Everyone got into place, us on the roof of the castle huddled together. We were trying to stay in contact with the other groups, checking in every 5 minutes through the magic-infused earpieces given to every team leader.

Natalia and I were put together with the Umbra on the roof with the castle knowing that we’d need to intervene in the battle to help the queen escape. We had to tell the headmaster about what Ashley had told us after she left, filling her in on why I had to join Natalia and the Umbra on the roof. It’s a little sad all things considered that the king would betray his queen but at least now she can find her refuge.

Natalia, who was chosen as the leader of our group because of her exceptional leadership and skills, decided to check in on the groups one more time. Speaking of which, I’m going to assume that Natalia was placed on the roof because she herself is an Umbra. Before we had spoken to the headmaster about our conversation with Ashley she was already set to come up to the roof.

Thinking about it this way it’s no wonder that Natalia was chosen as the team leader for our group. After I snap out of my thoughts to hear Natalia speaking to a team leader from another group. Though this time it’s to see if anyone has eyes on the opposition or any signs of foul play. The venandi said they had spotted a few around the village and the Umbra that were placed with them swiftly and quietly took them out.

The Lanista’s said that they hadn’t spotted anyone but that they would keep in eye open and that the animals and the trees would be the first to know of any intruders. Natalia also checked in on the Umbra named Anders who was sent inside to shut off the ventilation system.

“Anders, check in.” She whispered. “How far are you into the castle?” Everyone on the roof leaned in a little trying to hear what Anders was saying. Sure we were being a little nosy but it’s natural in this situation. Everyone shuffled closer as we heard muffled voices on the other side of the earpiece before Anders spoke.

“The castle is crawling with armed forces in every corner. It’s likely that they have been expecting us to make a move. These soldiers and armed militia they have placed around the castle are nothing but pawns to be sacrificed for them.” Anders said making me sigh in pity for the people dumb enugh to join sides with the king as Natalia begins to look around the roof for anything suspicious.

“And have you gotten sight of the queen or king?” Natalia asks Anders. I look at her in surprise not expecting her to ask out loud especially since everyone else on the roof is listening. I thought asking about them would seem at least a little suspicious but nobody reacted, not even Anders. Then again this is a rescue mission and we’re the cavalry so of course we would need to know where the reigning monarchs are.

“Don’t be so worried little one it will all turn out okay.” I jump in surprise turning to look at Kano. Ever since we got back to the castle I had kind of forgotten about him. When we first picked up the man that told us about the situation and rushed back to the castle to tell everyone about the news Kano had taken it upon himself to carry the injured man to the infirmary to get some help. I guess someone must’ve filled him in on the plan and anything else that we talked about in the war room.

“I don’t know how you could forget about a dragon Thalia, although you’ve basically forgotten about me as well.” Spoke Adira. And that’s another thing. In theory, I know that Adira is my other half and therefore we should be able to communicate and help each other but putting it into practice is something else entirely. I’ve just recently met her, I’ve had more time to get to know Natalia than I have her. She feels more like a distraction to me than anything else so I usually just block her out or try to temporarily cut off our bond.

“Okay everyone let’s move in. The ventilation system is down. Just remember in or Omada the main priority is stealth. We get in, defeat as many of the enemy as we can without being noticed, and find the queen. I’m letting the others know that we’re going in so that they can be prepared. Then on my signal, we’ll go.” She says and I take in a deep breath to calm my nerves. I can hear a few others doing the same and I know I’m not alone when I say that I’m too nervous for this and I just want to get it over with.

Sure I was great at planning this mission but that has nothing to do with fighting. As a matter of fact, the East and West quadrants that I left completely open are probably where the reinforcements are going to come from. I mean obviously, I’m not that stupid and we have dragons over that area but still. I know what I planned for ahead of time and I know that I want them to try and get to the castle. After all, the more we can ake out now the better it will be later. But what if things don’t go to plan. Some people may still sneak past the dragons or maybe even fatally injure them.

Plus I’ve never been in a true battle before. Again, in theory, my plan may work out just fine but when putting it into effect there are so many unknown variables that we just can’t account for. We didn’t even have a chance to do our battles let alone going into a full-blown war. And I’ve never even seen a dead body before let alone seeing someone die in front of me and killing them myself.

Whilst I’m lost in my thoughts Natalia lets out a quiet whistle that sounds sort of like a bird’s call. It wasn’t something that would draw anyone's attention it was very discreet and unnoticeable if you didn’t know what you were listening for. I finally tuned back into everything going on when I heard the vent lid be placed onto the ground. It wasn’t loud enough for anyone inside to hear but it was definitely enough for everyone else on the roof. We all began crawling through the ventilation shafts looking through each vent, we stopped to check which room we were in until almost all of us were split up with me, Natalia, and five others trying to find the throne room.

Once we finally found it I closed one eye and peeked through the vent to see who all was in there. In total, I could count about 15 people including the two who I could only assume to be the king and queen. The queen was in her throne staring blankly ahead whilst the king was stood pacing back in forth muttering words we couldn’t hear.

The throne room itself was very fancy, truly fitting of a king and queen. Well, fitting for a king really. There was no personalization, which I could understand if they wanted to keep this room professional for any meetings or court hearings but the room held such a tense atmosphere. There was no way anyone could truly concentrate inside the castle walls I refuse to believe it. I knew for the queen this was especially true considering what Ashley told us.

Finally, after pacing around the room for a couple more seconds he stopped in front of the queen. We all stared on in lieu of his next course of action. All of a sudden all that could be heard was a powerful smack as we all sat in shock at what the king had just done. It’s not that I’m surprised that he smacked her no, I assumed that was part of the problem. What I’m surprised about is his blatant disregard for the queen and how nobody in the room responded to it, not even the guards. You could tell by how little they reacted that they were used to this.

Natalia had started muttering most of which I couldn’t hear but I could make out a few choice words about all of the bad things she’d love to do to him. The rest of the group and I were still stunned and speechless. I couldn’t help but agree with Natalia about the few things I’d heard her say. There were a lot of things I’d love to do to this despicable man, none of them good.

I heard growling in my head, indicating just how upset Adira was about the event that had just taken place. I almost couldn’t control her from taking over my body and charging down there herself. It’s a little disconcerting, to say the least, but that wasn’t my biggest issue. No, my biggest issue is that we’re still sitting here waiting for the perfect time to strike. So while I focus on blocking the bond between myself and Adira I still keep watch over the king, waiting for whatever else he may do.

While the king in queen are placed in the back center of the room there are others guarding the rest of the room including the entrance. They’re standing on both sides in a line, like the dummy armor you see lining castle hallways in movies. Natalia had stopped muttering by now and looked up seemingly lost in thought.

“A group of Umbra have said that they are waiting outside of the throne room ready for commands. They said that if anyone is in place to help them they’re ready to go.” She said looking around the compact area to see all of our reactions. “Now is the chance to take control of the room. Are you guys ready to go?” She asks. We all give her a quick and heavy nod and she speaks into her earpiece giving them the go-ahead before the door to the throne room bursts open.

We take that as our cue and Natalia kicks out the vent from the wall and jumps out, the rest of us following her lead. Immediately there are guards heading towards both us and the Umbra who entered through the door. They’re caught in battle as the second group of guards advances on us. Although their numbers were slightly larger than ours, our fighters were much more skilled and beat them quite easily. And whilst the guards are occupied by the rest of my group I head straight for the king and queen.

The king had already prepared himself pulling out his sword and getting into a defensive stance. He spread his legs his left in front as he lightly squats down to strengthen his stance. The queen on the other hand had quickly stood when the first group burst in and prepared herself for combat. She stepped back first though and walked to the side of her chair making sure she had enough room as to not restrict her movement. I materialized my sword crouching down a bit to get into a stable stance before charging at the king.

Our swords clash as we fight for dominance, his strength vs. my speed and agility. And while I haven’t had much training compared to the other students my fighting was seemingly much better than the kings. His movements were sloppy and wild. The wild movements certainly made it harder to predict what his next steps would be but even with the strength that he held his skills just weren’t enough.

Eventually, I got tired of fighting and decided to finally put an end to it. As angry as what he did to the queen made me, Adira was getting anxious for some unknown reason and wanted to go check on the queen. I was having trouble holding her back even when I had previously blocked our link. The king swung at me again but this swing was his final mistake. He had over swung making it very easy to sidestep as I struck his side with the handle of my sword.

The king spun around holding his side and I took this opportunity to kick him in the stomach. He fell back, clutching his stomach in pain wheezing, before trying to stand back up. I kicked him again in anger letting my rage get the best of me. I was going to kick him again when I felt a hand softly land on my shoulder. I quickly turned around to grab the hand but calmed down when I saw that it was just Natalia.

“Forget about him Thalia, go check on the queen. We have no casualties on our side so far just minor injuries. There’s no need to take out any more of your anger on him. You need to take control of your emotions. The queen is already scared and you are making it worse.” She tells me softly, looking me in the eyes. I stare back at her for a second unmoving, watching the emotions swirl around in her eyes, stuck in her gaze before looking at the queen who’s still in a protective stance. Natalia nudges her head signaling for me to go and I slowly walk towards her.

I don’t know what it is about her but all I know is that I can feel Adira and the timorous energy radiating from her at the thought of the queen being afraid.

“Hi, my name is Thalia and we’re here to help you.” I tell her softly. “There’s no reason to be afraid anymore, well besides the raging battle outside.” I joke to her getting only a relaxed stance in reply. Yeah, it wasn’t the best joke to make in this situation but I thought it was funny. The queen just stares at me, looking me over in wonder before she begins to cry.

Not knowing what to do in a situation like this I awkwardly pat her back, giving a rub here and there. She still just stands there though, crying and staring before reaching out and cupping my face. I flinch back before relaxing into her hands.

“Thalia.” She whimpers out still crying. “I swear I never gave up on you, never. I just, I couldn’t get to you not with him around. I swear Thalia I never stopped searching for you!” She cries out her shaky hands still holding my face.

Tears fall down my eyes too, understanding the significance and sentiment of the moment. Her initial reaction should’ve been a clue, especially understanding all that I know about names now. Now, maybe there are other people with the name Thalia in Eathira but I don’t believe this was a coincidence.

I mean, why would Ashley have told me specifically about this if I didn’t have some sort of connection with the mission. At the time there were many more qualified to tell about what she knew but instead she chose Natalia and I. It’s just a bit surreal though. I found her. And I honestly didn’t even know that I was looking for her until now.

“I know. I don’t know how I know but I do. I just wish I had found you sooner. I wish you didn't have to go through all of that pain alone.” I whisper to her, tears still streaming down my face. I bring her into my arms holding her close to me as if she would disappear.

“Hush little one, no more crying, you’ve finally found her.” Adira says to me, my focus having slipped and Adira forcing her way out of the shackles that I had forced her back into. I step out of my mother’s embrace to look at her; the bright red mark she sports on her face making me want to let go of her and beat the king until he cries.

“Hey Thalia, I’m really happy for you, really I am but we’ve really got to go. Our other teams have killed most of the interlopers that have escaped but they were able to capture a few of the people that were sen in as reinforcements. They hadn't sent many people to help which means they probably weren’t expecting to lose. Someone definitely knew we were coming because there’s a bomb planted in the castle. The others probably didn’t know about it because they expected to win though so it seems that they may have been tricked. We can talk about the rest of the semantics later though because we need to get out of here now!” Natalia yells breaking me out of my emotional stupor .

I back away from my mom before grabbing her hand as I begin to lead her out of the throne room. We had made it to to the door half of the Umbra already out of the room when I hear the king’s voice.

“Hey what about me! Somebody help me, don’t leave me here to die!” He yells out in a shaky voice. The distress in his tone makes me turn around to look at him. I see him giving me a hopeful smile and I decide to crush his fantasy of getting out of here alive right there and then.

I give him a smirk before saying “Sorry, but I’ve been given strict orders to leave you behind.” Then dash out of the room with the queen and the rest of the group in tow.

“Natalia just keep running don’t stop for anyone. The rest of the Umbra’s have already left the castle and we’ll all regroup in the town.” Natalia tells me before speeding up and overtaking me to show us all the route to town. It’s a good thing she did too because it’s a lengthy route for walking on foot and I definitely would’ve gotten lost.

It takes a bit of time, maybe 20 minutes or so before we finally make it to the outskirts of the town. We all slow down to a halt and take our time catching our breath from all the running, jogging, and walking we did. I look over to see my mom standing there looking at me. And although it feels a little bit weird I can understand why she would stare at me so much. After all, having a child taken away from you must be so painful, and not being able to do anything about it must be so much worse.

As we continue to walk closer to the town we see someone there waving at us. I squint making sure that his person isn’t a hostile figure before walking towards them.

“Hey, I’m the one they left behind to guide you back to the group.” He jokes, although no one in my group really found it funny. We just let out a few uneasy chuckles looking at each other in suspicion before letting him lead us back to the group.

As we walked further into town I noticed an abundance of dead bodies scattered on the ground some of them being our own. I even notice a few stray animals amongst the bodies lying around. I gasp as I take everything in covering my mouth in disturbance. In the castle, I had been too occupied to really pay attention to any of the bodies that may have been left behind but now that we’re out of immediate danger my adrenaline has left and my emotions have come flooding in.

I don’t say anything though, I just keep on following our guide with the rest of the group. I can see some of their eyes wandering as well, looking saddened at the sight of their fallen comrades, and all I could hope to do is be here to support them. I just got here so I never really got the chance to get attached to anyone but I know that if I had I would be in just as much agony as them.

I’ve never understood war, and why we had to put so many peoples lives in jeopardy to fight. In any war both sides think they’re the good side and that they’re doing the right thing. But I think in so many wars we forget that not everything is black and white. There are people fighting and sacrificing their lives for the safety of their people but at the same time killing others.

In war, I don’t really think there are many moral high grounds that you can stand by. Sure, some wars are for good cause but others are over simple discrepancies that could be solved with a talk. If only so many world leaders weren’t so stubborn. Then again, I don’t know anything about the politics in this realm. For all I know things could be as simple as do whatever you want as long as nobody is hurt.

Once we finally reach the rest of our group our ‘tour guide’ walks away heading towards a group of people with bows in their hands. Our meet up space was a large water fountain, except it’s not spouting water but rather something that looks to be shooting out sparkling water. Yeah, I’m not quite sure what that is.

“So I’m guessing these are all of the Umbra and Venandi from this section who made it out?” Natalia asks and everyone nods in response..

“There weren’t a lot of people lost on our side but it was enough. Enough to hurt us emotionally bring down so many of our peoples sprits. Thankfully so many of us still survived. Most of us only have minor injuries but we do have some with major injuries resting over there.” The group leader of this section nods his head towards the small group resting behind the fountain. Natalia nods taking in the sight of the injured people.

“The injured will be riding on the creatures and animals who are willing to help and the rest will be walking unless you’re bonded to a creature and you’re able to summon them.” She says. After everyone hears her instructions everyone get’s ready to move. Some people summoning they're bonded creatures and others calling animals to help carry the wounded. Natalia waits for the wounded to get saddled up before she begins walking into the forest.

“So I’m guessing this walk back to the school would be a good moment to talk?” I ask my mother. I want to know how I was taken from her. It may hurt to hear but it’s something that I want to know. And most importantly I want to know why. Why it had to be us and more importantly, why they had to take me.

“I suppose so.” She says sadly, sighing before beginning to tell the story of my life.