Days passed quicker than Virgil had expected and yet there was no sign of Aston coming back. No one was saying it out loud, but their lord's disappearance wasn't going unquestioned. Now was the time they needed him the most since he had provoked the Morgans. But he was nowhere to be found.
Some of them were even going as far as saying Ashton had abandoned them to save his own butt, while the others had the opinion that he was busy with negotiations with the rest of the nobility so that he could prevent war at all cost.
Nevertheless, the number of people who thought the latter was dwindling sharply as days passed. The only solace they had was the presence of the royal knights around them. With them by their side, the enemies would have to consider twice before engaging them.
Apart from that, just like Ashton had instructed them, Baiter had built an underground bunker with enough space for all the citizens to stay safe, just in case, their hands were forced into a war. That's why all the important figures in Ashton's forces had gathered there to discuss their next move.
"We did the best we could, considering the resources we had." Virgil informed the rest of them, "The defences are good, however, it would stop them indefinitely. We will need the help from the citizens to keep the enemies at bay till the Lord returns."
"I am well aware of that, Virgil." Sheera replied, "But a week's worth of training wouldn't be near enough for them to take on professionally trained soldiers."
"Dame Sheera is correct. At most they'll make a good meatshield but nothing more." Irina chimed in.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAlthough she wasn't officially a part of Ashton's army, they were close and no one wanted to piss off Alucard's daughters so no one objected as the sister joined the meeting. That being said, the sisters were a bit taken aback by Ashton's sudden departure, but then decided to help him out by assisting his people with various things around the city.
To be honest, they were frankly just as skilled as Baiter when it came to architectural stuff. Probably because, unlike the werewolves, the vampires were a species that appreciated brains along with a bit of brawn.
Everyone looked a bit stunned at Irina's suggestion. Although what she said could be a bit viable, none of them wanted to do something like that. But they could do something along the lines of that using Morgan's soldiers they had captured.
All of a sudden their meeting was cut short by a panicking soldier rushing into the room.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sheera immediately roared, snapping the soldier back to reality.
However, through his ragged breath, it was impossible to explain anything. Therefore, he simply pointed outside. All of them took notice of the man and went outside, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight.
In front of the city, more than thirty thousand soldiers were standing in neat rows and columns and not ten thousand soldiers as they had expected. The citizens were struck with fear while the same could be said for most of the soldiers.
How could they not act terribly? They were outnumbered by 60 to 1. Even in their best scenario, it wasn't possible for them to come out of this alive.
However, that wasn't all. Far behind the soldiers, a few people could be seen standing. It was clear who they were. It was Mera along with...
"Wait, is it for real?" Virgil asked as he passed the binoculars to Sheera.
"No way in hell." Sheera aggressively shook her head, "Co-operation is a different thing but this! No member of the nobility would allow such humiliation on their shoulders. At least not willingly."
"What is it?" Verina asked the duo while the rest of them rushed to guide the people into the bunker.
Sheera didn't reply and instead handed the binoculars to her. Verina hastily turned her attention in the direction they had been looking and it was safe to say, she did not take it well. Despite being a vampire, she was well aware of how beloved honour and respect were to the werewolves.
Therefore, watching their supposed noble leaders being chained like dogs was a bit surprising. Both Bishop and Marcee were naked and on their knees behaving like dogs while Mera commanded their forces along with hers.
"Now I know why Ashton hates her so much." Verina shook her head in disappointment, "Someone with a twisted mind like hers does not deserve to be alive."
"I couldn't agree more." Virgil was quick to chime in.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSheera, however, did not say a word. Her training prohibited her from badmouthing royalty, no matter how much they deserved it. But no amount of training could stop her from taking action against someone who threatened her lord.
"Prepare yourselves for battle!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as soldiers quickly got into position.
Virgil and the rest of them the command as well. However, Sheera stopped Irina and Verina from helping out in the battle unless there were no other options. Although they were annoyed by the suggestion, they knew it was for the best.
Their odds weren't getting any better and thus by endangering their life, the vampire sisters could potentially turn out to be the reason for the Vampire's invasion of Lycania, and that would be a much worse situation than the one they were facing at the moment.
"I will contact his highness the king and ask for backup. We're not sure whether he is truly supporting Mistress Mera or not and if he is... well, then we're fucked either way." Sheera said before rushing to the side.
"There is no point in setting up defences morons!" Mera's magnified voice echoed through the air, "As long as your lord surrenders himself, there won't be any bloodshed. I swear it on my deceased mother's grave!"
"There's no need to swear on your mother's grave. You can swear it upon your own!" Virgil was quick to reply.
Although he sounded confident, what he said was to merely cheer up the soldiers, all of whom were most likely going to die soon. However, it didn't seem like Mera liked his rebuttal and the next moment the enemies charged straight at them.
"Oh shit..."