Magnolia Province, the location where Eli was taken to, was near the Kingdom's land. Taylan and the others know it too well, but they never knew that there is now a mansion built in the middle of the mountains.
As Macky tries to gather enough information for their plan of taking Eli back, a loud knocking sound came from the other room and the voice that followed shocked Trace.
They almost forgot about Sandra.
Jace shook his head as he also forgot about the woman they abducted earlier. Dane went out and brought Sandra to the room. The once beautiful lady appeared with messy hair and a haggard face. Her eyes are narrowed and her brows are furrowed as her glance fell to Taylan's face.
"What the hell are you doing? Why did you kidnap me?" She yelled on top of her lungs as her face turns red in anger.
Dane shook her to refrain her from showing much more disrespect, but she budged and even tried to hit Dane, but her wimpy arms are nothing against the giant behind her.
"Where did you get the Queen's fragrance?" Willow asked while trying to suppress his rage. This human is nothing compared to the Queen, she can never fool anyone just because she smells like her.
Sandra looked at everyone's faces, starting from Macky until she stopped and smirked at Taylan for looking so stupid just for a woman who will never come back.
"Do you know how creepy you all sound? Asking me about a woman's fragrance? How perverted!" She said and chuckled, but her smile vanished when she felt as if her lungs are being crushed, then she saw Taylan, staring lowly at her with his hands closed in front of her.
"Speak or die," he whispered then continued to tighten his grip.
Sandra tried to breathe but all she can feel was the pain in her chest with no air coming in her mouth. Her eyes begin to turn red and watery, her veins are beginning to pop, and her mind is on the edge.
"SPEAK," Taylan yelled, "OR DIE!" Once again he tightened his grip as he stares coldly at Sandra.
A single human's life is nothing compared to those who were killed by the vampires and beasts on the street. If he has to stoop that low and kill a human just to find his Queen, Taylan will not think twice about getting rid of this filthy human, but Sandra nodded her head aggressively with begging eyes.
"Speak," Taylan demanded as Sandra takes in air, regaining her posture and life.
"I don't know him..." She cried, afraid that Taylan will once again hurt her, "He just appeared and helped me when I was about to be killed by a beast on my way home, then he made me do things."
Everyone was quiet and listening. It doesn't matter whether she's saying the truth or not, they know she knows too well not to mess with the King.
Her tears begin streaming down. She doesn't really care about the one who made her do those things since she only saw him once, but she knows that she's trapped.
Hiding that information will kill her, and telling them will also put her life to an end; what's to lose?
"He made a perfume using a red liquid which looks like blood, then he said, if I meet Taylan, I should use it." Her hands begin to shake in fear that maybe after a few moments her body will be lying on the ground, cold and lifeless.
"What's his name? What does he look like?" Trace asked, expecting for Vanford's name, but Sandra's shrug made a huge blockage appear in front of them.
"I don't know," she whispered with her eyes closed while trying to remember what the end of her life tastes like, she'll die any minute now.
She never knew that paying her gratitude to the one who helped her before will still be as dangerous to the situation she was in before.
Taylan moved his head and signaled Dane to knock her out. "Bring Oberon and made her forget about everything." He whispered and stared at Macky. They have no other option but to save Eli and find out about who Vanford is later, at least Sandra's out of their way now.
Sandra just looks down on the ground, watching Dane release her and stand in front of her. It doesn't matter how they'll kill her now. She will still end up dead.
Dane's eyes turned red, he was thinking of punching this little human to make her unconsious, but with the way she's not moving and kept on staring at the ground made him pity her.
He held Sandra's chin and raised her head for her to look straight to his eyes, and no more than a few seconds, she's out.
Everyone including Pen's group, the young and old beasts, along with the vampires are all perfectly hidden behind trees and bushes in the upper mountains of the Magnolia Province while watching the mansion where Eli was taken to.
Ben listens to E's words about what she saw inside, it is still a question who Vanford really is, but all she can say is that he is making everything extremely hard for them. Eli seems to understand and listen to his every word, and her reaction that is full of anger towards Taylan is alarming for them.
"Eli wants to kill Taylan, France!" E frowns at Ben while Tram was sitting on the ground as his image continues to blur and disappear slowly, "If that happens..."
Ben glanced over the kid who looks exhausted enough like his energy is disappearing along with him. If that happens, Tram will never exist.
Ben looked over at Taylan while he is staring at the mansion, waiting for Eli to appear by the windows, or to sight who this Vanford is, he and Tram are really a father and son. If Taylan saw him, he's sure that the King will fall on his knees to hug his little prince.
"We will take Eli, then Vanford. If anyone becomes a problem, end their useless and pathetic life." Taylan ordered. His voice was sharp, but it sounds as if the wind can take his voice away with its faint tone. His eyes are still dyed in a beautiful and deadly crimson red while watching the guards walk in the grounds near the mansion.
E can't help but stare in awe. She loved it whenever he shows her his true appearance. He is as beautiful as the midnight moon. His bloody eyes are not scary, instead, its hue gives her warmth.
She suddenly thought of Eli. Does she really hate Taylan? Or is it because of her memories and of Vanfords words?
Now that she thinks of her reincarnated self, a sharp dull pain crept through her chest.
What if Eli will never love Taylan the way she did?
Her long silver hair swayed along with the strong cold wind that came from the south.
When Eli stared at her reflection earlier, she seemed dead. She wasn't amused nor disappointed. There was nothing.
E went to Tram and hugged him tight, will she never get to fulfill her promise to him?
Everyone began moving, and surprisingly, the guards are easy to take down that they began getting suspicious of what is really happening.
Trace ran towards Willow who is now beginning to search the rooms in the mansion.
"I think this is a trap," he said.
"I know," Willow sighed as he closes the door of another empty room.
"Where is the King?" Trace asked, but they knew he found her, everyone sensed that he did and they all appeared in the same room where Eli was sitting on the floor with a scissor in her hands.
They all stare at her. Her hair that she cut was scattered on the floor. She's staring at her reflection in the mirror, her short hair suits her small face.
E covered her mouth in the surprise of what Eli did. Her long hair has become so short. She looks different from her now.
"Who are you?" Eli asks while looking at Taylan through the mirror.
Taylan doesn't seem to hear her and continued to walk slowly behind her, his hands begin to shake in nervousness. His heartbeat doesn't seem to slow down. And his lips seemed uncontrollable, his smile doesn't seem to go away.
Happiness is all over his body.
He still can't remember if his Queen had astonishing silver hair and gold eyes, but his heart tells him that this is her - that Eli is his love.
He went down on his knees and hugged her from behind.
Without anyone knowing, even if she's in Taylan's arms, Eli tries to suppress her anger and stop her hand from stabbing Taylan with the scissors in her hands.
This is just the beginning of Vanford's plan.
She can't ruin it, says her body. But Eli's mind is crying in pain without knowing what to do. How can she gain control over her body again?
E shakes her head while watching behind Ben and whispered, "She knows Taylan. What is she saying?"
Everyone aside from Ben kneeled for the Queen.
Everyone aside from Ben doesn't know that something is not right.
They are all too focused on finding her, that no one even questioned what may have happened or where is Vanford and why everything seemed too easy.
Willow can't help but smile, yet the moment Eli stared at him, a strong urge of having her in his arms came through his mind.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked away from Eli.
Now that she knows the whole story of E, Eli now knows what Willow was talking about when he told her about his love. But still, he betrayed her too. He left her. He gave her up. He's a liar.
"Let's go home," Taylan whispered to Eli as his embrace loosen, then he looked deep into her golden eyes.
Is this the Eli that was so loud in the library?
Is this the same Eli that he met?
Why does she feel unfamiliar, but why does she feels like he knew her for a long time?
Ben knew that Eli loves her hair short, but not in the length of her jaw, and the way that she's too quiet and lets Taylan get physically close is not like her.
Something happened and that did something to her.
Eli glanced over at Ben, then she remembered when he almost died when they were attacked, but he still left her when Taylan arrived that night she was killed.
He also betrayed her. He left her. He is a traitor.
Everyone in this room is an enemy, it is what Eli feels. Painful anger is all over her shoulder, but she knew that they are not. Yet, her body screams that she wants them all dead. She wants their cold lifeless body in front of her right now.
As she was on the edge of stabbing Taylan, Vanford sent a message through her mind, saying that she needs to calm down, and in that same instance, her body felt relaxed.
Macky took a quick glance at Eli, and the sight of her dead golden eyes, he knew something was wrong, which was confirmed by Ben's suspicious looks.
He grew up with the Queen by his side, he's one of the closest people to the Queen. And he knew, with just a single word, and the sight of her, that something is wrong.