“Than...You can save her?”
Arla still sits limp at the ground.
“Yeah, I can try. But I cant promise. Turn her around, she must lie on her back and lay her arms across of her chest. Then keep hold of her, she mustn't move at all.”
Arla instantly follows my orders and keeps Maria in check. Whiles she does that, I let my gown fall to the floor and with a short “click” sound my thumbnail grows into that of a beast.
I bow over the little girl and turn my left arm over her, the arm base upwards. Then with a fast and accurate stab, I slice a crescent in my arm base.
Blood instantly flows downwards and slowly the drops fall onto Maria. The moment my blood touch her small and fragile body, she starts to tremble and quiver strongly. My blood gets absorbed and within seconds a steady flow of blood leaves my arm entering her body.
As the stream of my blood enters her body, a dark and unfathomable deep aura string erupts from Marias tiny mouth. And then, a burst of thickly concentrated darkness mana leaves her mouth, until a large dark miasma cloud floats above me.
I close my eyes and start mumbling.
“Mögen die Götter dir verzeihen. Du, die du kein Unrecht getan hast, dir vergebe ich, nimm dass Geschenk des Blutes. Empfange es und biete mir dein Geschenk dar. So wollen wir uns dem Fluss der Lichter hingeben.”
The miasma cloud, circles around and becomes a strong gust of fog. Suddenly it turns into a string again and thin layers over layers enter my crescent wound. In no moments the Miasma has fully disappeared.
“Arghh!”
I cant help it, a painful scream leaves my mouth.
The crescent wound on my arm slowly closes itself, until only a deep black half moon tattoo is left.
I fall relieved onto my back. Becoming old is not so great as I thought..
The pain in my arm is still exaggerating, but the real toll of my actions here, will probably only show off in a few hours.
“Maria, Maria... how are you?”
Arla yelled in surprise and joy.
“Mom.. Mommy, I had a really bad dream.”
The small girl has awoken.
I straighten up and sit upright, facing the heart warming scene, of a mother lovingly hugging her precious daughter.
The dark aura is gone by now and all that is left is the dim moonlight, shining through the opened door. Accompanied by a slightly cold autumn wind.
A few minutes pass and I just sit here, watching the mother and daughter exchanging all sorts of lovely gestures, combined with the chatter only a mother can do with her daughter.
“You, great master. You have really done me a big favor. How can I, Arla the Lady of this lands repay this debt? Please do not hesitate and let me know. Anything would be right.”
Arla stands up and bows to me, but not even moving an inch form her daughter, while holding her hands tight.
“Haha, yeah this is indeed a matter of great debt. But you know, just assure that the people down in the village do not face any hardships anymore. That would be enough. Ah and in addition, never mention how I cured your daughter. This must be kept a secret. Because what you saw tonight, was no ordinary magic... As the name of the magic I used, you better of not knowing it.”
I reply while patting the dust of my gown and dressing myself.
“I swear, by the gods. May I never leak anything from this night. And of course will I make it easy for the villagers. You have my word.”
Arla again deeply bows to me.
“Mhh, that shall do. By the way, on my way here I surprised two Assassins. They seemed to have targeted either you or your daughter? Do you know of that? I just send them back to their origin, just in case. Its not that I could have killed two Shadens that easily though.”
I scratch my beard and take a thoughtful posture
“Schadens? Assassins? What are you talking about?”
A sudden flash of agony took place on Arlas face, but lifted fast.
“Yeah, members of the dark brigade. An organization formed in the continent Shade. A group of highly trained Assassins. Shadens are ghostly beings, wraiths, ghosts and other non worldly beings.
Very hard to take care of them, you cant kill whats already dead. So I just exorcised them, which sends them back towards their home.”
I narrate the matters, occurred before I arrived.
“Oh no! He.. he wouldn´t...”
Arla suddenly turns pale, with a hasty turn she runs pass me.
“Hey, OI!? Whats the fuss?”
I couldn´t react in time, she got me by surprise. I feel the flowing warmth of another ones hand in mine.
Arla has passed Maria´s hand onto me and pushed her into my embrace.
“Sorry, it´s my husband. I think he is up to something terrible. Please let me ask you another favor, keep Maria safe.”
“Mommy, whats happening..?”
Maria seems also very surprised
“Nothing dear, stay at this master´s side. He will keep you safe till I´ll return.”
With those words Arla hasty rushes outwards and disappears into the darkness of the nigh.
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POV Arla
What has he just said? Assassins? What´s the meaning of that. I have a bad feeling.
If my thoughts were right it must be my husband. Since Maria has gone into the delyrically state, he changed. Something in him is dark and corrupted. He started to hate Maria and accused her state of being the fore shadowing of some evil spirit.
But he wouldn´t, would he? I need to hurry.
I rashly pass Maria onto Ezakiel, he looks surprised but I have no time for a lengthy explanation.
I need to find my husband as fast as possible, before he can do “That”.
My dear daughter looks at me in surprise and trepidation, I am sorry honey. But it´s all for your sake.
“Mommy, whats happening..?”
She is near the tears, but I can´t take her with me.
“ Nothing dear, stay at this master´s side. He will keep you safe till I´ll return”
Hopefully she will notice that master Ezakiel is trustworthy. At least I can assure he wouldn´t abandon her now.
I ran pass the wooden bridge and enter the main hall. Shit, I ran too fast. I am barely breathing.
Only a few meters until i´ll be at the entrance to his office.
I manage to get my breath in order and with two more hasty steps I push open the heavy stone door.
Leading me into the mountains chamber.
“What´s the matter Dear~. Did something happen... Eh he.”
my husband awaits me already and he is smiling with a creepy undertone.
“So I was right all along... you send those men to kill our daughter?!”
As the door opens I see my husband signing a contract? With another person.
At my appearance the other person suddenly becomes invisible and dwindles into nothingness.
“What Assassins may you be talking about? What happened to your... our daughter? Has she passed on her illness?”
That bastard, he is truly out of his mind smiling like he won the title of an archbishop.
“I was able to deflect the attack on my daughter. Two Assassins, Shadens. I know you were the one sending them. You, in the time our daughter needs you the most. You just go and start abandon her, just because she has to struggle with her own body? You are the worst!”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
His face took a huge boomer and his expression turned very sour.
“But Arla, dear you have to understand. That thing in there, that is not our daughter anymore! Haven´t you noticed the dark and cold feeling coming from her. It´s an evil spirit, she is no longer her self. I just did what I had to do, in order to save us...”
“You mean you wanted to save your families reputation, by rid your self of the shame of having a daughter with an unknown illness! But no worries for you anymore, after this night I and Maria will leave. And I will take my families possession with us.”
shit, I lost myself in anger. I said something I might regret.
“No you can´t, you are mine! My wife, I will not allow this.”
I knew it, I went to far. He runs in front of me and I wasn´t prepared, he grabs after me but only manages to catch my sleeve.
“What are you doing, let me go you imbecile. You have no rights to hold me here..”
I try to wiggle out of his grip, but he only manages to tighten around my wrist.
With a sudden pull, I feel how my body is rapidly turned. Then something hit my head pretty hard and everything seems so dark....
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Ezakiel POV
Ahh that women, leaving in such a hurry. I wonder what has come to her mind. She seemed so troubled.
I let out a short sigh and turn to Maria.
She still looks a bit pale, I guess it will take some time for her to fully recover. At the moment she glares at her mothers disappearance.
“Don´t worry, I guess she just wants to tell your father the joyous message of your recovery.” I try to soothe her anxiety. But still that troubled expression on Arla´s face, could it be that the landlord send those Assassins?
No that must be only a bad thought of mine.
“N..no, No mister. You don´t know my father, he is scary. Since I became ill, he would seldom show up and every time he did, he had this strange expression. It always seemed like he would disgust me .”
What a thing to say, I am speechless. Has he really abandoned her in her biggest need? What a father. But if its true, than there is the chance that he is the culprit..
Shit! Arla went alone. Ahh and I am still a bit exhausted from the ritual..
“Ok listen lil one. We will search for your mother, but you have to promise me that you will stay at my side. And never leave this circle around you.”
I turn to Maria and with a circling of my index finger a faint glowing circle appears around her.
I cast a strong barrier force around her, nothing ordinary should be able to penetrate it. At the same time it will replenish her stamina bit by bit. But this may be already the limit for me today.
That ritual from before slowly takes its toll on me. Due to the foreign mana in my body, I have to cautious seal it in one place within my body. It takes nearly all my concentration, additionally its the darkness type mana, a very fierce and poisonous mana for me. If it leaks and becomes freely movable within my body, even I might be in big trouble.
“En, I promise”
Maria inspects the circle around her
“Ah, I forgot... can you even walk? I mean it wasn´t long since you just woke up.”
Now that I look at her she really looks a bit exhausted and pale.
“En, I can.”
The child vehemently nods and assures me that she can walk, but even though I see how her legs are trembling...
(Authors note: En is a nodding gesture in agreement sound)
“Come here, better you rest a little longer.”
I squat and gesture her to climb my back. And take her piggyback.
While we walk down the narrowed wooden bridge, which leads towards the main building, I feel how her warm breath moistens my neck. My back hurts a little, one of her thin arm bones sticks into my shoulder.
Ah, she fell asleep. Her breath is steady and merges into a frost puff, it really became cold.
I have clad her in one of her blankets and am holding her with my both hands.
My loyal staff floats next to me, sometimes I think it has its own will. Well I created it when I first achieved my master title as a magician. And its infused with large quantities of my power, so it will subconsciously do what I want it to do.
The two large wooden doors at the entrance are broadly swung open and I cautiously sneaked through them. I still don´t really would like to be discovered by the landlord. At least not, if not necessary.
“Hey Maria, where do you think your father is...”
Ah right she´s asleep.
Damn, I think I just have to search this building myself.
The room I entered is more of a hall, than a room. It resembles a ballroom and at the end is even a small podium with two thrones positioned.
But there are no people around here, a bit strange.
I wander through the floor and have found a total of six further rooms. But they were just kitchen, library and some storage rooms. No signs of Arla or her husband. I wonder how many floors this building has...
I look for a way up and ended in front of a seemingly endless staircase.
“Great... Stairs, well then let´s go...”
I walk the stairs and after 32 steps, I reach the next floor, that´s the price of building a high reaching ballroom on the ground stage...
A long corridor extends before me and an awful lot of doors connect to it. If this continues I will still be searching when the morning comes.
But what is that feeling now? A strong magic pressure, I am sure it was a magic pressure. Just now I felt a huge amount of magic spreading and instantly ceasing.. on the lower floor.
I decide to hurry back down and inspect the ballroom again.
As I reach the ballroom, it seems as if nothing has changed. There are still no people here.
But I am sure I felt that pressure coming from here somewhere...
“Uha, mister what are you doing? Mommy maybe needs our help.”
right at that moment Maria awakens again
“Ah, great timing, say where do you think your mom is?”
“moh, right this way, behind the podium is a stone door. There is my fathers office.”
This girl... waking up and scolding me...
But really, behind the podium and the thrones is a huge stone door. How could I have missed that one.
No, I haven´t missed it. It is concealed with a barrier and only those knowing of its existence can see it. That sly old fox.
To my luck the door is already opened a bit, barely enough for us to slip through it. This door looks as if it would make a hell of a noise by opening.
A smaller corridor, not really befitting for the huge stone door, awaits me behind. Its a narrow path carved in stone. So this is the way into the mountain shelter.
Lit by a row of torches, the path is a piece of cake for me and at its end, about 10 meters into the mountain, a door on the right and a staircase at the left, leading downwards comes to my vision.
“which way now?”
I whisper into Maria´s ear, also implementing her to do the same.
“The door, my father´s office is directly behind it.”
She is a sharp girl and instinctively catches the whisper mood, while answering me.
“What are you doing, let me go you imbecile. You have no rights to hold me here..”
Suddenly a muffled, but agitated voice rang out of the door.
This is Arla, shit.
“Mommy!”
Oh no, the girl on my back yelled for her. She manages to wiggle down from my back and immediately crashes open the door.
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