Hearing Leon's mocking words, she laughed. She did not care about what he said at that very moment, because they were flying above the clouds. It was one of the things she enjoyed most.
Leon flew fast as the rays of the sun touched and seared his skin. Ophelia did not seem to notice it as she was busy looking at the clouds below.
Soon, the man glided down, piercing the layer of clouds. A field of red treetops expanded to the pale azure mountains on one side. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, looking as if dawn was just about to arrive.
The woods came closer to them as they flew down. Seeing a few small houses outside the woods, Ophelia assumed they were going back to Grace's house.
Leon landed in front of the back door of Grace's house and put Ophelia down. The girl took a deep breath, smiling. She had experienced flying over the clouds once again. The view of the clouds under her feet would remain vivid in her mind.
Next to her, the vampire man panted with exhaustion and wiped the sweat from the bridge of his nose. His skin was reddish as if there were a rush of blood, but it was actually because of the sunlight. Ophelia chuckled seeing him, thinking he looked funny.
She followed him into the storeroom of the house. Leon went to the kitchen and washed his face with water from the pitcher. Only then she realized how uncomfortable it was for him to move around in daylight just for her.
Somewhere deep inside, she felt remorseful. She said nervously, "It must have been hard for you..."
He did not say anything. Ophelia sighed.
Getting to know about their arrival, Grace came out of the bedroom, asking, "Where have you two been? And Leon, why is your face red?"
Ophelia was flustered by her words. She looked at Leon who stepped forward and said, "I wanted to teach her how to fly."
He looked at her with the corner of his eye and continued with disdain, "But I don't think she liked it."
Ophelia pouted and looked at Grace. "Miss Grace, he pushed me off a mountain! I was scared."
Grace laughed, saying, "Leon, don't be so harsh on her."
The man rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, saying, "I have to go."
"But you have just come home. Take some rest, at least," insisted Grace, but he was already gone. She sighed and turned to Ophelia.
"Where does he go?" asked Ophelia.
"He has work to do. Don't worry about him, he is always like that. Now, let me give you something to drink," the woman said as she gave Ophelia a side hug.
The woman was nice, but it was hard for Ophelia to adjust to living with a vampire.
Grace brought a bottle of crimson liquid from one of the shelves in the kitchen. Ophelia took a deep breath as she held the bottle, staring at the liquid. The fact that she would drink the blood of the kind she lived all her life with made her feel somewhat like a monster.
She swallowed all her guilt as she sipped on the drink that defined her kind. It went down her throat and made her feel blissful. She did not like to feel that. But she could not deny that it rejuvenated her and filled her with energy.
When she was done, Grace said, "You finished that quite quickly. You were hungry, weren't you?"
"I guess so. Miss Grace, you never told me where this comes from."
"Oh, alright then. Take a seat," said Grace, sitting on a chair at the table.
Ophelia mirrored her, and once they were seated, Grace began:
"You know that humans are brought into Nordlys, right?"
Ophelia nodded.
"They are all sent to learn magic. Only the basics."
"Why?"
"They have to serve vampires with either magic or blood. Those who pass the tests at magic schools never have to shed their blood for us. They get to live a good life."
"What about those who fail?"
"Since they can't do magic, they give us their blood. It's like a deal."
Grace's words chilled Ophelia to the bone. She whispered, "It sounds horrible."
Grace sighed. "I knew you wouldn't like hearing this because you've lived with humans all your life."
Ophelia remained silent while looking out of the window. It was getting dark already. Suddenly, she remembered Isabella.
"Miss Grace, what do you know about strays?"
***
A knock was heard at the door to the King's office. King Evan said, "Come in."
The right-hand man came in and gave his greetings with a slight bow. "Your Majesty, will you not meet with the house of peers today?"
Evan sighed, putting aside the papers he had been working with. "Gilbert, I do not feel well today."
"You should take care of yourself, Your Majesty. You are the King of this land, and so you must be in good health."
The King leaned against his chair, saying, "I know. But sometimes, the pressure is too much to handle." He stared at the ceiling for a while. "Brother could have done much better in my place."
Gilbert remained silent. Stepping closer to the King, he smiled cordially and said, "You may rest today, Your Majesty. If you allow me, then I will take care of the meeting."
"Yes," Evan replied.
The right-hand man slowlywalked out of the office.
YOU ARE READING
Silverton's Journey
Fantasy"Sir, I had a question bothering me for a while." "Go on." "How did you know that I was here when you first came to take me?" Leon's eyes slightly widened as he heard the question. He looked down at her and uttered with a chuckle, "I knew I would fi...
