"I want you to come with me," Wes said. "We need to go somewhere."While still seated on the bed next to him, Willow gazed at nothing in particular. Can he be trusted? He seemed harmless right now but he was still a vampire and could easily be his prey. She abruptly stood up and turned to face him."What if you drink my blood and murder me? Or worse, what if you sell me to someone?" She shook her head and covered her mouth as her eyes grew wider. "I'm not going anywhere with you, sir!"Wes stared at her blankly for a second."Your severe lack of trust is frightening.""These are legitimate concerns. You'd know if you watched the news. This is how the world is, especially when you're a girl. You can’t blame me for being cautious.""And while I commend your efforts, I am not going to—" He was interrupted by a voice."Willow!" Her father called from downstairs.Willow’s eyes widened even more."Get up!" She yanked him off the bed. "Hide somewhere!""Where?" He whisper-yelled.Willow shov
"You just had to lie, didn't you?" Willow yelled as she walked on dried leaves and twigs beside Wes in the woods.They had walked from her father's house to a nearby hill and were now ascending a faintly marked path that led to the top."It's better than the truth.""Nope. Absolutely not."He stopped to look at her."What would you rather have me say? Hello, sir. I am a vampire from a hidden kingdom seeking your daughter's aid in killing my father in retaliation for killing my mother."She blinked at him twice."When you put it that way..." She spoke. "Where are we headed? What's the strategy? And you have to tell me or I'm turning around to go back home."Wes relented."If I were to put it in simple words, we have to find a magical herb that grants a wish to whoever consumes it."It seemed something straight out of a fairytale. Willow highly questioned the legitimacy of this."Something like that exists?" she skeptically asked."It has majorly been a myth."That sounds right, she tho
The witch sat in front of Wes, holding a burning incense and waving it to spread the smoke."You are to be the king someday and I owed it to Aurum."Wes shifted his weight from one side to another, disliking the politics that seemed to follow him everywhere."I will be sure to remember this."The old witch looked at Willow, soundly sleeping."Tell me something, why does it have to be this girl?"Wes looked at her peaceful sleeping face too, and before he could form an answer, she woke up with a start, feeling like she was falling down a flight of stairs. Her heart was racing and her breathing was frantic. She let out a gasp and looked at Wes and the witch."What is it?" he asked.She shook her head and sat upright."Just a weird dream." A weird ominous dream. Maybe it was a warning."I will get everything ready," the witch said before leaving the room."What is she getting ready?" Willow asked as she straightened her back.Wes got off the floor and she followed soon."What was your dr
Once Wes and Willow were out of the market, they found themselves near the edge of a cliff. The wind picked up speed, and Willow wrapped her arms around her body.A man dressed in long black robes, a leather belt around his waist, and black boots with a thick maroon scarf draped around his neck and shoulders appeared to be waiting for them nearby. His hair was black, with gray patches on either side above the ears.“I am Byron, and I will be guiding you to the priest. Please follow me.”As they walked and climbed, the forest grew denser, and when they finally arrived at the location, Willow's mouth dropped. Wes was equally enthralled.A waterfall that was surrounded by the environment's lush greenery appeared. They were enveloped by the sounds of nature, including owls, crickets, chirping birds, and rustling leaves."You must go through the waterfall," Byron said before taking his leave."How... we're going to get all wet..." Willow whispered but continued to follow Wes.They stepped
Wes and Willow waited for Byron to accompany them to the location where the high priest would cast the spell. They stood at the bottom of a stone staircase leading up a hill somewhere in the mountains of Heiroland.The sky's white clouds had now turned dark."Are you sure about this?" Wes asked.She waited a few seconds before answering."Isn't this why you needed me here? You knew about this, didn't you?""Yes, but I'm not going to force you into anything."She looked straight ahead at the stone stairs."We are on a path now, either of self-destruction or endless glory."They climbed the stairs and about halfway, found the mage waiting on one of the steps for them. He was leaning against the worn wooden fence."Welcome to the second tier of Hieroland," Byron said. "Everything is ready for the ceremony. Would you like to change into something more suitable?""No, we will head straight to the ceremony," the prince said."Alright," he replied, displeased, and led the way.Willow looked
Following the ceremony, Willow departed to change. Wes took a seat in one of the chairs that were set up next to the aisle.The priest came to sit beside the prince before he spoke."I have never interfered, never bothered to warn the people who came before you because who was I to stop them from a hopeful journey that would perish in misery?"Wes looked at him, eyebrows raised. He said nothing and waited for him to continue."I pity the human you dragged into this. A human has no place in this world, let alone the path you are about to take her on."Wes looked back in the direction of the tent."She is tough. Besides, she is here by free will."The priest did not comment further and stood up to leave.Willow emerged from the tent wearing her usual attire. Wes noticed her and stood up, turning to face the mage who was standing on the right side of the aisle."We would like to return now.""Oh," Byron exclaimed, "I'm afraid that isn't possible, your highness. I had to notify the queen
She gave him a blank look before her face started to flush. She tried to maintain her composure as she retreated back into the couch to put some space between them. "Thank you for the generous and unchivalrous offer but I think I'll be better off somewhere else," saying that, she slipped from under his arms, got up from the couch, and ran past him and out of the room. In the hallway, Willow made her way to the balcony next to the stairwell. She tried to breathe in some fresh air while fanning her face with her hands. She stood with her arms resting on the ledge, looking over the enormous, olive-green trees that appeared black in the dark. She heard footsteps but didn't turn around to look because she was half expecting it to be Wes. "You shouldn't be out alone." Willow found the concierge from earlier standing beside her on the balcony. "Why not?" "A human, alone, in a place filled with vampires and witches? I don't think I need to explain any further. Your husband might not lik
The lodge's visitors had retired to their rooms late at night. The night was quiet except for the owls' hoots and the bats flying overhead. Esmeray sat behind the counter, bored and ready to fall asleep. She was covering a shift for her friend and made a mental note never to do it again. When self-pinching failed to keep her awake, she washed her face in cold water. She took a book on basic spells and began reading before getting back behind the counter. Although she was forbidden from using magic outside of her lessons, she needed to do something to keep herself from dozing off and no one was around to witness it. She took a piece of paper in her hand and focused on it while reading the spell from the book. A short while later, blue flames engulfed the paper. Just as she had started the fire, Esmeray extinguished it. She then used magic to light the fireplace, but she realized that anyone who happened to be nearby would be able to see the magical flames, so she extinguished it imme
Once the dust settled and the smoke vanished, Wes and Willow saw that all the vampires in the vicinity had been turned into humans. People were rejoicing as their hunger and bloodlust dissipated. They hugged each other and shared tears and smiles."I didn't mean to hurt that boy I swear," Willow heard a woman say, "I don't know what came over me."The newly turned humans were sharing stories about the horrors they had done while being consumed by bloodlust.Wes saw Luke reuniting with his family and went to talk to them, while Willow found Ava and Rus standing on the right side of the platform. Two of the priest's apprentices were carrying the body of the late king to burn on the pyre they had created in the open field where the tent was.Ava had a bright smile as she felt the sunlight on her face."You look happy," Willow remarked."I am no longer a queen. I'm finally free to do whatever I want. Of course, I'm happy. I can travel now. Live
In the city square, the witches and mages had joined hands, formed a circle, and began chanting. The humans and vampires of Hieroland protected the circle from the vampires of Vilaria. The chanting got louder with each passing second. There was a vibration in the air. One the feel the power radiating from the circle. The wind picked up and the earth started shaking.Behind the circle, the priest and Aurum engaged in a ferocious battle. Their energies clashed and it shook the ground. Everyone became a little unsteady, but the witches and mages did not let go of their hands and continued chanting.The priest stood on the platform looking down at Aurum who had fallen to the ground."Why shall I suffer at your hands?" Aurum cried, sweating profusely. He looked at Hieron. "You destroyed my life once. Wasn't that enough?""A mistake on my part," the priest calmly replied. "You did plenty wrong before you came to accompany the tribe, as I seem to remember. I am
Gemma cried when a vampire bit her wrist, though she quickly took out a knife and managed to pierce the heart of her attacker. The vampire's eyes were as wide as saucers. She struggled to grab onto Gemma but eventually fell to the ground. Gemma put pressure on the puncture wound before tying a handkerchief around it. She looked around to see one-third of the humans lying dead. A wave of anger washed over her. She was about to go on a killing spree, but Kairav stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "We must stick to the plan," he said. Her nostrils flared, but she nodded. The humans and people from Hieroland created a barrier between Aurum and the vampires of Vilaria. On the other end of the barrier, Willow falls unconscious. The woman who hit her raised the baseball bat to smash her skull, but before she could do that, Wes tackled her to the ground. "How dare you!" He spoke, enraged and murderous, as he punched her face.
The executioner fell to the ground, bloodying it. Everyone in the crowd turned their heads and gazed upon the perpetrator. Slade stood there with an unapologetic smug expression. Aurum smirked as he looked at Wes. "How heroic of you to come here and try to save your father." Everyone gasped again as they realized who it was that stood amongst them. Aurum didn't wait for a reply. "You have made my work easy by walking here and saved me the time to hunt you down." "And why would you hunt me down?" Wes asked. "What is my crime?" "You," Aurum's jaw ticked, "are the son of a traitor." "Is that a crime? I didn't ask to be his son." Wes looked into the crowd to see some of the heads nodding in agreement. "Yeah!" someone shouted. "He is nothing like his father." "He is the complete opposite!" Aurum's face swelled with anger. "Silence! I am the ruler of this king
Willow and Wes left the room and gathered everyone. "Why now?" Kairav asked as he walked down the hallway of the lodge with Wes, Willow, Slade, Ava, Rus, and Luke. "We know for certain where Aurum is going to be," Willow said. "And the rest of the vampires. There couldn't have been a better opportunity." "Should I remind you that we don't have the numbers," Slade exclaimed. "How are the seven of us going to beat an army of thousands?" They were out of the lodge when Willow turned to face all the others. "We have the vampires of Hieroland and the humans of the organization. But you are right. It's not enough, which is why I have a plan." *** Wes and Slade walked through the streets of the kingdom of Vilaria. The two had come through the portal into the once-human city of Syllton and had crossed the woods to enter Vilaria inconspicuously. Wes kept his head low while Slade walked ahead with his head held high since nobody would re
Wes stood outside the priest's house in the open green lands and knocked on the door. The priest let him in and asked him to take a seat on one of the chairs made from jute. "There has been something on my mind for a long time now," he said to the priest who was sitting in front of him. "Before that," the priest raised his hand, "can I offer you some tea?" Wes remembered what happened the last time he drank tea and refused the offer. "Alright, what is on your mind?" "There was something Aurum said to me before he locked me in a prison cell; something that seemed familiar. He said he was a vampire before being the kingdom's mage and a mage before being a vampire. He had been in a tribe and had been wronged by one of the members. If I remember correctly, you killed the person who was responsible for the curse and everybody else." The priest nodded in affirmative. "Aurum said that the mage who tried to kill him made him a test sub
"A human was caught near the palace," a soldier said to Aurum, who sat on the throne inside the palace of Vilaria. He was dressed in long black robes with gold embroidery and long sleeves. "He claims to know the location of the human organization and is willing to pass it on for the right price." Aurum gestured for the soldier to bring him in. A minute later, the heavy doors to the throne room opened and Dain walked in. When he saw the mage sitting on the throne, he immediately kneeled and bowed his head. Aurum looked pleased. "Rise," he said looking at the human. "What do you know? And spare no detail." Dain shared the exact location of the organization. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Aurum asked. "I wouldn't have risked my life to come here if it wasn't for the truth." "And why are you selling your comrades?" "They are not my comrades, sir," he spat. "They are delusional people who think they can wi
The sun had risen on the horizon, illuminating the green forest. Willow and Wes walked in silence for the rest of the way until they reached the top of the hill, from where the organization building was partially visible. "Wait here," she said to him before second-guessing her decision. "No," she shook her head, "come with me." "Why don't you want to leave me here? Do you not trust me?" "No, I don't. If anyone from the organization sees you they won't hesitate to kill you, or you will kill them. Neither of the outcomes is favorable," she said monotonously. She walked down the hill and looked back to see him. "Now," she stated, "follow my exact steps. Do not stray." "Why?" He asked, but she had already started walking towards the building. "Not everybody can enter the organization." He saw her footprints and matched his steps to them. She then took him to the side of the building and looked up. "That's my
The sky above the palace of Corlyn was dark, starry, and cloudless. Ava stood by the window of the guest room that was much smaller than her room at the palace of Vilaria. The space had minimal furniture: a bed, a vanity table, a small closet, a sofa, and a coffee table.Ava twisted the fabric of the curtain between her fingers as she looked at the main gates of the palace, where guards stood in attention all night."This is exactly what I tried to escape, and this is exactly where we ended up," she sighed. "Another palace."Rus looked at her from the sofa chair, feeling sympathetic. He had been given the room beside hers, but he didn't want to leave her alone.There was a knock at the door. Ava turned around to look at Rus and then back at the door. Whoever was on the other side did not wait for a response as the door flew open."Princess!" Ava said coming to stand near Rus who was now standing out of respect too.Princess Raya hastily rush