342- The Escape That Tore Me Apart
POV Viktor Averwyn:
She held me tighter, still unconvinced.
“It’s going to take too long! Just ask to speak with Lucian. I know! Invite him here, as a gesture of peace! He won’t be able to do anything to me, and we can meet.” She looked at me, hopeful. “Please, Father!”
“We are at war. That’s impossible. He would never agree, and I already said—I don’t want that murderer anywhere near you. Trust me. I love you. I want what’s best for you.”
Tears fell again, and she lowered her eyes.
“Alright, Father.”
“Promise me you’ll calm down, stop fooling yourself. You’re only twenty-one, you have centuries ahead to be happy. And this war won’t last that long.”
“I promise.” She didn’t seem entirely convinced, still upset. “I’m going home. Will you be long here?”
“Yes, I’ll be late today. It’s very likely they’ll try again.”
She kissed my cheek and stepped away.
I watched her, tense. She paused at the door and smiled at me.
“I love you too, Father.”
She left, and I relaxed a little.
Adelina and Seraphine were very young, foolish, and inexperienced. They had no idea of the dangers, of everything behind this chaos.
I sat down again, analyzing the terrain and where the next attacks would come from.
(...)
POV Seraphine Valerian:
Regretful and irritated, I pricked my finger with the needle and cursed, sucking the drop of blood.
I knew how to sew—I used to enjoy embroidering bags and accessories for my aunt’s shop in Cologne—but I had never spent an entire afternoon wrestling with heavy fabrics, piecing together fragments like a puzzle.
It was tedious and exhausting. And what was the point, if it was turning out awful, like Frankenstein’s clothes? Viktor would never wear those patched-up things! This was just to punish me.
I cleared the mess off the bed, stacking organized pieces of the same garment onto an armchair. My vision was already blurring, and I yawned, wondering what it would be like when he came back.
I returned to sewing a soft white shirt that still held his scent. That disturbed me too, creating a strong urge to smell it, which I fought against with all my strength. It wouldn’t leave my mind or my body—like an addictive drug. Only making my confusion worse.
I fought back tears, unable to imagine what my future would be like there. I clung to the image of my father for strength, aching with longing for him. It was still strange to believe he was dead, that I would never see him again. And everything insane that had happened since then.
“Seraphine…” Adelina burst the door open suddenly.
“Ah! You scared me!” I nearly jumped off the bed.
She rushed into the room, coming toward me with wide eyes.
“Let’s run away together! Now!”
“What?”
The girl sat on the mattress, frantic, tying her dark hair into a messy bun.
“You’re brave—you stood up to my father! I decided we can help each other. And it’ll be good for everyone. You stay with Konrad, I stay with Lucian, and the war ends!”
I didn’t move for a few seconds, stunned by her abrupt words.
I thought she was crazy or setting me up. I shook my head, returning to the shirt.
“Hey! Did you hear what I said?”
“There’s no way to escape from here. It’s a fortress surrounded.”
“For someone who doesn’t know it. I know secret passages.”
“That one doesn’t lead anywhere!”
“But others do! It has to be now! This war will escalate, and then we won’t be able to anymore. My father won’t be back until late today—he’s busy with the attacks. And Daciana went home. This is our chance.”
“Are you serious?” I paid attention now, nervous.
“I have no other option. I tried talking to him just now, but he’s like a brick wall! I’m treated like a child—he doesn’t listen to anything I say. This way, at least, he’ll see that I fight for what I want, that I know what I’m doing.”
“You have everything here…”
“Trapped, Seraphine? Is that our fate forever? Is that what you want?”
“No, but… it’s dangerous.”
Viktor had warned he wouldn’t have any more patience with me. He had threatened me. I could only imagine what he’d do if I ran away with his daughter!
“We should think it through, plan…”
“There’s no time!”
“What if we get caught?”
“I know how to avoid that. We go through the start of an abandoned mine—there’s barely any surveillance. Then it connects to another. I’ve tried it before, but I didn’t have the courage to go alone. We’ll come out straight into the neutral forest.”
“But…”
“I always thought my father would listen to me, give me more freedom—but it’s useless! At first he’ll be angry, but later he’ll understand. We’ll be essential in all this mess. We’ll solve everything far from here, understand?”
I bit my lip, full of doubts.
I wanted to go. I feared my future—and Viktor. I didn’t understand much of what had been happening to me since he entered my life. And yet, something held me back, warning me to see things from other angles.
“A lot could go wrong. Didn’t they say there are traps?”
“Not in that area—it’s to the west. They use more hiding spots there to catch invaders off guard. All the attention is on the north for now. This is our chance!”
“Oh God…”
“Are you coming or not?” She stood up, agitated.
I dropped the sewing and stood too. I thought of him, and my chest tightened in a way I couldn’t understand or explain.
“Seraphine? It’s now or never! We don’t have much time.”
I stepped closer to Adelina and grabbed her hand, anxious.
“What if what Viktor said is true? What if Konrad and Lucian aren’t good—but the villains?”
“He’s never gotten along with any of them—he’s always been too suspicious. That’s why this war started. Didn’t you say Konrad is your friend? He even sent his wolves to fight for you!”
My father had always warned me about the cursed one—Viktor. He had only tried to deceive me, saying he hadn’t killed the gypsies. After all, if Konrad wanted me harm, he would have done something long ago.
The doubts and fears were all there, but her determination affected me.
“I’ll go!” I decided suddenly.
“Yes! We need to run, put distance between us and this place. That way, when they realize, we’ll already be near Cyndrael territory.” She grabbed my arm, pulling me out. “I’ll lend you clothes and sneakers—but we have to hurry.”
Everything happened in such madness that I could barely think. I threw on the clothes quickly. Tied my hair. We grabbed a small bottle of water and a flashlight each.
“Hide the flashlight under your clothes. We’ll leave through the front door talking, pretending we’re going for a walk. Just copy me. Do whatever I do.”
I nodded, trembling all over. We went downstairs, and Adelina started laughing, saying things I didn’t even understand. She greeted the guard, and he opened the door without hesitation.