Chapter Ten

The joy of killing the dreadful beast was still present on their faces in the form of smiles. Alves and Nhevia prepared to leave with all the wood they had gathered in the basket. “This should be enough.” Alves said. 

“Yeah, let's go back. Arithayal might be awake from his ‘consportation’ it started yesterday right?”

“Yeah, yesterday. Let's go!”

As they both turned towards the direction leading back home, they heard a voice behind them. “Not so fast!” 

They quickly turned in shock only to see Jasper and his partner Pompey. 

“Hello Mr. Bushika and Mrs. Bushika, I hope this message finds you well, we kindly wish to kill you.” Pompey laughed while scratching his thick beard. 

“Who are you? And what do you want?” Nhevia asked, holding Alves’s hand, dragging him backwards away from the two men as they dangerously walked forward to them. 

“What do we want? Isn't it funny to ask that question considering the fact that you know too well, the Bushika is worth a hundred and fifty thousand pieces of gold?” Pompey’s fingers were still lost in his beard, scratching it. “And I see you're the Nhevia girl everyone in town is talking about. You're indeed as beautiful as they say. Now I can capture the Bushika, get the money and then I come back to spend it all on you, what do you think? Ha ha.” Pompey remained unserious with his talking, but his mind and intentions were as deadly as toxic venom from the ‘fierce snake’. 

Alves looked around to be sure there was no one else but only the two bounty hunters, “It's not everyday someone with such a heavy dirty beard gets to beat me in a sword fight!” Alves drew his sword with his fingers firmly holding it, ready to fight. 

Pompey gave him an underestimating smile, “I really don't want to fight a kid but if you insist, what choice do I have? I shall discipline you. Boy!” He drew his swords, one in each hand, made a perfect display of them with his hands dancing in the air, then charged towards Alves. 

“No, you take the girl, I'll take the boy.” Jasper said and Pompey immediately turned to Nhevia. 

Alves became scared, he had never seen Nhevia fight and he didn't want to see her get hurt. “Hey Nhevia, take this.” He threw his own sword to her, then quickly dodged an attack from Jasper by rolling on the ground to pick up a big stick he would use as a weapon. 

Jasper's attacks were aimed to kill, he swirled his sword at Alves’s neck severally but the quick Bushika ducked again to attack his legs, hitting his knees with the big stick he had in hand. “Uh!” Jasper cried following a powerful attack from Alves, he hit his belly with the stick, making Jasper bend to place hands on his tummy in pain, then Alves hit the stick on his back, forcing him to his knees, then a final and powerful hit to his head sending him to the ground unconscious. 

Alves was shocked to see Nhevia take on Pompey. He was taken aback by her amazing agility and precision “Wow!” He couldn't help but say seeing her dodging Pompey's onslaught with fluid grace. She didn't fight like she was new at it, and it made Alves wonder where she learnt to strike like she did. The beautiful Nhevia countered each strike from Pompey, finally knocking him to the ground by hitting his head with the back of her sword. 

“Is that really you?” Alves’s question was more of a compliment, just mixed up with shock. 

“Of course it's me. What do you expect?” Her breathing was heavy, skin shiny with the sweat and for some reason, it made her look sexier to Alves. 

"Why didn't you tell me you could fight like that?" Alves exclaimed, his eyes still wide with amazement.

“We needed a moment like this for you to find out.” She said with a subtle smile. 

“Has anyone ever told you how sexy you look when you're serious and sweaty?” That charming smile emitted. 

“Has anyone ever told you flattery doesn't work when a girl's hungry?” 

“Ha ha… Now you just did. Lesson taken. Let's get back to the house.”

*****

Alves and Nhevia walked in on Arithayal eating some apples after waking up from ‘consportation’. The wizard saw Alves’s clothes stained with blood but didn't show any signs of shock. “Blood all over you. You fought with some beast?” He asked, taking another bite of his apple. 

“Yes, a scary beast. One I have never seen before.” Alves walked to Arithayal’s mirror to look at himself, the blood was much and he made a face, irritated by how dirty he looked. He took off the shirt, throwing it to a corner of the room and he could notice Nhevia staring closely at his body. His perfect chest with breathtaking abs. She quickly turned her face the other way seeing that Alves caught her staring. 

“Arithayal, there's something Arman Butshaf is up to.” Alves walked back to sit side by side with the wizard. 

“Everyone knows Arman Butshaf is up to something. Always up to something evil.” A reply came followed by a bite of an apple. 

“Yes. But this is something between him and his most trusted general.”

“General Cenred?”

“Yes.”

“What is it? What did you find out?” Arithayal was eager to know. He dropped the apple in his hand and turned his attention all to Alves. 

“When you used magic to turn me into General Cenred, Lord Arman Butshaf asked me a question about the ring of power. He wanted to know if General Cenred had found any new information about the ring of power. And I've been wondering, what is this ring? And why does he care about it so much?”

“Ring of power, Evil!”

“What do you mean?” Alves was confused. 

“The ring of power has been lost for hundreds of years, if Arman Butshaf plans to get that ring and he successfully does it, we are doomed!”

“What is special about the ring? Arithayal!”

“That ring was forged by the greatest wizards in the old generations, it possesses so much power that whoever puts that ring on his finger, has the power to control everyone in the world.”

“That sounds scary. And that's what Arman Butshaf wants?”

“Lord Butshaf wants to rule the entire world. And if he manages to get his hands on that special ring, he will surely do it! He can control everyone including us to bow to his feet and worship him just as he's always wanted!”

“We need to find that ring. We need to keep it away from him or anybody that could use it for their own selfish reasons.”

“The problem is where to find it.” Arithayal whispered. 

“The way things look, General Cenred must be in Portland all because of that ring. Maybe they've traced the ring to Portland and that's why he was sent by Lord Arman specially to find it.” Alves said with confidence, something made him believe strongly that he might be right. 

“How about we go to Portland? See if we can get to the ring before Lord Arman’s general?” Nhevia suggested. 

“Great idea. We will leave for Portland first thing tomorrow morning. We must do everything we can to make sure that Butshaf does not get that ring of power!”

*****

The early morning sun rose and Alves prepared the horses for their long journey to Portland. Arithayal could see him looking at Nhevia through the opened window as she brushed her hair in the room. “I see the way you always look at her.” Arithayal said, shocking Alves out of the moment, he didn't know the wizard was so close and could see him admiring Nhevia who was inside through the small window. 

“I don't look at her, I don't really know what you're talking about.” Alves smiled. 

“Good luck trying to deny that. But you should know that I see what you do every night.”

“What do I do every night? Arithayal?”

“Waking up to watch her sleep. I see how you admire her sleeping all night. I can see there are feelings there. But it's painful you can't act on those feelings.”

“Arithayal, I honestly don't know what you're talking about.” Alves smiled trying to avoid eye contact. 

“I was once like you. Young and energetic, full of confidence and taken by charming women. But good looks are a distraction, Alves. You have a very important mission to accomplish. The faith of the world lies on your shoulders, you are destined to fight with Lord Arman Butshaf, and in this fight, only one person wins. You win and the evil vanishes completely, Arman Butshaf wins and his evil and tyranny continues.”

“I will not let anything distract me from this mission, don't worry, great wizard.”

Just when Arithayal was about to walk away, he felt a hand touch his shoulders from behind. “Martha!” He called out of shock mixed with excitement as he turned to see the woman. A middle aged blonde wearing a top made of quality wool and tight trousers which made her shape very visible. 

“It's a shock to see you Martha, it's been years.” Arithayal opened his arms to welcome her for a hug. 

“I never thought I'd see you again, but then I heard news that the Bushika has arrived and is in town with no one else but the great wizard Arithayal. I thought I should come and say hello.” The woman said with powerful smiles all through. 

Alves could only wonder who the woman was, and why she was so friendly with Arithayal “Why does he wrap his hands around her waist like that?” Alves wondered. “And why is he placing his hand on her smooth curves?” He wondered again, seeing how it happened. 

Arithayal could see the confusion all over Alves' face and he decided to make it a little clear, “Alves, this is Martha, we've been good friends for a very long time.”

“It's nice to meet you Martha.” Alves reached for a handshake. 

“I must say your hand is too soft for a Bushika. Ha ha…” She joked after shaking hands with him and everyone bursted into laughter. 

“Well these soft hands have been fighting beasts and creatures you've never seen in your lifetime.” Arithayal spoke up for Alves, keeping the humour intact. 

The laughs slowly faded and Arithayal decided to say what he'd been holding in all that time. “So, Martha. You can't really say you travelled all the way here just to say hello to me and Bushika, can you?”

“Actually I came with other matters in mind too.” She affirmed. 

“Matters more serious to you I guess.”

“Matters that are serious to both of us, Arithayal. Matters that involve our child, your daughter Lily.”

Alves and Arithayal looked shocked. “A child? Arithayal has a child?” Alves wondered. “How come he's never mentioned her? And why does he look surprised himself? It seems he doesn't know about this child either.” The voice in Alves’s mind filled his head. 

“Arithayal, you have a child?” Alves finally asked. 

“I have a child? With you?” Arithayal asked Martha, his Jaw dropping.