Taken Captive
When Cybele woke, she was in her own bed. She did not remember the rest of the night, after she tested to mind-link with Ri’tu’kur, all had gone dark. Sam sat by her bedside, explaining that they had found her roaming the hallways following the demon attack. The news that her father had been taken captive was almost too much for her to bear.
‘We must start a search for him,’ she insisted.
‘You need rest, princess,’ Sam said in a soothing tone.
‘If the Vampire King has taken him captive, who knows how long he will keep him alive.’
‘We will begin our search for him when we have more information,’ Sam said.
‘I can’t sit here knowing my father is captive to that monster!’
‘We are all overly concerned for Atef,’ Sam said. ‘If it were in my power to rescue him, I would make the journey on my own. I fear we may have need of your spirit-guide, however. Perhaps all three of them may be needed.’
‘Has the demon made attempts on the dragon and wolf?’ Cybele asked.
‘My sources report of three separate attacks by the Jinn-Magician,’ Sam replied. ‘It seems the King of the Ana’nitia wishes to obtain the three spirit animals to increase his power. It may also be necessary for him to escape his imprisonment.’
‘Where did you learn of this?’ Cybele asked.
‘I’ve been researching in the Royal Libraries,’ Sam said. ‘There are ancient texts that suggest the Vampire King was defeated and imprisoned on the island once known as Horse Hill. That is the island to the west of Britain now known as Bear Isle. It was once the capital of the Bear Clans that now rule the northlands of Britain, the Celts.’
‘How did they imprison him?’ Cybele asked.
‘Old Magic,’ Sam replied. ‘I do not understand it fully. But I believe he is seeking to obtain the dragon, the wolf, and your phoenix bird to attempt to escape the bonds that hold him to that island.’
‘Then we must journey to the island and defeat him!’ Cybele said, attempting to stand, but her legs felt wobbly.
‘Rest, for now, princess.’ Sam gave her a long stare. ‘There is a danger that taking the spirit animals to the island could provide the Vampire King with the perfect opportunity to snatch up all three spirit-guides and turn them to his power.’
‘Still,’ Cybele whispered, ‘we must try to save my father.’
‘We will,’ Sam said. ‘I have been reporting back and forth for weeks now via sprinter-hawks. The boy Matthew who was guardian to the dragon has gone missing. It is believed he was rescued from the Jinn-Magician attack by the Monkey King.’
‘I thought he was only a myth,’ Cybele said in disbelief. ‘Like El’Tihir.’
‘El’Tihir is no myth, girl,’ Sam said deadpan. ‘Nor is the Monkey King. They are both very real. Amongst the Britons Sun Wukong is believed to be some kind of demon. My research suggests he is something much more special. There are ancient texts that connect the soul of El’Tihir with that of Wukong.’
‘So, you’re telling me our Great Saviour is an ape?’ Cybele scoffed.
‘Prophecies are often more complicated than simply decoding symbolism,’ Sam said. ‘Though, if these texts are accurate, it suggests the return of Sun Wukong is directly related to Matthew’s bringing the first dragon back into our world.’
‘Does anyone know where this Wukong has taken the boy?’
‘It is believed he has been taken to train with the Sese’Chin,’ Sam said. ‘We don’t know this for certain, but his mentor plans to set out in search for him as soon as he is able.’
‘But don’t we need to bring the dragon with us to rescue my father?’
‘It would seem so,’ Sam said. ‘Destiny is dragging me in three directions at once. My duty remains as your protector, however. I will remain by your side and do what I can to figure out a way to save Atef.’
‘Why do you call him that name?’ Cybele asked. ‘His name is Oteptun Ra’nen.’
‘His real name is Atef,’ Sam replied. ‘It is the name he was given at birth, and the name I called him when we were both young boys.’
‘So, you’ve known each other since way back when,’ Cybele mused. ‘I wonder about you two. Why has he never spoken of you?’
‘We had a … disagreement,’ Sam said with a serious frown.
‘Was it about my mother?’ she asked. ‘Did you ever sleep with her? Oh, God! You’re not going to tell me that you’re my real father, are you?’
‘I most certainly did not sleep with your mother,’ Sam said in anger. ‘You are Atef’s child, and the heir to the Tegean Kingdom.’
‘Thank heavens!’ she shouted. ‘Or else things would’ve gotten way weird otherwise.’
‘I have no idea what you mean,’ he said.
‘You know what I’m talking about,’ she said with a wink. He glared at her and shrugged his shoulders. But she knew he knew what she meant.
‘I can see it all so clearly now,’ she said. ‘You were both in love with my mother, so my father kicked you out.’
‘I was banished from the kingdom,’ Sam admitted.
‘For how long?’ she asked.
‘For longer than you have been alive, princess.’
‘So why did you return now?’
‘Destiny, child,’ he said. ‘I had to see for myself if the legends were true. I had to know whether you would truly wield the Red Phoenix, a creature of prophecy upon whom all of our lives now depend. There were some who believed your mother would be the one to bring the Phoenix into being, I was among them. But when I heard that you were coming of age, I made my way into the desert to seek you out. I had to know if the prophecies would make you the hero you are now destined to become.’
‘So, you were stalking me?’ she asked scandalized.
‘A mere point of curiosity, princess,’ he said with a laugh.
‘How many days did you stalk me?’
‘I watched you for three days, before I made contact.’
‘That’s creepy,’ she said. ‘What made you decide the time was right to reveal yourself to me?’
‘I could see you were about to die of thirst.’
‘Fair enough,’ she said. ‘Now let’s try to figure out how to save my Dad.’