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I smiled at him in a silent expression of gratitude, waiting for Adrian to reveal his findings. Once he was certain that it was his turn, Adrian took a deep breath, only adding to the gravity of the moment. He recounted what had happened when he went to the vampire village, how his conversation with Florian went and how he was directed to go and see the witch, Evangeline.
“I was told that our path lies with Evangeline the witch,” he concluded. Just from the way he said her name, I knew that she was important.
“I know of her,” Father mused, gripping at his beard as he got lost in thought. “But she is a very elusive creature. I don’t know any human who has managed to gain audience with her, even if they did manage to locate her.”
“That is why you shouldn’t send a human to her,” Adrian pointed out. We all knew where this was heading. “I will go.”
Before Father could say anything to that, I interjected. “I will go with him.”
Both Father and Adrian turned to me, stunned by my words.
“You will do no such thing!” Father thundered as soon as the words settled in.
Adrian didn’t say anything, but from the look on his face, I could tell that he was of the same belief.
“I could help,” I said.
It was then that Adrian shook his head. “She doesn’t trust humans. Actually, she doesn’t trust anyone, whatever they are, but humans are her least favorite. Taking you with me would only diminish the chances of finding out what we need to know.”
From that perspective, he was right. But the thought of him going alone frightened me. What if something happened to him? What if he was ambushed? What if he was hurt, or even worse, dying? What if he never returned from this quest?
There were so many questions swarming inside my mind, questions which I dared not say out loud, because I knew he was right. It was best for him to go alone, and yet, every fiber of my being screamed against it.
“Lilith, it is out of the question,” Father said again, as if to solidify the decision he had already made.
“Your father is right,” Adrian nodded. “It is not safe.”
I knew they were right, but it was difficult to agree. My silence spoke enough, so the two of them continued, arranging this journey which was to take place as soon as the following morning. I remained with them, listening intently to everything. After their conversation seemed to have been brought to an end, both Adrian and I were dismissed. Once in the hallway, he turned to me, as if sensing the turmoil inside of me.
“Everything will be fine,” he told me in a way as if he wasn’t used to saying such things.
To be quite honest, I never took him for the guy who would comfort others. No. He was the one who acted when no one else wanted to act, therefore saving everyone. That was what I felt he was doing right now.
“Is she dangerous?” I asked.
“The witch?” he echoed. I just nodded. “It’s not the witch who is dangerous, but rather the journey there. And she might not even want to speak to me. But she will when I show her this.”
He extracted something from his pocket and showed it to me. It was a necklace with a moon pendant.
“She is a Moon Witch,” he explained. “I was given this by Florian, your father’s vampire ally, and I was told that this would be my ticket to her. This is how she will know that I am a friend.”
I still wasn’t convinced. I wanted him to stay here in the castle and do the job that he was hired for, which was to keep me safe. Not start a journey that would lead him away from the castle, and ultimately, away from me. Only, I couldn’t say any of this out loud. So, I just nodded.
“I’ll be back, don’t worry,” he added. “I’ve never left a job half-finished. I will see to it that your wedding day goes uninterrupted.”
My heart was beating inside my throat, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe. I wanted to tell him everything right then and there. I felt like I owed it to him, to myself, and I didn’t care about any of the repercussions that might follow. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Instead, I nodded again, as if I had been stripped of the ability to speak.
“I will go to the library,” I told him. “I need some peace and quiet. You don’t have to follow me.”
The truth was I wanted to be alone.
“I will sit with you,” he said. “In peace and quiet. I could use some myself.”
His words made my heart flutter with unsaid hope. We walked to the library silently, without any further words being exchanged. There, we both settled into a secluded corner, surrounded by shelves laden with books. Silence draped over uslike a comfortable veil, our minds lost in the labyrinth of our own thoughts.
We sat side by side, each immersed in our own contemplation, yet acutely aware of the presence of the other, just like I knew I would acutely feel his absence when he left the following morning.
