286 The Antidote- Part 3
Without waiting for a response from Jas' Madeline turned around to ask Calhoun, "Is there any cure for a person who has turned to a werewolf?"
Calhoun shook his head, "So far, none. Though there have been rumours about it, no one has ever turned back to a human after turning to a werewolf."
"The rumour must have sparked from sowhere, isn't it?" asked Madeline. After seeing what Jas turned out to be and taking in his current situation, she didn't want him continuing to suffer. "What about Lady Catherine's marriage to him?"
"They do not hold any leverage with anymore."
Madeline heard Jas speak behind her, and she turned around to see Jas who pulled up the sleeve of his shirt which was frailly resting on his shoulder. "Mr. Barnes had threatened my father and , that they would kill us, but now with my father gone, they cannot force into it."
Madeline gave Calhoun a pleading look, wanting him to help Jas. Calhoun, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he wanted to help the werewolf. Calhoun was more than happy to brush this case of Jas Heathcliff off his hands, but this was also an excellent opportunity to bring and seal the deal with Madeline. He didn't want to miss such a golden opportunity.
"Do you know who might be wanting to fra you for the murder that took place? And maybe why?" questioned Calhoun to Jas, wanting his perspective, even though he had already found so of the trailed pieces of evidence.
Jas answered, "I don't know. I didn't have a brawl with anyone and the villagers in East Carswell, they have always been peaceful."
"Sure, but nobody decides to leave a body behind in your backyard, thinking it to be for decorative purpose," Calhoun's words were sharp, and Jas only glared. Just because Madeline had made peace with the King, it didn't an Jas liked the vampire. He continued to despise the man but knowing nothing could be done right now, he decided to behave civilly.
"The body was not found in one piece, but it was torn. Forcibly. The head was pulled away from the body, not beheading," Calhoun said, his gaze falling on Madeline, "Do you want to know who it was?"
Jas shook his head, "If it was soone who tore the body, it must be a vampire's work."
"Yes, that's right," Calhoun agreed, and then said, "Mr. Barnes who had co to the cremation of the dead girl said he didn't know where you are. He hoped that I would help you out from the sticky situation which you were put in."
"Lady Catherine's family must be looking for Mr. Heathcliff right now," replied Madeline and she saw Calhoun nod his head.
"Yes, considering Mr. Heathcliff didn't go to his in-laws asking help to protect him, I would say yes. They are looking for him," stated Calhoun. "I found so fascinating trails from the Barnes' family. Young Catherine has been killing people in her mansion."
Madeline and Jas furrowed their eyebrows.
"Y-you an she's the one?" asked Madeline.
"That's not possible!" Jas defended Catherine Barnes. The vampiress was pushy, but she was a person who would never hurt a fly, "You must be mistaken."
Calhoun chuckled at Jas' naivety. He wondered if turning to a werewolf had turned the tailorman's mind more dumb than before.
"I have no obvious proof, of course, because I heard it from soone, but it is very much possible. Your future wife to be is trying to do sothing and who knows what is running in her head. There have been no leads so far, and you are the only suspect. Not to forget with your current transformation...You will be directly sent to execution."
"I didn't do it!" Jas defended himself, "I was with my father the whole ti. At the graveyard."
Calhoun said, "I believe you. Only because Madeline believes that you are incapable of killing people."
Madeline looked up at Calhoun, her heart turning warm over his words. To Madeline, Calhoun was willing to respect her words and thoughts right now, it ant a lot to her. The King then continued to speak,
"I don't think Mr. Barnes would be happy if he heard about his future son-in-law turning to a werewolf. But if we inford the Barnes, it is possible that Mr. Barnes' will get rid of you by informing the authorities himself."
"What do we do then?" asked Madeline with a worried look, bringing a broad smile on Calhoun's lips.
"Leave it to , sweetheart," he said to Madeline. He then said to Jas, "We don't know if the cure exists. But if it is true, I will get one for you," and it was only because having Jas as a werewolf was troubleso. Calhoun wanted Jas far and away from Madeline, "But for that, you will have to do what I tell you. Do you agree?"
Jas stared at Calhoun, "Is this your way of getting rid of ? What if you set up to be executed?" he questioned the vampire.
"Isn't that why Madeline is here," Calhoun smiled down at Jas. " hurting you would be nothing less than breaking her trust. This way, we have an assured deal. Now that Madeline has also confessed how she feels, I am hoping that you wouldn't be foolish enough to chase her any more. It is a very unattractive quality."
"Is that what you did?" asked Jas, challenging the King but Calhoun was in a pleasant mood to take any offence.
"Every rule has an exception, and I am the exception," responded Calhoun.
Madeline stared at both Calhoun and Jas, her eyes moving back and forth until Calhoun said, "I will have my n co and unshackle you. But you will be shackled back during the ti of night. It is just for precautionary asures until we find the rumoured antidote."
When Madeline and Calhoun stepped out of the cell room and then from the dungeon, she asked him,
"How are we going to find the antidote?"
"We shall look for it from where the rumour was stemd. Not to forget, you are not human anymore. You must have more abilities apart from cracking glasses and picking up locks. Does your sister know how to pick locks too?"
"Not as good as ," answered Madeline. As they were out in the open, she could sll the fresh air, "You said the people of the High House are on their way. What if they put Jas up for execution and fra you for it?"
"The High House people will take three more days before they arrive. Three days is a lot of ti," Calhoun looked confident, and sowhere Madeline believed Jas would be able to return to his everyday life. At least she hoped she would.
Far away from the castle, and in the Barnes' mansion, the young vampiress paced back and forth in her room.
When she heard her father enter the room, Catherine stopped walking and asked, "Did you find him?"
"No, there's no trace of him," answered Mr. Barnes', internally smiling and happy that he had sohow got rid of the lowly human.
"Where do you think he is?! He shouldn't have gone too far away from here!" Catherine cried as she turned hysterical by the disappearance of Jas Heathcliff, not knowing where he was. Did her plan backfire? Catherine had been expecting Jas to co to her for help, but instead, the man had disappeared.
"We don't know, Catherina. He must have left this land," stated her father.
"No!"
Mr. Barnes had sent his own n to find Jas, but he was nowhere to be found. If the tailorman would not return to Devon, Mr. Barnes would throw a party next month. There would be no pressure from the King, nor would his daughter be hung up on the human.
"There there, my dear," Mr. Barnes hugged his daughter, patting her back and he smiled internally. Good riddance thought the vampire in his mind.
Catherine, who couldn't see the change in her father's expression frowned, wondering what she could do to fix the situation. She had found out that Jas' father had passed away, which gave him a reason to leave this place unless his shop ant sothing to him.
Next day in the Hawthrone's castle, a man who wore black robes with a rope tied around his waist stepped down from the carriage, looking up at the walls and pillars of the castle,
"You don't have to carry that one," said the man with a small polite smile on his face to the servant who had co to pick his trunk. "I carry my things myself. You can let the King know that Mr. Sparrow is here."
Instead of stepping inside the castle, the man chose to walk in the garden. Playing with a card in his hand, he twirled and twisted it around. It had a picture of the fool with a hat on the character's head.?He was idly playing with it when he heard the slightest sound behind him.
Without a thought, the man threw the card behind him. The man turned around to see Calhoun, who had caught hold of the card with his two fingers, near his face.
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