Chapter 22: Chapter 21
Azrael approached aurora, carefully cradling her in his arms. With ease, he carried her back in the direction from which she had run. The forest, veiled in darkness, posed no challenge for his vampire-enhanced vision. When he reached their destination, he gently set her down by a tree, her back resting against its weathered bark.
He took a moment to gaze upon her features. Moonlight illuminated her smooth pale skin and dark lashes, which fluttered ever so slightly. Her full lips were parted, as if in the midst of a dream. Her breathing was shallow and labored, but she seemed to have escaped any major injury. He reached up and brushed a strand of her glossy hair from her face. How had it come to this? He had just taken his eyes off her for the first time and she had already gotten herself in trouble.
After the king had sensed his presence at the festival, he had been all over the place to prevent himself from getting caught but in doing so his attention was diverted from Aurora only to find her in trouble. It looks like her powers had awaken and it was going be a huge challenge for her.
Azrael rose to his feet and left Aurora by the tree, he paced through the darkened forest, his footsteps nearly soundless. There was one final matter he needed to attend to.
In the other side of the forest the three men finally stopped to catch their breath. The three men were barely visible in the darkness, but their voices echoed through the forest, filled with fear and anger.
"Damn witch! What the hell just happened?"
"Never seen anything like that! We should've never messed with her." The second man spoke. His voice trembling with fear of the unknown. If she was really a witch it means she must have put a curse on them. He let out a frustrated sigh, he never should have agreed to this but she was just to beautiful to resist to think her beauty was only because she was a witch sent a shiver down his spine.
The first man, his face pale with fear, clenched his fists. "We need to find her and make her pay! We can't let her get away with this." He said. They were told they would be rewarded if the deed was done. Instead, we were nearly killed. He turned to his companions. "I'm going back to the village to tell the others what happened. That witch isn't to be trusted."
"Do you really think the villagers will believe you?" the third man asked, a note of skepticism in his voice. How would you explain our involvement in this matter? We would be prosecuted."
The first man shook his head, using his tongue to lick his lips. "I don't care if they believe us or not, but one thing is certain. If she's indeed a witch, we'll receive a reward far greater than what we were initially offered for the first job, and then we'll be hailed as heroes."He had heard stories about how a witch power can be extracted by simply touching her with a piece of iron, especially during a full moon.
His eyes gleaming with avarice, continued, "I've heard tales from my grandfather about the moon's influence on a witch's powers. We need to be cautious and patient, and once we're sure of her witchery, we can seize the opportunity and become rich beyond our wildest dreams."
The third man's eyes widened. "You mean… you want to hunt her down? Do you even hear yourself? She almost killed us."
"Exactly. She's powerful, and that power would be incredibly useful to have on our side," the first man said, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and greed. "Just imagine what we could do if we had that kind of power. No one would be able to stop us."
"You're crazy," the third man said, shaking his head. "I'm not going along with this. I'm going back to the village and telling them everything." Just as he took a step forwards, he was pulled back by the first man holding his collar tightly. A stern expression on his face, his jaw clenched.
The first man's voice was low and dangerous. "You're not going anywhere. You're part of this now, whether you like it or not. You will not betray us. Do you understand?"
The third man tried to shake off the first man's grip, but it was too strong. He realized he was trapped, and that there was no way out. He swallowed hard, and nodded slowly. "Yes, I understand."
The first man's face relaxed slightly. "Good. Then we can get back to business. We need to find a way to extract her powers, and then we'll be unstoppable," the first man continued, his eyes filled with determination. "We need to gather information, study her, and find her weaknesses. There must be a way to control her."
The second man, still trembling, spoke up. "But we also need to be careful. If she really is a witch, we don't know what kind of spells or curses she might have at her disposal. This is dangerous territory."
The first man nodded, acknowledging the risk. "You're right. We can't underestimate her. We'll need to plan our approach carefully. Tonight, we regroup and gather whatever information we can about her. We need to be prepared for the next encounter."
As they plotted their next move, a voice suddenly pierced the darkness. "Your greed blinds you mortals." He had been secretly observing the men's in their conversation.
The men's heads snapped around, their eyes wide with terror. The source of the voice remained hidden in the shadows, but its presence sent chills down their spines.
The first man stammered, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
A sinister laughter echoed through the forest, and the voice replied, "You won't find her, but I have found you. Be rest assured, I won't just be watching." With a step forward, he revealed only his lower face, showcasing a grin that exposed his elongated canines.
The eyes of the three men widened as they comprehended the situation, prompting them to hastily retreat. "A vampire," the third man muttered under his breath.
Azrael's grin widened, and he tilted his head to the side. "Impressive," he spoke with an undertone of menace in his voice. "I find your intelligence intriguing. You've earned the privilege of being the last in line, giving you some time to run." He let his tongue slide over his elongated canines. "It's a shame I can't indulge in mortal appetites, but when I'm through with you three, I'll have to find some other form of satisfaction." He paused, his eyes moving from one terrified man to another. "Now, let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone