2. Soul Catcher

The journey to Stormsire did not take long, as Zach never made a stop. He did not care that his thirst for blood had been increasing greatly over the past week. All he cared about was arriving in Stormsire as soon as possible and then starting to look for the soul catcher.

Stormsire was a small town located on the west side of Grouver. Like the name says, it was the kind of town that was constantly hit by storms. The residents, mostly vampires, runaway criminals, and a few humans, were used to it and had developed a sense of resignation when it came to dealing with the harsh weather. They knew there was nothing they could do to stop the storm from gracing its presence in the town, so they just had to ride it out.

"This town reeks of blood," Zach took in all the sides that could enter his vision.

With every step he took, he could see the peasants lying on the cold ground, their bodies covered in rags, shivering, and suffering in silence. And several lifeless bodies were scattered on the road, each with a gruesome wound that had long stopped bleeding. The once vibrant red blood was now a dark brown, almost black. Flies buzzed around the corpses, attracted to the dried blood.

The sight was not pleasant to see, but that was the reality of life. So many people would lose their lives every day for different kinds of reasons. But, in Stormsire, the primary reason for death was because a hungry vampire killed them.

Although Stormsire was part of Rimore, Zach never heard a report that the town was in such bad condition. He assumed everything in his kingdom was okay. So now it was quite an eye-opener to him. But it did not matter to him. The people in Stormsire could fight for their life all they wanted.

Suddenly, a short man with a bloated belly came in front of Zach. The man eyed Zach from eye to toe, realizing that Zach was wearing clothes of the highest quality among the people of Stormsire. "Get down from your horse and answer me. Who are you, and what is the purpose of your visit?" The man asked arrogantly, trying so hard to appear confident and not be intimidated by the murderous aura that came from Zach.

Zach's red eyes gleamed dangerously as he stared at the vampire in front of him. He could tell that the vampire was the most respected figure in the town since the man was behaving like he owned the town. The vampire also dressed slightly better than the peasants, but it still felt cheap compared to his.

"Zachary Dacre." He did not say that he was the king, but his name. All the people under the sky of Rimore knew who their king's name was.

"If you are Zachary Dacre, then I am Lord Arden, hahahaha." The vampire burst into laughter as he held his belly. The vampire looked at Zach as though he had grown another head. He could not believe that someone would still want to use the king's name to lie. It was simply ridiculous. 

Zach bore his gaze into the vampire, then he cocked his head to the left side, making the vampire wince in pain and fall helplessly to the damp soil. "Funny how a mere peasant dares to laugh at his king. I should kill you for being impudent" His voice was as cold as winter. The words he uttered were akin to ice, cutting through the vampire and leaving him frozen still.

Recognition hit the vampire, and fear was evident in his eyes. And without wasting more time, he bowed his head. His body was shaking, not from the cold but from the intense feeling of dread. "I deserved death, Your Majesty!" He spoke loudly, but his voice was shaky.

"What is your name?" Instead of killing the vampire, Zach asked. He would use the vampire to find the soul catcher.

"Jude Wells, Your Majesty," Jude said. He did not lift his head. He had rather let himself be glued to the dirty ground than let Zach remove his head from his body.

"Lift your head, Jude," Zach commanded, "I will let you leave with your body intact but bring me the soul catcher."

The mention of the soul catcher was like a death sentence to Jude. There was no way he could bring the soul catcher. They were extinct. The king simply wanted to kill him by asking for such an impossible task to achieve.

"But they have been extinct since long ago, Your Majesty." Jude stole a glance at Zach's face and saw that the king was not impressed with his excuse.

"I heard the soul catcher resides in Stormsire and goes by the name Liezel." As the wind blew against his skin, Zach tightened his hold on his wife as if he was afraid that his wife would feel even colder than she already was.

Liezel. It did ring a bell in Jude's mind. He knew that person. She was the old woman who lived at the very corner of the town, along with her ten-year-old son. Liezel was human, and she came to Stormsire about five years ago. Now that Jude knew she was a soul catcher, it made sense how Liezel could stay alive all this time.

Humans' life was already fragile but living in Stormsire was like offering themselves to the hungry beast. They would be devoured in no time. Only a few humans with money or strong power could survive in the town. The rest died as soon as they entered the gate.

Jude never thought that the old woman would bore such power. It was a pity that the king had discovered the fact before he could. If not, he would have used that woman to gain more money.

"I know where she lives, Your Majesty. I will take you there."

"Hmm, led the way."

As they made their way, several people came out of their houses after they saw the king had passed their territory. They had seen the king and their town council's short interaction, and they could feel the strong aura emitted from the king. It scared them, so they stayed down. It did not matter that they were vampires with power, but in the face of the king, they were nothing.

After a few minutes, Zach and Jude arrived in front of a small house that seemed so fragile that it could blow away at any moment. However, considering that the weather in Stormsire was not friendly, it was a miracle that the house had stood firm all this time.

Jude knocked on the front door harshly and shouted, "Open the door, Liezel!"

Immediately someone opened the door carefully. It was a ten-year-old boy, the son of Liezel. "Where is your mother, boy?"

The boy, Silas Rowan, looked at Jude with wariness, and he peeked over Jude's shoulder and saw Zach. The feeling doubled in his heart. He did not like both of them.

"My mother is sick, Mr. Wells," Silas answered shortly. Then, he closed the door to his house, giving them a sign that he did not accept their visit.

Zach dismounted his horse first, and then he took Nevea in his arms again. He had been covering Nevea's body since the start of their journey so nobody could take a glimpse of what he had planned to do.

He strode to Silas in a giant step then his eyes looked down at the boy. Zach could feel that the boy was scared, but he must applaud the boy's effort for trying to look nonchalant.

"Leave us, Jude. I will talk with you when I need you."