Chapter 71 : Entrance to Death

The wolfsbane powder melted into Theo's skin like acid on the surface, causing a chemical reaction of burning. Rakiza quickly washed it away with water. "Oh no, Theo, it also burns you."
"That's what it is for," Theo said calmly, drying his hand. As Rakiza had noticed, he was in pain. "I'm not going to deny it; I grow my own poison."
"Rakiza, it's almost dawn. We need to make a plan, "Lupe said.
"Who is he?" Theo inquired.
"Oh, I'm sorry for not formally introducing you," Rakiza said to Theo. "This is Lupe, Nikolas's trusted driver-assistant.”
Theo gripped his sword tightly. But Lupe kept it.
"I'm not an adversary," Lupe stated, "I'm here to help and protect Rakiza. It's my boss's wish."
"I hope you're not spying on us," Theo said firmly. "You'll be dead if that's the reason you're here."
"Lupe is telling the truth, Theo.” Rakiza interject, “Nikolas risked his life for me. He rescued me from certain death and brought me here. He wanted you to protect me. And he was facing death because of me. He's now scheduled to be hanged the next day. And I should do whatever it takes to save him."
"He's a vampire prince," Theo pointed out. "The law of immunity from prosecution protects him."
"Not for treason," Lupe lamented. "In this new world, it's an unforgivable crime for their kind; Rakiza was important to them; she's the cure for the whole clan. And everybody hated Nikolas for breaking the course. "
"Please leave us alone, Lupe," Rakiza requested.
"I'll be waiting in the car," Lupe said as he went outside the house.
Rakiza tried to persuade Theo of her intention to save Nikolas when they were alone. She had to tell him about the mysterious grandiose staircase and the large portrait of Maruja hanging above it. Rakiza stated softly, "I need to know what my connection with the portrait of Maruja is, and keeping in touch with Nikolas would be the only way I could find my way back to my ancestors. I need to know why the vampires believe I am the cure. And Nikolas has the answer. "
For a while, Theo was deafeningly quiet. He was looking out the window at the dark woods. Rakiza was determined to do whatever it took to save Nikolas. Whether with or without Theo's assistance.
Rakiza could see Theo's rage through his eyes. Theo's fury was centered on death. But she had to neutralize everything. She knew she was still weak and not invincible, but she had no choice but to save Nikolas. That was her last notion.
"I'll help," Theo mumbled.
Rakiza was overcome with happiness. "Thank you, Theo."
"Vampires owe me many lives, and they must repay me."
"You can have your vengeance, but please exempt Nikolas," Rakiza begged.
Theo turned to look her in the eyes and nodded. "Let's devise an inaudible entrance to the enemy's bowl."
They were all back inside the cottage, making a model of the Reign-Bridge Publishing house. They must stand in for their original target. Rakiza was familiar with the building's entrances and exits. Lyra Brinson, her manager, was a good start.
"I need to contact Miss Brinson," Rakiza explained.
"We have to take a second option; you'll be in danger if you go there without Miss Brinson's background check," Theos suggested.
"I can do the checking," Chin finally said.
Everyone else turned to look at Chin.
"No one knows in book publishing about our connections, Rakiza," she smiled. "I can pose as an applicant."
Rakiza was concerned. "Are you sure, Chin?"
"I'm pretty sure, Rakiza," Chin said with a smile. "I'm not afraid of them because I always have this hand-carried sprayer in my pocket."
Rakiza was still hesitant about Chin's offer of assistance, but she had no choice but to let her best friend try.
Chin was crossing the road to Reign-Bridge Publishing House three hours later, under the warm light of the sun. Rakiza was concerned, despite her confidence, while Rakiza and the rest were staging breakfast outside the small restaurant.
"Do you think she'll make it?" Rakiza asked Theo in hushed tones. She was dressed in a round hat, dark glasses, and a loose black male jacket and pants, with her hair tucked in to give the impression that she was a young boy. And Theo, who is dressed like a model in a grey fitted shirt under a leather jacket.
"Fate always triumphs; let us hope your manager is not one of them." Theo said.
Lupe and Ajella were on the other table, pretending to be a couple on vacation.
"Certainly, Miss Brinson isn't one of them. She was assigned to the day shift, and the night shift was made up of another group of employees and managed by a night-shift manager. I never got the chance to meet one of them. They're so discreet. And you already know the night-shift part of the building. "
Theo remembered: "It was in the west wing, with the red carpeted lobby. I appreciate the miniature map. "
"What happened to the camp?" Rakiza inquired casually.
Theo's face darkened with foreboding. Bringing up that question was a mistake. But it had already escaped her mouth.
"It was a massacre," Theo said quietly.
"What massacre, Theo?" Rakiza inquired.
"They killed 122 of our kind, including children and elderly people," Theo murmured, his jaws tight. "They killed innocent children and helpless elderly people. Death was everywhere, and they must pay for the 122 lives they took from us. "
Rakiza had no idea about Theo's suffering. It was a devastation and unacceptably high number of deaths among his people. And she knew it was too painful to bear. "Oh no," Rakiza exclaimed.
"Don't feel sorry for me; vengeance has its own timetable, and it will come soon."
They were quiet for a few moments. Rakiza had nothing to say. She knew that no words could ease Theo's grief over the loss of more than a hundred of his clan members.
Rakiza's phone rang, breaking their silence. Chin had a spare phone, which was now ringing and flashing with Chin's name.
Rakiza replied nervously, "Hello."
On the other end, Chin's voice was clear and filtered, 'I'm in.' I was now expecting the manager. "
"All right," Rakiza replied, "ask her about me. You can easily assess her reactions this way. Take note of all her body language if she appears to be more than curious about where I am. Simply inquire as to where you can find me. And get out of the building as quickly as you can without them noticing. "
"All right, here she comes," Chin concludes the other line. "I'll be right out after 30 minutes, bye."
"They're going to talk right now," Rakiza said to Theo.
The clock was ticking; it had already been fifteen minutes since Rakiza's conversation with Chin. Their gaze was fixed on the old publishing house's glass entrance door. There were a few buildings around it, including the sole small restaurant they were in.
Rakiza's heart was pounding faster as they waited for the 30-minute period before making a decision. They already have a plan B in place if Chin doesn’t exit the building.
"Something wasn't right," Rakiza noticed as she scanned the parking lot and other areas of the building.
"What do you have in mind?" Theo inquired astutely.
"Look at the parking lot. There are a few cars parked."
"What are you currently reading?"
"At this hour, that parking lot was already full for the worker's car."
Rakiza stood up and said, "We have to get in."
"Wait," Theo said, taking her hands in his. Theo was staring at the door. "Chin is emerging."
Rakiza returned to her seat, relieved to see Chin cross the street towards them.
Chin approached their table with trepidation, grabbing the glass of water in front of Rakiza. "Give me a drink first."
Chin began to describe what was going on inside. "The manager, Miss Brinson, was accommodating, and I'm sure she's completely human."
"How did you find out?" Rakiza inquired.
"I pretended to have an allergy and sprayed the wolfsbane liquid in my palm before shaking hands with her, and she had no reaction."
"That means day laborers are human workers." Theo confirmed it.
Chin continued her observations and reports. "We talked about you; Miss Brinson was frustrated by your sudden disappearance, and she promised me she'd tell me if she found out anything about you; she was sincere in her reaction, but I could sense some disturbance in her."
"What do you mean?" Rakisa inquired.
"Miss Brinson stated that their company was experiencing worker shortages as their night shift workers were on vacation for three nights and the day light workers had to fill in the night shift, which is why the manager was eagerly looking for you to work."
"This is good," Rakiza stated emphatically. "I need to see Miss Brinson."
"No!" Protested Theo. "I'm going to see her and apply."
“Theo?” Rakiza frowned.