Chapter 4: The Kingdom in the Mountains

We’ve been on the road for about three hours now, closing in on the Basotho Kingdom’s border.
We managed to escape Alexandre with the help of Lucy. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened.

We won’t be able to head straight for the Zulu Kingdom. The Rose checkpoint at their border has probably already been alerted about our escape and will be on the lookout for us. It was Alix’s idea to reroute and head to the Basotho Kingdom for temporary refuge, arguing that there’s no Rose checkpoint on their side of the border. Most of Rose’s population is discouraged from traveling and stays within the capital, so this region isn’t monitored.

We’re probably just a few minutes away from the Basotho checkpoint now. With any luck, everything should go smoothly.

My thoughts drift back to Lucy. I look down at her pod, still covered and completely still. She communicated with me through my mind — the same way Ella did.

Come to think of it, Ella did say Lucy would protect me.
I guess this is what she meant.

I glance at the brand on my forearm. It’s almost as if I can still feel Ella’s touch.

“You okay, Lucian?” Alix asks, breaking the silence in the bakkie.

‘I’m hanging in there, I guess,’ I reply. ‘You?’

Considering everything I told her, she’s surprisingly calm.

“I don’t think the realization has hit me yet,” she says. “All of this happening at once — the brand on your arm, Lucy communicating with you, Alexandre trying to kill us… it’s a lot.”

‘Yeah… I was honestly scared shitless when I saw Alexandre,’ I admit, my voice trembling slightly.

Alix’s expression tightens. “I knew he didn’t like us, but clearly it’s more than that.”

Silence fills the bakkie for a moment.

‘So… what’s the plan?’ I ask, wanting to shift the conversation.

Alix adjusts her grip on the steering wheel. “Like we discussed, we need to meet up with Lungisile’s uncle. He’s one of the King’s advisors. Hopefully he can arrange a meeting with the King, and we can request assistance crossing into the Zulu Kingdom. Gabriel and Alexandre will try to handle this diplomatically and ask for our return.”

‘So far, so good,’ I say.

“Our presence is going to raise some eyebrows, though,” she continues. “I doubt they get many visitors — least of all the children of their neighboring ruler.”

I lean forward, turning to face her. ‘How do you think they’ll react to what we have to say?’

Alix’s expression shifts, serious now. “We’re going to have to take a chance and be honest about everything. Once they see Lucy… hopefully they’ll understand.”

I hesitate before asking what’s been on my mind.

‘What do you make of Lucy?’

There’s a brief pause. “For starters, she’s still just a baby. I’m worried about the fact that she’s a fallen angel. You say she helped us, but that’s only because of the brand on your arm. What if you didn’t have it? Would she have seen us as hostile?”

‘That’s a valid concern,’ I admit. ‘We’re basically in the dark when it comes to her.’

I pause, thinking about the vision.

‘That vision I had… it didn’t feel threatening. If anything, it felt like she was greeting me. I think she showed me their city.’

“You mentioned something like that,” Alix says. “I can’t even comprehend how she’s doing that. She’s already this powerful as a baby? Either Ella underestimated the lycan who attacked her, or they really are as strong as we’ve been told.”

‘It just had to be us,’ I say, trying to lighten the mood.

Alix glances at me, distracted.

‘I’m glad I’m not alone in this… that you’re with me,’ I add quietly.

I lean back in my seat, not expecting an answer.

“We’ve always stuck together. You think I’m going to abandon you now?” she says.

I smile despite everything.

My thoughts drift back to Father.
Are you angry at us? Do you even care that we left?
So much was left unsaid between us — and now we may never get the chance.

The bakkie slows.

I look ahead.

The Basotho Kingdom finally comes into view. A massive stone wall cuts across the mountain pass — over twenty feet high and stretching so far along the ridgeline that it disappears into the haze. It looks carved straight from the cliffs themselves, ancient and immovable. Afternoon sunlight glints off its grey surface, and riders on horseback patrol the parapets like dark silhouettes against the sky. Watchtowers rise at steady intervals, their narrow windows catching the fading light. Ahead, a heavy gate of iron and carved timber blocks the path, framed by two towers built so close to the mountain that it feels as if the stone is swallowing them. As we approach, a deep horn sounds across the pass, rolling through the air and warning the kingdom that strangers are coming.

“Let me do the talking, Lucian. Just stay calm,” Alix says.

A guard atop the wall signals for the gate to be opened.

Three guards step out as the doors part. The man in the middle wears leopard skin across his shoulders — clearly the one in charge.

“Dumelang,” he greets us, his voice steady.

“Dumelang,” we reply.

“State the purpose of your visit to the Basotho Kingdom.”

“We’re here to visit our friend Lungisile’s uncle in Thabeng,” Alix says. “He’s one of the King’s advisors. We need his help with a personal matter. We won’t cause trouble, and we request temporary entry.”

“What is his name?”

“Moeletsi Mosia.”

Recognition flickers across his face. “Ah, Moeletsi. His brother lives in Rose.”

“Yes,” Alix answers calmly.

“Did you come all this way just to visit him?”

“No. There’s an important matter we need to discuss.”

After a brief hesitation, he nods. “You are guests here. Respect our laws.”

He signals for us to pass.

Alix starts the bakkie and slowly goes through the gate.

I already feel a bit safer knowing we’re within Basotho territory now.

We will have to meet with Lungisile’s uncle as soon as possible.

Gabriel can still ask the King to send us back to Rose.

“The capital is probably a ten-minute drive from here.” Alix lets out.

“Once we’re in Thabeng we can buy fuel and stock up on supplies.”

Alix looks at me through the rearview mirror. She knows what I’m thinking.

“They will listen to us.” she assures me. “They have to.”

‘It’s all we can pray for.’ I say.

I lie back into my seat closing my eyes. I’m trying to relax but there’s this lingering feeling I have. I don’t think I’ll feel relaxed until we’re in the Zulu Kingdom. It still feels so far out of reach.

My mind wanders until something changes.

Thunder cracks overhead.

I open my eyes — and I’m no longer in the bakkie.

Rain pours down around me. Cold. Heavy. Relentless.
It’s the middle of the night.

I turn slowly, trying to understand where I am.

Corn stalks stretch endlessly in every direction, their leaves slicing against one another as the wind pushes through them. Mud clings to my boots. I can feel the rain soaking into my clothes, running down my skin.

This isn’t a dream.

It feels too real.

Lucy… is this you?

Something moves in the field ahead of me.

Not far.
Just a few meters away.

I take a step forward, my heart hammering harder with each movement. The sound of the rain is drowned out by my own breathing.

I push through the last row of corn and step into an open clearing.

Lightning flashes.

A woman stands there, drenched and shaking, clutching something tightly to her chest.

I recognize her immediately.

Ella.

She’s holding a pod.

Lucy.

Ella takes a step forward — then freezes.

Her eyes widen, terror overtaking her expression.

She’s staring at something in front of her.

I follow her gaze.

A figure stands in the clearing.

Tall. Muscular. Charcoal-black skin stretched tight over its frame. Thin streams of black smoke drift from its body, curling into the rain before vanishing. Its shape is unmistakably human — standing on two legs — but nothing about it feels human.

It doesn’t move.

It doesn’t breathe.

It doesn’t look at me.

What is that?

A lycan?

No.

A fallen angel?

No.

It’s something else entirely.

My body locks up. I try to move, but I can’t. Fear grips me in a way I’ve never felt before — raw, instinctive, overwhelming.

Ella takes a step back, shielding Lucy with her body.

This is it.

This is the thing that injured her.

I know it without needing to see the wounds.

The figure shifts.

Just slightly.

Its head tilts — slow, deliberate — as if listening to something only it can hear.

Then it begins to turn.

Not toward me.

Toward Ella.

My chest tightens. I forget how to breathe.

Wake up. Please. I don’t want to see this.

The moment its face starts to come into view—

—

I wake up screaming.

“Lucian!”

Alix’s voice cuts through my panic as I jolt upright, gasping for air.
The bakkie is no longer moving — we’re parked somewhere inside the city.
People outside stare at us, startled by my scream.

Alix grabs my shoulder. “Hey—hey, look at me. You’re okay. What happened?”

I’m shaking so badly I can’t speak at first. My chest feels tight, like the fear followed me out of the dream.

“Lucian,” she repeats, softer this time, “breathe.”

I force a breath in. Another. Eventually the trembling eases just enough for me to speak.

“I think it was the night Ella crash-landed in Rose. She was running through a cornfield with Lucy. It was storming. And then—”

My voice cracks. The memory hits me all over again.

“There was something there with her. A creature. Charcoal-black skin… smoke drifting off it… human-shaped, but wrong.” I swallow hard. “Its eyes were red. I couldn’t move. I’ve never felt fear like that.”

Alix’s expression tightens — concern, confusion, and shock all at once.

“Lucian… was it another fallen angel?”

I shake my head immediately. “No. No, it wasn’t like Ella. And it wasn’t a lycan either. It was… something else.”
Something worse.

Alix’s expression darkens. “What did it do?”

“It just stood there at first,” I whisper. “Completely still. Like it was waiting. And then it began to turn toward Ella.”
I swallow hard. “It never looked at me. Not once. I don’t think it could see me. I was just… watching.”

The helplessness makes my voice crack.

“But Ella saw it. And the fear on her face—Alix, I’ve never seen anything like it. Whatever that thing was… it’s the one that injured her. I’m sure of it.”

Alix looks at the covered pod in the backseat, dread tightening her jaw.

“Lucy showed you this,” she says quietly.

“I think so. But I don’t know why. Why show me this? Why now?”

Alix steadies her breathing, then nods toward the city outside.

“We’re in Thabeng. Let’s find Moeletsi. Get your mind off whatever it is you just experienced.”

I nod, but inside, I’m still in that field, drenched in rain, watching that creature turn toward Ella.

Why did you have to show me this Lucy?

Is this the threat we should be concerned about?

The sun has started to set. It is half past 6 now. I feel tired.

So, this is Thabeng? The capital of the Basotho Kingdom.

As we drive deeper into the city, Thabeng unfolds before us — nothing like Rose.

The buildings sit close together, stacked along the rising slopes of the mountains, almost as if the city is holding itself upright with its own strength. Houses of stone and clay stand shoulder to shoulder with newer structures made of steel and clean white plaster. Wooden balconies jut out above narrow streets, filled with lines of drying blankets and colourful fabrics swaying in the breeze. The scent of cooked maize and woodfire drifts in from somewhere nearby.

It feels alive here.
Not loud — just alive.

Children run between the houses, chasing each other with wooden spears while elders sit beneath shaded awnings, talking amongst themselves. Most people wear traditional Basotho blankets or cloaks, but I also see a few wearing modern boots or leather jackets—old and new woven together just like the city itself.

Unlike Rose’s wide, open streets and industrial blocks, Thabeng is tight, compact… almost protective. Everything feels built with intention — to stay warm, to stay close, to stay connected. People look out their windows when we pass, not out of suspicion, but out of curiosity. A bakkie with a foreign plate probably doesn’t come through here often.

The mountains press in on both sides, giving the whole place a feeling of being sheltered inside a massive stone cradle. Smoke rises from hearths built into rooftops, and horses tied to posts along the street stomp their hooves restlessly.

Thabeng doesn’t feel wealthy or powerful like Rose.
But it feels real.
Grounded.
Human.

A place held together not by technology or industry — but by its people.

‘This looks like a place where we can get some fuel.” Alix says.

I look over to my right. Looks to be a garage. Like the ones we have in Rose.

There are a couple more bakkies parked there.

Alix pulls in and brings the bakkie to a stop.

I get out of the bakkie to stretch my legs. I feel tired.

I think everything’s that happened today is catching up with me now.

I’m still reeling from that vision I saw. I can’t get it out of my head.

What the hell was that creature?

“Hey Lucian, I’m going to ask around if someone can point us to Moeletsi’s house.” Alix calls me to me. She proceeds to pay a man with gold pieces to throw fuel in the bakkie.

‘Sure thing. I’ll stay here with the bakkie.’ I reply.

As I lean against the bakkie arms folded my mind drifts to Ella. After seeing that vision I can’t help but wonder if she’s still even alive.

Is there any way that would confirm if she were? Is there still a connection between her and Lucy?

The clan would first interrogate her if they did decide to kill her. Ultimately it comes down to father to decide what happens with her. I wonder what he makes of everything. I know according to Henri they are monsters who were responsible for the fall of France. Ella is different. I want to believe that she’s not evil and manipulating us. Could father see that maybe she’s worth more keeping alive?

I see a man close by me smoking a cigarette.

I move towards him.

‘Dumelang sir.’ I greet him.

“Dumelang. How can I help you?”

‘Could you maybe spare me a cigarette?’

“No problem.” As he pulls out his box of cigarettes and hands me one.

I put the cigarette in my mouth, and he offers to light it for me.

“Thank you, sir.” As I pull on it taking the smoke into my lungs.

I exhale.

I don’t smoke regularly. Only on occasions but I feel like I need one right now.

I walk back to the bakkie. I take another look around. I spot a couple of guards patrolling through the city. They are carrying rifles on their backs. They also have knobkerries on hand. They look a lot more relaxed than the clan’s soldiers.

Gabriel and father won’t inform the other kingdoms about what happened. We need to move on as quickly as possible. I don’t want these people getting dragged into this.

“Hey Lucian.” Alix calls out to me.

I turn around to face her.

“I know where we’ll find Moeletsi.”

‘Great. Let’s get to it then.’ I respond.

We get back into bakkie.

Alix starts the bakkie and takes off.

‘So, how’d you find out where he lives?’ I ask.

“I spoke to the owner of the garage. He was very friendly but did warn that Moeletsi has guards stationed at his house, so we’ll have to ask for entry.”

‘Did something happen to him?’

“No but the garage owner did say that there have been political attacks and even killings in the past, so the King’s advisors are under protection.”

‘I guess even they have their own problems.’ I let out.

“Well, it’s not like it is in Rose. There’s a very good reason why our family has had control for so long. The other families within the clan are also like us sure but the Durand family was the first of our kind. We’re stronger than them.”

We still don’t know everything about this curse of ours. We the Durand family have these special abilities that makes us stand above the other families, but we don’t even know what they are. Maybe Alexandre, Gabriel, and Sophie have awakened it, but they haven’t told us about it. Same goes for father.

‘Say how do you think we’ll awaken this special ability of ours?’ I ask Alix.

She doesn’t answer immediately. “Maybe it’s something innate that doesn’t need to be awoken per se. Though I’m not too sure myself. I guess we’ll know it when it happens.” She answers.

‘So, where’s Moeletsi’s house?’ I ask changing the subject.

“Not far from here. It’s located in a quieter residential area.” Alix replies.

We turn off the main road and enter a quieter part of Thabeng. The sounds of the city fade as the streets narrow, the buildings spaced farther apart. Lanterns hang from wooden posts, casting warm light across stone walls and packed earth.

The houses here are larger and older, built from thick stone and reinforced timber. They feel solid — meant to last generations. I notice guards stationed along the street, some standing casually, others leaning against walls with spears or rifles close at hand. They watch us as we pass, alert but controlled.

Alix slows the bakkie.

“That’s it,” she says, nodding ahead.

Moeletsi’s house sits slightly elevated, backed by the mountains themselves. A low stone wall surrounds the property, with an iron gate at the front. Two guards stand on either side, Basotho blankets draped over their shoulders, weapons resting within easy reach.

Alix brings the bakkie to a stop and turns off the engine.

For a moment, neither of us moves.

I glance back at Lucy’s pod, still covered, still silent. After everything that’s happened today, I can’t shake the feeling that bringing her here will change things — not just for us, but for this kingdom as well.

“Stay close,” Alix says quietly as she opens her door.

We step out together. The air is cooler here, carrying the scent of stone and mountain wind. As we approach the gate, one of the guards steps forward, raising a hand.

“State your business.”

Alix doesn’t hesitate.

“My name is Alix Durand,” she says evenly. “This is my brother, Lucian Durand. We are the children of Apollinare Durand of Rose.”

The effect is immediate.

The guard stiffens slightly, his expression shifting as the name settles. He studies us again — more carefully this time.

“We’re here to see Moeletsi Mosia,” Alix continues. “It’s urgent.”

The guard glances at his companion, then nods once. “Wait here.”

One of them disappears through the gate.

We stand in silence. I feel eyes on us — not just from the guards, but from somewhere beyond the walls. My thoughts drift back to Ella. To the thing in the cornfield. To the fear that still hasn’t left my chest.

The gate creaks open.

A man steps out.

He’s older than I expected, his hair threaded with grey, his posture straight despite his age. He wears traditional garments beneath a heavy cloak, his presence quiet but commanding.

His eyes land on Alix first.

Then on me.

Surprise flashes across his face — quickly masked by something sharper. Awareness. Calculation.

“So,” he says slowly, “Apollinare’s children stand at my gate.”

His gaze shifts, briefly, toward the bakkie behind us. Toward the covered pod.

The muscles in his jaw tighten.

“This is no ordinary visit,” he says at last.

Alix meets his gaze. “No, sir. It isn’t.”

Moeletsi exhales through his nose, then steps aside.

“Come inside,” he says. “Before this draws more attention than it already has.”

As the gate closes behind us, the weight of the moment settles in my chest.

Whatever protection Thabeng offers…
we’ve just pulled it into something far bigger than us.