John knelt on the cold earth by the riverbank, his body screaming with agony as he frantically shook Elena.
"Come on, Elena, get up," he pleaded, his voice thin and raw.
Elena remained utterly unresponsive. She offered no movement, no sound, and no sign that her powerful vampire body was beginning its rapid healing process. The dark and viscous blood continued to leak sluggishly from the deep and jagged wound on her left shoulder. Overwhelmed by fear, John's hand flew to his storage ring, retrieving a piece of clean linen cloth. He pressed it against her shoulder to cover the hideous bite, his gaze fixed on the shattered trees where Jones had fallen. Without allowing a single thought of panic to take root, he scooped Elena up. He carried her limp weight and started running.
He sprinted desperately, plunging deeper into the forest, convinced that the indestructible Jones would recover and resume his pursuit at any moment. John glanced back constantly, his vision swimming with pain, but the woods offered only a swirling green and brown curtain. The deeper he ran, the thicker and more aggressive the forest became. The trees pressed in close and tangled vines snagged at his clothing. He ran without a plan, driven only by the desperate need to get as far away as possible.
He ran for nearly three unbroken and agonizing hours, his lungs burning and his body operating purely on adrenaline. His flight finally ended when he stumbled upon a small and clear water stream. As he slumped, catching his ragged breath, he looked up and spotted a dark and recessed opening set into the hillside. It was a cave. It was perfect.
He needed a safe harbor, a place to rest and tend to Elena whose life now depended entirely on him. He moved inside the mouth of the cave. It was pitch black, but his vampire eyes adjusted to the gloom instantly, a natural trait of his lineage that he had never truly relied on until now. He navigated the unknown and rocky interior with ease, the darkness offering him a clarity that his human side would have found impossible.
He moved to the deepest and most concealed recess of the cave, finding a dry ledge of cold stone. He gently laid Elena down and, with agonizing care, removed the makeshift cloth bandage from her shoulder.
The sight filled him with chilling concern. While the surface cuts and bruises from the fight were already fading, a testament to her vampire resilience, the werewolf bite remained deep and ragged and horribly unhealed. The flesh around the puncture marks was a sickly and blackish color. The flow of blood was slow and unnaturally thick.
"What is going on?" John whispered, his face etched with genuine fear.
"Maybe if Elena drinks some blood, then her wounds would probably heal," he mused. He reached into his storage ring again and retrieved a plastic bottle filled with blood. Even though she was unconscious and couldn't move, he still tried to pour a little into her mouth. He watched her closely, hoping that even a small taste of the blood would help her wound start to heal. He waited with his eyes glued to the wound, but the minutes stretched into a tense and heavy silence. No change occurred. The wound did not close.\
He felt a knot of fear tighten in his chest. Drinking blood usually fixed everything for vampires, but it wasn't doing anything for her now. He was alone in a dark cave, and his friend was getting worse right in front of his eyes.
====
Meanwhile, in the forest three hours behind them, Jones finally forced his body to move. He had been unable to stir at all. Every muscle in his body had refused to obey him. This proved that the dagger John used was covered in a powerful and strong poison. That poison had successfully stopped his superior werewolf healing from working like it should.
When he finally pulled himself up, every bone in his shattered chest screamed with pain. He felt the heavy damage from the punch from Thomas and the desperate kick from Elena. He knew right away that his prey was long gone. Jones knelt down, even though the pain was burning him, and put his large nose to the dirt. He started to sniff the ground very carefully. He followed the weak and fading smell of the trail. It was a mixture of the fear coming from John, the blood they had lost, and the special scent that only Elena had.
But as he tracked them, the sky turned a dark and scary gray. The air felt heavy and thick. Then, the clouds opened up. A huge and cold rain began to fall in heavy sheets. It soaked the forest floor in seconds.
"Great, just great," Jones growled. The sound of his bitter voice was easily lost in the loud and heavy rain.
The rain was his enemy now. It was so strong that it would quickly and completely wash away the smell of his prey. It turned the thick and wide forest into a maze where he could no longer hunt by scent. The three hours he spent stuck and unable to move had given the Crimson boy a big head start. Now, the sudden change in the weather made sure that John was safe for a while. The hunter's chance for an easy kill had closed.
====
Thomas Crimson finally stumbled onto the grounds of the castle sometime later. He was a terrible sight to see. His clothes were soaked with rain and saturated with blood. Reina was nearby and she gasped when she saw him. His worst wounds were still open and visible, but the smaller slashes were already beginning the slow and stubborn process of healing.
"What happened?" Reina cried as she rushed to his side.
"Someone attacked us," Thomas said. His voice was strained and weak. He told her about the horrific ambush before he was taken away to an infirmary room to rest. Reina immediately took the chilling news to Anna and Leonidas Crimson in the main hall.
"Who would dare attack our family?" Anna demanded. Her voice was sharp with aristocratic rage. "Leonidas, we need to go find John right now."
Leonidas remained in his seat. His face was like a mask of stone, but a deep worry was hidden in his eyes. He looked at his wife. Leonidas loved every member of his house, from his own grandsons to the smallest servant. To him, an attack on one was an attack on all. He felt a burning anger that anyone would have the audacity to strike his people.
"Anna, there is probably a chance that the boy is dead by now," Leonidas said grimly.
Tears of pure fury filled Anna's eyes. "Don't you dare!"
Leonidas slammed his hand down onto the table. The sound cracked through the tension of the room. "Anna, you have to think! The enemy planned this. They want me to act out of anger. They want us to send most of our men into the forest where they would probably kill them all. Or they want us to leave the castle without guards so they can attack us when we are at our weakest. This is a strategic trap."
"Leonidas, what about the promise you made to our daughter? Do you even remember?" Anna pleaded. She was reminding him of John's mother.
"Of course I remember!" Leonidas barked. His voice was thick with the pain of the memory. "But the forest is enormous and the rain is falling. It would take an army of men to cover enough ground to find one boy. I will not lead the rest of our family into a massacre."
"So, you are going to do nothing? Is that what you are saying?" Anna challenged. Her voice was dangerously quiet. Leonidas met her gaze. His heart was heavy with the weight of his duty, but he offered no reply.
"Then I will go there myself," Anna said. She moved toward the door, but Leonidas moved faster. His hand clamped down on her arm to stop her.
"You will not go anywhere. Do you hear me?" he commanded. His voice was full of absolute authority. He released her and walked out of the room with long strides.
In the hallway, Leonidas immediately called for one of his most trusted knights. "Lava, tell all the men to stay alert and secure the castle. No one is to let my wife leave this castle."
"Yes, my lord," Lava said. He turned away at once to follow the order.
Anna was left alone in the room. She was filled with rage and desperation. She paced back and forth while her thoughts raced. She was trying to find a plan to save her grandson. "Reina," she called out softly.
"Yes, my lady. How can I help you?" Reina asked.
Anna moved close to her. Her voice dropped to a low and intense whisper. "Your second son, Caden, is one of the best trackers we have. I want you to go underground in secret and wake him from his slumber."
Reina gasped. The command shocked her completely, but she quickly calmed herself. She closed her eyes and nodded. "My lady, what if John is dead?"
Anna's answer was fierce and final. "Then I want to see his body for myself! Now go."
====
Reina moved through the hidden passages beneath the castle. She slipped past the guards without making a sound. Her loyalty to Lady Anna was stronger than any other order. She arrived in the large underground vault. It was a cold and silent space filled with rows of ancient coffins. Inside these dark stone boxes lay many vampires. they were placed in a deep sleep to save their strength. They waited there until the time came when their special skills were needed.
Reina went directly to the coffin of her second son, Caden. The lid made a low metal sound as she slid it open. She looked down at her son. Caden lay perfectly still. His skin was as pale and smooth as marble. He looked like he was in a peaceful sleep. She could not help but bend down and plant a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Hello, my sweet baby," she whispered. Her voice was full of emotion. "It is time for you to wake up."
She pulled out a small knife and quickly cut her own wrist. She stood over the coffin and let her rich and dark blood drip into her son's mouth. This was the lifeblood of a mother.
The change happened slowly. After about forty-five minutes, a little pink color began to show on Caden's pale face. The gray stillness of his long sleep started to fade away. Slowly and carefully, he opened his eyes. They were deep pools of red. He focused immediately on the beautiful and worried face of his mother.
"Hello, Mother," Caden said. His voice was a low rumble because he had not used it in a long time. "It has been a long time since I have seen your lovely face."
He rose up from the coffin. Reina immediately pulled him into a tight hug. "My dear boy, Mother loves you so dearly."
"Why did you wake me, Mother?" Caden asked. His body was already sharp and alert. The long sleep fell away from him instantly.
Reina held his face in her hands and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Mother has a mission for you, my Caden."
When Caden and his mother reached her private rooms, he saw that she had prepared everything for him. His gear was laid out on a large wooden table. There were four throwing knives in black leather cases and a very sharp samurai sword. He also had a light black coat with a hood, black shirts, leather boots, and pants.
"Caden, Lady Anna asked me to wake you from your sleep," Reina explained. She wanted to get straight to the point. "She wants you to go into the Endless Forest to find your cousin, John. He was attacked by a mysterious man along with Thomas and one of the maids."
Caden crossed his strong arms. He frowned as he thought about what she said. He did not remember a cousin with that name. "Who is this John, Mother?"
"I forgot to tell you that your aunt Angeline came back after many years," Reina said. "She has a son who is fourteen years old. He only arrived here a short time ago. He has already had bad luck once, and now this has happened. He was not raised the way you were. He is not used to violence or our world. I trained him for a few months, but I do not know if that is enough to help him survive a situation like this."
Caden looked at the worried look on his mother's face. "I can see that you care about this boy very much, Mother. He must be special. So, what exactly must I do?"
"You must go and find out if he is still alive. If he is, bring him back safely," Reina said firmly. "But if you find that he is dead, you must bring his body back to the castle."
"What about Father or Grandfather? What did they say?" Caden asked.
Reina turned away. She walked slowly to the window and did not look at him. "To be honest, your grandfather does not like his new grandson very much. He refuses to send men. He thinks we will be attacked if we send out too many guards to search for John. We do not know if he is right, but we also do not know who the enemy is. Also, your father is away on a mission and we do not know when he will return."
Caden walked to his mother's side right away. He understood how serious the situation was for the family. He had no more questions about the plan. He only needed one more detail. "What does John look like?"
Reina turned back to him. She touched Caden's forehead with her finger. A small wave of energy passed between them. She sent a sharp and clear image of John's face directly into Caden's mind.
Now that he had the mission and knew what his cousin looked like, Caden began to get ready. He quickly put on the gear and fastened the weapons to his body. "I will leave immediately then."
As Caden reached the door, his mother called out to him. Her voice was full of a worry he did not hear very often. "Caden!"
Caden stopped. He opened the door just enough to turn his head and look into her eyes.
"Come back safe," Reina said.
Caden did not say anything. He only gave a firm nod. He slipped through the doorway and disappeared instantly. He melted into the shadows as if he had never been there at all.