Dakasi Winters: The Vampire Queen

Chapter 5: Not an Ounce of Trust

"What do you expect, Famar?"

The voice was hard to make out. Dakasi felt weak. Every vein in her body felt like it was being disintegrated. The smell of garlic burned her nostrils. She could hear noise, plenty of it. It was hard to figure out where she was or what was happening.

"What do I expect? How did you expect me to react when you"

Dakasi slipped back into unconsciousness, not hearing the rest of conversation happening beside her. Her body went numb and her mind wandered. Then there was a blue light, and Dakasi could feel the pain subside, and feeling return.

There was a hand resting on her shoulder. She was laying on the ground with grass tickling her skin. The air was cold and smelled of pine, and cold metal braces were placed on her wrists and connected to a chain. The garlic dissipated and Dakasi's heart began to function properly, pumping blood through her body. Dakasi felt cold, and dizzy.

Slowly her eyes opened. She watched a man with pale skin and short black hair stand up. He had sharp and scrawny features, and wore glasses over his dark blue eyes. "I haven't been able to remove the Vampirism entirely, but her body should be able to produce blood on its own now and the garlic should no longer be lethal. She will need to remain on a liquid diet, and it will take years for her digestive system to adjust to a diet of proper food. It may take me a few weeks to be able to cure it completely." The man told another person. His voice was cold and indifferent. Dakasi assumed at first that it was one of her father's men. However, if that were the case... Shouldn't she be in the castle?

"Thank you, Maxwell." Kantori sighed in relief. "I doubt Famar would remain loyal to us much longer should his sister have been harmed. Not to mention the toll it'd take on my conscience." She continued.
Maxwell only gave a short nod before stepping over Dakasi and walking away.

Dakasi blinked in confusion, and slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. She turned her head to examine her surroundings; a patched up tent with nothing but a few cloths to protect those inside it from the cold hard ground. Dakasi was cuffed and chained to a pole that was held firmly in place by the ground.

As her eyes widened, Dakasi's gaze jolted towards the chair in which Kantori was sitting. Today Kantori wore a brown shirt with only one sleeve, green leggings under ripped denim trousers, and boots one would expect a hunter to wear. A quiver was strapped to her back, a sword and various pouches were strapped to her waist, and a bow rested beside her. Kantori held a firm gaze as she watched Dakasi, and her expression was near impossible to read.

Dakasi frowned, and her ears pressed back against her skull. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked in a quiet and deadly tone. Dakasi's fists and jaw clenched as she glared at Kantori, who only gave a sympathetic expression in turn.
"My apologies, Princess." She began with a sigh. "I wanted to be able to explain the complexity of the situation to you. The cuffs are merely to keep you from possibly attacking me while I do so." Kantori informed her.

"I don't think you have the grounds to explain anything when keeping me hostage." Dakasi hissed.
"Does that mean you don't want an explanation?" Kantori asked, raising a brow.
Dakasi scoffed at the human-like expression. "I do... However if you expect any patience or understanding from me, you'd be sorely mistaken. In my eyes you're criminals that have taken myself and my brother hostage." She snapped.
"Very well." Kantori muttered. She crossed her arms and leaned back at the chair. Staring at the tents ceiling-if you could even call it that- she began to carefully think over her words.

"A week or two ago, Famar freed a prisoner from your dungeons before they could be interrogated. He gave them a letter and requested they deliver it to the Resistance Leader. When I received the letter-" Kantori began.
"You?" Dakasi questioned. One ear perked while the other stayed against her scalp. "But Robert Daltar is the leader of the resistance. He has been since it began." She elaborated, causing Kantori to frown.
"He was..." Kantori confirmed. "The Empire doesn't know, because we've kept it out of public knowledge, but... Robert Daltar is dead. He died a few years ago. I'm his daughter, and I have taken on his legacy."
"You're..." Dakasi murmured. Her eyes widened, and her ears twitched as she stared at Kantori.