Page 22 of Losing The Vampire King

“Did something happen there?” I wonder. “I do feel like that place has a special meaning, but I can’t for the life of me remember why.”

“I was hoping that you would remember on your own,” she continues, sounding saddened. “I didn’t want to paint your own memories.”

“I’m asking you to,” I remind her. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“She is your enemy,” she finally tells me. “And that place, the lake… that is where she attacked us, and almost killed me.”

“She almost killed you?” I echo her words.

She nods instead of a reply. She seems at a loss for words, so I give her a few moments to gather her thoughts. Eventually, she continues.

“She is a vampire,” she explains. “Well, technically, she is much more than a mere vampire. She is a hybrid of a vampire and a nymph, and those cross-breeds are usually very dangerous. You know that skin walkers and vampires are mortal enemies, and they already attacked us once, a long time ago. They killed a lot of our own kin. I guess that wasn’t enough, to reduce our clan to these small numbers, but they want to wipe us out completely. I think that is why they have come here again, trying to find us. That is why they attacked you while you were alone, trying to kill you, because they know that without you, we lose all hope. Without you, there is no point in continuing any longer, for any of us. But they didn’t manage to kill you, because I found you in time, and I kept you hidden here. I don’t know how I didn’t see it, but somehow, she managed to pierce through your consciousness and make you go to the lake, where she was waiting for you.”

“She can do that?” I frown.

“She is a powerful creature,” Gala tells me ominously. “Do not make the mistake of underestimating her. Her powers are beyond anything you could ever imagine. She can make you believe that it is nighttime while you are staring at the sun itself. She can bend your mind to her will in such a way, and you wouldn’t even be aware of it.”

“So, is that what she did?” I ask, incredulous that I am such an easy target, that I am so easy to manipulate by whoever wants to do something to me or with me. “She made me go there to the lake, so she could finish what she started?”

“I assume that is her agenda,” Gala nods, inhaling deeply. “I told you, killing you is almost equal to killing our entire clan. We won’t fight without you. It is easier to kill just one person than to kill the few that are left.”

I try to focus on what happened the previous night. I try to look at that woman in light of the new information that I’ve just been given, but something still doesn’t seem to make sense.

“She could kill me easily,” I remember. “But she kept telling me to remember. I… I don’t think she wanted to hurt me.”

“She just wanted to make you lower your guard,” Gala warns me. “She probably knew that you didn’t know whether to trust her or not, because of your memory being completely erased. I’m guessing she tried to trick you first, so she could kill you more easily, the coward. She tried to convince you that she is there to help you, and from what I can see, she almost managed to do that.”

“She made me drink something,” I suddenly remember.

Gala’s eyes widened with shock. “Drink?” she echoes my own words. “What did she give you?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I just know that she poured it into my mouth, and I did try to spit most of it out, but I ingested some of it.”

Her eyes dart from me to the tea that is on the coffee table. “Drink the tea. It will undo whatever poison she’s given you. You should have told me this immediately.”

“It’s all coming back to me slowly,” I admit. “Last night is a haze, just like my mind.”

“Don’t worry,” she smiles, leaning over to me and taking my hands into hers. “Together, we’ll remember everything. But you must drink your tea. It’s crucial that you do so, before her poison starts to affect your mind.”

I hesitate for a moment, then I do as she tells me. I take the tea and slowly start drinking it, one sip at a time. She watches me do it, until I place down the empty cup. She looks content.

“It’s a good thing I came when I did,” she says. “I thought she put some kind of a spell on you when I saw you lying in the lake. I should have assumed that she would make a potion first. Well, you’ll be happy to know she won’t be making any potions. In fact, she won’t be doing anything, because she is our prisoner now and we have to decided what to do with her.”

“She’s here?” I look around, as if she might appear by my side this very instant.

“There is a cave nearby, where I closed in,” she explains. “She is safely caged in there, until we figure out what the right punishment for her should be.”

The thought of that woman being so close to me makes my skin tingle. Everything inside of me is dying to go and see her, but I know Gala won’t like that. Maybe I shouldn’t even mention it.

“You know we can’t just let her go,” she reminds me. “Not after everything that’s happened.She has to die.”

“Die?” I repeat, sounding shocked.

“Of course,” she replies, matter-of-factly. “What else did you think was going to happen to her?”

I don’t know what to reply to that. I guess she’s right. If her plan was to kill me or any one of our clan, then the right decision is to kill her as well. It is simply how these things go. Yet, the thought of harming that woman stands opposed in my mind.

“You need to rest now,” Gala stands up and takes both cups with her. “You’ve had quite an adventure last night. Besides, we need to come up with a plan ourselves, and hopefully, join the rest of our clan soon.

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