Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 149: A shot in the dark.

Not once did Silas ever need to intervene. Liriel did all of that work for him and spoke on Arabella’s behalf whenever it seemed that Dragomir crossed a line, and there were many crossed lines throughout their conversation.

"You know Darick, if you keep that up, I will start believing you stand to gain something from her return to Lustris," Liriel’s eyebrow raised, she eyed him intently while talking.

"None of that, Liriel!" he feigned a hearty chuckle that wasn’t, "But with my current circumstances, I suppose you’ll find me a bit sentimental. Especially when it involves the bond between a father and his child," the twitching around his lips blared volumes louder than anything Dragomir had voiced.

"Well, speaking of the Lady, how have the days been treating her?" the fairy did not hesitate and grasped at the branch he’d mistakenly extended.

"They’ve been treating her as well as they can," he said in the driest of tones.

It was everyone’s knowledge that Lord Dragomir’s wife was with child. Lady Persephone had even brought it up once when they’d met at the ball. Arabella was well aware of what a vampire pregnancy entailed, namely the differences between an expecting human woman and a vampire woman as the disparity in dangers it encompassed was noteworthy.

She assumed it was the reason everyone tiptoed around it in such fashion when the matter was broached.

Who knew? Perhaps, in another fit of rage, his wife had tried to murder him yet again...

Although, it, at the very least, had the merit of distracting him from the topic he was so eager to approach with her.

The moon above sent its light upon everything that walked the ground, their party included as they rode their mounts towards the next tunnel to seal.

It was silence that mostly reigned supreme among them. Aside from the repetitive thudding of hooves against the dry dirt, the tussling of leaves that swayed with the winds and the ominous hooting of owls next to the screeching bats... Nothing else reached her ears.

At night, the standing napiel grass blades did not appear so sharp and the smell they gave off wasn’t nearly as strong as the one released under sunlight. Although the scent of fresh greens remained welcomed with the breeze. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Dragomir left Arabella’s side but never allowed her out of his sight. It wasn’t a question of if. The young woman carried the burden of his gaze which in that moment dragged her weight much further down than Silas’ glare ever managed.

Their journey west, towards the southern side behind KasselMoon went on without a hitch. Arabella’s gemstones stuck to the lights emanating from the town, so rich in colors and life, considering its heart was as busy as every other night.

From that distance, the city appeared... Contained, for lack of better terms. That ocean of madness she’d been dipped into on her first visit to KasselMoon could no longer reach her.

"Are you alright?" Floriel called the young woman back into reality.

Shedding that distant smile her features had adopted, Arabella nodded, "Yes, of course. How are you feeling? Aren’t you cold?"

"Worry not about us," said Liriel, "We are perfectly alright," she gave Arabella’s shoulder a little tap that was barely felt.

Silas leapt off his horse, a map of the area in hand. The others started to copy his actions, and Arabella was the last of them to descend.

"The tunnel should be somewhere deeper into these forests," Silas faced the thick clump of trees that stared back at him.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t we seal this tunnel right after the war?" Lord Foy walked forward and stopped by Silas’ side.

"We only sealed one of them. Apparently, a second one still stands," his eyes flickered towards Arabella very momentarily before snapping back ahead of himself.

The rest of the party did the same. With some merely glancing her way while others offered odd grins along.

"Don’t mind he looks, Darling," Lady Athanasia stepped by Arabella, "And honestly, as big as my soft spot is for family reunions, I can’t say I see eye to eye with Dragomir about you," she chuckled, "You have been here for a little less than three weeks and you’re already pulled your weight in this country," the Lady’s entrancing eyes went up and down Arabella, "Well, a lot more than your weight. These clothes suit you oh so nicely, by the way," she offered yet another calculated chuckle, eyes focusing mostly on Arabella’s... Generous forms.

"Thank you, my Lady. Your words are so kind," the young woman nodded, a timid smile on her.

"Right then, where do we go from here?" one of the Lords had asked, looking over at Silas.

Silas remained mute, his diamonds going from studying the open map in his hands, and the trees before him.

"Well, any ideas then?" Lord Dragomir moved forward.

Spotting the first tunnel had been quite easy since Arabella had gone through it once and then visited it again with Silas.

However, with the second one in line, it was more of a shot in the dark. Quite literally.

Heads turned from left to right then from back to front as people whispered to each other in little voices.

That was until once voice rose above the rest. Although, to say it rose would have been an overstatement.

Indeed, Arabella had only cleared her throat and that was more than enough to bring everyone’s attention onto herself.

"I... Believe there might be something we may try if that is alright with everyone," she half asked in a brittle tone.

"Speak," Silas ordered.

In response, Arabella turned towards Floriel, extending an open hand her way, "Would you help me with this please?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. What would you need me to do?" round eyed and without hesitation, Floriel jumped into the young woman’s palm.

"I would like you to fly in a circle all around us and try to assess which ways you have no issue considering and which you would like to stay away from. Would that be alright?"