Free Web NovelChapter 70: Chapter 70
"How are you here right now?" Astrid asked through her tears.
Selene chuckled and brushed her tears away. "You won’t believe the stories I have to tell you. We went through so much, the girl and I. Theia and Clair almost died, it’s just so much to say."
Astrid heaved a sigh of relief. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Her sisters are safe and sound. "Girls!" Astrid rushed over to the others, "I missed you all so much."
"Are you sure?" Calista said, faking a grimace. "Because by the looks of things, there’s only one person you’re currently thinking of." She rolled her eyes at Selene.
"Come here, you idiot," Astrid said, pulling her in for a hug. "Of course, I missed everyone."
Calista grinned and hugged her tightly. "It’s so good to be back here," she whispered. "I really thought we would die out there."
"You’re safe now."
Astrid pulled away from the hug and hugged the others. A buzz of excitement filled the air as the girls reunited.
"Come on," Astrid announced, "we should head up." free𝑤ebnovel.com
The walk to the palace wasn’t long. The girls wasted no time to request for bathes and clean clothes.
Selene and Astrid were in the kitchen trying to figure out what to prepare for everyone.
Selene tutted in annoyance, "Before I forget, there are a few girls on the ship we came on. They’re all drugged. Mentally, they’re all hopeless."
Astrid furrowed her brows and cocked her head to the side. "Drugged? How did you happen to meet a few drugged girls while you were travelling? "
Selene sighed. "I still can’t believe it myself," she said. "Everything that happened is nothing short of a miracle from the gods."
"You’re killing me with anticipation. Tell me already, what happened?"
"Well, like you, we had to hide in the filthiest floor of the ship to avoid the soldiers. We would come out only when it was so dark or when most of the soldiers were asleep. We hardly took baths either. We smelled so badly.
Anyway, like I said earlier, Theia and Clair almost die because they get caught. That nasty woman who thinks she’s above everyone else..."
"Who? "
"Who else? Octavia, the princess," Selene said. "She tortured them so badly, I don’t know how they still stand. But as you can see, they’re living and breathing, and that is because we rescued them."
"All of that is wonderful, but you haven’t told me how you came upon those girls." Astrid folded her arms and looked squarely at Selene.
"Let me finish then." Selene huffed. "Anyways, we escape, and they’re chasing after us. We crossed the sea in one of the boats we stole, and unfortunately for us, there was a storm that night. The tides were rough. We were almost swept away at sea.
But, a nice merchant, I think he was one, saved us. But the twist was that he ate people, girls specifically, I think, but he drugged them first. He drugs them all out of their minds and uses them however he sees fit."
Astrid frowned. "That’s so disgusting."
Selene pulled out some onions and a few other ingredients as she talked. She dried the pan for cooking and placed it on the hearth.
"It truly is," Selene replied. "But we got justice for them. We threw him overboard and took everything he owned."
Astrid laughed, "My girls," she squealed, "You all did the right thing. I’d have chopped him up before throwing him in. But don’t you worry, I’ll have mother and father do something about it immediately."
Selene grinned. "I knew I could count on that temper of yours," she muttered, as she resumed her cutting. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Theia and Doris came by the kitchen for some water, had a little chat with the girls, and left.
"What about Lily ?" Selene suddenly asked. "I’ve been meaning to ask because I don’t see her anywhere, and I know she came with us on this adventure of ours."
Astrid’s hand hung mid-air immediately after Selene asked. She stood like she’d been frozen in time for a few seconds before she finally placed the knife she’d been using to cut down.
"She’s dead," Astrid said.
Selene’s hands fell to her sides, and her eyes bulged at the news.
"She’s been dead for a while. The first kingdom we stopped by, she was killed then." Astrid tried to still her shaky voice. "I caused it, Selene, I did."
Selene pulled Astrid into her arms and held on to her tightly. "I know what you’re thinking, and none of this is your fault. You did not kill her, Astrid," Selene mumbled into her hair.
They stayed that way for a few minutes before they began to smell something burning.
"My goodness," Astrid hissed, then tried to remove the pan from the hearth but got burned instead.
"You’re going to get hurt," Selene scolded, took her hands, and began to blow on them. "Let me do it."
They finished cooking and served up some food to the girl. Most of them slept off right after they’d had dinner, but Selene snuck off to the gardens, watching the stars.
"Aren’t you tired of the journey? You should get some rest," Astrid said.
"I thought you’d show up," Selene said with a smile.
"You knew I’d come find you?"
"Of course, I knew, you’re my best friend. I know you better than anyone else in the world."
Astrid sat beside her on the stone bench.
"It’s still as beautiful as I remember, this place. I’d never leave if I could."
"Then don’t. You can stay here with the girls until I come back with Hera. I don’t want to put you in more danger."
"The girls would like that," Selene said. "But I can’t leave mt best friend. I’ll come with you to make sure you’re ok, and we can come back together."
Astrid looked up and smiled at the sky. Her family was coming together again. Her sisters were safe.
"Thank you," Astrid said after a moment of silence. "Thank you for being by my side."
