39 Queen of the Hutyuns (3)

"Should I accept them and become their queen?" Xinyi asked Nianshi in her mind and cut Nianshi's deep thoughts.

"It's your decision, my Lady, but they will continue roaming around and scattered if you won't take them," Nianshi said as worry snaked through him.

"For you, what do you think I'll do?" asked Xinyi to the dragon.

"For me, it is best to take the Hutyuns under your wing." But noticed her discomfort. Nianshi thought maybe Ming could help her decide. "If you're still not sure, you can ask the Governor for his opinion too. I can only help you but not dictate." He said while glancing at Ming, who wondered at this moment on what went on since the two looked his way.

Xinyi saw Ming's puzzled look and asked Nianshi. "But how can I ask him? Can I talk to his mind too?"

"No, but tell the Hutyuns to go back inside the ball so I can prevent them from reacting while you talk with the Governor."

She followed the dragon's instructions, then without warning the kneeling shadow flickered and twisted like a slime being yanked and crimped here and there; an alarm rung in their minds. "Please, don't seal us again. Please take us. We will obey you and do as you say. Please," they said in a hurry.

The Hutyuns pleaded as the shadow kowtowed like it was the end of the world if she wouldn't take them. Aside from their pleas, Xinyi heard trembling voices while some moaned, some howled, and echoing "Noo!" There were more sounds in the background but inaudible to their ears.

Guilt gnawed at her as she listened to their cries and tried to think of a better way to reject them. It even crossed her mind to search for someone to become their king, but who? Headache. While Ming pitied the Hutyuns as he listened to their cries. He wished he could help her, but he couldn't even say a word or go near her.

"Nianshi, can you take them or let the Governor become their king?" She said with puppy-eyes, but it didn't work at the lion dragon.

Nianshi shook his head. "They fear me more than welcome me as a ruler. The Governor is not qualified to rule them since he does not have the power to control them. Only you can or another being the same as you, my lady?"

Xinyi's wariness deepened. "What do you mean, the same as me?"

"I suggest you ask them about what kind of being they recognize as their king."

She did, and the shadowy figure reverted to its human form with the hope she wouldn't send them back to the ball. They said they were spirits of nature, so only those who had the heart for nature could rule them.

"Heart for nature? But what kind of person was your King Kaos? Was he not bad because he sold the Wag stone?"

The Hutyuns voices went higher as they spoke with reverence about Kaos. They said he was a guardian who loved nature and protected them. He sold the stone to help the humans heal ailments inflicted by magic, in an exchange of a promise that the humans would never touch the rest of the mines and the forest aside from the area he allowed, not knowing the humans used it against the Chiangda.

Then their voices' tone went lower as they continued. Kaos stopped the mining after learning of humanity's wickedness. But they threatened him by burning a sizeable portion of the forest up the Shining Water Mountain where the sacred river was situated. Good thing the fire didn't reach the river.

Kaos was tired from days of fighting an almost endless war by himself and with the Hutyuns against a thousand men. He was also not as strong as other guardians since he only had the power to fight with his enormous body and poisonous breath which the enemy had planned an antidote to protect themselves. He was also concerned with the worn-out Hutyuns and the devastating forest.

He continued the stone trading to save the river, but he warned the organization that someone would come and destroy them if they pursue. As Kaos warned, the Sorceress came and destroyed the mines and Kaos for continuing the trade.

They ended the tale by saying, "He did it to save us, but the Sorceress got angry at him and killed him."

Xinyi heard some Hutyun's sobbed. She massaged her temples and accepted for now, then find an excellent king for them later, but she had to know their abilities first. "What can you do to make me take you? Remember, I don't want useless and disloyal followers."

Hope buoyed the Hutyuns and went into a frenzy. Xinyi heard animated voices and the shadowy figure bowed. "We, Hutyuns, are forever loyal to our queen. We can fight for you, kill for you, and do your bidding," they said it together with zeal, hoping to please her but... unknowingly contradicted to Xinyi's personal principles.

Xinyi never ever dreamed of commanding her followers to kill for her and prayed such a time would never come. Just by thinking of it made her cringe. With those words, she was unsure to become their queen, but... also sorry for their scattered state.

"That's all? Is that all you can do? Don't you have any special skills other than possessing animals and fighting and killing?" Xinyi felt helpless with her predicament.

"Please accept us. You're a powerful Sorceress, our abilities rely on our ruler's power. We can do more under you, but we can't tell the extent of our abilities unless you accept us," the Hutyun's pleaded.

"Can I really trust these guys? Or I'm just putting a noose on my neck?" Xinyi told Nianshi.

"Base on what I know, Hutyuns never lie and forever loyal to their master to death," said Nianshi.

Then Nianshi recalled what troubled him earlier. The Hutyuns said about the former Sorceress killing Kaos, but based on what he remembered, they never encountered Kaos and these beings. He had to confirm on who was this certain Sorceress they talked about. "Mistress, please, ask them why they didn't let the former Sorceress become their queen?"

Xinyi asked, and the Hutyuns replied that the former Sorceress only drove them away after killing Kaos. Nianshi couldn't get over this. The former Sorceress was a smart woman and was not reckless, and the Hutyuns never lie. In the end, Nianshi asked Xinyi to make them describe the Sorceress. Though it happened eons of years ago, these beings' memories were reliable.

After asking, voices with different answers spoke simultaneously. "She was a green-haired, short lady." "She was old and mean." "She wore a green dress." The last one was, "She was ugly."

Xinyi wondered and turned to Nianshi for verification. And saw recognition dawned on the lion dragon's face. She wondered, who was this Sorceress? Another living Sorceress or an impostor?

Suddenly, Nianshi slapped his forehead and blurted aloud… "Argh! What the heck? It's that old hag. No wonder?"

"Old hag?" Xinyi, Ming, and the Hutyuns echoed. Suddenly, the human shadow flared and scattered in a frenzy. "No! No! No!" the Hutyuns screamed. Nianshi's voice was like a fire burning them in fear, recalling what he did to the snake and the cleansing spell.

"Oh no, what have I done?" Nianshi's scalp prickled. He did not wait for trouble and opened his mouth to inhale deeply before spewing a deadly mist to the frantic Hutyuns before they fly away out of control, while Xinyi stood rooted as her mind went blank. Fortunately, Ming, the bystander, was calmed and held her hand, saying, "Don't panic! Tell them to stop now."

Out of dread of the outcome, Xinyi hurriedly shouted as loudly as possible, "Stooop!! or I won't accept you and exterminate you now." On that note, the Hutyuns froze on where they were, terror seized them, the tiny black smokes separated into tiny dots and fell flat on the ground unmoving... The entire area where they stood became black.

Nianshi cut his long inhalation as a chill went through him. He felt the surging power from Xinyi and grabbed his master in an instant to fly away to protect Ming from receiving a lash of this uncontrolled power. But… a blinding light burst out from Xinyi's pendant along with Ming's lucky charm again, rendering Nianshi immobile.

Then, as Ming expected, another whisper came. "Ming, save us."