Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Coming here at the balcony at this time of the night is scary. The howling out in the woods made it even scarier. Why did I come here in the first place?

“Up here,” Someone said from behind me.

I turned around to see Izaac on the rooftop. I didn’t know it was safe to climb up there. If I knew that would be my new favourite spot here in the castle but there is no safe spot for Izaac, is there? The roof is too steep; it is dangerous.

“Is it safe?”

Izaac stared at me, “If I said no, would you still climb?”

“No.” I’m not getting in trouble again with him.

Those green eyes bore at me like they knew me so well. I don’t know why I kept being intimidated by his piercing eyes; it’s uncomfortable.

“Come on, it’s safe.” He held out his hand

“Last time you said that, we almost got clawed by wolves.”

His expression changed and he took back his hand, “I’m sorry.” Izaac looked down

There was silence.

The wall had uneven cracks. There’s no ladder or rope for me to climb up. So I gripped on every crack and tried to climb. I was so close but then my foot landed on the wrong place.

I let out a squeal and shut my eyes, waiting for my body to hit the ground.

“Careful.” I felt a strong grip on my waist.

My lips parted, “Thanks.” I exhaled the air I didn’t know I was holding for a while.

Both of us sat on the roof, facing the spectacular view in front of us. I think this is the highest place here in the castle. The dark sky was starless tonight; not a shadow of cloud floats above either. The moon, however, was looking pretty mesmerizing in the shape of a crescent.

I can’t stop smiling, “It’s really beautiful here.”

Izaac beside me smirked, “You just wait until sunrise.” He let out a sigh, just looking at him in my peripheral view I can see that he’s so calm and relaxed.

“I’m sorry for what happened last time.”

My head turned towards him, he didn’t even spare me a glance but his voice sounded rather sincere. The cool air blew his dark hair which I didn’t even notice had grown quite longer. From this angle, I could see how rendered sharp his jaw line was.

I remained silent, speechless by his sudden apology.

“Why?”

Izaac finally glanced at me, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why did you do it?” Clearly he had his reason why he brought me out in the woods and cut my palm like some maniac.

He heaved a deep sigh before running a hand through his hair, “I can’t say it.”

I scoffed, “What?”

“I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

I mentally laughed; this is why I find it hard to trust Izaac and all the other people here. They don’t give me complete answers. I mean, I’ve already expected that kind of answer from Ambrose but Izaac? I didn’t think so. But fine! If they don’t want me to know anything, I’ll just find answers myself... like I planned to.

“That’s okay. Maybe, soon you can tell me everything.” My voice died down as I looked around the view below us. Maybe, they’re not ready to tell me or perhaps they need to collect more information to confirm their theory. I shouldn’t worry too much, right?

The wind blew my loose strands. I felt shivers all over my body so I hugged myself, rubbing both of my hands for a little heat. Right, Sage told me that winter is coming and that’s not all the good news, it snows too! I’m excited since it’s my first time to see snow. Well, I heard about ice spikes, snowflakes and snow-covered forests but I never really got to remember what it’s like.

“If you’re cold, we can go back inside.” Izaac mumbled, I felt his gaze on my side.

I shook my head, “I’m not that cold.” It’s true. I can manage.

“I didn’t get to show you this that night so uh, here.” I looked over at Izaac, he was looking at the scenery in front of us.

It’s in the middle of a forest, there was a waterfall now covered in ice. The sun has already fallen on the horizon with hues of pink and red painted up the sky. The thick snow became a blanket to the ground. Dead trees were decorated with snow and ice spikes. It was breathtaking.

“How do you do this?” I asked, never taking my sight from the wintery forest.

I could feel Izaac shifting his position, leaning back on the roof.

“I don’t know, I just do it. I simply create the scene in my mind and it happens, like I’m just changing a TV channel. Look at this,” He raised his hand and snapped his finger.

The scene in front of us really changed its appearance. Now, we are staring at the vast, blue ocean. The waves kept going. The water seemed so clear and sparkling because of the bright rays of the sun.

Izaac waved his hand playfully and the illusion changed again. It shows the marketplace, people were busy selling and buying their own stuff. I thought it'd be crowded but it’s not. There were only a few people around. Well, I’ve read about Emberton being a small town compared to Syrr which is a town much bigger than Emberton, where royalties live.

“What do you wish to see?”

“Can you show me the town of Syrr? I wanna see the Royal Castle.” I smiled over at Izaac.

He was hesitant, “Please? I’ve read about it but there were no pictures in the book.” I added, my lips pressed into a tight line.

“Alright then,”

My lips formed into a frown when he presented a view of the castle but it was ten times away from us that I could barely see the castle’s tower. This guy really!

“Can you take a closer look?” I clenched my teeth in annoyance.

“Did you just get annoyed at me?”

My eyes widen and I fake a laugh, “What? Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous.” I narrowed my eyes at him and stretched a wide, fake smile.

Izaac glared at me, “Fine.”

He presented another view of the Royal Castle. This time, the view is much closer and it’s just perfect to spot faces.

According to the book I read, the town of Syrr is pretty much the oldest town here where pure-blooded vampires reside, including the royal family that rules every vampire town there is. They aren’t the only vampires with a royal bloodline; there were many of them around the world but none stood stronger than the Baltimores.

There were royal guards everywhere but what caught my attention was that man waving his hand towards the crowd with a smirk on his pale face.

“Who is that?”

“Who?” Izaac’s green eyes roamed around the place.

“That guy wearing a black coat.” I said, pointing at the man in the castle.

“That’s the next king of Syrr, Lord Cassius.”