Volkodlak - The Beginning

12. Alexander Wilhelm

"April...my child.

" April.

"April.

" April...

They say death is hard but living is harder. April had been in a comatose state for almost thirty-five days from the day she was rescued. Talia and the healer Martha were of the opinion that she wouldn't be able to make it. Her body was not responding well to any herbs, and her body was still cold. The fluid which Martha had used to create heat in her body has failed to work. She was facing a severe state of pneumonia.

"April. Child.. Get up.,"

April heard the faint voice; she tried to concentrate more on voice, but she felt exhausted to do so.

"Don't pressure yourself, April. Just follow the voice," She heard the male voice which she used always to hear. She did as she was told. She saw the back of male in facing her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The man didn't turn and replied,

"I am Alexander," The man turned and looked at her. April gasped in horror at the gruesome sight in front of her. The half side of the man's face was slashed with claws, and there were scars of various type on his chest. He did look ruggedly handsome with the disfigured face. His eyes were one of the most striking features of his. They shone like sapphire, very shiny and mischievous.

" Ugly, isn't it?" The man asked with teasing smile on his face.

"N..no. I mean how did you get it and does it pain? Why do I keep hearing your voice?" April fired a question at him impatiently.

Alexander chuckled at her anxiousness. "One question at a time, Little One," Alexander spoke softly.

"They are battle scars, and they are not painful anymore," Alexander vaguely answered as he skipped the main details of how he got scars, it was not the time yet for her to know.

"And an answer to second your question is that my dear is a mystery in itself. All I can say for now is that it is my duty to keep you safe and last time I checked you nearly died. Please be careful. You must listen to people who are around you," Alexander knew it would quench the curious nature of April but if he spoke anything more than required would be dangerous. Alexander warned her instead of answering her question. He could feel a burning sensation on a whole of his body stating that whatever time he had borrowed was over. It was time for April to come back to consciousness. Alexander spoke in a grave tone; he could feel that he was being pulled back to the place where he belonged. April saw the body of Alexander fading. She ran towards him to ask him questions, but it was like she was frozen to her spot, her legs refused to move. She felt like she was being sucked back in a deep canal with someone choking her and the room around her was getting smaller and smaller, it felt like she was being pushed somewhere.

Talia could see the changes in April's body, beads of perspiration started forming on all her body; she was getting warmer. Talia ran out of the room to call Martha.

April soon found herself walking on the ground which was completely covered with grass. She saw a beautiful girl running and a handsome young man chasing her. The man stopped few steps away from where April was standing he looked behind April, and a grin broke onto his face. He started running in April's direction and soon ran through her as if she was not present. He climbed the tree behind her and hid behind ir. Soon the girl came looking for him and couldn't find the boy anywhere.

"Axel? Axel? Where are you?"

"Axel Wilhelm! I demand your presence now!"

The girl haughtily ordered as she folded her hand on her chest. April saw the guy jumping on to next tree and continued jumping up till he reached the tree behind the girl. He jumped from the tree with a panther-like precision and slowly stalked towards her without making any noise. Meanwhile, the girl was getting anxious as she couldn't find Axel coming out of bushes.

"Axel it is not comical anymore!" A smile from girl's face disappeared as she saw no sign of Axel.

"Axel?" She asked in a small voice which faltered a bit in the end.

"Yes, milady?" Axel spoke from behind her, and the girl turned around and let out a startled scream and quickly Alex placed a hand on her mouth to stop her from screaming. She pushed Axel off her and glared at him.

"You must stop prowling like that. It scares me," The girl huffed as she slapped his shoulder playfully. He just laughed it off and snaked his hand around her waist and pulled her closer.

" My Apologies, Ma'am," Axel whispered. He pulled the girl towards him and kissed her.

Soon April felt like being travelling in another part of her dream as the scene changed and so did the girl. It was nighttime and an icy one; the temperature started dropping down considerably and the cold wind prickled her skin like needle. She saw Axel and another girl with who had cloak and face covered with a hood, and the only visible thing was her ravenous red hair and bunch of people, who looked like soldiers.

"If I can't have you, Prince, then so can't she," saying so she attacked him. Axel was trying to defend himself, but he was outnumbered severely, and she saw the girl with red hair lunging at him and clawing his face with the knife. He let out a painful scream.

"Noooooooooooooooo...

April screamed at no one in particular. Talia and Martha rushed back to the room as soon as she heard April's screeched. They saw her eyes tightly shut and her body convulsing as she started thrashing wildly on the bed. " Martha! What is happening to her?" Talia asked with fear evident in her tone.

"She is convulsing because she is having a nightmare. We have to wake her up before her brain goes into shock," Martha spoke grimly. Martha had a clear idea what was exactly happening to her. She had seen it once in her whole life as a practising healer. Someone has conjured the dark spell on her so that her mind will get lost in into maze of insanity, in the mad realm of Zaronj.

"Talia go and bring me the herb from the box; it has to be a purple coloured flower and red colour leaves and get me the bottle of rosewood essence," She ordered Talia, and she rushed to April's side. She opened April's eyes with her fingers and brought candle near it, April's pupil contracted. Martha started chanting protective spells to lessen the effect of the curse and the power of evil spirit. She knew a demonic spirit was set loose on April. Martha took the dagger and sliced her finger. Small crimson droplets of blood oozed out of the cut. Martha drew an ancient sign of protection from the magic spellbook of Quleba with her blood, the symbol would help April from getting physically harmed. April had stopped thrashing and Martha heaved a sigh of relief as she realised that spell was not strong as she thought. Talia came with the products and Martha crushed the herb and with her hands and placed the crumbs in April's mouth. April spat the contents out of her mouth and opened her eyes in wide alarm. She was gasping for air greedily as if she had ran miles, "He was killed! He was murdered! She killed him!" April exclaimed in fear. The sight was gruesome; she had never seen a crime in her life, and the one she saw was most brutal. Somebody was shaking her shoulders, and she looked up to see the person and found Talia and other Lady who was treating her.

"It's ok, April. You are okay! You were having a nightmare," Talia spoke reassuringly. April knew that it was not a nightmare as it was very real. All the emotions everything whatever she felt was real even the sapphire blue eyes of Axel which resembled Alexander, and she just realised that Axel was none other than Alexander. The one whose voice she used to listen. She had just witnessed his death. "Axel was Alexander!"