Valerian Empire

“Malphus already knew his fate when he entered Mythweald. The day you had entered the library was the day Malphus contacted me again,” Katie remembered how Malphus had abruptly left her in the church after she had mentioned him about Silas.

“He asked me to kill him,” the man revealed and Katie felt her heart drop.

“What? But..why?” why would anyone ask for death.

“He was already loosing strength and composure. Ester being a witch has put spells in and around the empire to make sure no one crosses it unseen. Even if he wasn’t killed, his body would only turn to nothing but dust in a time of a week.”

“Ralph had nothing to do with anything,” Katie glared at the man next to her, “Did he decide to be a sacrifice too?”

“I won’t lie when I say that I did use Ralph to get the Lord of Valeria murdered but I had no hand or mind with his death. I am sorry for your loss,” he conveyed his regards but she didn’t say anything after that.

Since Silas was young he believed Malphus and followed him without a single doubt in mind. When his brother had disappeared alone overnight without a word, leaving him behind, he was broken and lonely. In time his loneliness in the mansion harbored into anger, the one he had believed had left him behind. It didn’t help that all this while without his elder brother, his parents had brought him up to see things in their perspective. It was only after his sibling had passed away that he realized how unimportant it was to hold on to the anger and his stubbornness.

After the first it was never his intention to get her sibling involved but the incident that took place was unfortunate. The townsfolk and others who travelled were mere people whose lives didn’t matter to the higher class or the Lord’s. He knew it wouldn’t sit well with her if he said that to bring a bigger change few sacrifices had to be made which were inevitable, that included lives of people, including his own brother.

She was an interesting woman but he wasn’t one to take someone else’s woman. Not when it involved a Lord. The threats he had spoken to her where an empty vessel to pretend in front of the people.

The passage was like an endless tunnel, turning around they began walking back. She yawned, unconsciously touching her chain and playing with the pendant as they walked.

So Lady Ester was witch and Lord Norman had no idea about it as he was too in love with his current wife. Malphus had asked Silas to kill him, she thought to herself. Had he got too tired with his life? Or was it that his previous memories during his time in the south had overwhelmed to the point that he had decided to end it sooner than his time?

“Where did you find that one?” she heard Silas ask her, his eyes on the locket she had in between her fingers.

“The charm stone? It was a-gift,” she answered.

“Lord Alexander?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Before they could reach the end of the passage Katie stopped Silas, “Wait,” and she pulled out the chains from her pocket, “Do you know what this is?” In excitement after seeing Alexander she had forgotten to mention him about what she had discovered.

“The massacre symbols,” he replied in a matter of fact. He saw her position the lockets before showing him another pattern, “The five sides of the massacre,” he looked like he had seen a ghost as he continued to stare it, “You are fast,” he murmured.

“Thanks but you have read about the pentagram haven’t you?” she questioned him and he nodded.

“I read most of what I could get my hands on. Though I’m not thorough with them.”

“The book read something about the five sides which was blood of the white, blood of the dark, blood of the innocent and blood of the witch,” Katie counted with her fingers one by one.

“And the moonlight. That’s the fifth side of the pentagram,” he added and at the same time Katie heard a bell ring at the exit making her heart leap suddenly.

“What’s that?” she asked him curious.

“Someone’s at the door,” he deadpanned before opening the passage way and shutting it close when they were out, “Instead of ropes and threads, the bell is attached to a spider’s web. Everytime it breaks, the bell rings and the spider spins up the web again. Sleep here for the night.”

That night Katie didn’t sleep much. She woke up in intervals to see Silas sitting in front of the fireplace. He hadn’t moved much and instead was lost thinking about something.

On the other side of the land of Mythweald, Elliot and Sylvia were in an open midnight shop which served late night food and drinks to traveller’s. They had dressed as commoners and to make it a point, Sylvia had torn a part of Elliot’s sleeve.

They were posing as husband and wife in front of the people as they spoke to the other commoners. Elliot being quite the charming and witty man had already gathered audiences around them.

“Beautiful eh?” A beefy man slapped Elliot’s back, which ended up with him spilling his alcohol on the table.

“My beautiful wife,” Elliot grinned and placed a kiss on Sylvia’s cheek with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Aren’t you getting too into the character?” Sylvia whispered to him.

“You think so? Did you know I wanted to be an actor when I was a child. I being the only child, my father wanted me to do something useful,” Elliot said thoughtfully, “I mean why not let a child be what he wants to be.”

“You are very much right, Sir!” Another man placed his mug down on the table with a thud, “Only if….” The man mumbled to himself incoherently and then gathered his thoughts, “What do you do?”

“I build houses,” Elliot replied happily making them nod and soon one after the other began pouring about their troubled work.

When they headed out of the shop towards their inn, they heard something flutter in the branches of the tree and a folded paper fell down.

Bending down, Elliot picked the paper and unfolded it.

“What is it?” Sylvia asked him.

“The time has finally come,” he raised his head to look at the moon that had turned from white to light orange.

“We start our work tomorrow,” she stated.

“Right. Late in the evening,” Elliot confirmed.