Again guys, so sorry for the delay. I'll admit that without my plan I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block. However as I have mentioned in my Help Me update, I can remember enough of my plan that I will just get on with it (as I have no idea when I'm gonna get my laptop back). So sorry about this and thank you to all of those who are still dedicated to and supporting me and this story :). By the way! I just realised that Mekhi is pronounced mek-kay! I always thought it was mek-kee! I'm shook!

My heart plummeted fifty miles into the ground. The little hope that had just kindled within me was swiftly snuffed out. I didn't really feel sad; I never knew them. I was more disappointed, disheartened. "Do I have other family?"

"No."

"How did they die?"

Saga opened his mouth to speak, yet Archer broke in.

"He-"

"He must know." Saga overrode Archer's words before Archer even had a chance. Archer pursed his lips, obviously unhappy with Saga's decision.

"What? Why... what happened?"

"They were killed."

I blinked.

"They were warriors, both of them." Archer added.

"On opposing sides." Saga scoffed.

Something fluttered in my chest; fear, I think. "They had to kill each other?"

"No!" Archer exclaimed. "They..."

"Your father was hendassi, from Vandalind."

I stared at him, waiting for more, glancing at Archer, wondering who would speak first. When they both remained quiet, I broke the silence. "And my mother...?"

"She was -"

"Saga! Surely this is too much." Archer interrupted again.

"Too much what?"

"Information, Saga."

"We told them his deceased parents were warriors, and his father was hendassi. This is too much?" Saga rose his eyes to Archer in question. Archer hesitated, trying to form a response to Saga's logical words. "She was a rogue okirima warrior. She led the okirian force that was against the King Colm's father."

"Oh." Was all I said.

"Guys." Wolf broke in, wandering over behind us. "Shouldn't we be... leaving soon?"

Saga stood, as I slightly resented Wolf's appearance. I wanted to know more about my parents. Why were they killed? What turned my mother against the king's father? How did two warriors on opposing sides of the war come to fall in love and have a child? Why did they send me away? But Wolf's words reminded me of Ash, and I knew he was right.

"You're feeling good enough, Isaak?" Saga questioned.

I nodded.

"And you, Willow?" Archer asked, looking at Wolf. He nodded, and then suddenly looked at me as if realising something.

"Who... who's Willow?" I asked, looking between Wolf and Archer questioningly.

Wolf cleared his throat. "I am." He halted, and just as I decided to not question it, he continued. "I'm actually female, but I've made myself look like a man... due to... unfortunate circumstances." She told me quietly.

I stared at her, shocked. So Wolf is Willow? He's a she? All this time? What the heck?

"Oh." I said for the second time. "Well... uh... you make a very convincing boy." More questions filled my brain (what does she mean by 'unfortunate circumstances'?) but I figured that would be a little personal. She smiled lightly, an odd smile that was content and a little sad. 

I suddenly noticed that Saga was jumping around excitedly, looking behind trees, and searching in the leaves. "Are you looking for something, Saga?"

"I'm looking for anything lost." He said as he shuffled through a large clump of leaves.

"What did you lose?"

He popped his head out from behind a tree. "Nothing. Not here anyway." Then he promptly continued on his search, disappearing behind another, larger tree. 

"Right..." For a few moments, Saga seemed to completely disappear. I turned to Archer. "Where are we heading to?"

"Colm's castle, I suppose. That's where Mekhi would have taken Ash."

"Right into the dragon's den." Willow muttered.

I nodded slowly. "So... Colm wants Ash for his powers right? To use him as a weapon?"

Archer nodded. "Yep."

"And do what with him? I mean, use him as a weapon against what?"

"All of Vandalind!" Saga's brown eyes appeared next to mine, upside down. Archer, Willow and I all jumped away from the figure, who was hanging from a tree branch and looking oddly like a bat. He somehow spun himself the right way round and dropped to the ground softly. "Mainly to take over our King, the Sahaan." He glanced around. "I can't find anything lost, so let's start moving shall we?"

I began to stand, and suddenly the throb in my thigh returned. With a gasp, I fell on the nearest support, which happened to be Willow. She stabled herself quickly, eyes widened in surprise. "You alright?" She questioned.

"Yeah, just forgot about my leg." 

Saga handed me my sword. "You'll be alright."

"If you start to feel faint or anything, let us know." Willow told me. I nodded, grateful for her concern. 

I slid the sword into it's sheath, and attempted to support myself. When I was finally standing (albeit a little awkwardly), we began to walk into the forest. 

Archer and Saga led the way. I wondered how often the immortals had walked this way. How old were they anyway?

On the way, Saga and Archer told me more about Colm, the king of Odriscia. He was a young King, in the fact he was only in his late twenties, and he also had only been King for two years. He had become King only after his father, Darmen, had died. There were many rumours that Colm himself killed his father, which wasn't even illegal in their laws, as it showed power and strength above the old King. There were also rumours that said he even had a brother that he killed to eliminate any risk of another taking the throne from him. Archer said that he must be clever, as the power of his country has grown significantly since he took the thrown. His father had been plain greedy, and his ambitions had gotten in they way of running his country well.

Colm was in no way kind or fair, Willow told me. She herself was an okirima of Odriscia, and she said she had witnessed first hand his cruelty to those who were weak. If you had no way of making Odriscia a stronger country, then he showed no mercy to you. Those who were wealthier, and more powerful, were given fair trials, better education, larger rations of food, more opportunities for life. 

Saga told me that half the country respected him out of fear, the other out of agreeance to his values and beliefs. After all, he was indeed making Odriscia a stronger country, but in doing so he was disregarding those who needed help, those who, if he gave them a chance, could rise perhaps even above those who he declared were strong and worthy of better treatment. 

The landscape around us changed as we walked further into Odriscia. Eventually we reached a river, the low burbling of the water relaxing me somewhat. We continued on next to it, and I noticed the trees thinning out, allowing bright sun light to filter through the leaves, warming and drying our skin against the chilly, humid air. 

"Almost there." Archer interrupted the silence. 

I glanced around. "Where?" 

"Troyce!" Saga jumped around excitedly. "The river-town. I love the people here, they are so interesting!" 

I noticed a bridge coming up, and a little hut next to it. A person stood guard, watching our slow approach. 

"My name's Alex now." Archer told us quietly. 

Saga turned around and enthusiastically shook hands with him, his serious attitude from before floating off into the air. "Nice to meet you Alex!" He exclaimed. "I'm Jackie, otherwise known as Saga, the frighteningly powerful and insanely old seer who is rumoured to actually be an onama, but no one can be a bitch because I'm apparently a super duper powerful mix of seer and jade!" He giggled, like a little child, and then ran over to the guard whose eyes were wide, confused and vaguely afraid. She stood alone in front of the little stone bridge, next to a small stone hut. I could see now that the town, Troyce, fell just behind the bridge, hidden between tall, droopy trees. 

"Hello." She began. "I -"

"No time for introductions!" Saga ironically exclaimed. "We are in dire need of crossing this bridge!" 

She frowned, hesitated, then continued on. "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you pass."

Saga frowned back, crossing his arms like he was having a childish tantrum. "Awww, come on! I love this place, I was looking forward to visiting." 

Archer quickly intervened, pushing Saga aside. "Why aren't we allowed pass? None of us are full blooded hendassi, and this onama has half the blood of an okirima."

"Orders from the king's men. No one can pass, regardless of you breed." 

"Why? When were the orders placed?" Willow asked, frowning. 

The guard took a deep breath, considering her next words. "Some of his men came through barely a day ago, along with a High Commander, who told us not to let anyone, man or woman, into Troyce until said otherwise."

"A High Commander?" I asked, and odd sinking feeling deepening in my chest. "Which one."

"You know their names?" She almost scoffed at me. 

"Some." I hope not.

She rose her eyebrows in disbelief. "High Commander Mekhi-ran." 

I heard Archer inhale deeply, and I tried to keep my jaw relaxed. He was a High Commander? Not any soldier of the Odriscian forces, but someone of high importance. How had Archer not known? If people could know his name, how did Archer not know, or guess?

"Ooooh ran.... I like that. Gives the name an air of importance, doesn't it?" Saga sang. "Imagine me like that!" He ubruptly stood straight and put on a serious expression. "Oi! Show respect to your High Commander Saga-ran! Bow to me, peasant!" 

She drew her sword, and Saga instantly quietened down. "I'm asking you all to please leave, now. You have no business here." 

Saga sighed, stepping forward. She froze. "You will let us through," he told her, reaching to touch her arm, "and remember that you had special orders from High Commander Mekhi-ran to let Saga, the seer who has no allegiances to any country, and his friends, through, on request from the King Colm of Odriscia himself." She nodded, slave to his chorren. "You will take us to your fastest and smallest boat, which is fit to take all of us to Colm's castle." She nodded again. 

Saga broke his hold over her. She shook her head, blinking rapidly. She glanced around, confusion settling in her features. She looked at us, suspiciously at first, and then a flicker of recognition filtered through her expression. "Sorry about that, I completely forgot." She took a slow breath, bringing a hand to her forehead. I cringed, remembering the pain that I went through when Saga controlled my mind. "Follow me, and I'll take you to that boat." 

Saga smiled, giving her a nod. "That would be lovely, thank you." Glancing at us, he followed the retreating figure into Troyce. Archer caught up to walk next to him. Willow looked back at me, the concern and warmth evident in her eyes. 

"You coming?"

I swallowed, clearing my dry throat, and licked my dry lips, trying to breath through the fluttering in my chest. Fear.

"Of course." 

Another big one! You guys deserve it, it's a week late! I think I've gotten through my writer's block - I think I made a good decision to make something happen this chapter! I honestly think I was getting bored at being stuck in that same setting for like four chapters. We've moved on now! This story is  making progress! Yay!

Babyy xx