Alessia didn’t tell Calien anything about what Jaera told her. She could not say whether he eavesdropped on them, but it mattered little. Only retrieving salt would help them survive throughout the night. Being around the sea meant no shortage of salt. Stores in the Patisserie district had it, and Alessia was positive there were some at home.

She needed an audience with Count Fairley as soon as possible before night fell. People in Stag needed as much notice for preparation as possible. They would wonder how she knew to use salt against the creatures, not to mention that many might raise eyebrows since most did not like her.

Enora was at home, sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hand. “Mother?” she said. Her mother didn’t answer until she got closer.

“Sorry I didn’t see you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… thinking of Kalix, and how his parents must be heartbroken. Finding him in that state…” she whispered, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Alessia said, patting her mother on the shoulder.

“I mean, losing a child? That must be one of the worst things to happen to any parent.” Enora stayed quiet momentarily, her tear-streaked face glancing up at Alessia. “I love you; you know that, right?” Alessia nodded. Jaera told her that when Alessia was born, she was declared dead. Was that way her mother was taking it harder than she thought? It reminded her mother of something she almost lost.

“Mother, I think I know how to prevent those things from entering the house tonight,” she said, grabbing her mother’s attention. “We need salt.”

“Salt?” her mother sniffled. “How do you know?”

“Trust me,” Alessia said. “Please.”

“I will need an explanation eventually, Ale.”

“Don’t worry, I will tell you, but make sure the salt is on the bottom of the door in front of it and put it on the windowsills. Make sure the windows are shut and locked.”

Calien followed Alessia to Count Fairley’s castle, where blood stains had been removed from the floor and bodies buried outside in the cemetery. The guards were in disarray, they barely noticed Alessia walking inside. All she could remember was seeing the pale, grey faces of the creatures staring back at her through the window in the stockroom. She put the memory in the back of her mind for now, as she tried to find a servant who knew where the Count was.

“I have no time for this!” a voice bellowed from a room adjacent from the main hall. The door was ajar with Count Fairley standing at his desk, shouting and throwing papers around. “Send a damn raven to the King or by my hand you will remain in the Gutters where I found you.”

The terrified messenger nodded, scurrying out of the room. Count Fairley’s eyes met with Alessia and he sighed. “What?” he scowled. “If this is about leaving Tethys, Lady Alessia, it’s simply not viable right now. I am too busy dealing with the events from last night!”

“N-No, it isn’t about that,” Alessia said, hesitating to take a step into his office. She eventually enters the room, trying not to avoid eye contact with the agitated man. “It’s about how to stop the creatures from entering people’s homes.”

“How?” he asked wryly. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

She was taken aback by his sharp tone. The man usually shared pleasantries before divulging further into the conversation. “Salt keeps them out of buildings,” she said, cutting to the chase to avoid him getting angrier.

“Salt,” Count Fairley whispered, and shook his head. He looked at her mockingly. “Will that bring everyone back from the dead or kill those things that murdered anyone on sight?” Alessia winced as he slammed his hand on the desk. “No. It won’t.”

“You are right, it won’t bring the dead back, but the salt can prevent more deaths from happening. You could advise the king with this information.”

“I already sent a raven to the King! Do you think it’s wise or even proper to send another one? And why should I tell anyone about this? Because some girl who doesn’t have a clue how leadership works says so? You may be a part of a well-respected family, but you are not well liked. Tell me, why the hell should I believe you?”

“A shaman told me,” she said, looking down on the floor.

His eyes narrowed. Alessia gulped, already not liking where the conversation was heading. “Shaman? You expect me to take a shaman’s word for help? I won’t allow it. I would think you’d know better.”

She sighed. “I didn’t know what else to do. After my cousin died, I needed to do something. Maybe this will help bring back a bit of normality to Stag and perhaps the rest of Tethys.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

It was as if something she said suddenly set him off. “Normality?” the Count spat back. “My dear, normality is an illusion. Things will never go back to what they were. I cannot simply tell everyone in Stag and then the King that a Shaman, of all people, said salt would help. Even if it is just salt… it’s still magic, is it not? Magic like that is forbidden.”

She didn’t understand why he wasn’t listening to her. If he cared so much about everyone in Stag, why was it like talking to a brick wall? “You want more people to die? Because that will happen if you don’t tell people.”

“What would you know about what I want?” he argued. “You are just some villager who causes nothing but trouble! I cannot… No, I will not take your word for it. I simply can’t afford it.”

Alessia stood there, defeated. She couldn’t comprehend why Fairley was being difficult Denying what might save Stag from a massacre. Calien placed a hand on her shoulder. “We should leave.” She sighed, following him to leave the manor before Fairley threw them both in the dungeon. Her face flushed with red thinking about how stupid she was for even trying to talk Count Fairley into it.

Evening hit Stag at a slow pace. Alessia made sure all the windows and doors were locked as well as the salt remaining in the right places. Her mother told Aunt Vilica about the salt and surprisingly she listened.

Her father arrived home late in the afternoon from being at the Healer’s. He winced each time he tried walking, but the healers mentioned he would be fine if he rested.

Alessia breathed heavily, sitting in her room, waiting for those things that Jaera called The Sluagh, to come out. It felt like waiting for a death sentence. What else was she supposed to do? If the salt didn’t work… they all might be dead. What reason would Jaera have lying to her, though? There was none. Just her thoughts trying to get the better of her.

She peeked behind the curtains, seeing a few people out but not many. She wanted to open the window and tell them to get back inside, but they wouldn’t want to listen to her even after what happened the night before. At least this time, she knew where her family members were. At home, safe like they should be. That still did not stop the panic from setting in through her chest and forming a lump in her throat.

“Alessia?” Calien asked outside the door. She sighed, figuring he might want to look and see if she did everything the correct way. It wasn’t like she didn’t go to Jaera and ask what they needed to do.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Is the window locked tight in there?”

She opened the door, letting him in. “See for yourself.” Calien checked the window, ensuring it was locked properly and that there was enough salt on the sill. She crossed her arms, looking at the outside world.

“Don’t look,” he urged, pulling her from the window. “It’s what they want.”

She felt defeated and weak staying inside. She heard muffled screaming from outside. She winced, turning her gaze away. “How am I supposed to sleep tonight with that?” She asked, pointing to the window with her thumb. “How will I ever get used to it? This might be our reality from now on.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Jaera said this is part of a curse,” Alessia said.

“And she told you how to break it didn’t she?”

Jaera had explained how to break the curse, but Alessia shook her head instead of confirming it. “Not that I recall.”

“You are a necromancer, can’t you figure something out?”

She felt the walls closing in on her, as she tried remaining relaxed with him. “I am out of practice,” she said. She lit a lavender candle on her dresser, one that emitted a serene aura.

He crossed his arms. “Alessia, I have seen you raise animals from the dead.”

“Not the same thing.”

“How is it not? Necromancers raise the dead.”

“I know! But…”

“You are one, don’t even deny it.”

Alessia shook her head. “What do you want me to do? Raise an army of dead people? I have no idea how far my powers can go.”

“Why not find out?”

“Calien, I can’t. It isn’t that simple.” She stood up from the bed, moving her hair out of her face. “And why do you care? You never understood my power before.”

“You understand them, then?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What makes you think I do?” she snapped. “Don’t pretend like you give a damn about me, Calien.”

“You’re right. I don’t. I am just here for a job to protect you.”

“So, you say.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“You never liked me. You judge me like the rest of these people in Stag!”

Calien rolled his eyes at her. “I wonder why.”

“Alessia, what’s all this commotion about?” her mother asked, entering the room.

“She’s upset, my lady,” Calien said. “We all are. This situation is highly stressful for her. The Count would not listen to her pleas about the salt.” Alessia glared at him, wanting to send one of the candles on the dresser at him. The memory of her acting like a jellyfish in front of Count Fairley made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

When Calien left the room, her mother pulled Alessia into an embrace. “You are fine. You saved us with the salt,” she whispered softly.

“I couldn’t save Kalix.”

“You saved Aunt Vilica, Uncle Delroy and your cousins, Rinna and Elspeth from the same fate. Kalix would be proud of you.”

She buried her face into her mother’s arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she hugged her mother like that. “You think so?”

“I know so. None of those monsters have tried to enter since putting the salt in front of the doors and windows.”

She started bawling in front of her mother, her legs shaking with fear. “I keep hearing screams outside like I did the first night. I can’t even do anything because I’m stuck here…”

“Alessia, please calm down,” her mother whispered. “I promise everything will be okay.”

She trembled but the comfort of her mother’s embrace did ease the fear a little. The screams from people being murdered by the Slaugh overrode any comfort she felt before. Her mother made sure the curtains in the room were closed so she wouldn’t see the creatures staring at her through the window.

“Now, I don’t want to hear another word about blaming yourself, understand?”

Alessia nodded. Her mother kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room to head into hers.

I hate them, she thought. I hate those bastards. She imagined killing each of the Slaugh in the exact way they did to Kalix. She listened to the noises outside, as she stayed under the covers.

“Let us in, Alessia,” they beckoned, their voices muffled from the window. “We are so lonely.”

She covered her ears with the pillow, desperately trying to fade the voices away but they were too loud. “Stop,” she whimpered. Count Fairley was correct about one thing. Things would never go back to the way they were. Normality, indeed, was an illusion.