Chapter 5

The blisters on her feet appeared to have exacerbated the pain she felt in the long hike in the course of her travel. But Kaleen refused to back down nor voice out any complaints. She had long passed the main city of Vel with people clamoring in agony at the sight of the princess chained and dragged by the king of vampires.

She remembered the citizens' expressions they wore on their faces as they saw the most decorated warrior in Vel appear in such a pitiful state. The shouts at the palace gates still lingered in her mind as soon as she was dragged away from there.

Marcus intended to really make her appear like that to her people. Lie the only candle of hope for them that was unlit by another tyrant before them.

They cried.

Those poor people cried because they had thought Vel would soon end their deaths.

The only recluse that Kaleen soothed herself into was the fact that all of Marcus' armies dispersed in different directions of Vel.

Despite her situation now, things would get better for her people. She continued to run behind Marcus' horse like a hound on the chain. Then suddenly, the throng of horses stopped all at once and she tripped face down once again.

Kaleen didn't let herself dwell much in the ground, knowing that it might be Marcus' entertainment to remember. Even in the main city when she wasn't paying attention to her way and assured the people when she passed by their crying countenance, the vampire king decided into letting his horse into a wild gallop so that she fell to the ground.

Kaleen earned scratches around her face and exposed skin on her shoulders due to that. In a blend of anger and pain, she glared at the one sitting high up his horse. She wanted to draw her sword which she secured around her waist even by the fact that she wasn't wearing armor to match it.

Didn't even mind how her face stung and her dress colored by the dirt of the ground, Kaleen stood up, dusting her body grudgingly. She had an annoyed expression on her face as she looked around only to see the vampires and even the horses they were riding synchronized in a motionless manner.

They all eyed Marcus' direction, seemingly waiting for something.

Kaleen returned her eyes to Marcus hit by a golden streak sunset on the horizon on their right side. His slightly tanned skin complimented the color of the orb of his eyes which appeared rather grayer than usual.

Finally, the man who'd been merciless on his capture looked down to his right and met the eyes of the princess. There was a slight frown across her face. A blend of what seemed to be fascination and curiosity.

Even without the need to voice out her thought, it was apparent on her face.

Marcus reached over the metal ring attached to his horse's leather girth and detached the chain connected directly to the princess.

Kaleen gasped when he tugged her with the chain he held in his hand.

"Perhaps it's not in your principle and it would be too late to ask since I colored the road with drops of my blood, but it won't hurt if you'd be gentle." Kaleen snapped.

Marcus only regarded her with a blank expression that she doubted if he even heard her. He cast her brief attention before running a hand to the length of the chain.

Kaleen watched the metal chains start to clank before they fell down to the ground one by one until there was no more constriction on her wrists. Grateful for the easement she felt after hours of being bound with it, she massaged her reddening wrist and twirled it round and round to make the blood flow to her fingers.

Marcus jumped off the horse and stood right in front of her. His dark raven hair fell across his forehead as he looked down at the puny presence of a princess of Vel. She was right to claim that her blood colored the road even by mere droplets after countless fall downs on their paths. However, as expected from a warrior princess, she didn't even back down from the display of mockery he made her go through.

The composure she possessed was almost admirable that it could move anyone but him.

"Being gentle is not part of the deal." He said, grabbing the girded sword on her waist and observing it for a brief second.

With eyes both slightly in a squint, Kaleen knew that this man was up to something again. They won't just halt on their path with nothing. She noted in her mind how they entered into the forbidden road of Vel. It was closed since the last reign of king Xavier, her grandfather, whose death still baffled everyone in the royal family.

"Do you know I met this sword before, princess?"

Kaleen stared at the steady gaze he gave her. She had no idea if he was trying to recollect the many times she had hunted for him without any rate of success at all. The vampire hunting only stopped when not one of the vampires had shown themselves in Vel. No one knows why but it wasn't enough consolation for the people.

Because as the vampires departed from terrorizing people in Vel, the werewolves filled in the voids that the fangs had left. It created another wave of fear more terrible than they once felt for the fangs. For the werewolves were vicious and unstoppable compared to the fangs.

"At least not once. I recalled I almost beheaded you." Kaleen replied which drew Marcus' eyes back to her again.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, princess. You might just be dreaming that." He said. "And I'm not talking a sword wielder who is weak to hold this weapon."

Such an insult coming from him stirred rage inside her but she chose to school her expression or he might easily read her.

"Xavier, that old fool of a king." he continued.

"Don't insult the great grand king." Kaleen breathed out.

Marcus didn't flinch much at the anger on her face. Instead, the glimmer on his eyes created by the sunlight started to diminish until only a twilight embraced the whole place.

"Did you know that he was the one who made this path forbidden to pass? With the blood sacrifice of his own and one of ours?"

Kaleen's anger dissipated from her face, replaced by confusion and curiosity instead. No. She didn't know of that matter that Marcus sprouted.

"And did you know that once it's twilight, the creation of such sacrifice resulted in a vile hunter?"

After saying much, Kaleen heard a nasty growling everywhere. Until one dark entity which stood on all fours appeared from the bush. Her eyes widened in horror. For she hadn't met such an atrocious beast all her life before. In fear, she can't even move her body although her mind alerted her to run away from there…