Chapter 397: An example
Silence had turned into a companion when both kept a seal on what truly ached. Arabella fell asleep quickly, her breathing evening after ten mere minutes in Silas’ arms. Hard proof as to how tiring of a day it had been for her.
Though for once, he chose not to remain in that position all night long.
The invisible nails pricking his behind wouldn’t allow him stillness of mind. The vampire made sure not to interrupt his wife’s slumber as he gently laid her onto the bed before standing up, putting his vest back on and exiting the room.
For some reason, his feet led him down the same path Arabella had taken earlier when they’d split after the interviews.
To the gardens he went.
A number of maids stood outside with some female tributes, enjoying the fresh air, he assumed.
They curtsied upon noting his presence which he acknowledged then moved deeper into the greenary.
Despite the distance, his ears still picked up on the chitter chatter of the women, some banter between the guards and further ambient sounds that mingled with those of nature. It was all so calming until one of the bunch stood out from the rest. That of crunching grass beneath careful feet.
What really got his attention was the fact that the sound came from nowhere near the manor. In fact, it seemed to be drawing further from the building.
It took Silas a whole ten seconds to pinpoint its origin with exactitude and join the individual responsible for it.
Erik tiptoed with a hunched back as though it would muffle his steps more effectively. The boy took his time to put one foot in front of the other, clearly hoping to reach the back gates.
"It seems so easy, doesn’t it?"
Erik’s spine yanked him back to a straight posture as his heels were dug in the dirt to spin his body around more quickly.
"I... It’s not...," His words trembled just as violently as his frail looking body.
"It’s quite different here," Silas stepped forward.
To which, in response, Erik stepped back.
"From the moment you were left in our custody, you were no longer a prisoner. You became a guest," Silas stopped and turned to look in the distance, in the direction of the gates, "The same fate as our human guests awaits you, should you cross the property lines without our family crest,"
"Please," the boy cried, "I have to go. They will kill them as soon as they receive word of your report,"
"You would never make it there and even if you did you will be there just in time to be executed along with your family. There is nothing you can do for them,"
At those words, the look in Erik’s eyes turned fierce, "I’ll take my chances," he spat through gritted teeth, "It’s my family,"
"I understand," said Silas, "I would try to do the same thing had I been in your shoes. Know that none of our guards will stop you, but you should also know that it’s been more than thirty years since a tribute tried to escape before the ceremony. Care to take a guess as to why that is?"
Erik merely glared at the vampire, inhaling and exhaling deeper and deeper, then faster and shallower, again and again.
"Your death will serve as an example for the rest just like the previous fugitive’s demise did for the past thirty years,"
It took one mild breeze to bring Erik to his knees. One puff of air to wipe that glower off his face.
He curled onto himself and sobbed to no end, "I am sorry. I am sorry," he repeated, "They said they would keep them safe. My sister is sick, so sick I am afraid she won’t make it without help. I thought I had no other choice!" mixed in with the tears, his words turned into a gurgling mess.
"You had no other choice,"
That calm response from Silas had the merit of toning the crying down as the boy looked up at him with red, puffy yet hopeful eyes.
"I said there is nothing that you can do for them. I never said there was nothing that we can do,"
The stars in the sky turned brighter in his eyes which had flashed with more life upon hearing Silas’ terms.
"But in the room with the Lady, you said-"
"I said something and here I am saying something different. It happens," the vampire cut his quivering voice off, "Now, I’d like to hear a bit more about your sister’s illness,"
Erik seemed as though he grasped very little of Silas’ intentions, but answered every question the vampire had, nonetheless.
Eventually, the boy headed back towards the manor of his own accord, leaving Silas alone out there.
Instead of following in his tracks, the vampire decided to pay the family mausoleum a visit.
Emeric Eleazar laid upon his resting bed as though he’d just been put on it. Through millennia, it was still to be determined whether vampire bodies decomposed much slower than other organic material or if they were simply eternal.
That was one of the thoughts galloping through his mind. He chose to focus on it at that moment, because it was the most... Soothing?
The one that required the least amount of effort to riddle.
Among other things, Arabella’s words about acceptance irked him the most.
What did she believe she had to just accept in her new life with him, and as opposed to what anyways?
The very next thing that stood right behind that question in line was the ridiculous conclusion he’d leaped to in front of her.
The lack of control he exhibited kept his brains in a twist. The look she had given him lived behind his eyes and promised to stay no matter how hard he tried to shake it.
He had even wished she would lose control and let the words escape her the same way his had escaped him.
There was definitely more to it than the situation with Erik. There had to be.