A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 115: Conspiracy
Darion squared his shoulders, now clad in a black armor. Two knights walked behind him with every guard standing alert in the corridor when he passed. A smile settled on his face, one of pride. From being a kingsguard to the general of Mysthaven army. Truly the gods must be smiling on him.
The double doors of the throne hall swung open revealing a beehive of activities as the organizers finalized the coronation preparations. Guests had already started taking seats both in the gallery and the expanse of the hall.
The throne was empty and cold, it’s edges polished to signify a new reign. Gabriel stood at the side, his hands rested on his back. But his eyes were alert, sweeping through the crowd in suspicion.
Darion walked to the front and stood by his side, following his line of sight.
"I can feel it," he said, his senses heightened. He tried to make out the voices in the hall but to no avail.
"In my briefest time as a general, I have been able to gather some information that might be useful," Darion said piquing Gabriel’s interest.
"Him," he said pointing at a council member with his chin. Gabriel followed his line of sight to spot a middle aged man whispering something indistinctively in a guard’s ear.
"That’s Lord Raphael. My misplaced sources say that his father was murdered in cold blood by vampires a couple of years ago. Since then, he’d revolted the very sight of ’filthy creatures’. He’s also in charge of the execution of the vampires locked in the dungeons."
"Too much power bestowed upon a single human," Gabriel complimented, his eyes never leaving Raphael’s side.
"I can’t blame him." Darion’s eyes shifted to another council member. "That’s Lord Brumfort of the wastelands."
Gabriel’s brows creased. How could he forget that face? But the old man was in good health! There was something off about him. Even his usually sunken eyes appeared lively as if he had just relived his youth. And his usual emissary, his daughter, was nowhere to be seen.
There eyes met momentarily and Gabriel could have sworn a certain sense of familiarity coursed through him.
"Mother?" He asked, his brows creased.
"That’s not Lady Allicent," Darion said, his eyes on the old man as well. "On my way here, I passed by your mother’s chamber and she was enjoying a cup of tea."
"What did you want from her?" Gabriel asked, now turning to face Darion.
"I just wanted to escort her to the throne hall," Darion replied, but his answer didn’t seem to satisfy Gabriel. His fists were clenched as he inched closer towards him.
"I wanted to talk to her about the rebellion," Darion blurted out.
Gabriel’s brows furrowed for the nth time today. "What rebellion?" He asked.
"The humans... They don’t want us here. The knights don’t want to fight for a vampire prince. A lost cause is what they said."
Gabriel’s fists unclenched before he stared down in disappointment. "Of course," he whispered, his lips twitching. He was a vampire, a fact he never came to terms with. A sworn mortal enemy of the very people he wanted their help. And worst of all, he had just placed his kind as the general of their armies. Elena...
"Does Elena know about this?" He asked, panic-stricken.
Before Darion could answer, the drums rolled and the herald announced, "Lady Elena Thornhart, First Princess of Mysthaven and the queen regent."
The hall fell into silence as the double doors swung open to reveal Elena in her full grace. Her head was held high, a golden tiara that matched her dress resting on her head. The dress she wore revealed her cleavage and bodiced on her waist. Her face was painted in some light make-up. She was undoubtedly a sight to behold.
Gabriel for one was stupefied by her beauty. His eyes scanned her body, shamelessly undressing her in his mind. He wanted to admire every inch of her skin once this was over. A dessert coronation was what he’d call it.
But Darion was on high alert. His eyes moved across the crowd searching for anything unusual. Nothing suspicious happened at first as Elena descended the staircase to meet with the parallel floor. And then, in a corner behind a pillar, Darion spotted a shadow draw an arrow. The bow was steady, ready to release death upon Elena.
His eyes shifted to a walking Elena. Acting purely on impulse, Darion rushed towards the center and jumped, taking Elena down with him. The arrow whooshed a few inches above his cloak before it landed on an innocent member of the crowd.
The hall suddenly turned into a state of frenzy. Gabriel just stood at the podium, looking around in horror. Elena would have died again in his watch and what did he do. Nothing! He looked at the direction of the pillars and spotted a veiled woman looking at him, a bow in her hand.
Those eyes, he had seen them somewhere. She walked out through the side doors but Gabriel would not let her get away with it. Fueled by fury and anger, he leapt towards the pillar before chasing after her by foot.
Elena lay on the ground confused by the sudden turn of events. Darion was still on top of her, his eyes scouting for any danger around. The situation was turning awkward now that everyone had nearly rushed out.
"Um, what just happened?" She asked to draw his attention.
Darion looked at her momentarily before realizing the awkward position he had put her in. Slightly embarrassed, he stood up but not without helping her.
Elena looked around to see someone shot by an arrow at the seats with the knights hurrying to check on her.
"Someone tried to kill you," Darion said. He took a quick glance to check if she was okay.
"Thank you for saving my life," she said when she understood what his earlier gesture meant.
Darion brushed it away with a chuckle. "It’s my duty now that I’m the general."
Wait, what? Darion was the general? She searched around for the only sane person who could make such a decision but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell is Gabriel?"
