Poison Orchid

Chapter 7

{Hello everyone, I’m overwhelmed at the amount of readership my book is getting. But please vote for the book in order to encourage me to write further. And also comment on how you like the writing. Waiting desperately}.

Nothing will remain of you

Not your sweet skin folding

Over your impatient arms

Nor the perfume of your neck

Not the saltiness of your lips when you kiss

Or the hair that falls in steps over your eyes

As deep as the darkest chasm

That sparkle and swell

Each time you smile.

Nothing will remain of you

Except your lovely bones

In a heap….

Gabriel still not could think that quills were much better than a pen. But that would be unfortunate so he had progressed to a fountain pen and kept it at there. He saw at what he had written and found that whatever he does, death seemed to be an integral part of his life. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not feel Regina coming into the room and standing behind him.

“Awwwwww, such a beautiful passionate lyric, why such a tragic ending?” she cooed.

“Because I want you to have a very tragic ending Regina. Who gave you the permission to come into my room?” seethed Gabriel.

“Why so furious? I just came to deliver a message.”

“What is it?”

“Your father had called in the afternoon and asked you to give reports on the work you were sent to do.”

“We came here today morning…”

“I can always say that you have found yourself a chick, to take off your mind…” smirked Regina

“Do that. And I have enough proof to show him that you have never been faithful to him in your entire vampiric existence. After all, what do they say? Once a w***e, always a whore.”

“What has given you such sudden surge in power that you are now daring to raise your voice?”

“Unfortunately, if you don’t remember let me remind you Regina that I have always found you very disgusting and raised my voice against you. But if you think you can feed my father lies against me then I can easily feed him the truth about you. Which will be more acceptable on your part? Think on it. And get the hell out of my room at this instant.”

Petrov was standing outside the room when Regina was getting chastised by Gabriel. Regina’s pale face was red with fury, she stormed out of the room casting a poisonous glance at Petrov.

“My liege, it is time for us to hunt,” said Petrov.

Gabriel nodded his head and sheathed his weapons in his clothes. He loved his knives, his master was one of the greatest knife throwers in the world, who had denied to be changed when Gabriel had asked him if he wanted an immortal life.

“I have done everything I wanted and all I have lived my life in the way I wish. I don’t want to live anymore than I am fated to boy.” Those were his exact words. Gabriel respected his master a great deal, a lot more than he ever respected his father. Night was his time, it was his element…Darkness. He loved its silence, fear and reveled in it. Petrov and Gabriel both took off from the house in slow sure steps wearing their leather clothes, in case things went wrong. The forest was beautiful and serene even at night. It was four days to full moon, and the path was easily visible. They both trekked up a few miles in the forest to the side where a small stream flowed, it was a seasonal one and dried up in summer months.

“I couldn’t find anything smelling different my liege,”said Petrov

“I also couldn’t but that should not be happening. Because whatever they do, even if they drain the body of blood then also their will be smell of rotting flesh until they are doing something else with the bodies. What do you think?”

“I think, my liege, the bodies after being drained of blood have been buried. And until and unless we get to know the exact spot of where to find the bodies it is simply not possible to unearth the whole ground of the entire forest.”

“We need to find a witch.”

“My liege, you know, we have been banned from communicating with any of the witches more than 20 years back.”

“Twenty years? Did you just now say 20 years?”

“Yes master.”

“Grandma was saying that, near about that time itself my father had sent goons to kill that witch. I have got a strong gut feeling that these both are related. Because we never had any kind of enemity with the witches before. Then something must have happened between both the races which led the Council to take this mandate that the Nosferatu were not to keep any kind of contact with the witches.”

“Might have happened master. But at this moment we can’t build castles in the air. We need strong hard facts to give to the Council and also to your esteemed grandmother.”

“Even if you are telling the truth Petrov, we have to find out some fact or the other in order to tell my father first. And for that we need a witch as soon as possible.”

“But master, how can a witch help us, they are mere….”

“No Petrov, that is where most of the people of our kind make mistakes. They are not mere humans and they have powers which we can only imagine of. If we can find a witch then she can give us an object with the tracking spell, using which we can find the bodies. And once we find the bodies we can exhume them and then check what has happened to them.”

“The plan is very good my liege but all of it depends on one single factor, finding a witch. Which at this moment I’m finding almost impossible. And then you would have to bargain something equally important if you want the witch to make you a tracking spell. And master, you are far more knowledgable than me in these matters, so you must know that making deal with the devil is easier than dealing with a witch.”

“I don’t know why you are so prejudiced about witches Petrov. Not all can be bad.”

Petrov gave a faint smile, seeing that Gabriel understood that there was a lot that he did not know about his friend. And in these many years from the day his mother had brought him to be his companion, he was only three years old that time and Petrov was even younger. His mother had told him, “You have to always take care of Petrov like your brother. Never let him down, son. It would mean a lot to me.” Young Gabriel had puffed up his chest and given his word to his mother and he would maintain that till his last breath.

“Did you ever try to find out who were your parents Petrov?”asked Gabriel.

“No, my liege,” answered Petrov very softly.

“Did you ever not have the urge to know them? Why they deserted you?”

“I already know that, my liege.”

“Who are they?”

“I don’t think you would want to know that.”

“I do. That is the sole reason why I am asking you.”

“My liege, Please don’t ask me this. I would not be able to tell you the real fact or truth, because your hatred will be too immense and I could not accept that.”

“Petrov, whatever you say, I can’t have you ever. You have been like my shadow for so many years and I trust you more than myself. Then how can you even think I can hate you? I love you like my brother. Don’t do this anymore. You have burdened yourself with this secret too long. Tell me now.”

“I am a bastard.”

“I had suspected so. But what does it matter? That is not a very big deal in our country.”

“ I’m the bastard of your father and his mistress. I am the infamous son of Count Sariel and Regina Avery.”

Gabriel could not utter any single word for a few moments. Because after hearing this, he could not even think the reason to speak anything. He had spent more than a few lifetimes with his half brother but always made him respect his command like a master. He hated himself more than ever. Why the hell did he not understand that his brother was with him? How could he be such a fool….

“I am sorry,”said Gabriel looking at Petrov’s eyes.

“There is nothing to be sorry about, my liege..” started Petrov

“You are my brother and make sure that you never utter the word my liege before me once more… Not only me, not before anyone. You are my brother and I shall make sure that you get the respect you deserve.”

“I don’t need to be known as the bastard son of a monster and his devil mistress, I’m happy with my identity. Your mother was the only true mother I had. The day she left us, I felt as if I had lost everything I had. It is my life’s mission to protect you and be true to you, as your companion or brother or servant.”

“Do you know Petrov I think a witch is responsible for bringing us closer…” said a smiling Gabriel.

Petrov’s eyes widened at his statement,” You know a witch?”

“Uh-huh… She is a witch of different kind altogether. The witch with green eyes and dark hair who has captured my heart for the first time in these long years..”

“Let us head home for today.. I think our scouting has been very enlightening.. And what do they say? It’s a school night,”reasoned Petrov.

“Petrov, have I asked you for anything these many years?”

“Why do I feel that it is going to be a mistake to whatever I say? No you haven’t.”

“I want you to help me woo Isis.”

With a long sigh, Petrov and a laughing Gabriel headed back to their house. On their way back they found a girl standing by the window brushing her long dark hair and swaying alone to a soft music oblivious to the fact that there were spectators to her dance.

“I want to be the man to make her dance like that. I want to feel her everything that no one has ever made her feel before,” whispered Gabriel. Admiration and love was clearly visible in his eyes. Petrov said,”I think you are thinking too fast. How about starting with being friends?”

“I want to be her friend and lover and her companion for the rest of her life. I want her to be utterly mine and only mine.”

“Hmmmm….that is a very nice goal but the path would not be easy you know?”

“George Eliot had said that it will never rain roses, if we want that to happen then we would have to just plant more rose trees, my friend and who said that love was easy… It is the toughest thing to do but the most beautiful too.”

“It seems to be a very tough indeed my liege…Sorry, brother…But we have won wars and what is this?”

“The war to a woman’s heart is the greatest my brother and never underestimate them. They may look weak but they are far more stronger than us. They have been the causes to destructions of entire dynasties.”

“I think that we need to take very small and cautious steps. Because today morning I smelled something absolutely different in her blood. She doesn’t have normal human blood, something is different with her.”

“She is unique Petrov. And behind that tough façade lies a very pure and strong heart which is full of love.”

“I know that you feel differently for her but remember that, human beings are still seen as prey for our kind. Even if you change her, she would never get the respect she deserves.”

“I shall build a new world for her,” said Gabriel with a grim determination in his eyes.