CHAPTER 266: QUEEN’S PARTY VII

"What did the vampire say to you?" Queen Aliana asked me, eyes filled with unrestrained curiosity, her hands shaking—almost unseen—maybe in fear?

We were in another section of the palace after confirming with each guard, stationed in groups, to escort our guests to the guest houses, and the citizens to their houses for the night.

And when I say "we," I meant the Queen and her family, including Rachel and Duke, whose journey out of the community had been stalled until the next day. There was also the Lycan King and his sons—no friends this time around. Then there was my family, and some of the trustworthy elders of the community, Dim inclusive. There were also the rulers of the neighboring communities.

"Nothing much." My voice was yet to recover from the earlier shock, even though it had been hours now. I didn’t think I would be recovering anytime soon either... that face... the filth, the venom.

I shook my head, inhaling sharply when I felt a presence behind me. Sharply, because my back was right against a wall. Where was the presence coming from?

I turned, heart pounding—but there was nothing. Was it just my mind playing tricks?

No, El countered softly. The vampire is outside this place. I’m not sure what he wants, but we have to discover what is attracting him here.

What if it’s me?What if I was the magnet, putting the community at risk? I couldn’t help but ask, my heart rate increasing.

I don’t think you are the one. Something else is pulling him.

The beasts? I offered, turning away from the wall when I no longer felt the presence. My gaze met the Queen’s, and I knew she had felt it too—that venomous presence.

No, definitely not the beasts,

El said, then stayed silent.

Fortunately, the Queen and I weren’t the only ones aware. The people in the room, considering their high supernatural abilities, had perceived the vampire’s energy, even if faintly.

"That was it, right?" an elder spoke—a woman who should be nearing ninety years on this planet. The Queen didn’t need to say a word.

"I think you should let out the beasts. The party is already over," my father pointed out, arms folded across his chest, his face pale as white paper. Beside him was a stiff-faced Laura.

I wondered what was going through her mind. Would she still let Diana and me out for night walks? I had a feeling night movements would soon be banned, not just for us but for the whole community.

Other elders agreed with my father, and immediately the Queen left the room to give the order—I was sure of it.

A sigh escaped my lips as I slid into one of the chairs in the room. Diana mirrored my actions, her hand slipping into mine, holding it to convey support.

In less than five minutes, the Queen was back. "They are out. I am sure the vampire won’t be staying for long... they are afraid of the beasts."

Sighs of relief echoed through the room.

"Dora, tell us everything—any words at all. Give us his description too..." Mr. Brekan, the Lycan King, broke the short silence, taking a seat.

"I’ve heard they can take many shapes, including that of organisms. I’ve heard there are good ones of the species... your description will let us know which is which."

"There was nothing good about what I saw," I immediately said, brows furrowing. "I’m not sure if there’s anything good about that species either, considering its outlook... what good could they possibly offer?" I questioned the Lycan King, who only shrugged in response.

"You never can tell. So go ahead with your narration."

And so, I spoke about everything that had transpired in the forest, including the cruel joke the evil thing had played on me after I’d escaped.

"That’s the bad one, for sure," Dim muttered after my narration, his face still white with fear and something else I couldn’t place.

On this subject, we agreed. I thought, taking my eyes off him to refocus on the Queen. "What do you think he wants?"

"You don’t talk to the Queen like that... I’ve been watching you since this—"

"Dim, that’s enough." The Queen’s order cut him off, her gaze never leaving mine. "She is within her rights to ask questions. The vampire is a terror to us all. If we keep quiet, we’ll soon be a community of the undead—if they don’t kill us off first. For all we know, he might be scoping the land, marking our defenses."

A pause. "Dora, have you felt this venomous aura before now?"

I pursed my lips, debating whether to tell the truth. Would they think I was the magnet for this?

"No," I finally settled on, lying through my teeth, making sure to keep my gaze fixed on her, and not on my people. "Is it yours?" I threw back, ignoring the elders wincing at my sharp comeback, ignoring Dim kissing his teeth and glaring at me.

"The same here." She answered simply, settling on a sofa.

Well, we were both lying to ourselves, I surmised, before repeating my earlier question.

"I am as clueless as you are, Dora," the Queen spoke after a soft exhale. "The only guess I can come up with is that he is a messenger, sent to scout the land to see if they can attack."

"Do you think the beasts can roam through our four communities, seeing as we are connected? I’m sure the Lycans can take care of themselves."

Mr. Brekan hissed in annoyance at the question from the ruler of the closest community to us.

"Sure," the Queen answered with a smile.

Ever the diplomat, I thought, watching as they began political talks on how to stop the killings that had plagued the environment for the past week.

I zoned out, clutching Diana’s hand, staring at the ceiling, though I was aware the triplets were staring at me more than necessary.

What? Did they suspect me of something untrue?

Twenty minutes later, we were bidding goodbye to the rest of the group; Mother had deemed it enough time for the vampire to have left the community space.

"Laura, you all can sleep over. Even though the vampire should be away, the beasts are still roaming, and as you know, they are not exactly friendly."

"They are friendly to Dora. I’m sure we’ll be okay." A pause. "Thanks for your concern, my Queen."

Then she was leading the way out of the room, with us following, Dad keeping up at the rear.

Outside, we let out deep breaths, looking around at the thick darkness, only lightly illuminated by the half-moon.

"Let’s go home. We can talk there. No place is safe at the moment," Laura continued, speaking bravely—a sharp contrast to her pale face.

Huddling together, we started the trek home, each of our beats straining to maintain a steady rhythm. Luckily, we got home without a hitch—no beast, no vampire, no sense of being watched.

We exhaled as we walked into our compound, Laura’s defense magic covering the entire area. Then we laughed at ourselves, at our hearts that had been racing manically at every abrupt movement around us—movements that had probably been nothing more than a scurrying rat or rabbit.

"What a night," Peter said, dropping into the sofa ungracefully.

"What a night indeed," Laura echoed, sitting beside him.

Diana and I took the sofa opposite them.

"So, Maya, what do you really think about this mess?" Laura started, leaning forward.

"I think the Queen knows more than she’s saying. I think she knows what the vampire is looking for. El thinks the same too." We had come to that conclusion on the trek home.

It was just a knowing, without proof—but El wasn’t human, and she was rarely wrong. Almost never.

Peter sighed wearily and ruffled his hair. "You think maybe she stole something from them, or has something they want?"

"Possibly," I replied.

"Or maybe she’s in league with them," Diana said angrily, fists clenching.

We three turned to stare at her.

"Diana?" Laura called, like a question.

"The Queen is evil. Who says she hasn’t made some sort of agreement with them, to do away with Maya because she’s a threat to her throne?"

Silence descended in the room. El started connecting dots, and even though there were suspicions, linking the Queen to that evil monster felt like quite a stretch.

"You really think she would go that far, darling?"

They were considering this?

Diana shrugged in response to her mother’s question. "She is an evil woman. That’s all I know. I think we should put that on the list too. Maya, be careful when you train with her. I don’t like how she looks at you. Haven’t you noticed it?"

Blank and detached? Yes, I had noticed it. But she looks at the others that way too, right?

I don’t think that’s what Diana is talking about, El murmured in my mind, causing me to frown.

"How does she look at me when I’m not looking?" I spoke out loud.

"Like she would kill you and drink your ground bones soaked in water..." Diana answered.

And I didn’t know what surprised me more—her choice of words, or the fact that our parents didn’t refute her.