Chapter 14
[Maya]
When Maya and the others stop just a shy distance away from the cave, they figure that they ought to prepare themselves before they trudge deeper. Maya had Lobo scout the area first in order to assess the situation so they could make ample preparations.
Maya is just practicing with her spear while waiting for Lobo when she notices Adonis moving closer to her. She pauses in her training so she can turn to Adonis.
"Do you need something, Adonis?" She breathes out and wipes the sweat from her forehead before facing the prince of the Engkantos.
"Yeah, actually. I want to ask you something, if that is alright?" Adonis seems nervous, which probably means that he has something serious to talk to her about. Maya only gives him a nod, encouraging him to continue. "What will you do once you meet Sigren?"
Maya feels a little confused by the question. "What do you mean by that?"
"Wasn't he your close friend?" Adonis starts to elaborate. "Are you ready to fight him when the time comes?"
Maya then starts to get what he's asking. Adonis might be worried that she couldn't fight Sigren because they used to have a history—at least, from what the others tell her.
"I can't say." Maya regretfully says. Whenever she think about having a close relationship with Sigren, a cloud would seem to block her memories. "Even if you tell me that Sigren and I used to be friends, it does not change the fact that I can't remember my relationship with him. If you are worried or not about whether I may be able to fight him, I will tell you right now that my priority would be the moonstone, so if I have to fight Sigren for it, then that's what I am going to do." Maya isn't sure where her confidence comes from, but she welcomes it.
Adonis watches her closely as she speaks, like he is evaluating the truth in her words. Soon, he starts to smile, tilting his head forward a bit in acknowledgement. "Then, my sister and I will do everything we can to assist you and make sure that no aswangs or serpents can dare lay a hand on you."
Maya feels a little pressured by Adonis's promise, but there's no way that she can decline it now.
"Y-Yes. Thank you, your highness." Even though the siblings have proven themselves to be loyal to her for the mission, Maya still finds it troubling to have to count on someone other than herself and Lobo. Trusting others was never a luxury that she had since the beginning.
Something starts to catch Maya's attention. When she gazes into the distance where she hears the noise, she realizes that it is Lobo. She starts to feel a sense of relief before running to greet Lobo. Halfway through meeting her friend, Maya pauses. Lobo did not return alone. He's with the snake that betrayed her—Ingko.
Lobo is carrying Ingko on top of her head. The little serpent raises its head when it starts to notice her presence. Maya is conflicted about what to do with it. In the first place, why would Lobo even bring the serpent with it when she only asked her to scout the area?
"A serpent!" Lobo turns in the direction of Adonis running towards them. Lobo quickly moves back before running to hide behind Maya while still carrying Ingko.
Maya finds it strange, but she supposes that Lobo has a purpose for bringing the serpent along. She may not be too sure about trusting Ingko anymore, but she trusts Lobo.
"Adonis, wait." Maya extends a hand to stop Adonis from drawing his sword. "Leave it."
Adonis gives her an astonished look. "But it is a serpent! It could be a spy to—"
"Lobo brought it here." She interrupts him. "Are you saying that Lobo could be a spy for the serpents for bringing it to us? Something must have happened that made Lobo bring Ingko to us."
Adonis pauses, looking at Lobo and Maya like he is weighing his options. Finally, the engkanto prince sheathes his sword and steps back. Though it doesn't seem like he has any plans on taking out Ingko, his gaze still has a distrusting look to them.
"I don't trust the serpent, but I trust you and your judgmentt."
Maya offers him a grateful smile. "That's exactly how I feel about Lobo." She turns back so she can address the wolf and the serpent hiding behind her. "So, Lobo, care to explain what's going on?"
Lobo lowers its head and drops Ingko into her hands. Maya did not notice it before, but it appears that Ingko is hurt. To be precise, it looks like the rat snake suffered from a burn. Maya did not think anything strange about the burns at first since they could have come from any flame or chemical. If the serpent had not coughed up a pendant, she wouldn't have understood what the serpent was trying to tell her.
Maya holds her breath when she picks up the pendant on the ground. It is a pendant that she has a hard time forgetting because it belonged to someone that she fears.
"Maya?" Adonis's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "What's wrong? Did the serpent bite you?"
Instead of answering him, Maya extends her hand to let Adonis see what's on the palm of her hand. Adonis stares at the item blankly before lifting his face to her with a raised brow.
"Did the snake choke on a necklace or something?" Adonis looks unsure at the lack of context when Maya shows him the necklace.
Maya can't blame Adonis for not remembering the necklace. After all, this is a necklace that has been handed down to the strongest of the demigods in the academy so they can serve as everyone's leader and protector when the time comes. Over the years, Maya has only seen one person who was granted that very same necklace that she now holds in her hand.
"Adonis, get Janella." Maya clutches the necklace in her hand before jamming it into her pocket. She gets to her feet and turns to Adonis. "We might need a change of plans."
*~*~*~END OF CHAPTER~*~*~*
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A Serpent's Revenge: Bakunawa's Bloodline
Fantasy"A serpent exacts vengeance on those who harm them. And they give it back a thousand times over." Over the years, an academy was built as a safe haven for the children of gods and other legends. The academy is there to help them control their powers...
