14.

Saving Lana

~*~

Junhong entered the palace after satisfying his thirst. It was already dark and he quickly returned, knowing well that once the sun has set and the moon was out, that was when danger arose. He was feeling energetic and was rather in a chirpy mood. However, he settled to remain aloof towards Lana. He wasn’t angry at her actually. He was just pretending to be so that she realised that whatever she was doing wasn’t right. She was Yongguk’s fiancée after all.

Junhong walked across the hallway towards his room when he stopped just right in front of Lana’s room. Although they just had an argument in the afternoon, he still needed to make sure she was alright. Slowly, his hand went towards the door knob and turned it open. Much to his relief, he saw Lana lying on the bed with her back against the door. There was nothing amiss. She was just sleeping. So, he quietly closed the door and proceeded towards his room.

However, his instincts told him the otherwise. In a matter of just seconds, he felt a strong unwanted presence. He didn’t know exactly what it was but he knew something was not quite right. Immediately, he turned his heels and went back towards Lana’s room. He opened to a sight he never expected.

Junhong dashed inside only to find Lana was no longer in her room. He looked towards the balcony which was opened and the gusty wind entered the room. Instantly he sprinted to catch whoever the culprit was. He jumped down from the ledge of the second floor and landed effortlessly on the ground.

“Seal the Palace!” Junhong commanded towards the guards who instantly scrambled up. “Find the Princess!”

After giving the orders, he ventured towards the black forest using his sense of smell to navigate his way towards the intruder. Lana’s scent was still fresh together with an unknown scent. He followed the trail of scent running at full speed. However, after just over a minute of chasing, the scent was no longer detected. It was as though it vanished. Frantically, Junhong looked left and right trying to figure out where they could have gone to. He closed his eyes and tried to vision where Lana was but it was useless. He didn’t know who she was with. He couldn’t trace her at all; neither could he trace her future.

Without wasting any time, he headed back to the palace where all the guards and servants were already up on their feet with distressed look just like him. He examined their faces one by one yet it seemed like none has found the Princess. They searched high and low but she was not in the palace. His guess was right. She was taken away by an unknown being he couldn’t trace. As a result, he couldn’t locate where she could have been.

Frustrated, he yelled. “Where are the guards?!”  Soon, a group of them stepped forward with clueless expression. “Did you see anything from Princess Lana’s balcony?” He questioned them.

They shook their heads nervously, aware that they were in deep trouble. None seemed to have noticed anything suspiciously.

Junhong walked towards them and looked into their eyes one by one. He tried to catch if any of them were lying but their eyes showed that they were speaking the truth. It was weird because they could have at least detected Lana’s scent. Yet, they were absolutely oblivious. It was as though they were being blinded by the enemy, just like him. If there was anyone unwanted in the palace, Junhong would be able to locate using his sense of smell. But he didn’t.

“Get me Prince Yongguk now!” Junhong demanded.

~*~

Yongguk and the Princes were in the car to meet up with the council members after being requested to attend an urgent discussion. Although they weren’t sure what the occasion was, the royal family was obliged to follow what the council has ordered. Yongguk settled at the back seat while Himchan and Daehyun were in front. Jongup and Youngjae were in another car. They departed just before the sun set, hoping they would reach in the morning just in time for the discussion. The council building was located up north the state. And it was about 7 hours drive. It was just past midnight and they had about 2 hours left to go.

Suddenly, Yongguk’s phone buzzed loudly. Surprised at the call, he looked into his phone to see that it was the palace’s number. Sensing something must have been wrong, he answered straightaway.

“Yes?” He spoke and then remained silent as he listened intently over the line. His eyes turned wide and his hands slowly trembled.

Himchan noticed the dark expression from Yongguk and asked. “Yongguk, what’s –“

“Turn the car around now.” Yongguk ordered as he shut the phone.

Both Daehyun and Himchan were surprised by the request. “Hyung, what happened?” Daehyun asked.

“Lana’s missing –“ That was all Yongguk said and Himchan immediately slammed the accelerator pedal.

In less than 3 hours, the Princes were back in the palace where everyone was up and anxious. Yongguk slammed open the grand door and instantly searched for Junhong. He spotted the young male and approached him in rage. He grabbed Junhong’s neck and dragged his body against the wall. The youngest didn’t retaliate. He was too shock to defend himself.

“I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT HER!” Yongguk burst in a loud voice.

The rest of the Princes scrambled to stop the fight. It took both Daehyun and Jongup to pull Yongguk away and let Junhong free.

Junhong fell to the floor and looked at Yongguk miserably. “Someone took her away –“ He choked. “I tried –“ He stumbled his words as he tried to explain. “I’m sorry.”

“Junhong, listen to me. Did you see who?” Youngjae knelt down and asked Junhong in calm manner as compared to Yongguk.

Junhong shook his head. “No, whoever he is, he’s fast and –“ He stopped briefly before adding. “He has gifts.”

“Gifts?” Jongup looked at the youngest.

“Yes.” Junhong replied.

The Princes knew well that the only ones who possessed gifts other than them were the special guards the previous King used to keep. There were a few left and most have joined the council.

“Get me the council number now.” By then Yongguk has calmed himself down. Being angry unnecessarily wouldn’t solve the problem. He needed to get Lana safe and he must do it in a calm and collected way.

Instantly a servant handed the phone to him and he began his talk.

“The royal family is experiencing a slight problem and we are unable to attend the discussion –“ He stopped halfway. “The meeting which the council requested for this morning... What do you mean by there’s no such request? Someone called –“ Yongguk remained quiet before he spoke in a composed tone. “I understand. We must have misunderstood. All is fine. Rest assured. Thank you.”

He put down the phone and faced the rest of them.

“We have a new enemy.”

They knew right away that there was no meeting requested. The council has nothing to do with it. It was a trap to get Yongguk and the Princes away from the palace in order to get Lana. Whoever the enemy was, he was using the council as an excuse. Yongguk wasn’t planning to include the council in this situation hence he ensured they were unaware that Lana was missing. It was an internal problem between the royal family and the enemy, which was still unknown to them. Nonetheless, they gathered and engaged their best expertise to find Lana.

As the clock ticked, Yongguk became even more anxious. Every minute passed could only mean that Lana was in more danger. The Sun has risen and if nothing has happened, she would have gone to school already. The guards, servants and the palace advisors worked hard as they tried to trace any possible lead to the Princess. They used their sense of smell to their best as their tried to detect any familiar scent. The guards covered a territory of more than 5 miles around the palace yet there was no sign of Lana. Junhong went on the search together. Of all the Princes, he was the most troubled by Lana’s disappearance, even more than Yongguk, because it was entirely his fault. Yongguk, on the other hand, used his contacts he had to locate Lana as quickly as possible.

~*~

The male vampire carried Lana inside a secluded mansion far from the palace. He has been travelling at full speed for more than 5 hours. He was greeted by 2 other vampires, both male and female as they watched him and the princess. Their eyes displayed hostility at the presence of a human. Although their thirst has been controlled, it was still hard to be near a human. The human blood was still the greatest temptation.

The male vampire, known as Lee brought Lana into a room with only just a cold wooden table and a few ropes lying on the floor. There was nothing else. It was just them. It seemed like the vampires were already prepared for what was about to come. He placed her on the table quite roughly which stirred her awake. Slowly, she opened her eyes while the unknown vampires, two males and a female crowded her with intense glare. Her vision was still blurry after being knocked out for a few hours. However, once she was able to comprehend the situation, immediately, she jolted up.

“Where am I? And who are you?” Lana’s voice quivered in fear. Still dressed in her sleeveless night gown, she was feeling cold. Yet, it wasn’t the time to think about what she was feeling. She was even more afraid at the beings standing in front of her.

With a smirk, a male vampire named Park, stepped forward. “Don’t be afraid. We won’t do anything.”

“What do you want?” Lana asked. Her voice was shaking and she was already sitting at the edge of the table, away from the vampires.

The female vampire approached her. Her name was Kim. She was gorgeous with long wavy hair, red eyes and luscious lips. Her body figure was comparable to any of the Victoria Secret models. “We don’t intend to harm you... Well, if only you give us what we want.”

Lee came nearer but Lana was already at the edge of the table. She was trapped. The male vampire was so close to her that she could feel his cold skin brushing against her. “Princess, we are here to ask a few things. And if you can answer them, we will let you go.”

“W-W-What d-d-d-o you w-want?” Lana stuttered.

“I’m sure you are aware that the royal Princes possess rare gifts none of us know.”

“All we want to know is what gifts do they have?” Park, the male vampire asked her.

Lana’s eyes widened. She knew about the gifts. However, she was not allowed to reveal to anyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She defended.

Lee stared at her with his head slightly tilted as if examining her. “Don’t lie, sweetheart. I have gifts too.”

Lana was surprised yet she remained calm. Maybe he could detect a lie. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to disclose the Princes’ gifts. “You won’t get anything from me.” She stated boldly.

Kim twisted her neck and clenched her fists tightly. “I’m going to ask one last time. What are their gifts?”

Lana remained quiet and looked at them without flinching.

Park came closer to her with his eyes piercing straight at hers. “We’re going to have some fun.”

In just seconds both Lana’s hand was tied up above her head and her body was dangling from the ceiling. The three vampires exchanged evil glances before taking turns throwing punches and hitting Lana’s body like a punching bag. The girl could only cry in pain helplessly as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Are you going to tell us?!” Kim yelled as she kicked Lana forcefully right at her stomach.

Lana closed her eyes as she endured the torturous pain. Getting hit by humans was bad enough, but these were vampires. Every hit inflicted on her, it was a lot painful. They were stronger and powerful. However, she ignored the pain and replied bravely. “You can kill me. I won’t reveal anything to you!”

Once again, Kim kicked Lana so hard that the girl could no longer bear and was knocked unconscious. Her head hung low as her body dangled motionlessly. She was severely bruised and battered yet after asking her countless time, she refused to speak. Kim was about to throw in another punch when Park intervened.

“Stop, you’re going to kill her.”

“I don’t care –“

“Remember our order is to interrogate her, not kill.” Lee stated.

Kim finally calmed down.

“We’ll ask her again once she’s up.”

“Fine, let’s go hunt for blood. I’m tired after all this.” Kim spitefully said and the three of them walked out of the room leaving Lana.

Meanwhile, Lana moved a little. She was semi-conscious. She could taste blood in and felt her whole body slowly turning numb. Her arms which were tied up above her head were severely aching. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to keep her mind awake. The pain was unbearable beyond words.

And she was helpless that all she could do at the moment was to mumble softly on her own. “Please help me... Y-Y-Y-Yonguk... Please –“ She stopped to cough more blood. She could see dark spots in her vision and knew right away that she was slipping into unconsciousness. However, she bit her lip so hard, trying to keep herself awake. This wasn’t the time to give up. If she closed her eyes, she might not open it anymore. “Stay awake, Lana...”

Back in the palace, it was chaotic. Junhong entered the room where the rest of the princes were gathered after hours of search. Yongguk looked up only to see a disappointed look from the youngest. Although he was angry at Junhong at first, he finally calmed down and forgave him after seeing how miserable he was. Finding Lana was his priority above anything else at the moment. He stood up and was about to join the search when Daehyun suddenly spoke.

“Junhong, could you sense Lana’s future? What’s her next move?” He asked.

Yongguk stopped and glanced at Junhong, waiting for his reply. Junhong shuffled his seat as he closed his eyes and used his gift. The princes knew what Junhong was capable of. Although it was going to be difficult to locate Lana, if he could sense what could be her next move, at least they could roughly get a picture of where she could be.

Using one’s gift usually took a toll on the princes. The more intense it was, the more energy required. Right now, Junhong was doing something he never tried. Lana was far away in an unknown place and to detect what her short-sighted future might be, it was going to take up a lot of energy. However, Junhong went right straight without thinking twice. He cleared his mind and traced Lana’s image. He could vaguely see her but he could listen to her impending thoughts.

“Stay awake, Lana...”

That was her voice and immediately Junhong fell back against his seat. He was perspiring and was visibly shaken.

“Junhong, don’t hurt yourself –“ Yongguk advised the youngest who was drained.

“Lana –“ His voice quivered. “There are hurting her.” He said with panicked stricken face.

“What?” Himchan looked worried along with the rest of the princes.

Yongguk approached Junhong and waited for more details. “Anything else? Do you see who? Do you see where she is?”

“I can’t –“ He stopped. “No, let me try again.”

“Junhong, you will get hurt.” Youngjae warned.

However, Junhong couldn’t care less. He closed his eyes and used his gift once more. The rest of the princes waited anxiously as they watched. Yongguk clenched his fists hoping Junhong could lead them somewhere. Yet, at the same time, he was just as worried for him. His powers were definitely draining his energy and if he pushed too hard, it might be disastrous.

“Junhong ah –“ Jongup called, as he watched helplessly.

The youngest face contorted and his expression displayed intense pain. Yongguk thought it was enough and was about to stop Junhong when suddenly he opened his eyes.

“She’s somewhere in a deserted mansion right up at the northern edge of the state.” Junhong blurted out and immediately went limp after using too much of his energy.

Yongguk went straight to him and hover his palm above his head. He used his healing touch to absorb as much pain as he could until Junhong finally woke up. Despite the healing, Junhong was exhausted. His eyes were red and his hands were trembling.

Yongguk looked at him and said. “Good job. Now, rest and we’ll take it from here.” He turned to the guards by the side and requested for them to search for any mansion located on the northern end.

If a war was the only solution, Yongguk was all prepared for it.

To be continued...

A/N:

Sorry late update. Uni is really taking a part of my life away. Haiz.... I don't think I'll be able to update as often but rest assured, the story won't abruptly end. It has a longggg way to go. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful comments. I really apologise for the lack and slow update. Please bear with me. Thank you again! ^__^