Belle Adams' Butler

The storage room wasn't used often and if it was, it was only a person or two to the maximum to keep the items of the new cases that were either resolved or unresolved with evidence. Hendrick knew how the door looked like but he had never been here before. 

Carrying the lantern up high in his hand, he looked at the number of racks that were lined in front of him and the thousands of boxes that were placed in every side of the shelves. Hendrick took a long time by pulling the boxes one after another moving it around as quickly as he could as there was no time to lose. If the portal were to close, the only way out was through the door and he would be stuck. 

"Where are you?" asked Hendrick, staring at the racks. He had worked for the council before which was why he was the one who had been assigned with the task but he didn't know where the book was. 

He went to the older section, where he was pulling some of them before he found a box that had been labelled with 'Knivetton'. His hand reached the things in it to finally pick a book. Bringing the lantern that he had been carrying, he looked at the name of the book that read 'How to handle garlic in food'. This was it! Thought Hendrick to himself. 

Before anyone would step in, Hendrick quickly put the boxes back on the shelves but they weren't in the order they had been taken out. Once all of them were in, he made it back through the portal that had started to close in, turning the circle smaller than before as the switchers who were strapped on the chairs had started to die, the electricity electrocuting the bodies. 

Running quickly he made his way back to his castle before the portal that was opened zapped closed. 

"I got it!" Hendrick started to laugh holding the book in his hand. 

Inot looked at the book to notice it looked like any other regular book, "Are you sure that is the one?" asked the witcher. 

Hendrick turned the book around and nodded,

"This is the one," though he didn't know how to read it as the witch had told him that it was written in code, Hendrick would find someone to decode the words and he would then make use of it. Finally, the day was going come where he would take his revenge and have everyone bow at him, "How long have I waited for this moment. Soon I will rule these lands," Hendrick laughed, getting up from the ground, he looked at the chairs that were piled in ashes. 

"Clean that up, Inot. We have a lot of work to do soon. You will be my most trusted man and scientist who will get to work on things more than you would ever have imagined it to," said Hendrick. 

The witcher bowed at the vampire, who left the laboratory with the book in his hand. But just as Inot stood straight, there was a look in his eyes that one could see that he didn't like working for this man. 

According to the witches, Inot was working and obeying them, and according to this vampire, he was working for him while betraying the witches, but Inot worked for no one. 

During the time of night when the sun had gone down, and the rain had stopped pouring down from the sky. In the dark, a shadow moved towards the chamber of where the vampire was sleeping in his bed. Inot crept forward, walking towards the bed with a stake of wood in his hand. 

When he raised his hand and almost reached for the vampire's chest, Hendrick's eyes flew open and he tried stopping the witcher but he failed as Inot used a spell and he finally pushed the stake through Hendrick's chest. In the greed to have the book for himself, Inot started to search through the cupboards and through the drawers to finally find the book that was placed on the table which he hadn't seen before. 

"Did you think I want to live working under you? I will be the King and sole ruler of these lands. Not you, vampire," whispered Inot to the dead vampire who was on the bed. 

Knowing that, this place was not safe as the other witches knew about it, Inot took the money along with some other things and left the castle behind him. 

As much secrecy was created in stealing the unknown book, during the time Hendrick was leaving, the man had forgotten to blow away the lantern and word was out to reach one of the councilman's ears. 

The man only heard before he turned around to leave the council. Reaching the forest where no one came, the little girl arrived. Judith. 

"Do you have news?" asked the little girl with a smile on her face. 

The man smiled back at her, "The man retrieved the book from the storage room successfully. You should go to collect it." 

"That I will. Mistress is going to be very happy hearing this news," Judith smiled at the man and then said, "You could have done it yourself. Why have someone else do it?" she asked him with curious eyes. 

"I have no interest in getting caught. It is better to have a scapegoat than sacrifice yourself. Don't you agree?" asked the man, a smile forming on his lips where his blue eyes stared back at the little black witch. 

Judith didn't respond to his words and instead smiled, "I will see you soon with the book," and with that, she left the forest and the councilman returned back to the council building. 

She travelled to the border that separated Bonelake and Wovile, to get the book that her Mistress had been looking for since she had heard about it. But reaching the castle, she only found the corpse of the vampire. The book was gone and so was the servant, Inot.