Chapter 163: Alnilam, Saiph Vs The Chitterings

(Alnilam)

A conversation with my father always leaves me frustrated. The additional fact that the ’Reavers’; warriors of the Dread Army who always come to collect the reports on unregistered users, grilled me about Amaia’s incident.

They didn’t believe me when I said I couldn’t find the magic user. They think I deliberately let someone slip through my fingers. I would be damned if I let them find Amaia.

Thankfully, the unregistered children we dealt with belonged to Warlocks. This way, I didn’t have to hand them over to the Dread Army and live with the regrets.

We were able to register them and put them into proper institutions so they could learn to manage their magic.

Arriving for the dinner, I was left stunned to see Amaia in a dress and a dazzling pair of ruby earrings.

I had never seen her in a dress and an elaborate hairdo before. Not only did she look different, but she also looked so stunning that snow howled in my head.

Unknowingly, she had given me a gift which might one day lead me to my mate and I had no clue what I would do about Jamina and this unexplained attraction I felt for her.

Sitting at the table, I tried not to stare at Amaia. Instead, a discussion with my father began, something which never ends well. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

It didn’t.

I left the dining hall in frustration and went to my room to change out of my uniform and into some comfy night trousers and a shirt.

Grabbing a book from my bookshelf I made myself comfortable in my rocking chair. My thoughts are occupied by Amaia, I can’t get her out of my head.

I had hardly a few pages when our emergency sirens went off, making me spring out of my seat.

I sprinted out of my room with thoughts of my parents, brothers, Amaia and my people.

A chaos had erupted outside and I bumped into my mother and Saiph. Even under a critical situation she appeared calm.

"Go find Mintaka and Amaia. According to the sentinels, they went outside. Alnitak is with your father but he will follow. Take Saiph with you."

"I will find them but Saiph should stay by your side," I emphasised, holding her shoulders.

"No, your father will be with me. We are going to find the breach and seal it. I don’t know how the breach happened again. Go now," she urgently says, there is a determination in her eyes but also fear for us.

Nodding, I gesture to Saiph and he is ready. We rush forward, I am not even wearing shoes. A sentinel is seen trying to guide a scared-looking Rahria and Kacir inside.

"Keep them safe. Take them to the underground bunker," I instruct and he nods. At least they will be protected.

We surge forward.

"They went to the back," Saiph says with his jaw set tight. "Alone," he adds with frustration.

My mind is speeding with so many thoughts but at the top of all is a prayer for them to be safe.

We dash out of the back entrance when I hear Amaia’s scream. It wrenches my heart and my magic spills out like specs of sand, following and leading me towards her.

’Hurry!’ Snow howls again, trying to wolf out but I keep him at bay.

I find two dead sentinels, almost ripped apart. My feet keep moving.

The ground almost slips from underneath my feet at the sight I meet. Amaia is hunched on the ground, holding Mintaka. Two no, three Chitterings hover over them, not attacking, just watching as if toying with their prey before swooping in.

I have never seen Chittering before apart from books. Frightening and fear-inducing, these monsters are gigantic, like a cross between someone’s nightmares and stacked-up miscellaneous insects. They bloat out the sky with their impending presence.

My eyes shift back to a terrified Amaia as she holds my brother.

Thankfully, both of them are alive, even though Mintaka is hurt. But I know my brother is strong and he will pull through.

The feelings she invokes make me want to burn these Chitterings to the ground.

Where did they even come from?

After consoling her, I grab a streak of my hair and create a bow and quiver of arrows from it.

My magic shoots out like a vibration and creates this shield around Amaia, Mintaka and Saiph.

By the time I face these malicious creatures again, they have increased in number from three to seven.

"Are you seeing this?" I quietly ask Saiph. His presence I feel beside me, his scythe drawn and held loosely in his hand.

"Yes!" His voice comes out determined. "Let’s kill these bastards."

I draw an arrow and focus, trying not to look directly into their compound eyes. Closing my eyes I let my magic guide me and aim. It slices through the air and finds its home in one of the eyes of the Chittering hovering just above me.

It painfully shrieks and thus acts as the catalyst to create a hive mind between itself and the others. The horde, a seething mass of chitin and claws, surges forward, but Saiph is already there to meet them. He becomes a whirlwind of polished oak and gleaming steel, and the curved blade slices through them like a machine of death. It hums with his magic while cutting through limbs and the mass of these monstrous creatures.

Each swing is precise, clearing a temporary space that is instantly flooded again, apart from the ones he lands in the centre cavity where their hearts are. My shield keeps him protected from their attacks, but every blow causes my energy to be depleted, and I am not sure how long I will be able to keep it intact if this battle is prolonged.

My arrows fly nonstop while my hair keeps a barrier between their nightmarish eyes, attacking limbs and me.

And then I hear Alnitak’s voice.

"Amaia! Taka..." he desperately says.

Oh no!

"Get them out of here," I shout at my brother.

Saiph and I will be able to handle the situation peacefully, I don’t want any of them getting hurt.