Ezekiel stepped out of the tent and was just about to shout out orders when Darius, the King of Cordon and also his future brother-in-law, came to him with a few men and women, all shackled in chains.
"Prince Ezekiel, a few of your men found these captive civilians in the camp's prison." Darius gestured towards them. "I know you said we'll leave them to fend for themselves, but…"
Darius frowned as he looked at the group. Ezekiel followed his gaze and saw that the Werewolf King's eyes were pinned on the woman with icy blue eyes who had just gotten out of the tent.
"She's Tarah, a healer. I recognize her from the time she healed Xen back to health. We should take her in with us as a token of my gratitude."
Xen was Ezekiel's sister and was also Princess Xenia of Ebodia. The Werewolf King simply called his sister Xen for short, signifying their close relationship as the two were apparently mates. The two were engaged to be married soon, and King Darius was working with him because of the marriage alliance between their kingdoms.
"Is that so?" Ezekiel hummed. "Very well. She may come with us, but we'll leave the rest and-"
"But your Highness, it'd be too dangerous to leave them here alone."
Ezekiel raised an eyebrow after being interrupted. Recognizing their kingdom's Great Constable Atlas' voice, the prince turned to address him. "Hmm… But there might be spies in their midst."
He was someone who would not easily compromise, especially now that they were at war.
"But they're all human, your Highness. Surely, that's more than enough proof that they won't make a move against us," Atlas argued. "Besides, they'll die if we leave them alone out here in the wilderness."
Ezekiel sighed as he weighed his options. Clicking his tongue, he let out a sigh as he came to a decision.
"Alright. we shall take the captive humans with us. Just as King Darius is responsible for this healer named Tarah, you will be responsible for the welfare of these people. Humans are not exempt from becoming Devon's spies. We're at war Atlas against Helion, so don't let your guard down."
"O-Of course, Your Highness!"
Ezekiel nodded as he took one last look at one of the enemy's encampments. Seeing a job well done, he barked out, "Good job, men! Once you've all looted and stripped this camp for any valuables, let's return to camp!"
His eyes then strayed to Tarah who met his gaze, devoid of any emotions.
'A healer?' he suspiciously thought with a stern look.
He should've looked away from her gaze at this point, but it seemed like he inexplicably couldn't keep his eyes away from her.
*****
As the sun began its ascent on the canvas of the sky, Ezekiel, together with the rest of the Ebodian soldiers and some captives by the enemies, finally made their journey back to the camp.
The Werewolf King made sure that Tarah was as comfortable as possible, and as she requested, she rode her own horse together with them.
"Tell me… Did you already know that Xen is a woman since the day I brought her to you for healing?" King Darius asked.
They were currently riding at a slow pace within the wilderness, and Tarah was riding closely enough to him for them to talk.
Hearing him, she smiled as she replied, "Yes."
The Werewolf King frowned as he followed up, "Then why didn't you say something? You didn't even correct me whenever I addressed her as a man."
"That's because I was sure she had her reasons as to why she's in disguise in the first place," Tarah explained herself. "I simply respected her decision. Besides, my duty at the time was only to heal her and nothing more, Sire."
Hearing the finality of her words, Darius no longer commented and simply nodded in understanding.
Switching the topic, he expressed, "Xen will be delighted to see you. She's been curious, asking about why you suddenly left without even saying goodbye to her the entire time she was in the castle."
"Unfortunately, I had to leave to attend to an important matter, Your Majesty," Tarah politely answered.
As this conversation was going on, Ezekiel was quietly listening in and observing the woman. Eventually, having had enough of being on the sidelines, he strode forward and asked, "How did you end up being a captive?"
The prince watched as the woman mulled over her answer.
He was keenly observing her every expression and reaction, and he even wanted to ask if her hair was naturally black or if it was dyed. It moved softly against the breeze as long prairie grass did against the autumn wind.
"Last night, I was on my journey to Ebodia and had a stopover at a small village. Helion suddenly attacked and held every female there as captives. We proceeded with the march, and there, they attacked a convoy holding the flag of Ebodia. A lot of Ebodians died back there," Tarah recounted with a haunting tone in her voice.
"They kept me shackled together with the rest of the captives. If you didn't arrive in time… I… I'm really grateful that you came. Once again, thank you."
"Enough with the constant gratitude. You were lucky that we attacked in time, but I must say that you didn't even look scared at the time," Ezekiel voiced out, having noticed that her eyes had not a hint of fear in them during that time… It was more of a dead look, a soulless one, which somehow alerted him that something was amiss.
"That's because I knew you would come, Your Highness," Tarah simply answered, making Ezekiel's frown deepened at the implication.
"What do you mean?" he suspiciously asked.
"I have seen this event coming, Your Highness," Tarah lightly bowed as she explained. "Although you came to that camp for vengeance, the rest of us were saved as a result of your actions."
Ezekiel pulled his horse to a halt, the rest following suit as they all waited for him to continue. His eyes bore at Tarah as he whispered, "You… How did you…"
"I'm not just a healer but also a seer, Your Highness. I am someone who could see the future," Tarah admitted.
"That was why I made my way to Ebodia in the first place - to seek guidance from Ebodia's Seer himself. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible since I met him at the wrong place and time… And I witnessed him… at his death's door last night," the woman gravely said.
It took a while for Ezekiel to gather his senses after hearing such revelations. What the woman just said didn't seem to register in his mind as it slowly sank in.
She was a Seer? They had lost Beirut, and here she was, coming in just in time for her to replace him…
Could she be the one that Beirut was looking for? The one whom he mentioned would take over his position once he was gone? But Beirut's search had been futile. He was unable to find the 'one' while he was looking for his own successor.
"Brother-in-law, we must continue moving."
It was Darius' voice that snapped Ezekiel back to his senses as he blinked away his confusion. He still had a lot of questions to ask, but they could wait. For now, they needed to keep moving.
He nodded at Darius and authoritatively instructed the men who had stopped behind him. "Let's get moving!"
Directing his horse to move, he kept his eyes on Tarah even as they strode forward.
'A Seer?' he mused, doubt still lingering inside of him.