3rd Person POV
“That can work! There is only one way out of the laboratory. If we can line up the paths with explosives…” Rosaline stopped talking when she realised that all eyes had turned in her direction. She felt the need to be quiet at once. This was a meeting among monarchs and high-ranking warlords. She was a mere servant and did not deserve to be in this meeting.
“What happens if we do so?” Princess Charlotte asked, encouraging her to speak her mind. Rosaline blushed a little and In a small voice she said, “The explosives will stall them a good deal.”
“What do you think? Can it work?” asked Lord Edvin, throwing the question to everyone present.
“It will do some damage.”
“It may stall them.”
“But what good will that do?”
“We need the dragons.”
“Is there any way we can ask for their help?”
“Why would they help us? They are immune to the virus.”
“Says who…”
The room became a cacophony of conversation.
King Armand had to scream “Order!” before quietness was restored.
****
Ashton cursed at himself. He could hear the hoofs of a million horses above the laboratory (it was built underground to hide it from the sight of others). He had worn his full battle gear and was now prepared to lead his army of the dead out of the cave that had served as a laboratory to him for years.
“If this does not work?” Thomson asked him. His eyes held scepticism but Ashton was past that for two reasons. First, he was desperate. If he did not do this then it meant that he would have to go on self-exile because his very own ministers wanted him dead but he could win this war and rule the whole world. Then no one would be able to raise a finger against him. He would be like Hades on earth. The thought brought a wide smile to his lips. The second reason was that Thomson was a man of science who wanted everything to be perfect. They had been working on this for years and had performed several experiments that had many successes but Thomson was always worried that a part of his hypothesis was wrong and would start all over. More so, this project had not been all science, there had been a lot of dark powers involved and Ashton was confident in the powers he had obtained from hell.
With a loud shout, he led his army on his horse outside of the cave under the open skies. He expected to meet an army of vampires waiting to start hacking his army down but he could see no one. It was rather odd considering the fact that he had heard their matching above the cave just minutes ago. He was about to step forward then he remembered that he had no sane person in his army. Should he die, everything he had worked for would be pointless.
He was a sensitive person. He had not achieved this much by acting on every impulse. He knew the quietness was suspicious and so he directed his army to wait and then directed one of them to move forward. Instinctively, he moved further back.
As he moved backwards with his horse while his army created a path for him to pass, he heard a loud explosion and the next thing that followed was chaos and fire.
****
When the room had quietened, King Armand had turned to Rosaline and asked, “There must be a reason you are convinced this will work, can you explain it in detail?”
“Thomson was always worried that the zombies would not be of one mind in the event of mass chaos, for instance, a huge fire. The zombies hate fire and many of them will die once the fire burns them,” Rosaline had tried to explain in one breath.
“But they are trained for war. Why would a fire upset them?”
“Burning them is the only way to kill them. So their instincts are all over the place when they see a fire. In the minutes that would follow after an explosion, Ashton would be unable to control his army of zombies,” explained Rosaline.
“That gives us a fighting chance, we should be able to use that to create a good distraction,” said Lord Tyler.
“Are the zombies allergic to anything? We wouldn't want them biting our soldiers and creating more of themselves,” it was an important question that Reginald had raised.
In fact, it was the question on the minds of everyone present because there was no way to prevent the spread otherwise.
“The soldiers can cover themselves with a thin nylon before putting on their war gear. They cannot stand nylon,” replied Rosaline.
“But, Thomson was working on this the last time I knew so I cannot assure you it would be effective now,” added Rosaline.
Rosaline's advice had been taken and the soldiers now waited expectantly in hiding for Ashton's army of zombies.
****
The second the explosives had gone off, Charlotte nodded to her brother and Harlin. The three of them advanced and in the confusion that ensued they made their way headlong into the battle.
Their swords did only one thing—hack down the zombies.
They were able to clear a path of death to the very interior of the vast cave where many of the zombies were still present.
Rosaline had told them that if they followed the corridor on the left as they entered, it would lead them down a flight of stairs and when they reached the very end of the stairs they were two long corridors. They were to take the path on their right and at the very end of the long corridor, they would see a cell—it was the cell that held Irvette.
The twins did not stop to think of how ironic it was that they were risking their lives to save a woman who had been partly responsible for their kidnapping years back.