**3rd Person POV**
“Here to say your goodbyes?” drawled Regina in a sarcastic tone. Lucian looked at his friend and then back at Regina wondering what they were fighting about this time. He was getting ready for his duel with Aegan but he had stalled because he had wanted to see his friend before he left.
“Let's go home, Regina. Let us return to our children,” said Dagen.
Regina looked up at him with surprise. She had not expected him to choose her.
“We would have a proper wedding once the dust has…”
“You are mistaken; I will never marry you,” replied Regina.
“My future is with you. The children need…”
“Parents who love them and do not hate each other.”
“If you…”
“Is that why you are here? To give me an ultimatum? If I do not agree to marry you, what would you do?” asked Regina. While she was in a hurry to see her children, she was not going to get married again to someone who had no respect for her.
“I am not here to…”
“You may leave. After All, I have unfinished business here,” said Regina.
“I must take you home. I cannot give George a chance to…” Now that she mentioned her business he remembered that his twins were not the sole reason he had come here. He had to make Regina inaccessible to George. He was suddenly uncomfortable with Regina staying here longer because he was aware George was parading the palace.
George. Nydia.
It suddenly struck him. The only person that would drop Nydia at his feet would be George and he must have done so to confuse him. He hated himself for almost falling for it. For all he knew Nydia had feigned her mental state and injuries. If she had deceived him before, she could do it again.
“I made a promise the last time and I must honour it,” said Regina.
“A promise?” quipped Dagen.
Regina did not respond, instead, she took out a small knife and cut her arm with it. Lucian tried to stop her but it was too late. She dipped her finger in her blood and smeared Lucian's face with it.
“You will win this war.”
****
The plans were put in motion. Queen Emily sent out a private but public letter inviting Lord Edvin and Queen Irvette to a welcome party for her niece. The letters were sent but there was still nothing from George. Irvette had left the palace several times so that he would have the chance to appear but he remained in the shadows.
“Do you think he is dead?” asked Irvette one fine evening as she took a stroll on the palace grounds with Elder Thaddeus.
“Why would you think that?”
“He has not been in contact with me. I do not know what else to think,” replied Irvette.
“Perhaps, he is onto us?”
Irvette shivered at his words. If he found out that she had betrayed him, she was definitely going to lose her head. Since she had been given a second chance to live, she did not want to spend it living in fear.
“I hope not. He would kill my baby if he knew about my betrayal,” said Irvette.
“Prince Harlin is well guarded. No one will harm your child,” Elder Thaddeus assured the young mother though he doubted she was convinced.
“Perhaps, we ought to do something more? Is there a way to communicate with those who are in the land of the dead? Maybe we can get word to Alpha Dagen about the twins. We can send a message that he would be able to intercept?” suggested Irvette.
“He is an intelligent man. I believe he will figure it out quickly and would know at once that we are onto him,” came Elder Thaddeus' response.
“He must be convinced that the twins are under,” mumbled Irvette.
She felt responsible for their current dilemma. Somehow, she had managed to make George believe that she did not see the children in Queen Emily’s palace. Had it not occurred to him that she could have been lying to him?
“Things would sort itself out, Queen Irvette. I understand that you feel personally responsible but you need not be. If this does not work, we will try something else,” said the older man.
“We are running out of time. The fiery red moon will appear in the sky any day from now,” sighed Irvette. The event happened rarely and was meant to be a time of family and celebrations but for a very long time, it had always been marked by wars and pestilence because of greedy persons like George. It was also the time when the vampires were not inhibited by the sun because a red moon stood in the clouds throughout the entire period instead of the sun. This did not bode well with the werewolves as the creatures of the night picked fights with them.
“We have made provisions for that. We are well prepared. Even if George has solicited the help of vampire kings for his evil ambition we will be ready for their attacks and our people will be safe,” Elder Thaddeus said.
“A battle like that can take forever and it could leave us with very few people. It would be best to put an end to this George business before then,” remarked Irvette.
“The previous wars lasted very long but we believe this one will be short or might not happen at all. The land of the dead will have a new ruler and if the new ruler happens to be Prince Lucian, things will go in our favour,” replied Elder Thaddeus.
“What difference will it make?” asked Irvette. She realised that there was so much about the underworld that she did not know. When this was all over, she was going to bury herself in her books. If she was going to remain queen of her people then she needed knowledge to rule well.
“Prince Lucian will honour the treaty signed by all creatures. He will ensure that the vampires remain where they belong.”