HAVENVILLE.

CHAPTER 65: HAVENVILLE.

ALEENA'S POV.

I gasped as I suddenly awoke, breathing heavily. My body seemed to be lacking an ample amount of air circulating, so I greedily drew in air.

Everything around me was blurry to my vision as I tried to gain cognizance of my environment. It was dark and dingy around me, and the ground on which I laid was cold. It felt irritating to the touch.

There were just two torches that gave a bit of illumination as they were far away. My eyes adjusted to accommodate the level of dimness of where I found myself.

"Where am I?" I asked myself, looking around. I saw that there were iron bars in front of me and all around me.

My eyes widened in shock. I walked forward, grabbed the bars, and shook them forcefully. I was in a cage, but there was no lock. I shook the cage with all the might I could muster, but it made no significant difference. It barely even moved.

I was frustrated, angry, and scared at the same time as I clung to the bars.

"Hey! Who's here? Is somebody here?" I yelled, but I got no answer. I sighed frustratedly.

"How did I even get here?" I asked myself. Barely seconds later, my eyes widened when I had a recollection of what happened at the Queen's Games.

I recalled Caspian's fight with the Boulder and the masked man. Then I recalled how I was immobilized. That was the last thing I could recall.

"I was abducted," I said in realization. But I didn't know for how long I was abducted.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a metallic door creaking open, and then a couple of folks walked in bearing torches.

"The Forsaken?" I muttered, turning nervous a bit.

They were dressed the same way those folks who had invaded the Queen's Games were dressed. They had the same masks on as the ones who were at the arena. They were all the same folks.

They stood in array to the left and right of the cage I was in, while one stood in front of the cage. Looking at him, I saw a part of the mask broken. I then recalled how it was broken by Cormac's fierce fight.

"You," I said, fuming.

"Forgive the lack of courtesy, Lady Aleena. You had to be kept here for the time being for our safety. We weren't sure how you'd react when you awoke. I'm sure you understand," he said. I just glared at him, saying nothing.

He then took off his mask and pushed back his hood, revealing his face. I saw that he was bald.

"I think a formal introduction would suffice at this point," he said, stepping closer to the cage. I looked him dead straight in the eyes as he looked at me also. I thought I'd see the look of a hardened killer, but he looked different. I'd have sworn this was someone different from the person who invaded the arena.

"I am Malcum, leader of The Forsaken," he said bowing courteously. I stared at him blankly, saying nothing.

"I'd like you to take a walk with me, if you wouldn't mind," Malcum requested. I furrowed my brow looking at him.

"I believe you mean me no harm, just as I mean you no harm as well," he said, then nodded at his people. Stretching their hands toward the cage, the part that faced him creaked as it folded upward, making a large enough room for me to walk through.

I reluctantly walked out. Malcum's people walked forward maintaining the array they had formed as I and Malcum were amid them. As the door creaked open, a flood of light hit me, causing me to squint my eyes as I put the palm of my hand in front of me, shielding me from the sudden intensity of the light.

As my eyes adjusted to the change of light intensity, my eyes widened in surprise at what I beheld. I was surprised to see that right outside the dingy place I was locked in was a beautiful haven, well, more like a paradise.

"Welcome to our home, Havenville," Malcum said wearing a smile.

The terrain was mountainous, but with very lush vegetation as far as their eyes could see. Animals that were rare to see moving around in the Greenlands moved around freely, grazing the pastures.

I saw kids running around, giggling as they played. I saw mature folks doing stuff together. When they turned and looked at me, I gasped.

"Yes. Both humans, mages, vampires, and werewolves all live here together, in peace."

"How is this possible?" I asked, perplexedly.

"We are all just ordinary people, castaways, destitute, folks who society had written off as nothing. We're all bound by the things we have suffered; the unfairness, the injustice, being ostracized, just as you have suffered. The forsaken ones. I guess I can say that we are kin," Malcum answered.

A little kid approached me whose eyes were red. He offered me an apple. Looking at him, my heart broke. I didn't know when I went on my knees and received the apple.

"Thank you," I said, cracking up a smile. Then he ran off to meet the other kids.

"He's a vampire. Who would do such a cruel thing to a child?" I said looking down as I got angry.

"As I said, we're all bound by the things we've suffered," Malcum responded and continued walking.

As I followed him, the people greeted him, and he replied to everyone pleasantly. It was heartwarming to see all that. It was.

"I'm sure you must have had a certain notion about us. Maybe you still do. But we're not the enemy, Lady Aleena," Malcum said as just the two of us walked further while the others stayed put.

"Now you know why they say first impressions matter," I responded.

"Absolutely," he said chuckling.

"I'm sure you didn't bring me all the way here to show me around this paradise," I said.

"You're smart. I like that," he remarked.

"Just as it was before the beginning of the great wars, we've found ourselves at the precipice defining time in our lives once again. And you are the catalyst of these defining events. But you can help usher us all into a new age of peace like we've never known before."

"I keep hearing that. But how will I do that?" I asked.

"How about you start by telling me what the vampires are planning?"

"Planning? They're not planning anything," I replied.

"You can never trust those sly and manipulative creatures. I'm sure you know of it. So tell me," Malcum requested.

"They have nothing planned. Why would they? They can't even get through the barrier."

Malcum clicked his tongue thrice, shaking his head.

"You just lied. I can sense the lie. There's something you know, and you must tell me," Malcum said looking resolutely at me.

His men suddenly gathered around us. Seeing them, I knew I was in trouble.