Alexis was petrified and shaken. Has his bad luck followed him this far to the rainforest kingdom? That’s the question that rang in his ears. His mind racing to figure out the wrong things he could’ve done since coming to Onis. The guard’s hostility and dark, dead eyes didn’t make him feel any better. He couldn’t even bring himself to ask any questions.
He narrowed his thoughts to Rosa. But he had not done anything to defile or violate the princess. His wrongdoing must be that he loves Rosa. That’s all the bad he had ever done. Well he was in for a shock when he came in the presence of the king.
“What is it I hear that you’re looking for information about our blood type?” The king shouted interrogatively.
“My men informed me that you want to use this information so that your people can attack and destroy us.
“No no my lord the king, that’s not true at all.” Alexis replied, his heart pounding out his chest.
“You and your people are my people.”
“I have no people in Adonis except for the few men who were here with me and some spies who have been loyal to me since my father passed.”
“I only wanted to find the cure because now I live among you.”
After a short while of processing what Alexis had just said, the king nodded.
“Okay then here is the book you are looking for.”
The king signaled to one of the servants and he brought out thebook to the king. He then gave it to Alexis who by now couldn’t believe his stroke of luck. He took it with both arms while on his knees and thanked the king for the kind gesture. A short while ago he thought he was on death row but now he was being presented a gift that could change the course of history.
There was a lot of unapproving eyes in the throne room and murmurings but the king was still very adamant and confident that he was doing the right thing.
Alexis left the presence of the king and treaded to his chambers. He was so impatient to see the contents of the book that he opened it along the way. He would go on to spend two days reading it day and night. If his sleepy eyes did not overpower him, he wouldn’t have slept until he finished the book.
Duncan, Alexis’s right hand man was worried about him because he barely ate. He was so absorbed by the book that he didn’t feel hungry. In the afternoons he would meet up with Rosa at the garden. They would go over the book together and water the two roses they got from the city center.
On the third day, they finished reading the book. They learnt that there was a specific breed of dogs that was immune to the toxin. Peruvian shepherd dogs and on the same day Alexis bought a puppy. He searched the whole city and as he was about to give up, he found a seller. But he paid an awful amount for it. A lot more than it was worth. Its owner set an unbelievable price because he saw the desperation in Alexis’s face and tone. Nonetheless Alexis was happy he finally found the missing piece in his research.
It was already dark when he got back to the palace and time for dinner was fast approaching. Without wasting time he freshened up and went to the king’s table and dined with the royal family. He had missed the last two nights and everyone was pleased to see him including the king.
After dining he walked Rosa to her quarters and along the way Rosa told her about something that had been nagging her for three days since they returned from the city tour. The queen summoned her that day and she told her that there was a rich noble family that wanted her hand in marriage for their son, Tommy. She told her mother that she doesn’t want to marry this Tommy guy or whoever his name was.
Rosa wanted Alexis to know because she feared she might be forced into the marriage.
Alexis went to his chambers sickened by the news and he laid on his bed brooding about the nightmare of seeing his beloved princess being with someone else and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. He haven’t had much rest for the past few days and he was very weary and drained. If it wasn’t for Duncan, waking him up the next morning he would’ve slept through out the day.
He woke from his deep slumber motivated to make most of the day productive. He had a small cup full of Rosa’s blood with him and he gave the Peruvian shepherd a shot of the blood to check if indeed it was truly immune. He waited 30 minutes and the puppy was still lively and playful.
He drew some of its blood into a small cup and put it on the table. Beside it were 2 more small cups filled with blood from the king’s hunting hound and Rosa’s chihuahua. Rosa drew their blood for him earlier.
With his keen sense of smell he inhaled the scent of the three different bloods and caught nothing distinctive. In a separate bowl he added some of the blood of the Peruvian shepherd and added Rosa’s blood. He charged up his spectra and an orange color glowed in his pupils. Lines appeared within his orange eyes, meeting at the center and he looked closely at the bowl.
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His magnified spectra vision allowed him to see the cells within the blood and he noticed the anti-toxin fighting the toxin. He isolated the anti-toxin in the Peruvian dog with a spell and placed it in a separate container. He was ecstatic that he was already making progress.
He injected 2 rats with the toxin and administered the dose of the anti-toxin in one of the rats. The other rat died shortly after. The rat which was given a dose of the anti-toxin passed out after a short struggle but it was still breathing.
He waited the whole day from noon till dusk and the rat finally came back to the land of the living. It survived the toxin. He did the same test again with two different rats and the outcome was still the same except that this one became conscious an hour earlier. Now all that was left was find a way to develop immunity. To have an anti-toxin is one thing, to have immunity is another thing. A more dangerous and daring thing. As he was deep in thoughts he dozed off.
At day break he went to see the king. The reason behind this visit was because he had already drew a lot of blood from the puppy and he made up his mind to go straight to Peruvia where there was plenty of Peruvian shepherd dogs. Peruvia is a town of Onisian kingdom, south west of Onis. Deep in the rain forest, stretching towards the western coast.
The king was in the throne room with his mighty guards by his side when Alexis arrived. On this particular day Omiros, the commander of the army of Onisia was there too. Alexis bowed before the king, who was pleased to see him.
“My lord the king.” Alexis said while bowing before his majesty.
“I wanted to have a word with my king.”
“Yes anything Alexis.” King Amon responded.
“I want to go to Peruvia for a few days.” Alexis said humbly.
“The Peruvian shepherd dogs are rare to find so I think it’s better if I go to Peruvia.”
“Yes I’m sure you will find them there.” The king nodded.
“I have a vacation castle there by the sea.”
“You can use the quarters.”
“And you can take some of the my men from the army to go with you.”
“Thank you my lord the king.” Alexis responded.
“Your servant has found favor in your eyes.”
“Omiros.” The king called out.
“See to it that Alexis has men to accompany him to Peruvia.”
Alexis left with comamander Omiros.
“When do you plan to leave?” Omiros asked.
“I want to leave today if possible.” Alexis responded.
“Okay I will have 2 carriages and 8 men ready in an hour.” Said Omiros.
“They will meet you at the front of the palace.”
“Thank you lord commander.” Alexis said.
“I really appreciate your help.”
Alexis turned towards Rosa’s quarters who he had not seen in over a day. The last time they spoke, she told him that a certain guy’s family had asked for her hand in marriage. Annoying as it was, he made it to fuel his desire and resolve to get immunity. And now he might have found it.
Rosa saw him from a distance and met him along the hallway of the palace with a warm hug.
“I haven’t seen in a while.” She said in a displeased voice.
“I have been doing experiments.” Alexis replied warmly.
“And?” Rosa asked curiously.
“I think I might be on to something.” Alexis replied with a slight smile.
“What do you mean by ‘on to something’ She asked again, even more curious.
“I have isolated the anti-toxin in the Peruvian shepherd and I injected rats with some of your blood. One died but the other did not.”
“The one that didn’t die was saved by the dose of the anti-toxin.”
Rosa jumped into Alexis and hugged him tightly.
“That means we are going to be together forever right?” She asked while still embracing him.
“Well we shouldn’t celebrate yet.” Alexis said in a wobbly voice .
“I still have to develop immunity from the toxin.”
“And it might take longer than the days we have left.”
“Still it’s a good sign that we have some luck on our side.” Rosa said overjoyed by the success of the experiments.
“We will see to it that you develop immunity.”
“Well I came here to tell you that I’m going to Peruvia.” Alexis responded dejectedly.
“It’s hard to find the Peruvian shepherd dogs here.”
“So I will develop immunity there.”
“And if I don’t come back by the full moon then know that I’m probably dead.”
The smiles in Rosa’s face drastically changed into an expressionless face and then into a cold frown. She looked Alexis in the eyes not knowing what to say. She had overlooked the gravity of the situation. She had not thought about the possibility of Alexis dying or perhaps she just kept herself from those dark thoughts. But the truth of the matter was that Alexis was going to suffer greatly to gain immunity. He had already come to terms with it but Rosa had not.
“No dont go.” Rosa disapproved.
“I don’t want you to put your life at risk.”
“If there is no safer way then we will marry and not have children.”
“The king will have to accept that.”
“The king will have my head for that.” Alexis said in a hushed voice.
“Besides I have already made up my mind.”
“I came here to say goodbye because I’m leaving in an hour.”
“There is nothing for me in this world if I can’t be with you.”
“What’s there to die for? If not for love?”
By now tears were streaming down her face. Her clear eyes were now bloodshot and for some reason her knees were weak. She broke down in tears and fell at Alexis’s feet weeping like a child. He caressed her shoulder and told her everything was going to be alright.
“I don’t plan on dying so please don’t worry.” He said but the words hit a deaf ear.
Rosa cried her eyes out until her servants came and with the help of Alexis they took her inside her chambers.
“Pray for my safe return.” Alexis said as he was kissing her goodbye in the forehead.
“I will.” She whimpered.
“Goodbye.” Alexis said bitterly while closing the door and Rosa burst into screams which were muffled by the door. She couldn’t wrap her head around the thought of losing Alexis.
Alexis met up with Duncan and the 8 men provided by Omiros and they left the palace. Along the way as they were driving the carriages through the city center towards the southern outskirts, Alexis saw a man staring down at him with cold dark eyes of hatred and hostility. Who could he be?