Third person’s point of view.
“That’s our head doctor, professor Landon” Jones said, pointing to a man who seemed to be in his forties.
King Wymond frowned as he narrowed his eyes and carefully studied the doctor who was injecting an old woman, he felt like something’s off with the doctor but wasn’t sure what it was.
He tried to read the doctor’s thoughts but couldn’t, which made his frown deepened and he came to a conclusion.
He moved his gaze from the doctor and looked around at the vampires who were affected by the plague, some were coughing non-stop, some had dark spots all over their skins and it seemed as if their skins were decaying.
King Wymond opened his hand and a syringe needle moved from a tray into his palm, there’s a bluish liquid inside the syringe, King Wymond quickly broke it in two parts and sniffed it, then cringed in disgust as he inhaled a very bad smell.
He threw a disgusted glare at the doctor.
“I don’t know if that guy looks like your head doctor, Landon, but I do know for sure he’s someone I know very well” he gritted out as he crushed the syringe into even smaller pieces in his palm.
“Someone you know?” Jones frowned slightly and glanced at the doctor again. “Who?” he asked.
“Oak!”
At the mentioned of Oak’s name, the doctor smirked as though he heard them. Just then Edward rushed in, he exchanged looks with King Wymond and nodded.
“Long time no see, Wymond” the doctor said as he turned to face them, he waved and grinned at King Wymond.
“Not long enough” King Wymond gritted out. “Why are you assuming someone else’s identity here? Since when did you become a doctor, Oak?”
The doctor (now known as Oak), laughed shortly at King Wymond’s question as though he’s just said the best joke of the year.
“I had to do something to get myself a place here until you arrive, I can’t be a freeloader while waiting for you now, right?”
King Wymond balled his fist and clenched his jaw, he felt a very strong urge to snap Oak’s neck at once, to end him once and for all, but he fought against the urge because he knew killing Oak right away will cause a lot of deaths -and this isn’t the right place to fight him.
“Hold on, I don’t understand anything that’s going on right now” Jones said.
He tilted his head and looked at Oak in a very confused expression, he blinked his eyes a few times before saying anything else.
“Where’s our head doctor, professor Landon? Why are you pretending to be him? And what do you want from us?” he asked.
“He’s dead” Oak said nonchalantly.
“Dead? How? Why?”
“It’s obviously because I need his identity” Oak paused and shut his eyes briefly. “I can sense you’re gonna start making so much noise that it’s gonna give me a headache”
“Guards, guards, take this evil man and lock him….”
Jones words were swallowed when Oak threw him an offended glare, and Jones’ hands flew to his neck at once as he felt as though someone’s choking him.
Oak raised his index finger and Jones was lifted off the ground, he flicked his finger and Jones was sent flying across the large hall.
But King Wymond snapped his fingers, which stopped Jones at once, he lowered his hand slowly and Jones gently landed on his feet again.
King Wymond glared maliciously at Oak.
“Oak, my people are innocent, stop hurting them and deal with me directly!”
“Of course” Oak replied.
He narrowed his eyes at the old woman he was injecting earlier, and she started coughing uncontrollably to the extent she was coughing out thick blood.. soon she fell down and that was the end of her.
Oak’s eyes moved around as if he’s looking for another prey, but everyone else started cowering away and trying their best, even in their weakened state to hide themselves from Oak’s evil eyes -it’s not like hiding can save them though.
“They’re innocent, but they’re suffering because their King is a sinner”
“What sin did I commit?” King Wymond asked.
“None, you’re just paying for your parents’ betrayal”
“Betrayal? How did they betrayed you?”
Oak stared at King Wymond with so much hatred, as if he’s staring at his enemy and he lunged forward to land a punch on him, but he punched an empty space as King Wymond disappeared and reappeared behind him (Oak).
He (Oak) turned around and growled lowly in disappointment.
“I have someone very dear to you under my care, if you want her alive, come to the vampurine forest tonight… I’ll also tell you why you must die!”
“I’ll come and I’ll come alone, but first give them..” he nodded at the sick vampires. “.. the antidote”
Oak looked at the vampires and chuckled, then shook his head in disagreement.
“No, they can have the antidote and only if you can retrieve it from me, it’s right here” he tapped his shirt pocket. “But of course, that is if you can kill me first” he said.
King Wymond smirked arrogantly when Oak said that, he shook his head.
“What are you smirking at? Do you think I’d pity you and won’t kill you?”
King Wymond shook his head again.
“No, trust me, you’ll die before me and I might not even be the one to kill you”
Oak narrowed his eyes.
“Come to the vampurine forest tonight or….” then Oak vanished before King Wymond could utter any other words.
Jones rushed towards King Wymond immediately Oak vanished, he didn’t know what to say or do, all he could do at the moment was stare at King Wymond with a panicked and worried expression.
“Stay calm, Jones, I’ll get the antidote for everyone” King Wymond assured him.
He dumbly nodded. King Wymond turned to Edward, who seemed to be scrolling through his phone and King Wymond smacked the back of his head.
“Edward?”
Edward slowly turned his head towards his King, King Wymond’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when he noticed tears brimmed up in Edward’s eyes.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
Edward shook his head, he pointed at a girl who’s laying on a mattress in a corner, she’s shivering even though she was covered with a blanket, her face was covered in dark dots and she looked paled.
“That’s.. that’s.. that’s…” he couldn’t speak.
“That’s who?”
“My mate” then all hell broke loose as his tears started flowing and he started crying.
King Wymond quickly pulled him into a hug, he’s never seen Edward break down in front of him and never thought a day would come when he’ll see this too.
“Don’t worry, we have everything under control and we’ll get the antidote for your mate” King Wymond promised him.
“But.. but she look so pale, what if she couldn’t hold on until we get the antidote?”
“Shh” King Wymond shushed. “Nothing’s gonna happen to her, she’s coming back to the palace with us”
“Really?”
“Yes”
Edward pulled away from the hug, he glanced at his mate once more before turning back to his King.
“What’s our next step?” he asked.
“We wait until nightfall”
“Uh.. your Majesty, there’s something I failed to report earlier because Oak was still here”
“What is it?”
Edward gulped loudly, then inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
“Her highness was taken away” he dropped the bombshell slowly and gently.
“What?!!”
★★★★★
Arabella’s point of view.
(HOURS LATER)
It’s been hours since I’m brought to this goddamn wretched and smelly place, nobody has come into the room since I was brought in, but I believe there are guards outside the door and there’s no way I can escape from here.
My hands and legs were tied up, but thankfully they haven’t started torturing me or whatsoever.
Wait, I’m starving, shouldn’t they at least get me something to eat? Do they always treat their captives this poorly and rudely? Don’t they know I’m their bargaining chip? What if I die of starvation and they end up having nothing to bargain with?
*It’s not like you’ve told them you’re hungry* Amy scoffed, I felt her stretching her limps.
*Someone’s finally awake*
But she’s right though, there’s no way they’d know I’m hungry since I’m still pretending to be knocked out -I guess it’s time to wake up.
I struggled for a short while, but managed to sit up and looked around, that’s when I realized why this place’s smelling so bad, it looked like a very old and abandoned warehouse of some sort.
Yikes! I’m feeling so irritated right now.
Just when I was about calling any of the men outside, I heard the rusted door creak open, someone set one of their foot inside but didn’t come in.. it seemed like a man’s leg.
“I’ve brought her as promised, I hope you’re gonna meet your end of our bargain?” I heard Ingrid’s voice taking to someone, he must be Oak.
“Not yet” huh? Is he going back on his words? “I can’t hear cries of pain yet”
Huh? Is this how we’re going to play this game? I’m supposed to be rolling on the floor and crying in pain?
I quickly laid back on the ground and started rolling and groaning as if I’m in great pains, before I knew it, I’m deeply into the character and I’ve started crying -shedding out real tears.
Then I heard a very loud laughter, the whole place light up as the doors pushed open and someone started approaching me. I couldn’t see his face clearly because the light was temporarily blinding my eyes, until he stopped in front of me and squatted to my level.
“Now this is the sound I wanna hear…” he paused, reached forward and caressed my cheek. “.. but this isn’t the result I was hoping to get” he said looking at my body.
What result was he expecting? It’s been hours, Wymond should come fast or I’ll be a dead meat here.
He reached for a pocket, pulled out a small bottle with yellowish liquid inside and shake it in front of my eyes.
“Let’s see if this will do the job” he said.
He held my jaw and tried to open my mouth, but I tightly jammed and refused to open my mouth. He frowned at me, then raised his right hand and made to snap his fingers.. but he stopped on his tracks when the bottle was suddenly knocked off his hand.
We both turned our heads towards the door and saw Wymond glaring daggers at Oak.
Finally. I guess he’s taken care of all Oak’s guards outside, or maybe Edward’s still dealing with them and he’s come to rescue me first.
He pushed me off and slowly got up, he backed me and faced Wymond. I quickly pushed my legs up, pulled out the knife that was stuck in my boot and carefully used it to cut off the rope that tied my hands together.
“You came so fast” he said.
I scoffed mentally, he calls this coming so fast? I would have died had Wymond arrive a minute later.
“She’s truly your weakness” he laughed.
“Of course, she’s my weakness because she’s the love of my life..” aww, professing his love at the oddest time. “.. something your dark heart won’t let you taste”
I sneakily crept up behind Oak, I held up the knife, but strangely enough my hands started shaking, I looked at Wymond for encouragement but he wasn’t even looking my way.
*You can do it, baby* he mind-linked me.
I nodded, I took a deep breath and stabbed him very deep at a particular spot in his neck -the knife might have reached his trachea.
Oak tensed as blood started gushing out rapidly immediately the knife went in his neck and his clothes were instantly soaked in blood in just a matter of few seconds, we could clearly see his red blood glittering on his clothes even though he was dressed in black.
He tried to turn his neck, but it was already stiff hence he couldn’t turn his neck, then he slowly turned his entire body around to face me with his eyebrows furrowed deeply in confusion.
I guess he’s wondering how come I’m standing in front of him, looking so healthy and… maybe strong?
“What do you think you’re doing?!” he growled at me.
“Exactly what I have done” I nodded at the knife that was still deeply buried in his neck.
He tried to lift his hand to pull it out, but he couldn’t, it’s as if his arms were paralyzed and immediately his arms paralyzed, his legs also followed suit, they gave way and he fell on his face.
Then he started groaning in pain, his face started turning pale and the veins in his face started bulging out, big red dots started appearing on his face and soon his skin started tearing up -yuck, I feel so disgusted right now and feel like puking.
He just laid still on the ground as though he’s dead, but he’s very much alive since he’s still groaning very loudly.
“Ho-how?” he managed to ask.
Wymond opened his arms and I rushed in, he held my face and planted a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Let’s tell him how, baby” he perked my lips and I nodded.