to pick up on your scent p>
He glared warily at her face smeared with blood before he sighed.
Stooping low, he cupped a generous amount of blood before smearing it across his face.
His wolf whimpered and wined in the confinement of his body, not liking this new scent that was taking over, washing over him like an expensive cologne.
“Oh shut up Kevin.” Daniel growled silently, shuddering as the cold thick liquid touched the skin of his face, down to his neck.
Hakura’s eyes glinted with something as she stared at him with interest.
“You talk to your wolf?” She didn’t ask, she just pointed out.
Daniel was shocked at first, considering no one knew, and he wasn’t ready to disclose this secret to anyone since they would think he was crazy, but Hakura only found it amusing, almost In awe, and he didn’t even care if she knew at all. She didn’t look like she’d go around, tattling about him.
“Yeah.” He tried a casual shrug, but he kept his eyes on her, wanting to know her true reaction.
“That’s. Not. Normal p>
“You think I don’t know p>
“But I guess it has something to do with being mates with a Kitsune and sharing some sort of connection with her… “
“But… “
She raised a finger as she finished up. Even If you haven’t marked her yet p>
After a long while of silence, she pursed her lips before asking.
“Are you ready to go p>
He sighed before nodding, staring ahead like he was building a firm resolve in his mind to go no matter what.
“Yeah p>
The environment suddenly began swirling around him in the next moment, and just when he thought he was going to pass out again, already shutting his eyes, his eyes flew open, feeling the air around him change.
“Well,” If Hakura was surprised about standing Infront of an ancient castle, she didn’t show it, unlike him who had his jaw dropped to the ground.
“I’ll be off now, and oh. Try not… “
“Try not to die. I know.” He waved her off, and she couldn’t help but smile, both sympathetically and coyishly before disappearing.
Once she did, appearing in the midst of herbs and flowers, her former searching ground, a kick went straight to the side of her jaw and with a gasp, she flew back, scraping the ground before she rested roughly against the bark of a tree, leaves falling to drop on her head.
Glancing up, she sees a menacing person coming quickly at her, and Hakura felt her legs lift up into the air as she faced the Kitsune.
“Finally got you where I wanted.” The Kitsune sneered, and Hakura cried in pain as blood gushed down her neck, feeling the ice emanating from the Kitsune, striking her at all parts of her neck, lowering her to the ground.
“I will make you pay for the blood you shed you you disgusting specie… ” She snarled some more and that’s when Hakura snapped, hearing her insult her specie thereby mocking her legacy and her rights as a witch, a witch princess.
With a grunt, she pushed her leg forward and watched as the Kitsune staggered back, clearly not expecting Hakura to have anything left in her to fight back anymore.
As she staggered back, almost falling to the ground, Hakura flew forward, crashing down, falling above the Kitsune, straddling her.
Before the creature could react from the sudden attack, Hakura pulled a dagger and struck it forward so many times until the creature stopped struggling underneath her, her legs quaking before finally freezing.
Just as the witch was catching her breath, she felt a prescence behind her, but before she could even turn, everything around her went black.