Eternal Kingdom | A Dark Academia Mystery

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐕

Oxford, England

The room spun and Vittoria's breath came out in ragged gasps as a wave of nausea washed over her. She tasted the acrid tang of bile at the back of her throat and closed her eyes, willing the feeling to pass.

The sound of Chandler's voice cut through the haze, his tone more insistent now. "Tell me, Doctor, what do you reckon, why would someone do that?"

She didn't answer. The ground beneath her feet felt unsteady. Her hand clenched around the edge of Marco's desk, white-knuckled.

"Doctor Spada, please answer the question."

Vittoria took a deep breath, steadying herself before speaking. "I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't know why anyone would do something like that."

"Then let me phrase it differently. Why would someone do it that way? Why would someone kill by using an archaic medieval execution method?"

"I have no idea."

"Why was it done six hundred years ago?"

Vittoria closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. From across the room, she felt Alexander Frost's eyes on her. He was towering over the police officer who questioned him, apparently patiently answering his question, but his, those intensely green eyes, rested on her. And for the fraction of a second, she had the impression that Frost was not simply watching, but listening too. Eavesdropping on them like some sinister bat across the room.

"Doctor Spada, please answer my question."

"Impalement wasn't used for a specific crime. Whether traitor or petty thief, they all met the same fate. The rationale for killing in such a cruel manner was a different one."

"Being?"

"Dracula was a product of his time, a Machiavellian ruler, that means a death, to be useful, had to be seen publicly and it had to instil fear."

"So its about setting an example?"

"Yes. It is setting about an example to prevent others following the same path."

Chandler was about to ask another question, but in that moment, Frost lifted his gaze to meet Chandler's.

The move was subtle, a mere shifting of his eyes, but its impact was palpable. For the fraction of a second, Chandler's gaze seemed fixed on Frost. His twitching eye was momentarily still, as if the intensity of his gaze had suspended all other involuntary actions. And then Frost looked away. Trying to recover, Chandler cleared his throat and turned back to her.

"That'll be all for now, Doctor Spada," he said hurriedly, his voice lacking its previous conviction. "We'll be in touch if we need anything else."

"You know how to reach me, Commander Chandler," Vittoria replied, her voice steady, even as her heart thundered in her chest.

Chandler gave her a thin-lipped smile, his eye twitching once more, like some secret Morse code she was not privy to.