The Curse Of A Stranger's Gift 35 Thwarted

"Forgive us, your majesty! We lost track of her whereabouts in Germany." She was kneeling on the ground together with the other Elite Guards.

"You mean to tell me that a girl slower than all of you have escaped?" Vladimir's voice thundered over them. "Useless!" He pounds his fist to the armrest, and it bent with the impact.

"Forgive us, your majesty!" The Elite Guards bowed altogether. "We are worthy of your punishment!" Their voice sounded hideous when it blended.

A splash of icy blue crawled in Vladimir's golden irises while his body radiated with raging water. He stood, his clenched fist was trembling as he murmured, "then so be it." He snapped and a water-like chain linked to the Elite's waists. Their screams rented the air as the chain slithered up to their neck, strangling them to death.

The door blasted open, revealing Xavier, the former king. He was wearing a golden metallic-armor engraved with disturbing linings. "It's been too long since I used this." His scars stretched every time his jaw moves.

"What are you doing here?" Vladimir gritted his teeth. "I have no business with you."

Xavier laughed insanely before walking towards him. His metallic boots issued a loud noise when stomping the ground. For a moment, he stared at the Elites writhing in pain before muttering, "You didn't tell me you have music here." He moved his hand up and down as though conducting Elite's screams.

"I am asking you why you're here, father? I'm not in the mood for your idiocy."

"Idiocy, you say?" Xavier stared sternly at him. "And what do you call yourself, genius?" He chuckled at his own joke. "Genius!"

Vladimir flicked his thumb, and water as big as his fist pounded Xavier's chest who was now lying in his back on the ground. "I told you I have no time with your s.h.i.ts!"

"You impatient fool." Xavier ma.s.saged his chest. "I know where Zheira is."

All at once, Elite's screams stopped. Their chains vanished as Vladimir walked pa.s.sed them. He grabbed Xavier by the neck and glared at him. "What did you do to my Zheira?"

A sly smirk curved his chapped lips. "I did nothing to her, b.a.s.t.a.r.d! If you still want to see her, you'll politely remove your filthy hand." They eyed each other before Vladimir loosened his grip, patting his shoulders harshly as he could.

"Good, Vladimir, good!" Xavier looked at his shining crown. "You see, no matter what crown you wear, you'll end up following my orders. It's not in the authority, of course. It's through the mind." He tapped his temple. "And yours seemed to have been rusting for ages—"

"Stop with your nonsense c.r.a.p! Tell me where she is, or I'll kill you."

"You can't possibly do that, can you?"

"I will if I have to."

"You seemed convinced, but you'll only disappoint yourself." Xavier turned. "Anyway, Zheira's in the ends of Volioirae, caged in a dormant cave. I'll hurry if I were you. Wild creatures might have some kind of feast and choose to make her an appetizer."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" he whispered with gritted teeth.

Xavier slightly looked at him. "What are you waiting for? Go, now!"

Vladimir didn't know why but the moment Xavier yelled, his limbs started moving forward. The walls were fuzzy while the air pressed to his skin; he's gathering speed to arrived as fast as he could to that dormant cave. However, before he could go outside the castle, a force made him stop. His brow puckered when he couldn't run even by force. Then the unseen force pulled him back to his throne, crashing the door to its hinges. He gasped when his back hit the chair's back-rest. It felt as if he'd broken a bone.

The Elites gaped at him with their mouth wide open, but it was Eleanor who moved towards him. "Your majesty, are you okay?" She looked at his legs up to his screwed face.

"Why can't I go out?" he bellowed, clenching his fist to the deformed arm-rest.

Eleanor looked awkwardly at Louise and back to Vladimir. "Uhm..." she started. "About that—" She scratched her head.

"Tell me." His eyes turned dull. Eleanor swallowed hard.

It was Louise who answered, "The throne will never let its owner go somewhere else but the castle, your majesty." He looked down and stared intensely to the ground.

The world fell in his shoulders. Now he understood why he has to be crowned. Xavier wants him tied up in this castle. He sn.i.g.g.e.red. How very wrong he was. It was a mistake Xavier would regret for the rest of his miserable lives. Did he think a mere binding could stop Vladimir from saving the woman he sacrificed his life with?

Breathing heavily, Vladimir stood. "Eleanor, I want you to go to the dormant cave and save Zheira. It might be long before I could escape this throne."

Eleanor looked at Louise nervously before saying, "If that's your order, your majesty, I shall comply." With a last bow, she vanished in a flash. After she'd gone, Vladimir looked at the remaining Elites.

"All of you, decapitate my father. Kill him if you must. I don't want to see his ugly face patrolling this threshold."

"But, your majesty—" Louise stopped when Vladimir's eyes flickered.

"Do as I say."

"Yes, your majesty!" They bowed before setting off to accomplish their tasks.

Silence ruled the moment he was left alone. He let his fingers crackled, stretched her legs, and rolled his head then he ran in a blurry s.p.a.ce. He's using every ounce of his strength to run as fast as he could. He expected himself to halt at the door. However, he pa.s.sed through safely. He stopped for a moment to look at the doorway. He'd antic.i.p.ated a hard resistance but nothing came.

Shrugging, he ran into the depth of night. He could just make out the bright expectant moon beaming down at him. Common vampires stared as he pa.s.sed by them. He's running so fast that all their eyes could follow was the swishing of his cloak.

With his speed, it didn't take long for him to arrive at the dormant cave. It was shady here. The moon seemed to have gone, and the eerie silence that crept in the s.p.a.ce gave off a creepy vibe. He took a deep breath before prowling inside the dark cave. He couldn't feel any presence inside, but when a pack of bats came flying out of the cave, he ran out of their way.

When he was sure there weren't any bats left, he walked inside once more. This time more cautiously. As he grew deeper, he was starting to hear faint voices. With his sensitive hearing, it was easy for him to follow each of their words.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zheira said. She'd been sitting on a pile of rocks for ages while her hands were tied to her back.

"You killed my mother!" Celestine howled, her once blue eyes were now pursued by shadows, together with purplish veins throbbing in her temple.

It was ever a shock for Zheira to wake up in front of a raging Celestine. Ever since, she'd been prompting that Zheira killed her mother and it's starting to get in her nerves. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't know.

Celestine pulled her hair. "You remember when you got yourself some small wounds? They fired me and my sick mother have to die just because of a silly wound on your face!" She yelled, plunging a dagger deeper to Zheira's legs. Her scream pierced the cave, echoing relentlessly.

Theodore b.u.t.t in, "That's enough. Let's get this done, so we can go home." He'd been leaning on a rough big stones with crossed arms. Unlike Celestine, his eyes were perfectly normal.

"I'm not done yet," said Celestine with bulging eyes. She pulled the knife, laughing insanely at Zheira's tear-streaked face, then sliced the dagger to her cheeks. "How does it feel, huh? Tell me!" She moved its sharp edge down to her throat. "How about we end your life now?"

Zheira could only cry and wait for her end. Celestine laughed at her helplessness. She was ready to slit Zheira's throat. However, the ground below her cracked until a water burst through it, sending her away from Zheira.

Theodore looked left and right, but he hadn't seen a gust of wind pushed him deeper to the stones. Before Vladimir could kill them both, he tied them back to back with a chain made by water. He then proceeded towards Zheira, but stopped midway there. He inclined his head, staring intently at her. Something's not right.

"Don't look at me like that." Zheira's cheeks flushed red. "You're making me blush."

His brows furrowed. When did Zheira act like that? He rubbed his chin. When he couldn't remember a thing, he shrugged it off. "Are you okay Zheira?" He started uncoiling the knotted ropes.

"I am. Thanks to you, my prince charming!" Her tone was higher than usual.

Vladimir couldn't pull himself together. There's something wrong with Zheira. Had she gone mad with all of these things?

When at last she was free, she linked her arms around his waist and nibbled his ears. He moved back. "What's happening to you?"

A sly smirk curved her lips. "Gotcha!" she whispers before plunging a syringe in Vladimir's neck. His lips parted as he tried removing the syringe, but he felt too tired to the point he couldn't raise his hand.

Zheira smiled at him as she extracted some of his blood. She put the syringe back to her pocket. "Best be off. Bye, your majesty." She turned and waved her hand, jumping along the way.

Vladimir could only watch her go. His whole body felt stiff. He couldn't even move his own eyes. It was when he tilted his head did he saw Zheira's body shrank and grew wider. Her long wavy golden hair shortened and had turned black.

"Louise," he muttered with gritted teeth. "I'll kill you."