Fan Fiction ❯ The Keeper of the Orbs ❯ Betrayal ( Chapter 25 )

Chapter Twenty-Five

Betrayal

 

The sound of great wings flapping reached Sala's ears as she stood in the snow. She whirled around in circles, looking for the source of the noise. Kale raced to her side and took her by the arm. Frax and the old woman made no move to flee. Sala looked at Frax and saw him looking up at the sky as well. When she caught sight of the monstrous creature that had caused the thunderous roar, a gasp escaped her lips.

 

A large black creature circled them and slowly moved in for a landing. When its mighty body hit the ground, Sala and Kale fell over. Sala propped herself up on her elbows and looked at the monster. A large triangular head swiveled around on a powerful neck. Crimson eyes stared down at her with evil intent.

 

"Traevakin." it hissed in a raspy voice. "Now you have all the orbs and now you can restore me to my full glory."

 

Sala felt her body beginning to tremble with fear. She had never seen a creature so large. For the life of her she hadn't even know that anything larger than a mountain troll or a very old dragon had ever existed. What was this creature? Kale rose to his feet and helped Sala up to hers. The monster let out a raspy laugh and looked beyond the two Draegans.

 

"My son." he said. "You have done well."

 

"Thank you, father." Frax said.

 

Sala whirled around and stared at the young human. "Frax?!" she demanded. "You... you know this creature?!"

 

Kale growled. "You no good bastard!" he cried, running at Frax.

 

When the Draegan male was only a few feet away from him, Frax grabbed him and slung him against the old cottage. Kale hit the snowy ground and groaned. Sala covered her mouth with her hands to keep from screaming. Frax smiled a sick, twisted smile and moved to stand by the beast he'd announced as his father. Was it really true?

 

"Oh, this isn't all, Traevakin." the monster said. "Oh no."

 

Sala stared at him in confusion. Frax pointed behind her and his twisted smile broadened. She turned to face the old woman. However, the person who stood there wasn't an old woman, it was an old man.

 

"Grandfather!" she cried. "No! This isn't true! It can't be true!"

 

Frax laughed. "Oh but it is." he said.

 

Sathin moved towards her and placed his hand on her throat. "Tell me, pup." he said, tightening his grip on her throat. "What is a Traevakin's worst fear?"

 

Kale was on his hands and knees now. "NO!" he cried.

 

Before he could make any move, Sathin tore his hand away from her throat and held a tiny silver orb of light in his hand. He held it in his palm, laughing as he closed his hand around it. Tears welled up in Sala's eyes and she tried to speak. No sound came from her. Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her.

 

A Traevakin's worst fear was to become mute and that was what she was now. Sathin pushed her to the ground and moved to stand at Frax's right side. Her silver eyes pleaded for an answer.

 

"Why?" Sathin spat. "You want to know why?!"

 

Sala managed a nod.

 

"You are an abomination to our kind! How dare the ancestors give you such a gift! Why not to your mother?!" he shouted. "Yet she wasn't worthy of it any more than you were. Marrying that damned human like she did. The only reason I acted so kindly to any of you was so one day I could use you. Our kind is all dead and you are to blame. It was all to easy to break the spell over the four Orbs. Now that you have them all again and all of our kind are dead then I can reign over this land!

 

"That was Lord Frax's promise." Sathin continued. “If I could kill of our people then I could reign in the lands from the Kraken Range to the Sadex Kingdom. Now all of this is mine."

 

"And I am king of all Rakiv as it always should have been." the monster said.

 

Frax only stood there, staring at her. Sala felt her world slipping away from her and she slid into darkness.