Call Of The Dark

Lazarus's fingers came to her thighs and caressed them languidly. "The little babe was fed by a wet nurse instead of his mother's milk. A month later, she was released and when she came out, her health was down. As the years went by, my father's torture on my mother increased. She was at the receiving end all the time. He used his fists, his whip, his legs and everything that came in his hand."

Emma shuddered at the thought of how cruel one could be. A tear rolled out of her eyes for Queen Adara.

"With constant beatings, she became even more fragile than ever, but in her heart festered hatred towards her mate. Mates were supposed to love each other, but he only showed his cruelty to her."

"But why?" Emma asked, her breath hitched, her heart lunging in her throat.

"Because my mother possessed what he wanted. The necklace of magic and power. It was always there on her neck. It gave her life and power to sustain Viktor's brutality. She had kept it for me because she wanted me to inherit the kingdom of Wilyra after me. But my father wanted it for him. The problem was that it was impossible to snatch the necklace from my mother. It was etched on her body."

He took a deep long breath and his fingers roamed up again. Sun began to rise and Emma was afraid that the rays would come inside the carriage through the window. She drew the curtains in to stop the sunlight.

"Viktor used the powers of witches to extract the necklace out. He would give Adara food laced with potions that was concocted by the witches to remove the necklace. He would add poison to her food or wine so that she died one day. But none of it was working. It was at the end that a wizard called Vikra helped my father. He gave him a potion that started to slowly remove the necklace from her skin. And every time it pulled out, my mother would shout in extreme pain."

"At the end of it, she couldn't bear it. She called me on her last day to her chamber." Lazarus remembered that she was lying pale on the bed, her body so light that a wind could shake it. Her eyes had sunk deep in the holes. She caught his hand. "She said to me that you must take my revenge, Lazarus. You must protect this necklace. She commanded me that I should kill King Viktor and claim the throne. That would be her revenge!"

Emma's tears came out unbridled. Her lips began to shake but she stifled her sniffles to hear more of his story.

"She was about to give me the necklace when my father stormed in the room. He grabbed the necklace on her and pulled it. It was hanging with the last vestiges of her skin and flesh. I didn't know why my father was so keen on that necklace but I later realized its importance."

"Did your father snatch it from her?" Emma asked, a shudder passing through her body. He grabbed her tight.

"He couldn't. But my mother was on her deathbed. She knew that she was going to die anyway. She made him vow to the Lore that she would give him the necklace only if he vowed to the Lore that he wouldn't harm me. Viktor gritted his teeth and hissed at me, but he made a vow. Out of fury, he snatched the necklace from my mother as she shrieked in pain, as blood and skin came out of her neck."

He remembered the look of shock on Viktor's face at that instant as if his vow had gone for a waste. "The next instant, he ordered his guards to bury her in the blood forest. Amidst her shrieks, she was taken away. I ran after the guards, trying to fight them to release my mother, but they pushed me aside. They buried my mother in the blood forest."

"I wasn't allowed out of the palace for two days and when I was, I ran straight to the blood forest. I tried to find her but I couldn't." He let out a rough exhale. "I would go to find her every other day and then one day my father ordered me to be buried alive in the blood forest."

"What?" Emma squeaked. "He took a vow to the Lore that he wouldn't kill you."

"That wasn't killing… practically. But when I was fourteen the guards took me to the blood forest and buried me alive. For a week I was inside, crying, thrashing and kicking through the coffin. The roots of the trees crawled towards me and latched onto my hands. They sucked my blood."

Emma curled her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She hid her face in his shirt as her body trembled. Such cruelty was unknown.

"It was then that a soft voice came to me. Your bride is going to help you gain your kingdom back. It was as if I was deluding or what? But the soft voice goaded me to come out of my grave. With whatever energy I could muster, I clawed my way out of the grave. I saw my nanny trying to break the layers of ice with an ax. As soon as she saw me, she hugged me tightly, crying out loud, thanking the goddess. She took me back to the palace and informed the king that I was back."

"For many days I couldn't speak because of the trauma built inside me. I didn't allow myself to interact with anyone, didn't meet anyone. Years later, when I did, I was a grown-up man. I vowed that I will avenge my mother because she was dishonored, because Viktor snatched my birthright. I will take my kingdom back."

He looked down at her and found that she was snuggling in him, sniffling. He curled his fingers beneath his chin and gave her an ominous smile. "Now you know why I need you?"

Her lips parted at the dangerous look in his eyes.

"So be a good girl, and behave. Will you?"

She didn't say anything because she felt miserable for her captor. But—