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Here's Gideon:





CHAPTER 18 – THE LOST VAMPYR

The Glenn Woods Wolfen Territory The Realm of Xathos

"Princess! Watch out!"

Ailara was snapped back to the present when she heard that voice. It was one she hasn't heard in a long time. Still, it was one she recognized easily.

She was jolted into action by the warning and moved away just in time. If she was a fraction of a second slower, her arm could have been chopped off by sharp Cerran claws.

Before she could do anything else, Dimitrios attacked in his Wolfen form and with a quick snap of his powerful jaws, the Cerran felt to the ground. His neck was bent at an odd angle and his eyes stared sightlessly ahead.

Ailara looked towards where the sound came from and she stilled when she saw him.

"Gideon..." she whispered.

Could this be real? Or was it another trick her mind played on her? Did she die and was this all an illusion?

But it couldn't be...

This was real. There was no doubt of that when she saw him.

He had the same pale, blonde hair she had. That signified that he was of the purest blood of Vampyrs. It was also a trait common to the most powerful houses.The Cerran towered over the Vampyr and the Wolfen but he stood almost at the same height as their enemies. He stood over a head taller than most of the Vampyr and, along with his blonde hair, it was very easy to spot him in the crowd.

Her heart stopped as her blue eyes met his—which were of the same color. His muscles bulged as he hefted a spear. It was a stark contrast to how graceful and fluid his movements were as he brandished his weapon.

His face was now a mask of fury as he sliced his way among Cerran to get to her. And as for her? She was frozen in place. And it was unlike her to space out in the midst of battle.

A Cerran wrapped its arms around her and she could feel the energy he summoned as he tried to trace away. In the blink of an eye, Gideon went from several paces away to standing behind her.Another heartbeat and the Cerran's arms loosened and Ailara heard a dull thud as he fell.

"Are you alright?" he whispered. He frowned when he saw the blood-soaked cloth that was tied around her arm to stem the loss of blood from a wound she sustained.

"I'm fine."

"You're very pale from the blood loss. Stand behind me, princess. Don't move. It just makes your wound bleed more. I'll protect you," he told her. Before she could reply, he shoved her behind him and attacked the warriors headed their way.

Ailara was thankful for that for she suddenly felt weak. Perhaps it was the blood loss coupled with the shock of seeing her people alive and well. It's been a long time since she last saw them. She thought the worse and thought her own race to be nearly extinct.

And now to see them all well and fighting.

It was more than she dared hope for.

Before long, a great cry was heard across the battlefield. Ailara's knees almost buckled as she saw her people with their swords in the air as they celebrated their victory over the Cerran. The battlefield was littered with blood but now it's a different scene for it was Cerran blood that was spilled.

Gideon also raised his spear and smiled at his fellow warriors.

"Victory is ours!" he shouted. More cheers were heard and it was so loud that it made Ailara's ears ring.

"And our princess is back!" Gideon added.

And at that, a hush fell over the land as the Vampyr went down on one knee. They crossed their right arm over their chest and bowed their heads as a sign of honor and respect.

Ailara's eyes filled with tears. They were all real and they were alive and fighting! Tears fell down her cheeks when she saw their sign of reverence. She did not deserve any of it.

"Warriors! Please stand! It is I who should be kneeling before you. You have saved my life today." Her voice broke on several words at the intense level of emotion she was feeling.

"Princess! We have been looking for you for a long time now. You saved us before and it is a great honor that you are back with us," one of the nearest warriors answered.

More tears spilled down Ailara's cheeks. She crossed her right arm over her chest and bowed.

"All hail the princess!" the Vampyrs cried as they stood.

Gideon looked back over his shoulder and beamed. "It's great to have you back," he told her. And then his arms enfolded her in a tight hug. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of being back amongst her own kind.

Suddenly, she felt Gideon still.

Ailara opened her eyes and saw the tip of Dimitrios' sword on Gideon's neck.

"Let go of her!" Dimitrios snarled. Gideon took a step backwards and the two men eyed each other, sizing up the competition, and as if they were both pondering how to attack.

"Stop it! Dimitrios, lower your weapon!" she hissed. She stepped between the two and pushed Dimitrios' arm down.

"Who dares touch you?" he hissed.

Gideon threw back his head and laughed. "My name's Gideon, your highness," he spat the last two words like they were venom in his mouth. The moment he said the last words, four Vampyr traced behind Dimitrios and took hold of him.

He struggled and managed to free himself for a short time but then more came to the rescue.

"Please don't hurt him," she whispered.

The vampyrs inclined their head. "As you wish, princess," one of them answered. Gideon turned and faced Ailara again. He was smiling as though nothing happened.

"Princess... We've searched for you for a long, long time. When word spread that you were a prisoner in the Wolfen kingdom, we came as soon as we could. How have you been? Are you alright? Have they mistreated you in any way?"

"I'm fine, Gideon. Thank you for your concern," she answered. She winced when she moved her arm and the action pulled at the wound.

"You are very pale, princess. You've lost so much blood as well. It would be a great honor if I could share my blood with you."

"No! You will not!" Dimitrios roared. The sound startled several of the Vampyr warriors who were near him. From the corner of her eye, Ailara saw him struggle but the soldiers holding him were very strong and there was a lot of them.

Gideon pointedly ignored him. "Your decision, princess?"

Ailara was at a loss on what to say. She desperately needed blood to heal and be stronger. She didn't want to be seen as a weakling especially now that she was with her people. It was easy enough to accept Gideon's offer. There were no consequences as well. It took several takings before a bond would form.

But somehow, this didn't feel right.

"Ah. I'm sorry, princess. I know it must be a shock seeing all of us again. Perhaps later then? It's a blood moon after all."

The blood moon was the one night in a month where the moon rose just before the sun set. It was named blood moon because the oranges, reds, and purples of the setting sky gave the moon the color of blood.

It was the only time in a month that the Vampyrs could tolerate even a tiny bit of sunlight. It was the only time they got to see the sun and not burn. If the Wolfen were at their strongest during the full moon, the Vampyrs were at their strongest during the blood moon.

And like the Wolfen, the Vampyr also had rituals that surrounded the blood moon. The most common one was the exchange of blood and sharing the night with a partner.

Ailara swallowed as she realized what taking Gideon's blood tonight meant. But maybe she was just being paranoid and looking into things more that she should. His offer was most likely a genuine one because she really needed blood.

That was it and nothing more.

She forced a smile to her lips. "Ahh... I haven't seen the blood moon in quite a long time now. This experience would be like new to me," she told him.

"Yes. I think it will be great! We're excited to have you back. This will be a night of celebration."

Ailara only smiled. She was actually looking forward to it. Being back with her own people made her feel as if she was whole again. But perhaps, she would not be sharing with the blood exchange rituals tonight.

"Walk with me, princess?" Gideon asked. He offered his arm and Ailara took it.

"Unhand my mate!" Dimitrios roared once more. Gideon stopped walking and turned around.

"Excuse me? Your mate?"

"Gideon, just leave him be," Ailara told him. She grabbed his arm to stop him. She looked up and saw the indecision in Gideon's blue eyes. He was torn between following her order and going to Dimitrios.

The latter won.

"Our princess is not your mate, you dog!" Gideon spat. Dimitrios growled and she could see the black mist surround him as he tried to shift into his Wolfen form.

"Go and shift! My men will trace into four different places while holding you. Let's see then where your head ends up," Gideon warned. "No!" Ailara cried. "Gideon, please. Don't!"

With a sigh, Gideon headed back towards her. This time, he did not offer her his arm and just took her hand and led her towards some trees.

"I'm sorry about that, Ailara. I couldn't stand Dimitrios Xanthe. For me he is only one step lower than Heilen," Gideon told her in a softer tone.

"Gideon. You know that this is all a huge misunderstanding. It's actually my fault."

"Never, Ailara," he hissed. "It wasn't your fault."

And now he called her by her name again. It took her back to the time when they played together as children. Gideon was a few years older than her yet he played with her in the mud and swam in the lake with her whenever she wished.

He was the son of one of the most powerful houses of her kingdom. He was Lord of the Southern lands and the finest warrior in all of the Vampyr.

The day she was born, she was his betrothed. It was a good match; a union between the ruling house and one of the most powerful houses. It would have been a good marriage and even if it was not based on love, Gideon would have made a good companion and a good king.

But that changed when she was married to Dimitrios for the sake of the alliance.

His family accepted it graciously. They knew the kingdom needed that alliance with the Wolfen so they can triumph over the Cerran. And as for Ailara and Gideon?

They were both too young to understand what was happening. They were playmates and that was all it was.

"Gideon, tell me how our people has been," she implored. She shook her head to be rid of the memories of her childhood—a time where she was much happier than now.

"We're surviving, princess. We have found a good place to stay. And everyone doesn't stay in one place all the time. This is so that if ever we are found, all that's left of us won't fall in the hands of the Cerran."

"Where are the others?"

"We have several allies now, Ailara. The queen of the witches is one of them. The women, children, and elders are with her. We have her protection."

Ailara sighed with relief. "That's great news!"

Gideon lifted his arms and extended them to encompass the entire Vampyr army that saved her. "This is just a fraction of us. There's so much more of us now, princess. This is just the army that came to rescue you from the Wolfen king."

Gideon smiled and his blue eyes twinkled with joy. "And now you're free," he told her.

Yes. For the first time in a long, long time... she truly felt free. But she knew that freedom always comes with a price. This time, it may not be something she would be willing to pay.

"How did you get here?" she asked Gideon.

"We were on our way to Castle Arcadia and rested near the town of Bering. We sent several scouts to check the perimeter since it's unsafe for us because this is Wolfen territory. We sent twenty scouts. Only one came back. Two now because we just found Vicenzo."

"He was captured by some of the Wolfen scouts. He reported to Dimitrios that he saw an entire army of the Cerran camped near the woods of Bering."

Gideon snorted. "And I assume the stubborn fool did not believe Vicenzo?"

Ailara shook her head and Gideon laughed. "His pride is too much for his own good. Now, his conscience will forever be haunted by all the lives lost in that town. Those are lives he could have saved if only he heeded Vicenzo's warning."

Ailara sighed. What Gideon said was true. Dimitrios' pride could be his downfall.

"What happened next?" Ailara asked.

"One of the scouts returned and reported that he saw an army of Cerran camped in the forest. It was not safe for us so we had to trace away. We could not risk our warriors falling into the hands of those monsters. We left a few men to guard the town of Bering because our scout reported seeing the Cerran eyeing that village. I gave them orders to be hidden and not to engage because they will surely be killed on sight by the Wolfen."

"And?"

"Then during the day, when they were at their most vulnerable, the Cerran attacked. It was reported that when they were about to be taken by the Cerran, they just ran towards the daylight and burned rather than being prisoners. Then, the Cerran captured the villagers of Bering and set it on fire."

Ailara gasped and suddenly felt that she could not breathe.

What Gideon described was basically what she did under Heilen's control. He made her do vile, cruel things and she can't stop herself from doing it. And then when Heilen released her from his control, she would remember all the things she did.

She would feel violated at having no control of her own body, outraged at the horrors he made her do, and lastly, she hated herself for not being strong enough to resist his will.

"And then two days later, here we are, princess. We saw Vicenzo and we traced here right away. And we were just in time."

"Yes, thank you so much, Gideon. I owe you my life."

"It's an honor to serve you, Ailara. It always has been and it always will be."

Her heart stopped at his words and all blood seemed to rush from her wound and to her cheeks. Gideon probably saw her blush because his smile widened.

"Ailara—" He didn't finish what he was about to say for one of the Vampyr warriors traced and appeared beside him.

"My lord, we have to move. It's not safe for us here. We're out in the open and Heilen would have already received word of his warriors' defeat. He'd come for us."

"You're right. Tell the men to prepare to leave!" Gideon ordered.

Ailara followed him as he walked back to the battlefield.

"Gideon, please. We can't just leave the Wolfen here."

Gideon looked at her as if she's gone mad. "They're our enemy!" he shouted. Ailara shook her head. "Heilen is our enemy, Gideon."

"What's wrong with them anyway? I could hear their hearts beating yet they wouldn't wake up."

"I felt a trace of witch magic in the air. Heilen must have gotten his hands on some witches and found out how to wield their magic. They are bespelled to sleep like this."

"Then we should leave them here."

"Gideon, no! If Heilen gets his hands on them, then he will have tons of blood supply to make his army stronger!"

Gideon sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair and Ailara could see him thinking about what she said. "But Ailara, if we let them know where our camp is, they will attack us and kill us all!"

"We will plan for that once we find a way to wake them up. We can trace them into a location far from camp and then wake them up at that time. For now, we can find someplace to lock them all up."

"Hmm. That actually sounds like a good plan. The queen of witches is our ally. She may know a way on how to awaken them. And then the proud King of the wolves will owe us for this."

Gideon was right. It would be a blow to Dimtrios' ego when he realizes that the tables have now turned. This time, he was the prisoner. This time around, his word wasn't the law. He is not with his people and is alone in a land filled with Vampyrs.

Actually, it gave Ailara some sense of satisfaction knowing that.

"We're leaving," Gideon told Dimitrios.

"Leave me here. I can't leave without my men," Dimitrios spat.

"We're taking you with us, dog. Your men too. So don't worry." Gideon smiled triumphantly at Dimitrios' stunned expression.

"So don't resist when we trace away or we'll kill all your men while they are bespelled. Don't try to escape as well," Gideon warned.

Dimitrios only glared at him. If a single glance could kill, Gideon would be nothing but ash right now.

"Men, prepare to trace! Everyone, grab a dog and take em home with you!" Gideon shouted. There were several murmurs of disapproval but everyone still held onto one sleeping Wolfen.

"Gideon. I can't trace," Ailara whispered. In a flash, he took his dagger from his belt and was about to slice open his palm to share his blood. But then he stopped because he saw the hesitation in Ailara's eyes.

"Just hold onto me, princess," Gideon told her.

She took his hand but then he pulled her towards him and her front was plastered to his side. Then, he lifted his arm and wrapped it tightly around her.

Then, Gideon smiled and winked at Dimitrios.

It all happened so fast. The last thing Ailara heard before Gideon traced was Dimitrios' frightening growl.



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