Chapter 285 Nothing you can do
Lydia smirked. "Did I?"
"You hurt Freya," Neera said, even though it was useless to evoke guilt from the demon before her.
"I didn't," Lydia simply said. "Now, is this the reason why I am here?"
"You have two powerful Kingdoms against us," Neera drove on. "And we know Aloysius wants a war. But the portal has been strengthened by the strongest witch months ago and will be strengthened even more. There is no way he will come back to earth. Give up on your hopeless schemes."
Lydia tossed her head back and guffawed a laugh. It rang through the entire chamber, and birds perched on the window sill took flight, scared.
"I have to hand it to you," Lydia patted her cheeks after the laugh. "You've got the galls to dish out threats, but your sweet, melodious voice doesn't hold the scare of your threat. Next time, have Zavian try. Maybe he'd make me so frightful my bones will shiver."
"It doesn't change what I said."
"Oh, but what you said is completely true. The portal is heavily guarded with spells that can take centuries to break," Lydia's smile grew. "But this is where you all have foolishly put your eggs in one basket."
Neera could feel the thumping of her heart. "What does that mean?"
"Simply what it means," Lydia said. "There could be two, three, or even twenty baskets, but all you have is one. But, if you can't find the rest of the baskets, how would you want to put your eggs in them?"
Neera felt the blood drain from her face. "What does that mean?"
"It means...," Lydia leaned closer, and for a moment, Neera thought her face would come out of the mirror. "There is nothing any of you can do to stop Aloysius's victory." She smiled and leaned away. "I only came here because you did me an immeasurable favor by bringing Zavian's blood. It's a pity your life is going to be ended at the battle as well."
Her last words hit Neera like a brick. She stilled herself and glared at Lydia.
"Tell Aloysius to surrender while he still can," a weak approach, but she would try it nonetheless. "Because he would face a fate worse than the Underland if he was ever to return here."
Lydia's face lit up at that. "You're going to beat Aloysius with that little army?" She laughed again but clamped a hand on her mouth as she did so. "Neera, you're so funny." She looked Neera dead in the eyes. "We have gotten an army way more than you can imagine."
Neera's blood turned to ice at her words.
"Do you think those villages disappeared for nothing?" Lydia's mouth quirked into a smile. "And do you think we'd waste soul eaters on you now? Or our darling little pet that Freya met? No. When we come, we want to watch with satisfaction as they rip apart each and every one of the army's men..."
"No...," Neera didn't know when she stood and backed away.
"...and Aloysius's army would swallow them whole. And for dessert...,"
"Stop it," Neera stopped and clamped her palms over her ears. "Stop it..."
"... we'd slice your dear Zavian until he begs for mercy." Lydia's voice dripped with acid. "Into tiny little pieces, while all dignitaries, family, and friends watch. And we'd feed him to our army, like pieces of cake..."
"I said stop!" Neera ran to the mirror and threw it to the ground, and it shattered, Lydia's voice and face disappearing completely. Neera fell next to it, and she knew they were in more danger than they could fathom.
....
Anna and the witches circled the portal, their eyes brilliant whites as the spells took possession of their bodies.
The chants were slow-paced, and their bodies were stiff as boards.
Energy sizzled in the air like lighting, and yet, as Zavian watched, he somehow knew that reinforcing the shield would do nothing to stop the war.
Neera had been hysterical that day when she barged into the meeting room, and every Duke turned to look at her. She was a scary sight, and Zavian hadn't seen her that way.
He had followed her out, he, Azriel, and Freya, and when they were away from every ear, Neera spilled everything from her meeting with Lydia. Aloysius had created an army of monsters, and he had a way to enter earth without going through the portal.
Lydia had been calculative, inducing fear while holding back on the information. He was hoping she would slip, let something out, but even with what Neera had told them about the disappeared humans, he still wondered how it was possible to have that many humans taken.
And if Aloysius had built an army with that many numbers of people, it was a lot more than theirs.
Azriel stepped next to him. "Thinking what I am thinking?"
"It's useless finding where he'd appear through," Zavian said. "We'll keep up the training, and we've got the horses to fight also. We would fight until our last breaths."
Azriel nodded. "Anna says she has some things for us after. Let's see and hope they help us tremendously."
Zavian nodded and looked back at Freya sitting on a rock. She had cut her hair to her shoulders, and she stared with a far-off look in her eyes. Of all of them, she didn't take the news well. The trauma of what she had seen, and the possibility of fighting off many of that kind again, must haunt her.
"I think we were all better off not knowing," Zavian said.
Azriel disagreed. "We are better knowing. We just need to get over our shocks and doubts before it permeates through our army and weakens them. Freya will be fine."
Zavian looked beyond Freya and the opened carriage not too far off. Neera sat inside, face shrouded by a black cowl like a widow. Her eyes reddened and her face deathly white from crying too much, and too hard.
