Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
Hayden stood behind Alpha Leo, looking expectantly at me to give him a sign. I shook my head slightly at my mate, and he stepped away from the fallen chair and the Alpha.
“Alpha Leo, you’ll talk to me with the respect I deserve. My life is on the line, as are the lives of everyone else in this room and the kingdom. If you have an issue with how I rule, I’ll ask you to leave now. What is it going to be?”
I crossed my arms and waited, carefully watching him. He couldn’t be the traitor since he opposed me so publicly. I suspected the remaining traitor Layla had mentioned would keep a low profile.
Alpha Leo turned, and when I thought he would head for the exit, he picked up his chair and sat down at the table.
“I’ll stay, Queen Breanna,” he said, tucking his hands under the table.
I sighed. “First things first. We will travel to Seattle separately. Then we’ll drive as far as we can to the castle in the forest hills.”
Adrian cracked his knuckles. “Why the heck would vampires live in a castle?” He looked around the table. “Once gunpowder was discovered, castles were no longer needed.”
I smiled at my best friend’s boyfriend. “But supernaturals don’t fight with such weapons, Adrian. Guns would bring attention to them, which leads me to my next point. Our weapons will be daggers, crossbows, and swords.”
“Let’s not forget the vampire Queen has her hands on the greatest weapon,” Dad said, running his hands through his short gray hair.
My heart fell. “I’ll deal with Torin.”
Hayden shot me a look, and I averted my gaze to my father.
“How did you cross the moat around the castle, Dad?”
“The moat is too cold to withstand even for a supernatural,” he said and sighed, probably remembering the tragic casualties of the last war.
“I sent three of my men to cross the freezing moat,” he said, frowning and placing his elbows on the table’s polished surface. “The three warriors swam the moat. One died from hypothermia, one died at the massive castle gates, and the third one died after pulling down the draw bridge lever.”
Dad had sacrificed lives for the greater good, but I didn’t like this approach. There had to be another way.
“Dad, who is our best spy?”
“Daniel. Why?” He eyed me.
“I suspect there are underground tunnels, sewer canals, or plumbing. In the past, humans learned to successfully build tunnels under a river,” I said.
“Please ask Daniel to leave immediately for Seattle and to scout the castle, especially looking for burrows or openings in the ground of the surrounding forest.”
The former King nodded, smiling, but it was a strained and tired smile.
“Once we’re inside the castle walls,” I said and looked at Lucy, “we need to figure out how to get to Victoria, so we need a blueprint of the castle’s layout.”
Lucy had texted me that she’d bring her informant to share information about the castle. The vampire had worked for Victoria as a guard for decades, but she hadn’t treated or paid him well, so he turned against her.
Lucy stood and walked to the door to peek outside. After a moment, she swung the door open and shoved a man inside the boardroom. He stumbled, hissing at her.
“Meet Valerian Nightshade,” she said. “He’ll tell us about the vampire castle.”
His baseball cap hung low over his face but still didn’t conceal his hard crimson gaze. His tall, lanky body with angular facial features told me of the hard life he must have recently been living. His lips curled, and his perpetual scowl aimed at the human hunter.
Adrian smirked, leaning back in his chair.
“Valerian, talk,” Lucy ordered.
“Not so fast, baby,” he said, earning him a smack on the head from Lucy’s strong hand. He sent her a glare. “I want protection against the hunters.”
He rubbed the back of his head.
Adrian’s scoff followed his short laugh. “We are only after vampires who compel innocent humans for blood,” he said. “You know the rules. You find willing humans who get compensated.”
“How can I pay them when the Queen hasn’t paid me?” he shouted, earning him a blow to his back.
He stumbled forward, but Lucy caught him by the arm before he reached the table.
I marched closer to the vampire, causing Hayden to leave his spot behind Alpha Leo. My mate immediately stood next to Lucy and behind Valerian. Hayden showed no discomfort around the vampires, unlike the rest of the werewolves.
“I won’t say anything,” Valerian said, straightening his posture.
“Humans will always be protected by us and the hunters, no matter what,” I said. “You’re dismissed, Valerian.”
Lucy gripped his shoulder, but the man shook it off.
“I’m not leaving, and I’m not talking.”
Tilting my head to the side, I studied the vampire. “Hayden, can you tell our warriors to escort Valerian to the north dungeon, please?”
“But-but I haven’t done anything,” he shouted.
“I’ll build a case against you for past crimes with the help of the hunter leader,” I said, unfolding my crossed arms and letting my hands drop to my sides. “You can spend the rest of your days in our dungeon.”
“No. I’ll tell you what I know. I’ll tell you everything I know,” he pleaded. “And in exchange, I’ll be pardoned of my past…indiscretions.”
“Agreed,” I said, not wanting to waste more time on his bad attitude. “Now talk.”
He cleared his throat. “The Queen upgraded the castle layout after the last war when she realized it was way too easy to get to her bedchambers,” he said, smirking. “She became paranoid for her and her play toy’s safety.”
Victoria had made it harder to find her most prized possession—Torin. At the thought, my stomach churned.
“Inside the castle, the hallways are like labyrinths now. They shift to make you get lost.”
Getting lost wasn’t an option, since Victoria would slaughter all our warriors by the time we found our way out.
“Then how do we navigate the castle?” I asked.
“The clues are on the walls,” he said and flinched at whatever expression I made. “She has placed paintings on the walls. I saw her watching them as she tested her new trap maze in the hallways.”
I fought the urge to tap my foot on the floor. This man wasn’t giving me anything concrete.
“What should I be watching for?”
“How would I know?” He shrugged. “I don’t even think the General knows how it all works with the paintings.”
“How is this useful to me? So there’s a maze inside the castle that we have to figure out on the spot by watching the paintings on the hallway walls.” I let out a heavy sigh and nodded to Lucy.
She grabbed Valerian by the collar of his shirt and pulled him out the door.
I waited for her return. “How do we know Valerian won’t say anything to anybody about us?”
Lucy grinned. “Oh, he won’t be talking. I made sure of that. Plus, I have a person watching his every move.”
A genuine smile spread across my lips. I liked the sharp vampire woman.
Alpha Leo, who had remained quiet until now, crossed his arms around his torso. “Well, this is a stupid plan because everyone will be compelled and killed by the time you figure out the maze.”
Hayden shot me an expectant look, but I shook my head.
“He has a good point,” I said. “The vampire compulsion power is a big challenge.”
One of Dad’s biggest mistakes thirty years ago was showing up at Victoria’s castle without a plan of neutralizing their vampire powers.
In Torin’s memories, the Queen compelled Dad’s warriors to walk forward until her silver sword pierced their bodies. She compelled some men to fight each other, and others jumped out windows into the freezing moat.
While looking at Dad’s face, I saw the guilt written everywhere.
Silence stretched through the room, and I imagined no one had any idea how to stop the compulsion. If someone knew, they would have surely done so by now, right?
Was this war doomed, just like the last one? My chest tightened and ached as I watched everyone’s thoughtful expressions.
“Lunarimar,” the witch said, and all gazes fell on her. “A rock crystal that came from earth and has a direct connection to nature. The crystal can neutralize vampire compulsion power for a short time under some conditions.”
The air in the room held completely still, suffocating me.
“If Queen Breanna obtains the crystal and carries it with her during the fight, the vampire’s compulsion will be stopped,” the witch said.
I walked around the table and stood close to the woman. “But how does this crystal work?”
The witch smiled. “This rock can amplify your witch powers,” she said, tapping her temple with a long, pale finger. “Since you’re a witch, you can’t be compelled. Your mind block will be amplified by the crystal’s power and will protect everyone else in the castle.”
A fluttering sensation formed behind my chest, and I smiled. “So we might have a chance to win.”
The woman nodded. “The crystal is composed of a rare mineral and is imbued with the essence of the moon, granting the crystal its magical properties,” she said. “Lunarimar is known for its ability to harness and amplify mystical energies, making it the perfect conduit for a witch’s powers.”
“Wait a second,” Alpha Leo said, squinting at the witch. “If you knew about the Lunarimar, why didn’t you get it yourself and use it against the dark witch or the vampires?”
She turned her head slightly to the Alpha, her long white hair falling over her slender shoulder. “We’re not combative and only want to live in peace,” she said, smiling. “We don’t want to rule the world and make enemies.”
Alpha Leo stared at the woman as if she’d lost her mind. Werewolves were as connected to nature as the witches, but possessing a wolf spirit made them competitive, domineering, and feisty.
Many of the Alphas throughout our history took the position by challenging the previous Alpha—the strongest was the fittest to lead.
I stifled my scoff as I thought about my unique heritage of embodying both a werewolf and a witch. I’d fight if I had to, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone.