NIGHTS OF HALLOW

”Does His Majesty want us to dine here as well?!” Lady Eleanor, who had gotten down from her horse, whined as she stomped her feet on the ground. Her restlessness showed in the way her face scrunched in distaste only because the king was doing this for another woman who wasn’t her.

”Every one of you keeps mute and acts as though you like this forest. I regret coming for this ridiculous hunt.” She harrumphed, her hands crossed over each other on her chest.

Yet still, no one responded to her tantrums, making her anger brew more inside of her. Just then, the sound of the running hooves of the king’s horse echoed as Sthena stopped a few feet away from where everyone stood.

Lady Eleanor, on seeing him, took some steps back as she and the others bowed; the courage she had before dissipated into the thin air. His presence commanded respect from everyone.

”Are we now ready to speak?” Sthena began, staring from one person to the other. ”To make it easy and simple while my patience is still intact. Every one of you will disclose where they were at the time of that incident. And,” He paused and jumped down from the horse, his red eyes keen on every movement from everybody.

He went on to speak, ”Pray whatever you speak is the truth. Lying will add to whatever may come.”

”Your Majesty,” Lady Rosamonda stepped forward, a notable frown marring her face. She said, ”I find it rather uncomfortable you’d do this to the royal family members over someone whose family background is questionable.”

”When has the background of oneself become a reason to determine why one must be alive and not be killed and the one behind such an outrageous act uncovered?”

”Is the lady dead?” Lady Eleanor blurted before realizing her words. ”I didn’t mean it in that manner. I was only being concerned about the human’s well-being.”

”Your concern is of no use.” Sthena turned to the blond vampiress. ”Why don’t we start with you?”

”Me?” Lady Eleanor pointed at herself, being the one now focused on. ”I-I wasn’t the one who shot her.”

”That wasn’t the question, Ms. Elliot. Unless your conscience nags at you? Hmm?” Sthena’s words carried an air with them that had Lady Eleanor momentarily freeze.

”I didn’t shoot. I mean, I wasn’t even in the range where she was shot at. You can ask Mr. Hans. We were hunting together before everything happened.”

”Is what she says true?. Attesting for whoever it might be would earn you a place in the dungeon.”

Lady Eleanor fidgeted with her dress, anxiousness gnawing on her. ”Do say the truth, Mr. Hans. I do not wish to be punished for something I didn’t do. You were with me, weren’t you? We were discussing going for the biggest hunt, weren’t we?”

Mr. Hans’s eyes widened ever so slightly at being put in the spotlight by the vampiress. She was clearly hinting at something by mentioning the hunt discussion she had brought up herself. Where she went after, he didn’t know. But saying this would put him on the edge of the line with the king if Lady Eleanor first disclosed what she had spoken to him about.

”It is true, Your Majesty,” Mr. Hans replied, his hands clenched by his sides, knowing fully well he couldn’t speak against Lady Eleanor without being called a traitor. ”She was with me, and I assure you that neither of us had anything to do with this.”

”Very well then,” Sthena nodded, ”this doesn’t take you two out of the equation until the culprit is found out. The floor is still open for whoever it was to confess while you still have the chance.”

”It was I, Your Majesty,” From the corner, Princess Sarah stepped forward, receiving a gasp from Lady Eleanor and a narrowed look from Prince Reagan and Lady Rosamonda.

She walked hastily towards the princess. ”What do you mean it was you, Sarah? Denounce such nonsense this instant!” She reprimanded, her eyes staring down at the younger vampiress, not believing what she was spewing.

”No, Mother,” Princess Sarah shook her head. ”I wouldn’t sleep well knowing another person might be punished for what I did even though it wasn’t my intention to.”

”Now the real killer comes out,” Lady Eleanor sneered, to receive a pointed look from Mr. Hans, who was now beside her in that instant. He questioned with clenched jaws, ”What nonsense do you think you’re spewing?!”

”The truth, obviously. She has confessed, what more do you want to hear? That it was I who did it?” Lady shrugged her shoulders and harrumphed.

”Why?” Came Sthena’s question that came from a place of hurt even though it didn’t appear that way to the others. He had stared at Princess Sarah for more than a few minutes, still unable to grasp it was she who had shot at Perdita.

”It was a mistake. I promise that what I say is all but the truth. It was reckless of me. I didn’t mean to shoot, please believe me.” Princess Sarah pleaded, her eyes searching that of Sthena’s for an ounce of trust, but all she saw was an enraged man, his red eyes blazing as they bore into hers. Disappointment. Was all she could see in his eyes.

”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, not even Lady Perdita. I’ll take whatever punishment it is for what I’ve done.”

”What nonsense are you spouting, Sarah?!” Lady Rosamonda’s voice came at Sarah once more. She turned to Sthena, ”Your Majesty, I plead with you to pardon the princess. She has made a mistake and is willing to rectify it. For the sake of the royal family members, do not put us to shame. Do not take her words to heart, Your Majesty.”

”You haven’t answered my question, Sarah. Why? There is no mistake when it comes to a pure-blooded vampire, especially during a hunt where the rules were laid out. How does your action spell out to be a mistake?!” As Sthena spoke, the anger from earlier returned when he remembered where the arrow had hit Perdita. An inch more than that would have been her heart.

On the other hand, Daemon stood with furrowed brows watching as everything was happening. Stepping forward, he bowed, ”Milord, if I may speak. I was with Princess Sarah, and I can attest that it was a mistake of hers. She had wrongly placed her aim before shooting. My request, Milord, is that we go over to where she had shot the arrow and inspect the place. I choose not to believe the arrow that was shot at Lady Perdita was from the princess.”

”And what if at the end of the inspector, it was from her? Not only will you two waste our time, but also the king’s time. She has confessed to her crime, the punishment should be meted out accordingly.” Lady Eleanor countered Daemon’s words and rolled her eyes at his suggestion.

”It wouldn’t hurt to check and be sure it was her. Perhaps the real shooter is here now trying to blend in with Princess Sarah’s unfortunate timing of events.”

Princess Sarah turned to Daemon with confusion written all over her face not understanding what he was trying to do. It was clearly her doing. If she hadn’t, out of spite towards him, shot that arrow, all these wouldn’t have happened. This would only increase her punishment if it truly came out to be her. However, at the back of her mind, she also hoped she wasn’t the one, even though everything now pointed at her. She heard Sthena speak after a moment of silence from him.

”Very well then, take us to the place where she had shot the arrow. We would then determine if it was truly her mistake or if it was someone here who has been wishing for a night in the dungeon.”

On getting to the place where Daemon and Princess Sarah had been before everything started, Daemon explained how she had shot the arrow and the possible direction it must have gone in.

Trailing the direction, Daemon and Sthena were the first to arrive at the end point where the arrow stopped.

”This shows a dead end, Daemon,” Sthena frowned. No arrow was found anywhere close by. ”Nonetheless, this is not the direction from which the arrow had come from. This can only mean that it could be that Sarah isn’t the one who shot the arrow.”

”Then who could have shot it?” Lady Eleanor interjected, crossing her hands over her chest, displeased over being made to walk around looking for an arrow. ”The reason why there is no arrow found here is because it is now embedded inside the heart of the poor human girl who must be fighting for her life now.”

”And how did you know the arrow was shot at her heart?” Sthena’s question came at Lady Eleanor just as she finished speaking. His red eyes narrowed on the lady who had never stopped talking.

”What?” Taken aback by the question, Lady Eleanor stared confused at the king. ”I-I, it was from the human when you called us together. I saw it. Didn’t we all see it?”

”From the position, it is impossible for you to see if it was her heart or not that she was shot at. The way my body covered her, most of what every one of you could have possibly seen would be the arrow and blood, and I doubt you would know where it got stuck.”

”I only guessed it would be there on her heart. It doesn’t mean anything, right?” As she spoke, her red, hesitant eyes turned to see others now staring suspiciously at her.

”Where did you go, Lady Eleanor, after you mentioned going for the bigger hunt to me?” Mr. Hans stepped forward. Now, everything she had told him made sense. ”Could the bigger hunt you were talking about mean the lady who was shot? You went after her because I refused to join in your hideous act over a flimsy rumour you heard?”