Twilight of a Hybrid, стр. 92
“Valverno,” she said, with great grievance. “What are you thinking?”
Valverno signed.
“What is there to think? King Uragiru has betrayed the entire island. Belverda tried to turn me into a weapon to use as Lusìvar would saw fit to use. Ralenskrit took his own life. And Lusìvar is somewhere hiding on this island, observing us very closely.”
“It sounds like you have given up,” said Geraldus.
Valverno stood silently, gazing at the distant horizon as he was feeling very out of place for an uncertain future many may not see
“Well, what do we do now?” asked Marina.
“Well, we have two traitors joining Lusìvar’s and our list of allies is diminishing,” said Geraldus. ‘And with King Uragiru having command the majority of the island, my army of the Western Region will have no chance of standing against the king. Even with Valverno two-thirds strong as he is and if Lusìvar joins up with the king and the witch, any battle will be in their favor.”
“Then the odds are against us and it will be no easy task trying to seek allies,” said Sora. “What do you want us to do, Valverno?”
Valverno was lost with words; he two White Knights waiting give to give them orders. How could he give orders at this point? He made more enemies more he did allies. Now with only the Western Region under Geraldus command, no one may be able to survive another year with Belverda and the king joining Lusìvar.
But he wasn’t let the odds of survival consume his mind. Valverno knew there were other people who could help him in his fight against the evil forces. And he knew both White Knights were sensing the darkness growing inside him. He knows about the evilness growing somewhere inside him and he wasn’t going to let it take control of him.
With the upmost determination to beat the darkness swelling within, Valverno spun to look at the three people with him. “Gather what allies we know and whatever potential people who could be allies, Geraldus. We’re going to need as much people as we can.”
“I’ll go call my bannermen,” said Geraldus. “And I’ll try to ask for help for some clans in the Southern Swamps. I’m not sure if the Swamp People will help us, but they do not show any loyalty to the king.”
“Those people are going to be hard to convince,” said Marina.
“How so?” asked Valverno.
“I’ve been there a couple times with King Uragiru. I’ve seen firsthand of their personalities. They love and are obsessed with plant life more than human life, and they also love animals. They would kill anyone who would pull even a small weed from the ground. They’re not going to be convinced to walk away from their homeland.”
“I’m aware of them and their views of plant life,” said Geraldus. “One single cut of one tree vine, and the person cutting the vine would end up losing their hand before he or she would cut a second vine.
“On a different subject, there are a few favors I did for them throughout my life. Some thousands would be able to return, but I don’t know how many Swamp People will be come to repay the favors they now owe me.”
“That’s brilliant thinking,” said Valverno. “And I hear they are trained to fight in any terrain, from the cold ice of the highest mountain to the hottest sand of the desert.” Valverno was starting to see there could be a possible chance of standing against King Uragiru, and he thought of another person who could really help them in their fight.
“I know a person who could help us: Teutates.”
“Teutates? Are you insane?” asked Geraldus.
Sora blinked at this name she’s never heard of. “Teutates? Who is he?”
“He is a distant relative of King Uragiru,” answered Marina.
“Are you really insane?” asked Sora. “A distant relative of the most political man on this island who has royal authority? Not to mention he knows how to fight as a thirty year old man.”
“Does anyone else have any other options as an alternative to Teutates?” asked Valverno.
They remained silent.
“Well, there are the Northern Clans, aren’t there?” asked Marina.
“I already had that in mind. And I know about the reputation Teutates has: he hates creatures as he does magic. And I have a feeling his ancestor rebelled against Uragiru’s ancestor for that reason: King Uragiru’s ancestor, who is the older brother of Teutates’s ancestor, made a secret alliance with Lusìvar and kept it secret ever since. The younger brother must have found out and tried to rebel against him but failed.”
“That is just a theory,” said Geraldus.
“I know, but it will remain a theory until we have the knowledge to say otherwise. King Uragiru may have the knowledge. So, unless one of us four wants to go back and try to tell us about those two ancestors of his or convince him to join us, I’ll be taking the risk with Teutates.”
“Are you sure going to him is a wise thing?” asked Marina. “He hates all creatures. Dragons. Unicorns. Centaurs. Even Sirens. He hates all magic and creatures of the sorts. He only cares of humankind.”
“Refresh my memory, Marina, who was it to invite him to our wedding before it was crashed?” asked Valverno.
Marina grinded her teeth, knowing it was her who was invited the distant relative of King Uragiru to her and Valverno’s wedding day. She now was regretting the decision of inviting the despicable man to her wedding day. “Of course, it was me. But are you willing to take that risk?”
“One thing I have learned about war is victory can’t be achieved unless there are high, deadly risks, like the time I sacrificed myself to save a group of people from a collapsing cave. We know what King Uragiru is now, but we hardly know any more about Teutates. If