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"Tell me what you saw, for her sake!" Amira barked. The elderly witch was becoming more annoying in her old age. She needed answers from the oracle before Snow set out on her journey to Sélo.
The old witch frowned, her grey brows angled and tipped at the centre of her forehead as she stared into her painted duma. She hissed. "It is a delicate journey and she may not return."
Amira gripped her generous bosom at the declaration. "Aye, she's my only daughter. How do I convince her not to go?"
The old witch displayed rotten teeth in her wide grin. "You can't. Snow is like the wild bird of the forest. It is time for her to fly. As I said, she may not return…"
"But…"
"And she may return. Have faith and pray to the gods she does."
Amira scowled at the witch. "What kind of prediction is that?"
The witch shrugged. Amira screamed in anger and beat her chest.
The next day…
Amira watched Snow put on her dark brown leather armour, strap her hunter knives to her thighs and forearms. She cinched her waist with a light brown leather that shaped her slender body. Amira was sure another weapon was hidden in it.
Snow was the most powerful warrior in Taouga. Her strength was supernatural and as such, no other warrior including the males had come close to defeating her.
Her reputation as a merciless warrior preceded her everywhere. Chiefs had sought her help to fight wars and retrieve priceless attempts from all parts of the world. She always came back successful…and rich.
But she hungered. Snow was determined to find her father and Amira had no clue where he was.
"Daughter, please. I worry…" Amira started to say when Snow turned to look at her mother, her amber eyes glowing brightly in sharp contrast to her silky ebony hair. The colour of her hair was the only feature Snow got from her. She always cut it short to frame her oval face. Every other feature was from her father.
"I am not a child anymore, mama. Why should you be worried?"
Amira shook her head. "I don't want to lose you."
"I have to, mama. I am consumed by the thoughts of him, day and night. He's in my head, my heart," she thumped her left breast, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I must satisfy this…this longing to wipe off his existence from the land of the living."
"What?"
"Yes!" Snow snapped. "What father abandons his only child? He deserves nothing less than death. For then will I have my peace back," she said in an indefinite tone like nothing could ever change her mind.
Amira pressed her hands on her flushed cheeks, tears flowing down her face unceasingly. How did her strong, beautiful daughter come to be filled with so much bitterness towards a person she had never met but was a part of her?
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The city of Sélo was known for its tall buildings and colourful castles, surrounded by tall trees. Snow crouched behind a tree in a dense forest that served as an enclosure around the capital, the seat of the city Leader.
Despite all her reconnaissance, she couldn't get useful information about the city or its leader. One thing she was sure of, the leader would know who her father was. Either he spilled the information or everyone died.
She simpered, sighting three guards dressed in purple uniforms with a red sash across their shoulders, patrolling around the building. She'd learned to slip in and out of tightly guarded places without anyone noticing. Sélo city would not be any different.
Once she counted the time the guards switched stations around the building, Snow slipped in undetected. She passed by different rooms until she came to a big wide hall that looked more like a palace. She hid behind a gold-plated pillar, in the shadows, and watched the enigmatic man that sat on the throne-like chair.
He guffawed, throwing his head back as the men seated around him made some comments. Two guards stood at attention behind the man. He must be the city leader.
He glanced in her direction for a split second before returning to his conversation and she saw his eyes. Eyes of clear and undiluted amber, like crushed Baltic gold, just like hers. Snow was transfixed by the sheer power that oozed from him.
Had he seen her? There was no time to think. She had to make her move and take out the guards first. Slipping out poison darts from the leather on her waist, she inserted them into a tiny flute, turned towards the guards and blew the flute.
Two darts simultaneously impaled themselves into the guards' necks and they collapsed. There was a commotion in the hall as the men ran out while some guards ran in with their guns and swords.
The leader stood up from his chair just as Snow flung her hunter knives at him and at the same time somersaulted from behind the pillar to cut off his legs from under him. Time seemed to slow as Snow saw her knives hover in the air right before the leader. He was the tallest man she'd ever seen and he was… beautiful.
He made a pulling motion with his hand and Snow found herself being dragged across the shiny marble floor to stand before him. She struggled to be free.
"Quit struggling child. I knew this day would come and now you are here," he said, his deep voice reverberating around the hall. The guards stood at attention, seeing their leader had the intruder under control.
Snow shivered as she'd never done in her life. "Who are you?" She asked in astonishment.
The leader shrugged his shoulders as two enormous and powerful amber-coloured wings sprouted magnificently from his back. The guards went on their knees at once and bowed.
"I am Cedric, your father. Welcome home, Snow."
Everything made sense at once as the fearless, young warrior slumped into a state of unconsciousness.