Vanessa sat on her bed in her chamber with an unclear expression. She rubbed her stomach lightly and glanced at the door. She was she waited for Jace to get back.
The guardians were having another meeting concerning the Acrylys. This morning, she had discovered she was a month and three weeks pregnant and she couldn't wait to tell him.
Her stomach would start protruding in three weeks since werewolves delivered in five months.
She sighed and stood up, deciding to go meet Jace herself.
***
Matthew sat down in his chamber pondering on an action to take.
Lucille doesn't deserve this: being detained and the fingers being pointed at her. He made Lucille who she is. He caused it. He wanted revenge on Valentine so badly that he mis-guided her, making her deceptive, cruel and crafty minded.
So whatever she might have done, he caused it. He suddenly stood up from where he sat. He had to do something, save her maybe, send her somewhere only he would know.
He walked towards the dungeon and went down the stairs, using his hands to clear off cobwebs as he climbed down the dark, creepy stairs.
As he reached the end, he turned left, looking at each cell left and right as he walked.
"Ha, ha, ha." Someone laughed and he recognised the laughter immediately: Valentine.
"Here to see your daughter?" Valentine asked and held on to the silver rod of the cell with his once bright golden eyes now sunken in.
He looked really crazy.
"Yes, I saw them drag her down here, she looked so miserable and so do you." He continued, laughing hysterically.
"Say what you want, you are never getting out of here, you'll spend the rest of your miserable life here remembering your daughter condemned you to this place." Matthew said, infuriating Valentine who forced his hands through the spaces between the silver bars and tried to hit Matthew, but a dungeon warder stopped him and Matthew laughed as he walked away.
Matthew finally reached Lucille's cell and she stood up from where she sat on spotting him.
"Open the cell, her presence is required," Matthew said and a dungeon warder opened the cell's gate.
"Let's go," Matthew said and gave her a look informing her immediately that he was breaking her out.
They then climbed up the stairs, now in the castle's main.
"We can't pass here," Matthew said, "there's a guardian meeting going on down there." He continued and they turned into another corner.
"Where do you think you're going to." They heard a voice say and They turned back to see Vanessa accompanied by two guards.
"Vanessa please, just let Lucille go and get away from here." Matthew pleaded with Vanessa and stood before Lucille.
"Matthew, I'm sorry but we have to keep Lucille detained till everything is cleared. Right now, the guardians are working round the clock because of something Lucille might have done." Vanessa said.
Vanessa then signalled to the guards behind her to arrest Lucille, but Matthew's fangs and claws extracted.
"Lucille run." Matthew said and snarled at the guards.
"Matthew don't do this." Vanessa said but Matthew ignored her and transformed fully into a wolf. He charged at the guards and stood on his forelegs. He swirled his hind legs around to hit both the heads of the two guards, making them loose balance.
Rapidly, with his wolf speed, he punched them, knocking them unconscious.
"I'm sorry Vanessa, but I had to....." Matthew said, and suddenly collapsed as a silver tipped tranquilizer hit him on the neck.
Shocked, Vanessa looked sideways to see Hudson with a gun on his shoulder.
"Lucille, she has escaped." Vanessa pointed forward.
"Fortunately, we had anticipated this," Jace said as he walked forward accompanied by two guards holding Lucille.
✓
"We'll keep Lucille detained with double security until we figure out what really happened." Vanessa said and stood up to leave.
"That's all?" Rafi said and Vanessa turned around to face Rafi.
"What else?" She asked.
"What of Matthew? He tried breaking Lucille out." Rafi said.
"Don't worry, I'll have him watched till all this is over." Vanessa said.
"No, he committed treason. Under the Vardal chapter, since he's a royal, it is punishable by 32 lashes." Rafi said, "I think justice should be served no matter what. It would serve as a warning to others if Matthew himself could be punished." Rafi continued.
Vanessa looked across the room looking confused; her eyes darting back and forth everyone's eyes.
***
Jace swirled around slashing his shadow sword through a demon making it wither into golden dust.
Special facts.
Shadow sword- A sword is a sword forged from the bones of werewolves. It is capable of withering demons on just a simple cut. The sword glows only when In the hand of a werewolf if worthy and trusted humans.
As a demon tried to sink it claws into Philip's neck from behind, Jace leaped up and swung his shadow sword beheading the demon; its head rolling to the ground before withering.
"You owe me." Jace smiled and jabbed his elbow into a demon who was trying to sneak up on him. He then drove his shadow sword into it's abdomen, causing it to wither away.
"That's the last one of them." Philip sighed.
"We can't keep doing this," A guardian said.
"Every leaf that drops from the Acrylys releases a dozen demons. Are we going to wait till the last leaf drops and Hecrydos breaks free before taking an action and casting a die to decide which guardian should be sacrificed to the Acrylys?" the guardian continued furiously.
Jace who was confused, stared into the air with indecision buried deep into his eyes.
"You're not considering this right?" Philip whispered to Jace.
****
A guard's eyes turned red as he walks away from the door to the holy chamber.
***
Matthew sat on his bed in his chamber with his elbows resting on his thighs and his palms supporting his jaws.
The door to his chamber then opened and Vanessa stepped in accompanied by four guards.
"I'm sorry," Vanessa said, staring at Matthew. She signalled to two guards who stepped forward. Matthew stood up and he followed them. He stopped at the door and waited to look over his shoulder at Vanessa. He stared at her for a few seconds before he continued walking.
As they reached an open ground, two guards chained Matthew's hands to two separate poles and another guard stepped forward holding a whip. He tore Matthew's clothes behind and created a naked space om Matthew's lower waist.
"On your command my queen." Rafi said
.
Vanessa stared at Jace and back at Matthew. She stared at him before facing the guard holding the whip and she nodded at him.
"Aaargh!" Matthew screamed as the guard whipped him once and waited.
Vanessa nodded her head again and the guard whipped Matthew.
"Aaargh!"
***
Jace walked to the holy chamber to see the other guardians. He had decided to cast a die. They were right, no one would be ready to sacrifice his life and they couldn't wait until the last leaf fell off the Acrylys.
As he reached the holy chamber, he opened the door to see the shock of his life: all the guardians on the floor, dead.
Immediately, a million thoughts began to run through hia mind.
Who did this?, Why? When? .....
He spotted a guardian shake a little and he ran forward to see it was Philip. He was not dead. Yet.
"Philip, Philip! Who did this to you? Who?" Jace asked.
Philip groaned with his fingers shaking and struggled to mention a name.
"Lucille"
"Hmn." Matthew groaned as a healer stitched his skin at his back.
The door to the healer's tent then opened and Vanessa stepped in.
"My queen." the healer bowed before leaving the tent.
"I'm sorry Matthew but I...." Vanessa said but Matthew came in.
"I understand Vanessa, I committed treason, I had to be punished," Matthew said and winced in pain.
Then, the door to the tent flung open and Jace ran in, panting.
"What is the matter?" Vanessa asked.
"The other guardians, hungh, hungh, hungh." he panted, "they are all dead" he continued.
"What!" Matthew stood up and winced in pain.
"Who could have killed them?" Vanessa asked.
" Lucille."
***
Matthew, Hudson, Jace and Vanessa ran to the dungeon in search of Lucille.
"Lucille!" Jace exclaimed on seeing Lucille in her cell.
" How, how did, h...... Oh my god" Vanessa said surprised.
"I knew it, I knew Lucille didn't poison the Acrylys," Matthew said.
Hudson immediately collected the keys from a warder and opened Lucille's cell.
"If it wasn't Lucille, why does everyone keep seeing Lucille?" Vanessa asked.
"A changeling," Matthew replied in realization.
"What is that?" Jace asked.
"An ancient creature capable of shape shifting into any form."
"How do we find someone that could be anyone or anything?" Hudson asked.
" I don't know, but somehow." Matthew replied.
***
The changeling's mission was targeted at guardians and since Jace is the only surviving guardian, we have to make sure he is secure," Rafi said as they walked into the safe tower.
"Jace you'll have to stay here with Rafi and some guards," Matthew said.
"But I want to go out there and join you in searching for the changeling," Jace protested.
"I know, but we have to keep you safe no matter what?" Matthew said.
" Alright, let's do this."
***
"If we would catch the changeling, we have to figure out who or what it's next target would be," Vanessa said.
"Jace," Hudson said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.
"The changeling was after the guardians, but was not able to kill Jace. He hasn't completed that mission and Jace is that completion." Hudson said.
"Jace, I have to warn him." Vanessa said.
" But he's well secured," Hudson said.
"Yes but the changeling could be anybody and he'll be easily decieved, letting down his guard" Vanessa said.
She then grabbed her gown from beneath, holding it as she ran with Hudson following behind.
**
"Be ready, attack anything that comes through that door." Rafi instructed and the guards at the door held out their swords.
"Jace, Jace" Vanessa said and before the guard could know she was the one that, he sent his sword right through her and released grip of the sword on realising she was the one.
"Vanessa! My queen!" Jace and Rafi yelled together.