Chapter Ten
Silas
It took Luke an hour to relay to me all the new information about the Rosworth-Athalis war. The Rosworth vampires had moved into the Athalis territory very aggressively, winning battle after battle. The situation didn’t look good for Athalis, making me wonder what we could do to prevent our neighbors from falling.
Should we even be trying to prevent their fall though? If not for the fact that I thought Rosworth’s end-game was to conquer Estone, I wouldn’t usually be inclined to interfere with another nation’s political troubles. I had to take any necessary actions to protect my home though; the home where my now-wife lived. She had to be kept safe, above all else.
I wasn’t ready to tell my father and my people that we’d be going to war yet.
I was still hesitating. Nobody wanted another war, not when the previous one was still so fresh in our minds.
Time passed differently for vampires than for humans. Twenty years was not long to a vampire’s perception of time. That reason was why, after establishing myself as the bloody hero of the previous war, that image had remained vivid in the minds of the vampire nobility through to the present day.
If another war happened, I would have to kill again, and their perception of me as a wretched killer would only strengthen.
So far Grace had only heard of my ruthlessness through secondhand accounts. If another war broke out though, she might see for herself my violent and bloody actions. How would she react? She was so fragile and delicate, young and pure. I didn’t want her to see that cold side of me. I didn’t want her to witness a war.
However, what I wanted and what would have to happen were two different things.
Lukas and I returned to the ballroom an hour after I had left Grace in the middle of the dancefloor alone. I looked there for her first, but nobody had taken my place as her partner. Good – I was the only one who had the right to dance with her. She was my wife.
A surge of possessiveness rushed through me. I wanted to see Grace and dance with her again.
When I had held her fragile form in my arms and led her through the steps, I had remembered once again how much I had used to love dancing before the war. Ever since the events of twenty years ago though, everyone avoided getting near me. Nobody wanted to dance with me. All I ever got were polite refusals until I finally stopped asking altogether.
Dancing with Grace, moving to the rhythm of music for the first time after so many years, had made me feel alive.
Grace made me feel alive.
The feeling meant a lot to me, an undead being.
I strode over to the table next, but didn’t find Grace in her seat either.
“Have you seen Grace?” I asked Mom.
She gave me a puzzled look. “I thought you two were dancing.”
“I had to leave her an hour ago to listen to a report from Luke. Do you mean she never returned to the table?” I stared at Mom, wide-eyed.
Dad spoke up. “No, we haven’t seen her since then.”
“Strange. Where could she be?” Fear crept up my heart; fear that something bad had happened to Grace.
“How about the gardens? The night isn’t the warmest for humans, but it’s still not too cold to go for a quick stroll,” Mom pointed out.
I thought about how rattled Grace had been by the situation with Lord William. Maybe she wanted to clear her head?
“I’ll ask the guards,” I said.
“I’ll go with you,” Father said.
We shared a worried look. If he wanted to help personally, it meant he didn’t have a good feeling about the situation either.
“I need to stretch my bones.” He gave Mom a loving look. “Entertain the guests while I’m away?”
“Of course,” Mom smiled, but I noticed the worry etched in her expression.
My stomach plummeted. I instantly imagined all the bad situations that could have happened to Grace. I had so many enemies. Of course now that I had a wife they would target her, a weak human, instead of me.
As we walked towards the exit to the terrace, Dad put his hand on my arm.
“Don’t panic just yet. Maybe she’s just out stargazing.”
I nodded, though I didn’t think Grace would stay out in the cold looking at stars for an hour.
What did I know about her though? About what she liked or didn’t like?
Nothing, that’s what.
I had stayed away from her the past few days because I was scared about the intensity of the feelings I had towards her.
I longed for Grace. I wanted to be close to her. I wanted her in my arms, moaning in ecstasy.
What I felt towards her wasn’t just a want for her ruby blood. I didn’t just desire to possess her because her blood was the most delicious drink I’d ever had.
I cared for Grace as a person.
Now I didn’t know where she was, the thought of losing her terrified me. It chilled me to the bone.
I had to find her, and then I would hold her in the safety of my arms and never let her go.
Dad and I approached a guard who stood by the exit to the gardens.
“Did you see the Princess go out these doors?” Dad asked in his booming, commanding King’s voice.
The guard shook his head. “N-No, my Grace. I did not. However, I only just arrived at this post after an… incident near the armory. All the guards there were occupied fighting off some masked enemies who suddenly appeared.”
“Masked… what-?” The King exclaimed.
I stared at the guard, my mouth gaping open.
Just then the Captain of the Guard, a powerful vampire around my age, came running up to us. “My Graces, there’s been an attack on the armory and-”
“And I’m only just hearing about this incident now?” The King tried his best to control the anger in his voice. He didn’t want to catch the attention of the whole ballroom, though I was sure some guests must have heard him considering the acute hearing of vampires.
“We just finished taking control of the situation,” the Captain of the Guard saw how furious Dad was, and the man’s voice shook. “I’m so sorry, your Grace.”
“A distraction,” I said, suddenly realizing what that armory incident must have been.
“What do you mean, your Highness?” The Captain of the Guard shot me a questioning look.
“Was anybody stationed at this door an hour ago?” I pointed to the exit to the gardens.
“N-No, your Grace. Given that the hall is full of vampires, we thought the nobles would serve as enough of a protection for the humans and-”
“So a human could have wandered out into the garden – no, the Princess herself could have wandered out here – without the protection of the guards. The Princess who is not yet used to requesting to be guarded at all times,” I spit out through clenched teeth.
The Captain of the Guard swallowed hard. “Y-Yes… that may… have been possible…” He stuttered.
“If I don’t find my wife in the gardens, you’re fired,” I gave him one final glare then ran out into the gardens at my full vampire speed.
Quickly I stumbled upon something that I really hadn’t wanted to find – a slightly crumpled note lying on the ground.
I picked it up with a heavy heart and looked at the words written in black ink.
“We have your wife. If you want her back, we want you to guarantee that Estone won’t take part in the Rosworth-Athalis war. Logan Sherman.”
I cursed under my breath. Logan Sherman was the vampire ruling over Rosworth – their King. A vampire much older than I, at three hundred years of life, he was known for his acts of brutality; a figure far more renowned for violence and bloodshed than even myself.
We had fought head-to-head in the last war, and I had defeated him, but the victory had been hard earned. I still remembered how long our last duel lasted. For two hours we had exchanged blows, circling each other, tiring each other out. Neither of us had been able to fully break through the other’s defenses.
Finally I found an opening, and my blow hit true. Badly wounded, Logan retreated, and winning the war immediately became much easier. Not only was Logan a great fighter, he was a great tactician too; better than his second-in-command, to be sure. So with Logan healing and only his subpar second-in-command to guide their forces, I was able to secure a series of victories that finally pushed Estone toward triumph.
Now that man, that dangerous vampire, had my wife.
A series of loud curses escaped my lips. This crime was the worst thing that could have happened. Logan had made his men kidnap my wife – and for political reasons, no less.
A moment later my father ran up to me. Luke followed close behind – he had probably noticed the King leaving the ball behind to head out to the gardens and had come to investigate.
“What is it?” Dad gestured to the paper in my hand.
“Logan Sherman has Grace,” I said through gritted teeth, handing him the paper. “Rosworth has kidnapped my wife.”
Luke gasped, giving me a wide-eyed look. Before he could say anything, I spoke up.
“This means war.”
My dad grabbed my shoulder as if he expected me to run off to gather the forces immediately. A part of me wanted to, but I still had an ounce of reason left to stop myself. Just an ounce, though. Most of me was in a state of panic.
Was Grace okay? Would they harm her? How could I get her back home to safety quickly? What should I do?
“Son,” Dad said in a firm voice, making me focus my attention on him. “Calm down and think rationally. We can’t enter into another conflict so soon. There should be a way to get your wife back without declaring a war on Rosworth.”
I did my best to keep my head clear enough to think through his words, but my thoughts were still racing. If I had a beating heart, it would have been leaping out of my chest now.
“Silas,” Luke said in a soothing tone. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get Grace back.”
I closed my eyes, imagining her safe in my arms again. The image calmed me down enough to finally relax.
“We should break her out,” Luke gave me a mischievous smile. “Just like old times – you and I should go undercover to Rosworth and find where they are keeping her. Then we can kidnap her back.”
“Kidnap her back,” I repeated his last words.
I liked the sound of that idea. If Rosworth vampires could break into our palace, Luke and I could do the exact same thing to Logan’s holdings.
I nodded. “Alright. We will leave immediately.”
“Of course,” Luke gave me a firm nod. “I’ll get us supplies for the journey. Meet me in an hour at the usual spot?”
Our usual spot was at the border of the capital, where the city gave way to the dense woods. I knew the exact place he meant. “Acknowledged.”
“And I have some guards to fire,” my dad said in a dejected tone. “They really didn’t handle the situation as they should have.”
“They did not,” I replied in monotone, my mind already focused on the mission.
“Good luck. Get Grace back here, and don’t cause an incident,” Dad said.
“Of course, your Highness,” Luke nodded.
I wasn’t so sure we would be able to perform the mission smoothly, but I would still try my best to get us in and out of the place where Logan was holding Grace without attracting attention.
After all, Luke and I had infiltrated enemy locations together in the past and succeeded. This adventure wouldn’t be any different.
By this time in a few days, Grace would be safe in the palace again.
I immediately promised myself that I wouldn’t avoid her anymore, especially now that I realized just how much she meant to me. I needed to get to know her better, to treasure her more, to be the best husband possible.
Grace was my wife, and I was happy I had chosen her.