Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 570: Bright and brighter

Everything still shone too brightly. Every sound around him rang much louder than it should have and the odors... Oh, those odors were an assault on his freshly recovered olfaction.

But the silence that followed the appearance of the old man brought some solace to his splitting head.

The crown on his gray hair gave his identity away. Not that he tried to conceal it.

The king held a voice amplifier of his own to his mouth, his steady breath being the sole melody coming through his lips at first.

However, the words then followed, "What has become of my kingdom? What has become of my men? The pillars of this country!"

Surprisingly, his gruff voice did not break even once throughout his speech.

"I, king Cedric the second of the great Wenttin bloodline, order that this roguery cease at once! Lest the consequences I will make each and every one of you face be dire," he spoke with passion, his eyes on none of the intruders but instead on his own son who, naturally, seemed to have shrunken down many sizes under his skin.

Behind the king, two very wild hearts drummed without a sign of slowing down. One belonging to a recognizable face; a blond that had once shared a dance with Silas.

Irene held the hands of another, strawberry blond young woman.

From very far, their eyes glistened with tears they clearly fought hard to keep inside.

Metal and iron clinking against the ground echoed throughout the entirety of the rear courtyard with most of the soldiers dropping their swords without an ounce of objection.

With the look on many of their faces, with the relief and relaxation of their features, it was safe to assume they went along with the prince’s plans because there was no other choice for them but to obey.

"And as the king, I hereby order the apprehension of my own son, the former crown prince on Lustris," his tone dropped to near hissing levels as if spitting all the poison he was made to ingest by his own flesh and blood in the name of power.

It all felt a little too easy. No one tried to argue. Nobody attempted to stand in his way and against his word. It appeared, nobody was that foolish yet which hovered as a blessing.

Cynric, Morgana as well as Allegra joined Silas on the platform to face the king from where they stood.

"From now, until given orders to act otherwise, the Umbrarians present here are guests to be treated as such. Failure to uphold this simple command will result in severe punishments, rivaling those inflicted upon traitors of the kingdom!"

The shoulder slump of Edgar and Rubius were not subtle. The sigh of relief from Ada was long and mixed with choked cries.

But Silas had no time for celebrations as there still was someone that needed rescuing.

"Take care of them until my return," the vampire mouthed towards Cynric.

The wolfman simply nodded, asking no question about Silas’ destination.

Without another warning he flashed away from the scaffolding and back inside the castle only to exit the other way.

His senses were slowly leveling back to normal and Arabella’s scent called for him, guiding him through a distinct path.

It was especially easier to track her down considering the physical state that pathetic excuse of a man had put her in.

The vampire put little effort into identifying the carriage transporting her and stood in its way, prompting the coachman to tug at the reins with full force.

"I... You... I’ve heard of you!" the soldier sitting next to the coachman stuttered, his limbs visibly shaking.

"Why are we stopping?" a calm masculine voice arose from inside the carriage.

"My apologies, high General. I cannot go any further," the coachman held his place in front of the silent Silas, his heart rhythm rising by the second.

Shuffling was heard before a second man in gold platter armor emerged from the back. He took his sweet time walking over to the front, very much aware of who he had facing him.

"You’ve managed to escape," he stated without a lot of emotion, his hand gravitating towards his sword.

As futile as the action seemed since Silas could have ended him in the fraction of a second, the vampire chose not to underestimate him.

Something in him... That serenity made his overflowing confidence feel warranted. Whether it was the hubris for his rank as a high General or standing by the prince, Silas cared very little for the answer in that time being.

"The king had declared me a guest of his majesty," Silas spoke just as calmly as the man

The second soldier leaped off the front and brandished his sword, "Like we would believe the word of a puny vampire!" the aggression in his tone did not blend well with the quaking of his legs in those large boots.

"Stand back, soldier," the high General ordered.

The soldier looked between Silas and the high General before stepping backwards, sword still in hand.

"Where is my wife?"

"Your former wife is safer with me," said the high General.

"We shall see about that,"

"The king is on his deathbed. Even if you managed to escape, unless you’ve already taken the prince out of existence, you’ve got no leg to stand upon," he paraded his hand in front of Silas.

He was right to be patient as the General donned a golden ring from a long-gone era. A relic from the great war that served to even the odds between humans and creatures of the night.

One that granted them strength and speed beyond what a mere human could ever dream to achieve.

Silas’ diamonds flickered towards the carriage from where shallow breathing traveled, only accompanied by the faint beating of a tired heart and no other sound as Arabella seemingly had no strength to make a single move.

Thankfully, none of the bracing made for a fight was necessary as a dozen of horsemen rode their way after crossing the bridge leading in and out of the castle.

The first two stopped behind the carriage, holding the royal emblem high above everyone’s heads, waiting until the rest of the knights surrounded the vehicle in order to speak up, "High General Atticus! You are being summoned for an audience with the king himself. Honor the invitation or be seized right this moment!"