Victoria's POV
The rise above the river offers a commanding view of the valley. A good place to wait.
I look south, into the woods gleaming golden beneath the waning light of morning.
I can say that today will be easy, filled with travel across the corn and wheat.
We are headed towards the Alkeria, the largest town of the Northern Capital.
Yet, I am still nervous about something that I shouldn't care about.
I know that Lukas gave up his foolishness but I am not convinced that he would leave me alone.
Yes, I know that he perfectly believed my act of lying about the negative possibilities that he might achieve if he commit an affair with someone asides from his mate.
But still,
I'm uncomfortable around him, I don't know if it was an illusion yet, all throughout our walk, I can feel his gaze not leaving my body.
And I don't like it.
If only we are not traveling alone.
If only Edward is around to save my ass.
I won't feel like this.
And I don't even know when I’ll see Edward again as well with the other teams but Lukas talked to them about the meeting place and the time we should meet.
And I just hope it won't be long.
Because I might consider myself insane if this will continue.
I sighed before trying set aside the nagging feeling in my heart, I tried to put myself together by roaming my eyes around the familiar place, that I somehow felt myself attached.
But in spite of the pleasant breeze and the warm air, I still felt cold.
“Ahm lady, is it really you?” the old woman mutters at my side, filled with excitement and joy.
And I'm not shocked.
In spite of the circumstances, I feel a corner of my mouth lift, recognizing her voice. “Eliza.”
“My, you did visit the north again and I'm glad to see you my dear child. I am still thankful for your help. Do you want some tea? Come to my house after all, my husband will be delighted to see you again my child.” she chuckles, the wrinkles on her brown face deepening as she grins.
“I can still remember you giving me the same counsel more than once. Usually in regard to food.”
I break my vigil, looking away from the horizon to glance at her. “In that, the current remains true and the same.”
Her dusty laugh deepens, echoing out across the river and field.
Eliza is a human that has been a friend to me for five long years, close as an aunt and doting to be a good friend to me. She used her jokes to amused me and her own children.
Her presence is calming and the good thing was the idea that she somehow resembled my mother.
"Who are you?" Shit I almost forgot about him.
Lukas!
"Oh! You have someone with you—wait! Y-Your h-highness!—How? I-I—I'm sorry for my—"
"No it's okay you don't need to apologize. But why do you know Victoria?"
I folded my arms in front of me, feeling the edges of my new suit. Though, I love the old ones, I need to accept the fact that I can't wear it again.
And here I am with this king, the ruling king to be exact, I look woefully underdressed.
But why should I care about that?
"Ah, she’s a kind lady who helped my family in our farm. She even taught me how to use herbs as medicine, which helped me cure people in our small village."
This old woman is talking with no care. And I bit my lower lip to stop myself from giggling.
"I don't know about that," Lukas uttered in confusion and amazement. "So you do have knowledge about medicine? Is everyone on your clan knows how to cure people? Is that why you know about my condition?"
Shit! His eyes are now staring at me waiting for my answer but what caught my eyes is the fact that his eyes shows unreadable emotions.
"Y-Yes it's required especially the fact that we are all connected to nature." I pressed my lips together not letting them tremble.
"Wait—why are you with his highness Tori? You should've send me a message that you'll visit with him so I can prepare something for him. It's embarassing to face him like this," Eliza murmured almost a whisper towards me but it's useless knowing that the king is a werewolf and he can clearly hear her words.
"You don’t need to feel embarrassed about it madam, We just came to find someone. It's my mate, he's a healer named Louise—"
"W-Wait as I remember it's a name you once used as a healer, right Tori?"
Lukas frowned, incredulous. “You’re Louise?”
"O-Of course I'm not! I only use that name to come here as a healer but maybe it's a coincidence. My friend was named Louise and I remembered him so I—"
"You have a friend named Louise? And he is a man? Then maybe that's it! Maybe my mate was your friend who might also survived that night!" I can see his eyes filled with excitement but damn! I am trying to calm my self, so I won't show him something that can increase his suspicion.
Shit!
"I-I don't know maybe he is! And if Louise is really alive then it's a good news for me!" He smiles at me and I tried to smile back, but deep inside I wanted to let the ground swallow me right now so I can escape this tension.
"Oh that's the reason why you are dressed differently?" Eliza questioned and now I started to hate her!
But I hate myself more for not being prepared for this situation.
"What do you mean?" Lukas asked and that made me gritted my teeth, feeling desperate in thinking ways to escape from this chaotic scene.
I should think of a way to stop Lukas from asking so much questions and I should try to find other ways to change the topic.
Then suddenly I saw someone who can be my scapegoat.
"Elder Jadissa!" I call out, stealing Lukas’s attention.
Damn! That was close.
"Oh yes! Elder Jadissa!"
From our vantage point, we can see the elder of the village is picking its way across the disputed territories. The land is otherwise indistinguishable from the woods and forest. There are no walls, no gates, to mark this part of the border. The elder crosses the flattened grass in a few quick strides, stopping next to me with even grace.
Slowly, she folds her hands while her white skin looks more golden in the sunlight.
She could almost seem human but she's a werewolf picked by Lukas himself to guide the villagers.
“My King, I am not aware that you'll visit us. Is there anything we need to offer? Or maybe demands that we need to comply,” she says, gesturing towards her village before bowing her head in front of the king.
“We just need some food for now and some information about my mate,” Lukas answered with authority, and his expression changed right away.
It's a bit shocking to see him like this, being so different and intimidating.
The elder barks out a single laugh. Her eyes drag over me in an almost lazy fashion. “Aren't you his mate?”
No, not me.
I fold my hands together, projecting an image of strength. Determination and steel.
"No I'm not! H-His mate is not a woman elder Jadissa so please don't make some jokes."
"You are once dressed like a man and now you hate being one?" I just rolled my eyes at her.
This elder woman likes to irritate me and she always succeeds.
"It was just once!" I responded and she just nodded but her eyes are still teasing me.
"Okay if you say so but we thought you came here because of some issues around this village?" My forehead knotted and when I looked at Lukas his eyes mirrored the same confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" I questioned while observing how her expression changed, her eyes turned dull and filled with sadness.
"There are three women in this village who were captured by someone and have been missing for months, and we believed that they are imprisoned and used as leverage. Every moment that women from this village are taken away, families bled away and engulfed with sorrow. We gathered some small group of men to guard and monitor every night but they went home empty handed, wounded and some of them died after the encounter. Our resources are almost spent for buying weapons."
I looked around the field and found a dozen guards troop out, resplendent in dark purple edged in gold. They carry swords, some are archers though a few seem to favor war hammers or axes instead of blades.
But one man caught my eyes, it's Nicholas!
He carries no weapons at all.
He is tall, black-skinned, with a smooth complexion, full lips, and eyes like two polished stones of jet.
"You don’t have any kind of information about what happened to those women?"
Lukas almost snarled at the mentioning of the word 'missing'.
He acted like he's here on a dire mission and has no cause for pageantry, he towers over us, with his muscular physique of a strongarm.
“I wish we have better answers for our unanswered questions but right now we are still clueless.” she says in a deep, rumbling voice.
"Elder!" Nicholas approached us and
As is custom, he ducks into a shallow bow, observing both our ranks, then he realized who we are making him gasped.
“Your Highness,” he uttered in respect, Lukas offers a nod of his own.
Nicholas copies his motions, but too quickly. As if he wants this to be over with as soon as possible.
“What do you have for us?”
I wince at the lack of tact. On instinct, I open my mouth, ready to smooth over the rough edges of such a precarious conversation. But to my surprise, Lukas grins.
“I don’t like to waste time either young boy, I came here for my mate but it seems your village needs some help.” Lukas replied, his smile taking on a hard edge.
Over Nicholas shoulder, one of the guards approaches, carrying a leather-bound folio in hand.
“Of course we have the right to ask for help where in fact you are the king who turned deaf for months, not even visiting our village, letting me and my friends protect our own family, letting my father die while protecting my sister. ”
“I know that you hate me lad, but I don't have any idea about this matter. If I am aware, why should I let my people suffer?” Lukas asked, eyeing the papers as the guard passes them to him.
“The remains of the first victim was found?”
“Yes, the killer brought back the body and left it on our doorstep. From then on this village is filled with fear and parents are still searching for their children, and to help in this endeavor, for months we starve locking ourselves inside our homes.” Elder Judissa said and I felt bad for what they experienced.
“I'm sorry but can you describe her body?”
I almost snort aloud, but I stopped myself when I saw his expression.
Damn! Lukas is serious.
He seemed to be drowning in his own deep thoughts and the anger written on his eyes tells me that he really cares for his people.
“As I remember, she’s pale, no wounds and no blood at all. She had scars and bruises but she's too thin. A-And....” There is true sorrow in Nicholas's words, laced beneath the anger.
"And what?" Lukas impatiently asked making Nicholas avert his own eyes.
"She's holding a dead fetus on her hand."
“T-That’s cruel,” I mutter, thinking of how ruthless that monster is.
I raises my chin, my eyes flashing between Lukas and the folio. It has to be filled with information about the mysterious killer, his motives, his identity and location is what we really need.
“We’re prepared to do what you cannot my king,” Nicholas says. He is a skilled performer, and he layers his words with just the right amount of coviction.
If given the chance, the young lad might lure Lukas to his side before I can even get a chance to play my hand.
Nicholas is bruising Lukas’s pride, a way to make Lukas help his village. Pushing Lukas to act and to prove his power.
“I understand your anger, because those two women our my people. They might be in danger and you can’t move against them because you are afraid that the smallest rescue mission could jeopardize their lives.”
“Yes, exactly true.” Nicholas nods rapidly. Eating up everything that Lukas gives him.
“Even gathering trackers was almost too dangerous.”
Elder Judissa raises an eyebrow. “And?”
“It’s not easy to track those women, with only few men with us.” The king offers. He extends his hand, holding out the folio to me.
“The trackers can help us with this problem and maybe those demon are just hidden deep in the mountains, protected by valleys. It's dangerous if this monster or perhaps monsters attack this village again. I won’t let that happen. I will also add protection in this village don't fear.”
I take the information before one of them can, weighing the folio. It’s heavy, worth its weigh in gold.
“Were you able to find other clues so we can unfold the killer's location?” I ask, eager to crack open the pages and get to work.
Nicholas shakes his head.
“I believe we don’t have.”
I cross my arms, cradling the substantial book to my chest.
“The killer might have great motives to only take women away.”
Nicholas looks me up and down, his face pulled in respectful confusion. Lukas is less obvious. He doesn’t move and his expression doesn’t change. The temperature doesn’t rise a single degree. But I can smell the suspicion rolling off him. And the warning. He’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut in front of his people, unable to stop me from spinning my web.
“I’m leading the team myself, I can asked one of my friends to stay with the king as I gather my team to help.” I offer, fixing Lukas with my most determined stare. He doesn’t blink, resolute as a statue. Examining me, weighing me. The simple clothing was a good choice on my part. I look more like a warrior.
“It’s dangerous Victoria you should stay here with me.”
Even though it makes my skin crawl, I put a hand on Lukas’s arm. His flesh is cold beneath his sleeve. I can’t see it, but I feel the tiniest tremble in him. My smile widens.
“Lukas came up with a brilliant plan.”
He slides his hand over mine, fingers like ice. A threat plain as day.
“Indeed I did,” Lukas says, his lips pulling into a feral smile to match my own.
The villagers sees only the offer, and the possibility, of those missing women being brought back to them.
Nicholas and the others breaths a long sigh of relief.
“Magnificent,” Elder Judissa offers, bowing her head one more time.
“And in return, I can pledge to uphold the alliance we’ve had for decades. Until the blood freaks decided to intervene.” Elder Judissa hardens.
“But no more. The tide turns today.”
I feel his words as keenly as I feel the river below, flowing in its course.
Unbreakable. Unstoppable.
“The tide turns today,” I echo, the folio tight in hand.