Beckett

When Cedric enters my drawing room, I am surprised; only seven soldiers are flanking him. Out of the hundreds in the throne room, only seven had been sent out on a recon mission.

"Is this it?" I ask Cederic, puzzled.

"Yeah. I'm surprised too. I thought there would be more. Your father entered the throne room right after you left. He gathered the rest of the soldiers, and only these seven were left standing around."

I find it odd my father` only sent out seven men yet called the entire military force to the kingdom. Why would he send for all the troops if there had been monster sightings all across the ocean? Why take our military support from other parts? Wouldn't they be needed elsewhere?
As my mind races with thoughts on why my father has called the troops to the palace, I analyze the soldiers standing before me. They all have the same broken look in their eyes like they've seen something that has extinguished the light inside of them.

"What's your name, soldier?" I ask, turning my attention to the youngest in the group, a small redhead with freckles across his entire body. His face is still full of youth.

"Alastair, your highness, Alastair Thomas, House of Manann."

"Thank you for your service Alastair; Please call me Beckett. When you're ready, I'd like to hear what you've learned."
"It's not a pretty story Beckett," Alastair states, shaking his head as if somehow that'll cleanse his brain of whatever horrors he's seen. "Niseag has returned."

Alastair doesn't wait for me to ask how he's certain she's back; instead, he relays the information he was sent to retrieve.

"When I arrived, the loch was chaotic. People had fled, leaving their belongings behind, terrified that whatever had attacked the swimmer in the Ness river would come to land and get them too. There wasn't a lot of information on the loch itself, and swimming through the waters, I didn't see any signs of Niseag, but she was known for her ability to hide in plain sight. Disguising myself as an officer, I infiltrated Scotland Yard and reviewed the eyewitness accounts. A family was onshore having a picnic next to the river when they witnessed the attack. A man had been swimming in the water when he suddenly heard a scream, yelling for help, but by that point, it was too late. The eyewitness states a monster emerged from the water, with a long skinny neck like that of brachiosaurs and a large hump on its back. The monster shrieked, the noise like a sharp whistle, before diving back into the water, taking the swimmer with it. The eyewitness called the police immediately, and by the time they arrived on the scene, the man's body had already floated to shore, covered in markings they'd never before seen. After reading the report, I headed over to the corner's office, hoping to get a look at the victim. After looking over his wounds, I can confirm that the thing that attacked him was none other than the Loch Ness monster."

Fuck. Nessie. I can't believe she's returned. Or at least a distant relative of hers. She hasn't been around since the war on the titans. She used to rein terror on the highlands. No one could step foot near the loch; no water creature could swim in the waters surrounding the loch.

"Thank you for your report Alaistair. If you have photo documentation, you can leave it with Cedric."

Alaistair pulls out his phone and texts the proof to Cedric, quickly putting it away again.

"I'd like to return home. The highlands are without any guards. I need to try to protect the people."

"Of course. You're dismissed. If you need anything, please reach out." I respond before turning my attention to the next warrior in line. He was one of the shortest warriors in the room but also the fiercest looking of them all. With eyes as black as midnight, his hair the same shade of black, looked woven of silk which he wore in a tight bun on top of his head. His skin, which had a golden undertone, looked like the sun-kissed it daily. "Your name, soldier?"

"My name is Li Zǐháo, House of GongGong, and I was given the task of investigating the reappearance of Shen in the waters of NanHai near the city of Hong Kong. A few humans from the city spoke of seeing a large clam-like monster in the water. When sailors who survived a shipwreck claimed that their merchant ship collided with another due to the captain seeing an island in the middle of the waters that hadn't been there before, I knew that the Shen had reappeared. Swimming the currents of the NanHai, there were remnants of dark magic."

"Is there any way to contain the Shen?"

"Not a way that wouldn't bring harm to the water's other creatures. The only way to get rid of the Shen is to go clam hunting."

"Do you have the ability to organize a hunting party?" I ask Li Zǐháo, hopeful that we can at least rid the world of one monster.

"Not unless your father is willing to give me my platoon back." The warrior growls, his hatred for the current king rolling in waves around the room.

"I'll make it so," I reply, grabbing the pen and paper from the desk in front of me and writing a letter to signify that the warriors under Li Zǐháo's command need to be released back to him.

I hand him the letter and then move on to the next soldier; megalodon sightings have been reported and confirmed in the Baltic Sea and the pacific ocean right off the coast of California. Each solider can confirm the sighting of a new monster; Tiamont- a violent sea serpent- has appeared in Egypt's Red Sea, Lukwata-a freshwater serpent- returned to Lake Victoria in Uganda, and the Ahuizotl- the water dog- has returned hanging out around the gulf of Mexico. Every sighting has the same thing in common; humans are dying.

"It's like the Apocalypse is coming," Cedric murmurs quietly as the remaining soldiers leave my quarters, each with a note commanding the release of their platoon.

"Please give your report to my father, Cedric, along with this letter demanding the release of the Scottish warriors. If the apocalypse is coming, then we need to prepare for Armageddon."

"And where will you be going, Beck?" Cedric asks, gathering his written report.

"I need to talk with the Oracle."

Cederic stares at me, his eyes questioning, but whatever he wants to ask or say, he doesn't. Instead, he nods his head at me and leaves my chambers. He didn't need to say anything, though. I know his worries. Speaking to the Oracle Delphine can cause a man to go mad. She speaks in riddles, never giving an exact answer. Her mother, the oracle of Delphi, Pythia, was the same. She would speak to the ancient human kings in riddles, and the Kings' who thought they knew the answer to her riddles always ended up dead. But there was no other option. I had to see Delphine; she may be the only one who can save us.