Ileus: The Dark Prince - Chapter 286

Anastasia cocked her head with a frown. "What happened to the paintings?" She felt that strange foreboding again. 

Ileus sat down beside her and helped her to prop her on the pillows. She was looking pale and so fragile that his heart ached. He said, "After you had fainted, I had teleported them to Iona's room. They were supposed to be stashed in a corner, but they lined a wall. The maids are now afraid of going in the room because they hear strange hissing sounds emitting from the paintings. Mother has cast spells around the room for the moment and no one is allowed to enter." 

"Oh!" Anastasia's mind went back to the paintings. She did hear strange sounds. "When I touched the window curtains of the largest painting, I felt as if I was sucked in time. When I fainted in my dreams I saw— I saw a very young Maple. She was only ten years old and she was trying to protect her father from her mother. Etaya was standing with a jämbiya on top of him and they were on an altar. She wanted to kill him!" 

Ileus jerked his head back. "Did you see that in your dreams?" 

She nodded, hoping they were just nightmares. 

Ileus looked at the worry on her face. He bent down and hugged her tightly. "I think they are just nightmares. Don't think much about them. What Etaya does or did in her past is of no consequence to us. We have to think about what we have to do next." 

She wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, sinking in his woodsy and spicy scent. A soft knock on the door distracted them. 

"Come in," said Ileus and sat straight. 

Haldir stepped in, sheathing his sword and behind him were Darla and Kaizan. 

Darla rushed to her and sat on the other side of the bed. "How are you, Anastasia?" 

She smiled lightly and said, "I am fine, Darla. And you?" 

Darla stared at the innocent little girl. She took her hands to her cheek and stroked them softly. "I am fine." She took a deep breath and looked at Kaizan, who immediately rushed out. 

"What did you two just talk about?" she asked. 

"I asked him to fetch food for you because I can hear your stomach grumble," said Darla. She shot a dark look at Ileus. "Someone here is happy to have his wife with him only without considering that she needs food." 

"Well, I was—" 

Darla put her hand up in the air to stop Ileus ranting. "That's fine Ileus. Kaizan has gone." 

Ileus pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "Where's Aidan?" he asked. 

A pale blush spread on Darla's cheeks as Anastasia giggled. "He is on the outside, managing the devotees. And stop playing mind games with me."

Anastasia chortled and so did Haldir. Haldir pulled a chair and sat down, crossing his leg at the knee of the other one. 

Ileus turned to him as Darla covered Anastasia with a blanket. She whispered in a concerned voice, "Girl, you look so pale." 

"Did you talk to Draven?" asked Ileus as he turned towards Haldir.

"Yes, and he said that he didn't have any knowledge about the dancer. The thing is that their original dancer was found dead in the room just below the stage. Draven said that he wasn't there. It is his daughter who manages the place. He was in the ministry on his duty. Now that is a very strong alibi. We can't touch him because there would be many who would vouch for his presence at the ministry building. Not only that, when you enter the building, there's a magic spell that covers your body to identify your DNA. Basically, Draven's involvement is very hard to prove. I have sent my Mozias to investigate other aspects." 

"And what about his daughter?" 

"She has gone to the human realm a week back. It is the Manager whom we are suspicious of, but the Manager is a staunch devotee of Anastasia because she served food to her! She will never go against Anastasia!" 

"This is getting complicated," Ileus mused. 

"We are keeping a watch on Draven," Haldir said. "We have sealed the restaurant for the time. But as I say all this, unrest in the kingdom grows. The rumor is spreading very fast and we can't contain it. I am afraid that if this continues to grow this rapidly, a civil war would break out and Adrianna would be challenged to stay as the queen of Draoidh."

Anastasia gasped. "What have I done?" she said in a shaky voice. 

"Adrianna has asked the Shaman to open the gates of the temple for the people all day," said Haldir. 

"And how will that help?" asked Anastasia. She was getting utterly flustered. 

Haldir shrugged. "I believe the only person who has the answers is the Shaman," he said. "If things dive south, I will have to ask Inyanga to come and help us." 

A heavy knock on the door halted their conversation. 

"Who is it?" Ileus growled. 

The door creaked open and Tamara walked in with her veil intact. She bowed to all of them. She looked at Anastasia and in her usual lilting voice said, "The Shaman has called you in the sanctum of the moon goddess. He says that he has to urgently discuss things with you. However, he also says that if you are not feeling well, the discussions can be held later." 

Kaizan entered the door with a tray of food. He stiffened seeing the woman in a veil. "What is it?" he asked Tamara. She repeated the request. He said, "Anastasia is not going anywhere until she eats," he informed Tamara. "We are going to come as soon as she has eaten." 

Tamara looked Kaizan and then bowed. "I will inform the Shaman. We are waiting for you in Selene's sanctum." 

"But there would be a lot of people out there at this time," said Anastasia, feeling queasy all over again. Meeting people had become such an ordeal to her. Even at Vilinski she was either not allowed to meet or when she met, she kept her distance. 

"We have closed the gates to clean the courtyard," said Tamara. "People are outside the gates, but—" 

Ileus frowned at her hesitation. "But what?" he goaded her to complete her sentence.

"But there is a large number of people, and there's unrest amongst them. We are doing our best to control them." 

"Okay!" Ileus breathed out. 

Tamara bowed to all of them again and left the room. When the door was shut, Haldir said, "I will go and contain the wrath of the public."

Anastasia knew that Haldir's magic was much stronger than hers. He was an elf, a race that was even more ancient than the faes. But because he was bonded to Ileus by his mother, Adrianna for lifetime, he could never claim to be the most powerful in the Lore. Not that he wanted to. According to him, he was one of the happiest men living in all the realms. He had no lust for power or thrones. He was happy to serve the queen because of her, he came out of hiding and got acceptance, because of her, he met his mate, Inyanga.