章節 3: Assassination

Wamana made a mistake with the decree she forced the Council to make.

She forgot Velexa was no longer a Princess, but the new Queen and Ruler of Beautamix Kingdom. If she really wanted to return to her kingdom, it was very easy. Not only was the decree faulty, Velexa could very well nullify the decree if she wanted.

The only problem was, Velexa's mind was terribly fragmented, she was unconscious and her body in a critical state. If she doesn't receive treatment within three days, she may very well die.

In addition, no one was aware of her coronation as the Queen thanks to the spell Wamana cast on the entire kingdom.

Velexa was sent out of the Castle, following the Council's decree with nothing except the cloth on her back. The distance between the Braxen Wastelands and Beautamix Kingdom was a long one. You needed at least three days by Coach to get there.

"Are the assassins ready?" Wamana asked one of her personal guards as she stared out the window in her room, the Council of Elim were nowhere in sight.

"Yes, Your Majesty, they are stationed on the last city, just before the southern border between the Braxen Wastelands and Beautamix Kingdom."

"Make sure her death happens within Beautamix Kingdom. I don't want other Kings snooping about her death."

"Yes, Your Majesty, your order is my command."

Wamana stared hatefully at the receding coach that carried Velexa, while she sipped a brew she made for her broken bones.

She never believed in letting hidden dangers thrive, it was best to nip it in the bud before it becomes a thorn. And Velexa was more than a hidden danger, she was a literal hurricane as far as Wamana was concerned.

A thought crossed Wamana's mind, "How are the people responding to the mind control spell?"

Wamana was a Dark Mage whose specialty was Mind Control. Every spell that had to do with the mind, be it humans or monsters, she had fully mastered it. A fearsome power to have as you could bend the will of most to do your bidding.

However, once in a while, there were people who could withstand her spell

"The people now see Harmonica as the princess and you as the Queen. They have no memory of the Royal family."

"Which Royal family?"

"Apologies your majesty."

"The only Royal family in Beautamix Kingdom is Harmonica and me. Do you understand? Make that mistake again and I will have you hanged."

The guard kept his head low as Wamana walked away.

Through the two days the coach was on the road, Velexa remained unconscious and her condition was progressively worsening. This was currently the third day and the coachman had clear worry lines on his forehead.

The last thing he wanted was to have the death of a royal princess pinned on his head. He was one of the few people that remained unaffected by Wamana's memory spell.

He was thinking of taking a detour into the city, right before the southern border of the Braxen Wastelands when a huge boulder suddenly hit the coach!

The impact was so severe that the coach which had Velexa inside it, disconnected from the horses. It kept tumbling till it slid to a stop, right on a mountainous cliff.

The coachman, who recieved the shorter end of the impact fell off the horse and crashed to the ground, his head hitting the floor hard!

Mysterious men clad in black robes with a dark green outline filtered out of their hiding spots.

"She's inside the Coach! Let's finish this quickly and report back to the Dark Mage." Tranun said in an authoritative voice.

"Yes master!"

The mysterious men surrounded the coach, flipped it to an upright position and and carried the unconscious Velexa out of the coach.

Just when the knife was about to sink into her, a stone hit the knife out of the hand of the weilder, Jackson. They didn't have time to react as they were met with a barrage of stones, being slung from their backs.

An agile figure slid between them and carried Velexa away from them. He placed her carefully on a tall tablet like stone by the cliff.

Then, the masked saviour unsheathed his twin wooden khopesh, standing protectively infront of Velexa.

The mysterious men burst out laughing. The scene before them simply too unbelievable.

No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't take the masked 13yr old looking boy who was standing before them, with wooden, sickle-shaped knives seriously.

"Son, go play hero somewhere else with your wooden toys. This is dangerous business you do not want to get involved in." Tranun said, his laughter fading.

"And if I say no?" The boy taunted them.

"Look child, we're on a mission and I'd rather avoid unnecessary casualties. But if you insist on standing in our way, I wouldn't mind making you a casualty." Tranun's voice took a dangerously dark tone.

"How cruel. Aren't adults supposed to be responsible and not kill recklessly?" He brought one of his hands still holding his wooden sword to his chin, and made a thinking gesture. "I guess you fall into the category of irresponsible, dog-licking wannabes without a mind of their own. Woof, woof."

The boy smiled as the expression on the men's faces morphed from mirth to anger. He got the desired effect he was looking for.

The mysterious men lunged at him all at once and he jumped high above their heads and landed on Tranun's head, hitting his head hard with his two wooden knives. Tranun fainted on the spot.

The remaining men were taken aback on how easily the little boy displaced their leader. They took a smarter approach and spread out, circling him in a wide circle.

One man lunged for him from the front while another came from his side, they held real knives in their hands. As the little boy dodged their blows one after the other, he made some blows intentionally land on their ally's faces, while hitting them at sensitive spots with his knives.

During the fray, Jackson slipped away and went after Velexa. After all, she was the one they were after, not the little boy.

The boy saw Jackson from the corner of his eye and hurled one of his knives at Jackson's back. Just before Jackson could touch Velexa, the knife landed squarely on his spinal cord. The impact caused Jackson to cringe and move with more force than intended, mistankely pushing Velexa off the cliff!

Jackson was barely hanging by the edge of the cliff, in intense pain.

Everyone was still. The little boy was the first to recover and he ran to the edge of the cliff. He couldn't see anything as it was pitch black at night. After a while, he heard a huge splash.

Relief washed over him that at the bottom of the hill, there was water instead of rocks but his relief was short-lived as worry set in. An unconscious person, falling inside water... That was literally begging the person to die by drowning.

The mysterious men, also realising this fact started making their escape as their mission was complete.

One of them made to carry Tranun away but was stopped by the little boy. He eventually decided that his life was more precious than that of his leader and ran away, leaving Tranun behind.

The once chaotic cliff top was now eerily silent.