The Crown and The Rose
Chapter 52: Lord Vermilion

Chapter 52: Lord Vermilion

The Rose

I cannot recall the last time I was desperate enough to take my dragon form and fly to someone. To think a mere human has this kind of power over me. It intrigues me as much as it worries me. The thing with Lush, may not be as easy as it is. Maybe I need to rethink my decision to keep him close though I can’t push him away either. Both of them affect me much more than they should.

Damn, prince...

I take a calming breath. I developed a tendency to get worked up over something after meeting Lush. He knows just where to poke to provoke a reaction.

Phillip and Zhen Xin are coming together, Zhen Xin is probably letting Phillip ride his back. Funny, how the messenger of the demon and the messenger of the Gods are working together to save just a single person. The Prince of The Holy Light.

I sped up, my wings steady against the wrecking force of the night wind. It’s been a while since I last flew like this but I haven’t lost my edge. There is no moon tonight. It makes my heart clench tighter. Moon resembles Lush. And there is no moon...

It doesn’t take me long to reach the northern palace. And I instantly detect the protection viel cast over the palace. I halt in my tracks and flap my wings a few times before I perch on the outer walls of the palace. The wall cracks beneath my weight and a few fragments of stone roll to the ground but the wall doesn’t break. The veil is just a few meters away from me.

I raise an eyebrow and approach the veil with one of my claws. It gets incriminated as soon as it touches the veil. I retreat my claw and it gets just as quickly as it was scorched. I must have to admit that Lush has done a good job building this veil. He has commendable expertise in the expect of magic.

"Where are you?"

"I am just a mile away, Lord Vermilion." He replies, getting not at all flustered that I just spoke in his head. This is one of the things that I fancy about this sacred white tiger. "Has my lord arrived at the northern palace?"

"Certainly. But it seems like no dark energy can enter the palace." I examine the veil closely. Without any doubt, if I try to force my way through it, I will be reduced to dust. "I am anticipating that you might be able to invade the light viel."

"Certainly, Lord Vermilion." He replies calmly, there is no hint of exhaustion coming from his aura, contrasting with the moving stake he is in at the moment, "What does my lord plan to do now?"

"When you arrive, leave Phillip outside, he cannot enter the palace at the moment. So, do not waste time on how to get him in. Then find Typhon, I am deciphering that he has a tab on His Highness." I instruct, "In the meantime, I will look for him myself."

"Understood, Lord Vermilion."

Just as Zhen Xin acknowledges my orders, I flap my wings a few times before I launch skywards. There aren’t many places where Lush can go in this domain. His magic isn’t concealed, so he will be discovered no matter where he goes. So he has to be somewhere where there is no civilization.

I head toward the southern side of the palace. There is a dense wood there that marks the borderlines of Typhon and my territory. No demons are permitted to enter the woods without any official authorization. If they do, they will be executed without any delay. So, there is a high possibility that Lush and Edward are there.

I received a letter from Typhon. The veil was cast over the palace, and it said that Lush, Erick, and Edward were up to lure the creature wreaking havoc. They’d leave the palace for that job. That time, something dawned on me, and I decided to study the historical records of angels and fallen angels. Both are nastier than humans and demons.

My vision sharpens, and I scan the area below me, trying to catch a glimpse of a silver head. I find it. My heart gives me another tight squeeze as my eyes fall over two figures on the ground. I instantly dive, my wings cutting through the wind. My movements are so fast that they are barely perceptible.

The ground cracks and rumbles as I land just before the two figures. Edward is beyond horrified, his eyes wide and his face sickly pale as he approaches Lush. He looks like he can’t breathe or think.

Meanwhile, Lush is surrounded by a ball of dark smoke. He is lifted off the ground, he is unconscious and his limbs hang limply. He is at least fifty feet off the ground. May he fall, he will die.

Rage flares inside my chest and I see red. "Let him go, Nix." My voice is a low rumble as I growl and glare down the dark smoke.

The smoke stalls move. "Lord Vermilion?" I can hear the disbelief and fear creeping into his voice. "I certainly didn’t expect you to grace me with your honorable appearance."

"Shut the crap up." I grit out through my clenched jaw, "Let go of Lush. Right. Now. Or you know the consequence." It is clearly not like me to lose my temper over anything. But I am losing it. And I can’t help it when I see Lush like this. Not sure if he is dead or alive. I can’t sense any magic from him.

I am so scared, so desperate, yet so angry, so enraged. I feel so many things at once that I haven’t felt in so many centuries.

"Very well." The smoke speaks, "I will come back to take the Holy Prince." And it drops Lush.

Lush is in a freefall. And I don’t waste any time launching and catching him on my back. I let out a breath, I didn’t know I was holding inside me. Relief washes over me as I feel the fleeting warmth of Lush’s body on my back.

He is alive...