Chapter 0004

I spent the whole night listening to everyone around. When I heard Philip insult Alex I almost went there to defend him. I don’t know how I managed to resist. The sounds of the wolves and the subtle hints of the presence of Praishe had me in knots.

Early in the morning, I busied myself in performing The Shield Ritual, securing the area around The Amor Lake. I wondered how Eric and Emily were? I felt a sudden urge to call them but I decided against it. Calling them could be dangerous for them and me too.

The creaking sound of the swing drew my attention. I couldn’t believe what I saw through the crack in the rocks. What was Alex doing here? How was he able to enter the veil? If a mere human could enter the veil so easily, what protection would it provide against wolves and praishe?

As if on cue the wolves howled in a distance. Then the sounds drew louder and clearer. They were coming for me. I moved the rock as quietly as I could, stepping out I closed it back and hid among the bushes. I wanted to be close to Alex in case the wolves attacked.

This took only a fraction of a second yet Alex seemed to have sensed something. He looked around frantically.

I sneaked closer to the boundary of the veil. The howls stopped as they drew near the veiled area. I was dumbfounded to see the number of wolves. There must have been at least 10-12 of them. There was no way I could survive if I fought with so many of them single-handedly.

I started taking steps backward. They stopped when they reached the boundary as if they had been obstructed by an invisible wall, then they turned around and walked away just like that. The shield had worked.

If the veil was strong enough to ward off wolves how did Alex manage to get it. Before I could dwell on that thought, my body convulsed in pain. I felt thousands of needles pierce through me. My maker, Emily was in distress. Vampires could only feel the pain experienced by their maker physically. I had to go to help them.

By the time I returned near the swing, Alex had already left. I took out my car from behind the bushes and drove at the maximum speed using the energy field of my maker as a guide. The energy field was the strongest near an abandoned palace that was practically in ruins. Who was crazy enough to trap a vampire in a ruined palace? Emily and Eric could get out on their own once they regained strength but I had to check on them.

I parked my car and moved stealthily towards the ruins. A sense of impending danger loomed in the air. Everything wasn’t as simple as it appeared. I decided to wait and watch for a while, hidden among the bushes. I watched in horror as a drunkard turned to ashes the moment he went close to the entrance of the ruins.

My hunch was right. This place was protected by a very strong charm. I used the Encipher spell to see the field of the charm. Luckily I was wearing the Alexart or it would have been impossible to view the field. It appeared very strong. I went around the ruins in the hope of finding an opening or a weakness. There were none.

What could I do now? I had to find a way to get Emily and Eric out. I racked my brain to come up with a counterspell but my mind came up blank. Cracking my knuckles, wringing my hands, I sat hidden behind the bushes staring at the veil. It was unlike the ones I had encountered before. It was more like a walled enclosure rather than a dome-shaped structure.

An idea formed in my mind, the silliest idea ever used by a vampire and probably it would get me killed. I couldn’t sit here uselessly. So I decided to follow through the plan even if I regretted it later.

I brought a long rope from a nearby construction site, looping it around the branch of the tree that was protruding inside the shield. I climbed up the tree and secured the rope. Then, I closed my eyes and jumped bracing myself for the pain but I felt nothing. I landed on my feet with a soft thud.

Who would have thought that a simple logic inspired by video games would actually work? I had seen in video games that as far as you didn’t touch the laser you would be safe.

Now I had to figure out where Eric and Emily were before someone saw me. Closing my eyes I focused on all the sounds I could hear. Two vampires were talking about some unnecessary stuff. Apart from that, I couldn’t hear anything.

I had been reluctant to use my power to find Emily’s energy field but I had no option left. I used my power to seek out her energy trail. I had to focus hard to identify it since it had become very weak. Following the trail, I found them both lying on the floor totally knocked out.

“ Our Liege was right. You really came searching for your maker. Though we had expected you to burn to ashes the moment you tried to step inside the veil. You do surprise me, little one.” The hooded vampire said with an evil grin.

“ Hmmm. She seems quite aware but what is the use. Our liege would be coming at any moment.” The other one said roaring with laughter.

I had to get out of here before he arrived else we would be destroyed. I stealthily took out the bottle of oil in my jacket and poured it over my gloved hand.

In the blink of an eye, I had rubbed the oil on both of their faces. They fell to the ground writhing in agony and cursing loudly. Throwing the gloves at one of them, I picked Emily up and carried her to the place where the rope was hanging and made her lie on the floor. Then I quickly flashed back to get Eric. He was a bit heavier and it took a bit extra time to get him to the ground. I made him lie beside Emily.

I lifted Emily piggyback and secured her by tying her to my waist with the jacket I had taken off. Then, I gripped the rope and started climbing. The rope swayed precariously, creaking every now and then. I climbed to the branch and jumped down flashing to the car in a jiffy and placed her in the back seat of the car.

I was panting with Exertion. My arms hurt but I couldn’t stop to catch my breath. I jumped to the ground again and picked up Eric in a similar fashion. I wondered if the rope would be able to bear our collective weight. I had to find something better.

I sensed the vampires moving closer. They must have recovered. I had no option but to take the risk. Gripping the rope tightly I climbed swiftly. There was a loud crunching sound as the branch broke under our weight. I managed to grab another branch and jumped on the other side of the shield, missing it by millimeters.

Phew! That was close. I carried him to the car and pushed him inside, locking the doors hastily. I could sense the change in the energy field. Someone very powerful was approaching. I didn’t know if I would make it but I had to try.

Jumping onto the driver’s seat I hit the accelerator, glad that I hadn’t turned the engine off. I drove towards El Rosa like a maniac, not daring to look behind. I didn’t even use my power to check if someone was following us.

I drove straight through the bushes and trees stopping only after our car had entered the shield I had created this morning. I pushed Emily and Eric into the water and swam along holding their hands.

Opening the rock entrance to the ice cave, I pushed them inside one by one. Then, I propelled myself inside and made them lie in a more comfortable position. I had to go back and hide the car.

I closed the entrance and swam back. My eyes widened to see the destruction my car had caused. I tried to start the car but it wouldn’t budge. I had to push it to a nearby thicket and hide it. Then I got to work clearing the path, removing the broken branches and fallen trees so that it appeared like a path made by human beings.

When I returned I couldn’t feel their energy trails at all. Panicking I took a bottle of red wine and poured it into their mouth one by one. I heaved a sigh of relief when their energy trails became stronger but they didn’t regain consciousness.

I guzzled the remaining contents of the bottle, feeling energized at once. Now I had to find a way to revive them……