Chapter 23: Escape

Benjamin understood her question and continued, "Your blood is toxic, it's a deadly poison to the vampires! I... I tried to convince him!" Benjamin couldn't go on, his eyes filled with pain.

"After Boris's death, Alexander took power and incited the followers of Les Enfants de la Lune to seek revenge for Boris. That's why they didn't kill you right away. He said that letting you die so easily would be too lenient!" Olivia continued in Benjamin's place. "It's because he wants to torture you that we had a chance to rescue you."

"Now, what do we do?" Emily struggled to utter those words.

Benjamin and Olivia exchanged a glance. Originally, their plan was to save Emily and leave this place. Staying in Cyberville was definitely not an option as Alexander would not give up. Seeking revenge for Boris was understandable, but no one knew his true motives. Perhaps he held a deep grudge against Emily and was simply using an excuse.

Regardless, he was the rightful ruler of Les Enfants de la Lune. He could do as he pleased, even without a reason. A single command was enough. Meanwhile, Benjamin, also a prince, became a traitor in Les Enfants de la Lune's eyes.

They had initially intended to take Emily and leave immediately, but they hadn't anticipated her weakened state. It seemed she had lost half of her blood. If she were an ordinary person, she would have perished long ago. Fortunately, Emily was different. She hadn't died despite losing so much blood and not receiving any replenishment from vampire blood.

However, considering Emily's condition, escape seemed highly unlikely.

Benjamin and Olivia faced a dilemma. It was daytime, so they were relatively safe for now. But what would they do when night fell? Olivia was already severely injured, and Emily was incapable of fighting. Only Benjamin stood a chance against their adversaries, but the power disparity was significant.

"Mount Miao!" Emily suddenly spoke up. "We can seek refuge there and recuperate!"

Benjamin was initially puzzled but then remembered the tree spirit. Perhaps this was the only solution.

"Benjamin, I'm sorry to inconvenience you. If we wait until nightfall to leave, I'm afraid it will be too late," Olivia apologized, looking at Benjamin.

Benjamin nodded. "I understand." He took a black umbrella from the wardrobe and said, "Use this."

Olivia nodded and helped Emily up. The three of them got into the car and headed straight for Mount Miao.

Emily was very weak, and the wooden staff that Sophia had given her as a guide was nowhere to be found. Benjamin was practically useless during the day. They searched all day until night fell and Benjamin's sense of smell returned. That's when they found Sophia.

Sophia looked at Emily, so weak that she couldn't even open her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "What happened to big sister?"

Benjamin and Olivia couldn't understand what Sophia was saying, but they saw her looking at Emily with a distressed expression. They exchanged glances, confused.

"I'm asking what happened to big sister?" Sophia suddenly looked up and spoke in human language.

"Oh, so you can speak human language!" Benjamin felt frustrated. It turns out that when he spoke in Elven language to Emily that day, it was intentionally to make himself feel foolish.

Sophia, still teary-eyed, said, "Human language is like a foreign language to me. It's difficult and exhausting to speak. Big sister is so much better; she can understand our Elven language. It's tiring to communicate with you dumb humans!"

Benjamin and Olivia felt embarrassed by Sophia's fiery temperament.

"Let's not talk about that now, little firecracker. The sun is about to set, and we're being pursued. Can you protect us here?" Benjamin looked at the sky, becoming serious.

Sophia pointed to the wolf den. "Hide in the wolf den. Their scent can mask your scent."

Olivia gasped, but Sophia had already howled, summoning the wolf king, Huzi. Huzi immediately emerged and, upon seeing Emily barely hanging on, let out a low whimper and nuzzled her face with his head.

Benjamin and Olivia were on the verge of exclaiming, but darkness had fully descended. The only option now was to take shelter in the wolf den.

Assisted by Benjamin and Olivia, Emily entered the wolf den. The wolves in the den turned fierce upon seeing the three of them, especially when they saw Emily. Some of the wolves even trembled slightly. The wolf king barked a few times, and the wolves made way. Inside the wolf den, there was a structure resembling a stone bed, likely the "throne" of the wolf king.

Benjamin and Olivia helped Emily lie down on the bed-like structure. Benjamin then swiftly rushed out and returned with a suitcase containing blood bags.

"I've parked the car far away in the tourist parking lot. This way, they won't suspect anything here," Benjamin explained to Olivia while opening the suitcase.

Olivia nodded and helped Benjamin take out several blood bags and an IV drip. Emily had lost a significant amount of blood, so blood transfusion was crucial.

The blood bags gradually deflated, piling up on the side. Benjamin licked his lips as he looked at the blood bags. Although Emily was still weak, it was clear that her spirits had improved. She looked at Benjamin and weakly said, "Have some yourself."

Benjamin shook his head. Although there was a box full of blood bags, Emily was different from ordinary people. Her blood transfusion needs couldn't be measured by the standard amount for regular transfusions. It was better to keep as much blood as possible for emergencies.

"If you don't drink, how will you handle them if they really come? You've been weakened from being exposed to sunlight during the day. The umbrella can't shield you from all the sunlight," Emily continued. Despite Benjamin using the umbrella, it was only daytime, and the umbrella couldn't block all the sunlight.

Emily caught a glimpse of Sophia's wrinkled little face, tear-stained eyes, and a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She reached out her hand to Sophia and said, "Little firecracker, I'm fine. Don't cry like that!"

Sophia quickly grabbed Emily's hand and cried even harder, resembling a lost child, wailing, "Sister! Get better soon!"

Emily smiled and pinched her little face. "I'm fine as long as you don't cry."

Sophia immediately stopped crying, biting her lip tightly, tears still staining her face. Benjamin and Olivia couldn't help but smile at her innocent and easily deceived appearance, breaking the solemn atmosphere that had lingered.

Benjamin didn't drink the blood from the bags but licked clean the ones used for Emily's transfusion. He looked at Emily with a complex expression and smiled, saying, "This is to eliminate any evidence. Vampires are very sensitive to the smell of blood. If we don't clean it up properly, it could be disastrous if they catch a whiff of it."

The night seemed incredibly long. Everyone was on high alert, listening attentively to the sounds outside. Olivia checked the time and let out a sigh of relief. There was still about half an hour until daylight. The wolf den had excellent insulation, and Sophia had added several layers of branches on top. Even during the day, no light could penetrate. Benjamin would be safe here.

As she was contemplating, planning to go out and fetch some food and medicine when it became daylight, she heard rustling sounds outside. Benjamin immediately stood up, and the wolves grew even more tense, fixated on the outside.

"They're here!" Benjamin whispered in a low voice.

Emily was initially in a drowsy state, but the scent of Alexander's blood rose overwhelmed the smell of the wolves and entered her nose. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked towards the entrance of the cave.

However, after a while, the sounds outside disappeared, and the scent of the blood rose gradually faded away. Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

"It's getting light," Sophia reminded them from the side.

They all breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly realized that it was no longer safe there. They had retreated because it was becoming daylight, but if they stayed, there was a chance they might return at night.

"What do we do now?" Olivia asked with a grave expression.

"Stay here. If you're found in another place, you won't stand a chance. Emily is still too weak to help you fight. You stay here, and Tiger and I can assist," Sophia spoke up. At this moment, she didn't resemble a gullible and innocent young girl of twelve or thirteen at all. She analyzed the situation methodically.

The three of them exchanged glances and nodded. Benjamin continued, "Alexander is a suspicious person. He should know that we are aware of his visit. Maybe he will think that we would escape during the day. Perhaps he won't come tomorrow. The most dangerous place is also the safest place. The longer we delay, the better. We can make plans once Emily has recovered."

Olivia nodded. "I'll go get some food and medicine. You wait here." Then she looked at Benjamin and hesitated before asking, "Do you need me to bring someone back for you?"

Benjamin obviously didn't expect Olivia to ask such a question. He turned to look at Emily, thought for a moment, and shook his head. He didn't want Emily to see his bloody side.

At that moment, the wolf king let out a mournful howl. Sophia translated, "Tiger is asking if you want to drink animal blood."

"Having lived as a vampire for so long, I've had to drink animal blood at times when there was no other choice. But after tasting human blood, it's hard to swallow animal blood. However, given the current circumstances, there's no room for being picky," Benjamin nodded.

The wolf king raised its head and let out a few howls. Half of the wolves poured out of the den, and Olivia followed suit. Benjamin remained behind, assisting with changing the blood bags. They had already used half a box, but it seemed like Emily's body was an endless pool of blood that couldn't be filled.

Watching this scene, Emily's heart softened. She had to recover quickly and not become a burden to them.

"For betraying Les Ambres, you might have to live a life on the run!" Emily looked at Benjamin with some guilt.

Benjamin just smiled back, seemingly indifferent. "Don't make assumptions. You know that Alexander won't tolerate me. Even if you didn't save me, my days wouldn't necessarily be any better!"

Emily smiled faintly, her already fair face even paler, devoid of any color in her lips. Benjamin's words held some truth, but she knew in her heart that half of his statement was false. Even if Alexander didn't like him, and even if he left Les Ambres, he would at least not be pursued. Yet he chose to save her together with Olivia, deciding on an endless path of fugitive life.

"What exactly is Olivia's background?" Emily changed the topic.