5 RAY OF HOPE

*****THE KINGDOM OF ZANTHES***

The room lit up with a bright flash of lightning and a clap of thunder made the room shudder. The boom of thunder and a bright glare woke King Reginald. He found it unusual that there was a thunderstorm at this time of the year in Zanthes. His attention was drawn to a young servant who stood by the door. His scrupulous hair was unkempt and he was missing an ear.

"M-my lord, Lady Giselle has sent me with a message." The servant said staring down at his feet.

"Speak!"

"Lady Giselle says she has something to tell you and would like you to come to her chambers." He delivered the message.

"Tell her I am resting and will come to see her at night." King Reginald replied and lay down to sleep.

The servant was confused. Giselle had told him not to return without the King or she would feed him to the vampires and he dared not disturb the king. Either way, he knew he would lose his life. The last time he had dared to disturb king Reginald while he was resting, he lost one of his ears.

"M..m.yy lord." He stuttered. "Lady Giselle says this news will gladden your heart." His heart raced as he waited to see King Reginald's reaction.

For decades, he had lost every reason to be happy. He had been hunting down witches with the hope that they would have little knowledge of the Chosen one's whereabouts but they were all clueless. Giselle has been trying for so many years to find her but it seemed as if the chosen one was protected by a greater power that Giselle couldn't break. So what news would she give to him now that would gladden his heart?

"Tell her I'll join her shortly." King Reginald said.

"Yes my lord." The young servant ran out of the room heaving a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected to still have his head attached to his body by this time.

King Reginald arose from the bed. He slipped into his robe and headed out of the room. The palace was quiet, everyone was asleep. During the day, every vampire was asleep and the hustle and bustle began in the night.

King Reginald walked into the room. Giselle was standing in front of her crystal ball which was placed on a table at the center of the room.

"Why have you called me here?"

"Because I have some good news for you." She replied not taking her eyes off the crystal.

"You do this every single time yet nothing good comes out of it." He hissed as he took a seat.

"This time is different." She retorted. "I've finally been able to locate the girl." She announced.

"Don't raise my hope witch, or else you'll live to regret it." He warned her. "For years, you been trying but all your efforts were futile so how did you succeed this time?"

"Don't you find it strange that there is a thunderstorm at this time of the year?" She asked. Not waiting for an answer she continued speaking. "When the chosen one has been angered, three major things tend to occur. One is a thunderstorm, two her energy doubles, and three her Amulet glows brightly." Giselle explained.

"I don't need all this explanation, just go straight to the point. I don't have all day to listen to you."

"I traced the storm to its source and it was coming from the human realm which means the chosen one is been hidden there."

"Are you sure of what you are saying?" He asked trying to hide the excitement on his face and Giselle answered with a nod of her head.

"Very well then, we shall waste no more time. I shall have a word with prince Kieran." King Reginald said and left the room.

Giselle gently placed the crystal in a black chest and locked it away. She stepped out of the room and headed to the dungeon. She wanted to deliver this good news to Queen Natiya.

She picked up a burning touch and walked down the stairs. The sounds of witches being tortured were like music to her ears.

"Long time no see your highness."

Queen Natiya was bounded hands and legs with chains that absorbed her powers so she does not grow stronger. All the witches that had been locked up with her on the day of the attack had been killed or fed to the vampires because they pledged allegiance to her and refused to use their powers to find the chosen one.

"You miserable being, why have you come here?"

"What kind of best friend are you?" Giselle hung the burning touch. "It's been almost two decades since you last set your eyes on me yet you don't miss me."

"I should have made sure you were dead before I left that forest. Every single day I regret ever calling you a friend, your parents would be cursing you in their graves for what you've done." Natiya spat out.

Giselle took a deep breath. She wasn't going to let Natiya's words overshadow her happiness.

"I've not come here to banter words with you. I bear with the good news that will leave you shocked maybe devastated. But it will bring joy to my heart. Guess what? I found your daughter."

Natiya burst into a fit of laughter which made Giselle confused. Had she said anything funny?

"Giselle, what makes you think I'll believe all this bullshit?

"Your darling daughter is being hidden away in the human realm. Am I correct?

Natiya stared at Giselle with disbelief in her eyes. How did she find out?

"Cat got your tongue?" Giselle cackled, her voice echoing through the dungeon. "Don't worry I'll try my best not to hurt her and I'll bring her here so you guys can have a lovely family reunion before you join Khai in hell."

"Giselle, you shouldn't rejoice so soon. We both know the only reason you have this piece of information is because of the thunderstorm. As far as your so-called powers are concerned, you can't uncover the chosen's one whereabouts as she is protected by the great amulet of Danva. Your powers can't go beyond finding out what realm she is being hidden in. You don't know what she looks like or her exact location so why are you happy?

Natiya was right, she had tried unsuccessfully to find out the chosen one's exact location after she was lucky enough to find out which realm she was being hidden in.

"Now who has been left devastated between me and you?" Natiya sneered. "As long as the guardians of Danva are alive and the chosen one is hale and healthy you and the lowlife Reginald with never be able to take over the world. Mark my words."

"We'll see about that." Giselle picked up the torch and stormed off.