Father Oveido moved closer to her, his gait uneven without the aid of his staff. Lianne felt hopeless with what was now an imminent threat, but she knew she wasn’t powerless. She had to fight for her freedom, and fight she will.
She kicked her feet hard when the priest stood a couple of inches from her. She was able to hit his left knee, instantly sending a jolt of pain all over his leg. He winced in the pain but he smiled briefly and said, “You think this would deter me from doing what I must do? Struggle as much as you want, princess.”
“You stay away from me!” she threatened, gnashing her teeth in anger.
“I don’t think that will happen, ” he answered and then went behind the sofa.
This time, Lianne wasn’t able to anticipate or even see what he was about to do next, but it was certainly clearer when she noticed the blade of the dagger drawn close to her chest.
“No!” she cried out loud in bone-chilling fear. Her eyes widened briefly and then she closed it tightly feeling the sharp lacerating pain on her chest, just below her clavicle.
“Ahhhhh!” she cried in agony.
Cain clenched his teeth at the sight of it. He didn’t want to see her in pain, and he definitely didn’t want to see her precious skin tainted. But it was required. Her blood was a needed ingredient. To compensate, he made a mental note to lavish her with kisses and the scar that the chest wound will leave then. After all, she would be his when all of this ends.
Her bright red blood streamed rapidly from the wound down to her cleavage. Father Oveido smiled a wicked smile and then pressed the chalice against her chest, filling it with her gushing blood.
She felt herself tremble as she saw the blood. This was really happening now, and there was no way she would be able to extort herself out of it.
The throbbing pain on her chest continued as seconds passed, then minutes, and all the while she began to feel dizzy and listless. The amount of blood she was losing was enough to drain her energy, the precious energy she needed to fight any further pending assault.
Finally done, Father Oveido took out the chalice and walked hastily towards the marble slab where Garlow’s body lay still, leaving her drowning in pain.
“Yes! Now is definitely the right time!” he shouted with eager anticipation, lifting the chalice high above his head.
Lianne watched tiredly at the priest, observing him as he began his ritual.
“No…” she whispered weakly, tasting the saltiness of her tears as it continued flowing down her cheeks.
She wasn’t able to contain her emotions from overflowing. A mixture of hate, anger, hopelessness, and fear collided inside her. Was dying this way her destiny? Being drained out of blood? Immediately, her thoughts singled out on the only man she truly missed, Ruen.
‘Ruen!’ she shouted in her thoughts, hoping that by some kind of miracle, he’d come and rescue her.
“Lianne, ” Cain’s soft voice touched her ears, and then she felt a silky cloth cover her chest wound with pressure. “Everything will be fine, ” he added.
She struggled to open her eyes widely to look at him. She wanted to shot him a cold glare for betraying her. For not aiding her. For not stopping the priest from wounding her. But all she could do was to show him sadness.
“Cain… why?” she asked, feeling exhausted.
He didn’t answer her question, opting instead to be silent. He half knelt in front of her as he examined the wound and her blood-tinged dress. With the amount of blood she lost, it was understandable she would be this exhausted.
The sound of Father Oveido’s voice chanting was heard all over the cave as Cain started untying the rope on Lianne’s wrists. Then, a red beam of light emerged from a small hole at the ceiling of the cave. The hole wasn’t distinct at first, but as soon as the blood moon moved at the right spot in the sky just above the cave, it was clear what its sole purpose was.
The red beam was perfectly in alignment with the emerald stone placed at the center of Garlow’s chest, now drenched with Lianne’s blood. Another chanting was made, this time in a deeper pitch.
Father Oveido looked like he was in a trance. His hands raised high above the air, his head lifted in an awkward position while kneeling on the ground.
A moment of silence surrounded the cave as the red beam slowly vanished. Out of his trance, Father Oveido then stood up and inspected his work and found that the pool of blood in Garlow’s chest was absorbed by the emerald stone. However, his wicked grin suddenly turned to an obvious frown. An instant realization hit him.
He hastily whirled around and found that Cain was already helping her to stand.
“No! This can’t be!” Father Oveido cried out loud, his face looking distressed.
Cain gave him a puzzled look and asked, “What is the matter with you priest?”
“You gave your word that you will not touch her!” Oveido shouted again, this time his face flushed in anger.
“And I didn’t. That was my word, although it was hard for me to keep it, ” Cain replied. He saw the priest walking towards them holding the dagger in his hand.
“She has been touched! Her blood is not enough anymore for the ritual to be successful!”
“What do you mean?” Cain frowned.
“Her virtue is lost!” he spat the words out like poison on his lips. “She is useless other than her death. Give her to me now. Her death is the only way for Garlow to be resurrected!”
A spasm of pure disappointment filled Cain and caught his stomach twisting into a tight knot. Deny as he may, but the truth was coming down on him like a massive boulder. He looked at Lianne who was now half unconscious.
“Damn it, ” he swore a guttural oath low enough that he could only hear. He thought of the many men that could do it to her, but one man pinpointed his assumption ever so unquestionably. It seemed that Ruen had already made sure of that aspect of her virginity.
“I gave you my word, ” he started in a firm, unyielding voice. “Now, it’s my turn to claim her.”
Father Oveido hissed in displeasure. He gripped the dagger tightly and then approached the princess in haste, placing the sharp blade into a stabbing position, but before he could proceed an inch longer, Cain drew his iron sword from his scabbard and pointed it on the priest’s face.
Father Oveido, wide-eyed, unconsciously dropped the dagger from his hand. He felt a slicing pain on the tip of his nose as he stared at the blade glinting at his front.
“Step any further and I will have your head, old man.” Cain’s voice deepened to a resonant growl. “You have done enough damage to her. What makes you think I will let you kill her?”
“You’re a fool! This is her destiny. Her family’s curse. No one will rest once they know of the Vhillana family’s secret. Just like King Garlow, after I told him about it. Now, think of your life after I divulge this secret to others like him!” he announced, then started grinning like a madman.
“You cannot threaten me, old man. Didn’t you notice? I. Am. Like. Garlow, ” he stated, his eyes flashing wickedly as he sliced the priest’s neck with his thick blade.
A look of terror painted Father Oveido’s face. He clenched his neck with both of his hands, trying to stop the blood from oozing out of his carotid artery. He coughed up fresh blood from his mouth, and then staggered, falling onto the ground with a loud thud.
Cain reveled at what he had done, this time no one will ever know of her family’s secret, keeping her safe in the process.
The three men guarding the passage were oblivious of the commotion in the platform until they heard the scream of the priest for help. They drew their swords out as they saw the general descending down the makeshift stairs with the princess, half-conscious, in his arms.
Lianne had intermittent glimpses of what was happening around her. This time, although her vision was still hazy, she saw Cain putting her down the ground just a few meters from the opening.
“Cain…” she whispered weakly, catching his attention.
“I’ll be right back, ” he stated and came to stand guard, drawing his sword once again.
The princess fought to keep her consciousness alert. She kept her breathing slow but deep as the pain in the wound would increase every time she would inhale.
She felt her hands numb and her feet heavy when she tried to stand up, but no, she wouldn’t allow this to be her obstacle at escaping. She attempted once again with firm resolution and was able to stand albeit in an unstable manner. She paced slowly towards the stone wall in the hopes that it will steady her, all the while hearing the clashing of the sword in the distance.
She was able to reach half of the passage when she felt the ground quake and then heard a loud explosion from atop her. She heard a low rumble of what sounded like massive stones coming down the cliff but she ignored it when a sudden pang of pain radiated all over her chest coming from her wound.
Grimacing, she fell down the ground, unable to keep herself steady any longer. The earth continued shaking violently comparable to the emotions that were whirling in her mind.
Her thoughts, in the spur of the moment, wandered into empty space. She could no longer contain her consciousness with the minute amount of energy remained inside her. However, just as she was about to succumb to the darkness, she heard a clear call of her name.
“Lianne!!!”
A male voice emerged out of the shadows of the passage, then two distinct figures came to her in haste. She struggled to clear her vision but the haziness was unrelenting. The only glimpse she could make was seeing Lord Jared’s worried face whilst catching his breath.
She felt strong arms lifting her from the ground, followed by a comfortable warmth enveloping her.
“Ruen…?” she muttered with great care, slightly curving her lips into a brief smile. Heaven had heard her.
“I’m here now, Lianne, you don’t need to worry.”
Ruen’s voice was salvation for her. It was the best sound she heard despite the rumbling of the cave.
“Your Highness, I think it’s best we should leave now. This place is prone to earthquakes, ” Lord Jared suggested quickly, thinking of the fate that General Midas had received inside the very same cave they were in.
Ruen nodded in agreement.
As they ran out of the cave’s passage, Lianne caught a glimpse of the cave collapsing quickly behind them. She heard a call of her name in the distance and in the midst of the thick dust, a shadow of a man slowly vanished.