Chapter 9 -- Betrayal

"It began many years ago, with a greedy king. You see, he wasn't happy with just his own kingdom. He wanted the ones around him too. The problem was he didn't have an army big enough or strong enough to take them. And what do you do when you have undeserved riches and something you want but can't get?"

"I wouldn't know."
Erin giggled, "You pay to find a way to get it, silly."

Noah sent a piercing glare in her direction. "No interruptions, please."
Erin zipped her lips with a mischievous grin.

"Good. Now as I was saying, the king needed a more powerful army to get the land he wanted to obtain. Sound familiar?" Silky remained silent. "Oh come now. Didn't our dear healer tell you a similar story?" Still nothing. "I bet she did and I bet you didn't like what you heard. Luckily, I won't rehash the gruesome numbers for you. Needless to say, there were many failures before we got to you."

"How were the experiments kept a secret?" Silky asked in a low voice.
Noah smirked at her curiosity. "Lots of gold and the promise of a swift execution if they breathed a word. Just to give you a few examples."

The silence spanned a few minutes before Noah spoke again. "Let me continue with my story then. After countless had already perished in the name of the king's foolish greed, he decided men were just not good enough."
"And there were almost no soldiers left to experiment on," Erin giggled.

"I said no more interruptions! Go outside and check on the troops where you will not interrupt further." Erin pouted but did as she was told. "It is true what she said. No plot twist was so perfect as the king making the switch to using animal specimens as a base. And no greater insult to his army." Noah's eyes darkened as he spoke. "My family had been the first to volunteer, our strong military heritage should have made us able to endure anything. Unfortunately, the healer's family didn't perform the experiment correctly and they failed. My once proud family was disgraced and who should be brought up in our place but a flea-bitten animal."

"Me."
"No, your stray cat mother that they pulled off the street. Their new prodigy made us all look weak as she gave litter after litter of perfect genetically altered kittens. Kittens that would one day replace us as his army. Every soldier felt threatened by this new threat to their livelihood. It didn't take much to rally them to . . . rectify the situation."

"You are talking about mass murder."
Noah shrugged. "What is the difference between a thousand humans and a thousand of your kind in the name of science. Either way someone pays the price for another to make their name in science. No one is safe from that."

Silky stared at Noah a moment before speaking. "Either way it is senseless murder."
"No matter, what is done is done. The point is that after all was said and done you were somehow still alive. The king kept you as a pet for some time before sending you to combat training. My grandfather trained you."

"How is that even possible? We grew up together in this village."
"Those memories are false. Just another modern miracle of science, the ability to erase and create memories. It was necessary to continue the experiments on your longevity."

"My what?"
"Well you became something of an anomaly. Somehow they found that your DNA had mutated to give you immortality. They wanted to find the part of yours that had given you that trait. You are the key to giving the crown exactly what they wanted; an invincible army. My family became your handlers as our penance for starting a rebellion. So here we are. I am sure you have some questions for me."

Silky glared at him a moment before answering. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't just report you to the guard right now?"
Noah chuckled. "I expected something a little more cliché, but I suppose I should expect the unexpected with you. I wonder though what good reporting to the guard will do when I am the head guard of the town."

Silky slumped down in her seat, defeated. There was no hope for her now.
"The poor kitty knows that no one is coming to save her." Erin giggled in the doorway. " For either of you actually."

"What are you playing at servant?" Noah growled.
"I am not your servant," she said through clenched teeth. "I am your partner but no more. I believe you will take orders from me for now on." She motioned to the forces now surrounding the small cottage. Hundreds of dragon mice were at the command of Erin. "I never had any intentions of working with you forever, only long enough to have you help me create this wonderful army for me. Take them!"

A crowd of soldiers ran in and seized Noah and Silky. Erin walked to Noah, "I don't seem like such a silly girl now, do I?"
Noah smirked, "I will admit that I underestimated you but go ahead and play your little game of war. We'll see who ends up on top."

"Throw them in the dungeons along with that pesky healer and the meddlesome night guard."

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