I sat up with a start, panting heavily. The scene from the playground lingered in my eyes for a couple of moments before fading. My hand flew to my chest as a gust of air escaped my lips; deflating the tension.
Hera had decided to spend the night at a tavern and I was alone in my room. My gaze drifted to the open window. It was still dark. I crossed my legs and straightened my back. I took long deep breaths; recollecting and composing my thoughts.
I had fared terribly the previous day, getting all flustered and jeopardizing the mission. I had to do better if I wanted to achieve my objective. I had seven days to find Hera’s weakness; seven days before she would pretend to test me and probably kill me.
I had to retain my focus, attaining one objective at a time. The first step was to obtain her blood for research. I had to do that be
“You poisoned me?”“Yes, wolfsbane.” “Why?”“As I said, I would be testing you in other ways.”Her nonchalance was annoying. I felt this deep, simmering rage emerge in the depths of my heart. I was going to teach this arrogant wereheretic a good lesson. If I were to die, I was going to drag her to the depths of hell with me.I don’t know how, but I was going to do it. It was high time, someone put an end to her atrocities. Now onwards, every word I spoke, every action I took would be to destroy her instead of saving my life!She grabbed my hand and moments later I felt a strange, warmth tingling all over me, “I have absorbed the power of wolfsbane. It won’t hurt you anymore.”I raised my eyebrow, “Does that mean I passed this test?”“Not exactly. I just don’t have evidence against you.” Her gaze grew distant as she continued to speak, “I had expected your comrades to come to your rescue but no one appeared. However, I can’t rule out the possibility that your comrades were just being
They hit me so many times that I lost count of them. All I could do was shield my face as I zoned in and out of consciousness.There was a flash of light and all of a sudden the blows stopped. I cracked open my eyes to see all four of them lying on the ground. I didn’t have to see the person to know that Hera had saved me. She was the only one who could kill four vampires with a single blow.She held out her hand and pulled me to my feet. For the first time, I felt happy to see her. She clasped my hands closer and the familiar warmth coursed through me. Her face remained expressionless as she healed all my wounds and bruises.“Thank you,” I mouthed, feeling too drained to speak.Her face lit up with a fleeting expression, I couldn’t grasp, “Do you think I healed you for free? I need my payment.”“W..What payment?”Her lips lifted in a smirk and she thrust her hand straight into my pocket. I squirmed uncomfortably but she didn’t relent. Moments later, she pulled out the éclair. It had
It took almost the entire day to get out of the wilderness. I was glad to have gotten some rest earlier. We emerged into another human market. This one more lively than the previous one. It was a nice change to see a place bustling with life and colors.People looked so happy, totally engrossed in their mundane lives; completely unaware that a killing machine had just entered. My teeth dug into my lower lip as this thought formed in my mind. Was Hera really a killing machine who massacred everyone for fun?She had spared me despite having suspicion. She even saved my life, twice. But, she killed that child. Arrhh! My head throbbed every time I tried to analyze her.She stopped in front of a pharmacist to buy something. I took this opportunity to find the closest candy stall. When I returned, she was waiting for me with her arms crossed over her chest, “Candy?”I gave her a sheepish look and held out my hand that held a few sweets. She popped one of them in her mouth wordlessly before
The sound of sharp coughing made my steps falter. I rushed back inside to find that blood had spluttered all over her clothes and bed sheet staining them. I rushed to grab a wet towel and helped her to a sitting position before wiping off the blood from her face, “What in the world did you do to end up in such a condition? You are practically invincible right?”She smiled that weak, natural smile that could tug at the strings of my heart. In that moment, I realized that I was just deluding myself. I was never going to hand her over to the Lycan King.“Who told you that I was invincible? I might be stronger than everyone but that doesn’t mean I can never be hurt. I won’t die but that doesn’t mean I am free from all the sufferings in the world,” she managed to stutter, stifling her urge to cough.I
The next thing I know, I was the one lying on the bed and Hera was sitting beside me, holding my hands. Rubbing my eyes groggily, I questioned, “What just happened?”“I think those raisins were laced with wolfsbane.”“Wolfsbane? Why would they be laced with wolfsbane?” I stuttered as I tried to think. The throbbing in my head made it impossible to form any coherent thoughts. So, I looked at Hera, hoping that she could give me an explanation.“They must have grown raisins on the same land as wolfsbane.” She shrugged before brushing the strands of my hair lying on my forehead. In that groggy daze, I recalled that such an error was impossible because they were deliberately injected with arsenic.My heart almost stopped beating as the realization hit me like a zapping meteor. It was all a part of Melinda’s master plan. The raisings weren’t poisoned with wolfsbane; it was the fumes. I had heard from m
It had been two days since I got poisoned with those fumes. I was supposed to be dead but I wasn’t. I was very much alive; feeling every bit of exhaustion as we continued to walk along the stony path.“Isn’t Dreki coming along?”“No, he left.”“Left? Where did he go?”“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”“I thought you were his master. Dreki doesn’t seem like someone who abandons his master.”“I did something that upset him,” she said, twirling the ring around her finger. Her action drew my attention to it again. I had always wanted to ask her about it, “That is a very unique ring. Is there a story behind it?”Her steps faltered a bit and her movements froze, “It does have a sto
“Why are you here, Justin? I thought you had gone your own way.” Hera said without turning to face me. I was still several meters away from her and had just caught a glimpse of her silhouette yet she could recognize me with such precision. Conning her wasn’t going to be easy.Drawing in a few deep breaths, I walked over to the rock she was seated on. She continued to look at the sandy ground underneath, tracing circles with her feet absentmindedly.I dropped to my knees, trying to make my expression as pitiful as possible, “I… I am here to confess, Hera.”She finally looked at me, “Confess?”“Yes… I… I know that you will probably kill me after hearing my confession but I can’t keep this secret anymore. It is killing me.”Her eyebrows raised, “You are underestimating my powers, Justin. There is nothing about you that I don’t know.”There it was, that pride, arrogance. I must have been blinded earlier to be attracted to such a snobbish woman. My fingers dug into my thighs as I struggled
When we reached the Western Raven Courtyard, the vampire king, Andres was already waiting for Hera. Their eyes met and something fleeting passed between them. There was an odd sense of familiarity between them.“King Andres,” She greeted with a mock bow. “You are already here.” Her lips lifted in a vicious smile, “Seems like my technique worked.”He narrowed his eyes, his expression growing colder, “If anything happens to them, I swear I will rip you to so many shreds, you won't be able to count.”Hera snorted, “I have already made the magical pact. Why are you still so worked up, King Andres?” She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, “This duel will be just between you and me.” The smile she gave him, sinister yet alluring. Damn! It made my skin cra