Chapter 57 : The Wolfsbane

Rakiza dragged Theo into the cabin and seated him on the small bed. She had no choice but to let Theo sleep on the dusty bed. Theo moaned in agony.
"What should I do, Theo?" she screamed.
"All you can do is wait for my wound to heal. But there's a catch. "Theo found it difficult to speak.
"What's the problem, Theo?" All right, Theo, tell me what the problem is.
"My wound is difficult to heal because the arrow that wounded me is mixed with silver," he moaned in pain once more.
"There's always a cure for every disease," Rakiza exclaimed.
Theo fell silent.
Rakiza was stunned by her words. What made her think there was a way to treat all kinds of diseases?
Theo then fell silent, and Rakiza panicked again, shaking Theo's body, "Theo, don't die. You can't perish!"
Rakiza no longer noticed that her tears were already dripping as she shouted Theo's name. She was so scared that Theo would die. "Open your eyes, Theo. Don't die! "
Theo groaned, "Don’t cry, I’m not going to die yet. I just rested. Find herbs to heal my wounds. "And Theo closed his eyes.
Rakiza stared at Theo's chest to see if he was still breathing. And she was very happy to see his slow movement of his chest.
And then, she decided to seek medicine for Theo's wound. She hurriedly ran out of the cabin.
The surroundings were very bright on a cold morning. She turned to the back of the cabin and saw that the woods were still thick, but she felt something. She could hear the flow of water in a stream. She was suddenly overjoyed. There’s a stream here, and it seemed to be at the bottom. She thought.
She hurried back inside the house to look for an empty container of water. She stopped in front of the closed kitchen door where her mother had hidden last night. Veronica was also wounded. *Where would she be hiding?*
Rakiza seemed nervous, looking at the closed door. But she knew the water container was inside. And she wanted to know how her mother was. Maybe she’s in the kitchen.
*She’s no longer your mother, Rakiza.* Theo's voice echoed.
She sighed and mustered up the courage to open the kitchen door quickly.
The kitchen was empty and her mother wasn’t inside. Where will Mom hide? She thought.
She opened all the cabinets in the kitchen and saw a container of water. He took the container and dashed outside, picking up the sword from the table on her way out.
As she walked through big trees, she saw that the ground was wet and there was moss on some rocks. The surroundings were very cold and the rocks were getting bigger and bigger towards the bottom. Then, it became clear to him that the rushing stream of water in the creek was his. A moment later, she crossed the beautiful stream with small falls on the surface and a lake of clear water.
She was tempted by the mirror-like water, but she knew she shouldn't have wasted time. Theo's wound was darkening and needed to be cleaned. So, she quickly fetched water from the stream and returned to the cabin.
Rakiza went through all of the kitchen utensils and discovered a complete set of cooking utensils. She boiled water in the kettle and searched for a wet cloth to apply to Theo's wound.
After a few minutes, everything was in place to treat Theo's wound. She knelt next to his side of the bed. Theo was breathing slowly and appeared to be fast asleep.
Rakiza examined Theo's wound carefully. It measured three inches in length but appeared to be a deep cut. She had a flashback to mending a dog's wound when she was younger. The dog has numerous cuts from a dog fight.
*You must first thoroughly clean the wound before applying medicine.* Her mother's voice rang in her head. Rakiza's tears flowed once more.
“Rakiza, you can do it. You can," she told herself, and attended to Theo's wound.
Rakiza exited the cabin after treating Theo for a few minutes. She was hungry.
The silence in the woods gave her goosebumps. The tree's leaves appeared motionless. The large trees reveal decades of untouched nature. She also wondered who built the cabin.
*The vampires will return at night to take you.* She reflected on Theo’s warning.
And she had to decide whether to retreat or surrender to the vampires. "
She strolled into the woods and stood in the middle of three large trees. Rakiza's mother had said, *You're special Rakiza. You're not like other kids. You have a unique healing ability. Your hands had a natural healing power. "*
"How come, Mom?" was a child's innocent question.
"Because you could smell a plant's venom and its healing components, you naturally treated people's illnesses with plants."
"I have a book on various types of herbal plants, mom; remember Grandpa's gift to me on my seventh birthday?"
Believe me when I say that your blood has natural healing power. Rakiza remembered her mother's voice clearly, and she felt compelled to treat Theo, who couldn't die, which is why she began looking for wild herb remedies. And later, she would locate her mother.
Rakiza had a handful of herbs and wild edible fruits that she discovered around the forest after a few hours of hunting.
She dashed up to Theo, clutching a handful of ripe bananas and her pounded medicine. She also created a plant-based concoction. "Wake up, Theo. You must eat. "I discovered some wild fruits."
"Thank you for not leaving me," Theo said slowly as he opened his eyes wider.
"I can't leave you," she explained as she peeled a banana. "Eat this ripe banana so you can drink your medicine."
Rakiza treated Theo's wound after he ate. "I thought you wouldn't get hurt, Theo."
"We'll be wounded and die, Rakiza," he sighed, "so we have to be cautious, especially in war."
"Drink this concoction," she said as she handed Theo the glass, "you need to regain your strength."
"Where did you learn to pick herbs and use them as medicine?" Theo drank. "
"My grandfather taught me how to make medicine from plants" book on herbal plants. And I used it on animals. There are plants that can be used to treat humans, "in particular with wounds."
"What's the name of your grandfather?"
"Joseph Zanier passed away five years ago." Rakiza rose and took the empty glass. "Go back to bed."
Theo closed his eyes once more. Rakiza sat on the wooden chair next to Theo's bed.
"Promise me, Rakiza, you won't go back to Nikolas' Tower," Theo whispered.
"Yes, I promise I'll never return to Nikolas Tower."
Theo fell asleep peacefully.
***
The A Tower
"Nikolas? Why are you upset? " Tessa Augustus asked her son, holding up a champagne glass filled with fresh blood. In her red long fitted gown, they sat in the small bar in the living room of Nikolas' bachelor pad. She looked stunning with her long blonde hair flowing freely over her shoulders. She appeared to be the same age as her son.
"I'm angry because you planned something without telling me, Mother," Nikolas said as he stood in the doorway. In his black tuxedo, he was too tall to look at. "This should not be done to Rakiza."
"It's over, Nikolas." Aside from that, we need to get the bloodstone. I miss staring at the sun like I used to. Isn't that what you want as well? "
Nikolas stood motionless. The big wall clock above the piano read 12 o'clock at noon.
"Just relax, Nikolas." Close your eyes and deafen your ears and let me do the things that need to be done right away," she said quietly as she drank from the cup. She stood calmly, looking down at her feet, which were still young even at 500 years old. "I know what's going on with you, Nikolas; I could hear it from your heart," she said harshly.
"We've been living in darkness for a long time, Nikolas. And I'm sick of hiding; I want to see the sun rise in the morning. Early in the morning, stroll along the beach. And I enjoy gathering people during the day. "That hasn't happened to me in 500 years." She walked up to Nikolas.
"However, I will not allow you to harm Rakiza."
"She'll be devastated, Nikolas, because she had to suffer." She whispered in her son's ear. "That is her destiny and the reason she was born."
"If you do that to Rakiza, our stance will be completely contradictory, mom."
"Don't you feel sorry for me, my son?" Tessa Augustus asked as she kissed her son's hand. "Give me the bloodstone, Nikolas," she said softly. "Let the general handle your duties, Nikolas."
Nikolas locked his gaze on his mother. And he was well aware that he couldn't change his mother's mind.
He needed to think differently.

***
In the cabin.
The sun was setting in the west slowly. Rakiza was standing outside the cabin, taking in the scenery. While staring at the sun, she was worried.
She was thinking of her mother because she didn't know where she'd hide during the day. Rakiza knew her mother would die instantly if she came into contact with sunlight because she was already a vampire. But she still felt sorry for Veronica. And then she had an epiphany. She dashed into the cabin.
Theo had awakened. He can't sleep any longer. Rakiza rushed up to him and inquired. 'Theo, what happens to vampires during the day?'
"They'd hide in a very dark place," Theo replied, looking at Rakiza. And there awaits the twilight of darkness. "
Rakiza was overjoyed, "If that's the case, Mom could be hiding inside this cabin." In the dark. "
"A strong possibility," Theo said, attempting to sit down.
"I need to find Mom."
"What are your plans for your mother?”
"Bring her back to the city. Hide her at home... and I'll take care of her, "Rakiza stated firmly.
"I'll help you bring your mother back to the city," but for the time being, we must prepare for the vampires' return "Theo tried to stand, but he was still weak.
"Let's close and lock the doors, Rakiza, and never let vampires in." He stood up again.
"But you're too weak," Rakiza said, concerned.
"We need to secure this cabin. We won't make it until morning if the vampire gets in."
"They, too, have flaws." "We all have," Theo said to Rakiza. "And only you could do it."
"I'm not sure what that is. Tell me, and I'll do it."
"Are you familiar with wolfsbane plants?" Theo groaned.
"Yes, and I saw some of them on the north side of the forest."
"Make a juice out of it and wipe it on the windows and doors," Theo exclaimed. "I'm sorry I let you do all of those things. Wolfsbane is also fatal to werewolves."
"I'll do it alone," Rakiza declared. "Your chest is bleeding, Theo."
"I can't let vampires take you, Rakiza."
Rakiza fixed her gaze on Theo. If I am the cure for them, I would rather die than be used by them. "
Theo drew Rakiza into his trembling arms and embraced her tightly, whispering, "They can get you over my dead body."