by Ashley Nemer
CHAPTER SIX
She looked at her phone, shock still in her heart. She had to find Zayn and fast. Running to her car, she got in and sped to the royal home.
“Zayn, come quick!” She yelled while running into the house.
Nasir stepped out of his office. “What is it Adara? Did something happen?”
“I need Zayn! Get him!” she shouted.
Zayn, hearing the commotion, came downstairs. “Adara did she call you? Do you know something? What’s happened?” He embraced her, his fear showing across his face.
Adara handed him her phone. “Derrik called me, told me he would text me the coordinates of where they are holding her. You have to help her; she is being hurt!”
Zayn’s eyes glow yellow immediately upon hearing this. “Who are they?”
“I don’t know. Someone named Hamza has her and is hurting her. Derrik said you have to save her. Why would he help us? What’s being done to her?” Zayn ignored Adara who was crying and in the process of a panic attack. He took her phone and hooked it up to a special device.
Nasir took Adara in his arms, trying his best to calm the shaken female. “Zayn, what is the location? Can we get there fast?”
“It’s our old training facility in the mountains, about 60 miles south of here. Bastard has her there!” He broke off as a servant came in to take Adara away while they finished their talk.
“Zayn, you know what we stored up there, what they have available to use on her.” He nodded, hearing the tone in Nasir’s voice.
“Yes, I know. We need a plan. Let’s make sure everyone is ready for battle. We don’t know what condition she is going to be in when we do find her. Let’s leave in ten; we will bring my okht home.”
Nasir nodded. “Yes, Sire, I will go prepare the men.”
Zayn flashed to his office, strapping various weapons on himself, before he grabbed Nikole’s sword and sheathed it in the holster. Attaching it to his belt, he swore he would kill the bastard with her weapon; it was the only logical thing to do. Walking out of the door, he headed to the vehicles, recalling the day the sword was commissioned.
“Abb, I think it’s time I have a proper weapon. How else will Zayn ever know I can beat him if I’m always fighting with a fake sword?”
Zayn started laughing. “Nikole, you will never beat me. Not only am I older, I’m better, I’m stronger, and I’m a man!’
Nikole lunged at Zayn, knocking him down and wrestling with him. Their abb sat back laughing, watching his two children fight it out. “Children, come on, you both have the ability to beat each other. Now stop and come here.” The two kids look at him while chuckling. Nikole sucker punched Zayn when he wasn’t looking, causing him to lunge at her. King Tamman grabbed Zayn and pulled him off of Nikole.
“Now, I’ve always told you both that the way to win a fight is by using your mind, not a sword. You have to be able to outsmart your opponent to gain the upper hand. Always remember that, it’s not whose sword is most powerful or whose arm is stronger, it’s whose mind thinks faster and sharper. Now Nikole, you want a proper sword do you?”
“Yes, one with a golden hilt, with violet strands mixed in.”
“Purple! Nikole, what kind of warrior has purple in her sword?” Zayn teased while standing up.
“I will Zayn! It’s not stupid. That way, when I am out fighting, the enemies will know who is coming after them. Princess Nikole, The People’s Victor!”
King Tamman liked the sound of that. “The People’s Victor? I like that Nikole; we shall have that engraved on the blade as well. Splendid design, my bent.”
So much time has passed since the day this was made, yet he remembered it like yesterday. Brushing a tear aside, he made his way outside to join the army to bring his okht home.
“Now, your team will take the south entrance. The King and I will take the north entrance. Remember, Derrik and Hamza we take alive. The King wants to deal with those two personally. Everyone else, slaughter!”
Zayn stopped listening to Nasir giving the orders and explaining the plan of attack. His body was numb from the pain of being without her. Nasir grabbed his shoulder.
“Now, let’s hear from our King, the powerful, Zayn!” The crowd erupted in loud cheers then a moment later turned silent as Zayn stood.
“My fellow Algula, a tragic event has happened. My okht, your Princess Nikole, was taken from us. It’s our job to bring her home. These men will not live to see tomorrow. They will all die. We will show Haydar that he cannot destroy us. We are whole, we are just, and we are honorable. Today, when you fight, you not only fight for my okht, your Princess, you fight for your existence. We are sending a message back to him, ‘We will not quit, we will not cower, and we will not be intimidated!’ Let the blood shed begin!”
Zayn and Nasir got in the first vehicle and the procession to the training center began. “That was a good speech; the men will be pumped up, ready to fight.”
“I didn’t say that speech for them; I said it for me. I had to declare my message to my amm. I can’t imagine what he is doing to her. Hamza has the worst reputation for mutilation of any other fighter of Haydar’s. We need to be prepared for the worst possible scenario. “Don’t think about that, Zayn. We won’t be too late. We will save her.” Nasir leaned back in his seat, the hot leather against his skin. He pulled out the blue print sketch of the facility. “If I was a betting man, this is where they will be holding her. This is where we are going to go in. Are you sure you want to be there when we find her?
Zayn looked at him with pure shock on his face. “Why would I not want to be there?” Confusion was in his voice as he wondered why Nasir would suggest he wouldn’t want to be part of his okht’s rescue.
“We don’t know her condition, and I just want to make sure you are prepared. It could be a very bloody event,” Nasir’s tone indicated his own level of nervousness coming through.
“I will be there. End of story. Until we arrive.”