Reborn As Cursed Alpha's Mate
Chapter 160: Reaching Volsra

Chapter 160: Reaching Volsra

Faris and Siroos’s journey to Volsra was not met with many obstacles. They made it in five days, trying not to take many breaks. Volsra was closer to Speldaria and around 80 percent of the west continent was taken up by it.

Before approaching the borders, Faris and Siroos drank up the potions, Lotus and Razial had provided them. It changed their appearances and altered their scents. Now they could pretend to be mages from the North and act as travellers, looking for rare herbs and other ingredients for their spells.

Mages were known to travel from continent to continent, in search of rare plants and components so it was easier to pretend to be them. But the potion had a limit and they needed to keep drinking it after every 24 hours.

"Faris, stay sharp. Remember, we are going to gather information first as subtly as possible, and then we will invade the palace. It is most likely that’s where he is keeping her but there is always a possibility that she could be somewhere entirely different," Siroos said to his brother as they approached the walled city of Astros, the Capital of Volsra and the resident city of the vampire Monarch.

His brother nodded at him.

The city was heavily guarded and the only way in was through the mammoth wooden doors where the guards did a thorough investigation.

Siroos observed that the thick walls had several ballistae positioned on them with 3-4 meter long spearheads adjusted in them, ready to be launched.

They were expecting him.

Four scary-looking vampires stood guard checking anyone proceeding to enter. Faris and Siroos held the papers Razial had given them with Tholarian’s royal stamp. They passed the evaluation without any hindrance. Seeing Tholarian’s stamp they were allowed to enter.

"You can pass through and have been given a five-day permit to stay. Welcome to the greatest city of all time, Astros." The guard vampire with a deep voice and vulture-like eyes said.

Since their scents were masked, they only appeared to him like two mages.

Siroos curtly nodded while Faris thanked him with a fake smile. The heavy doors were swung open and they were let through.

Astros was nestled between a lush green mountain range from two sides. It lay in the valley between the towering mountains whose peaks disappeared into the clouds. The onset of winter had turned the place freezing cold and it seemed like any moment it would begin to snow.

Siroos observed that the buildings and houses were built in modern styles and were very different from his pack. The roads were paved and people used carriages and other three-wheeled vehicles to go by.

Special care had been taken in the plantation of trees, shrubs and flowering plants on the sides of the roads to add to the scenic beauty of the place. It seemed like a very disciplined city as Sirroos and Faris observed different guards lining the streets and patrolling them, keeping a strict check on the people.

Faris rubbed his hands together. Although he was wearing the woollen gloves Lotus had provided him, he was still cold.

"Very modern," Faris quietly said to his brother with a reddened nose and sniffled.

"Yes, let’s find the marketplace and begin our search. A tavern will be the most suitable one. We need some alcohol to keep warm; besides, people talk when they are drunk," Siroos glumly said to his brother, his eyes wavering all around him, his ears staying sharp.

The moment he had stepped foot inside this place, he knew his mate was there. He could sense her fears and presence but he couldn’t pinpoint where she was.

Both of them asked a passerby who directed them towards a nearby tavern where they could get some alcohol.

Reaching the place called "Served" they dismounted their horses. From outside it seemed like a small cottage with yellowish-orange lights filtering out of the shady-looking windows. The wooden block with the tavern’s name hung with two small ropes and swayed in the evening wind making an eerie sound. The people entering the tavern turned and gave them a queer look. Vampires were known to be hostile to other species and outsiders.

"Not ominous at all," Faris muttered under his breath while tying his horse to the wooden post erected for the very purpose.

"Wouldn’t expect anything different from the vampires," Siroos glumly said and threw the door open with both his hands.

Both brothers entered one after the other. The potion had slimmed down their bodies and changed their facial features so they didn’t appear bulky or muscular like shifters but ordinary humans. Many faces turned to observe who had entered but not many people gave them a second look as they busied themselves with their drinking again.

Both brothers were astonished to see that the servers were mostly humans while the drinkers were vampires and other species as well. They could easily distinguish between them because of their scents. It was difficult to distinguish between mages and humans but the rest were easily distinguishable.

They chose a corner to settle in with a chipped wooden table and two chairs that seemed to have seen better days. Chairs creaked as they sat down. Taking off their gloves, they placed them on the table.

The tavern was warm enough from the single fire going, although vampires didn’t mind the cold, humans and other species needed to remain warm.

A woman in a tight corset dress with her boobs bursting out from the fabric made her way to them and lazily asked.

"Anything I can get the two of you?" She asked, staying sharp. Her eyes strayed to their hands ensuring they kept them to themselves.

"Two ales, please," Faris offered her a kind smile. She blinked her eyes at them, taking them in. Siroos seemed disinterested as his entire focus was on the conversation going on in the tavern. Faris had his attention on the girl.

"Fine," she answered before hurrying away, her hips swaying behind her.

The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and blood. The tavern served both, as most of the customers were vampires, but both brothers were thankful to observe there were no direct drinkers, the ones who fed on the humans.

Maybe they had different places for them, and Siroos didn’t want to walk into such an establishment, or some heads would roll.

Using his heightened sense of hearing Siroos listened in to the conversations of the men. Most of them were lewd talks about sex; some complained about their business, while others ranted about their families. No one was speaking about the infamous prince.

"Anything?" Faris asked while he tried to listen in but knew his brother’s senses were sharper than his.

"No."

Their drinks arrived in wooden tankards and she placed them on the table without a word before hurrying away.

"Let’s drink and settle here for tonight. You get some rest, I will be going out and roaming the streets to find any clue. A closer look at the palace I would like to have," Siroos informed his brother while picking up the container and taking a small sip of the bitter drink.