NIGHTS OF HALLOW

”Looks like this hunt is getting a little more fun than it should be. Our dear, Mr. Hans is going to be present. Why don’t we join, Daemon? I want to witness a spectacular bonding of our Princess with her future spouse.” Sthena commented with a low whistle.

To the King’s words, Sarah’s face scowled with a look of disgust. She glared at both Daemon and Sthena and was quick to retort, ”There is no future spouse! I have told you all that I am not going ahead with this so-called marriage. I can’t believe everyone is forcing me into this marriage!”

Sarah angrily stomped her feet in anger and as hastily as she had entered the courtroom earlier, was also how she turned around and left. Her steps appeared rigid as her hands clenched tightly by her sides.

”Oh, oh,” Sthena dramatically exclaimed. ”Looks like you got the Princess annoyed, Dae.” His red eyes flickered from the departing figure of Princess Sarah to Daemon where they shared a knowing look between them.

Daemon was quick to avert his gaze from Sthena, subtly evading the subtle interrogation from Daemon. His reaction confirmed to Sthena that something indeed was going on between the two.

Perdita stood from her seat seeing that the men wanted to discuss in private. She said to Sthena, ”I’ll be in your library.”

”You would need a key to the room,” Sthena replied and reached into his coat pocket and brought out a key which he handed to Perdita.

Once Perdita left the courtroom, Sthena turned to Daemon and ordered, ”Sit, Dae, I believe you have something to tell me?”

Daemon went to one of the sofas in the courtroom and lowered his height unto the seat. He pushed up his glasses once more before replying to the King’s question, ”There is nothing to say, Milord.” His voice was just like the look in his eyes that held no emotion.

Sthena rolled his eyes at what Daemon said. He waved his hand dismissively and uttered, ”That is not what I am asking Daemon. I have no business in your personal affairs, or should I say love affair?”

The King continued to say, ”I am only asking about what you found out from the investigation you carried out.”

”Oh...” Daemon’s nonchalant behavior seemed to be replaced with an attentive one. He adjusted his collar as he unbuttoned his collar button. He went ahead to speak, ”There are some details I was able to uncover regarding the death in Blackfang town.”

Sthena leaned in, his interest piqued as he uncrossed his long leg from the other, he queried, ”And what is that, Dae?

Daemon went on to discard the coat that he wore, leaving him in his white shirt ironed to crisp with no sign of rumple on it. The white he wore gave him an innocent demeanor even when his dark red eyes behind his glasses looked nothing like gentle.

He began to narrate what he found out to Sthena by saying, ”According to what you had suspected, the case is indeed related to witches. I had someone stationed in the town and the person said he had been noticing some movement in the late hours of midnight.

He said that this person or this supposed witch has been discreetly going to people’s houses.”

”Probably looking for who else to kill,” Sthena interjected with a hum, his head nodding to every word of Daemon.

”Right,” Daemon also nodded, and then continued, ”Though this unknown person has been going around probably looking for who to kill, there are certain occasions where the person is found digging the ground in the forest.”

Sthena furrowed his brows in question, he asked, ”Are you sure he hasn’t killed another person?”

”No,” Daemon negatively shook his head, ”The person hasn’t. If he or she did, we probably could have known about it. The dug grounds I’m talking about are all empty. I also went to confirm these when the person I sent to watch town reported it to me.”

”If there is nothing in the dug ground, what then is he using them to do?” Sthena thought aloud the same question Daemon had not been able to find answers to.

”Probably digging the ground for more heads to fall in?” Daemon asked in uncertainty, the acts of this person quite hard to understand.

A moment of silence ensued between the two, each thinking about the case. After a while, Sthena questioned Daemon, ”Have you announced the soiree that would be held in my name in the town of Blackfang?”

”Yes, I have,” Daemon replied. ”The invitations have been sent out and it has given people hope knowing that you’re into solving the case.”

”Perhaps we could use this time as an opportunity to lure this person,” Sthena suggested, his reply brought a question to Daemon’s lips.

He quizzed, ”On the day of the soiree?”

”Yes,” Sthena affirmed with a nod of his head. ”Change the time of the soiree to late hours. It is a vampire town so that hour should fit in more.”

”Okay,” Daemon responded and paused, his hand pushing his glasses up once in a while.

Sthena spoke again, he said, ”While on the night of the soiree, we would set a trap for him.”

”How? Won’t it cause chaos instead?” It would be a bloody might if, on the day of the soiree, the killer suspected to be a witch reappeared.

”No,” Sthena replied with a serious expression on his face. He went on to speak, ”He works only at night and I am sure this person would enjoy some solitude so he can carry out his mission.”

”The reason why this person has not killed another is probably because the security in the town has doubled.” Sthena continued to explain his plan to Daemon.

”While everybody is at the soiree, we would leave a trap for him in one of the houses in the town. He would probably like to use this opportunity to kill our bait as he might consider the person unlucky.”

Daemon’s face held an approving look on his face, but then, uncertainty swirled in his red eyes, ”Do you think it would work out just right and the person would be captured?”

”Let us hope it works. But one thing I am sure of is that this person is not working alone.” Sthena remarked, his face marred with an annoyed expression.

”Have you checked on the activities on Vetis lately?” Sthena questioned Daemon. ”He could be the Mastermind behind this bullshit!”

”Yes, Milord. He is not doing anything of late.”

”Or he is using his minions to carry out his evil deeds in the Kingdom,” Sthena interjected, his gaze sharp and fueled by rage. ”I wonder who would be daring enough to enter one of the elite towns of the kingdom just to cause this ruckus.”

”There are many people on the list wanting an opportunity to cause problems in the kingdom. Probably to dethrone you.” Daemon said, his hand propping his chin for support.

”Those fools!” Sthena spat, anger blazing in his eyes. He knew he had enemies, but the fact they had suddenly started uprooting from their graves that awaited them in return and were trying to disrupt the peace, he would surely teach them a lesson.

”I wonder how foolish people could be to think they can throw me out of this throne. Such foolishness is pathetic.” Sthena spat once more , his teeth gritted in pure rage his hands fisted together showed.

”Another thing, Daemon,” Sthena brought the attention of Daemon back to him, ”Get as many trusted men as possible and station them in all the influential towns. I have a nagging feeling this killing might extend to the other towns.”

”No problem, Milord,” Daemon tilted his head to a small bow before inquiring from the King. He asked, ”Did you find out what poison it was that your dear stepmother gave the Lady?”

”Sadly, it is lemon juniper,” Sthena replied, remembering he had yet to deal with Rosamonda.

”Lemon juniper?” Daemon questioned back in shock not because he didn’t know what it was but because of the type of poison it was.

Lemon juniper was a type of poison manufactured solely for vampires though it didn’t affect pureblooded vampires. But for an average vampire, it would instantly turn the person rogue where they would lose their sanity. This always caused an insatiable taste for blood, and after some days, the vampire would eventually die. For humans on the other hand, it wouldn’t take a minute before the person would be gone from the face of the Earth.

What baffled Daemon the most was that Rosamonda didn’t know that Perdita was a vampire, so for her to give her that poison, meant that she wanted the Lady gone immediately.

”You know why she wants her dead?” Daemon asked, having recovered from the shock.

”Not yet. Whatever reason she has is not of importance as I would surely deal with her.” Sthena threatened, his eyes blazing like a hot coal.

”Ah—” Daemon drawled, nodding his head in understanding. He said, ”Just for the information, I saw Regan asking your Lady some questions. You might want to ask her to hear from her.”

”What?! When did that happen?” Sthena’s brows furrowed into a deep frown. His already hot blood boiling at the thought that his so-called step-family was after Perdita.

”This morning,” Daemon informed. Remembering another thing, he added, ”And oh, I saw Rosamonda the day before discussing some hushed arrangements with some strange-looking man.”

”It’s no business of mine,” Sthena waved it off as he had more pressing matters than discussing whom his stepmother met or not.

”It should be—” Daemon drawled with a knowing look. ”Because what they were discussing can bring another poison to the lips of your Lady.”