Grapevine (Zetheria Series #1)

Chapter 15: Barren Land

The sky was starting to lighten up, appearing grayish white. Prince Reagan had been casting healing spells for hours. Only a meager amount of mana remained in him. He had to stop and recover it.

Leaning on the rough tree bark, he looked beyond the barrier they had created.

From the shadow of the trees, something was moving.

Prince Reagan immediately recognized his younger brother's presence. He waited for him to enter the barrier.

"No more survivors?"

Prince Damian's face was covered in soot, and his armor had several scratches. His eyebrows were knitted together, making him appear like a child who had lost a candy.

"How about Lady Rosseficent?"

Prince Reagan watched his brother's movements as he sat beside him.

"So, the mission was a fail after all..."

"She made it out of the village. That, I can tell for sure. "

"It's not a fail and not a success. Let's just hope she survives the wilderness and finds her way back to the Air Base."

There was a moment of silence. Only Prince Damian's breathing can be heard for a moment.

"Whatever." He stood up and went to mingle with the prisoners he had saved last night.

Shaking his head, Prince Reagan followed his actions.

---

"Why are we here?" Beth inquired.

"This is where the necklace led me."

Selene stared at the engraved name for quite sometime, trying to remember where she had heard it.

In any case, there was no sign of Sanjiv anywhere.

"That's strange."

She had been gripping the necklace tightly all this time, but in the end, it did not led her ro Sanjiv. Since relics are crafted with a set of enchantments to achieve a definite result, the only time it makes mistakes is if the enchantments embedded on it were not placed properly or it has been tampered with.

However, the Essence of Antonia was one of the Rosseficent's heirlooms and had proven itself to be effective for hundreds of years. There was no way it will malfunction now.

Its effect, that is supposed to lead her to Sanjiv, was not working for some indeterminable reason.

'If it's a heirloom, then was it a relic created by vampires?'

Selene could at least confirm this much.

Vampiric powers rely on blood. If it's effect was to lead her to Sanjiv, then does that mean it has something to do with Rosseficent blood?

'If someone else had the Rosseficent blood around. Perhaps, a stronger concentration of it, will it not lead me to that individual instead?'

It was the most rational theory Selene could come up with at this moment.

But, it didn't explain why it led her to a tomb.

Frustration rose within Selene, however, her face remain devoid of emotions. She sighed. The flickers of anger and disappointment in her eyes were almost unnoticeable.

She turned to her companions.

"Does any of you have a map of this place?"

Beth and Dale exchanged confused looks. They didn't look like they have it. So, Selene let out another sigh.