Many of the events after that point were lost on me. My mental state was poor at the time, and a deteriorated mental state negatively affected memory recognition on both Ferrum and Earth. In addition, I was too caught up in my own mind to really focus on the events that were transpiring around me. I was an automaton that was merely going through the motions of humanity. Things happened in my periphery, but I was largely unaware of them.

The next thing I knew, Beltane had brought me back to the second floor of Feldrast Manor. I didn’t know why he had done such a thing until I realized that all three of my siblings were standing at the corner before the entrance to the master bedroom. All three were crying, though Solana was trying to hide her emotions somewhat to put on a strong face in front of the younger kids.

Melissa was standing with them. Though she was not crying, a somber expression colored her features. She was only twenty years old, and she had worked at the manor for the majority of her life. Melissa started work a year after Solana was born, so she had known Tabitha for fifteen years.

As Beltane and I approached, Solana turned toward us with a look of barely suppressed sorrow. She said, “Thale. They got to her. Mom is…”

“We know,” Beltane cut her off. It would not help anyone to rehash the events of that night unnecessarily.

“You know?” Melissa asked. The back of her outfit was still ripped, and she was still covered in blood. In the darkness the Red Knight created as he walked through the manor, Melissa could not see us clearly. She took a step toward Beltane and me, seeing at last the state we were in.

“Nyx above,” Melissa swore as she saw us. “What happened to you?”

“We saw the person who killed Countess Tabitha,” Beltane said through grit teeth, “and we tried to kill him. You can see how that turned out.”

“How are you alive?” Melissa asked, shocked.

“I’m alive due to Thale’s magic,” Beltane said with a hollow laugh. “That’s something the two of us have in common.”

Unconsciously, Melissa brought her hand to the newly-acquired scar that now adorned her back. “You saved my life.” After a moment’s consideration, she added, “What of Walter? His eyes were open when we walked past him, but he did not respond to Merrick’s shouting.”

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Almost imperceptibly, Beltane shook his head in response. He whispered, “Not in front of the children.”

Still bawling loudly, Merrick walked up to me and buried his head in my chest.

“She’s dead, Thale!” Merrick cried as he looked up from my chest. Half of his face was covered in slick blood that had decorated my shirt a moment before. I couldn’t immediately tell if that blood was from me, an orc, or Tabitha.

When he looked me in the eyes, Merrick’s expression gained a twinge of fear, and he cautiously took a step back. I’m sure that, on my face, Merrick saw an expression that was completely incongruous on the face of a child.

“We should check on the Count,” Beltane whispered to me. “If he reacts poorly, all of Sabletonn could burn down. Perhaps the sight of his eldest son still alive will help him.”

I did not respond, but I followed Beltane when he started walking toward the master bedroom. As we left the four grieving non-combatants behind, I heard Solana call out to me. “Thale. Did you know this would happen? Why did you ask for Sir Walter to stay back at the manor?”

For a moment, Solana’s statement brought me back to the surface of consciousness. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before answering. When I was finally able to speak, I simply said, “There was nothing I could do.”

I knew this answer was unsatisfying, but it was the best I could do in the moment. My family had known for a long time that there was something different about me, and it was only natural that they would look to me for answers in a time like this. Unfortunately, this time, there were no answers to give.

In a fugue state, I crossed the hallway and entered my parents’ bedroom. Tabitha was still laying where she had fallen. When I entered the second time, however, Eadric and Armond were in the room. Eadric was standing near the door, and he watched the two of us closely when we entered. Armond knelt at Tabitha’s side, clenching her limp wrist in two fervent, desperate hands.

“No, no, no, no, no.” It was only after standing in the room for a few seconds that I realized the sound was coming from Armond. At a volume I could barely parse, he spoke in a pleading voice. “Please… please…” I could hear the tears in Armond’s voice as he spoke. “Please don’t leave me alone in this cold, miserable world.”

Count Armond spoke these words at such a quiet volume that I could barely hear. He spoke as if his words were for him and Tabitha alone.

“What was that, my Lord?” Sir Eadric asked fearfully. He could not make out everything that Armond had just said, and he was concerned that Armond had been speaking to him.

“I’m sorry,” Armond continued, his sorrowful voice continuing at a low volume,

“My Lord?” Eadric asked one more time.

“It was nothing,” Armond said, his voice suddenly, terrifyingly calm. From beside the cooling corpse of his wife, Count Armond Feldrast, the King’s Executioner, stood. As he rose to his feet, he wiped the tears from his face. Armond’s hands were covered in blood, so when he went to wipe the tears away, he merely replaced them with two long streaks of that dark red liquid.