The men steeds ran in full speed through the forest, but all of a sudden, they halted, catching the men off guard. Their grip on the reins tightened as they balanced themselves on the saddles. A deep frown formed on the four men's faces, as they urged the horses to go deeper, but the mares refused.
Leonard observed this and his midnight eyes slowly swept the forest. Something wasn't right. This part of the forest appeared more eerie. It had a particular gloom, that was unsettling. The spiderwebs increased, alongside the stench. Leonard's men couldn't take it, and they pulled out handkerchiefs, wrapping it over their noses and mouths. The crown prince did the same.
He noticed fog forming around them, and his ears picked up light rustle of leaves from a tree above him. His gaze narrowed and his palm went to have a strong hold on his sword. The leaves continued to rustle, and the other three men noticed.
Unknown to the four men, dark green serpent-like vibes slowly slithered toward them, masked by the fog, gliding smoothly in stealth across the forest floor. The steeds were the first to sense this. Their ears twitched, hooves hitting uneasily, nervous neighs broke the stillness. This took the men attention from the trees below to their horses, alerted—but it was a little too late.
The crawlers lunched upward in sudden, violent snap, wrapping like a snake around their legs, and arms like living ropes. In an instant, the four men were pulled off their horses, and hurled against nearby tree, the impact knocking the breath from lungs. The creatures pinned them against the tree, with each of their limbs sperated so they couldn't reach for their weapon.
Spooked, the horses bolted into the mist scattering in different directions, leaving their riders trapped and helpless.
The Crown Prince wore a deep frown, as he tried bursting out, but it was of no use. The vibes held him tight, as though they have a mind of their own. He stopped struggling and have his eyes move around the forest. These vines didn't attack on their own accord. They were being controlled by someone.
"Heh heh heh!" A hoarse voice cackle suddenly echoed through the forest. The corner of the crown prince's lips pulled into a smile, as he recognized who it belonged to. It seemed they have finally found the person they were searching for.
Amongst the tall forest trees, gloomy sky, and heavy mist, the men spotted a dark figure that stood still. A massive cloak was over it, but they could feel it's eyes on them.
"Prince Leonard," the voice came out low and eerie, it had the men feeling like something was crawling in their skin. The smile on Leonard's lips refused to fade, as he answered her.
"Hello, Theashee. How have you been doing?" The crown prince's voice came so casual and nonchalant, as though he wasn't pinned against a tree in a dangerous forest, having conversations with a witch.
"How have I been doing, you asked?" Theashee's voice was very calm, but there was a ping pure hatred in it. Her long fingers and nails curled into fists, as the corner of her thin dry cracked lips twitched in utter annoyance.
Did he just asked her how she's been? After he killed her entire clan, right after they were forced to cast a powerful spell on the entire kingdom for him?! He then manage to trap her in the forest, where she didn't have any contact with the outside world. Thereby limiting her resources for casting spells.
A vine slowly crawled toward Leonard, coiling round his neck. The grip tightened and the prince began to lose his breath.
"You massacred my entire clan. Leaving me all alone, trapped in the forest. Yet, you dare to ask me how I've been doing?!" Her feet began to move slowly beneath her robe, as she made her was to the prince. She came to stand face to face with his, as she watched the prince fight for his breath.
"I have waited a long time for this. What I would do to you, is something you can never imagine." She said to him with deep hate, clenching her brownish-yellow teeth. The cloak covered half her face, only revealing from the bridge of her nose, to her jaw. Her gaze slowly left the crown prince, going to look at the other three men. They too had vibes wrapped around their necks.
Her snack-like eye balls left the men going to look at the prince, but something was wrong. The prince had disappeared from where he was tightly bounded. The witch's cracked lips set in a thin line. Her hands went to her hood, and she took it off revealing her face.
Her entire skin had an ashy colour and was dry, cracked and wrinkled. Her eyeballs were like that of a snake, and her long black hair rested on her shoulders. Her nose was huge and pointed.
A displeased frown washed over her face, as she wondered how the prince got out and where he was. Her eyes moved around her surroundings slowly.
"Where are you?" She whispered. How did that bastard prince get out?
A lot of people in the royal castle have always wondered what the Crown Prince's gift was. As every member had a gift. Lannae is able to shape shift, Naiya is able to tell when people lie, the King could create hallucinations in another's mind, and Henry could bend metal. Queen Maye doesn't have one as she wasn't a descendant of the first vampires. Leonard has been able to hide his from the family, with complete stealth as his gift was teleportation. No matter where he was, he is able to teleport from there and go to another place within seconds and without people taking notice.
He now stood behind a large tree, with his eyes fixed on the witch, Theashee. For him to get answers from her, he would have to capture her. And that wasn't an easy task as she was a very powerful witch. To catch her, he needed a vial similar to the ones he used on the previous witches, which he happened to possess.
Unlike the other witches, the vial couldn't kill her, but it will be able to take her magic for few minutes, and that will make her vulnerable. She will be nothing but a human, and that will give him time to torture the answers out of her. Due to the spell he had casted on her, he couldn't take her out of the forest, which means he will be doing the torturing right amongst the fog and gloomy sky of the forest. He could easily compel her to tell him what he wanted to hear, but that would take way the joy he derives from torturing his victims.