“I can’t find her among the crowd” Daisy told Ariella when she came back from searching for Agnes. Ariella’s heart bled. Suddenly, as if something fell off from their eyes, Ariella and Daisy simultaneously remembered the conversation they heard Agnes having in Tracy’s room.
“Ahhh!” They both exclaimed in unison. Ariella instantly had a panic attack, she fell on the floor and began to gasp for air. Her sister has been taken away from her. How could she forget such vital news? She knew her feelings of premonition were not mere mood swings.
“Ariel, please calm down! Take a deep breath! Bre… ath slowly!” Tears welled up in Daisy’s eyes. Seeing Ariella like this really broke her.
“What’s going on there?” A deep masculine voice asked.
****
The celebration was going on well until Sabastine noticed his two daughters weren’t on seat, neither were Daisy and Agnes.
King Sabastine lost concentration immediately, he kept looking at the place they sat to see if they were back. He became tensed. The prophet said tragedy was already at his doorstep, and it cannot be stopped. Were his daughters chosen to be the first partakers of the tragedy? King Sabastine gestured to one of his soldiers who stood beside him and whispered.
“Go find my daughters!” He ordered.
After a while and the soldier wasn’t yet back. Sabastine’s panic intensified. His body was at the ceremony, but his mind was somewhere else. The worried look on his face was so evident. When Sabastine couldn’t bear it anymore, he immediately stood and flew out of the ceremony to look for his daughters.
Firstly, he searched their room to see it they were there, but he didn’t find them. He searched various places still, not sight of them. King Sabastine was flying through the hallway when he saw a figure that looked like Daisy, with her body almost completely covering someone on the floor. He looked further to be certain, and it dawned on him that Ariella was the one on the floor when he caught a glimpse of her gown.
King Sabastine creased his brows, confused. Why was she on the floor? Did she fall?
“What’s going on there?” Sabastine asked, causing Daisy to turn. Immediately Daisy turned, Sabastine got a clearer view of his daughter. Ariella was having a panic attack. Sabastine at the speed of light, was already kneeling on the floor right in front of Ariella. Ariella was badly gasping for air.
“What happened to her? What did she hear? What did she see?” Sabastine threw at Daisy. Daisy was confused on which to answer Sabastine but Sabastine didn’t even wait for her reply as he carried Ariella away to the royal clinic. Ariella went unconscious almost immediately she was carried.
Guards came running and followed Sabastine who was flying so fast. He was confused, he still hadn’t found Tracy, and his Ariella was not fine. Of all day, this incident decided to happen today. Daisy also followed.
The ongoing ceremony was dissolved quietly. The people were told that the king’s daughter was sick. Hence, the king wasn’t going to be available, and the new date of the ceremony will be communicated to them when it get fixed .
***
“If by night, My daughter is not yet back, I’ll kill you all!” Sabastine told the soldiers who safeguarded the pedestrian gate. He thoroughly interrogated all his soldiers and the once at the main entrance told him how Tracy wanted to leave, but they refused, while the soldiers at the other gate told him how they never knew it was Tracy because she had a mask on. King Sabastine didn’t care, whether they knew it was Tracy or not, if Tracy wasn’t back home by night, he’ll end their lives.
King Sabastine waited for an hour, still no sign of Tracy and her friend. It was then he began to ask himself who Agnes was. He never took time to study and know where she was from. How could he be so careless and stupid? Where did they go together? Were they kidnapped by the prophesied evil one?
The soldiers mourned in their heart for what was about to befall them. Whether some of them were innocent or not, it never mattered, they all had to pay for the crime. The whole palace was as quiet as a graveyard. Everyone in the palace prayed for the safe return of Tracy.
Suddenly, King Sabastine not being able to hold his anger anymore, unsheathed his sword and before anyone could understand what was happening, there were over twenty decapitated heads found on the floor.
****
Daisy held Ariella’s hand and caressed it in a loving way. It’s been hours since she fainted, and she still hasn’t woken up. Ariella who was asleep, looked very pale and tired.
Daisy felt like the worst failure in life. Her friend made her promise that she’ll look after her kids before she died but just take a look now, what she did was the opposite.
Daisy prayed and hoped Tracy was fine wherever she was. How she forgot about the conversation she heard was something that’s surprising to her. It was like a spell to make her and Ariella forget what they heard was cast, but that day, Agnes never saw their faces, so she couldn’t be so sure Agnes made them forget.
Daisy prayed Sabastine doesn’t end up killing too much. She knew there would be death. King Sabastine anger was like a volcano, and it consumed anyone who triggered it.
Ariella on the other hand was having a very terrible nightmare. In her dream, she saw a very strange woman she had never seen before, preparing to break a spell that was cast against her.
Ariella saw a female figure that was badly beaten and tied to a tree. “Offer your blood willingly to me!” The strange woman ordered, but the lady tied to the tree refused.
Before the lady tied could blink, someone held her neck from behind and began choking her. She struggled and fought but all to no avail as the person who held her never let go until finally, she lost consciousness.
“Whether you offer your blood willingly to me or not, I’ll always have my way.”
The woman moved closer to the lady tied to the tree and brought out a knife. She cut the rope that was used to tie the young lady, releasing her hands. The woman took one of the unconscious lady’s hand and cut it with the knife she held, blood began to flow. The woman brought out a small calabash and collected the blood that flowed from the young lady’s hand.
The woman began to recite some incantation with the calabash of blood still held in her hands. The lady who was once tied to the tree suddenly became conscious, she slowly raised her face up and her face became revealed to Ariella.
Tracy! It was Tracy’s blood that was collected by the woman.
“I am Beatrice the unstoppable one! Sabastine! You and your kingdom will bleed.”
Ariella screamed out from her sleep in fright. She startled Daisy and the doctors who were present there.
“She said we are going to bleed!” Ariella said, panting heavily.
“Calm down honey it was just a nightmare,” Daisy tried to pacify her but, however, the next thing Daisy heard shocked her to the core,
“Her name is Beatrice.”