Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 344: Another Attack!

Brian led Samantha into the cottage, whilst the air around them carried a subtle resonance of lingering magic. The cottage was lit with an enchanted glow, exposing the faces of the weary elf members.

Some sat on makeshift stools, discussing the intricacies of their situation, while others reclined on bedrolls, nursing wounds both visible and concealed. Samantha’s fist balled tightly at her side upon noticing the condition of those who had done nothing wrong but help her, and a tense silence occupied the space the moment her presence was noticed.

Some stared at her with pure resentment, which was normal. She had brought this upon them, so it was only natural for them to pin their present situation on her, even if they tried to stay silent about it. Samantha looked hesitantly at Brian, but he gave her a nod of assurance before leading her into another room where the elder chief was tending to the ones who incurred more wounds.

The injuries varied– some bore bruises and abrasion from magical confrontation, cuts from evil creatures and signs of exhaustion from prolonged spellcasting. Carmela’s guards certainly didn’t show up here to play, they meant business, but thankfully, there was no death record or little children who had been seriously harmed from the invasion.

"Chief." Samantha lowered her head in a polite bow before the elder elf. His hand was presently seasoned with healing arts, whilst he applied herbal salves on one of the young elf’s back to soothe his inflammation. She could spot Elera at a corner, crafting potions to mend the magical strains on some of the elves.

She felt terrible having to interrupt them when they were clearly busy.

The elder chief said nothing to her greetings, instead, he called for an elf lady to continue from where he stopped before they moved outside to have a proper discussion. He led them towards an art shop, and it was the perfect place for privacy.

Ivan and Samantha sat together while Brian sat beside the elder chief opposite them.

"We’re... sorry to have shown up like this." Samantha didn’t hesitate to apologize to the two of them. "I’m still trying to understand what is happening so, I would really appreciate it if you could tolerate our presence for the time being."

"What are you saying?" Brian was the one to express his disagreement, "I’m actually relieved to see that you are unharmed, and that you’re well. The ship, when I heard they already left, I assumed you were finally able to escape without drawing the attention of Marius. I should have dug up more information since I promised to send you back safely."

"You’ve done enough for me already." Samantha smiled with gratitude, feeling relieved that Brian bore no resentment to her presence. Honestly, she was secretly petrified that he would view her as an enemy as well, but just like Elara, he seems to understand her situation without having to hear her say them.

"But what about your people?" Her eyes shifted between Brian and the elder chief, "I hope you can forgive me for burdening your peaceful community with my problems. I can assure you that those guards won’t get away with what they’ve done to you and your people. I want you both to meet, Ivan, he’s the King from the North, and my husband."

Samantha introduced the quiet Ivan to Brian and the elder chief. Brian’s gaze shifted to Ivan who watched him intently with blue eyes that pierced through his awestruck ones. This would be his first time meeting the infamous vampire King, but right now, he looks like a normal being in contrast to all the vicious details he’s heard about him.

"I’ve always wanted to meet you in person, even if it’s by chance." Brian said and snapped out of his reverie. He lowered his head as a form of greeting before darting his gaze to the giant figure standing behind the vampire King and his wife.

"Oh, this is Herbert." Samantha quickly introduced him as well, "he’s one of us."

"I see." That eased Brian’s worries. He returned his gaze to Ivan who hadn’t stopped staring at him. It looked as if he was looking for something in him, and that gave Brian the creeps.

"It’s not safe for the both of you to be here by the way." He brought their attention to the matters at hand. "There’s a chance Carmela’s guards will return with more armies, and I need to get everyone to evacuate before that happens. They will carry out their threat if we delay longer, and I have responsibilities to hold as the communities commander. At this point, I’m not allowed to take any risk so I have to cut this conversation short."

"There won’t be any need for that, this is your home." Samantha shook her head at his option to flee, her brows furrowing at her strong disapproval, "if you somehow manage to evacuate, where will you go? Carmela and her guards won’t stop their harassment even if you leave, so I suggest you stay back. I’ll help too, if there’s anything I can do to contribute and make sure they leave you alone, I’ll be more than obliged to fulfill it."

"The earthquake that wreaked havoc was your doing." Said the chief Elf, but his tone lacked the accusation she felt prompted to hear, "Carmela’s guards accused us for being an accomplice to the murder of the eleven ministers. I strongly believe Marius has a hand in their death, rather, he used you to play safe. Your husband might have the upper hand for now, but the people won’t believe your intention till there’s enough clear proof. More reason why Carmela’s guards are roaming about, targeting our community instead. They know that with time, we’ll eventually provide proof of their misdeeds."

"That means Carmela isn’t dead?" Samantha questioned with wide eyes, and Brian shook his head in response.

"It’s not easy for Carmela to die in a mere blast. She’s consumed too much blood in terms of those children she has mercilessly slaughtered." Brian’s jaw ticked at the mere thought of it, "she’s become powerful than before, more immune to what would naturally affect a witch. Surely her guards won’t attack without her command, they seemed confident in their invasion which gave me the clue that she’s still out there somewhere."

Samantha and Ivan exchanged communicative glances. They turned their attention to Brian and were about to say something when an elf dressed in uniform armory walked in.

"Brian! We have another issue at hand." The elf spoke with urgency in his voice, "our men have spotted the enemy marching towards our community with more guards. What do we do from here on? Most of us are still undergoing treatment."

"Already?!" Brian rose from his seat at the news of a second attack, "send for–"

"No need for that." Ivan suddenly interrupted Brian who was about to give his command. "You’ve helped my wife while she was in need of someone to aid her from Marius and Carmela, so allow me to return the favor."

Ivan rose from his seat and turned to face Herbert, "I guess your presence eventually came in handy."

Herbert smiled slightly before following Ivan out. Brian watched the human-looking vampire follow the elf to where they had spotted Carmela’s guard, and he was still unsure of the confidence the vampire possessed.

"You can trust him," Samantha assured Brian, "for now, focus on getting everyone into safety, I’ll go see if Ivan needs assistance." And Samantha exited the art shop.

The elder elf watched her go, and his stiff lips softened into a smile.

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