Call Of The Dark

His voice was so cold that it could freeze the room. When she didn't answer him, he walked to her and stood right behind her. Lifting her hand with his towards Gladys, he repeated his question, "Are you afraid to injure this body of yours?"

Maeve didn't know what to answer as uneasiness surged through her. She licked her lips and glanced at Gladys. She was already terribly drugged. She had lowered her head and was swaying slightly. She had to buy time. "I know that I will be leaving this body eventually, but every time I perform magic, it hurts a lot!" Moreover, Ailill was supposed to come to her a day before the ritual. She had to keep her body intact for him. Right after the ritual, she was going to kill Lazarus.

"Do you mean that you will not allow Gladys to speak? Now that is very suspicious, Maeve. Were you and Gladys working in cahoots?" Lazarus said, maintaining the same frigidness in his voice.

"That is preposterous!" Maeve countered, shaking a little in his grasp. "How can you even think like that?"

"Then perform the magic and unseal her lips," he ordered her.

Maeve looked at Gladys and found that she was almost lolling. She was finding it difficult to stay straight. Saliva started drooling out of her mouth. "Fine!" Maeve said and snapped her fingers. And as soon as she did that, Gladys slipped to the ground, unconscious. Maeve breathed a sigh of relief. Gladys was gone and once she would be thrown into the dungeons, she would incapacitate her speech completely. She looked down at her belly and realized that blood was oozing out from another part where her skin had ruptured.

Lazarus was prepared for it. "Guards!" he shouted, dropping Maeve's hand and wiping his on his tunic as if he had touched something filthy. "Take her to the dungeons!" The guards picked up Gladys and dragged her all the way to the dungeons. No one dared to say a word against his orders.

Lazarus turned his face to the healer. "You have a lot to explain."

The healer was so terrified that he started wailing. "My Lord," he cried. "It was Lady Gladys who wanted me to prepare the potion. She wanted to drug Lady Emma until the ritual. I have no idea why she wanted to do it."

"Why didn't you come and report me?" Lazarus's voice was still so cold that a chill ran down Maeve's spine. But she was waiting for the healer to speak against him. If he as much as utters her name, she was going to seal his lips as well.

"Lady Gladys didn't let me go out of the healer's room. She stood there for the whole time while I prepared the potion. She offered me a large amount of money to keep my mouth shut," he cried. "Have mercy, My Lord. It wasn't my fault."

"Guards!" Lazarus called another set of his guards. "Pick him up and throw him out of the palace. See that his entire family is thrown out of the palace grounds. Cut all his allowance and seize his wealth. He shouldn't go out of these grounds with a single penny in his hand!"

"Nooo!" The healer cried. "No, Lord, no! Don't take away my money. I swear I won't do it again!"

The guards had come into the room by then. They pulled him up and dragged him out while he continued to plead Lazarus. The healer was thrown out of the gates of the palace in the middle of the night. His family, consisting of his wife and two daughters, joined him within an hour. No amount of protest and pleading were heard.

"I am so sorry, you had to go through all this," Maeve said in a sad voice. She rubbed up his arm in a kind gesture. "But now that the biggest problem is out of the way, you can be rest assured that Emma will be well protected. I will look into her protection myself."

"No, you needn't!" Lazarus said immediately. Realizing that he said it too quickly, he added, "You have to protect yourself. You can't let any more magic come out of your little fragile body because you said that it hurts when you use magic."

Maeve stared at him and for the first time, she believed that he was finally concerned about her after a long time. She pursed her lips and let her hands slide to her sides. "You are right," she said. "I really need a lot of rest. This body has become too weak…"

"Yes, go to the healer's room. I am sure there would be plenty of other healers out there who can assist you," Lazarus suggested.

She rubbed her neck. "Can you trace me to the healer's room?" she asked. She really had no energy to walk down the corridors.

"Oh, I can't!" he refused blatantly. "I also need a lot of rest and besides I have to keep a close watch on Emma."

Maeve jerked her head back at his rude refusal, but she knew that it was important to guard the stupid girl. Who knew that she would become such a pain just a few days before the ritual? Through her gritted teeth, she said, "I understand. Be with her while I go to tend to myself."

As soon as Maeve left, Emma sat on the bed, sagging in relief. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. There were way too many vipers in the palace. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lazarus kneeling down before her. He was looking at her with a worried expression. His hands were on her thighs and he looked like he could faint.

"You look pale," he said in a low voice full of love.

Her fingers went to his hair and she raked through them. "I am fine…" she said. "Just can't wrap my head around all the conspiracy going around in the palace."

He placed his head on her lap as she stroked his hair. It was like… home. He closed his eyes. "I have been dealing with it all my life, love. Don't think much about it. I am there…"

Emma's heart squeezed at her vampire. He was the prince of the Wilyra Kingdom, an heir to the throne, yet he was so alone.