Tudor Rose [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 26 - Torture

Bastian was paralyzed with pain. Vassily had laid him out on the table and placed silver chains over his wrists, ankles, and neck to prevent him from moving. He had been set on fire so many times now that his clothes had burned away and he was naked and exposed. His body had regenerated countless times, but he could feel himself weakening, his healing abilities slowing and becoming ineffective. If this kept up, he would die the true death.

"I will ask you again, where has he gone?" asked Vassily.

"I don't know," said Bastian with all the strength he could muster. He screamed as he felt his body burned again. Writhing only made the pain worse as the hot silver would just bury deeper into his flesh. In the flames, he saw visions of blood pouring from a thin white neck and he felt an intense need to feed to restore himself. Bloody tears streamed down his face when the burning stopped and his body struggled to heal. "I told you I know nothing," he moaned.

"You're protecting someone," said Vassily. "I've been interrogating people for three hundred years. I know when someone is lying to me."

"I'm not lying," Bastian said weakly.

"Tell me where the Dracula boy would have gone."

Bastian was quiet for a moment as he searched his brain. He had no idea where Michael would have gone to flee from the school. Then he remembered his mentioning that his grandfather was in the city. "The King," Bastian choked out. "King Vlad is in London. Michael must have gone to see him—,"

He was interrupted by his own screaming as Vassily burned him once more. "Why," he wailed when it was finished.

"You kept that from me all this time," said Vassily. "What else do you know?"

"Nothing, I swear it," Bastian cried.

Bastian heard the cell doors open and close again, though Vassily had not removed the chains. He was left there for was seemed like hours before anyone had come for him. It was a monitor, and Bastian picked up the scent of something else, human blood. When the chains had been lifted he sat up straight, immediately seeing the young blood donor girl that had been brought for him. All he saw was red as he attacked her, feeling the bones in her neck break between his teeth as he bit down. The monitor attempted to stop him but he broke the leg of the wooden table and moved to stab it through the monitor's heart before his hand was caught by a third party. The rage left him and he looked at the crumpled human body on the ground. The donor girl was convulsing as a female monitor bent down to feed her her own blood from her wrist. Bastian watched as the girl drank hungrily the elixir that would heal her completely.

He had drunk enough of the girl for his body to completely heal, though he was still naked. The monitor he had tried to kill provided him a robe and he put it on, unable to look the man in the eyes. "It's completely understandable after what you've been through," said Prince Sigismund of House Hohenzollern, senior member of the Senate. He had been the one to stop Bastian from killing the monitor. He had long blond hair that fell straight down his back. He was clean shaven and handsome, though his blue eyes betrayed something sinister.

"Prince Sigismund," said Bastian, bowing.

"I've been charged by the Senate with leading the investigation into the murder of the Romanov girl," he said. "I'm so very sorry I had to approve such a harsh interrogation, but the Senate cares only about results, and we would both be in for much worse had I not allowed Vassily to do that to you."

Bastian wondered what had been done to the others, especially Dmitri and Xenia, as he was certain the Prince would not have cleared harm coming to Adali, his own niece.

"Forgive me, but where are my friends?" he asked.

"I've come to take you to them," said Sigismund. "Follow me."

Just then, a monitor brought Wes a new uniform and the Prince excused him to put it on. When he was sure no one could see him, he leaned his back against the wall and breathed in deeply. What was happening? He could feel something was very wrong with him, but he could not let that show now, when tensions were most high and the Senate was at the academy. He had to be strong for Adali.

He dressed himself and combed his hair with his fingers before walking out to join the Prince and his entourage again. He was being trailed by two body guards, one a vampire he had made himself, that appeared old and strong. One was a pureblood woman of House Hohenzollern, tall and armed with a sword. The other was a young vampire boy, German, with dark hair and no weapons that Bastian could see. The three monitors, including the one Bastian had tried to kill, followed along as well.

"Terrible tragedy," remarked the Prince as they travelled through the catacombs. Bastian quickly realized they were not returning to the main floor of the palace. This was not over.

"Truly," said Bastian out of polite obligation.

"What do you think you'll do once you graduate from the academy?" asked the Prince. "The Senate would benefit from a pureblood of your intelligence, and it would be simple for you to become a member with your connections," he said. The Hohenzollern family had a controlling interest in the Senate, and it was generally expected of him to join.

"I think I would rather stay with Princess Adali as her bodyguard," said Bastian, finished with lying after what had been done to him.

"Bodyguard?" the Prince scoffed, and Bastian's eyes went immediately to the Hohenzollern woman who had clearly chosen the same path. "You can't be serious."

"I'm perfectly serious. The Princess needs someone she can trust, and we've grown up together. No one would be more devoted to protecting her."

Prince Sigismund grew silent. The members of the royal family would always be guarded closely by a member of the branch families, though usually that body guard was someone farther removed from the main bloodline. Bastian's family was highly ranked, so that he could have any position in either the German government or military, or even the Senate that he wanted. Members of his family who had become body guards were members of the elite guard for the reigning monarchs, and Princess Adali would forever be just the sister of the German Emperor. When his reign was finished, Adali would no longer truly be considered a Princess in the pureblood world, though she would be allowed to retain her title out of respect for her noble birth. Essentially, Bastian was giving up on a world of opportunity to throw his life away as a guard dog for his unimportant cousin, and this he was well aware of.

When they reached their destination, Bastian had to hold back his reaction. Portia Strozzi, Pietro Borgia, Dmirti and Xenia, and Princess Adali had been gathered into one cell. What was especially shocking as that in the corner, Professor Joffre Borgia was there with them. Bastian was instructed to willingly go into the cell.

"Until we find Michael Vitèz for questioning," said Prince Sigismund, "We regretfully must keep you imprisoned here as our primary suspects."

Bastian heard the door slam behind him as he joined the others. Bastian counted nine monitor guards as he watched the one he had tried to kill take his place in front of the silver bars. Before vanishing into the shadows, Sigismund said, "It is my deepest wish that we will find him quickly, so that you might all be released."