“What do you think you’re doing?” Busara caught her brother in an attempt to calm down Prince Dayo’s pitch black horse. “Are you trying to get executed for stealing from the princes?”

Gamba looked over at his sister while he held onto the horse’s reigns. “Shut it would you. There is no way those two will make it out alive against Mudiwa. This is our chance to get out of this country before it is too late.”

Busara grabbed a hold of her flute as if she was ready to club her brother with it. Her eyes harden. “Gamba.” She stopped herself short as a large pillar of white light shot up from the temple into the sky.

Busara’s eyes trembled at the sight. “What is that?”

*

Dayo stood up, covering the wound on his arm. “So how exactly do you plan on getting her power now that she is a human again?”

Kovu rested his hand on his waist. “That is one of the many questions I have. According to the story Busara and her brother told us about this woman she is suppose to be the most beautiful woman in town, she is indeed pretty, but…”

“Busara is even more,” Dayo finished his brother’s sentence. “So what do we do now?”

A light shined behind the brothers as they talked. Kovu turned around at the sight with the light blasting into his palm. There a golden ring with a stone in the shape of an eye appeared. The elder prince had no idea of the power he held in that moment.

“What is that?” Dayo questioned.

Kovu wrapped his hand around it. “Something that can wait.” He placed the ring in his pocket. “For now we should get out of here.” He went and retrieved his axe from the wall.

*

Outside of the temple the people of the town had gathered.

The people looked up the tower of steps to see Prince Kovu and Dayo descended down the stairs. Kovu carried the unconscious priestess on his back as Dayo supported himself on his spear. Behind them were a dozen soldiers.

The citizens stared at the sight in amazement. None of the people could speak at the stunning sight before them. The princes stopped on the final step. Kovu looked out at his people. “I have freed Mudiwa of her curse. You no longer have to fear living in this town.”

Still no one spoke a word. It was as if no one could believe the words the prince had spoken. The people appeared to be in a trance. That was when Busara pushed her way through the crowd along with her brother. “Your highnesses.”

Busara’s voice snapped the people back into reality. She stood right in front of the royal brothers.

“Your highnesses?”

“Look at those capes.”

“Did they say Mudiwa was defeated?”

Mumbles and gossip began to fill the crowd.

“That is correct,” Kovu called out over the crowd. “I am Prince Kovu Omanson Archangel and this is my brother Dayo Omanson Archangel.” The prince took the wounded priestess off his back and carried her in his arms. He stepped down from the step. “She needs a doctor.”

Two men came forward to take Mudiwa from the prince.

*

A few hours later the princes returned to Busara’s home. Buasara sat on her bed along with Dayo. She wrapped the prince’s wounded arm in gauze. “I must say I’m surprise. To think you both not only survived against Mudiwa, but are barely injured at all.”

Busara tied the gauze into a knot. She rested her hands in her lap. Dayo dropped his own arms onto his legs. “I would not say that. I almost became a jewel on that monster’s neck.” Dayo gave her a charming smile. “I appreciate your aid in healing me.”

“Your brother provided me with the Wealth for the supplies. I merely performed the task.”

Dayo wrapped his hands around one of Busara’s, lifting it up. “Still, I believe I own you.”

“Since you are doing better let us see how our brothers are fairing.”

“Hold on, there has been something I have been curious about.” Dayo’s eyes narrowed and harden. “You were the one who put us to sleep in the marketplace the other day were you not?”

“I did.” Busara had been straight forward in the affair.

Dayo moved in closer. He wrapped his hand around her flute. “Could it be you somehow possess a grace? Or does your flute hold a devil?”

Busara also grabbed her flute just above Dayo’s hand. “I don’t deal with devils. I have no grace either. My flute was once said to belong to the angels. As a result it has a number of powers.”

Dayo slipped his fingers off the flute. “Really? What sort of powers?”

“Why are you so interested?”

Dayo placed his fist on his chest. He made himself look as charming as possible though failed compared to his brother. “I am a seeker of knowledge. Nothing brings me better pleasure than learning.”

“Then we are alike in that regard. My flute can put others to sleep, create loud sounds like a harpy and produce powerful winds. Because it was never meant for human hands whenever I use its power my life is shorten by a day,” Busara explained.

A small gasp escaped Dayo’s mouth. He closed one eye and leaned in closer to Busara. “If that is the case you should rid yourself of it right away.”

Busara tightened her grip on the flute. “I will not. This flute has been with me for a long time. It is a part of me.”

“A part of you? You said it yourself that flute is dangerous. Not meant for human hands,” Dayo said.

“This flute is my protection.”

Dayo grabbed Busara’s shoulders. “Allow me to protect you.”

“Dayo.” Both Busara and Dayo looked toward the doorway. Kovu stood there only clothed from the waist down. “I see Busara has finished aiding you. Could both of you come out and join us? We have much to discuss.” Kovu gestured his hand out to the main room of the home.

The princes, Busara and Gamba all gathered around the table. “I am truly thankful for you helping my brother,” Kovu spoke.

“It is us who should be thanking you for what you have done for our town. Right, Gamba?” Busara elbowed her brother’s arm.

“Yes, I suppose. Though can his highness please put on a shirt?” Gamba questioned.

“I still have to fix it,” Busara said.

“Do you require anymore wealth for supplies?” Kovu asked.

Busara simply shook her head. “No, the treasure you provided earlier was more than enough. Just give me a few hours.”

“Just get started before his highness starts to complain of a cold,” Gamba said.

“Honestly, why have you never learned to sew? You actually be useful for once.” Busara stood up, backhanding her brother in the back of the head. She went over to the table behind her to pick up Kovu’s shirt which had been cleaned of blood along with grabbing a basket of thread. She brought them back to the table and started to work on both the shirt and cape.

“You truly are an angel. Thank you for your aid.” Kovu smiled.

“I am curious, Prince Kovu. How are your clothing so damage yet your body remains untouched?” Busara asked.

“That is thanks to my grace.” Kovu recounted the story of how he and his brother defeated Mudiwa.

“I see. Then does that mean you possess Mudiwa’s power?” Busara asked.

“I believe so.” Kovu pulled the golden ring from his pocket. He rolled it between his fingers. “This ring appeared after the battle. However, I cannot read the inscription. It seems to be written in angel script.”

Kovu looked over at his brother. “Dayo, can you read it?”

“I gave up on learning angel script. It is next to impossible to pronounce the words.” Dayo crossed his arms on the table.

“Which makes it a secret to the both of us.” Kovu sighed.

“I can read angel script. I cannot speak it out loud, but I can translate it into our tongue,” Busara said.

“You did not think of that?” Kovu looked to his brother.

Dayo simply shrugged his shoulders.

Kovu handed over the golden band to Busara. Busara put down the shirt. She looked over the three rows of text. “What does it say?” he asked.

“This ring shall grant its master the eyes of stone. That shall only be release through the power of three rings of the kings,” Busara read.

“Three rings of the kings?” Dayo questioned.

“It sounds like some sort of magic,” Kovu spoke.

Busara stood up. “Not magic.” Busara placed both Prince Kovu’s clothes and the ring down on the table. She headed over to the cabinet above the back table to pull a book out where cooking pots usually were stored. She cracked open the book, flipping through the pages. She placed the book down on the table. “It was a custom of the Great Kings to seal their graces inside of rings.”

“Where did you get this book?” Gamba questioned.

“It was a gift from one of my suitors.” Busara turned her attention back to the book. “Anyway, the Great Kings of Eden had been said to all seal their power in rings before their deaths and had them hidden away. Sometime later monsters appeared near them that we refer to as guardians. I suspected for some time that the True King must collect all of these rings and powers to be the greatest of kings. It only makes sense the Greatest King would have all that power.”

“So there is more than just defeating Mudiwa?” Kovu questioned.

Dayo shut his right eye. “And who exactly are the Great Kings? Outside of our father I thought all kings were great.” Dayo wrapped his hand around his chin. “Then again only the first ten kings were known to hold graces. The stone-eye king was the last of them; our ancestor King Rab if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, after them came the eleven Bloody Kings,” Busara spoke.

The princes went cold. “What do you mean?” Kovu had never heard of any king referred to this in the upper circles.

“Each king after the Great Kings have been worse than the last,” Gamba said. “Which includes your father’s reign. It’s the term we commoners use for the cruel treatment they put us through.”

Kovu balled up his fists in his lap. His body tensed up. “This has been going on for eleven generations?”

“No wonder the people act the way do,” Dayo spoke.

Kovu soon left the house after the conversation had ended and Busara finished repairing his clothing allowing him to fully dress. He walked down the streets of Hasmal. As in the capital a number of homes were in disrepair while people wore poor clothing. Kovu noticed how the ladies of the town blushed at the sight of him and turned from his handsome features.

He gave a small smile and wave to some. The young ladies either fainted or seek to hide their embarrassment. His brilliant blue cape flapped behind him as he reached his destination.

Kovu entered the house where the doctor covered Mudiwa’s body in a blanket. The doctor turned toward the prince. He dropped to his hands and knees and bowed his head low. “Greetings, Prince Kovu.”

Kovu looked toward the bed. “I suspected her wounds were too great to allow for her survival. Did she say anything?”

The doctor raised his head. “She smiled and thanked you for freeing her of her curse. She died in peace.”

Kovu shut his eyes. “I see. Please see to her funeral.”

*

Meanwhile Dayo had arrived at a soldier’s house that had been freed from Mudiwa’s curse. Dayo sat on a stool, sitting across from the soldier and his wife. Dayo had his right eye closed. “Your Redemption Stone had no effect?”

The soldier nodded. “I managed to lead Mudiwa out of the temple. I figured the crystal would destroy her only for it to slightly burn her. Before I knew it I was being turned into a crystal. I am truly thankful to you princes.”

Dayo lowered his head in thought. “A single redemption crystal did nothing to stop her. Yet before my brother freed her she had been stabbed by my spear which holds three of them.”

“What are you saying?” the soldier asked.