The Witch Slayer

Fault in the Plans

The dungeons were filthy and murky, but that was the point. Vlad turned up his nose as he walked through the halls, hands behind his back.

The fauns in the cages stared at him dejectedly. Sorrow was etched on their faces, despair reeked from them. Their hearts were punctured with death and disease. But they were not the only ones. The vampires who had refused to join Vlad's righteous cause were in here as well.

One of them crept up to the bars of the cage and croaked, "My wife. You said you'd let us go when my wife returned. Where is she?"

Vlad spat on him. "Your wife is dead. Killed by Arthur Jynn."

The vampire began sobbing. "You promised to keep her safe! You said you'd let us go! My boy doesn't deserve this!"

"You and your boy don't deserve anything."

He unsheathed a dagger from his long coat. "Now get back, or your boy will be killed."

The vampire huddled back to his child and they wept together, the sounds of their whimpering echoing in the dark.

"Honey!" A shrill voice cried out, and Vlad smiled. Evangela had returned.

They embraced each other and Vlad got lost in her pure eyes, the way they dazzled, danced, even in the darkest of places. He felt proud of what he had accomplished whenever he saw them. Because nothing was more reassuring than Evangela's support.

"Did you take care of Arthur?" Vlad asked.

"He's up there right now, heading to his death." She let out a laugh, but Vlad was not amused. If anything, he felt a little afraid. But he squashed that fear away. He was the one in power now.

"I thought I told you to kill him in the tunnels," he said, his voice laced with annoyance.

"Don't be such a boy, Vlad," she retorted. "I thought you would agree with what I did."

"And what have you done?"

"I've played a game with him. A big one." She smiled at the thought. "I brought him to your birthday party above. He thinks he's gonna kill you, but I haven't told him about the double."

Blood pounded Vlad's temples. "The most dangerous thing you could have done was bring to my doorstep. He'll kill everyone in the damn mansion when he finds out you betrayed him!"

"Don't worry," she insisted. "When he realises that, he won't have time to dwell on it because he'll be dead!"

"Let me guess. You set up an ambush?" He stared at her, uncertain.

"Why of course! I wanted him to touch the shores of success, only to be pulled back into the ocean by the waves of betrayal. He will drown, that I can tell you." She reached to touch Vlad's face, but he gripped her hand tightly. His eyes were bloodshot with anger.

"What's this?!" She eyed him confusedly. "What are you doing?"

"You don't realise what you've done," Vlad said. "You've brought death to me."

She pulled her hand loose. "Arthur Jynn isn't god. Besides, I loosened him up by showing him the bodies in the tunnel. He'll be distracted, and ergo, will die."

A cracking sound rang through the dungeons, and the creatures in their cells looked up, straining to listen.

Evangela clutched her cheek, staring at Vlad as if he had lost it. She was not wrong.

"I warned you not to mess with him. He's the only person who posed the greatest threat to our operation, and now you brought him here, thinking he would be distracted? No."

He crept closer, and she backed away.

"Arthur Jynn is a man who lost everything when we executed his mother years ago. You don't mess with the man who has nothing to lose, for by becoming his enemy, you become his entire world."

There was a sudden sound of chaos from above. Vlad clenched his fists.

"He will find us, Evangela. He'll kill us all." He scrunched his face in anger. "All because of you."

Evangela pointed her wand at Vlad in outrage.

There was a deafening noise and a black ball of smoke shot out from its end and hit Vlad, who flew across the room and hit the brick walls.

There was the sound of an explosion, and the dust fell from the ceilings as the door of the dungeon clattered down the stairs.

People were shouting, wands were being fired, and Evangela's heart turned to ice as someone screamed out loud through the chaos, a name which echoed in the halls of her mind.

"The Qatil Al'Sahira!"

***