Chapter 66 Truth behind Elena
Torches flickered violently. The ripple of dark haze spreads across the stone floor.
Then Raven stepped out of the shadows.
Raven paced, her fingers wriggling angrily, her dress rustling.
Elena's chain clanked, Raven's eyes darted in her direction.
Her brows crumpled slightly. “You are interrupting my thoughts, old bat.” Raven huffed, looking away.
Meanwhile, Evthys remained still, her knees dragged to her chest. With every move that Raven made, she watched closely yet Elena's words danced in the back of her mind.
Moonbound, bloodbound. What did it mean? And what nations?
What did Elena see?
Raven paused, catching Evthys' intent gaze.
“Tell me something, little wolf…” Raven crouched slowly before her. “What do you remember from your childhood?”
Evthys' blinked, unable to connect the dots.
Why would Raven ask her that?
“Your majesty, I- I have no idea—”
“You don't?” Raven raised a brow.
“I don't.” Evyths said calmly. Raven moved away, her arms crossed, her thoughts full.
Raven huffed impatiently. “Did the moon ever speak to you?”
“Not at all, your majesty. I know nothing!” Evthus said, her brows wringing.
Why was Raven invested? Was there something? Did it link to what Elena had told her earlier? Her thoughts rattled silently.
To Raven, if Evthys were telling the truth, this would be the perfect chance to strike. The longer she allowed Evthys to live, the slimmer the chances.
Raven paused, sending slight movement from the extreme where Elena had been chained.
Like a prick on her skin, her gaze sharpened at the King's mother, menacingly.
After a careful scrutiny with her eyes, she continued. “You revealed yourself to her, didn't you?”
“I didn't have to.” Elena said, unfazed.
“Yet you did.” Raven's voice was firm.
Elena scoffed, “Raven, keeping the werewolf wouldn't bring the answers you need—”
“I don't need answers, Elena!”
Raven's voice thundered, the wall cracking at her motions.
Evthys' grip around her knees were tighter, her teeth gnashing.
“Then what is it you need?” Elena asked confidently, the chains following her subtle moments.
Raven's gaze on her lingered for seconds before looking away.
She didn't have to say it out loud, not to Elena and not to Evthys' hearing.
Raven stared back at Elena, her fingers twirling in the air slowly and dramatically.
“You're so quick to speak, Elena…” she smirked. “You have forgotten that I am your captor and you my eternal slave.”
Raven closed the distance, her face and inch away from Elena's parched face.
Raven gripped her neck tightly, Elena gasping.
“I am not scared of you—”
“You will be, old bat.” Raven chuckled dryly, her eyes cold. “When I'm done flushing out your bloodline.” She held Elena's gaze one last time. “I will become your terror.”
Raven released her. The chains jiggled, Elena's arms almost pulling apart. Her tattered hair draped over her face, blocking her view, her eyes sore.
When Raven moved closer to Evthys, she paused. “And as for you,” her smile faded. “Your days are numbered.”
She vanished.
When Evthys was certain that the sorcereress wasn't in sight, she leaned on the other side of the cage, her eyes staring at Elena.
Evthys could already hear her heart beat, slow and weak. Raven hasght killed her yet.
“Queen Elena?” She called, her voice steady.
Elena managed to lift her head, looking through the strands of her hair.
“Evthys,”
“Are you okay?”
“Should I be?”
Evthys rubbed her neck, her lips pursing. “Perhaps. But I've been thinking about what you've told me, I don't understand what you mean.”
“You don't have to.”
“That makes it more frustrating, your majesty.” Evthys stated, her tone slightly firm. “I've… I've seen signs, I'm capable of things I didn't think I could. But Queen Raven suspects that—” Evthys rambled, her face tense.
“I don't have the answers myself." Elena took a long pause and continued. “After I isolated myself for weeks, when Valerio denied me the right to be his mother… I lost myself.”
Her face fell again, her voice flight shaky.
“I lost my son. And my husband. I shouldn't have struck a deal with Raven’s father…”
“Why did you strike a deal by the way?” Evyths couldn't hold back the question that gad been on her mind ever since Valerio told her what had happened.
“Jealousy. Greed. Anger.”
Evthys' frowned.
"I wanted what my twin had, a blessed son from our ancestor, Dracula.”
Her words gently sank in Evthys' mind.
Clearly, Valerio was already blessed by their ancestors. Intelligent. Strong. Immune to sorcery. Evthys thought.
“At that time, my mother saw visions. She told Lorena and I that… one of us would carry a blessed child through the Belmont bloodline. However, Lorena and Bathory were seeing each other. Obviously, Lorena would carry the blessed son through Bathory’s bloodline.” She paused, a pang of regret wafted in her voice.
“I couldn't accept it, envy wouldn't let me. So, I traveled to Dewwater, to meet my father's friend, who was also Raven's father. I made him a promise to give Raven to Valerio if he could switch our fates.”
She looked up to Evthys, her eyes watered. “It came with price. My voice. My husband. Chaos.” She paused, the rest of her words hung.
Evyths stared deeply, her thoughts traveled back to when she and Valerio had visited Lucian's mansion months ago.
According to Valerio, Elena only seduced with black magic. From Elena's story, there was more.
It wasn't just jealousy or greed, it was inferiority.
Evthys looked searchingly, “But… if you were going to be with someone else, you would have had a blessed son.”
“With a Belmont’s bloodline—”
“Yet a blessed son.” Evthys pressed. “The bloodline was only a symbol of strength, your majesty.” Evthys said. “Your fate was to carry a blessed son, you didn't have to switch fates…”
Elena's smile was wry. “I wouldn't have, Evthys. I took my chances to earn respect.”
“Well, no sorcery can turn the hands of fate or time.”
Elena's stared deeply at Evthys, wondering if Evthys understood al she had been saying or was simply being emotional.
“How can you tell?” Elena's voice was thin.
“Because…” Evthys paused.
Elena grew interested, craning her neck to get a clearer view of the omega.
“Why? Tell me?”
Evthys' fingers interlaced, her lips folded briefly.
“Because I've witnessed Queen Raven’s sorcery.” She said calmly, Elena’s brows knitted. “The king isn't dead, he's been revived—”
Elena's eyes widened. “What?”
For the first time in decades, something shocking crossed her ears.
“That's impossible. That's blood ritual and no vampire has tried it. The last attempt was a thousand years ago and it flopped,” Elena's words rushed, her face etched with shock.
Evthys stared down at her legs and back in the direction of the Valerio's mother.
“I did. Valerio and I. And… the Duke was there…” she finally revealed.
For a heartbeat, Elena couldn't believe her ears but Evthys wouldn't lie to her either.
Could it be the reason why Raven has been restless? And why she had seen a fragment of Evthys' future: a moonbound and bloodbound?
Now it made sense, too clear to ignore.
“That explains the prophecy. You… you saved the king and now there's a high chance that you are…” she paused, unsure if Evthys would take the news appropriately.
“I'm what?”
“Nevermind.” Elena snapped. “Tell me, Evthys, how did you know my fate wasn't swapped?”
Elena's diverted, effortlessly dividing Evthys' attention.
“I gather that Queen Raven's father was a sorcerer who gave his daughter his powers, right?” Elena nodded, the chains clanked.
“If Queen Raven have used same sorcery to repel our attempts to bring king Valerio back to life, then… your fates weren't switched at all. You were… tricked—”
"What?" Elena froze.
"Raven's father never changed your fate."
“No, no, no, no.” Elena shook her head frantically, her voice broken. “No. It was obvious, Evthys. Lorena deserved the king Bathory and Valerio…”
Immediately, Evthys felt a sudden vibration under her arms, as if something was pushing her to look into Elena's past through the woman's tears.
A sudden warmth spread through her arms
She looked down, light pulsed beneath her skin.
A part of her compelled her to speak.
“You were tricked by Raven's father. He knew that you sought something that was already yours and he loved the throne. He took the chance, lied to you. Ignorantly, you paid for it.”
Evyths jolted back to herself, he palms back to normal.
Elena understood, her past flashed before her like it happened seconds ago.
All along, she had been the promised one that her mother spoke of. Bathory’s bloodline was merely a symbol and a tool to bring Valerio into existence.
She didn't steal Lorena's fate, she gambled with their lives.
Elena’s tears rolled past her cheeks, a pang in her chest. Regret. Pain. Resentment.
Decades of pride shattered in a moment.
Did Raven also know? Was that why she couldn't prove to Valerio that there was a symbol of their deal in the past?
Evthys stared at her with pity. The vampire had been cruel to her in the beginning but now she understood why.
She was protective. It was normal. A Vampire and a werewolf were sworn enemies by birth.
However, the revelation also meant that Lucian wand Valerio's past feud was vain.
The true heir had always been Valerio and not Lucian. The were simply half brothers without a clause.
Elena's past decisions brought to ruins to the kingdom, the deceit that ceased her place as Queen of Ravencroft and as mother in Valerio's life.
And then again, Evthys thought, how would Valerio feel if he learns the truth about his mother and Raven's family? How would he feel?
“Will you tell Valerio the truth?”
Elena didn't answer.
Her silence was louder than any confession.
Somewhere above the temple, thunder rolled.
As if it heard Elena's confession.