Seven Devils and a Rose

The dark hue around my body disappeared by the time we arrived at the scene sometime later, though I was still feeling slightly weak. I had not yet fully recovered from the side effects of the spell that had been cast on me for my protection.

Still securely tucked in the blond lord's arms, I looked down at the sight before us in astonishment, an overwhelming feeling of terror and sickness surging through my being like the wave of a tsunami.

This isn't real, is it? I must have been hallucinating, because there was no way that what I was seeing was real.

I tightened my hold on the lord's arm and buried my face against his massive chest. God, I could feel my body shivering in fright at the sight.

Below us were some seventy-odd military vehicles, along with a few hundred horses and, of course, a few hundred soldiers who were armed to the teeth with weapons.

This is an all-out war. This was beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. I mean, I had seen something like this in movies back home, but to be present, personally witnessing such a thing as a war that was about to break out…

I asked, my voice shaking, "What… what's happening?"

"A rescue mission, Alfie," the lord said.

A rescue mission? Really? With several hundred people involved?

He flicked the reins, and the winged tiger started to descend at a neck-breaking pace. I shut my eyes the faster we went, and it wasn't long until the beast came to a stop. It was only then that I opened my eyes and looked around me, thinking that we had landed. I noted that we were not on the ground, but rather, the winged tiger was hovering above a military truck.

The lord said, "Stay here. It's the safest place." He guided me down and gently dropped me off on the back of the truck.

"Leona, look after the boy," he commanded.

The moment I heard Leona's name, I turned around and saw the woman, dressed in full military uniform, pulling me into her arms.

"Aye, my lord," she said, waving.

I watched as the blond lord and his beast flew away. I assumed he was heading toward the front of the battlefield where Felix and Caleb were.

Leona said, drawing my attention to her, "I was so worried. Are you all right, Alfie?"

I nodded my head. "I'm fine, as you can see." Then I asked, as I looked around at the two other soldiers on the truck with us and the barren field in the distance where lots of commotion was going, "What's going on?" God, I still felt very overwhelmed at the sight around me.

"We're embarking on a rescue mission, Alfie," Leona explained

Yes, I understand, but…

"With this many soldiers?" I asked in astonishment.

Leona nodded. "Their numbers are even larger than ours. This isn't just another group of bandits, Alfie. They're organized, unorthodox rebels. They have been going around raiding and rioting the land and the kingdoms for several years now."

With this revelation, I could only stare at her, dumbfounded. My head was now spinning with this new information.

A group of organized rebels? Going around and causing unrest in the many kingdoms of the Aurora Realm. Wasn't this almost like a world war of sorts?

Then I wondered. Was that prince behind this? When I had revealed to the blond lord that the prince, whatever his name was, had captured Aria, Brenna, and Michael and his team, the lord had looked as though he were suspicious. Of course, I reminded myself that I shouldn't jump to conclusions since I barely knew anything here in this realm. I had to keep myself grounded and gather as much information as possible before deciding on anything.

Suddenly, I heard men shouting and the vehicles moving.

Leona said, "Looks like it's starting."

With a weak body and shaking legs, I somehow managed to stand, my hands holding tightly to the iron bar that was attached to the roof of the truck.

In the distance in front of me, I saw hundreds of soldiers on horseback racing toward an unknown destination, along with military trucks. Up in the air were three winged lions and one winged tiger. Straddling those beasts were their masters. I recognized Felix immediately in his dark warrior garments. He was obviously in the front line and leading the army. To his left was Caleb, while on the right was another person, who I assumed was a warrior lord, too, that I had yet to meet. He, too, had on a dark garment like Felix and Caleb.

I flicked my gaze slightly to the back and saw the blond lord astride his winged tiger. As I used my lenses to zoom in on him, I noted that he was speaking, though I couldn't hear what he was saying. I assumed he was online communicating with the other warrior lords.

I shifted my gaze to Felix, and sure enough, he, too, was talking. Are they strategizing? I didn't know, but it wasn't long when they charged forward at full speed, with the beasts flying in the air at a swift pace.

Then an all-out battle commenced, with glowing red, orange, and yellow bullets flying through the air in every direction. In the back of the fast-moving truck with me, Leona and the two male soldiers grabbed their rifles and started shooting at the approaching enemy. I stared wide-eyed at Leona. God, but she looked damned awesome with her shooting style, more so when she was wearing her military uniform, her long dark-red hair fluttering in the wind and her cat ears sticking out like that.

"Stay back, Alfie," she shouted at me between bullets shooting out of her weapon. "It's getting a little dangerous."

I nodded and crouched down low as bullets flew past me, missing me by a few inches. God, this was more than just a little dangerous. This is deadly dangerous!

Suddenly, a bullet hit smack into one of the soldiers, and he fell back hard with a thud, dropping his weapon near me.

"Shit!" Leona swore.

"Dave!" the other soldier shouted while he continued shooting. "Hang in there!"