Chapter 5
Second Chances
He stared at the door that had been slammed in his face. What had he expected anyway? Herk had the excuse of wanting to protect his mate which was understandable whether it was smart or not. His reason? He was unwilling to compromise and unable or so he thought, to work to make a relationship stable. Not foolish like Herk, but it seemed his reason was unforgivable.
When he was a young unicorn his mother had always insisted persistence paid. Now he planned to test her theory. He would show up around Janel every time she looked up until she finally gave in. Julio sent her flowers and candies. Romance was the word of the day. Since he’d been an adult he’d never failed at anything and this was too important for him to start failing now.
“Julio, were you able to see her?” Jespers asked.
“Only for a few moments.”
“Did she say anything?”
“Nothing nice, but that’s alright. She’ll see I’m serious given time.”
“You’ll keep trying this time?”
“Of course. I’ve set my sights on her and I will not back down.” Julio declared. “You know how I am when my mind is made up.”
They went to lunch and Julio noticed Janel had not come. “She needs rest more than food for a few days.” Pru said.
He started as he had not seen her approach. “What?”
“Janel was told to rest as much as possible. I doubt she’ll come to meals for a day or two. There’s food in her room she can snack on when she’s hungry.”
“Thank you.”
“No one is against you as long as you treat her right this time.” Pru observed before she walked away to sit next to Herk who had gotten both their plates. The happiness they had showed him what he was missing and could have if he worked hard enough for it.
Janel hid for several days and Julio had no way to get to her. Sure, he could break the door down, but he didn’t think that would benefit his cause. He sent her flowers and candy the first day, wine and chocolate the second day, and a cheese and meat tray the third day. Her absence was frustrating but he would continue on. She couldn’t hide forever, could she?
The fourth day she finally made it out and he had to admit she looked fully recovered. He’d never want to be so selfish that he put his need to see her above her health. But now she was in sight and he intended to show her he hadn’t given up. Her look of aggravation landed on him when he managed to sit next to her.
“Why? There’s no need to sit here. We are done.” Janel insisted.
“No, we have just begun.” He insisted stubbornly. Janel ignored him as she started to eat the food on her heavily loaded plate. “Who fixed the plate for you?”
“Pru, she’s concerned that I’ve lost weight.”
“I can see that you have. Are you working too hard? I heard you over extended yourself. You need to take care, Sweetheart.”
“I’m not your sweetheart and I have enough people looking out for me.” As she turned to look at him she growled.
“Are you sure you’re not part wolf?” He grinned at her. Now she was furious at him but at least she was aware that he was there.
“I know what you’re trying to do.” Janel observed.
“Really? I’m just making conversation with a female I find desirable.”
His mate snorted. “I’m not buying what you’re selling. Tell it to the next female you get interested in.”
“There will never be another, only you. You are the one I will mate and grow old with.” He swore as he looked at her with determination.
“Whatever.” Janel turned her attention to her food. He would wait until she had eaten then he would try to get her attention again. At least that was the plan before an alarm went off and everything went to hell.
“You stay here. You’ve not regained your strength yet.” Julio insisted. Her stubborn look melted after she gave his words some thought.
Now Julio left to discover what the threat was and marshal whatever forces were needed. It turned out to be a false alarm with what appeared to be someone’s remote controlled plane that had been crashed into their perimeter wall. It was fancy with flames as well as other decals and looked like something a teenager might own. There was still a possibility it was a test so Julio determined to keep an eye on security.
He hurried back to the dining area only to notice Janel had finished her meal and was escaping his attention. That was alright because they lived in close proximity and she couldn’t hide for long. Or so he thought three days ago and he’d not seen her since.
“If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t bother to hide from you.” Herk observed.
“This is supposed to make me feel better?” Julio ran his hands through his hair making it stand up. He was unsure of what to do next. If he couldn’t find her, how would he ever change her mind?
“We will be attacking another target in a few days. She’ll have to come out then.”
“Again, this is supposed to make me feel better? When we fight like that we are busy and she is with the witches and I am not. Yes, I can see her, but I can’t get close. Once it’s over she’ll be tired again and run to her room to rest. I don’t plan to give up, but I need some luck or it will take forever to reclaim my mate.”
“Sit with us and eat supper.” Pru directed. Julio and Jespers sat down as told to.
Jespers picked up a local newspaper lying on the table that someone had left behind. Julio watched him flipping through the pages. Today they were getting plated meals instead of the buffet and one was set before each of them.
“What’s so fascinating about that human paper?” Julio stared at his brother.
“You are Pisces, right?” Jespers asked.
“Yes.” He answered with a growl.
“This says you need to put your heart out there and love will come back to you. It says there is danger, but not for your heart. Enemies intend to ambush you and their forces are gathering even now. Be prepared. Your lover has a secret she is not yet prepared to share that will change your life. Live it to the fullest or you will drown in regret. Prepare to move with little warning. Greet the changes in your life as a positive wave.”
“It really says that?” Julio quizzed.
“It does. Will you take action?”
“I intend to.” He pulled out a small earpiece. “Guard shack!”
“Yes?”
“Be prepared for an attack tonight. Have extra guards available at a moment’s notice. Inform me the second a sign of the enemy is detected.”
“Are you serious?” The guard asked.
“We have received information on their plans. Take this very seriously.” His heart would have to wait until the attack was done.
Normally he didn’t put much stock in the horoscopes found in newspapers. Julio had his done every ten years by an astrologist but had missed the usual appointment two years ago. That wouldn’t happen again. Why did he believe this time? He’d felt nervous like something was going to happen. The supposedly accidental hit by the miniature airplane had worried him. Julio trusted his feelings in things like these. Something was up and he’d bet money on it.
“Why did you do that?” Jespers asked.
“Things have happened that already concerned me. The warning fits. Be ready, it will come between midnight and dawn.”
“Maybe I need to read these horoscopes more often.” Jespers said almost to himself but Julio heard.
“We will see, Brother. We will see.”
They ate a good meal enjoying the well cooked food. It was a good way to prepare for a battle. Julio went to his room to take a nap setting his alarm for two hours later. He would be up some time before midnight to set other things in motion. There was no surprise in them attacking, he just had no way to know when.
An attack tonight fit perfectly with everything that had been happening. It was exactly a week since they had attacked the enemy. That had given his people time to relax and take their minds off the fight. Now it was coming to them unexpected and the enemy sought to destroy them. A successful unexpected ambush could destroy an army.
The alarm went off it seemed right after he got to sleep. At least the nap had taken the edge off his tiredness. Being alert would help him in the battle ahead. Julio roused some of his males and even dropped a word in Pru’s ear to have a witch or two available. He wasn’t sure how many they would be dealing with or what weapons they would have with them. Just being forewarned was a wonderful advantage.
Midnight came and some of the males grumbled, but they still kept their eyes on their surroundings. The night air was cool and the view of the stars clear. They shined and twinkled as if they were just out of hand’s reach. No moon glowed in the sky to light up the landscape giving their enemy an advantage. Soldiers would be close before his males were aware.
It was tiring to be on full alert for so long and males yawned and blink their eyes as the hours slipped away. Nearly dawn now, some threatened to kill his source when a sound caught their supernatural ears. The sound was low, but out of place. If not listening for it, there was a chance it would have gone unnoticed.
Next the sounds of whispers were heard and now everyone was at the ready with weapons waiting once the threat was confirmed. More of his males had been alerted and they joined them swelling the ranks of warriors waiting for their enemy to make an appearance.
Seconds later ropes came over the wall followed by enemy soldiers who were quickly dealt with. It was only a matter of time before one got the chance to yell out a warning to his comrades. A couple hundred were captured and no injuries or damage on their side. Julio couldn’t complain or at least he shouldn’t.
By now Herk had made it out and approached him. “How did you know?”
“The incident with the plane made me nervous. The timing was too convenient. Their lack of response after nearly a week bothered me. Then I got a most unexpected warning and decided I’d rather be wrong and take action, then take none and be wrong.” Julio explained.
“I think I actually followed that. You were right to take any warning seriously.” Herk’s voice dropped low. “What was the warning?”
“It was my horoscope. It said expect an enemy ambush.” He whispered back. The look of disbelief on Herk’s face was almost comical.
Now that sounds weren’t an issue, the captured warriors were making noises as they roused from unconsciousness. He was happy with the way his warriors had knocked them out to keep them from warning their fellow soldiers. Looking around, he wondered what was next. He knew Herk wouldn’t wait long before their next attack.
Once the prisoners were in their cells, too many in each because of lack of room, he went to rest for a while. That was one of the advantages of being a leader. A couple of hours later a knock on the door woke him.
“Come in.” Jespers peaked his head around the door.
“Herk wants you. We are having a meeting.”
“I’ll be there shortly.” Being called at all hours, that was a disadvantage of being a leader.
A quick shower, he dressed and hurried to the conference room. Everyone seemed to be waiting for him. “Glad you could join us.” Herk was in a sarcastic mood.
“Always glad to come when asked so nicely.” Well Julio could be that way too.
“Let’s get to work now. We can’t let this attack go unanswered. The witches are rested and those warriors that were on the wall for the attack can stay or go. We’ll leave plenty behind to protect our base, but tomorrow morning we’ll cram our fists down their throats.” Herk looked around the room as the soldiers went wild.
“Which target will we attack?” Julio asked.
“Juania and Herndez.”
“Two targets?”
“They’ll never expect it and we are getting reinforcements.”
“No one would expect it.” Julio whispered. They say all great generals are a bit crazy. Herk was more than a bit but Julio had thought he’d outgrown it. Apparently not.
“Everyone rest up. We’re out of here before dawn.” Herk declared.
Julio and Jespers went to grab a bite to eat. “So I guess you and Herk will each head a group of soldiers?” Jespers asked.
“That makes the most sense. My guess is we’ll divide as we did at the last battle when we came from two directions.”
“He is showing some major aggression.”
“He is, but we are behind in this fight. Playing catch up sucks.” Julio noted.
“So does dying.”
“His plan isn’t that crazy. Take into account we have gathered information on our targets for weeks now. We’ve also reduced their forces in every attack. Herk did also say we were getting reinforcements so our numbers will be higher than before.”
“I hope it will be enough. Maybe we’ll get more of those witches. Those females are wonderful.” Jespers admitted.
“I agree they are powerful, but they can’t win this war alone and neither can we. I hope Janel is back to her old self.”
“She was outside yesterday and I saw her briefly. Her color was back as was her temper.”
“You made her angry?”
“Not I. One of the other warriors pinched her butt and she punched him on the chin knocking him out.” Jespers described.
It was a good thing she had done that or he would have killed the male. “He’d best leave her be.”
“The male knew nothing of your claim.”
“That’s no way to treat any female. You should know that.”
“I would never, but some of the other guys do and the girls they act like they like it.”
“I suppose it would be okay if you had a relationship with them, but it’s smarter to just not do it.” Julio advised.
“I have no plan to. You know I’m not like that.”
Julio did know, but he hadn’t known some of Jespers’ friends did that. He would keep an eye on them because that was unacceptable. As a leader it was his place to not only set the bar high, but make sure everyone was following those rules. Knowing he’d always taught the younger males to show the proper respect to others regardless of sex made him wonder where this bad behavior had come from.
He grabbed Jespers by the neck and shook it lightly. “I know you do the right thing, Bro.”
Jespers grinned back at him. “Just like you taught me.”
Their father had died a long time ago. A crazy supe had killed him for his horn thinking it would give him some kind of power. Their law enforcers had tracked him down and destroyed him. The justice they’d been given hadn’t lessened the pain of their loss, but they’d needed it to try to move on. Just a teenager at the time, Julio had inherited his father’s position at the head of the herd.
With so many strong enforcers and supporters, the job hadn’t seemed hard most of the time. Only when war came was it difficult and filled with death. Those youngsters he had watched grow might die tomorrow. That was the true weight of leadership.
His thoughts turned to his mate and how he would get to her. There was no way before the battle, but maybe afterwards if she was there. For now he and the other warriors ate then they would rest. Both of those things were needed in large amounts before battle.
“You have a plan to get your mate back?” Jespers asked.
“Not much of one. There is nothing to be done for now, but if she shows at the battle, I will approach her then.”
“I guarantee she will be there.”
“How could you be so sure?” Julio asked.
“I heard her tell Pru after she brought the warrior to his knees that she was fully restored and ready for battle.”
“You certainly hear a lot. I hope she meant it.”
They finished their food and left to rest. The two of them parted in the hallway where their rooms were. Julio entered his room undressing and taking a shower. The hot water relaxed him and he thought of the battle ahead. It was his hope the gods would be on their side since Hubolla was their enemy too. One of them, actually, he had taken a dark path and been banished in ancient times. Now he was back ready to cause trouble and bring pain to Julio’s world.
Finished with his shower, he dried as he worked through everything that had happened during the day. The horoscope coming true had surprised him and now he would probably be reading them more often. Who knew humans could predict what would happen using the stars? He’d not given them enough credit for their abilities. Or maybe it was just some humans that had these amazing abilities?