Episode 11: Battalion

“How was the third trial?”

“Higher positivity than the first one.”

“And is that good news?”

                     Felipe smiled coquettishly as he showed me a tiny bottle filled with lilac liquid. “Efficacious, Gaia. The antidote was successful!” he bawled as he happily grasped the bottle in his hands. No matter how tough and tyrant he looks and acts, Felipe still has his soft side.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s carry out the next step,” I replied full of glee and gaiety.

“Four-thousand bottles were now on its way throughout the four states. And we have more on the process. Thank you, Gaia. If not for you, the incomplete antidote will be useless. But, are you really going to marry that Prince?”

“We still have a problem that we need to be attentive to. And about that matter—”

“Just tell me whenever you can’t handle it anymore and I’ll find the perfect solution to annihilate that marriage alliance.”

                     Unexpectedly, Felipe wrapped his arms around me and burrowed his face on my shoulder which I chuckled. “You’re not getting any younger, Felipe. Stop acting like a child.”

“I’ll only stop if you have already found a man to protect and treasure you more as I do. But since you’re too ugly to find one, I’ll still be this clingy to you.”

                      The smile didn’t leave my lips as those words come out of his mouth. I gently stroked his dark auburn hair down. But because he was a few inches away from me, I had to elevate a step to reach his head. “You’ll always be my baby brother, Felipe.”

                       The moment I closed my eyes, Diego’s topless frame suddenly popped up in my mind. Right, it has been seventeen days that had passed since our last conversation. And I no longer had seen his face, even his voice. These past weeks, I’ve been busy with the states’ affair that his name was labeled on the deepest part of my concern. Just this moment that he again fills in my head.

“General Gaia!” A voice suddenly sprang up that I quickly turned my head to it. It was Tyler, that had just entered the library we are in. His left arm quickly landed onto his chest as he drops his head down and turned to Felipe.

“Commander, Pinansey-angan’s reinforcement battalion has arrived at our territory’s border. And this Lieutenant Samara asks for the two of you.”

“Reinforcement battalion? Don’t they think this is too early for a war? We are just starting to recover and a sudden attack will not be a good option.” My forehead creased to this news and sauntered forth which they both strung along.

“That’s what I have told them, General. But this Lieutenant Samara insisted and even threatened a sudden name for which she said it will get you down on your knees.”

                       With Tyler’s words, a sudden fast-beating emerged from my chest to my body that starts to tremble out of agitation. I quickly stopped and turned my head towards him, “What name?”

“It’s Diego Alfarro, General. The alpha of the Abberant pack.”

                       The time surrounding me froze. Even my exhalation stopped that seems like I have now forgotten how to breathe. Vander already knew everything, and now he uses it to threaten me. So, Pinansey-angan territory chooses to play dirty. This is what they want.

“What does a dog’s name have to do with Gaia? How does it become a threat to us?” Felipe sounded as he paced forward, leaving me behind still confounded.

“She didn’t utter any more words other than that, Commander.”

                        My lips were sealed, and my head is completely occupied and wrecked that everything is in chaos. Awfully messed up to the thought that He is now linked in, and not only one person had known what lies between us, but it may also not only Vander and this Lieutenant Samara. And if it spread like wildfire, it will be a final disaster for both of us.

“Greetings, General Gaia,” a woman’s voice welcomed us when we finally reached the now opened territory border. She wore this metallic armor with gushes of lightning-like red tint, and her long ebony hair tied on a high chignon.

“Commander Felipe of Sinandaya kingdom.” She turned to Felipe and seductively winked at him, “Rumors were true, you’re indeed a beefy hunk.”

                       I almost spew and laughed to death at Felipe’s squawk response if it weren’t her sharp threat that she raised against me. My hands intuitively grabbed my brother’s collar and pluck him up to tower behind me. Seems like I now recovered from spacing out that my tongue returns to its normal state.

“You are Lieutenant Samara?” I asked which she quickly centered on.

“No other than me, General. An entire battalion arrayed behind. I suppose you already know what this means.” She smiled delightfully.

“And don’t you also know what is the recent happening in our kingdom?”

                        Samara chuckled and handed me a sealed letter with Vander’s sun symbol imprinted. “Of course, and seventeen days is enough.”

“We lost half of our population, and conducting a war at this stage is not a wonderful option. Sinandaya needs to heal before entering risky combat.”

“But it is not your army that suffers the loss. Remember, your alliance with our kingdom has its corresponding condition. And this execution of the war with the Abberant pack is part of it. You, yourself pacts allegiance to our alliance,” she voiced with a bubbly smile on her face and tilted her head as she again opened her mouth. “Or… there could be another reason why you don’t want to lead the warfare anymore. Am I right?”

                        My fists balled and my jaw clenched at her, she is now sounding out. If this continues, everything will be in turmoil. “Felipe, Tyler, I want to talk to this Lieutenant Samara in private.”

“But—”

“Let me, Felipe,” I cut in and faced Felipe in my frigid tone. He let out a deep sigh and nodded in approval. With his right hand raised in command, the entire army complied in accordance.

“Where are we going?”

“To a place where I can strangle your throat.”

                         Just a little bit more irritating giggling from her mouth and I will rip her head off her neck. She always laughs and chuckles like this every conversation is a funny joke. Does her bloodline bear ninety-nine percent of jester buffalo?

“Oh, you can’t do that,” she muttered, still laughing. “Because if my body was found lifeless inside your territory, my battalion  will act out of control and will not hesitate to wreck everything.”

                         I paused and leaned on the large trunk of a pine tree, “Really? It seems that you’ve already forgotten where you are now. You still haven’t entered Sinandaya kingdom, your entire battalion was way out of our border. If I kill you right now to where you stand, I can easily manipulate the news back to Pinansey-angan and declare you were ambushed by some rogues out there.”

                         She again burst into laughter and stared at me with her eyes provoking threat, “Say I got your neck from this time. I clearly am aware of that. And I clearly know you have that brain of yours still intact, but I wonder if you are wise enough to know what possibilities to happen when the entire Claveria Haltera knows that you are madly smitten to our common enemy. Isn’t it a great blow to our vampire senate and even to the werewolf council? Global bloodshed will happen if you’ll continue to grow feelings for that Alpha.”

                          A sudden feeling arose from me and my hands quickly grabbed her neck. From the ground, I lifted my head as I tightly throttled her. “Who are you to precede me?”

“J-Just concerned… I’m n-not here to t-threaten you with such.”

“To what reason?”

                           She still managed to smile and laugh amidst my hand cutting her breath. Seriously, is she happy at this moment? I released her down and step a meter away from her.

“It’s up to you to think. But what you need to be alarmed about is that I know everything between the two of you. Any wrong decision of yours and Diego will spout out of the crater.”

                            My blood again boils the second she mentioned the name. I intuitively gestured my hand and pulls out the dagger from my waist to Samara’s carotid artery. “You dare, and I will not vacillate to watch how your blood surges out.”

“Mayari!” I called and a masked woman leaped down in a flash.

“Any commands, General?”

“Seal all way out and even entrance. Tell Felipe that we are not letting Pinansey-angan’s battalion in.”

“Yes, General.”

                            Mayari dashed away and my gaze returned to the woman ahead of me, “You cannot use his name to frighten me, Samara. Even if you repeat and expose it, again and again, I will not let Sinandaya fall down just because of this sudden attack you wanted to carry out.”