“I know what you are thinking. But, it was your father who begged me to let you go. I never forced you.”
I lowered my gaze, “I had my own reasons for volunteering. I will never hold it against you.”
He raised his eyebrow, “I wonder what that reason was?”
“M..my mother was killed by the wereheretic. So, I wanted to avenge her death.”
Something flashed in his eyes, “Ayame was killed by the wereheretic? How do I not know anything about this?”
“Did you know my mother?”
“Not really. I just heard about her from your father.”
This was a surprising piece of news for me. I never knew that my father was close to The Lycan King. It was rare to get an opportunity to even talk to the king. The way he spoke about my mother gave me the impression that he knew everything about her.
“What if I don’t give you a second chance? Will you drop the search?” His question drew me out of my thoughts.
“I don’t think that is possible, your majesty. I hope to get your support. Even if I don't, I will continue looking for her.”
He let out a long, drawn sigh as if exhausted, “In that case, I will put you in charge of the search team. It is better to have you working for us rather than having you hinder our plans.” He got to his feet, “It is getting late now. Go home. Meet me in the courtroom tomorrow.”
“Thank you, my king,” I thanked him sincerely, delighted that I could proceed with my search.
He nodded and walked out of the room. His lingering gaze was very weird. It was as if they were telling me something but I couldn’t understand.
“Now that your job is done, will you forget me?” Daciana said in a low, saddened voice. I couldn’t help but smile at her exaggerated expression.
“I will always remember your kindness, Daciana,” I said, bowing low. “You saved my life. So, you are my benefactor for life.” My eyes twinkled, “I can call you Benefactor Ana if you want.”
She shook her head vehemently as her eyes widened in horror. “That sounds so heavy and oppressing. Just call me by my name” Pausing for a moment, she added, “But, I do want my gift tomorrow.”
Gift? What could I possibly give the Lycan Princess? I didn’t want to offend her by giving her something she didn’t like. So, I decided to ask her directly, “I am a bit dumb at choosing gifts, Ana. It would be nice if you can just tell me what you want.”
She pondered over it for a few minutes before saying in a hushed voice, “I want salted tamarinds.”
“You want what?”
“Tamarinds. They are sour but a bit sweet at the same time.” She licked her lips, “I so love their flavor but nobody allows me to eat it.”
“Daciana, I don’t think it is a good idea for me to give you something that is forbidden. What if it is bad for your health.”
She narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, “If you don’t get tamarinds for me, I will make the guards throw you out of the palace.” She tossed her head proudly, “If I can help you get inside the palace, I can get you kicked out too.”
“Hey, please don’t say that.” I rushed to pacify her. “I will bring whatever you want, okay.”
She kept quiet for a long moment; her gaze boring into mine. “I want some star fruits too.”
“Okay.”
“Meet me at the fountain before meeting my father,” she commanded as she walked out of the room.
I stood there stunned for a while; my mind still grappling with the absurd request. By the time I stepped out of the room, the corridor was empty. The guards seemed to have left too.
My eyebrows furrowed and I looked both ways. The corridor was a long stretch with large paintings along the way. At first sight, they seemed to depict landscapes but on a closer look, there were several hidden features. The longer you gazed at them, the more cryptic the messages became.
Out of the paintings, a large painting of a peculiar waterfall caught my attention. The strokes were drawn in such a way that the water seemed to be going upwards. After looking at the paintings for some more time, my head became fuzzy.
Unable to figure out the right path, I just started walking. I was bound to bump into someone sooner or later. I could just ask them for directions later on.
I took a right turn, then a left, and walked straight along the corridor. It had already been a few minutes and I had yet to bump into a guard. I had this weird feeling that made my skin crawl. My heart started thrumming loudly and a fine sheen of sweat covered my forehead.
The corridor had started feeling like an ominous passage. I stopped walking and started retracing my steps. I must have taken a wrong turn as I found myself moving to a darker section of the palace.
I was about to call out for help when a bone-chilling scream ripped through the passage. I found myself walking in the direction of the scream. After walking for a few steps, I caught a glimpse of a dark staircase at the end of the corridor. The scream seemed to have come from the depths beyond the staircase.
My heart was beating louder than thunder now; every beat sent my breaths into a frenzy of increased anticipation. I knew that I should trespass on the palace like this but I couldn’t stop myself.
The steps creaked as I made my way cautiously down the stairs. They opened to a dark, damp dungeon of sorts. There were cells on either side of the passage albeit they were all empty. I had probably ventured into the old dungeon of the palace.
Letting out a sigh, I prepared to return. I had barely taken a step when another scream ripped through the passage. This time it was so powerful that the vibrations shook me up. My fingers clenched into tight fists as I walked towards the source, one step at a time.
The sight that met my eyes was so gruesome that it made my stomach lurch. In the last cell of the prison, someone was tied up in silver chains. He or she was matted with so much blood and dirt that it was difficult to say whether the creature was humanoid or animalistic.
Thud! Something hit my head with a metallic clank. I grabbed my head as a sharp wave of pain seared through my skull. I turned around swiftly but the blood rush made my vision bleary. Before I could see who it was, I passed out.