Chapter 21

Valentine stood up and leaned on the table while staring at the man. "What did you say?" The man could feel Valentine's intense gaze fall on him, making it even harder for him to let the words out. "Umm, his carriage had been attacked and we don't know if he escaped or was taken hostage."

Valentine sprints towards him and abruptly halts beside him. "I'm presuming one of his escorts made their way here that's why you know this happened."

"Yes, his in the infirmary, miss."

As soon as she departed, I realized that there were no maids or butlers following her, prompting me to start running.

In the infirmary, she could see the man his body was in a horrible state. He had heavy burn wounds all over his body and multiple deep cuts. "Young mistress." He tried to muster out clear words, but most of them came out as screeches, prompting Valentine to shush him.

He breathed sporadically, and occasionally groaned, it was obvious to her he was having a hard time keeping consciousness or not crying out in pain. "I know this is going to be hard, so say it with as few words as possible. Do you know who was behind this?"

"Light was by their side." She picked up what he was trying to say, but most of it she could have figured out herself. She was hoping for something a bit more specific.

"Do you know which faith it could have been?" The man shook his head from left to right.

With a smile on her face, she looked at him. "Have some rest, you have done a great job bringing me this information."

"Thank you."

When she left the room, she could see me and Drekem. "Contact Father and tell him what happened to Viktor. Also, have the guards patrol the outside of the residence more frequently, if they see anything suspicious have them report this to me immediately."

"Will do, miss." With that, Drekem disappeared from our sight.

Her face wore a troubled look, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Valentine?" She heard me but continued to walk down the hall without looking back. "Let's talk later, okay."

Neither of us had any appetite anymore, so we didn't go back to the dining hall. With some spare time on my hands, I wandered aimlessly around the grand estates while my thoughts raced through my mind. I was planning to ask her something today, but with everything that happened I didn't know if it was the right time.

Through my wandering I found myself outside, not too far from where I stood I could see the guard's barracks. While making my way over there, I changed direction towards the building right next to it. Inside of it, I could see a large open area.

I walked through the building with my eye fixated on the racks with weapons displayed on them. I stretched out my arm and grabbed a sword, at a slow pace I made my way to the center of the training area and closed my eyes. A sword slashes through the darkness towards me, making me react to it. 

The old man's figure appeared before my eyes as our swords connected. We pushed each other away and then dashed back towards each other. Our fight went on for some time longer before I slipped and fell to the ground.

When I reopened my eyes, I could see the ledge I tripped on, disheartened I lay down on my back. With my eyes staring at the cave ceiling, a conflict was happening inside me. 'Was that all just a dream?' All the time I spent with that old man seemed so dear to my heart, yet I'm certain I never visited that place.

Even now, the old man's cryptic words stuck to me. 'To learn your opponent. you must understand the weight of their blade.' I didn't understand what he was trying to teach me whenever I lost to him. It all just sounded like the ramblings of a fool to me.

I let out a sigh and picked up the sword while getting back on two feet. 'I should still have quite some time.' When I closed my eyes, I immersed myself back into my world.

"Rough around the edges, but not too bad. Were you training to be a soldier before being taken in by the mistress?" Caught by surprise the sword falls out of my hands and I stare at the man who was looking at me with intrigue.

"I was not." While I stare at him, I Kneel and grab the sword off the ground.

"Would you like to have a short spar with me?" Hesitant about accepting his offer I glance around the room. "Do you know the time?"

He looked at the watch around his wrist and answered me. "It's about eleven at night." Shocked by what he said I couldn't believe I had been on break for about twelve hours already. "I should really take my leave then."

As I was going to put the sword back, he stopped me. "I'm sure you have a bit of time left. This won't take long." 

"I'm sorry, but I should be going back to Valentine."

When he heard me brazenly say her name, he smiled. "Oh, is that, so I didn't know you could say the mistress's name so casually." Baffled by what he said, my mouth was slightly open as I stared at him.

'Samuel, when there are other people around don't address me by my name, alright.' I let out a sigh, remembering what Valentine had told me. "Alright, let's have a spar."

As I stand across him, I wait for his signal. "Come at me whenever you're ready."

I dashed toward the man, his proposal wasn't all that bad, at least I could now tell what had been bothering me for some time. Ever since that day more changes had taken place, the dark cave we were in seemed brighter than before, and no matter how much I ate I always stayed around the same weight, a hunger for something I never craved before occasionally filled my head, and my physique was abnormal for someone who had never trained his body before.

Horizontally swinging my sword it aims straight for his neck. He easily blocked it and smiled at me; the rest went as fast as he said. on the ground, I stared at him while exhausted. I knew I wasn't anything impressive, but just like the old man, he overwhelmed me in seconds.

"You know how to hold a sword at least that's a point, but you're far from beating anyone with your skills. If you want to improve, why don't you come by from time to time, I'll make sure to train you well."

My eyes were staring at him, but my mind was completely absent. I tried to understand why I felt so weak. Not too long ago, it all felt so natural, so why did it all disappear during this fight? I shook my head and looked back at him. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Ron, the captain of the guard. So, is that a yes or no?" I didn't need to think, I made up my mind when I dropped to the ground. "I'll try to come when I can."

"Good." With a smile, he watches me leave. "I was sure his skills were better than he showed me." Ron shrugged it off and left the training grounds as well.

Back at Valentine's room, I knocked on the door. "Miss?"

"You don't have to knock, just come in." When I heard her voice behind the door, I opened it. She sat on her bed and glanced at me.

Inside, I turned to her mirror and stared into it. "Is something wrong?" Valentine tilted her head when she saw me do this.

As I looked at my reflection, I didn't know how to feel. I hadn't given it much thought when I first arrived, but was that truly me I was looking at? I looked handsome even though I didn't take care of my appearance; I used to grow a beard, but it was all gone and never came back, my eyes shined a brighter blue, all the blemishes on my skin were gone, and my lips were a lot softer and never dried up. I looked like a fantasy version of myself and it made me unable to believe that this was reality. I could still remember how I looked, the scornful gazes as I walked through the streets of the small town. I was a weirdo most people didn't want to talk to, that's who I became after that horrible day, but if they saw me now would they think the same?

I moved my gaze towards Valentine, my emotions were all over the place, but I didn't show any and just stared at her. "Valentine, what is wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?" She stood up and began to walk in my direction. "I don't feel like myself." She stopped right in front of my face staring into my eyes and put her arms around me.

While she held me I felt a strange like our hearts were connected, a sort of kinship that helped pull out the plug that held everything back. My emotions flooded out and I couldn't stop them. "Not too long I lost everything that meant something to me." I told her everything, about their deaths, about my time in the town, about my feelings.

When I finished, she had her hand on my cheek. "Just know I'm always here for you." We stared into each other's eyes as they began to glow red. With our faces close together, we could feel each other breath. In each other's arms, we fell onto the bed.

I shot awake finding myself for the second time in Valentine's veiled bed. To my side, I could see Valentine still sleeping. At ease next to her, I fall back to sleep until the morning.

"You contacted father, right?" Annoyed Valentine stared at Drekem who was standing in her study. "Yes, miss."

"Then why is there still no answer." Drekem bowed his head while not understanding what was going on. "I don't know, I have told Rudech about what happened, and he said he would relay it to his Highness."

She leaned on the table with one arm and stared at him. "Miss, I-" She raised her other hand stopping him. "Leave if you have nothing else to report." Dejected, Drekem did as she said. "Yes, miss."

When he left the study, I looked at Valentine. "Are you alright?" I could tell something seemed to be gnawing away at her. "I'm fine, just tired that's all." I didn't believe her at all, so I stopped next to her bureau. "Valentine." She raised her head and looked into my eyes. "Just like you will always be there for me, I will do the same for you." 

After my words, we stared at each other in silence. A redness came to her face causing her to turn away from me. "Right, that's good to hear."

A while later, someone knocks on the door. "You may come in." The person who walked inside was the captain of the guard. "You said you wanted to speak to me around this time?"

"Ron can you send one of your men to my father." Surprised by her request he thought for a second. "Hasn't Drekem already contacted the palace?"

"Just do as I say." As she spoke, Ron could feel her glare and hear the annoyance in her voice, making him bow. "I will send one right away, mistress."

When he got back straight, Ron looked at me and smiled. The day after our first meeting, I approached Valentine to request some time off later in the day. To visit the training grounds, and since then, Ron and I have been meeting up for the past five days.

Around noon, one of Ron's men rode off towards Kisher the capital city of the vampires.

Later that night, two guards were patrolling around the premises. "Have you heard the man that's been training with the captain is the mistress's secret fiancée?"

"Where did you hear that nonsense from."

"I heard the maids talking about it, apparently they've seen him multiple times in the mistress's bed."

"Are you sure all of that isn't made up, I would sooner think he would be her plaything."

"Do you think the mistress would do something as vulgar as that? It might just be true love." When they heard something, they turned to where the sound came from "Who's there." 

Someone clad in full plate armor walked from behind a cave wall and looked at the two guards before pulling out their sword.

Inside a dimly lit room, Daniel stares at a bulletin board with pictures on it. Two pictures were secured in place by pins attached to them was a string. One of them was the corpse of a person you couldn't recognize and the other was the back of a neck with a plus on it made from stitches.

A man ran through dark alleys while continuously glancing over his shoulder, as he could hear vehicles following him. He weaved from street to street trying to get them off him. While he thought he might get away, a scooter charges out of an alleyway in front of him and stops. When the man saw who was getting off the bike, he felt hopeless. "Please sir, I did nothing wrong, why do you keep chasing me."

"If you didn't run away, I would have never had to do this." Franticly glancing to all his sides more and more scooters stopped around the man. "I'm just scared it keeps speaking, you know I've been going through a lot and all, do you know where my wife and daughter are."

As Daniel observed the man, none of his words made any sense, and he would occasionally scratch the back of his neck. "Are you itchy?" The man lifted his head and gave Daniel a peculiar smile. "Yes, unbearably."

The man quickly retreats as he watches Daniel pull out his gun. "Why are you pointing that at me officer, I just got off work I really need to get back home." Daniel sympathized with the man as he observed his head jitter while he spoke. Out of nowhere the back of the man's neck bursts open as green light seeps out. Not wasting a second the gun goes off. "Sleep tight. We'll talk again tomorrow."

Daniel Holstered the pistol and turned to his men. "Tie up his arms and legs." Thoughts ran through Daniel's head as he walked back to his scooter.

When a brick flies right past his face, Daniel stops and turns back around. Dust blocked his sight, but when it disappeared, he could see three pools of blood. "Sir!" Daniel turned his gaze towards the person who had shouted at him and noticed them gesturing towards the rooftops. With a furious glare in his eyes, he watched a figure flee from the scene.

"Should we go after them?" With a headshake, he gazes back at the hole in the earth and the puddles of blood. "No, we're leaving." Recalling their destination, he was well aware of the specific district.

"Contact the head enforcer and tell him a dangerous individual has entered the city."

When he was contacted, code red was announced in Enforcer HQ. Inside the head enforcer's office, he looked at his commanders. "I want teams patrolling every district for other suspicious individuals, and for the Eastern district up the number of enforcers standing guard in Brassway!"

"Yes, sir!"

Daniel's gaze lowered to other pictures on the bulletin board.

Daniel walked through Brassway with a cold expression on his face. He sifted his gaze from refugee to refugee, that was the only thing he could see while he moved through the street that surrounded the Eastern district. His mind was being filled with thoughts he rather didn't say out loud. After the day in the abyss, he couldn't get a good night of sleep, his body kept boiling with rage and it wouldn't stop until he found them, and these refugees were the closest clue he had. 

If he were to make things simple for himself, he could give the command to kick all these people out of the city, this would make the search a lot easier, but his heart ached just thinking about it. Most of these people were victims as well. 

Daniel shook his head and continued to stroll through the street while contemplating his next course of action. 

Upon hearing the door open behind him, Daniel quickly shifts his attention away from the bulletin board. "Sir, we have found their hideout." Daniel nods his head and approaches the woman. "Surround the area, I don't want anyone leaving or entering the Eastern district. We're catching them tonight."

"Yes, sir." After saluting him, she leaves the room.

Before stepping out of the room himself Daniel stares at the ring around his finger. "Let's see how much longer you can keep hiding."