Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 313: Missing in Action II

Chapter 313: Missing in Action II

"Unhand me this once, you fiend," Nereus choked out.

Despite his best efforts to seem calm and unaffected, it was difficult for him to remain completely unfazed when he was face-to-face with his old tormentor, the person responsible for making his life a living hell as a child. He couldn’t believe that he was once again overpowered by such a scoundrel and his equally devious half-sister.

Nereus gnashed his teeth, closing his eyes as he cursed himself for letting his guard down. He had spent nearly a decade constantly jumping at shadows to keep himself safe, and the moment he had stopped doing so, he got captured.

The glowing red collar around his neck made even speaking difficult. He wanted nothing more than to turn into water and escape back into the lake, but he was imprisoned, all four of his limbs nailed down to a stone tablet. The entire room was sweltering hot, as though someone had lined the floors and walls with coals and lit them aflame.

Nereus could not summon water to free himself. He twisted his neck and hissed as the hot iron dug into his skin. Never again did he ever think he would be imprisoned!

"Why would I, after I spent so much effort tracking you down?" Alistair loomed over Nereus, his eyes dark with madness as he held a bright red poker in his hand. "You have just what I want."

The hot poker dug into Nereus’s flesh, and he screamed in pain.

"Scream all you want, no one will find you. At least not in time," Alistair said with deranged cheerfulness. "If you behave, I’ll leave enough pieces for Daphne to identify you when I’m done."

"She’ll kill you! You won’t get away with this!" Nereus swore. He was sure that Daphne had already noticed his absence. She was coming to save him, just like she had done as a child. He had to believe it.

"If she even realizes you’re gone," Alistair retorted viciously, "I’m sure a soon-to-be queen has a lot more to worry about during her coronation than a watery pet!"

"Brother."

A meek voice came from behind, causing Alistair to turn back. Drusilla stood right outside the cell, her hand still placed on the stone walls. She didn’t dare to step in even with how resistant she was to heat. The entire cage that Alistair had reworked for Nereus was more like a doorway to hell than a dungeon.

"The coronation," she said. "It has started."

Now that Nereus’s screams had temporarily ceased, if Alistair strained his ears hard enough, he could indeed hear the faint sound of orchestra music streaming even into the gloomy walls of the dungeons. The coronation was broadcasted through the kingdom so that every single civilian would know of their new queen.

Even though the thought of the coronation soured his mood, just remembering the fact that the music was still playing greatly calmed him down. With the ongoing ceremony, there was no way anyone would be able to hear Nereus even if he were to continue screaming.

"Let them celebrate all they want," Alistair said, waving his hand. "They won’t be rejoicing much longer."

He then gestured to the table that was placed right outside of Nereus’s cell. There, multiple vials and bottles were placed, filled with unknown liquids. Herbs and pills were also scattered across the tabletop. At the very center was a small glass that was glowing bright blue.

"It’s ready," Alistair said, looking at Drusilla.

"Are you sure it will work, Brother Alistair?" Drusilla asked.

She walked over and shakily picked up the glass. Cautiously, she placed it under her nose and tried to take a whiff. However, there was no jarring scent other than the faint smell of seaweed and the telling coppery scent of blood. It seemed like no matter the species, the smell of blood was a constant.

It was what Alistair thrived on.

"It has to," he said through gritted teeth.

It was only then did Drusilla noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. Alistair’s veins could be seen against his pale skin, popping out more than usual. Paired with the eerie glow of the red cell, he looked even more like a monster than the kelpie did.

"It will work," he said again, this time more firmly. "If it doesn’t work then..."

Turning around, he thrust the poker back against Nereus’s skin, causing the latter to roar out in pain. Steam rose into the air, the high temperatures of the metal causing Nereus’s water-like body to evaporate.

Drusilla watched, her voice clogged in her throat due to fright. These days, Alistair had become more and more demented. She didn’t want to risk waiting. If she did hesitate, who knew if Alistair would go crazy and decide to brand her instead?

She nodded once, taking in a deep breath before holding it and placing the glass against her lips as she chugged the liquid down. The blue glow was so intense that it could even be seen through her skin, lighting down a path before it eventually disappeared into her belly.

Once she had finished everything, Drusilla gasped out loud. All three people present waited in silence.

And waited.

But nothing happened.

"Did it... fail?" Drusilla asked, quaking.

The previous versions had nearly been perfect. When they had experimented last, the woman looked so similar to Daphne that even Drusilla herself — someone who had grown up by Daphne’s side — had to do a double take. However, that woman’s voice wasn’t the same as Daphne’s. That made her a failure in Alistair’s eyes.

"No..." Alistair muttered under his breath. He dropped the poker, causing it to clang loudly against the stone floors as he crouched down as well. "No! No, no, no!" He shot to his feet again and screamed, "It can’t be!"

In a few quick steps, he had made his way right in front of Drusilla. He grabbed her by her shoulder, shaking her as he examined her face closely. True enough, nothing had changed. Drusilla still looked exactly the same as before, other than the slight blue that tinged her lips due to the potion.

"How can this be?!" Alistair yelled, a mouthful of his saliva spewing out and splattering across Drusilla’s face.

She closed her eyes and looked away, trying to evade it but to no avail. Drusilla was well coated in a thin layer of his saliva. Yet, disgusting as it was, that was the least of her worries.

Alistair had looked even more maniacal than before. His eyes practically looked like they were about to bulge out of his skull and his lips had turned even paler. He kept shaking his head, muttering incoherent words under his breath.

"Brother, maybe―"

Drusilla was stopped short when a sharp pain pierced through her abdomen. She looked down, thinking that it was Alistair who had stabbed her, only to realize that she was completely unharmed. However, the pain was relentless.

She clutched her stomach and dropped to her knees, crying out in agony.

Alistair stepped back and watched, his eyes wide and mouth hanging agape as Drusilla started to morph right in front of his very eyes. He had witnessed this transformation so many times before but even till now, it was still beautiful to behold.

Even Nereus, who had already regulated his breathing and looked up from his pain, sucked in a breath of air as he watched in silence.

When Drusilla had stopped convulsing on the floor, the shade of her hair had turned so light that it was almost white. She took a couple of seconds before she pushed herself back up onto her feet, and the moment her gaze met with Alistair’s, a bright smile spread across his face.

"How do I look, Brother?"