A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 106: A Life For A Life

"You said it was only you and your wife?" The knight asked, his eyes trained on the hooded man. There was an unmoving body lying on the other end of the carriage and a woman nursing a child.

"Yes," replied the coachman, his hands clutched on the reins. Every second he spent in Mysthaven only seemed to bring doom upon his son.

The knight signalled the others to stay alert. The sound of swords being unsheathed filled the air bringing the line into a halt.

The coachman looked around, his mind whirling in questions. "What’s happening?" He asked the knight who was now walking to the front side of the carriage door. The other knights surrounded the carriage, swords in hand.

"Step outside this instant!" Commanded the knight.

The coachman tried to intervene but the knights restrained him.

Inside, Gabriel looked at the woman’s worried face through this hood. His eyes bored into hers and for the first time ever in his life, he clung to a human for salvation. It sure did hurt his pride but she was the only chance he had.

The woman pursed her lips, her muscles stiff. The child, as if sensing the danger outside, looked at its mother, the wheezing sound of its labored breathing momentarily gone.

After a fleeting couple of seconds, she gave Gabriel a nod, her palms all sweaty. Her hand rested on the carriage’s handle, gently squeezing it to reveal a knight standing in front of her.

To her left, her husband was seized and a crowd was already gathering around. Just one word and her husband would be set free!

The looked inside and saw the hooded man still seated. "I said everyone out!" He repeated, louder this time.

"They can’t!" The woman blurted out, catching the attention of everyone. She swallowed hard before stealing a quick glance at her son’s innocent but languid eyes. A smile cast on her face when she saw the babe bite on its fingers and stretch.

And turning to face the knight, she said, "They stormed into the carriage just a few moments ago."

Gabriel’s hair rose, his eyes settled on Elena’s body! ’Anytime soon,’ he thought.

"Leprosy is what they said!" Everyone around gasped in surprise. "I was too late to move so I obliged. They just want to get out of the city and prevent it from spreading further."

The knight brought his chain armor around his nose to block the foul air. The others slowly backed from the carriage with their elbows on their noses.

"Get them out of here, make way!" He announced. The coachman was set free before he ran to his wife. He embraced her tightly when instinct kicked in.

"You have leprosy?" He asked, his eyes inspecting her skin.

"I lied," she said.

He took a peak inside. "You could have told me there were more people on board."

"Keep moving leper saver! We don’t have the whole day here," the knight said.

The coachman nodded at his wife before he jumped into his seat and rode off.

The carriage swayed on the rocky road, Gabriel’s fingers pressed together in tension. He lifted his eyes to find the woman still staring at him.

"That was very kind of you," he said. "I owe you my life."

The woman smiled sadly before she shifted her eyes to her sickly son. "He’s fighting hard for one. I wouldn’t want another to die in my hands."

"I’m certain he’ll be fine," Gabriel said, though he doubted it. The child’s heartbeat was fading, and the fever was slowly wrecking havoc on his insides.

"I pray that he survives through the sea," she said, her eyes cast into the ceiling.

The carriage came into a halt by the harbor.

"This is where we shall part," Gabriel said. The woman gave him a smile and a glance at the princess.

"Bring her back for Mysthaven," she said.

Gabriel gave her a nod before hoisting Elena’s body on his shoulders. He found a small boat with the few silver he had and left for the island.

Allicent was standing at the shore when he arrived, her long hair blowing in the wind. Gabriel pulled the boat into the sand and took Elena out.

"Place her over there," Allicent instructed. Gabriel slowly laid her body inside the circle and only when he stood back did he realize how weak his mother was. A cut ran on her left hand and a bowl of blood was all it took for him to connect the dots.

"You hurt yourself?" Gabriel asked. He took her hand into his and stared at the wound closely. It wasn’t that deep and it could have healed by now for a demon of her rank.

"It’s not healing," he stated the obvious.

Allicent held Gabriel’s hands in hers. The simple gesture of being touched by him meant the world to her. And for once in her life, she heard genuine care and concern in his voice.

"It’s a ritual wound. They take some time to heal," she explained. Their eyes met, the golden in him taking her back to the day she held him in her arms for the first time. They were cute and adorable just as she could remember, yet innocent without any contempt to the world. How time flies!

"I’ll need you to stay outside the circle as I cast the spell," she said. Gabriel nodded faintly and moved. She felt a cold sensation settle where his hands had previously been.

With a mumble of a few incoherent words he couldn’t decipher, Gabriel saw the circle burst into flames. Allicent crouched low and fed Elena the blood from the bowl. Stains of red remained on her lips.

Closing her eyes, Allicent mumbled a few words before a gust of wind blew around the flames, sending the tongues as tall as the walls of Mysthaven.

Elena’s body slowly levitated a few feet above the ground.

"A life for a life!" She whispered. A bright halo enveloped Elena’s body before a blinding light burst out of her into all directions. The fire extinguished before both Elena and Allicent dropped to the ground!