Chapter 145: Finish what I started.
~Raphael's POV
I paced around my room, trying once more to connect with Caleb or Gemma. Nothing. The bad feeling in my gut grew stronger, but what could I do tonight? Storm through the palace demanding to see my people? That would only put them in more danger if something truly was wrong.
Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe the strange food or wine had messed with my ability to use the mind link. Maybe they were all fine, just busy with tasks I had given them.
I finally got into bed, deciding to deal with everything in the morning. Despite my worries, I fell asleep quickly.
A loud knock woke me up. Morning light filtered through the curtains. I blinked, trying to clear my head. The knock came again, more urgent this time.
I grabbed my sleeping robe, tied it quickly around me, and went to the door. I expected to see servants with breakfast or news from Nordic about the search for Alasia.
But when I opened the door, the hallway was empty. Just like last night.
My eyes dropped to the floor. Another piece of paper lay there, folded exactly like the first. I picked it up and quickly closed the door, locking it this time.
The message was the same: "BEWARE OF THE VAMPIRES."
I stared at the words, now written in larger letters, almost like the writer was shouting at me.
One warning note could be dismissed as nothing. But a second one? That meant something was very wrong.
And I still hadn't seen any of my people since arriving. No Caleb, no Gemma, no Drogon.
"Shit," I muttered, crumpling the paper in my fist. How could I have been so stupid? I let my guard down.
I came to a foreign kingdom without proper precautions. I believed I was strong enough, important enough, that no one would dare move against me.
Now Caleb, Gemma, and even Drogon might be in trouble. I didn't care much about Drogon right now.
Part of me thought he deserved whatever trouble he got himself into. But I knew Ava was fond of him for some reason I could never understand.
If anything happened to him, she would be upset. And the last thing I wanted was to see Ava upset again.
I quickly took a bath and got dressed in my most practical clothes. Not the fancy dinner outfit from last night, but something I could fight in if needed.
I strapped on more weapons than usual, hiding daggers in my boots and sleeves.
When I was ready, I headed to the great hall, hoping to find Nordic and get some answers. Maybe even confront Elias about what was happening. But when I arrived, neither of them was there.
Instead, a woman sat alone at the long table, picking at a plate of fruit. I knew immediately who she was. Queen Isla, Nordic's wife. The rumors about her beauty weren't exaggerated.
She had long black hair that fell in waves down her back. But it was her eyes that caught my attention. They were bright red, shining almost like rubies.
An unusual color, but somehow perfect with her extremely pale skin. She looked like she had never seen the sun, a complete opposite to her husband's dark tanned skin.
"Your Majesty," she greeted me, standing up with a graceful movement. She gave a small curtsy.
I just nodded at her, not in the mood for pleasantries. "Where is your husband? I have something important to discuss with him."
"He is indisposed at the moment, Your Majesty," she replied, her voice soft and musical. She glanced down briefly before adding, "With umm... Elias, as he is called."
Of course they were together. The memory of Elias's hand on Nordic's arm flashed through my mind. "I see. Where then are my men and people? I have not seen them since last night."
Isla looked surprised. "Your Highness, they didn't tell you?"
I arched an eyebrow at her, my patience wearing thin. "Tell me what, woman?" I snapped.
"They went out in chase of some woman," she said, still smiling that perfect smile of hers. "They had informed the maids that you are not to be disturbed."
While she spoke, I quietly slipped into her mind. I saw the truth that she wasn't telling me.
An image of a young boy, clearly her son, held somewhere dark. A note demanding she drug the men who came with me. My foolish men, brought to them without a fight. And the queen helping with it all, terrified for her child.
Including a brief glimpse of Drogon, unconscious, being carried away by figures in dark clothing.
I pulled out of her mind before she could sense anything. She didn't know much more than what she'd already told me. She was just a pawn, following orders to save her son.
I nodded at her as if I believed her story. "I see. Thank you for informing me."
She looked relieved, probably thinking I had accepted her lie. But my mind was racing. There was a traitor among us. Someone who knew our plans, who had set this trap.
And maybe those strange notes warning about vampires weren't so weird after all.
The only vampire I knew who was the last of the Mesodomica people was Elias. Had he finally decided to betray me? After all these years of pretending to be loyal?
It made a terrible kind of sense. Elias had every reason to hate me. I had ordered the destruction of his people.
I had taken everything from him. Perhaps his relationship with Nordic wasn't just about past love, but about planning revenge.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Your Majesty?" Isla asked, breaking into my thoughts.
"No," I said, forcing a calm smile. "I think I understand everything now."
I turned and left the great hall, my mind already planning what to do next. I needed to find my people. I needed to discover where they were being held. And I needed to talk to Elias.
But first, I had to learn more about these sudden mysterious vampires the notes kept warning me about.
If Elias was the last of the Mesodomica vampires, then who were the others? What was I missing?
I headed back to my chambers, needing to think. If Elias had betrayed me, it meant I was truly alone here. No allies, no one to watch my back. Just me against an entire palace of potential enemies. Not that I was scared or worried.
As I walked around, a chilling thought struck me. What if the notes weren't warning me about Elias? What if there were other vampires here, ones even Elias didn't know about or couldn't control?
I stopped in the middle of the hallway as another possibility occurred to me. Queen Isla's unusual red eyes. Her unnaturally pale skin. The way she moved, too graceful to be fully human.
Could the royal family themselves be vampires? Could Nordic have been hiding his true nature all these years?
If so, then Elias wasn't the traitor. He might be in as much danger as the rest of my people. Or worse, he might be working with them willingly, having found others like himself after believing he was the last.
I continued to my room, my hand never straying far from my sword. One thing was clear; I needed to find out the truth about this kingdom, about Nordic and Isla, I have ignored them for too long.
And if Elias had betrayed me after all these years, after I had spared his life when I should have ended him along with the rest of his kind, then I would finish what I started in Mesodomica.
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