Her skin prickled in fear as he walked past her. She immediately turned to look at him. Lysandra hadn't thought about meeting this man for the second time, but here she was. "What do you want from us?" She asked, her expression guarded.
Kael smirked from where he stood beside the hearth, staring down at her like a predator ready to devour its prey. "Answers," he replied with a smile. He turned to face the fireplace and began to speak, "do you know your father has sent words to the king? His daughters should be escorted back to Asta in good shape," he beamed.
Lysandra's body went still. Her eyes shook in petrification and sweat rolled off her face in terror. Her mouth was left hanging as words refused to come out. "No. I don't want to go back," she rushed forward but remembered who she was dealing with, she stepped back.
Kael took note of how her body moved impulsively towards him. Then something big was going on in Asta.
"My sister, please. Don't send her back to Asta. She would be killed," Lysandra whispered, and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Please," she looked at him with teary eyes.
Shocked by her sudden words, Kael snapped his fingers in the empty drawing room. The fire instantly went out, engulfing the room in total darkness. Lysandra stared point-blank at him as her heart beat raged. "Wh–what are you doing? Please don't hurt me," she pleaded in fear. Goosebumps rolled off her skin as silver eyes pierced into hers.
"I hate fire," Kael replied with a sullen look. The princess was frightened to the extent she might pass out if he did any more tricks. "Come with me," he said, pulling Lysandra out from the scene already playing in her head.
He opened the door and stepped out of the mansion, while Lysandra followed him like a sheep being led to the slaughterhouse. She had no idea where they were going, but she didn't say a word.
The biting cold wove through the air like a web, catching anyone who dated step out of their abode. Arin's carriage has disappeared too. 'That liar,' Lysandra thought as her jaw clenched in anger.
The neighborhood was serene. Faint glow from oil lamps lit up the street as both Kael and Lysandra walked.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Lysandra asked, "why are we walking? You said you want answers, what kind of answers were you talking about?"
When they got to an area with snow covered dried trees at both sides of the street, Kael pulled Lysandra towards him. "Shhh," he whispered.
Lysandra blinked several times in mortification. The Lord had placed his fingers across her lips, signaling her to keep quiet. Her rosy cheek from the cold turned even more crimson at the position they got caught up. "What are you doing?" she queried.
Kael quietly moved around the white background, searching for something in the dark. It was so close to Lysandra a moment ago. He pressed her into his body and looked behind him yet nothing.
Lysandra blushed heavily at the awkward position. She pulled herself away from him, but he pulled her back as if she were just a ragged doll.
"You are so uptight, princess, just keep your mouth shut," his voice sounded hushed.
Just then, Lysandra felt something cold grab her legs. She frowned and looked down but nothing was there. Her eyes twitched in rising fear, "huh?" Then she screamed. Her back hit the snow-covered ground which was relief. An invisible force immediately pulled her away from Kael.
Kael tried to grasp the situation as Lysandra was being dragged away towards the woods.
"Ahhhhh" Lysandra screamed. She quickly grabbed a large root on the ground. Whatever pulled her stopped and she breathed. A thud beside her brought Lysandra back to reality as she stared at a man's hollow eyes. He was dead.
"What just happened?" she demanded and sunk into the tree trunk. Her heart beating fast against her ribcage as Kael drew near. He went on his heels in front of Lysandra who was shivering from head to toes.
"We are being followed, Lysandra." Kael dusted off the snow on her body and pulled her up before taking a look at the body.
Lysandra buried herself into Kael's body without a second thought. "What about the man? Why can't I see him?" She probed as her body trembled. Everything happened so fast that she didn't realize it when the man revealed himself.
He wrapped his hand around her waist as a cold expression covered his face, leaving no trace of liveliness. "He cloaked himself. Sorcery," he said to the petite girl. "There are more," he added.
Lysandra looked around them, uncertain about the location of the others. "Its hands were cold as ice. It was comforting and scary at the same time." She noted and this got Kael worried. "Why me? Albertina. She might be in danger," Lysandra replied and burst into a chase.
"LYSANDRA!" Kael yelled, but the girl had gone far. Although he could see the neighborhood miles away from where he stood, there were cloaked figures around.
'Albertina,' that was all she could think of. She refused to let any awful images appear in her head as she raced towards the settlement ahead.
Someone gripped her neck and raised her from the ground. No one. "No, no no," she struggled as she tried to grab the invisible hand. Her hands locked around the air, but the cloak figure hadn't let her go.
Kael's eyes turned brighter and deadly as the people around came into view. There were about twenty of them, all dressed in cloaks. Their skin was pale as snow and their faces were buried inside the hood of the cloak.
Among them, a cloaked figure stood at the edge of the street, watching. Kael disappeared from where he was standing a few seconds ago and materialized before the man.
"That was a scene to behold," he appraised the figure. "Sorcery is a crime in Everia," he asserted in boredom. This was the reason he chose Crest Town to meet with Lysandra.
Five days ago, complaints of three missing ladies had reached his table. "Those women. You took them, am I right?" He questioned.
"Yes," a hoarse voice came from the figure. "The girl is different. Give her to me and you'll leave freely. Don't stand in my way child," the figure bargained.
Kael took another step towards the figure and shook his head. "No one bargains with the king," he smiled as his eyes turned crescent moon in shape. The man instantly exploded into black nothingness. On the ground where it was standing, a black puddle was evident.
He turned to look at the others and could feel they were starting to hesitate. He materialized before the figure who was yet to release Lysandra. "I made a mistake the last time Lysandra," he said to Lysandra who forced her gaze towards him. A chilling laughter escaped his lips as his voice sent fear into the cloaked figures, but they didn't draw back.
Just as he thought. They were hired to kidnap Lysandra. Fear gripped Lysandra as she stared wide eyes at the Lord who was acting strange. His voice echoed throughout the expanse of land and the wind turned even more cold than before.
A snowstorm formed at the center of the path, moving towards the cloak people. "Let my guest go," he whispered. Before anyone could fathom what was happening, Kael touched the figure, and he instantly burst into pieces.
Lysandra fell to the ground in a loud thud as she stared in mortification at the Lord. He spread his hands as he enjoyed the screams and wails of the cloaked people.
"Who are you?" Lysandra muttered in bewilderment. The snowstorm suddenly disappeared as if it wasn't there and so did the cloaked figures. Everything suddenly returned to normal while Lysandra watched from the ground.
"Now stand up," Kael's voice reached her ears and she immediately scampered to her feet. The moment she stood up, Lysandra found herself in his embrace.
A piercing headache formed right away and the memories of the scene were wiped off.
"Why did we leave the mansion? It is cold out here," she complained. Yet, it was as if there was a void. Lysandra pulled back to inspect herself and her surroundings, but she didn't find anything wrong.
Kael and her had stepped out of the mansion together seeking answers from her. "Did something happen?" Kael raised an eyebrow at her in question. "I–I–I thought, I thought–" she tried to recall what happened but nothing happened.
"Perhaps you need to rest. Although it isn't up to ten minutes after we step out of the mansion," Kael replied before hardening his expression. "Before that, I need answers, Lysandra."
She sighed and beckoned him to continue. "What do you want to know?" She was freezing from the cold. A warm bath and meal would do good on her body, she thought to herself.
"Why did you come here? To Everia." If he doesn't send the princesses back, it would be an act of war. He wasn't ready to risk everything because of the appearance of two princesses from Asta.
Lysandra's face contoured in annoyance at the thought of it. "My father had betrothed me to the Eastern prince. The king's hand had come to tell my mother about it three days ago. We planned to escape, but my father found out and executed my mother. Albertina happened to have overheard our father when he ordered the head guard to kill the Dawson's. She got caught up in it so we had to escape together," she narrated. Recalling her mother's death was as if a knife were stabbed into her heart, shredding it to pieces.
Kael worked his finger around her face as he thought about what she had just told him. He began to wonder what really made Caspian go to such length, involving him in it on others for Lysandra not to marry the Eastern prince. Much like the legendary prince to him.
"Whose bride-to-be are you Lysandra?" He asked as his thumb caressed her face. His silver eyes held hers without looking away.
Lysandra's face tightened at the question. "What do you mean?"