Chapter 138: KILL A KING
The dark figure landed right behind the nervous silver guard, and the mysterious person did not make a single sound when his boots hit the stone.
The guard turned around to look at a falling rock, but a large pale hand clamped hard over his mouth to silence his scream.
A strong arm wrapped around the guard's neck, and the dark figure snapped the soldier's neck with one fast and brutal twist.
The silver guard collapsed onto the stone floor, and his heavy iron spear clatter loudly against the hard ground.
The dark figure stepped into the flickering light of the wall torch, and my heart skipped a happy beat in my chest.
Vladislav stood in the middle of the dungeon hallway, and he wore dark clothes covered in grey dust and dry blood.
He looked exhausted from his long journey, but his bright blue eyes burned with a very fierce and deadly determination.
He reached down to the dead guard's leather belt, and he quickly pulled the heavy ring of iron keys free from the metal clip.
Vladislav walked straight toward my cell door, and he did not waste any time looking at the other locked rooms in the corridor.
He stopped in front of my small barred window, and he let out a long breath of pure relief when he finally saw my face.
"Are you hurt?" Vladislav asked me immediately, and his deep voice sounded rough from a lack of clean water.
"I am fine, but you are still bleeding from the poisoned dagger," I answered him, and I looked at the dark stain on his leather shirt.
"My wound is healing, and the pain does not matter right now," he dismissed my worry, and he started sorting through the heavy iron keys.
"You should not have followed me into the heart of the enemy capital," I told him softly, but I was so glad he ignored my orders.
"I made a promise to protect you, and I am going to get you out of this cage," he replied, and he found the largest key on the metal ring.
He pushed the heavy iron key into the solid lock on my cell door, and he turned the metal with his strong vampire wrist.
The heavy mechanism clicked loud, and Vladislav pulled the giant iron door open so he could step inside the freezing room.
I did not wait for him to say another word, and I threw my chained arms around his broad neck to hug him tight.
He dropped the keys onto the floor, and he wrapped both of his strong arms around my waist to hold me close against his chest.
He buried his face in my dirty hair, and we just stood there in the dark cell for a very long and emotional moment.
His warm body chased the freezing cold away from my tired skin, and I finally felt safe again after days of terrible fear.
"I thought I would never see you again," I whispered against his shirt, and I squeezed my arms around him even tighter.
"I will never let anyone take you away from me, Bellatrix," Vladislav promised, and he kissed the top of my head gently.
He pulled back slightly, and he reached down to pick the heavy iron keys up from the wet stone floor.
"Give me your hands so I can take these dark chains off your wrists," he instructed me, and he held a small silver key ready.
I held my bruised wrists out to him, and he carefully unlocked the heavy metal cuffs binding my tired skin.
The thick chains fell away, and the solid iron hit the stone floor with a very satisfying and loud noise.
My pure silver magic rushed back into my veins the exact second the dark metal left my body, and my physical strength returned fast.
The bright warmth filled my chest, and I flexed my sore fingers to make sure they still worked properly after being locked away.
Vladislav unlocked the second heavy chain around my waist, and he threw the dark metal into the far corner of the dark room.
"How did you get past the royal guards at the main gate?" I asked him, and I summoned a small silver flame in my palm to test my ancient magic.
"I did not come through the main gate, because I used the old servant tunnels hidden deep under the city," Vladislav explained his stealthy route.
"Then who is attacking the palace upstairs right now?" I questioned him, and another loud explosion shook the stone ceiling.
"Elder Silas brought the entire northern pack, and they are smashing the front doors with the broken siege wagons," he smiled proudly.
"They marched all the way here to save me," I realized, and a huge wave of deep love for my people washed over my heart.
"Your pack is very loyal, and they want to finish this brutal war tonight," Vladislav agreed, and he pointed toward the open door.
He walked out into the hallway, and he picked the fallen iron sword up from the dead guard's body.
He handed the heavy weapon to me, and he drew his own sharp steel sword from his leather sheath.
"We need to hurry upstairs and help them, because the shadow-weavers will burn the courtyard soon," I warned him, and I gripped the sword tight.
Vladislav looked at me, and his bright blue eyes held a very dark and violent promise for the royal court.
He reached out to touch my face, and he brushed a stray piece of dirty hair behind my ear with his gentle fingers.
"I told you I was coming for you," Vladislav said, and his deep voice echoed in the dark cell. "Now let's go kill a King."