"Vulir, was it you who framed me and brought me here?" Ascian was in disbelief to think his own brother was responsible for his misfortune. "There must a ploy here. My brother would never do anything to harm me. I am sure about it." Even though the Lord tried to appease himself with a lie, a seed of doubt has rooted itself in his mind. He trained his mind on his brother, but Vulir had gone to sleep, and Ascian did not find out anything more about him.
Liard was on the night guard when he saw his Lord lost in thoughts, focusing his eyes on the night sky. He had been with the Lord for a long time. So, he knew what was going on with him. 'Whose thoughts is the Lord reading?' He wondered.
Sensing someone's gaze on him, Ascian's focus snapped, and he turned to meet Liard in the eye. The sudden attention alarmed him, and Liard dropped his gaze at once. "I apologize for disturbing you, Milord." He bowed before him, and Ascian shook his head, clicking his tongue.
"Liard, do you think we have a traitor in our army?" He murmured, his voice fading with the cool breeze before it reached the man. However, Liard heard it loud and clear, and he approached the Lord, confused by his question.
"Is something the matter, Milord?"
"Answer my question, Liard. Do you believe there might a traitor in our army?" Ascian repeated his question, and this time, Liard had no choice but to answer him.
"Although I am not certain, I believe there must be someone, Milord."
Ascian titled his head, comprehending the man's words. "And, why do you think so?"
"Milord, I...I..." Liard stopped, trying to arrange his thoughts before putting them in front of him.
"Yes, I am waiting."
"Milord, there is no way we would have been held guilty for something we have not done if not for someone's dirty play. There must be someone evil hiding behind a facade, and it has to be from among us. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to implicate us this greatly."
Ascian pondered on Liard's words, nodding his head slightly. "Do you know who it might be plotting against us?"
"I apologize, Milord. I am trying to find out who he is. It is hard considering how everyone seems as crestfallen as we are after being banished from Arran. Also, I do not want to doubt anyone without evidence." Liard put forth his deductions, not once stopping his eyes from wandering around him, keeping a watch at his surroundings. His ears were on alert, picking up even the smallest of the sounds.
The vampires were in the land of the unknown, and they did not know who they were dealing with. The land was dominated by humans. But it did not mean there were no other powerful creatures. Wary by nature, Liard was careful to stop any harm that might befall his Lord, the man who had saved him from his state of despair in the past.
"I see," Ascian recalled Vulir's words and pursed his lips. "Keep an eye on Vulir."
His orders stunned Liard, and he stood still, comprehending the Lord's intentions. However, he could not decipher his thoughts, even after attempting for long. "Milord, do you think it was he who planned this?"
"I am not certain. But I don't want to rule out the options, despite knowing that it won't benefit him in any way if I am banished from Arran." Even if Liard did not know what was running in the Lord's mind, he had to do as he was told. Without any questions, he started to follow his orders, leaving Ascian alone to gaze at the night sky.
Except for the crickets chirping, there was no other sound, and Ascian was once again lost in thoughts. The solitude did not bother him, for he was accustomed to it. He had been lonely since the time he had taken over the throne, and it was Yevhen and Charmaine who had been his good friends, keeping him company through the years.
Ascian's gaze softened remembering Charmaine. 'I hope you are doing well, Charmaine. I apologize for putting you through this misery. But.....' He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on the matter he had no control over. 'I need to see what could be done now, and Ismene is what it will be.'
Ascian sighed lightly, shaking his head at the trouble he would be facing in the upcoming days. 'Humans are so troublesome.' He complained in his mind, albeit this was the first time he was visiting the human world.
That night, nobody slept peacefully, especially Ascian as he waited for the first rays of the sun to kiss the jungle. He had a town to save and a kingdom to rebuild. 'Ismene,' He sighed. It would his home from now on.
Just like Ascian, there was somebody else who was unable to sleep through the night. Finley could not stop reminiscing his Knight Commander's words about the way he had knelt before a group of unknown people. Finley lay on his back, trying to recall the group of people Morgan was speaking about. However, even after trying for long, he could not recall meeting anybody strange during the battle.
Finley did remember finding himself kneeling on the ground. But he could not remember how he got in that position before Blair and his men surrounded him. 'What could have happened?' He wondered. It was impossible to make the man kneel, for he was too strong for his opponent to defeat him, and the only person he had ever knelt before was his king, Jorah.
Finley was losing his mind as time ticked by, not knowing what had happened to him. 'My men cannot be lying to me. Something must have happened for me to be kneeling on the ground. And, who are the mysterious people they are talking about? Why am I unable to remember them?'
Finley tried as hard as he could. But his mind refused to cooperate with him, and in the end, his exhausted body overtook his will to find answers. He succumbed to sleep, forgetting about his concerns and his problem.