Call Of The Dark



Jade and Jasper traveled to the marked villages just before sunrise in their carriages. Both of them had one agenda and that was to collect the taxes from the villagers. None of them bothered to read the documents that stated the economic condition of the villagers out there. All they knew was that they had to collect the taxes no matter what. And if the villagers tried to resist then they would be punishing them severely. 

As they were traveling to the villages, back in the main village where Drogo and other main rebellion leaders lived, it was coming back to normal. After Lazarus had met with Drogo and pointed it out to him that there were no more humans missing, Lazarus had released some funds that were allocated to him from the royal treasury for the villagers. However, he didn't give it to them outrightly as charity because he knew that people never cared for something that was given for free. So he decided to loan them money on a certain interest rate. And that interest rate was so low that it was too attractive. 

It had been a week since Yul had come to the village to announce the micro finance scheme that Lazarus had announced for the villagers. At first, people were scared to come out because they didn't want to go against the rebel leaders. However, two days later, when they came to know of the advantages of the scheme, they started to come in throngs. Yul was surprised that it was women who came in large numbers. On the fourth day, they had to appoint an aid, Maxim, under Lazarus who looked after his wealth for allotting loans.

Because of this small activity, Lazarus was gaining popularity slowly. Villagers were in need of funds and getting a good amount at such less interest rates was just too lucrative to not to avail. Moreover, after Maxim had announced that there was only a limited amount that could be loaned, villagers came in large numbers not just from the main village but from other areas as well just to get to it first before the funds dried. 

It only meant one thing— Lazarus was getting famous everywhere. 

"I want to go to the palace," Avice said with irritation in her voice. She had been telling it to Drogo ever since Lazarus had invited her.

"Are you mad?" Drogo growled. "I have told you again and again that this won't look good on me. Can you understand that I am the leader of the rebels and if my wife goes to the palace to meet the royals, how will it look in their eyes?" 

"Why?" Avice snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "When you had to get the vampire blood for our son, you didn't hesitate to sell Emma to Lord Lazarus? You have kept that as a secret from everyone. And now that he has invited you out of politeness, you are giving me all that nonsense? What a hypocrite you are!" 

"Woman!" Drogo growled as he got up and caught her fiercely by her upper arm. "You don't talk to me like that! It was your idea to sell my Emma to Lord Lazarus. Earlier you thought that Emma won't be treated nicely in the palace and that she would become the concubine or she would be used and thrown, and now your thoughts have changed? You are so greedy that you will change like a chameleon if need be. Don't I know you? You are only seeing all the riches that Lazarus and Emma offer you." 

Avice gasped. "You are accusing me?" she cried. "If you loved Emma so much, then why did you let me sell her to Lord Lazarus? You could have stopped it. It's not that you weren't a party to what happened." She pulled herself out of his grasp and rubbed her arm. "And if you keep on clinging to what we did in the past, you will never progress. Times change and I want to change with the times. Do you even know that after Lord Lazarus has announced that he would be giving loans at very low interest rates, people from surrounding villages have flocked?" 

"I don't care!" Drogo shouted. "I can't take any loan from the royals. It won't look nice on me. I won't let you go to the palace and if you talk to me about it again, I am going to chain you to the walls of the house. You understand?" The reality was that Drogo was still trying to keep the rebellion alive.

Avice winced. She started crying loudly and Drogo rolled his eyes. He picked up his bag and left for his daily work. He knew how dramatic Avice was. He wasn't going to allow her to go to the palace and reduce his dignity. What he did with Emma was going to remain a secret. 

However, Avice was not the type of a woman who would sit at home and listen to the old bastard. He betrayed his own daughter and sold her. And now he was trying to look good? To hell with him. She was going to go to the palace and meet Emma. Avice was sure that Emma would gift her something and once she got it, she was going to sell it in the market and all that money would be for free. She wouldn't have to get in line to take a loan like other villagers.

Avice started forming plans to go to the Wilyra Palace in secret. She had to take her son as well so that Lazarus would give him a job at the palace when he came of age. The only problem was how to go to the village without letting Drogo know about it. Her mind worked over time and a day later she came up with a great plan. She packed her clothes in a bag and when Drogo came back in the evening, she said, "My sister has suddenly fallen sick. Father has called me, saying that these would probably be her last days. He has asked me to go and visit them. I am leaving with Angus and I will return in two days."