The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Sixty Nine

It was easier said than done. The Crown Prince's suggestion to ask my friends' help was almost impossible for several obvious reasons, but the most obvious of them was the fact that it was hard explaining to them why we were doing what we were going to do. But we have to try, so instead of going straight to Aurville Health Pub or the Fire Academy, we went to a place that we were familiar with. It was Mitaur's house.

She was more than surprised when we appeared in front of her treehouse, but was also pleased. I think she was hoping to get a new update on what was happening in my life (since her granddaughter Kaylie did not update her) so Mitaur was so happy to see us again. The way to her house was easier now that we know how to go there. She welcomed us with her bread rolls and hot tea, but the Crown Prince was more concerned with our safety more than anything else.

"Don't worry too much," said Mitaur to him for the nth time. The Crown Prince kept on looking at the door, perhaps expecting to see someone sinister there knocking. "You said that you did not see anyone else on your way here, right? Then that would suffice for now. They were not able to follow you here."

"Right, but I am concerned too about Harvey and the others. I still feel uncomfortable knowing that something might happen to them."

"If they know about the young doctor following your orders then he might be in actual trouble as you say, Your Highness, but you can relax. The Health Pub is not too far from here. Those goons would not dare make a bold move in a place near a Royal Guard Station, right? That would be too much stupidity on their end."

Mitaur had a point. This treehouse was just outside of the outskirts of Aurville, which had three Royal Guard Stations around it. Steffan had already alerted those three Royal Guard Stations so that we have backup. They were now on full alert as we speak, checking everyone who passes through the road and the Underground. This was a good plan as it would help us in barring those goons from following wherever we go. And they would also find it hard to guess where we were actually going, so they will not be able to do what they tried to do on our way back here at Aurville.

"All we have to do now is wait," I said. "Harvey and the others will come here and we will be able to interrogate that man. Oh, I am so excited about what we are going to learn from him. I think it will shock us, whoever is this boss that they have."

Mitaur agreed. "That's what I wanted to know too. Who has enough guts and power to play with the Crown Prince like this? It almost feels like this person behind the ambush is of a high rank in the Council. Only people in that position have the power to surround themselves with men and bodyguards."

"We'll see," said the Crown Prince. 'I am curious too as to who is this bastard, and when I find out who he is, I am going to have lots of work to do."

So we waited for Harvey and the others. The Crown prince decided to rest too, sleeping in one of the rooms while Steffan stood on guard on the door. The presence of the Royal Guards here inside the house made this treehouse cramp but I was not complaining. However, Mitaur said that it might look suspicious from the outside, so she turned off her lights to avoid people looking up at her treehouse and seeing a lot of silhouettes.

"It must have been terrifying for you, Rainha. You should have a rest while waiting for the doctor to come here."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Besides, I can't sleep with the current situation right now. I was so shaken up from what had happened."

"I'm sorry. Should I give you a Boost Ale? That can help you relax and lower your blood pressure."

"Yes, please," I said and she did give me a cup of hot ale. When I drank it it felt like it washed away all the worries in my system and that was the best thing that I ever drank. Mitaur was indeed a very good potioneer. I could still not forget what happened, but at least I felt lighter now.

"So... that man who attacked you talked about your Aunt," said Mitaur. "What do you think about what he said to you? Do you think that he was not lying? That is possible too. They might not have your Aunt and they might have just found out about her missing. There is a possibility that he just said that to lure you out from where you were hiding."

"Yeah, that is possible too, but I think he was telling the truth," I said with my voice still shaking from trying not to cry again. "They did something to my Aunt and I will not forgive them."

"Whoever is behind this, he or she probably thinks that you have to be silenced too. Maybe their original target was actually you, Rainha. Your Aunt was just unlucky enough to be there when they tried to abduct you first. Maybe she fought them so they had no choice but to bring her with them."

"But what do they want from me? I am just a court servant. Why do they act like I am a princess or something?"

"That is easy to answer, Rainha. And I think you also know it already."

"What about it?"

"If your mother was indeed a Snow Gypsy, then that would make you one too."

"And why would that interest them? What about it? If I am indeed a direct descendant of a Snow Gypsy, what are they going to do with that fact? Are they going to kill me? Take my blood or my body and display it at some kind of museum? I could not really understand why they are after me so bad."

"Me too. I don't know what they want from you, but that is the only thing that will make you interesting in their eyes. Unless, it's about something else, like romance?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if this is about love? What if someone is trying to get your hand in marriage by force?"

I had a big laugh when Mitaur said that. "No way. That is absurd. This is not about something shallow like that. I think you are right about me being a daughter of a Snow Gypsy. maybe they think that I have a lot of treasures from my deceased mother. The fact that they were waiting for us to go to Kajos tells me that this is about my origins."

"You have a point there," said Mitaur. "But don't underestimate the power of love and obsession, Rainha. " A lot of people fall into traps like that all the time."

"I can see why you are suggesting that, but I think this is about my mother's past. But if that is really the case, why is it just me that they are targeting? My brother is my mother's son too. But he is not in danger as I am right now. Is it because he is a Royal Guard? Is that it?"

Mitaur shook her head smiling at me. "I think it is because if this was indeed about your mother's past, then this would be just about you, Rainha. Snow Gypsies are all women. Your brother, Garreth, will not have the same power as you as all the Snow Gypsies are women."

"What?" I did not know that. Here I was, thinking how unfair it is that I am the only one getting attacked, but now that I know the answer to that I feel bad for my brother. So he wouldn't have the same life that I have if ever that I became recognized by the Palace as a Snow Gypsy too? That sucks. I don't want my brother to be left out.

"You should have not been surprised by that, Rainha. That is how it works. The Luria, or the Snow Gypsies, were all women. They were once part of the Palace's Council. They held a high position, both as tribal leaders and the Scarlet Phoenix's representatives. They were highly revered back in the day..."

And by that, I suddenly remembered the dreams that I was having lately. And I know that there was a huge chance that Mitaur knew about it too. "I have something to ask you," I said to her. "IOs it possible to dream about something or someone's life so vividly?"

"What do you mean, Rainha?"

I hesitated, but I really wanted to know everything about this. "I think something is wrong with me. I have been dreaming of the life of the deity, the Scarlet Phoenix, and it scares me."

Mitaur dropped her tea on the floor. She was looking at me right now as if she had just seen my face clearly for the first time. "You have been dreaming of the Scarlet Phoenix? What kind of dreams are they?"

I told her everything. I told her that in my dreams, I am the Scarlet Phoenix. I told her about the Snow Gypsies, the volcano which is her home, and of course, about the other deity named Volo. I even shared about how the Scarlet Phoenix's character developed from being just a deity who doesn't like getting involved with humans to a deity who is concerned about the people's welfare. I would be lying if I said that I did not enjoy dreaming about her life as a deity, but something tells me that it was not right to be dreaming about a deity just like that. I have a bad feeling about it, so I wished that it would stop coming, and so far I had not dreamed about the Scarlet Phoenix again.

Mitaur was so surprised about what I told her that she was speechless for a couple of minutes. Then she stared at me and pointed at me with her index finger. "Rainha, I think that I now know why those filthy men are after you..."

"Why?"

"Those dreams that you have... Those are not just ordinary dreams... You have been dreaming about a deity's life. That does not happen to anyone."

"So why does it happen to me?"

"It might be because you are a daughter of a Snow Gypsy. Maybe your power as a Snow Gypsy had awakened. This is both good and bad news for you, Rainha."

"Why? I can understand that this might be bad because some people are interested in this kind of stuff, but why would this be a good thing too?"

"It is a gift from the deities!" she said with such passion that I was almost creeped out. "Anyone who is connected to the deities in that way has been chosen, Rainha! You are not just an ordinary court servant now! You have become a legitimate Snow Gypsy!"

"I still don't understand," I said, shaking my head. "I know that this is not a normal thing, but they are just dreams, right? Why would it make me special?"

"You'd be surprised, Rainha," she said excitedly, "but having that gift is as rare as fire! Have you not tackled that lesson in your school before? Other people call someone like that a shaman. Others, a medium. For anyone who can unravel the life of the mystic deities are gifted with the power of divination. And they are not just simple dreams, Rainha. They are real. Those things that you have dreamed about happened in real life. One proof about it is the fact that you have dreamed of the other deity named Volo! No one knows that he used to be the deity that took care of the Royal Family, and that the two deities used to be friends!"

I was speechless for a minute when she said that. "What do you mean that they 'used' to be friends? Does that mean that they became enemies?"

"Yes, they did."