CHAPTER TEN
DANIEL'S POV
After I noticed Tanya the witch walking silently behind me while my back was turned, I knew for sure that staying alive in that dungeon was not guaranteed. That woman was dangerous, and I could not trust that she would spare my life. What if she returned in the middle of the night to finish what she had started?
The thought alone made my heart uneasy.
When everyone seemed to be asleep, I decided that escaping from the covenant was the only chance I had left. It was better to be killed by wild animals in the jungle than to die slowly at the hands of those vampires who called themselves witches.
I struggled to untie myself from the handcuffs the witches had tied me with. My wrists were sore, and every movement caused pain, but I refused to give up.
After a few minutes of struggling, I finally managed to free my hands.
I slowly stood up and walked toward the entrance of the dungeon. To my surprise, there were no guards protecting the prisoners.
My heart skipped a beat.
Was it a trap set by Tanya to lure me into death?
For a moment I hesitated, my instincts warning me to stay alert. But then I told myself that I could not go back. Whatever waited for me outside, I would face it like a man.
As soon as I stepped outside, the cold night air brushed against my face. The jungle was quiet, yet something about the silence felt unnatural.
Then I suddenly remembered why I had come to this cursed place.
I needed the roots of the ancient baobab tree to save my kingdom.
And Jerry…
I could not leave my loyal guard in the hands of those blood-suckers. Unfortunately, I did not know in which dungeon Jerry was being held.
After thinking for a moment, I decided that the best thing to do was to get the roots first before the witches noticed my absence.
Then I would try to find Jerry.
Moving carefully through the shadows of the jungle, I slowly made my way toward the great baobab tree. Its massive branches stretched across the sky like the arms of an ancient giant watching over the forest.
As I approached, I suddenly heard voices.
I immediately froze.
It was Tanya… the blood-sucker herself… speaking with her godmother.
Without making a sound, I hid behind a small bush near the baobab tree and listened carefully to their conversation.
From my hiding place, I heard Tanya explaining to her godmother why she had tried to kill me earlier.
As she spoke, something in her story stirred a memory deep inside my mind.
Suddenly it became clear.
Tanya had once been human.
She was that small girl who had come to the palace years ago, crying and begging for justice. I remembered how my father had dismissed her words and ordered the guards to beat her and send her away.
At the time, I had thought she was simply a mad orphan.
But now I realized the truth.
No wonder she hated humans so much.
What she had told my father back then must have been real.
A strange feeling of guilt filled my chest. Although I felt pity for her suffering, it was too late to change the past.
But another terrible truth also became clear.
Even if I succeeded in obtaining the roots of the ancient tree, my kingdom would not be saved so easily.
War was coming.
I had just heard Tanya swear to take revenge on my people.
After thinking carefully, I made a difficult decision.
I would return to the dungeon and pretend to accept the witches' plan to make me their servant, just as the Queen of Witches had suggested earlier.
But in truth, I wanted to become Tanya's servant.
For the first time in my life, I was making a selfish decision for the sake of my kingdom.
If I could get close to Tanya, I might discover her plans.
Perhaps I could even stop her.
A dangerous idea began to form in my mind.
I would use my charm and my face to win her trust.
Once she fell for me, I would learn everything about the witches' covenant. Then, when the right moment arrived, I would destroy the covenant and take the roots of the ancient tree.
That way, my kingdom would be saved, and the threat of the witches would disappear forever.
I told myself that it was better to destroy one clan than to allow all humans to be destroyed by these blood-suckers.
With that decision made, I quietly returned to the dungeon.
Once again, I noticed that no one was guarding the entrance. The strange silence made me uneasy.
Then I suddenly laughed softly at myself.
How could I forget?
Witches did not need guards like humans did. Their territory was protected by powerful charms and spells. No matter how hard I tried, there was probably no way for me to escape.
I lay down on the cold dungeon floor and tried to sleep.
But sleep refused to come.
My mind was spinning with too many thoughts.
Tanya's anger… the coming war… the fate of my kingdom…
Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
My body froze.
Slowly, I turned around to see who had grabbed me.
It was Tanya.
Her eyes were dark, almost completely black, and her teeth looked longer, like those of a wild beast.
"You little stubborn fly," she said coldly. "How dare you try to escape from my clutches."
Her voice was low but filled with anger.
"Let this be the first and the last time you repeat such a foolish act," she continued, leaning closer to me. "Otherwise, I will not hesitate to disobey my godmother and make you my meal tomorrow."
Her words sent a chill through my body.
At that moment, I realized that surviving inside the witches' covenant would not be easy.
But I had already made my decision.
And there was no turning back.
END OF CHAPTER TEN