Chapter 227 - 227: One Life for Another

The crying did not stop all at once. It weakened slowly until Ruelle was left breathing unevenly against Lucian's chest, too exhausted even to lift her head.

Lucian said nothing.

One of his hands rested against the back of her head, careful to avoid the places where blood had dried into her hair, while the other remained around her waist. His body was unnaturally still beneath her cheek, but she could feel the tension that had never quite left him.

She winced when the fingers of her broken wrist tried to curl further and he pulled away.

"Let me help you up," Lucian offered, before helping her stand.

Her swollen eyes drifted towards the silver-black shape lying several feet away.

"He is stronger than he looks. He is our wolf," Lucian assured her and she nodded. But seeing the blood pooled around the wolf, she knew the creature needed to be healed.

Ruelle's gaze travelled further and landed on Ezekiel. He lay where Lucian had left him, his body twisted in the bloody snow. The handkerchief remained stuffed between his teeth, muffling whatever sounds he attempted to make. His ruined legs no longer seemed capable of carrying him anywhere even though he tried to crawl.

If she were going to heal Zhenya, she would have to heal herself first. With that thought, she walked to the nearby tree and placed her hand on it. She closed her eyes and found the life force of the tree before breathing its essence into her.

At the same time, the distant crunch of boots could be heard coming from somewhere in the forest, rushing in their direction.

White light spilled from her hand into the tree beneath her touch. And as seconds passed, the tree began to turn into dust and drifted into the wind until there was nothing to hold on to.

Ruelle stared at the space where the tree had stood only moments ago. There was no stump, no scattered bark, no proof it had ever grown there at all but only a faint depression in the snow where its roots had been. She flexed her healed fingers slowly.

"W—What was that?" questioned one of the officers with their mouth wide open. "A witch?"

"A witch? That's an angel from heaven," Edward snapped at the officers.

But the officers weren't convinced. And one of them pulled out a dagger because witches weren't welcome and rules were set in the courthouse. He took a step toward the witch when King Septimus appeared in front of him.

"Touch a member of the royal family and you will meet your ancestors," Septimus said with a smile.

"Father!" Edward exclaimed upon seeing him.

"I did not see anything, Your Majesty!" the officer blurted, already dropping into a bow so deep his knees nearly buckled.

"That's what I thought," Septimus said.

Edward turned away and made a beeline to where Ruelle had turned to look, hearing their voices. "Ruelle!" but then his eyes fell on Ezekiel and he began to walk in the halfling's direction.

"How dare you kidnap her?" The prince picked up Ezekiel by his collar, who was still groaning. He then pulled back his hand and punched right into the halfling's face. "Why isn't he dead yet?" he asked in irritation. "I will be happy to bury him alive. But he doesn't deserve a burial."

"Ruelle!"

When Ruelle's eyes shifted away from the prince, she felt sturdy arms wrap around her. It was Carnifex, who spoke,

"I was worried... to lose you after Mira. We should have found you sooner."

Ruelle hugged her father back. He then pulled back and a deep frown formed on his face. He murmured,

"Look at what he did..." Turning to Edward, he ordered, "I will kill him. How dare he hurt my daughter."

"Ruelle wants him alive," Lucian stated, coming to Ruelle's side and noticing how a tree wasn't enough to heal all her wounds.

"What for?" Edward asked, gritting his teeth. "He is useless!"

Ruelle walked to the next tree and placed her hand before the light shone, brightening the dark forest as if a glowing lantern had been lit. She pulled the life force from the next couple of trees before her internal injuries mostly healed and her head began to feel clearer.

"Can you bring him to where Zhenya is?"

Lucian didn't question and instead walked to where Ezekiel lay in the snow. He bent down, grabbing hold of his foot, and dragged him across the clearing. He then dropped him beside Zhenya without a word and stepped back.

Ruelle sat down next to the wolf. When she touched the wolf's head, Zhenya whimpered. The wolf's head lifted from the snow, its eyes opening to look at her. She ran her hand gently through its fur and the wolf pressed its head against her palm. She whispered,

"I am going to make you feel better."

Edward, who stood not too far next to Carnifex, questioned in a low voice, "I thought one needed markings and whatnot for spells to work. Did Ruelle turn into a higher witch?"

Carnifex hadn't seen her do any marking on the ground. But then his eyes fell on her arm. His eyebrows furrowed and he murmured, "She drew it on her..."

Edward's eyebrows shot at the now faint marking on her forearm.

But just as Ruelle was about to begin the spell, Hermes's voice came from a distance. "Your Highness!"

The sharp sound of horse galloping with its hooves hitting the ground got louder before they finally caught sight of Hermes sitting behind Claude. The prince's attendant's eyes widened upon catching everyone and he exclaimed,

"Miss Ruelle! Thank God, you have been found and are safe!"

When the rein of the horse was pulled, Hermes didn't have the patience to wait and had dismounted quickly.

"What is it, Hermes?" King Septimus demanded, noticing the attendant fiddle with his fingers.

"That, Your Majesty—even though Mr. Dane Slater has... there are signs of threads forming in the hollow..." Hermes phrased it carefully, and the information caught everyone's attention. "Some of them have left to gather the ingredients and missing things."

Lucian went completely still.

"Then perhaps the halfling would be better spent on Dane?" King Septimus proposed, turning his eyes to meet Ruelle's.

Soon a carriage was arranged before it began to head in the direction of the Slaters' mansion. Its wheels turned slow and steady over the packed snow, the lanterns mounted on either side throwing weak, swaying circles of light across the frozen road ahead. The horses' breath came in pale clouds.

Inside, the carriage was dim and quiet, the curtains drawn to the side, while Ruelle was too tired to keep her eyes open. With Ezekiel kept to trade life with Dane, she had used the trees to heal Zhenya.

Ruelle turned to glance at Lucian, who sat beside her in silence with one arm resting around her shoulder while his gaze stared outside the window. His face revealed little, but she had come to know the difference between his usual stillness and the kind that came from holding too much beneath it.

Lachlan... he had already crossed over but there was hope for Dane.

As if feeling her looking, his eyes met hers.

Ruelle didn't know what he saw in her face, but something in his gaze softened by the smallest degree, and the ache beneath her ribs tightened. She didn't care how impossible it was supposed to be. She didn't care what rules governed life and death, what it might demand of her, or how narrow the chance was. If there was even a thread still holding Dane to this world, she wanted to pull him back by it.

For Lucian, for herself and for everyone waiting at the mansion. She would bring Dane back.

By the time the carriage finally arrived through the gates of the Slater estate, lights were burning in nearly every window of the mansion. Hearing the sound of the hooves come to a halt along with the wheels, Ruelle's eyes opened that she had briefly closed.

Seeing the carriage arrive, the people inside had appeared in the courtyard in a hurry.

Lady Ravencroft was the first to descend the stairs, with her husband and Maude stepping right behind her.

Edward and Carnifex were the first ones to step outside, followed by Lucian, who helped Ruelle step out. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to support most of her weight as her boots touched the ground.

"Oh, thank heavens," Lady Ravencroft sighed in relief.

"I will send word for the physician," Maude informed, upon noticing the amount of blood that had been spilt, before leaving the place in a hurry.

Lady Ravencroft hurried to where Ruelle was and she was about to hug her when Lucian brought his hand in front of Ruelle. He informed, "She's healing."

The vampiress's lips tightened, as if upset that someone had gone so far as to hurt the poor young woman as the bruises on her face remained. She said, "We are so glad to have you back, Ruelle."

Ruelle managed a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Even though several minutes had passed since they had reunited, she noticed Lucian's corruption refused to get back inside as it usually did. And it worried her. He had refused her help to heal him and had instead asked her to keep her strength as she needed it.

"Get the medical aid prepared," Lucian ordered one of the servants, who quickly bowed and went inside.

"Isn't it better for the physician to aid you?" Lady Ravencroft's husband questioned as his eyes scanned the amount of blood that was stuck on both his nephew's and Ruelle's skin and clothes.

"It isn't for me," Lucian turned behind and so did the older man to catch sight of the wolf being carried. "Where is Dane?"

"In the prayer hall," answered the man, and soon Ruelle and Lucian hurried inside the mansion without waiting.

When a groaning Ezekiel was put down from the top of the carriage, everyone's eyes fell on the halfling. With his limbs now useless and his sight gone, he continued to make angry, muffled noises with the kerchief still stuffed in his mouth. Lady Ravencroft's face twisted into fury and she stomped her way to the halfling, raising her hand before almost punching the person's bloody face when Septimus's hand appeared before hers, pushing it away without touching it.

"Not yet," Septimus said, stopping her hand before it landed. "We need him alive enough for the sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Lady Ravencroft questioned, her anger momentarily giving way to confusion. After a second, her eyebrows rose as if the thought dawning.

Inside the mansion, the warmth disappeared when Lucian pushed open the doors to the prayer hall. Cold air met Ruelle's face as she followed in. The hall was almost empty, stripped of the usual movement and noise that had filled the rest of the mansion. Only a handful of lamps had been lit along the walls, their flames small against the vast room.

Her eyes soon stopped at where Dane and Lachlan were, and for a brief moment, her feet froze as the sight of their bodies weighed heavier on her mind and shoulders.

Lucian stopped next to his brother. There was no visible relief on his face or sudden hope, but his hand moved to reach where his brother's hand lay, feeling the coldness in them.

Kevin, who had been guarding the room, stood up but he didn't approach them. Noticing the blood and bruises on Ruelle, his hands turned into fists. But he didn't say anything as she slowly began to head where Dane was.

Inside the hollow where Dane's chest had been torn open, Ruelle noticed the thin black strands which were similar to the tendrils which oozed out of Lucian's feet as it had refused to return inside. The strands were finer than veins, almost like threads of silk suspended beneath the broken flesh. Some disappeared deep into the cavity, while others stretched towards one another, slowly weaving across the empty space.

"This looks like—"

"Corruption," Lucian murmured with his eyebrows drawn. "Dane..." he uttered but received no response.

Ruelle briefly turned to look at where her cousin laid lifeless, and there were obvious signs of the colour and life lost.

From the side, Kevin informed them, "Hailey and the others have gone to fetch the items you will need to bring him back."

"That won't be needed for this," Ruelle responded, and at the same time, the officers appeared, dragging Ezekiel into the room. "There is no need to wait."

While the other family members entered the prayer room, Ruelle drew a circle around Dane's body before writing down the little markings so that the transfer would be seamless and without any issue. She then made another circle-pentagon-like shape where a squirming Ezekiel was placed. The marking on her own arm had grown faint, as if ready to be erased.

The halfling had somehow managed to spit out the handkerchief from his mouth, where the cloth was drenched in saliva.

"Ruelle!" Ezekiel rasped, coughing until his voice tore free. "After everything I did for you? You would kill me to save someone who is dead and cannot come back? You're wasting me on a corpse!"

Ruelle didn't respond to Ezekiel's words and instead finished drawing the last sign.

"Shouldn't we just cut his tongue off?" Edward questioned in annoyance who wanted to take a swing at the halfling himself after the damage he had caused.

"I guess every ounce of energy is required right now. Though we could bring some of them for sacrifice," King Septimus offered the idea, who didn't care who it could be until his nephew could be brought back to life.

At those words, Edward turned to look at the door where the officers stood. "I already know people who will come in use."

Ruelle, who was about to begin the transfer, turned to people and said, "I think it would be best for everyone to leave the room. I wouldn't want it to draw out one of your life forces."

The elders gave a nod, while Edward looked reluctant before he stepped out of the room. Ruelle then turned to where Lucian stood, who was still in the room. She informed, "You too, Lucian."

Lucian's lips set themselves in a thin line. He said, "I don't think I can leave you alone after almost losing you. I will be right here."

"Lucian..." Ruelle's voice drifted in the room. She explained, "I plan to draw the energy from the air and fire. I don't know how the spell will behave once I begin. If something goes wrong, it might draw from whoever is inside the room." She had to use everything she had to bring Dane back. "Because of the thread-like corruption, you might have more affinity with the life force being taken compared to Ezekiel right now."

She saw Lucian's jaw tighten at her words. His hand then rose to her face, brushing lightly where the bruises stayed.

"I will be right outside the door," he stated, as time was of the essence. But before leaving, he said, "Promise me that you won't give up on yourself to fix him."

The fear of losing her flickered behind his darkened eyes. He had already lost his brother and he didn't want to lose her in exchange.

Ruelle gave a nod. "I promise. It won't be long."

Lucian held her gaze a moment longer, searching her face for the truth or the lie and then he turned and stepped out of the room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

For a moment Ruelle didn't move. The prayer hall's cold pressed against her skin, and beneath it she could feel her own pulse, uneven and too fast, thudding against the bruises at her throat. She would not fail this one.

Ruelle exhaled once, long and slow, watching the fog slip out of her lips.

The room was silent and fire crackled. The ice bed glowed its cold, blue light while Dane lay still, and the air grew heavy with the weight of what she was about to attempt.

"Why are you doing this, Ruelle? Attempting something that won't work? I have loved you!"

Ruelle ignored Ezekiel as she lowered herself and pressed her palms on the cold floor.

"I fucking made sure he died when I pulled his heart out. Whatever you are doing—Fuck! Are you listening to me?!" the halfling snapped in frustration.

Ruelle's attention was on the markings around Dane, which responded first by the symbols beginning to glow like embers in the fireplace. The ember moved through the lines and circle, glowing pale gold. Then the second circle stirred awake where Ezekiel lay, and as if sensing it, he stopped talking.

She closed her eyes, breathing in slowly as everything else faded. The grief and loss were so big that it made it easier to not think about anything else. She could sense the life forces in the room, each of different shade, as if showing the vitality of each. From the halfling to Dane, from the air and the pulses behind the walls and the door of the prayer room.

Focusing on the circle Ezekiel was in, she caught his life force this time harder than she did the first time. For half a second, something in her hesitated. It wasn't mercy but the realisation of her ending a life.

But Ezekiel deserved every crack of bone, and pull of his life out for the lives he had taken.

His body suddenly jerked and a thin strand of light emerged from the centre of his chest. It rose several inches above him before it began to move in the direction of where Dane was.

"Ruelle!" Ezekiel shouted and there was genuine fear replacing his anger. The thread then connected to Dane's chest. "You don't know what you're doing! Do you think you can just bring a person back to life without any consequence?! It will kill—AH!"

His body began to convulse and he screamed, such that it echoed and returned to where they were.

The entire prayer hall lit, while Ezekiel screamed with the life force being ripped from him as one thread of light had turned to two as it connected to Dane's chest. The halfling thrashed in resistance, while she exerted more force to push it into Dane. Heat surged through her so violently that for a second she gasped.

Something warm trickled down Ruelle's nose, soaking into her clothes while she continued the spell.

The block of ice beneath Dane cracked from the pressure, while flames wavered, looking as if they were going to be blown out any moment now.

Dane's chest glowed, while Ezekiel's skin had started to lose colour, and his voice weakened until his screams became whimpers. The halfling convulsed, gasping for air. His skin began to grow wrinkled while his hair grew grey before falling off his head. The light finally dimmed until the halfling's body turned into nothing but dust on the ground.

The dust didn't even hold together as ash does, as when the door opened, it scattered into nothingness across the floor.

He was gone this time. The man who had claimed to love her while bringing misery to her and her loved ones had finally come to an end…

Ruelle stood very still. She had wanted him dead and now that it was done, there was no triumph in it. Only a hollow, ringing quiet and the sound of her own heartbeat loud in her ears.

Wiping the blood from her nose with the back of her sleeve, she ran towards the block of ice. Looking down at the pureblooded vampire.

"Brother Dane?" She called, noticing most of his chest had closed.

She knew it wasn't enough to bring him back, but she hoped it was enough to keep him in a state from which he could still return. Her hands curled because she didn't know what to do if it didn't work. She didn't know how to live with it, knowing where the domino effect had begun.

Lucian was the first one to step inside, as if he had been listening to them closely and soon the other family members poured in. Footsteps echoed in a rush before they hovered beside Dane's body.

"His heart is back," Lord Azriel noted in evident surprise.

"This means it worked right?" Lady Ravencroft asked in hope. "But it isn't moving yet..."

"Maybe the threads will help pump his heart..." Ruelle murmured, hoping it would do the work or at least keep the body still in a state where Dane could come back.

"I will go look for a good candidate or two. I am sure Carnifex would be happy to provide us with the... needed material," King Septimus turned to the elder minister.

If it were another time, maybe the elder minister would have shown resistance over the king's idea. But this was someone his daughter wanted to bring back. He gave a nod and the two men left the room.

"Should we try pumping his chest ourselves?" the duke suggested, instead of waiting around. And soon one of them began to push the chest, mimicking the heart but the man underneath didn't respond to it.

And while everyone crowded around Dane in renewed hope, Lucian's eyes never reached his brother.

They remained on Ruelle as he picked up the fresh note of her blood.

Her skin had lost what little colour had returned to it in the forest. She stood beside the block of ice with one hand braced against its edge, her breaths shallow and slow, as though she were trying to hide how much effort it took simply to remain upright.

Lucian's expression darkened.

Ruelle didn't notice his expression, but she did notice the dark tendrils curling around her feet, which was enough to draw her attention to him.

"Lucian...?"

The corruption that had once upon a time stopped and had stayed in control now seemed to have lost its sense of thought. The corruption didn't care if Dane would return, because it had taken the hit of loss when Lucian had seen his brother's dead body and Ruelle's absence had made it worse.

Ruelle wanted to heal Lucian, but he had already refused it back in the forest. She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his face. She whispered, "I am okay. I am right here," and she hugged him.

Lucian's arms wrapped around her, drawing her close to the point where Ruelle felt an ache grow on the sides of her body.