NIGHTS OF HALLOW

Perdita stood from her squatting position, dusting her hands with a guilty grin she flashed at Sthena whose reprimanding gaze stayed glued on her.

She said, chuckling, ”With that look on your face, all the other animals will go into hiding.”

”What are the possibilities you wouldn’t want to heal another one we hunt?” Sthena clicked his tongue. He turned and walked back to where his horse stood.

”I’m sure His Majesty isn’t that interested in the prize he is going to give the winner of the hunt,” Perdita remarked, going to stand beside the pureblooded vampire.

Sthena turned to look at Perdita, his features soft under his red hair that was ruffled by the breeze from the ride earlier. ”Now tell me, what do you suppose we do since hunting animals will make our softhearted vampire-witch want to risk her energy by healing them?”

”We can continue from where you stopped earlier,” Perdita replied. A smile threatened to stretch her lips on seeing Sthena’s confused expression before it was replaced with a surprised one, realizing what she implied.

Sthena stared at the woman by side, her green eyes shining in amusement. His head tilted to the back as he let out a chuckle, ”When did you become so naughty, hm?”

Perdita blushed, heat rushing up her fair neck and cheeks. She said, ”I dare not outdo you when it comes to being naughty, Your Majesty.” She turned to the horse, gently caressing her cheek. ”Why did you name her Midnight? She’s so white.”

”She’s fearless. Fierce against what comes her way just like how the night isn’t afraid of what happens when darkness envelopes it.”

”The day subdues the night by bringing light,” Perdita interjected, her brows slightly furrowed.

”Night isn’t afraid of it either. It knows the day shall pass too and it’ll take over. Day however is afraid. That is why it brings the moon to attack night during night’s time to rule.”

”That means, day had never conquered night?” Perdita quizzed about the unpopular saying that the day has always conquered the night.

Sthena nodded, his hands in his cloak pockets, ”You can put it that way. Let’s say that Day has always wanted to be the only ruler. However, night has always maintained its stance.”

A thoughtful expression crossed Perdita’s face, her mind thinking of what Sthena had said. ”That is a beautiful idealogy to explain day and night.”

”It is,” Sthena agreed. He smiled, watching as Midnight neighed and leaned into Perdita’s touch. Even his horse agreed her touch was soothing on one’s skin.

”We might as well enjoy the scenery since hunting animals is out of the equation,” Sthena proposed. He took the horse’s reigns as they began walking deeper into the forest.

The sun’s heat was still gentle on their skin and it felt soothing after the continuous downpour of snow for days now.

From a distance, they could hear the swishing sound of arrows, the loud wails that came from the animals being hunted coupled with the neighing of horses. It brought a sense of thrill to the chaos that had been going on in their lives. A time to be free and indulge in the adventure.

”I was thinking,” Perdita began, her voice breaking the silence between them. ”If I could find out through the mirror if I have memories or my head is just a blank space as it couldn’t be read.”

”No,” Came the quick refusal from Sthena. ”That mirror is more dangerous than you could think of. You can lose yourself in it,”

”It’s just for a try. The possibility of me losing myself into to is thin as currently, it is not known if I have memories.” If she doesn’t have memories, does that mean everything happening in her life was all but a lie?

She could remember having a dream of her younger self with Marco in a graveyard. Was that not her memory? If then she couldn’t read, could it be something was blocking out her memories?

”I believe there is a reason why you have a blank memory and I am not taking the risk of allowing you to find out why through that thing. We will find another way,” The words of Sthena were firm, where it left no room for Perdita to argue.

She bit her lips, her mind reeling from all the whys in her life. She asked, ”You took me to be read saying there was a theory about the vampire-witch siblings you wanted to find out. What was it?”

”It has to do with premonition,” Sthena replied as they continued walking, the breeze gently whipping his hair backwards. ”It is said that they can see the past and future. Something called visions.”

”Visions,” Perdita repeated and heard Sthena ask her,

”Have you been getting any of late?”

”No,” She shook her head. ”Even if I had that ability, it has not awakened yet.”

”Or it could be your brother who has it. It is only one of you that can have it. Also, another important thing is do not perform any of your abilities where anyone can see you. Let it be a secret known to you alone. We are still trying to find out who could be after you and your brother.”

Perdita mouthed an ”Oh,” and nodded her head in understanding. She heard him continue to say,

”If only you can remember what happened before and during the massacre, we would find a lead in solving these problems. For now, let’s keep harnessing your powers. Has Emily told you what to do to unlock Hawthorn Hollow?”

”She mentioned when I’m ready for it, it’ll happen. When I have control over my abilities, each task is like a puzzle I have to complete.” Perdita answered, stopping to dust off the snow she had scouted with her shoe.

She further said, ”The Golden key from that day’s encounter in the library, she also mentioned a book I must use the key to unlock. The book holds explanations on how to control several abilities and powers of witches. She said it has all the signs and symbols to perform rituals. I have been searching the library but still haven’t found it.”

”I don’t remember encountering such a book,” Sthena replied thoughtfully. ”If the book is still in existence, either it is with someone or it is somewhere only you have to find it. I think I know who can be of help to look for it.”

”Mr. Nathan?” Perdita quizzed. She remembered him saying there were abnormal things in the world. If he had found that mirror, it is possible he had other things in his possession.

”Yes,”

”He knows about me and my brother,” Perdita added, realizing Sthena had not hidden it from the man. She saw him nod his head, and she said, ”You trust him,”

”He is someone I can rely on,”

”Daemon too?”

”Yes, Daemon too,” Sthena agreed. They halted in their steps, having walked a considerable distance from where they had stopped initially.

”Do you remember the berry bird?” Perdita suddenly asked smiling. ”It came to the castle the day before.”

”Mhm,” Sthena hummed recalling the bird he named Pokie. A thought seemed to click as his brows squinted in question, ”When it came, did it carry any letter or did you send it out to anyone?”

Perdita pursed her lips, ”I didn’t send any letter not that I have anyone to write to and neither did it come with one. But then, I did see a bird fly out of the castle with a letter attached to it.”

Sthena’s sharp gaze turned to look at Perdita, ”Did you see the person who must have sent it?”

”No,” She shook her head. ”But I did see a maid around the place the bird had flown from. She said she was tending to a dying flower. Is there a problem?” Noticing the frown on Sthena’s face, Perdita questioned, her expression worried.

”There isn’t a problem now but there might be in the future. Someone is leaking information from the castle. Information about you and I haven’t found the person yet. There could be two of them as there were two birds sent out from the castle with letters attached to them on that same day.” Sthena deadpanned much to the horror of Perdita.

He continued to say, ”One of them is sent by Vetis and the other person is sent by someone I do not know of yet,”

”What do they want?” Perdita whispered to herself, fear crawling into her heart at the thought of being captured. Was that the reason why he had asked her to perform her powers in secrecy?

”It is not my wish to scare you, but I must tell you this, they want you and Marco for something bigger than fulfilling that which is in the prophecy book,” Sthena explained. ”Can you remember the maid you saw the other day? It’ll help us in finding out if she is among the two sending out the information and who she works for.”

”I think I can remember her,”

”That is good then,” Sthena remarked. If one of them is found out, he would be able to catch the second person. His suspicion was on everyone in the castle, even Perdita’s handmaid and guardian witch included.

”I can’t hear the others, perhaps we should go back?” Perdita proposed, straining her ears to catch any noise from the others but the forest had unusually become quiet.

Just as she turned to walk forward, the air whizzed with a blinding force and before she and Sthena could react on time, something hard and sharp struck her, piercing deep into her chest as blood oozed out from the wound.

”Perdita!” Sthena rushed forward just in time to catch Perdita who fell limp in his arms clutching the arrow in her chest.