Chapter 29-Surrounded

Chapter 29: 29-Surrounded

The flower field lay hidden beyond the borders of Veris Academy like a forgotten piece of the world.

Moon light spilled over thousands upon thousands of blossoms, turning every petal into silver silk. Wildflowers swayed gently beneath the cool night breeze, their sweet fragrance drifting lazily through the valley.

The surrounding forest stood peacefully around the clearing like silent guardians, while fireflies floated above the flowers in glowing clusters that resembled fallen stars.

For the first time in days, Maisa let out a smile. Though the smile was small and fragile...it was real.

She sat amongst the flowers, folding her knees against her chest as the cool wind played with the loose strands of her chestnut-brown hair. Her pale fingers absent-mindedly brushed across the petals growing around her boots.

The academy, the bond, the palace, her mates, the hatred from the vampire society and the fear of not seeing tomorrow was crashing on her soul.

Everything finally felt far away as she spent time among the flowers and away from the heart of the chaos.

Here, beneath the endless moon, she wasn’t the infamous daughter of the Everheart family. She wasn’t the newly turned redblood everyone wanted dead. She wasn’t the girl whose lips had already accepted two impossible mates.

She wasn’t even Maisa Loven because for those few precious minutes of peace, she was simply, Maisa. Just a frightened teenage girl trying desperately to remember what peace felt like.

She closed her eyes. The breeze caressed her face so sweetly. The scent of flowers replaced the metallic smell of blood that seemed permanently lodged inside her memories and her taste buds.

It was all she drunk and craved at all times of the day and night. Her hunger was heightened just like her other senses. She was just glad she didn’t find a human and drink directly from their veins. That would’ve been a new low she wasn’t quite ready to reach.

"I wish time would stop," she let out in a whisper. A tiny smile touched her lips again. "If only for tonight..."

Nearly three hundred metres away, hidden amongst thick woodland, several shadows moved silently. None of them wore any armour or carried glowing weapons.

Every movement had been carefully trained. They were efficient, disciplined and deadly. One hunter slowly knelt beside a leather satchel and removed a polished brass compass unlike any ordinary navigation tool.

Instead of pointing north, its crimson needle spun wildly before locking firmly toward the flower field.

The hunter smiled and informed his partners. "There," he tapped the glass. "The compass found it."

Another hunter lowered a telescope. "Our target hasn’t moved."

A third quietly unfolded a weathered notebook. Every page contained sketches, trap designs, sunlight mechanisms, and vampire anatomy.

Their leader glanced down. On the inside cover, one family name had been stamped in faded ink, EVERHEART!

He smiled coldly. "Their methods truly are remarkable," he said as he flipped another page. "Formation Seven."

The hunters immediately understood. Without speaking, they separated into groups, each carrying strange metal devices resembling lanterns covered in engraved holy symbols.

One by one, they buried them around the entire flower field. North, south, east and west. Until the clearing had unknowingly become the centre of a perfect circle, an invincible cage waiting to be activated.

Back amongst the flowers, Maisa still knew nothing of the danger lurking in the shadows. She lay back against the soft earth, staring at the stars above.

"I wonder..." her voice barely carried through the wind. "...if Mum is worrying about me."

She laughed bitterly as the truth sank in. Her mother was probably missing her, a different version... one that didn’t depend on hunan blood to survive or a daughter who had become allergic to the sun.

"No... If she knew what I’d become..." her smile disappeared. "She’d probably sharpen the family stake herself."

Her throat tightened. "I miss them..." Tears shimmered inside her eyes. "I miss home..."

No matter what she had become or how far off track she’d gotten from the path written for her, she was still and Everheart and she missed her family.

Crunch!

A twig snapped behind her. Maisa’s hunter instincts activated instantly. She spun around and the first thing she noticed were black leather boots that were pristine and elegant.

Her gaze travelled upward. Long legs wrapped in Veris Academy’s crimson mixedblood uniform, a fitted jacket and a neatly tied academy ribbon came into view before the crimson hair did.

It was beautiful crimson hair braided into a half-high ponytail that danced softly in the night breeze. Finally, she met the gentle amber eyes.

"Zolani?"

The mixedblood released a long breath. "There you are..." she said as relief flooded her face. "I’ve been searching everywhere for you."

Maisa blinked. Looking her up and down. "You... followed me?"

"I followed your scent from the academy when i returned to your room and found thar you were gone," Zolani placed one hand against her chest, still trying to calm her breathing. "You scared me by running off like that."

Maisa stood slowly. "I’m sorry. I just needed space."

"I know that everything is overwhelming for you," Zolani smiled sadly. "I understand wanting to escape. I would too if I were in your shoes.

She looked around the flower field before sighing again. "But, Maisa... you’ve made three very dangerous mistakes."

Maisa frowned. All she did was ran out of the school to get some room to breathe and even that had provoked three mistakes. It was becoming impossible to keep up with how quickly things were changing.

"Three?"

Zolani raised one finger. "First, you left academy grounds without permission," her expression became slightly sterner. "Headmistress Blackwell placed you under protection. Running away breaks academy regulations."

Another finger rose before Maisa could argue or let a wird in. "Second... you ran through unfamiliar woodland without watching where you stepped in a world full of vampire hunters!"

She looked towards the surrounding forest. "Vampire hunters become bolder every year. They hide traps everywhere; every root, pathway and clearing." Her amber eyes became serious. "You’ve been a vampire for a few nights and days, Maisa. You should know that better than anyone that it isn’t safe out here."

Maisa lowered her eyes. The mention of hunters made her heart clench. Her family was among people who made the world unsafe for kind vampires like Zolani.

Kind vampires? Unsafe? Her mind froze so hard it nearly shattered to pieces. A few nights of interaction with Zolani and her sweetness and she was already seeing vampires as victims.

A point of view that went against everything she was raised to believe. It was heartbreaking to see such a deep change in her mind.

"You’re right. I accept my mistakes."

A third finger rose. "And lastly..." Zolani gently tapped Maisa’s forehead. "You’ve been staring at the moon instead of paying attention to your surroundings," she smiled faintly. "I understand why. It’s beautiful and you might’ve been used to this in the past."

"But..." Her voice suddenly dropped. "You haven’t once noticed..." Zolani paused and slowly looked beyond the flowers. "That we’re surrounded."

Maisa froze. "What?"

"Listen, Maisa. Tune out every other noise and listen."

Maisa did as told and listened. She muted every other sound around and once her hearing cleared of distractions, she heard the hunters. Her heart fell.

"Oh my... what have I done?"