Page 21 of Barbi and the Villain

“PomPom was so brave,” Willy adds as he turns his attention to my baby.

One by one, other soldiers come to tell me how much they admire PomPom.

“She’s a fighter,” Jerry, a soldier, mentions, nodding with respect.

“She might be small, but she’s a worthy adversary,” another compliments her.

“Yes, yes. That she is…” I smile awkwardly.

God, I need to stop daydreaming.

If before I might have had qualms about using the pink roots on Ivan, now I am convinced the man needs his comeuppance. Anyone threatening my baby is officially a bad person and they get a special spot in my big bad notebook (when I get back home so I can add the name in it).

Operation Pink Root is officially a go.

In an effort to keep the peace on the road, the soldiers asked Ivan to ride first so they could place themselves between us as a buffer zone. With the threats he continues to make, now targeting PomPom, too, no one wants to take a chance.

PomPom preens in my arms, happy that she’s gained new acolytes.

As we continue onwards toward the Capital, I do my best to glean more information from the soldiers to know what to expect. They talk freely, sharing different anecdotes from their lives before the plague. But at some point, the discussion shifts to the Dark One. Curious, I pull on my reins and lead my horse next to them.

“I can finally sleep at night now that the Dark One has been defeated,” a soldier jokes.

“Tell me about it.” Another laughs. “Maybe my nightmares will finally stop.”

I frown at their superlative language. In the books, the Dark One had been the villain in book six, but he had been far from the most frightening one the Five had been up against. If I were to make a top, he wouldn’t make the top five of the most powerful opponents Sir Damien had faced.

Yet these people are talking about the Dark One as if he were the devil incarnate.

“Is the Dark One that scary?” I suddenly ask.

Their conversation dies as they all turn to stare at me as if I’d grown a second head. Fearing that I said something wrong, I simply add, “I grew up sheltered, so I am not that familiar with the outside world.”

“That makes sense.” Willy nods. “Your parents would not have wanted you to hear of the atrocities the Dark One committed.”

“If he were still alive, we wouldn’t be able to speak so casually about him. I still expect a dark cloud to appear and swallow me whole.” Jerry laughs nervously.

I gawk at them.

“Could you explain, please?”

“He was a terrifying fellow, the Dark One. He established his own following in the eastern part of Akkaya, directly challenging the King. A lot of troops were dispatched to the east and they never came back, so it only reinforced the idea that he was invincible.”

“Don’t forget about Kuma,” Willy quips.

“I am getting there, Willy.” Jerry rolls his eyes. “As I was saying, when the Dark One gained more followers, he started attacking high officials at the King’s court. He wanted to weaken the King as much as possible, and ultimately take the crown for himself. He even killed Kuma, one of the Five and the King’s best friend.”

My eyes widen in disbelief.

“Kuma? He’s dead? But how… He was so strong…”

He was a master blacksmith who could craft any weapon out of metal. His skills were unparalleled in Akkaya, and not even Sir Damien could beat him in a battle with his magical weapons.

“You don’t understand, Lady Barbi. The Dark One could destroy an entire army with the snap of a finger. He commanded a dark shadow cloud that would kill a target from miles away. Technically, he didn’t even have to move and he could get rid of anyone he wished.”

“That’s why no one ever saw his face. He was a mystery.”

“I heard he was heavily scarred,” one soldier whispers. “He wore a mask and a black cloak to hide his features.”

---