Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 455: A Gathering Of Villains

Chapter 455: A Gathering Of Villains

"What the Fae?" Islinda muttered when she woke up to complete darkness. She quickly stood up, desperately looking around, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t like this. Not one bit. What was happening? There was no light, no indication of where she was. The last thing she remembered was going to bed. Did something happen? Was she captured? Did Andre betray her?

The thought sent a chill down her spine, but she pushed it out of her mind, focusing on how to escape. Suddenly, light filled the space, as if signaling the break of day. It was then that Islinda realized she was in some sort of crypt adorned with peculiar tapestries, writings, and drawings on the walls.

Confusion overwhelmed Islinda as she surveyed her surroundings. The place resembled a place of worship, and she desperately hoped she hadn’t been captured for some sacrificial offering to the gods. The sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears, and panic set in as she wondered where to hide. It was surprising that whoever brought her here hadn’t tied her up to prevent her escape.

Her eyes darted to a corner of the room, and she rushed over to hide there. Peering out from behind the pillar, Islinda watched as people entered the room. They weren’t humans, but Fae. However, it wasn’t their malevolence that made Islinda speechless, it was the runes on their bodies.

Dark Faeries.

Fear welled up inside Islinda, and she pressed herself closer to the protection of the pillar. Her mind raced with thoughts, her blood boiling. What was happening here? How were there so many dark faeries present? Didn’t Aldric say that dark faeries were almost extinct, and the few that remained were in hiding? Were they regrouping by chance? The thought left Islinda gasping. Most importantly, how did she even get here? What was going on?

Islinda risked another glance, and what she saw made her stomach churn. In the middle of the room, they were dragging a woman who was walking on all fours, a chain around her neck. It filled Islinda with anger, her fist clenched and shaking. They pulled the woman until they reached the center of the room, where they crowded around her, blocking Islinda’s view.

All the fae present were bare from the waist up, their bodies covered in various runes. It was as if they weren’t afraid of showing off the marks that would get them killed if other faeries were to discover them. Some had small runes, only a single marked letter on a portion of their body, while others were covered in marks all over. Islinda noticed a fae with runes covering his face and bald head.

Aldric had been right - the more marks a fae had, the more powerful they were. Those with the most marks radiated a certain arrogance and cruelty. The air was heavy with evil, a smell that made Islinda sick to her stomach. She had always thought Aldric was evil, and now she found herself surrounded by villains. She didn’t know what to think anymore.

Something important was happening tonight, Islinda could feel it in her bones. She needed to get closer to see what was going on. But how? She couldn’t defeat all of them, and the way they treated the woman with the chain showed what they were capable of.

As Islinda pondered her next move, her eyes met those of one of the fae, and her blood ran cold. She had been seen. Frozen in place, Islinda waited for the fae to come and drag her away, but nothing happened.

What? She couldn’t comprehend it.

Islinda had been sure that the dark fae had spotted her. Their eyes had locked, and she had been on the verge of panicking. But now, as she looked at the dark fae, there was no recognition in his eyes, as if he hadn’t seen anything at all.

Wait a minute, could it be that he couldn’t see her? Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember how she had ended up here. Could this be a dream? Or perhaps a vision? With Andre revealing that she was a fae, could this be her gift manifesting? Was she a seer?

Determined to test this theory, Islinda took a deep breath, her eyes filled with determination. She stepped out of her hiding spot, fully visible, her heart racing with anticipation. But each time their eyes glanced her way, there was no spark of recognition. Islinda let out a relieved breath. This must be a dream, she assumed, until the strangest thing occurred. Islinda felt a strange shudder when a dark fae walked right through her, as if she was intangible.

"What the Fae?" Islinda whispered, creeped out by the experience. This wasn’t just an ordinary dream. Whatever was happening, she was really there, observing from a spectator’s view. Renewed with anticipation, Islinda braved it, allowing herself to pass through the fae, shuddering with each encounter, until she was right in front of the scene.

It was then that she saw the woman on her feet, carefully drawing a pentagon within a circle. Both shapes were traced with symbols and runes, and the circle emitted a faint glow, casting an eerie light on the floor. Intricate symbols adorned each point of the pentagon, forming a barrier that hummed with mystical energy. The lines seemed to pulsate, creating an otherworldly aura within the mystical boundary.

Islinda realized that the woman was not human but a witch. However, it was the fae holding the chain around her neck that sent shivers down Islinda’s spine.

He was quite tall, over six feet and well built that she had no doubt he could break her in two with his bare hands if she dare to go up against her — if she could, not with her being invisible right now. However, it was his hair that made her stop short, his locks so dark that it had blueish hue like Aldric’s. Nope, that was a coincidence. Except he was the only fae in the entire room with that kind of hair.