Harper groaned as she awoke with a pounding head. But it was only after hearing hushed voices that her eyes slowly opened. The unwavering light streamed in through the barred window. While her side continued to hammer at her, she groaned and pushed herself up to a sitting position. She took a deep breath, and the headache faded away steadily. But that's when she gritted her teeth in response to the throbbing pain in her wrist.
"She's awake," she heard Francine say.
"How long was I out?" she asked.
"A few hours," said the vampire. "Give or take.
"How are you feeling, Harper?" Lucas questioned her when she attempted to stretch casually.
Harper sighed and looked down at the spot where Francine had bitten her. Then she looked up and saw the vampire standing only a few feet away from her, looking much better than she had before Harper's so-called blood donation.
"My head and wrist are throbbing, but I'm breathing fine, so I guess that's good." She smiled.
"What were you thinking? You could have died!" Alex shook his head in disbelief.
"Well, I'm still here. And look at her," she nodded in Francine's direction, "she looks gorgeous again."
Alex grunted, clearly upset.
"What she did was stupid and dangerous," Francine said, then lowered her gaze to Harper. "Thank you very much, Harper."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you would have done the same thing," Harper muttered, her head still spinning a little. "By the way, how much blood did you think you'd sucked from me? I feel weird. "
"Enough to allow me to stand up and look this gorgeous again, as you said," Francine replied playfully.
"You should get plenty of rest, eat well, and drink plenty of water. But, given our current situation, you can only do one of the three things," Lucas clarified.
"Lucas－"
"Just get some rest. I'm sure there would be food on the way. If Nara's intention is to sell us, she wouldn't let us starve to death. You're going to be okay, Harper," Lucas said fondly.
Harper gave a nod. "Now that Francine is okay, I believe the next thing we should do is plan our escape. How do we get out of here and out of Moorland or whatever this bizarre dimension is? "How do we return to our own world?"
"Only a mage can open a doorway," Lucas said, his voice tinged with despondency.
"Then we must seek out a mage." Harper's tone is much more upbeat and hopeful.
Francine let out a sigh. "A very powerful mage."
"It won't be easy. There are only about four mages left, wait-well, three, since you killed Mira," Lucas said, looking at Alex.
Alex sighed and averted his gaze.
"However, unlike Mira, mages are not known for their friendly demeanor. They have such a high opinion of themselves, and they will only listen or speak to you if you are of high value or a royal," Lucas continued.
"Do you know any mage?" Harper asked, leaning against the cold stone wall. Her vision was beginning to blur again, so she closed her eyes.
"I know one," Francine offered quietly. "Or, more likely, I've read about one named Gwinifer."
Lucas, on the other hand, was quick to point out, "She's relatively young." I don't think she'd be strong or powerful enough to create a portal to our world."
"New? Is it necessary for a mage to be old in order to open a door? " Alex asked, a sour expression on his face because he had to ask Lucas. He certainly didn't want to talk to him or ask him questions, but he didn't have much of a choice.
"She's not quite a century old, if I'm not mistaken."
Alex's eyes widened with surprise. "Wait a minute, less than a hundred?"
"Given how good Mira was, I think your ex-girlfriend was around 200 years old," Lucas said. He smirked, revelling in Alex's annoyance.
"She couldn't possibly be my ex-girlfriend!" Alex objected.
"Oh, yes, she was." Lucas gave a sly grin. "You may have lost your memories, but that does not mean you have lost a piece of your past, Alex. Such as your personal relationship with Mira."
"Enough!" Francine interjected, looking more hurt than annoyed. Lucas' smile vanished as soon as he noticed her reaction, and he whispered a quick apology to her.
"We don't have much of a choice. If Gwen-" Harper blinked open her eyes and asked Francine, "What's her name again?"
Francine replied, "Gwinifer. And you're correct, we don't have a choice. She is the only mage I know who hasn't been sworn to serve one of Nebiru's two kingdoms, Kingdom Hansteria or Kingdom Lemelherv."
"Good! How do we find her?"
"She was in Amaryn in the last book I read about her," Lucas stated.
"And where exactly is that?" Harper asked yet again.
"In Lemelherv. It's about a three-week journey from here on a horse."
"Wait, that far?"
"Yes, it is. But first and foremost, we need to devise a strategy to get out of this filthy place. I noticed earlier today that one of the guards－"
"However, what will happen to us when we return to the New World?" Francine's worried voice cut into what Lucas was saying about their escape from prison.
Harper and Lucas exchanged a few glances.
She was correct.
"Alex murdered Viessa and Mira; don't you think Lord Aleister is already plotting something against us as we speak?" Francine clarified. "Lord Aleister wields a great deal of influence. Even Alex’s father wouldn’t be able to stop him."
"Alex’s father?" Harper's expression became increasingly perplexed.
"Lord Ramon. He's one of the Council Lords."
She looked at Alex, who gave her an oblivious look.
"Of course, he has no idea. He has no recollection of his life," Lucas pointed out.
"But isn't that good news? Gwinifer would undoubtedly speak to him because he is the son of a lord?"
"He is a lord's son, but he is not a lord. He doesn't have a title attached to his name."
"We go to Nergensland," Alex said, returning the conversation to its original topic. "On the eve of the upcoming eclipse, the Blood King and the Moon Queen will meet there. We go there and beg King Ascian and Queen Niran to grant us The Royal Pardon."
Suddenly, all three of them turned to look at Alex, their eyes glazed with suspicion and surprise.
"How do you know all of this?" Francine asked softly.
"What do you mean?" Alex responded to her question with a question.
"She means that you've lost all of your memories," Lucas tried to explain. "How do you know about Nergensland, The Royal Pardon, King Ascian, and Queen Niran?"
Alex let out a long sigh and went into deep thought.
"Alex? You know them? Has your memory returned? " Harper probed.
He pursed his lips and fixed his gaze on each of them. "When I bit into Viessa and Mira, I guess a part of their lives flashed right before my eyes. Some were too fast for my brain to process, but these facts about Nergensland, the Blood King, and the Moon Queen remained," he continued, looking at Harper, "I thought those thoughts had no meaning..." his voice trailed off.
"Then your deep and personal connection with Mira must have flashed before your eyes, too." Lucas quipped.
"Lucas, please..." Francine was quick to add before Alex could respond.
"Alright." Lucas cast a glance at Alex. "Do you really believe we can just walk into Nergensland and ask to speak with the King and Queen?"
"Gwinifer will take us there. She is our only ticket out of Nebiru, and only a pardon from King Ascian and Queen Niran can keep us out of the clutches of the High Chairs and Council Lords," Francine said matter-of-factly.
As Lucas spat out Alex's name, he said, "I think your plan will most likely result in us being beheaded," he said with a snarl, sitting back down against the wall.
But Harper was quick to defend Alex by saying, "Better that than no plan at all."
Lucas turned to face her, a hurt expression on his face.
"We have to take a chance or we'll be stuck here for the rest of our godforsaken lives!" Alex went on to say.
Francine quickly sat down, saying, "Shhh. Did you hear that? Someone is coming."
The clink of metal boots on the stone floor of the corridor was unmistakable to the vampire and lycan's trained ears; guards were indeed on their way.
Both Alex and Lucas hauled themselves to their feet and stood in their cell, feet planted, fists ready for anything. Suddenly, a guard walked into their line of sight, halting outside their cell.
Alex snorted, knowing from the shape of their bodies that one of them was a woman.
*Nara.*
She was joined by two guards. Thoughts raced through Alex's mind. Taking on the two guards might be an option for him and Lucas, but what happens after that? If they couldn't shift, how would they escape Velaris unscathed?
The cell door swung open with a squeak as its rusted hinges grumbled. Nara and the two guards entered the cell. Alex sat with his knees slightly bent, feet apart, and fists ready.
"Take her," Nara said, pointing a sharp spear at where Harper was slumped.
"No! " Alex and Lucas both tried to stop the two guards from yanking Harper, but as soon as they lunged at the guards, their chains shortened and tightened, preventing them from taking another step.
"What are you going to do with her?! Answer me!" Alex demanded angrily.
Harper's eyes shot open, and panic washed over her. "Hey!" She yanked her arms away from the guards, but they were too big for her, and one of them simply threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down!"
Lucas fixed his gaze on Nara. "Where are you taking her?"
Nara just smiled. "She's sold."
"What?!"
"Harper!"
"No!"