"Who's there?" Edward's voice cut through the air like a knife. The figure didn't move an inch.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, panic arose in his heart. Sweat trickled down his forehead and he took a gulp.
"I'm warning you, I'm armed!"
That was a lie. Edward didn't have as much as a stick with him. But he couldn't reveal that. Whoever was standing there was a cold-blooded murderer. He wouldn't mind finishing off another.
Edward looked upwards once again, trying to figure out who'd been hanged above him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was.
The priest of the church!
His mind went numb.
"It wasn't me!" The man spoke at last, as he took a step forward. The crunching of gravel under his feet sent a chill down Edward's spine.
"Stay right there or you'll be sorry!" Edward shouted.
"Please, I'm innocent!" The man cried again. "Wouldn't the King of Assangue hear the plea of a helpless subject?"
"How can I trust you?" Edward asked, preparing himself for defence.
"Look at me!" The man said as he stepped into the light. A deep wound ran straight across his chest, from which blood was flowing down. The next second, he fell to the floor with a thud.
~~~
The man groaned as his senses finally returned. With great difficulty, he pried open his eyes. A low moan escaped his mouth as he tried to raise himself.
Edward attended to the man at once, helping him settle. The man let out a sigh of relief. Edward handed him a glass of water, which the stranger gulped down at once.
"How're you feeling?" Edward asked him.
"Better," the man replied, his voice a little shaky. "Where am I?"
"In the Palace," said Edward. "I've never seen you around here before. Who're you?"
But the man seemed not to have heard him. His gaze was fixed upon something beyond the window.
"Have you gotten hold of him?" he said.
"Who?" A curious Edward asked him, wondering whether the man was mentally stable or not.
"George." The man said.
Edward's heart stopped.
"George?" He exclaimed.
"Yes, George. Catch him before he murders someone else."
This time Edward rose to his feet. "What do you mean?" He asked angrily. George had betrayed him but he wasn't cruel enough to murder someone. And that too the priest of the church.
"A poor wandering soul I'm," the man began, "Who'd heard of the kindness of King Edward one too many times. There I was, on my way to the Palace, in the hopes of fetching myself a job. And then the traitor came. Carrying a mutilated body. The body of the priest who earlier had given me the directions to the Palace. I stood there frozen as George hung the soulless body. I cried and he attended to me at once. He asked me to remain silent and I denied. He said that he wouldn't mind killing another and swung his sword across my chest."
Edward gulped. Had he known George at all? Why would he do this?
"I don't believe you. If you're new to here, how did you know it was George?" Asked Edward.
"Because the priest had shown me a painting of his and Amelia, requesting me to let him or the King know if I spotted either of them."
"As I fell to the ground, he snarled at me that he'd finish anyone who stood in his path! And then he left me to die. When I heard you coming, I gathered all the strength I had and stood up. I didn't murder the priest. It was George!"
Edward thought the man talked sense. He seemed too old to murder someone anyway. Most probably, the priest would have seen George's hideout. And he tried to kill this man because he was a witness.
George! How could he?
"What's your name?" Edward asked the man.
The man turned to face Edward and looked him straight in the eye.
"Aranchis," he said.
~~~
Amelia and George waited with baited breaths. George prepared himself for an attack. Somebody was coming through the tunnel. With every passing second, the sound became clearer.
It could only be Aranchis. If it was somebody else... But there was no chance at all that somebody else could've found out about it. After a few seconds, the footsteps died.
A moment's pause.
The mirror swung outwards and out stepped Aranchis.
"Oh, finally!" screamed Amelia in pleasant surprise. Aranchis beamed at her. Amelia ran to him at once who encased her in his arms. A smile played on George's face.
"Where were you all these while?" Amelia asked him as they broke off from the hug.
"I've been extremely busy. I missed you both a lot. And you both have missed a lot," he said.
"Missed?" Amelia's face narrowed.
"Yes," Aranchis dropped his voice, "The priest of the church was killed!"
"What?" Both Amelia and George exclaimed.
"Yes! And know who killed him?"
Amelia and George shook their heads.
"Edward!"said Aranchis.
"What?!" both of them exclaimed in unison.
"Yes. He failed to give any leads on the missing. Death sentence was the punishment for him!" said Aranchis.
Amelia gasped in disbelief. No way Edward could become so... so heartless. George was having similar thoughts too. This wasn't the Edward he grew up with...
"Edward has turned really mad. He'll stop at nothing on his quest to find you both," Aranchis continued.
Amelia's heart was beating wildly while George was breathing rapidly. It was as difficult to imagine a heartless Edward as to imagine two moons in the sky. Sure it was a betrayal beyond words that they'd done to him. But he couldn't possibly hunt innocent people for their mistake...
But both of them had to accept it because it was the truth. Aranchis would never lie to them.
"My parents. How are they doing?" Amelia finally came to her senses.
"Broken. Not a single day passes in their life in which they don't pray for you."
Amelia turned sad.
"It's okay, dear," began Aranchis. "They'll eventually be alright."
"I want to visit them," said Amelia.
"Don't be stupid. That'll give you both away!" warned Aranchis.
"Nobody's got a clue about this room, right?" wondered George.
"Nobody except me," said Aranchis. "And they'd have to kill me before I reveal anything."
Amelia smiled. "At least we have you," she said.
"I'll always be there for you," he beamed. "I've brought some food."
Aranchis went back to the tunnel. After a few seconds he stepped out with a basket full of fruits.
"You can count on me anytime," he said to the smiling couple before him.
~~~
"Father Aranchis," began Edward but Aranchis cut across him.
"Call me Aranchis," he said.
Edward smiled. "It's a blessing that I found you. I've never felt so good before."
"The pleasure's all mine Edward. Who else would appoint me as the priest?"
"No one else deserves it better than you. You've been helping me so much!"
"Oh, that's nothing," said Aranchis.
It's been months since Aranchis had been appointed as the priest. In a short span of time, he'd cleverly managed to gain Edward's trust. Of course George and Amelia knew nothing about it. They were only fed with his lies... He'd everyone at his fingertips.
"I have something to tell you, Edward."
Edward looked at Aranchis curiously.
"I believe, I strongly believe in fact, that Amelia was enchanted by George."
"What do you mean?"
"Edward, I came across some books in the church. Very ancient books. Books dealing with The Occult!"
"What are you getting at?"
"I flipped through them, only to find that many pages were missing. I think George took those. He'd been learning dark magic to entrap Amelia, whom he loved but couldn't marry. The priest must have known about this. That must be why he fell prey to George's sword."
Edward couldn't believe his own ears. Surely George could never be so heartless...
"Am I talking sense? I could be wrong," said Aranchis.
"No," Edward shook his head, "You're right. You always are!"
"If that's the case, then troubles have only begun. Amelia is under his charm. George will continue his killing spree. My instinct is telling me that his ultimate aim is to overpower you and become the ruler. Poor Amelia has become his servant!"
A drop of tear streaked down Edward's cheek. In fact, he now understood, he'd always known it. It was only natural of George, an orphan to want everything from his lovely wife to power. He regretted that he ever trusted George.
"Is there any way to get Amelia back?" asked Edward hopefully.
Aranchis thought for a second before answering, "There is a chance. The spell he's put on her, weakens over time and one night, it'll break completely. Once it happens, Amelia will be able to come back."
Edward's face flooded with relief and happiness. "Is that true?"
"Yes," said Aranchis, "But it happens at night. Watch out for her. I will, too."
Edward sprang forward and hugged Aranchis. Because he was hugging, he couldn't get to see the sinister smile on Aranchis' face.
~~~
Amelia tried to get up from the floor to greet Aranchis. But with a swollen belly, it was nearly impossible.
"Amelia, you don't have to," scolded Aranchis. "You're going to get yourself hurt!"
"It's okay, Aranchis," she said as George helped her to feet.
"What's the news?" George couldn't conceal his curiosity.
Aranchis' face fell. He heaved out a sigh as he placed the basket in his hand on the floor.
"Is... Is something wrong?" Amelia asked, her voice quivering.
"Have some food Amelia. The baby has to be healthy," said Aranchis.
Amelia half-heartedly grabbed an apple and took a bite. Still Aranchis looked despondent. Both Amelia and George knew something bad was in store for them; but they couldn't quite place their finger on what it could be.
"He killed your parents, Amelia!"
The bit of apple that was in Amelia's mouth came out just as George felt a lump forming in his throat. The Apple fell onto the floor from her hand and rolled once or twice. Her mouth was still open as tears welled in her eyes.
"He believed that they were hiding information, that they knew where you both were. They... they pleaded a lot..." Aranchis was breaking off, "He didn't mind. He killed them both, just like that."
Amelia was gasping for breath while George tried to console her, to no avail. After a few seconds of struggle, she broke down.
Aranchis drew her into his arms and she began sobbing uncontrollably. George was finding it difficult to gather himself.
"You know George, the clan never changed in their attitude. Edward's behaving the way the founder did. He's especially jealous at you..." Aranchis lied.
That makes sense, thought George. Only that he never really thought about it. After all, he was an orphan but was raised like a twin of the Prince. It was only natural that Edward felt jealous at the fact that an orphan was given the same status as himself. And when he eloped with Amelia... Talk about adding fuel to fire. But he's gone too far. What kind of a man would kill his own in-laws who were innocent?
As George was lost in his own world and Amelia was drowned in her own tears, Aranchis felt proud of his plans... His sinister plans. The evil smile appeared on his face again as a million thoughts popped up in his mind.
The founder... It all began with him. Of course what had happened was his fault. But I could never take revenge on him. He'd cleverly trapped me and he died. Such a shame it was...
For years! For years I lived off rats and insects, thinking how best to take revenge on this abominable empire that was built on the sweat and blood of his tribe. The Katrasta tribe.
There is only one descendant remaining... Just one! At one stage, he even fell victim to the belief that he'd never make it out.
That was when she stepped in. The young, beautiful Queen of Assangue. The most unintelligent woman he's ever met, who was blinded by love and so lost. It had been relatively easy to gain her trust. Easier than he thought it would be.
The narration of his tragic history and his condition found a place in her tender mind. My hopes found a new shore. But I'd to get him too... George. His plan was simple initially. But this young and stupid couple proved to be of even more help. She got pregnant.
After the elopement, I'd to unfold the next phase. First I needed to get to the church. All it took was a moment to finish that priest. Hanging him high upon a branch was a bit tedious. But he came. Edward.
I never expected him. In order to cover myself, I'd to wound myself. And the blame went to George. Poor George! I've always been able to gain people's trust. Edward was no different. And he appointed me as the priest! What more could I've asked for?
I fed everyone with lies! Edward, George and Amelia. My word is the last everywhere. They're against each other now. Ha! Just what I wanted.
Amelia's parents. What a pitiable couple. Praying for their daughter always. Never left the church, the two of them... It was becoming impossible to access the books. What a pleasure it had been to kill them!
Edward believes George did it. George believes Edward did it. For obvious reasons. Amelia is suffering an emotional breakdown. It is necessary for her to go through this torture at this stage of pregnancy. It'll affect the baby and that's exactly what I need.
The baby... My plans with the baby are perhaps the best of all. Sure, I'll get a lot of them killed now. But the child to be born will ensure that the killing spree would continue after I'm gone... Sometime in the future.
It is an incredibly difficult and dangerous piece of dark magic. Nobody has done it before. But I would. Let the baby come out. Don't waste all your tears now, Amelia! Troubles have only begun. And George, he won't be around much. As to what has to be done to Edward... The baby should be born for that...