Chapter 114
CAMILLA’S P.O.V
I was in the office until late evening when I was beginning to feel very stuffy. I decided to leave the office and take a walk into the garden. I didn’t expect to see Ryker sitting there in the private garden. He was in front of the fountain and he was just staring. He noticed me immediately and gave me a warm smile as he gestured for me to make my way over to him. Once I was within arm’s reach, he pulled me over so that I was sitting directly next to him and tucked under his arm.
“We really shouldn’t be out here,” I whispered and he shrugged. “We have a direct path into the woods. Tyson once used it to spy on me.”
Ryker frowned at that information. “I have guards stationed all over with torches and there are torches lining every inch of this garden. I always take precautions, Camilla.”
I shook my head at him. “Of course you do, I don’t expect anything less.”
“Why are you here? Did you want to train? We haven’t done that in a few days.”
“Not really, I just wanted some fresh air. It was getting too stuffy on the inside. I had been thinking and you know how they say that the darkest hour is just before the dawn, well I haven’t seen the darkest hour yet and I am terrified that we will not be able to handle it.”
“We will,” he assured me. “We will get through it together and we will come out on the other side just like we always do. We can handle anything thrown at us. Do you understand me?”
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I nodded. I opened my mouth to speak when I heard something. it was a cra ck like someone stepping on a twig. Ryker heard it too because he immediately stood to his feet and took a protective stance in front of me. He reached under the bench we were seated on and took out a wooden torch which he lit using one of the already lit ones in front of us.
“Stay back,” he ordered me as he brandished his torch forward. I saw a figure step out of the woods and I immediately recognized him.
“Ryker, put your weapon down, now?” I could feel his confusion so I explained. “That is the physician’s son, look at him.”
I didn’t know how I recognized him in the darkness or how Ryker didn’t but as he turned the torch in his direction, I noticed him properly. He had been beaten up badly and there was dried blood on his b*dy and head. His entire b*dy was covered in bruises and I could see some burns. Ryker was still in shock from seeing him standing there so I pushed past him and rushed over to the boy.
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As soon as he saw me, he started crying. “I am so sorry. I tried everything. I don’t know how they got me.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything,” I assured him. He tried to take a step forward but he wobbled and leaned on me. He weighed more than I thought but I braced his weight on my shoulders and turned to Ryker. “I need a little help here.”
He quickly dropped the torch and took all of his weight off me. The boy was still crying and apologizing but I couldn’t care to listen to him. I was just happy that he was alive. Ryker started walking in the direction of the palace while I followed behind them. As soon as the guards saw us, they rushed over and I could see the shock and confusion in their eyes. They quickly took the boy from Ryker and carried him to his father’s quarters.
I tried to follow but Ryker grabbed my hand, keeping me in place. “Don’t you think it is weird?”
“What do you mean?”
“He just walked back in here alive.”
“Barely, look at him, he looks like he has gone through so much.”
“I know that but think about it. Alastair took him for a reason and he wouldn’t send him back unless he got what he wanted. If he was useless then Alastair would have just killed him, don’t you think?”
My eyes widened and I cursed. Within seconds, we were already at the physician’s quarters. He was fussing over his son and checking his injuries. Ryker spoke to the guards to scour the area that he had come through and check for any vampires or clues as to where he was held. While he spoke to them, I walked into the room. As soon as the physician saw me, he rushed over and fell to his knees in front of me.
“Thank you for finding him and for bringing him back,” tears gathered in his eyes and I was forced to give him a small smile.
I grabbed his hands and helped him to his feet. “I didn’t bring him back. He walked into the palace.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Why would he do that? How could he have done that?”
“That is exactly what I want to ask your son,” I looked over his shoulder to find his son staring directly at me. “Why don’t you tell me what happened and we can go from there, okay?”
He nodded. “I was out gettin~ L
Chapter 114
were so quiet and I tried to fight them off but there were three of them and they were too many. They knocked me out and when I woke up, I was in a cave. I was tied up and they told me that they wanted information from me. I tried not to tell them but they did so much to me. They were so strong and I had to tell them-”
Ryker walked in at that exact moment and I turned to him. I didn’t need to ask, there was only one thing that he could have told them that would mean that much. Ryker knew too because he immediately reached out for me. I moved over to him and intertwined our fingers. If Alastair knew then that meant play time was over, he was going to come at us with the full strength of his arsenal.
“What did you tell them?” the physician asked in a soft voice.
The son looked directly at me as he spoke. “I told them about her blood.”
At that exact moment, the bells began to ring. I had never heard them before so I didn’t know what to expect or why they were going off. It was the physician whose eyes
widened and he cursed under his breath.
“What does that mean?” I asked him.
“It means there is an attack in one of the lower towns and it is bad.”
“It must be Alastair. Stay here and look after your son, we will go and check it out,” turned to Ryker with a nod and we were out immediately.
I
We couldn’t take a carriage because it would be too slow so horses were saddled for us. When I got to my horse, Ryker stopped me.
“I really don’t want you out there right now, Camilla,” he began slowly and I sighed. “You’re the one he wants. He knows what you can do.”
“If
my thoughts are correct then he is out there biting people just to bring me out. If I don’t go
then all of them will die and their blood will be on my head. I am their Queen, Ryker, it is my duty to keep them safe at whatever cost.”
No one knew more about duty than Ryker and that was why I knew he would understand. He muttered a curse under his breath then helped me onto the horse. “Stay with your guards at all times. If I think your life is in danger in any way then I am sending you back here. Do we have a deal?”
“Yes.”
We rode out immediately to the lower town being attacked and I wasn’t prepared for what I saw there. It was pure mayhem. The people were trying to hold on their own using fire and I could see a few burnt vampires but Alastair was swooping in like a ghost and biting people. He was the turning tide in the battle. It seemed like he was the only
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Chapter 114
one who could poison the others seeing as he was the only one who was doing it.
“Take me to the wounded and fallen,” I instructed the guards and they nodded.
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We got off our horse and weaved through the people. Wherever I saw someone who was bitten, I would make a cut in my palm and feed them from my blood. I had to slice the place open more times than I could count because it kept healing over. I could feel the confusion of the guards but I decided that it wasn’t the most important thing and could be handled later.
Ryker had joined the other guards to fend off the vampires who were attacking, I hoped the battle would be over soon because I was giving away so much that I was beginning to feel very lightheaded. Still, I didn’t stop, I wasn’t going to until every single person was healed.
I wasn’t sure how long we were walking around but I started to hear the noise of the battle fading and I knew that everything was being settled. I couldn’t see any more vampires and I knew that they had either been killed or they had run off.
“I think that’s the last one, your majesty,” a guard said and I sighed in relief. “We would have to do another sweep after the place has been cleared.”
“That’s fine, I just need to take a second to just sit down.”
“Are you tired?” I recognized that teasing voice anywhere. I turned to see Alastair standing by the edge of the woods. “You look a little green, Camilla, would you like some help?”
