A Hero of Realms(25)

Inevitably, my recount also involved revealing that I was a Novak, and Prince of the island, at which point she looked at me with awe.

As hours passed, and Aisha still had not returned, I came to the brink of telling Julie the real reason why I had entered the supernatural world. I hesitated, wondering whether I really wanted to go down that rabbit hole with her. In the end, I did. Partly to pass the time, and partly because I’d already told her the rest of my story. I didn’t see much point in holding back the last piece.

She gaped at me. “Imprinted by an Elder. That’s… horrifying. W-What are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “That’s what I’m here to figure out. Aisha, my jinni companion, has gone to find Arron. And I’m expecting her back anytime now.”

I blew out in frustration. I wished I had a watch so that I could keep track of the time. Then again, perhaps I should have been grateful that I didn’t have one. Watching the minutes go by might have just made me more tense.

“So you’re basically on your own here, except for the jinni who is helping you?” Julie asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “And of course I have Bahir who’s still within me… somewhere.”

Julie’s eyes were filled with concern. She chewed on her lower lip. “What… What would happen if you weren’t successful in breaking the bond the Elder has with you?” she asked.

I looked at her. It should’ve been obvious to her what would happen. “I can’t afford to think about not being successful.”





Chapter 15: Ben





The sun had already risen by the time Aisha finally returned. I was infinitely grateful that the boat had a wide covering over it, allowing us to remain untouched by the sun’s rays. I breathed out in relief as the jinni appeared on the deck. But a second later, when it registered that she was alone, alarm gripped me.

I shot to my feet. “Where is he?”

Aisha looked a little flustered, her hair disheveled. She glanced curiously at Julie, who was gaping back at her, before fixing her focus on me.

“I found him,” she said.

The knot in my stomach loosened a little. “Then where is he? And what took you so long?”

“It took me a while to find him. Aviary’s city, where he used to live, has been abandoned since the war, and they shifted to an entirely different part of their country… It just took me a while to locate it. As for Arron, I left him on a nearby islet. I think it will be better to talk there than on this small boat… But, Benjamin, what happened to you? I fixed you up with a room, so why are you waiting out here?”

I groaned internally before outlining what had just happened. Aisha looked taken aback, her eyes falling once more on Julie.

Catching Julie’s eye, I gestured to the boat. “Well, this is all yours now.”

I expected her to look relieved, but strangely she didn’t. She looked… torn. Conflicted. Perhaps even a little disappointed.

“Um, Benjamin… if I’m honest with you, and with myself, I don’t really have anywhere else to go now that I’ve been kicked out of The Tavern. I guess I could try to find some neutral land where I could stay, but… I’ve kind of got a lot of free time on my hands. It sounds like you’ve got a huge load on your plate, and doing this all alone…” She paused, clasping her hands together. Her eyes darted to the floor. “If everything you’ve said about the Elders’ plan to rise to power through you is true, your success or failure in this mission will determine the safety of all realms… I mean, it seems that this isn’t just your fight. This is a fight that we all have a stake in… if you’ll excuse the pun.”

I stared down at the vampire, wondering exactly what she was suggesting.

“It doesn’t seem right that you should go through this so alone. I have nothing better to do and I couldn’t think of a better use of my time than this… I’m willing to help you in whatever small way I can.”

It was of course true what she said, that the outcome of this mission would affect every realm in existence, but it didn’t dampen the strong desire I had to go through this alone and not bring anyone along with me. Besides, I had no idea how her accompanying me would even be of use.

“I appreciate that, Julie,” I said. She clearly had guts to offer to come with me after everything I’d told her about my situation. “But I honestly don’t see how you could be of help.”

To my surprise, Aisha spoke up. “Actually, Ben,” she said, looking thoughtfully at Julie, “if this girl is really willing to come along, having a second vampire might just come in handy.”