Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 892: The Monsters Won’t Be Caged Again

As they made their way toward the large command tent, Islinda turned to her friend, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Where have you been all this time, Maxi? I didn’t see you during the battle at the arena."

Maxi let out a small sigh and shrugged. "Hovering around, as usual. Since Aldric didn’t want me anywhere near the arena, not with everything going on, I just looked around the city."

Islinda couldn’t help but smile. "That sounds like him. He’s overprotective like that."

"When the attack hit the city, the first thing I did was go find Isaac’s mother and sister," Maxi continued. "I knew they’d be vulnerable. So I got them to safety before the streets became a war zone."

"Fuck" Islinda cursed when she recalled Issac’s mother and sister. "I’m so sorry I didn’t even think about them. I was so occupied with everything happening."

Maxi gave her a reassuring smile. "You don’t need to worry about that, Islinda. You can’t save everybody, moreover, you’re doing a good job here anywhere. But..." She tilted her head. "Where’s Isaac, anyway?"

Islinda’s expression grew tense. "We got separated during the fight in the arena. He’s fine, though. Aldric sent him to the palace to keep an eye on things there."

Maxi rolled her eyes with a soft laugh. "Of course, Aldric would do that. Always has to be in control, doesn’t he?"

"Yeah, that’s Aldric for you," Islinda said with a wry smile. "It’s smart, though. He knows Isaac’s safe there and keeps an eye on things in the palace. Still, it doesn’t replace the fact that Aldric doesn’t trust anyone."

They approached the entrance to the tent, the low murmur of voices inside signaling the intensity of the discussions underway. As they stepped in, they were greeted by the sight of maps and battle plans spread out over a large table, with several captains, commanders and soldiers gathered around, deep in conversation.

The map of Astaria looked grim. Parts of the city were marked with red, denoting areas overrun by monsters. Strategic points had been highlighted, and notes were scrawled in the margins, indicating where efforts to reclaim certain parts of the city had succeeded or failed. The battle for Astaria was clearly far from over.

In the center of the tent stood the War General, his hardened expression unreadable as he spoke with a soldier. His sharp gaze immediately shifted to Maxi as she entered, his eyes narrowing.

"Who the fuck is this?" the general demanded, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.

Maxi raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she calmly removed the glamor concealing her true form, intricate markings appeared across her face, the unmistakable signs of a Dark Fae. A hushed silence fell over the room as the soldiers reacted, many of them lifting their hands, prepared to attack with their magic.

"Back down," Aldric’s voice rang out, cutting through the air like a blade. He stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the soldiers. "Maxi is with us."

The soldiers hesitated, unsure, but Aldric’s presence carried a weight that could not be ignored. The general, however, was not so easily convinced. His frown deepened as he turned to Aldric.

"You’re harboring Dark Faeries now?" the general asked, his voice tight with suspicion.

Aldric’s face darkened, his eyes exuding a dangerous intensity as shadows seemed to flicker around him. "Do you want to save Astaria, or do you want to pick a fight with me?"

The general clenched his jaw, clearly weighing his options. After a tense moment, he gritted his teeth and backed down, stepping away from Maxi but still eyeing her warily. The other soldiers followed his lead, though their suspicion remained.

Aldric turned to address the room, his voice carrying a deadly calm. "If anything happens to any Dark Faerie under my protection, you’ll have a greater enemy than the monsters of the Tamry Forest on your hands." His gaze briefly flicked to Islinda, and the other soldiers followed his eyes, remembering all too well how Islinda had wiped out the monsters earlier. The memory sent a shiver through the room, and the tension eased slightly as the general gave a reluctant nod. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Once the situation settled, the general spread the large map of Astaria over the center table, pointing to various spots marked with colored symbols. "We’ve evacuated citizens from these areas and reclaimed sections of the city," he began.

"So we can move them?" A soldier asked.

"No," the general shook his head. "They’re still vulnerable. The monsters could return at any moment."

Aldric studied the map, his expression grim, explaining further. "Just because these areas are clear now doesn’t mean they’re safe. If there’s a magician among the monsters, they could summon new portals. It’s too risky for the people to return."

Islinda leaned over the map, frowning in thought. "How did this happen?" she asked, her voice tinged with frustration. "Why didn’t we do something before it got this bad? If there was always a threat of monsters, why wasn’t anything done?"

The general exchanged a glance with Aldric, a silent understanding passing between them. After a brief pause, the general sighed, his voice low and serious. "We think someone’s responsible for this attack."

The weight of those words sent a palpable shockwave through the room. Islinda’s eyes widened as she tried to process the implication.

"Someone... from Astaria?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with disbelief.

"If not someone from the palace," Aldric responded darkly, his voice carrying through the tense silence of the hall.

The murmurs began immediately, hushed voices rising in alarm and speculation. Soldiers exchanged anxious glances, and the room buzzed with an undercurrent of fear.

The general’s face darkened as he glared at Aldric, his tone sharp. "Don’t make wild accusations, Aldric. Not here."

Aldric held his ground, his expression unwavering. "There have always been gaps in the barrier," he argued. "But never like this. And we had a whole garrison placed there to monitor the barrier. All of them were killed—no one knew, no alarms were raised, nothing. How do monsters that large assemble and escape without anyone noticing? Someone allowed this to happen. And it has to be someone with enough authority and power to cover it up."

The murmurs grew louder now, more urgent as the soldiers tried to guess who could be responsible for such treachery. Tension thickened in the air, suspicion beginning to spread like wildfire.

"Quiet!" the general’s voice boomed, silencing the murmurs in an instant.

The room fell into a heavy, oppressive silence. The general’s eyes hardened as he fixed his gaze on Aldric. "It’s too risky to spread panic at a time like this. Our priority is to restore hope and faith to the people, not tear it apart with baseless accusations."

Before Aldric could respond, the tent flap rustled, and a group of newcomers entered. All eyes turned toward them, and it was immediately clear that they were witches.

Their appearance was striking, distinct from the Faeries with their flowing, dark robes adorned with their clan symbols, their faces sharp. The air around them seemed to hum with latent magic, a kind of power that made the Faeries in the room instinctively wary.

At the front of the group stood the clan leader, a tall woman with jet-black hair streaked with silver. Her eyes glimmered with an unsettling, otherworldly glow, and her presence commanded immediate respect.

She was flanked by two others, one younger, with vibrant auburn hair and a fiery expression, the other older, her face lined with age and wisdom, carrying a staff with a glowing crystal at its tip.

The general stepped forward, his voice more composed as he welcomed them. "Theresa, I’m glad you’ve arrived. We need your help."

The clan leader Theresa inclined her head slightly. "We came as soon as we sensed the disturbance," she said, her voice holding an undeniable authority. "The city is in chaos."

The general nodded grimly and quickly updated her on the situation, explaining the fall of the barrier and the monstrous invasion. Then he asked the question on everyone’s mind. "Is it possible to raise the barrier again?"

Therasa’s eyes narrowed in thought, and for a moment, the tent was filled with tense anticipation.

"It’s not impossible," she finally replied, "but it will be extremely difficult. The magic our ancestors used to seal the barrier is ancient, and it was designed to hold for centuries. To raise it again will require time, preparation, and power." She paused, her gaze growing sharper. "And the region where the barrier was breached will now be crawling with monsters. They won’t want to be caged again."

A heavy sigh rippled through the room as the reality of her words set in. The future of Astaria looked grim. The sheer difficulty of restoring the barrier, coupled with the overwhelming number of monsters now occupying the breach, made the task seem nearly impossible. Even if the witches could manage to summon the magic required, it would not be without great risk and sacrifice.

The general rubbed his forehead, his expression troubled. "Then we’ll need to gather our forces and clear the area around the breach. We can’t let them overwhelm us before the barrier is raised again."

The clan leader nodded. "We will begin preparations. But understand, this will take time. The people need to be prepared for the worst before it gets better."

The general cleared his throat, his voice quieter now but still firm. "That’s all for tonight. We will regroup tomorrow. Get some rest, we’ll need all the strength we can muster."