MISTRESS OF FLAME

CHAPTER 52

CHAPTER 52

NIGHT FELL and Sollel's group need to find a safe place to let the night pass. It's dangerous to venture the desolate valley in daylight, but it's more perilous to traverse it at night. Hakken suggested to find a higher ground, but since they couldn't find any that was safe, they improvised and settled on one of the large dead trees they found. It was high with thick limbs and branches. Perfect for night stay.

After checking if the tree was safe, Grath had to help Zassia climbed up the tree while Sollel and Hakken climbed the tree with ease.

"Is this safe?" Zassia asked while looking down and when she saw height, her body went cold and became dizzy. "Oh, my deities... I think I'm going to vomit. I hate high places."

"Endure it, lady Zassia." Said Grath who was very comfortable sitting on one of the tree's limbs. "This is safer than staying on the ground."

Watching Zassia getting paler and paler, Sollel felt pity towards her poor student, but as Grath said, this was the safest place. They were in between twenty to thirty feet high, understandable if Zassia was feeling a little queasy.

Leaning her back on the tree trunk while sitting on the tree limb, Sollel turned her attention to Hakken. He was quietly sitting on the same tree limb as her, but his legs were hanging down, just like Grath, and she was the one closer to the trunk.

He looked so fun to tease from where she was sitting, but she didn't. Instead, she just watched him. Enjoying the view in front of her.

After what happened to her, after escaping prison, she was closed off to everyone. She trusted no one. Even Cira who helped her a lot. She was not keen on speaking or entertaining anyone, especially people who tried to get close to her. Cira and Hakken. But as her strength slowly recovers and as she travelled with them— with him, she slowly opened herself. Gradually letting people in and trusting again. She was skeptical at first, doubting everyone's intention, but after Cira was hurt in the Nobles Hill, that's when she realized that she didn't want to lose the people who had become her companion.

Cira. Zassia. Grath. Even Zeke. He's a descendant of Sappher, but he was helpful and very caring to Cira. Of course, Hakken. Her hunter.

Afraid to be betrayed again, she threw a bait to make sure than no one was going to backstab her again. And of course, to catch someone. The person who saved her from prison.

Everything went accroding to plan. Her companions were loyal to a fault. And her bait attracted two individuals. Hakken who appeared on the clearing even though no one told him where she was— only meant one thing, he had eyes on her the whole time— and Warlord Hakkeran who didn't use his arcane weapon as he should to fight their mortal enemy, one of the Yther's queens and the Mistress of Flame. Hakkeran also went easy on her when they were fighting. She had fought against descendants of Sapphers before and they were not weak. No one was weak in Sappher. Each one was a warrior. The strength she had at that time was still too little, still very weak against a warlord, yet he fought her and nearly lost as if she was back to her full strength.

That's when she became certain that the warlord knew her.

Then entered Hakken. He fought with the warlord and the warlord run, leaving Hakken with only one single wound. Not only that, the surprised in Hakken's face at that time when Warlord Hakkeran suddenly fought like a madman, it was not because Hakken was surprised that Hakkeran was stronger that he thought. It was more like a surprised face of a man who was confused why his opponent had a killing intent after agreeing that they were allies.

That's when it became suspicious. That's when her bait started working that made her draw a conclusion.

Hakken and Hakkeran knew each other.