Chapter 98: Chapter 98

Hours after coming back to the temple, everyone was in a morose state, especially Gavil, who had reluctantly witnessed his wife being taken away in his very eyes.

“We must come there now and rescue them! My Khailis’ life is in peril,” he reasoned with Templar.

“But we don’t even know where they are. How can we rescue them and charge blindly up ahead,” Galahad explained.

“Prince Rahul, calm down. Eily and my sister are with her. I’m sure they will take care of Lady Khailis,” Templar seconded.

“How could I stay calm? We all know why he had taken Khailis! He must be thinking of extracting energy! I can’t stay still!” The anguish in Gavil’s voice was so strong that it felt like he could cut a knife through the air with just the ferocity in his voice.

Langrion knew exactly how he felt. He has been keeping his emotions at bay too so that he could form a sound strategy, but it does not seem that things are going the way he really wanted.

The people who remained behind were the four of them: Gavil, Templar, Galahad and him, and they do not look like suitable people for battles.

Templar had never set foot outside Teotroly, and although he is a god, he seemed adamant to set out without a plan.

Galahad, whom he knew by the name of Mage Silas, had loathed him ever since the day he had introduced Shia to him. It was understandable though. He had given his own life for Freya, but she ended up being the wife of a mortal prince like him.

The only other person whom Langrion could rely on was Gavil, but he was still not sure how vast his powers could be or the extent of help he could give him should they charge at Gascone at the very moment.

Thus, with two gods who seemed unwilling to lend him a hand fully and a divine beast whom he hadn’t seen in the battlefield yet, Langrion wasn’t sure that there would be victory, but he knew of one thing.

“Sirion is planning something big in three days’ time. He knows I am coming for him. If we don’t hurry, we might lose Khailis, Eily, and Shia. We don’t have much time.”

“But to be able to join the battle in the human realm, I and Galahad would need permission from the Head God himself, and now that he has fallen into an eternal sleep, I think it wil take more than that for us to get -”

“We don’t have time, brother.” Langrion, knowing how he loved his own blood sister to death, tried to appeal to the Sun God’s emotion to entice him to come. “If we don’t strike before the third day, I’m afraid Lady Khailis would be in greater danger too,” he added.

“That’s easier said than done! Have you got a plan, child,” Galahad said. For someone who had loved Freya for so long, he was surprisingly calm and unrelenting of a quick rescue.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve got no plan, but I have an advantage. Gascone is my homeland. I know it even if I have to traverse it while in a blindfold. I can get us into the castle without raising an alarm.”

“Still, we need the Council of the God’s help,” Templar worriedly interjected.

“If we wait, Khailis and my children might end up dead,” Gavil thundered in, “can you or any of the gods replace their lives? If they end up dying, I swear I shall ransack this place and strip you all your titles, even if I’m kicked out of here!”

“No need to be blasphemous, son.” A long entourage of women suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway where the four of them held their meeting. At the very head of it stood a woman who was as regal as any queen could be.

“Queen Argylla,” Templar and Galahad both exclaimed. They all stood up from their seats in reverence, and Langrion did the same.

“Mother,” Gavil exclaimed, “do you already know what happened?”

“News had already spread around Teotroly. Your wife is part of our tribe, young one, and she is carrying the offspring of our royal bloodline. We have to rescue her even if it takes ruining this whole temple to thr grounds or your father’s homeland,” she said turning to Langrion, “no offense, prince of Gascone.”

“None taken, my lady. So are you saying you will help us?”

“Of course! That blasted ass of a god had taken a Pauca Billie lady, so he should be prepared to face a blood bath.”

‘Ah, a Pauca Billie,’ Langrion thought, ‘so Gavil isn’t a simple shapeshiting beast, but a Pauca Billie, one of the demi gods of Teotroly, That means he has as much power as that of a full god, and he is a prince too with warriors in tow. He could be of great use in this battle then.’

“If the two of you are not participating, then, just scram! But, know that we will surely withdraw our support from the temple and from the heads because of this,” the queen’s icy yet calm tone cut through the stifling air that surrounded them.

“Ah, Queen Argylla, surely you don’t mean that threat at all, right,” Templar said, looking extremely nervous.

“Do I look like I am joking, Sun God? What has the temple ever done to us, so far? My clansmen had built this place with our own sweat, blood, and magic. Now that our own kin is threatened, how can the temple refuse to help us? If they will do so, I will not help them too going forward.”

As expected, a clan as powerful as the Pauca Billies might have been the real power behind Teotroly - not the gods and goddesses. If they were as powerful as they say they are, then the temple, or even the whole Teotroly, would crumble down.

“Lady Argylla, if we can just wait for the convention -”

“Tell the convention they can shove our support up in their noses. Now, you’ve only got two choices here, God Templar and God Galahad: either you join us or you don’t. Are you with us or not?”

“I am with you, my queen,” Templar said in a heavy tone.

“God Galahad?”

“This concerns Freya, so I am in this as well.”

“Good.” Queen Argylla turned to Langrion once more. “How about it? When shall we start?”

“Tomorrow. We’ll march to Gaulane tomorrow.”

Perhaps there is still hope. Even if they lose with this army and the power of the gods behind them, Langrion would make sure that he would at least strip the skin on the head of that so-called God of Darkness.

******************

“Ah, I need water...”

It was the first few words that Khailis was able to speak after waking up. She felt really parched. What could have possibly happened to get her this thirsty?

“Gavil, can you -”

She thought that the person beside her was her husband, but now she can see clearly that she was not a man but a pale-faced witch.

“What -?”

“Don’t move,” Goddess Eily told her quietly. “You there, do you have any water? Can you get her something to drink,” Eily said, turning to someone. As Khailis looked up, she was alarmed to see a young man with ash-colored hair nodding at the goddess’ request.

“I’ll go get it.”

As the man said this, a thin film of grayish light began to envelope her and Goddess Eily completely, trapping them into the bed.

“What happened? Why are we here,” Khailis asked the goddess weakly, looking as confused as ever.

“Finally, Khailis, you’re awake! Are you hurting somewhere, anywhere?”

She had heard Shia’s voice, but she couldn’t see where she was. Was she even in the room? Why was it so darn dark?

“She’s alright,” Eily said in response to Shia’s quieries, afterwards, she turned back to Khailis, “don’t you remember being taken away?”

Khailis’ mouth hung open. Did someone take them away? She tried to remember, but she failed. The last thing she remembered was getting to bed with Gavil. After thinking for sometime, she finally shook her head. “You mean we we’re kidnapped by that guy?”

“Yes. By that guy and by Sirion.”

For the first time in her life, Khailis wanted to cry. Being kidnapped wasn’t that big of a deal, but being kidnapped while carrying Gavil’s eggs was a major no-no. By the gods, she didn’t even have time to energize her eggs before she got carried away!

“Why would they kidnap me and you,” she asked Eily. Why in the world would the Ancient Evil be interested in her and the Goddess of Childbirth? She could understand why he’d get Shia. He really looked like an obsessive and possessive person the last time that she saw him, but why did he include the two of them?

“It’s better for you not to know. Go and get some rest now. I’m sure Prince Rahul is on his way to rescue us.”

Khailis couldn’t help but worry more about what the goddess said. She instinctively covered her belly with her hand. “Why? Is that maniac planning something diabolical?”

“He’s the God of Darkness, of course. He is always planning something bad.”

“Then, we must get out of here,” Khailis said as she propped herself up from the bed. “What are you doing? Help me to get up?”

“How do you propose we’ll do that,” the goddess asked impatiently.

“We’ll aren’t we in the Imperial Castle of Gascone? I know this place too well.”

“Do you really, Khailis?” It was Shia’s voice who spoke. She sounded really hopeful.

“Of course! What’s the use of becoming a knight if I didn’t know how to escape this darn castle?”