Time slowed as her heart rate increased. In her vision, the golden interior of the throne was woven into threads that could potentially be tied around her throat. Willow stood in the middle of the room, not to be scrutinized in this manner. The golden throne room exuded an aura of opulence and grandeur. The walls were adorned with intricate golden filigree, depicting mythical creatures and elaborate patterns that catch the light and cast a warm, inviting glow.
The centerpiece of the room was a majestic golden throne, elevated on a dais and embellished with precious gemstones. Its tall backrest is adorned with golden motifs, creating a sense of authority and power.
The room is spacious, with a high ceiling supported by golden pillars, each meticulously detailed. Crystal chandeliers hang from above, casting a sparkling radiance throughout the space. The polished marble floor reflects the golden hues, creating a mesmerizing effect.
The king, dressed in his expensive bejeweled robes, sat on the throne, speaking inaudibly to her. Her mind was blank, although she could see his lips moving. He stood up and walked in front of Willow, still asking questions that she couldn't understand due to her trance-like state.
Suddenly, the silence was broken, and her cognition resumed stable functioning.
"Where did you find her, son?" The king inquired the man standing beside her.
Son?
Willow looked at him, her eyes widening as she realized who he was. But, on the other hand, she was fully prepared for the possibility that everything was a dream. As a result, the realization faded quickly.
"In my bed," said the prince. "I believe it indeed was a coincidence."
The king, who was still standing directly in front of her, looked her in the eyes and examined her, even though he didn't have to. Her scent stood out, instantly confirming her identity.
"Could you go into more detail about your journey from the human world to the prince's bedroom?" The king asked, eager to learn her story and put it to rest once and for all.
“Okay,” Willow said, “I can do that.” She cleared her throat. “I was at work, and when I left, it had already started raining. I didn’t have an umbrella so I waited for the storm to pass. And while I waited, my boss who is also my former childhood friend, offered a ride saying he wanted to talk to me. I will not describe the subject of the conversation but I will say that it soon turned into an argument. I stormed out of the car after asking him to stop at the side of a deserted road. Before I could calm down and talk to him, I saw him leaving already. I walked alone, lost in the train of my thoughts when a truck driver stopped nearby and made explicitly sexual comments. I ran to get away from him and got lost in the woods until I saw lights bouncing in a tunnel. I thought there must be people nearby so I followed the lights and—”
“Came to the festival that the common people had organized,” the prince completed her sentence.
Willow nodded. “Yes. That’s where I met the Queen.” She gestured towards Ava, who had entered the throne room in the middle of Willow’s reiteration. “I asked her for help and tried to show her the tunnel but strangely it had disappeared. The Queen agreed to help me nevertheless and brought me here, but before I could ask which room I was supposed to go to—”
“She had already retired to her quarters,” the prince said, glaring at Ava. “Not surprising. She is careless.”
Willow ignored his comment and continued. “I was exhausted and wanted to sleep so I wandered down the hallways, entered a room, and took shelter there, not knowing that the room belonged to the prince.”
She chose to skip what happened on the bed with the prince. She was certain it was humiliating for both of them.
The king looked at Ava and she nodded, confirming Willow’s story.
Willow’s mind began to race once more and the throbbing in her head worsened.
“I’m sure I’m not to blame here," she said. "Please don't put me in a dungeon. I'm exhausted and suffering from a continual headache. I had no intention of causing a commotion. And honestly, all of this is too unfathomable, but I am grateful for her help," she said, looking at Ava. "She has been gracious."
"Finally someone who appreciates me! Stay as long as you want." Ava chimed in.
"I have had enough of this," the prince said.
He yanked Willow's arm and dragged her down one of the many corridors before dragging her back to his bedroom.
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