Chapter 48 Skilled Knox
…
By now, Evyths and Crystal had gone into the city on horses. To Valerio, they had one to see Knox, Crystal's friend, and he was too engulfed in royal duties to sense a lie or something that led that way.
While the ride was silent, the look on the faces of the commoners were excruciating. They stared at Evyths with disgust and predation. It was as if they would devour her the next minute.
“I do not like the look on their pale faces,” Evyths blurted out to Crystal.
Crystal only laughed it off, knowing fully that the commoners knew better than to defy the king’s decrees no matter how hard the decree struck their flaming nerves.
Evyths moved with a straightened face, the gentle gallops of the horse piercing through the silence. The air was toxic, it reeked of pure copper, rotten flesh and dried leaves. Nothing appealing like the place that Valerio had taken her recently.
By the time that they had left the city’s square, they drifted into a lone street, dried street. It appeared more like a graveyard: quiet and full of the dead.
The atmosphere crawled on Evyths' skin while Crystal remained unfazed.
“My lady? Are we there… yet?” Evyths asked confidently, her brows cocking at Crystal questionably.
Crystal narrowed her gaze at her with a cunning smile on her lips. “Almost,” she said, turning away.
The silence hung in again, this time, it was unbearable to Evyths. She thought of a distraction like asking Crystal questions, at least, until they got there.
“If vampires age pretty well, why are there commoners then? Should every vampire not be… comfortable if not rich?” Asked Evyths, her curiosity peaked more.
“What is a kingdom powerful king? Just like you, we have upper and lower castes to balance the chain. Besides, the citizens are… prospering,” Crystal offhandedly remarked, flipping her hair from the side of her face.
Evyths scoffed lightly, “You call… ‘looking hungry’ prospering?” She asked, this time, her eyes were glued to Crystal who didn't seem to care.
“Or… you mean that you are the meal they are staring at and they are… starving. Had the king not passed a decree about you, you would not make it past the castle's gate. But, instead of worrying about the wellness of some… common vampires who would stop at nothing to drink you dry, let us focus on the journey ahead. Vampires are undeserving,” Crystal looked away, her holding the reins tightly while they rode.
Valerio had told her that statement before, that vampires were undeserving—now it stood like a friendly reminder of the truth. And, Crystal was right, she did not have to beat herself over the vampires’ wellness either.
Soon, they stopped at a gigantic Manor with large heavy gates. The building stood in the middle of a large field, complementing the eeriness. The ambiance was next to darkness, another reminder of what the vampires were.
Cruel. Dark. Cunning. Monsters.
Her eyes lingered on the roof of the Manor, there were several bats staring down at her as well.
The atmosphere smelled like horror with a mix of fresh, bloody flesh.
It stank. Unbearable. The weight of each object sat on her heavily.
Evyths looked away, her eyes were sore from looking at the terror before her. It reminded her of the time that she had first entered the castle.
“Welcome to Knox’s house, I am not sure he's around…”
Evyths' lids fluttered nervously, swallowing hard, mustering her courage to speak.
“Kn- Knox is not around. That is… good. I believe that we can go now,” said Evyths, grabbing the reins of her horse, attempting to leave as Crystal interjected with a slight frown.
“Go? I do not want to go just yet. We have to go in, at least, courtesy—”
“I understand, my lady, but this…” Evyths' eyes darted to the building and back to Crystal questionably. “It is not… never mind. I believe you can write a letter to him and—”
Evyths' words slurred the moment she felt strong hands strongly wrapped around her neck, her body snatched from the horse’s back , now backing someone's—chest, a male.
“Kkkggg!” She choked. Everything happened under a second and now she was close to the umpteenth death in months.
Crystal placed a hand flatly on forehead, while Evyths' eyes almost bawled out.
“Enough. Knox. King Valerio has declared—”
“Not until I smelled her stinky paws on my lands,” the supposed teenage boy’s voice rang out, hoarse and silky.
“Enough, okay?” Crystal’s voice fell flatly. “You cannot hurt her, she… she saved my life earlier, believe it or not. Plus, my uncle would be furious if you proceed to kill his pet. Just… let her go. That is not wise,” she probed persuasively.
The boy let Evyths go, mumbling inaudibly under his breath while Evyths struggled to catch her breath. The boy was too strong for his age, Evyths thought. And it made more sense knowing that he was a curious yet brutal vampire.
He went over to Crystal as she stepped down from her house and they started to kiss passionately while Evyths struggled to breath.
“Do you want us to… go inside? You love it when we get intimate in my father's coffin or perhaps the graveyard miles away…” Knox said to Crystal in between their kisses while the strange words graved over Evyths' ears, unable to digest a word.
“That is gross!” She said to herself.
Crystal gently pulled away from Knox's addictive grip around her waist while she glanced in Evyths' direction.
“I cannot leave her now. Meet me at our spot once it is dark. After our hunt, we will do whatever we want,” She kissed him one last night climbing back her horse and Evyths managed to do the same. Coughing.
“That is great, my darkness! I will see you there,” he said, caressing Crystal’s leg before disappearing and appearing inside the Manor’s grounds. Crystal flashed a warm smile as she rode off, Evyths catching up behind her.
“Are you well?”
“Next time I almost get killed? Please stab me in the heart before anyone reaches to strangle me like that…” Evyths stated seriously, her gaze sharp and disappointed.
Crystal chuckled, as if savoring the moment or the memory of it.
“He is only being recreational. He loves hunting,” Crystal added, looking away.
“I see. I'm still trying to recover at this point. But… what do I know,” Evyths' rolled lazily. “Besides, does the king know that you're in love with a boy on the outskirts of the kingdom?” She asked.
Crystal huffed lightly, “Not quite. But, he knows that I find Duke Octavio's brother attractive,”
“Wait, what?” Evyths asked, her eyes sprawling in confusion.