Chapter 323 - Occupants Of The Carriage

They must have waited for hardly an hour when suddenly they heard the spells crackling in front of the gates. The spells broke, bursting like firecrackers, lighting the inky darkness of the moonless night. Once the spells tore away, the gates of the kingdom opened with a loud creaking sound and out came the Mozias on horses. One in the center was holding the navy-blue flag on which was embroidered the royal crest of two swords crossed at the pommel with a golden crown in between. The carriage that was pulled by two horses came later. It was surrounded by Mozias on brooms and more royal soldiers behind the carriage—all Mozias on their brooms. 

'Let them reach you,' Iona had said. 'Do not reveal yourself until they walk in the trap. So Etaya waited with her heart throbbing in her chest along with Aed Ruad whose hand was on the hilt of his sword. "Aed Ruad, do not make any movement until I signal," she whispered a warning. Her son grunted in response. She wished Yion was there with her for he listened to her as compared to her son. 

The Mozias were coming straight to where Etaya and Aed Ruad were standing. As soon as the last Mozia passed through the gate, the gates closed and spells weaved the wall back into place. Iona had an urge to get inside the gates, but her eyes were on the prize—the carriage. She laughed on the inside at the queen that a few Mozias would save the prince and princess. Often, she scoffed at her brother's stupidity for not embracing the dark forces and being goody two shoes. She proudly watched her Diumbe who were waiting for her orders.

There were a total of six rows with four Mozias in each row. Two rows in the front and four at the back. Four Mozias flanked the sides of the carriage through which they could hear muffled sounds. A woman was giggling and even let out a small shriek as if she was teased. 

Iona and her Diumbe started trailing them from behind as quietly as possible. And now the entourage was sandwiched between the fae army in the front and dark forces at the back. There was no way they could escape. 

When they were only a few yards away from the fae army, the front row of the Mozias came to a halt. Their leader raised his hand up and all behind him stopped. As if on suspicion, his hand went to the pommel of his sword. "Now!" a voice came from front of him and his eyes became wide when out of nowhere he saw several men charging at them. 

Etaya was waiting for them to come near and wanted to walk them right into their trap, right inside their invisibility spell, but when she saw that the Mozia in the front had stopped, she didn't take another chance. She removed the invisibility spell, shouting, "NOW!" to her army. The soldiers charged. With swords in their hands, the soldiers attacked the Mozias. They hit the first row of the Mozias, who retaliated with their magic. They flew on their brooms around the soldiers, throwing spells, which were countered by Etaya. Soon the Mozias were surrounded by the fae soldiers who were standing there to catch the Mozias if they vanished. After not more than half an hour, the remaining Mozias started retreating. When one of them vanished, the others followed suit. They just disappeared. The soldiers swung their swords in the air. Some even tumbled forward when the force with which they swung their sword met with air. 

From behind Iona turned into a swirl of dark energy and attacked the Mozias with her Diumbe. The Mozias were taken by shock. They looked behind and tried to resist the attack of the dark forces but were outnumbered. The Diumbe charged at two Mozias together, hissing and hurling obscenities, but before they could do anything, the Mozias vanished into thin air, leaving only the carriage behind them. Shock flitted through her as she came near the carriage. The Mozias abandoned the prince and princess? She whipped her glance around to find the Mozias hoping they were hidden somewhere, but the quiet of the night returned. 

Muffled sounds came from the carriage and then someone tapped the floor weakly. "Anastasia?" Bewildered as hell, Etaya rushed to the door, which was standing alone in the middle of the night in front of the gates of Draoidh. Confusion marred her thoughts. Were they trapped? With caution, she opened the door of the carriage and found that the girl's head also vanished. It was pitch dark inside. She snapped her fingers and an orb of yellow light appeared spreading its glow. What she saw there was shocking as hell. 

"Maple!" Etaya shouted, her fear sticky just like her sweat against her skin. Maple was bound and gagged with blood oozing out of her mouth, eyes and ears. She was looking dazed, as if hanging by a thin strand of life. "Fuck!" blood from her face drained. Ileus and Anastasia were not in the carriage? "Bastards!" They were tricked. So much for Iona's plans? Fury rose inside her chest. 

Aed Ruad rushed next to his mother. "Maple!" He climbed and crouched on the floor of the carriage. "Maple!" he shouted as he pulled her in his lap and close to his chest. Her skin was pallid and eyes glassy. His heart pressed as if someone had taken it out of his ribcage and squeezed in their hands. Maple was lying impossibly still in his lap. He circled his hand around her trembling shoulders. Her skin was gray and her cheeks were sunken as if she was starved for weeks. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, which spasmed. Her lips were blue. 

"What have they done to you, Maple?" Aed Ruad asked in a voice laced with pain. He looked with wild eyes towards his mother who was only looking at the other occupant of the carriage, a woman. 

When the orange glow of the light cast light over another occupant of the carriage, Etaya's body shuddered. A body lay in a burlap sack on the side of the carriage under a bench from which blood was trickling out. She untied the sack. "Circe!" Her heart accelerated as she opened the gag around her mouth. Circe's lips were blue. Her breath came out shallow. Iona entered the carriage and she pulled Circe out to take in the night air. "The queen, she— she—" Circe was panting. "Run— run— the queen—" 

Iona walked towards her side and knelt down beside her. She caught Circe's hair and asked, "Why didn't you summon me?" 

"Master!" Circe said in a hoarse voice, barely able to speak. "The portal I used to summon you was broken. It was shattered into pieces."

Iona's black eyes remained cold. "Who destroyed it?" That was the only portal she could use. It was a perfect combination of Circe's necromancer magic and dark portal. It had taken a long time to build it. 

Circe licked her lips. "The prince—" Suddenly Iona pierced her claw in Circe's skull and a blood curdling shriek filled the woods. Iona entered her cell.