Walter was the fastest student among his mates back in the caves so Master Egon knew he would get there early enough to save Hedy.
Walter on the other hand got there in a twinkle of eye but was furious at what he saw. Hedy was already on the ground, the leader of the group holding his sword with the rest of them gathered around and making jest of him.
Hedy had taken a shorter road that morning which made him escape the first hired group of men but brought him to the second group. Arrows were fired at him killing the horse pulling his carriage, it was then Hedy knew he was under an attack. Jumping down from his carriage and trying to take cover he was struck by more arrows piercing his back, legs and hands. Hedy tried to fight back when they caught up with him but one of them hit him on the head with a stick making him fall on his face.
"Beat him up well so he will no longer fight back" the group leader ordered as they began hitting him from different directions.
By now he was already weak and bleeding profusely, his face all swollen up. He laid on the ground wondering who the men where and why they came after him.
He let out the scream that alerted Walter and master Egon when the group leader stabbed him on the stomach.
"Let him go!!!!!' Walter thundered in anger immediately he appeared.
The men all turned to see where the voice came from..
"And why should we do that? the group leader asked walking towards Walter in a bid to dare him.
"Because Walter says so" he replied as he cut off the man's head taking his group by surprise. The others were afraid seeing how their leader was killed with just a strike.
"Who is next??" he asked. walking towards them with blood dripping from his sword....evil could be seen written on his face.
As he drew close the four men went backwards in fear looking at each other confused on what to do.
With the speed of light Walter had sliced two men into pieces and aimed at the fourth man's heart ripping it off leaving only one man alive.
He became more enveloped in fear seeing he was in no way a match to him. Never had he seen anyone this fast or anyone who fights the way he does his entire life.
"Your turn Walter said" from his behind , he immediately turned to see him standing right at his back.
His sword and bow all dropped from his hands as he fell to his knees in surrender.
While all these was happening Walter struggled to control himself. Having been exposed to fresh human blood the vampire part of him wanted him to feed while the human part wanted to stop him.
He had made a promise not to disappoint his Master and so he was going to maintain his cool and let the human in him win the fight.
He managed to overcome the urge before he found words to speak again.....
"I will not kill you like I did to the others, I do not know who you work for but you will deliver this message to whoever it is".....Walter said as he drew closeer to the man
"You must tell your sender that your mission failed and that i will be coming for him soon", Now get up and disappear from here" he yelled as the man immediately stood up and ran away into the forest.
Hedy lay almost lifeless on a pool of blood all through the fight, he struggled to breath, his eyes swollen and closed, Walter rushed down to where he was, with eyes filled with tears he held him close to his chest and whispered into his ears saying....
"Hedy am sorry I was late, hang in there for a while I will get you home.....don't leave me, I promise you will be fine..."
He hurried to get one of the horses the hired men came with and attached it to his brother carriage since his own horse was already dead, he gently lifted his brother, put him inside the carriage and rode off back to Tolaria. He hoped he gets him home on time.
************
Mila sat at one corner of the fruit shop pondering at the discussion and decision made by her family last night.
She will be replacing her mother as a maid in the palace. Cordelia her mother had worked as a palace chief maid for many years even before king Erikson took over the mantle of leadership. Now an old woman it was time to releive her of her duties, Queen Ursula gave had a rear privilege to bring in anyone she feels is capable and trustworthy to replace her in her duties because she had served the royal family well. Cordelia and her family had decided that Mila will take over her mother's position. She wondered how she was going to cope and if she was ever going to be as good as her mother when she finally resumes her duties.
Mila recalled what a seer had once told her some years back.
She had once met a seer when she was younger, a helpless old woman whom she usually went to help do some chores and run errands for. The old woman had told her that she was destined to bring life back into the kingdom, as a young girl she never understood what it meant to bring life back into the kingdom nor did she ever believed in what she was told back then as she had always seen it as mere talks, something that can never be possible and even if it were to be true how was she going to achieve that owing to the fact that she was not royalty by blood.
"Could my going to work in the palace be what the seer meant?" she asked herself
" Oh I see So this was what she meant, replacing mother in her position? but how and what does it have to do with bringing life back?
She decided to stop worrying her head over questions she had no answers to since it only got her more confused....