A few minutes ago,
Bat and Anna took a rest stop. They were a few miles from Castle de Caspian. Anna, fatigued and famished from the long hour travel insisted they take a break.
Bat agreed. He made a shelter for them both on land from Bearbeit leaves and sturdy woods he found in the forest.
"You know, we should've just kept on flying. The castle is just ahead." He grimaced.
Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm tired and my arms hurts from the cold."
"It's my arms that are supposed to hurt. I was the one carrying you." Bat muttered.
"Did you say something?" Anna glared at him.
"No," Bat forced a smile. "I'll go find berries for you to eat."
He turned to leave and heard a loud thud. Anna was on the floor with a red blow dart on her neck.
"Anna!" He rushed to her side.
"Stay away from her, you creature of hell!" A deep voice boomed in the woods.
"Show yourself, coward!" Bat roared.
The voice whispered behind him. "I don't meddle with weaklings."
Bat felt frozen in place. He could neither feel nor move his body. "What did you do to me?"
"What I do to my all enemies - paralyze them with fear." The man stepped in front of Bat and smiled.
"Van Helsing!" Bat's eyes widen in shock.
"Hello there, Barthlomew." August stepped into view.
"You!" Bat snarled with disgust.
"You don't happen to know where my Lucia is, do you?" August asked with smirk.
"He does." Alfred whispered behind August who shushed him with a wave of a hand.
August approached Bat and grabbed his chin. "Tell me where Lucia and that Devil is and I might consider leaving you alive."
At Castle De Caspian,
Lucia's heart beat wildly in her chest. She was scared out of her wits. There was no way she would survive whatever punishment was given to Damian. But then again, he didn't deserve any of it. It was her fault he was in pain.
Before she could open her mouth to speak, a guard ran down the steps. "Your Majesty, we're under attack!"
"Attack? By whom!" Fieren barked.
"The humans! They're here with Lord Van Helsing, the vampire hunter!"
"The humans! They're here with Lord Van Helsing, the vampire hunter!" The guard spoke with a hint of fear in his voice.
"But how is that possible, Van Helsing is dead!" Jarlen yelled as Fieren and the guard went up the stairs.
"Van Helsing died in the great war, Fieren." Jarlen replied with both his hands clasped behind him.
"Yes, I know! I shoved my own hand through that monster's chest!" Fieren snarled wickedly with a fit of coughing following.
"Lord Fieren," Lucia gasped as she reached out to help but Jarlen caught her wrist.
"Don't! It'll spread." Jarlen said, pulling her back with him.
"What?" Lucia's mouth fell open.
"Take her." Jarlen instructed the guard.
The man grabbed Lucia's elbows and she tried to wriggle free of his clutches.
"Let me go!" Lucia's screams and hits were doing nothing to free her off the burly guard.
Jarlen stared behind Fieren, at where Damian stood in the dark, cold cell. "You didn't threaten me like I expected you to, Damian. By now, you would've told me how you were going to kill me if I touched her."
No words left Damian's lips as he stared glaringly at Jarlen.
"We should be on our way, Jarlen." Fieren turned on his heels, walking up the stairs.
"Right away, Your Majesty." Jarlen gave a curt nod, walking behind the king.
Before the king would reach for the door of the entrance, he froze.
"My lord, are you alright?" Jarlen quizzed, his face riddled with concern.
"No," Fieren called out weakly, hie hands clutching his chest tighlty.
He seemed to sway, almost losing his footing but clenching his fists seemed to keep him afoot.
"Don't fight it, Fieren," Jarlen took a few steps forward and stood now in front of him. "Let it spread. Let it stew."
"What?" Fieren spluttered. His speech slurred and so did his vision
Damian realizing what just happened, screamed as he pounded his fists on the iron rails. "What did you do to my father, Jarlen?"
Jarlen flashed him a sly grin. "What I do to vermin; exterminate them."
"No!" Damian cried out.
"I always knew this day would come." Fieren gave Jarlen a weak smile.
Jarlen grabbed Fieren by the collar. "I'm glad you did."
"Jarlen, let go of my father this instant!" Damian growled from the cell.
"Fine," Damian let go of Fieren who tumbled down the steps, landing in the pool of his own blood.
"Father!" Damian screamed.
Jarlen held the door open and shut the door, plunging the prison in velvet darkness. "Long live the king."
Meanwhile, the guard aggressively dragged Lucia with him.
"Let go of me." Lucia hit his arm as he pulled her along.
"Wellington, the humans are breaking in," another guard ran from a distance to go meet them. "We need your help securing the castle grounds."
Wellington grimaced in annoynace. "Who'll be responsible for this one?"
"Leave her. The castle is more important!" The other guard said.
Seeing no one paid her any further attention, Lucia bit the man's arm and he let go, wincing in pain.
"Oh that witch!" Wellington roared in anger.
"Leave her, Wellington! The humans are coming." The guard ran ahead and then other one followed.
"By Dracula's blood!" He cursed, following after the guard.
Lucia ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Damian, I'm coming to get you," she whispered.
She halted to a stop when she heard familiar voices. She hid behind a pillar, holding her breath.
"The king is dead. Sound the alarm to all vampires." A male voice spoke. Lucia recognised the voice to be Jarlen's.
In shock, her hand flew to her mouth.
'The king is dead? How? But he was fine a few minutes ago.' she thought to herself.
The conversation carried on.
"The king is dead and the cause of his death?" The man walking alongside Jarlen, asked. His voice unrecognizable.
"The death of the King?" Jarlen mused with laughter in his voice. "Say Damian killed him."
"Right away, my lord."
Lucia's eyes widened again. Damian couldn't possibly kill his father. Did he?