<h4>Chapter 225: Infestation</h4>


    Zyren didn’t order the carriage to stop until they had gone deep into the main city. Past the city center and close to the walls that led to the outer cities—some still governed by humans but overseen by vampires.


    The guard didn’t ask any questions even when Zyren ordered him to keep going, heading through the road and past the forest that divided the Vampire realm from that of the Werewolves.


    He didn’t ask why Zyren didn’t take more guards or anything like that. He simply sat quietly in the driver’s seat of the carriage and did the one thing he had been asked to do.


    He drove.


    The horses raced forward, their hooves pounding against the stone path, and the guard never once tried to lower their speed.


    Time slowly passed as the guard, dressed in ck from head to toe and covered in a dark coat whose material looked more than strong enough to protect him from the rays of the sun, kept his posture steady. Still, he lowered the hood down every few minutes to ensure that it didn’t mistakenlye off.


    The horses moved quickly, but even then it still took a long while before they finally reached the gate of the outer city thaty closest to the city center.


    The head of guard was more than relieved when he saw what seemed to be their destination—and more importantly, that the sun was beginning to go down.


    "Move closer to the gate!" Zyren instructed.


    The guard instantly did asmanded, pulling the reins to allow the horses to slow their pace and guiding them toward the direction Zyren wanted.


    The city walls were huge, towering high into the air. The guards who stood at the gate were clearly human, seeing as they had no problems with the sunlight.


    They waved the carriage down the second it drew closer, wide smiles already stretching across their faces—almost as though they could already see the gold coins they would collect, given the quality of the carriage, even if it bore no emblem painted on its side.


    Zyren’s head of guard did not lower his hood, and neither did the gate guards ask him to once they caught sight of his eyes.


    "The toll is one gold coin!" one of them announced.


    The other moved closer to the carriage window, as though trying to glimpse what was inside.


    Without hesitation, Zyren’s guard produced four gold coins and tossed them to the man, who instantly beamed as though the god of light himself had descended upon the earth in the form of a naked woman.


    "Many thanks!" the guard said eagerly.


    His partner had been about to demand that the person inside the carriage show himself, but shut his mouth the moment he saw the gleaming gold coins in hisrade’s hand. The original toll was only two silver coins, and the excess was more than enough to silence questions.


    "You may pass!" the man dered instead, quickly bowing in respect, following the lead of his partner who still jiggled the coins in delight.


    The driver didn’t hesitate. He spurred the horses forward once more, guiding them through as the guards bowed their heads in appreciation while the carriage rolled past.


    "Should I find us a ce to rest, my king?" Zyren’s head of guards asked.


    "No. Just move around the city, then head out for the next," Zyren ordered, leaning back into his seat with a bored expression across his face.


    The carriage windows were veiled by transparent curtains—fine enough to allow him to see outside, but dense enough that others could not clearly make out who sat within.


    That didn’t stop people from trying. Some of the younger ones along the streets didn’t even bother to hide their curiosity, craning their necks to catch a glimpse.


    Carriages and horses were few in number here, their appearances rare enough to be counted and cataloged—especially those that bore recognizable emblems. To see one without any insignia at all was even stranger.


    Still, for all their curiosity, none dared to touch it. The carriage rumbled past them, swift enough that the onlookers couldn’t keep pace.


    "I smell the vague scent of blood in the air," Zyren’s head of guards suddenly spoke as they reached the poorer quarters of the city, where the destitute crowded the streets.


    The stench here was worse than before—filth and despair mingled with the cries of beggars. Yet beyond the foul air was something sharper, something distinct that no vampire could miss: the faint tang of fresh blood.


    "There might be a big feeding ground. Those have been banned," he said in a low voice, his tone edged with warning.


    Zyren didn’t answer at once. He leaned toward the curtain-draped window and drew in one long, deep breath. Only then did he speak.


    "No, Annan. It’s not just blood."


    The words were calm, but they froze Annan in ce. His eyes widened in shock, the realization settling cold in his chest. He knew Zyren’s senses were far beyond his own.


    "Zygons?" he gasped.


    Zyren gave no reply, but the silence was answer enough.


    Annan tightened his grip on the reins and forced the horses forward, driving the carriage quickly through the lowest rungs of the city and steering toward the far side of the gates that led outside. He followed the twisting streets until finally he found the right path.


    But before the carriage could approach the gate, two long lines of guards came streaming out—both vampires and humans.


    <fnc8dd> The rightful source is find?novel</fnc8dd>


    Annan’s breath caught in his throat. The sight was jarring enough to leave him momentarily stunned.


    The sun was going down, but not so far that vampires could walk unshielded. And yet before him stood dozens of them, cloaked in no coats, no hoods, no protection at all.


    The word Zyren had spoken earlier thundered back into his mind.


    <i>Zygon.</i>


    The thought of them—more than a dozen, standing bold in the fading light—chilled him. He remembered the explosion he had once witnessed, wrought by a single one of them. The memory alone was enough to make his heart seize.


    "I can run past them!" Annan blurted, the words spilling out before he could contain them.


    Anxiety sharpened his voice, trembling at the edges. He knew they might look normal now, but he also knew the truth: they could transform at will into monsters two or three times his size, with healing abilities that defied belief.


    And before them now stood not one, not two, but many.