NIGHTS OF HALLOW
Chapter 67: The King’s Order

Chapter 67: The King’s Order

After Donovan’s speech on the clarification of the report to the King, the church members stayed silent, waiting for Sthena to say something.

Sthena rolled the parchment close and handed it back to the Daemon who was quick to collect it. He stared at the church members without uttering a word to them. His fingers were still tapping on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on, increasing the tension in the room.

Sthena relaxed in his sitting position and crossed his right leg over the other. He opened his sealed lips to breathe the words the church members were eager and at the same time dreadful to hear.

He spoke, "After the so-called clarification you went to do in Woodbridge village, this is what you the church members were able to come up with?" His words were daunting and mocking the church members at the measly report they gave him.

Sthena did not let them respond to his words and added, "Since you brought this report to me saying that not only was this Mr. Perkin missing but also his wife too is missing, what have you done about it as the church?" His question was directed to Headchurch Donovan who sat upright at the words of the King that were questioning the authenticity of the church’s work.

"Milord," Donovan called and bowed his head. He said, "We the church members went to the village of Woodbridge to clarify the report filed to us only to discover that his wife is also missing. When we questioned the head warden assigned to the village’s constabulary, and also some of the villagers, we got to know that they ran away which in truth false."

"Which in truth was false," Sthena repeated the words of Donovan. He continued saying, "If you say it is false, have you the church members investigated to find the reason why they went missing? Or are you still intent on saying it is the work of a vampire?" Sthena calmly questioned but his dark red eyes showed the anger and distaste he had.

"About this, Your Majesty, we don’t know the real reason why and also the person who might be responsible for their departure. But according to our investigation when we questioned one of the villagers, the abduction of Mr. Perkin and his wife, Mrs. Perkin, is related to a vampire."

"And what were the questions you asked the villager and what was the person’s reply?" Sthena inquired.

Donovan wrung his hands together and shifted in his seating position as he narrated all that happened in Woodbridge village when they went for the clarification of the report. He began,

"From what the villagers said that Mr. Perkin ran away from the village because he discovered his wife was engaged in immoral acts and that he also found out she was taking birth control pills. So he disappeared leaving his wife in the village."

"When word got out to the villagers, Mrs. Perkin was arrested by the head warden on the orders of the villagers. The head warden told us that one of the villagers who were among those we questioned the day before, came and released the wife of Mr. Perkin with the help of a vampire who gave him the evidence of Mrs. Perkin’s innocence. And this vampire is the one we are suspecting to have abducted Mr. Perkin and his wife."

When Donovan finished his report the movement of Sthena’s fingers slowed down from tapping on the armrest. He said, "Based on what you just told me, Headchurch Donovan, I have one question for you."

"Please go on, Milord." Donovan urged on.

"How is the vampire who helped the villager release the wife of Mr. Perkin related to the case of the missing Mr. Perkin when he ran away on his own accord?"

Donovan stayed quiet at the question of the King as he arranged his words to come out the right way. He answered,

"Milord, I know you might not agree with what we came up with, but I must say it anyway. After the investigation in the village where we got to know about the involvement of the villager and the vampire in the release of Mrs. Perkin the wife of Mr. Perkin, we presumed it is the act of this vampire who might have abducted them."

"From the look of things that happened and according to what the villager we questioned said, it seemed as if the vampire was waiting and looking for a chance to capture Mrs. Perkin too."

On the words of Donovan, Daemon, and Sthena knew that this villager and vampire in question was Perdita and Daemon who had helped to release Mrs. Perkin.

Daemon on the other hand stood beside Sthena without a change in his expression. He was only observing and taking note of the claims and reports of the church members.

"Headchurch Donovan," Sthena called in a hard voice. Gone was the gentle and calm voice he had been using to question the church members. He asserted, "We cannot go by your presumptions, Headchurch Donovan. This is the life of my subjects in question here. You cannot go accusing another life to save the life of another just because you all are presuming?"

"You should be in the village of Woodbridge or anywhere you want to carry out the investigation and confirm the authenticity of this report! What do you think you all are doing? Coming to me early in the morning with an uncompleted job? Don’t tell me the church don’t know the rules and procedures of their work."

The voice of Sthena bellowed at the church members who sat quietly in their seats as they received that bashing of the king.

"Your Majesty, " Churchman Welsh called to get the attention of the King whose gaze furiously landed on him. Churchman Welsh gulped feeling the intense gaze that gave him shivers down his spine. He swallowed hard to get the fear away from himself and continued to speak in a bold voice,

"Your Majesty, we know everything we are doing is based on assumptions, and that is the reason why we strongly want to have this exorcism conducted in the Woodbridge village so we can fish out the vampires that might be in the village."

Sthena stared demeaningly at churchman Welsh and spat, "What you speak makes no sense, churchman Welsh."

The words of the King felt like a hard slap on the ego of Chuchman Welsh. He opened and closed his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words to. Even his brain felt dumb at the moment.

Sthena continued to mock the work of the church. He said, "You badly want to conduct the exorcism in the village but failed to conduct a simple investigation? What will the people say when they hear that the church is blaming the vampires for a man who went missing because of his wife?"

"Is the church trying to tell and prove to me that your work as the people maintaining peace and order among humans and vampires, that they work on preferential treatment? Accusing an unknown vampire without proof to save a human who ran away? Is that how you work? Or is the church trying to cause chaos in the kingdom?!"

Sthena’s red eyes darkened in fury as his questions came one after the other at the church members.

Donovan clasped his hand in front of him with a frown on his face. He didn’t like how the matter was going and what the king was insinuating. He cleared his throat and spoke up, "Milord, please hear us out. We know our work and we are not accusing any vampire to save a human and neither are we trying to cause chaos in the kingdom."

"And you think your assumptions are not doing the work? You think that by your presumptions, it wouldn’t cause chaos in the kingdom?" Sthena interjected, his eyes sharply looking at Donovan to say more than he had said.

"Fine," Sthena continued to speak. His fingers resumed tapping rapidly on the armrest. He pronounced, "This case has reached the point where I would have to intervene before things escalate and cause unnecessary troubles in the kingdom." Sthena nodded his head in resolve. He continued to speak,

"I hereby give the church two nights to perform the exorcism and find the missing people in Woodbridge village with a detailed report of everything that went on during the exorcism and investigation."

"Failure to comply with these orders, the church shall have nothing to do with the case of the missing people in Woodbridge, for I the King will assign people who would do the job. Do you agree with me, Headchurch Donovan?"

Donovan stared the King in the eye for a while and slowly nodded his head. "I Donovan the Headchurch accept the orders of the King." Donovan obliged with a bow of his head.

"Good. It’s not like you have a choice not to accept the order anyway. This meeting has ended." Sthena scoffed and rose to his feet.

The church members also rose with their heads bowed at the king.

"Chief Advisor Daemon, see that the church members are safely escorted to their carriage." Saying this, Sthena walked out of the courtroom, his black polished shoes clicking sharply on the hard marble floor.