The Demon’s Bride

Harriet pointed the place where she claimed she was kidnapped from with her hands that were trembling enough to show how scared and traumatized she was. "I will go there," Cynthia said, turning her body when Austin caught her by her wrist.

A deep frown came on his forehead, "You can go crazy but not enough to jump to your own death. I will come with you."

"What about the girl?" Cynthia reasoned, "There is no time if they knew she is missing it's possible they would run from this place soon. Stay there with her and I will come back soon."

"I am not a werecat for no reason, stupid," Austin rolled his eyes. Pulling his hand he then ripped the top two button from his collar, letting his muscle to grow more than before and carried Harriet on his back, "With this I can take eight people at once."

Cynthia didn't see why she should go against Austin and nodded. She ran to the place where Harriet pointed only to notice that it was a small hut kept in between the forest, when they came there. The two shared a glance one over another. 

"You know I can do this myself," said Cynthia as she pulled the pistol from her pocket, bending the middle part of the pistol to two, she slid the bullets in.

"I don't want to lose you," came Austin's direct lisp that had Cynthia to snap her eyes at him and he continued, "You are my partner."

"I guess I am unlucky," Cynthia chuckled. She raised two finger folding and when the last finger was folded, in instant, the Austin who was in the front kicked the door opening the hut. Hit by a sharp stench, Austin the squinted his eyes and scrunched his nose. "Blood."

"And corpse," Cynthia completed his words, they both entered with carefulness. Cynthia pointed her pistol on her left side as Austin aided her right. They reached to the end of the hut only to see bodies of people that had rotted with days and weeks that passed. Nothing else was there as for now. The two didn't know that rather than the hut was empty, they had just let the enemy entered from their back.

Harriet then let a cry, Austin let her down and watched the woman running toward one of the corpse and she begin to weep in tears. 

"What do you think this is?" Austin asked, looking left and right with a deeper frown. He need not ask who had done it, the answer was as clear as the night sky.

"The ritual I reckon. The Lord mentioned they needed bodies to resurrect people," Cynthia didn't think it was a secret thus her voice wasn't spoken in whisper. Harriet who was on the ground, or the truth, Lilith in the body of Harriet widened her eyes upon hearing this.

"W-What do you mean?!" Lilith asked, pulling the act of a confused and angered person.

Cynthia always had the soft spot for people who lost their families in the hand of a dark sorcerer, as her family was also one of the causality that happened in the past. She didn't doubt the woman and gave her a sympathetic gesture of rubbing her back, "It will be hard and difficult to understand. We received news that the dark sorcerer recently had been active to kill people for ritual to bring back the death."

"That's not possible," Lilith said, not because she didn't believe it but because she was surprised this two people knew but then they work for the castle, the Lord of Warine where her dearest Maroon was working at as well.

"Which village do you come for, Miss Harriet?" Cynthia then questioned, her words curious but patient. "Do you remember anything that happened? Tell me carefully and I will help you with it." Lilith posed stories that Caleb had told her to say, pretending to be a woman in distress and fear after loosing her family and the people she knew.

"We should speak outside from here," offered Austin and in agreement, Cynthia left the place with Harriet. The woman needed support and Cynthia was more than helpful to offer her everything she needed. Cynthia's question then stopped and she turned her face to Austin who she sensed had begin to stop walking.

"What's wrong?" Cynthia questioned the man who oddly turn silent and still.

"I thought I see something or maybe it was someone. A boy with golden hair," Austin assessed and Cynthia looked where he was looking at not seeing Lilith's eyes that had turned cold and sharp at the two people. "I think it was my mistake. The lack of sleep is getting to me. Miss Harriet do you have any place to stay at for now?" and Harriet shook her head. "But we are on our way to the castle..."

"We can bring her with us, a day us enough before we let the church to take over her. I don't think now it's a good time for her to be alone," Cynthia said mindfully, something which was always offered to the victims they found and Austin nodded in agreement. While her shoulder supported, Lilith's eyes then turned to one of the trees beside the hut where the golden-haired boy was standing at and the boy smiled at her.

I know, thought Lilith, answering to Caleb's meaningful gaze even though they didn't manage to converse. She was given the chance to meet Maroon which was something she carved even after her death that cannot be fulfilled. At least for once, before her death, Lilith wished to see him just for once, a glance was enough and for that she would even work for the Devil. The devil now was the dark sorcerer but the cost was not too terrible for her.

In the castle, it was dark and Elise tried to open her eyes only to realize that they had been wide open. Nothing could come to her sight as her eyes were hindered by a veiling darkness. She rubbed her eyes and with a frown she stepped out from her bed, her hands felt the objects on the short cupboard that was placed beside her bed.

Finding the candle that extinguish during her sleep, she then pulled the matchstick and light it up. When she let go of the matchstick Elise felt something warm and wet on her palm, and her narrowed. What was it? She asked herself it felt more drenched to be tears. Curious, she brought her hand to the candle, only to fall on her bed when she saw the red liquid that had colored her palm. 

The surprise didn't stop her as her other hand that landed on the surface of the bed felt how the dry cover had turned moist as well. Turning her eyes, her lips gape in surprise at the sea of red that colored the white covers of the bed.