NIGHTS OF HALLOW

Returning to the room, Sthena assisted Perdita in putting on a coat, and while he did the same, Perdita spoke.

”Are you certain we will meet the Head Warden by this time?”

”I’m sure the man has a lot to take care of to think about resting after my order has yet to be done.” Sthena remarked. He wrapped his arms around Perdita and said, ”Why don’t we pay him a little visit to see what has been holding our dear head warden?”

Perdita stared at Sthena with sceptical eyes. She said, ”Why do I feel as though we are going to do more than that? Didn’t you say we are going to uncover more markings involving the death in Blackfang town?”

Sthena nodded in acknowledgement. ”I did say that. Which is why we must go now, it is going to be a very long night. Not to mention, you might meet your kind.” He grinned at the end of his words, his fangs slightly peeking out of his mouth.

”Shall we, my darling?” He spread out his arms, waiting for Perdita to come close.

With pursed lips, Perdita wrapped her arms around Sthena’s back, and he enclosed his arms around her too.

Almost within a heartbeat, the environment changed from the room they had been in to seeing the snow on the tall and huge trees surrounding them. The wind blew very cold air around them, whipping their hair in the direction of the wind.

The duo walked away from there, heading in the direction of the Warden’s office building. On the way, they met with Daemon, who had gone ahead to wait for them to arrive.

”Milord,” Daemon inclined his head in a bow. He turned to Perdita, offering a bow in greeting, which she returned with one of hers. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

”Any unusual movement since you came?” Sthena asked the man whose spectacle continued to hover on the bridge of his nose.

The town was almost deserted, left for some who continued to stay out even though the blanket of darkness had wrapped the clouds with its black paint. A few of those around cast a curious look on the king and those he was with. While some offered their deep bows, a few were quick to disappear from the eyesight of the king.

”Nothing unusual yet, Milord,” Daemon replied, and not long after, they stopped in front of the building.

”Or they have begun the late-night tea time without us,” Sthena dryly commented and clicked his tongue with a glint of evil appearing in his dark red eyes on hearing the whispers coming from inside the building.

Instead of following the front door of the building, Sthena signalled for them to walk around the building, where they stood listening to all that was being said inside, save for their heightened hearing ability of being vampires.

Not long after, they heard the front door open, and three men walked out of the warden’s office wearing hooded cloaks that covered their faces.

”Tea time is over,” spoke Sthena. Turning to Perdita, he said, ”Be a darling, sweetheart, and come let’s say hello, as it’d appear rude not to, considering how we eavesdropped on them.”

Taking it as a cue, Daemon bowed and walked away from the king and discreetly followed the men.

Inside the head warden’s office, the vampire was hastily arranging the parchments scattered on the table when he heard a knock on the door. His hands froze midway, and he tossed the last parchment inside the drawer of the table.

The knock came again, and that was when he realised that it came from the backdoor. Apprehensive and thinking the men who had just left his office had returned, he went to get the door.

”A lovely evening to you, Anthonio Malchantara.” Came as the voice of Sthena as soon as the door opened.

”Yo—your majesty?” Anothonio, shocked to see the king standing outside his door, took a few steps back in fear of what the visit meant.

”Is that how you greet your king?” Sthena scoffed as he further pushed the door open. He stepped to the side to let Perdita walk in, and he followed after her, saying to the head warden, ”Not only are you incompetent with your work, but you do not know how to observe simple courtesy.”

”Oh, wait,” Sthena paused, turned to the still shocked warden with a maddening smile on his lips, ”You do know how to serve late-night tea to your guests, shouldn’t be hard now, should it?”

”My deepest apologies, your majesty. Please forgive my manners. What would you like to have? I have a limited supply of tea here in my office.”

”I’d love whatever you gave to your guests earlier if you don’t mind.” Sthena casually replied and went to sit on the empty seat in the room, crossing one leg over the other.

”Pa—pardon?” Anothonio cleared his throat, fear creeping into his eyes at the thought of being found out.

”You are pardoned,” Sthena continued nonchalantly. Meanwhile, Perdita walked around the room, her fingers lightly touching the surfaces, and as she suspected, she found more markings proving that the men who had just left were the same people who were leaving the markings she found out about the last night and the one beside the grave she and Sthena had found out about.

”Start talking unless you want to make me force you? We wouldn’t want that. Besides, we don’t want to wake the neighbourhood with your screams. Who were those people? Let’s not forget you haven’t reported the last order I gave you. Lost your memory?”

Anothonio’s throat suddenly went dry, and he gulped in fear. Stuttering, he began, ”The men, they – I mean, they are...”

”I can see you find it hard to articulate your thoughts. To make it easier for you, who are they, where are they from, what is their agenda, and lastly, were they sent by someone?” As Sthena spoke, he took hold of clothing he found on the table that belonged to a child. ”Must be feeling blessed and lucky to have a wife and child, a wonderful feeling, no?”

Suddenly the warden dropped to the floor, his head pressed against the ground. Knowing the king, he would do anything to get him to talk, and that included his family, whom he wouldn’t spare. ”Please, please spare my family. I will talk, I will!”

”Oh, the moment we have all been waiting for is finally here.”

”T-the men, they came from the order of a man whom I know not. They threatened to kill my family if I breathe a word of it out till they finish what they came to do in the town.”

”And you think I would spare you if you stayed quiet? What are they here for?”

Mr. Anothonio’s face, already pale with fear, had sweat streaking down his forehead and neck. He looked up to see the king intently staring at him. He replied, ”Th-they are the ones responsible for the killing in this town.”

”Are they now? Now it makes sense why you haven’t reported your findings to me even after my warnings.” Sthena’s red eyes glared down at the lowly vampire who had not only lied to him but had also paid no heed to the urgency of the order given to him.

”Please, believe me, I was forced and threatened to keep shut. My—my child, my son, they took him.” The warden quickly added, his voice heavy with the pain of his child that has been taken from him for almost a fortnight now.

Hearing this, Sthena’s eyes narrowed. He had suspected the men to be responsible for what happened, but he had not expected the warden’s child to be involved. The chances of the child being alive were slim.

”Did they mention why they killed the woman?” Sthena continued to question, sharing a look with Perdita, who now sat in the adjacent seat, on hearing the warden mention his child.

”No, your majesty, they never discussed any of their plans with me, they only took my child and threatened me to stay quiet till they finished their work, but—” Anothonio paused and then said, ”I overheard them mention graves and witches.”

As though on cue, a look of realisation crossed the faces of Perdita and Sthena. ’The graves and witches,’ they both chorused in their heads.

”When did they come to you?” Sthena continued to question the warden.

”Two fortnights ago, when I refused their offer, they took my child. Please, your majesty, help me, I don’t want my child to die.”

”You should have thought about that when you decided not to report it to me. However, I must tell you that the chances of your child being alive are slim considering how you are also dealing with witches.” Sthena deadpanned to the desperate Anothonio who shook his head in denial.

”My son is alive. They promised to return him once they are done. He is not dead, he can’t be dead. Save him, your majesty,” Anothonio beseeched as he continued to press his head to the floor.

”As a warden, you must know better than anyone to expect anything.” Sthena said and stood from his seat, ”When do they usually come to you to renew their threats with you?”

”They don’t,” Anothonio shook his head, thoughts spiralling all over his head. ”They come unannounced.”

”Breathe a word of our discussion or my visit to them, and you’ll find your head on the scaffold,” Sthena warned and added, ”Also, failure to report your findings and their visits will have the axe on your throat.”

On their way out, Perdita whispered to Sthena, ”Like you have predicted, the witches are involved. And the graves too. Do you think they are stealing the bodies? And if yes, what are they using them for, and why did they kill the woman?”

Sthena took hold of Perdita’s hand as they walked into the street of the town after leaving the heartbroken warden in his office. He replied, ”We have a long night to do more diggings.”

”Diggings?” Perdita’s ears twitched on hearing the word dig.

”Not graves for now, darling,” Sthena chuckled, ”We cannot wait until they meet the warden again to act. For them to be here that long, it means that whoever sent them is planning on something big, and the woman they killed was just their first step.”

”Come, there is a place we should head to. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long night.”