Chapter 197 - The Lair of the Undead

"You look better without a beard!" Narses whispered in his native language when the Second Prince passed him.

The comment was the first thing that almost managed to make Lex laugh, but the Prince managed to maintain his composure, glancing again at his brother. Her brother did this boldly when he was euphoric or drunk, but Narses didn't look drunk.

She was also so thrilled to see him!

A little distant, almost blurred in the background, she noticed Prior Reuben, staring at the Prince with an unreadable face.

But 'Alexander' didn't care. He was the Prince Regent, after all.

"Narses Dallassenos, we have a few things to talk about. Join the first mass in the castle chapel, early in the morning, and we'll talk a little bit soon after!"

"I'll be honored, Your Highness!"

Narses appropriately bowed in respect of the invitation, and Alexa even heard her brother say to Alexander, "Brother-in-law, you are lucky to have married this woman!"

Lex felt the Prince's face flush with his older brother's usual audacity, and more than that, with what he said!

Perhaps Alexander did not understand Greek. Yes, it was more than improbable he had learned Greek. But then she remembered that Alexander confessed to Alexa he had dreamed of her since he was a child ... And that he even thought he lived his life ... In this case, Alexander had definitely understood her brother's words!

'I'm happy that your brother is alive, Alexa. But why does it look like that man back there keeps a look on him?'

'Did you notice too? That is the Prior. The Chief of the Inquisition here in the region, 'Lex said.

Alexander was silent as soon as they entered the Church, not talking about whether he understood Narses' bravado.

Lex shivered every time she had to walk through the central nave to the front of the altar. All the things that happened there were remarkable. From her marriage to her fight with the White Queen.

As the Prince knelt before the altar, she asked Alexander,

"Are you going to tell me what you did? What is this deal with the Black Queen? And your mother?"

After a long silence, Alexander replied, not exactly in the way she expected, however,

'Alexa, do you believe that even amid so much darkness, and even knowing that we are in the mouth of hell, as we still hear, our voices can they be heard if we ask for help with our hearts? Or do you think this boastful and vain stone building is nothing but an illusion?'

'A temple is a place where we can commune ... But our voice should be heard from anywhere, supposedly.'

'I want to do this now. I want to beg for miracles. I don't know if anyone will listen to my voice, though…'

Alexander's words surprised Alexa.

'Are you going to… pray?'

But there was no answer. Alexander started to pray.

First the old beaten formulas, then Alexa heard his repeated whispers. He prayed vehemently for his father and Alexa. He asked God to allow them to live. Lex felt the urgency and the vehemence, the honesty of his heart. He asked,

'Save them! Please save them! '

The colorful and kaleidoscopic lights of the cathedral stained glass windows, at dusk, vibrated in their fullness with infinite prisms, and enveloped the Prince, breaking the raw reality into a separate and ineffable space.

Alexa lost track of time, surrounded by whispers and liturgy, seeking peace for those who left as martyrs, and asking for the lives of those who still struggled against evil.

Lex for the first time, understood who Alexander was. For the first time, she saw him.

ººº

The princess woke up feeling a damp weight on her face. Whatever was on her eyes and face, it didn't smell good.

Somewhere, she heard constant dripping, and the acrid smell of herbs, vinegar, and even alcohol, the antiseptic liquid from the east, invaded her nose. Her wrist and left hand were wrapped in a splint.

Her survival instinct told her she shouldn't waste any time. Alexa tried to stretch the body and realized that it was not constrained. Sliding off the cot where she was stretched out as quietly as she could, she put her hand over her face to remove what was preventing her from seeing.

"Get back there immediately. And don't take it off," the harsh voice ordered. Her heart beat fast with fright. And knowing that her captor was so close!

She slid back onto the cot, stretching rigidly there.

"Are you under some kind of spell?" she heard noises of heavy ceramic pots being opened and closed, and the steps of the undead on the straw-covered floor. It was the typical alchemist's or physician's den setting, she guessed.

However, the realization that Magnus had not been able to find her all day long has terrified her.

He was alive, wasn't he? He couldn't die, could he? Her heart ached with anxiety, and she sat down, despite being told not to.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I asked first."

Something bothered her about that question, but she replied promptly,

"See, I really am the victim of a curse. In addition to bringing extreme bad luck to everyone around me, I fall asleep at the worst times. I would certainly be a bad, horrible investment for someone looking for a mate ... or a maid for their lair..."

"In that case, the best thing to do would be to kill you."

"... However, even with these flaws, I sweep and clean quite well."

"Pff ..."

"I'm Alexa."

"I know."

"You know?"

"They are shouting your name in the forest, even the tree trunks know it."

"Hm…" 'that means everything is as expected. All I need to do is stay alive. Don't become a potential dinner,' thought the princess, feeling more excited.

"You are an excellent doctor, monsieur..."

"Shhhh!" he hissed for her to shut up, and Alexa cringed where she was. She heard light footsteps on the stone floor.

An oppressive and stagnant feeling filled her chest, but Alexa struggled with the sensation and tried not to instinctively cringe.

A door opened, and that presence filled the place. Alexa knew, it was the same one that had almost crushed her neck the night before. Her hands immediately went to her neck, and she found dressings there too. Maybe that was why she was practically in no pain.

She was curious to see the faces of the undead, but at the same time, Alexa was under the impression it wasn't a good idea to remove that kind of a herbal mask that covered her face and eyes. She already felt her face less swollen, and naturally she should credit the plaster for that.

But ... If they were taking the trouble to heal her before turning her into an undead too, it meant that the longer it took, the more time she would have to escape.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a cold, rough hand touch her uninjured wrist, forcing her to lie down again.

"Is your bride better?" her 'fiance's' master asked.

"She woke up now. She is confused and blabbering strange things. She probably hit her head somehow. I need to make sure she doesn't become a retard like Emmeline."

"Haha ha. You are quite a demanding suitor! Emmeline was the sweetest and most beautiful maiden I could find for you, my son. And yet you refused her."

There was an awkward silence between them, and at last the 'Master' spoke, in a tired and annoyed voice.

"Show me. I didn't really see her the night before."

"There's not much to see, although she has recovered well..."

"Then all the better. I like the color of her hair. Remember the sunlight in the morning… I think."

"It also makes me feel that way… Master. I remember the landscapes of my previous life, touched by the sun ..."

According to the legends that Alexa remembered, few undead walked in the sun.

Not because they feared it, but because it prevented the living from being able to identify them.

They preferred to move in dark, cold, or foggy environments, or when clothes could cover them. Some of them, like the ghouls, were very cadaverous and supposedly stank like decomposing bodies. They would never be mistaken for humans at close range and in broad daylight.

Alexa was thinking these were creatures similar to the Balkan upirs... Some upirs even took part in wars against the Ottomans, she heard her father tell.

A hand, even cooler than the first, touched her head, and made a kind of caress on Alexa's hair. The Princess froze in her place.

She wouldn't be able to describe the sensation again, if asked. The Lazarite teachings about the world of the dead and the most unfortunate stage of death came to mind: when a being is totally removed and forbidden to return to the infinite cycle of rebirth. There was a void and an inexplicable absence, and only the magic's power and the remaining intellect...

At the same time, it brought Magnus to Alexa's mind.

There was a similarity between them, and it was hard to understand.

"Why the fear, dear little mouse? You won't be devoured. Weren't you saved the night before? In fact ... Your destiny is greater than that of all the women you know..."

The undead creature crouched beside the cot and sniffed the princess.

Alexa flinched, in disgust and fear, her eyes moistened immediately.

"Have you touched her yet?" the voice sounded a little surprised, and curious. Alexa didn't understand the reason for the question, but understood what he wanted to know.

After a brief silence, the 'son' said,

"Yes. She's mine, isn't she?"

The realization of those words paralyzed her.