The silence between them was palpable. Alessia had no words for what she did, and no answer would satisfy Jaera. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” she said.

“I want you to understand what you did. You could have died or, worse yet, gotten more people killed!”

Alessia winced at her words. She held her tongue, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. Jaera let her inside and could easily throw her out. The worst part was her mother would say the same thing, albeit not in the exact tone.

“Mother? What’s going on?” a small voice asked, rubbing her eyes. “Are you okay? Do your bandages need changing?”

“I got this. Go back to bed, Niamh.”

The little girl nodded, closing her bedroom door.

“Who is that?” Alessia asked.

“My daughter.” Alessia was taken aback. A daughter? She never saw the child when she last visited. “Before you ask your typical question, I hid her in her room the last time.”

Jaera made a makeshift bed for Alessia, who stopped her tears before she got into more trouble. “You’re safe here. Don’t even think about leaving while the night goes on because I will not let you back in.” Alessia nodded, knowing she deserved Jaera’s hostile attitude. “We have a lot to talk about in the morning, so I suggest you rest.”

“I will.”

Jaera disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Alessia alone in the storage room.

Alessia closed her eyes, trying to forget about what happened and what would happen the next day. Her parents, including Calien, would not be happy with her. How did Calien not notice her leaving the house? Wasn’t he supposed to be her bodyguard? No, there was no use in blaming him when it was her fault the entire time. She chose to leave. She couldn’t bear to lose another cousin like she did with Kalix, who never had a savior.

As she hugged the blankets, she cried a little more, whispering to Kalix how sorry she was for not being there for him. It should have been me.

She shook her head.

I miss you so much, Kal. I wish you were here right now. She could use his charming personality right about now. He usually knew how to make anyone feel better if they were upset. What she remembered the most was his smile, which lit up any room, and how he’d never let anyone get a word edgewise if he was in a bad mood.

And the whole time, Fiona knew what she was doing. Alessia wondered if she had anything to do with Kalix’s death. She promised herself she would kill all of them, and yet, it seemed to fall flat. No wonder Jaera was annoyed with her. She was a fool and did something so stupid she could have died a horrible death. “I need to do better,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I will never let that happen again.”

In the morning, her head pounded from the amount of crying she did during the night. She slept a bit but not by much since she was sleeping on the floor. At least Jaera let her inside instead of leaving her to die to the Sluagh.

She needed to get home quickly before her parents realized she was gone. She found Jaera speaking to her daughter, Niamh, about not being allowed to go outside alone. Her daughter didn’t sound happy about the rule. “Jaera,” Alessia said, grabbing her attention. “Thank you for opening the door for me last night.”

“Don’t do it again,” she warned. “Think before you act.”

Alessia nodded. “I should leave, but again, thank you.” She was about to leave when Jaera stopped her.

“Thank me for doing this favor,” Jaera said. “I had a blacksmith called Lundys make me a weapon. If you could bring it to me, then it will be even between us.”

“Yeah, I should be able to do that.”

Jaera handed her a pouch of coins.

Alessia left the small shack, once again traveling back into Stag. If she thought Jaera was mad, she could not imagine how her parents would react. It would pale in comparison. She ran towards her house quickly, hoping no one was up yet.

The backdoor was unlocked. That was odd. The house remained quiet as she carefully shut the door behind her. “There you are,” Calien said, leaning against the kitchen wall. “Your parents aren’t up yet, luckily for you, so I unlocked the door.”

“You knew about last night?”

“Yeah, I did, and what were you thinking?” he said, visibly upset with her but trying not to be loud in case her parents woke up. “Next time you want to do something stupid, warn me so I can at least be there with you. Your parents might terminate my employment if they find out what’s been going on.”

“I’m sorry, Calien,” she said. “One of the creatures, Fiona, told me my cousins were in trouble. I panicked, and I should stayed put.” She swallowed hard, remembering Fiona’s words and feeling a chill run down her flesh. “I followed my gut, and yes, I got into trouble. It was a trap.”

“How did you survive the night?”

“I ran to Jaera’s house. She let me in, but not without lecturing me.”

“I see,” he said, sighing. “I’m glad you’re alive. Please, I am begging you. Please don’t do it again. You are your parents' only daughter.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“Promise?”

She nodded. “Promise.”

“Good.”

“Can we… take a walk?”

“This early in the morning? It’s an hour passed dawn.”

She crossed her arms, shaking her head. “Not that early. Let’s go. I need to clear my head.” She pulled at his arm as she dragged him out the front door.

People in Stag started coming out of their houses, relieved night was over. They went to Count Fairley’s garden for a bit. Alessia inspected the mound while Calien was looking at something else. What was it about the Mound that sent chills all over her body? How the hell did a body get into the Gardens of all places? The bloody corpse was of no use as he didn’t have his memories intact.

“Sarah.”

The damn voice again.

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“Emma.”

Emma? The voice had never said that name before. What the hell does any of this mean? She thought.

She heard footsteps, believing it was Calien behind her. “I think we should check on –” But when she turned, it was not Calien. It was Ceinwen instead. “What do you want?”

Ceinwen wasn’t smiling in her usual egotistical way. “You know why.”

Alessia tried walking away from her to look for Calien, but Ceinwen quickly moved in front of her. “You stupid bitch!” Ceinwen shouted, pushing Alessia from behind. She fell forward, her head hitting the cobblestone, and saw stars. Pulling it together, she winced as Ceinwen stood over her. “That approval was supposed to be mine!”

Rage flowed through her as blood trickled down the side of her head. She stood up once more, looking directly into her eyes. “What are you talking about? I didn’t get approval to leave Tethys!” Alessia hissed. “But if the Count allows me to leave, I will.” That earned another push, although she expected it and managed to cover her head as she fell. The blows would not stop, as if they were kids again fighting over something trivial.

“Not if I can help it.”

She managed to kick Ceinwen away from her.

“You think you’re doing something good? Proving your worth? You haven’t been worthy since the day you were born! What a shame your grandfather couldn’t see you for the person you are. A snake.” Blood boiled in Alessia’s veins as she listened to Ceinwen. She clenched her fists. One more word, that was all it would take. “I am sure he is rolling in his grave –”

Alessia raised her hand and slapped her across the face. Ceinwen glanced back at her, shocked by the slap. “Do not speak of the dead when they here no longer,” she warned.

“If you think one slap is going to stop me –”

“I am warning you, Ceinwen. Back off.”

Before Ceinwen could fight back, Calien rushed toward them and stood between them to prevent more fighting. Ceinwen retreated, angrily stomping back to Stag, probably to vent her frustrations out on other people. “Gods, look at your face,” Calien said, lifting her chin to the side, noticing the blood on her temple. “I’m sorry. I should have been with you.” She was surprised he did not lecture her about straying away from him like he did most of the time.

“It was bound to happen at some point whether you were with me or not,” Alessia said, sighing. “She caught me before I could look for you.”

“For once, you were looking for me.” He frowned, taking out a piece of handkerchief from his pockets and gently wiping the blood off her face. They made eye contact, neither knowing what else to say. “You are safe now, though. We should head home and get you cleaned up.” She nodded, a little nervous, tearing her sight away from him. “Do you want to let your parents know what happened?”

She shook her head. “No, no. That will make things so much worse. They are angry at me for gaining the Count’s approval without speaking to them first. This will rile them up even more.”

“Very well,” Calien replied. He finished wiping the last of the blood from her face. “Not deep enough for stitches, I believe. Still, it needs to be disinfected just in case.”

“I need to tell you something, Calien.” There was no sense hiding it from him anymore. He needed to know what was happening to her. “I have visions of people being brutally murdered,” she admitted quietly, only for him to hear. “They keep calling someone named Sarah for help. Today, they said a new name. Emma.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “You never mentioned it before.”

“Remember when we visited a shaman named Jaera?”

He nodded.

“She told me when I was born, I died, and to revive me, her mother pulled another soul and placed it into me.” Alessia felt uneasiness rising inside her throat. “Jaera said it’s called reincarnation, that I have another person’s soul within me.”

Calien shut his eyes, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “What else?” he asked.

“The person who has been appearing and harassing me knew the woman named Sarah.”

“You think so?” Fear etched on his brow. “But you don’t look convinced that’s the case, Alessia.”

“It’s all confusing. Like there is a missing piece of the puzzle.”

“Then I suppose I could help you figure it out,” Calien said, smiling at her with fondness. “if you’re willing to accept the help.”

“I’ll need it,” she replied. “But why?”

“What else do I have to do besides guarding you?” he teased. “I can do both.”

“Thank you, Calien,” Alessia said, nodding at him. “Now, I must pick up an item for Jaera at the blacksmith.”

“Isn’t she a shaman? Why would she need a weapon?”

“Something happened to her a few days ago. She wasn’t particular but was injured during the process.”

“She lives alone, doesn’t she? I’m not that surprised.”

The smell of fresh burning coals filled her nostrils as she entered the blacksmith shop. Ludnys came out, nearly unrecognizable, with the soot covering his face and clothing. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“I am here to pick up Jaera Hennigan’s order she requested.”

Lundys scratched his nose. “Why isn’t she picking it up herself?”

“She’s been injured.”

His eyes widened slightly. “Injured, you say? Do you know how?”

“She never specified.”

“All right… well, tell her it’s on the house,” he said.

“Really?” She will be happy about that, Alessia thought. Lundys nodded, and he gave Alessia the dagger wrapped in soft purple cloth made from silk.

“Be careful with it.”

She nodded. Walking around with a weapon in her hands didn’t look strange. People in town gave her looks of suspicion. She usually received looks of anger and resentment when walking into town, but there was something odd about how they stared at her. They didn’t talk or even move. The relief she had when they could hand the weapon to Jaera was like a weight lifted off her shoulders. If Calien wasn’t with her, it appeared as though they might have tried something.

There was something strange about the dagger. When she removed the cloth, a dull humming emitted from the weapon. The hums turned into whispers as she touched it. The whispers weren’t clear enough until she held the dagger. “Potentia infinita.”

“Give it to me!” Jaera shouted, grabbing the dagger from her. “This is Caeruleus metal. It’s dangerous.”

“Why get it?” Alessia asked, staring at the weapon.

Jaera sighed, ignoring her question. “Whatever it promises you, don’t listen or touch.”

“It said Potentia infinita.”

“The term means unlimited power.” She rolled her eyes. “The metal causes people around it to go insane. Luckily, I can cast a spell over myself and my daughter to prevent further harm.” Alessia couldn’t stop staring at the dagger as if it still called out for her. “How much do I owe Lundys?” she asked.

“He said it’s on the house,” Alessia said.

She cursed under her breath. “Why would that idiot do that?” she asked like Alessia had the answer. “I told him I don’t need his help.”

“He knows you were injured.”

Jaera shot her a glare. “Of course you did. Why the hell would you tell him that?”

“He asked me why you weren’t traveling to town to pick it up!” Alessia argued. “What was I supposed to tell him?”

“You did what you needed to, so you and your bodyguard leave.”

Alessia and Calien left without even arguing with her. Jaera didn’t even say thank you for bringing her the dagger. I should stop visiting her, she thought. The more I see her, the worse she gets.

----------------------------------------

She checked on the corpse, hoping he remained where he was. It was strange; the forest went quiet, the clouds above turning darker with each hour. Alessia only heard the swaying of the tall pine trees and nothing else. The corpse didn’t appear any different from last night despite the creatures coming out, or maybe he never saw them. He sat down on the same dead tree stump, not acknowledging their presence. “Everything good?” Alessia asked him.

“You never told me how human they looked,” the corpse said, turning his bony face toward her. “What did you say they were called again?”

“The Sluagh.”

He paused. “I wish I knew why the name feels familiar, but the truth is, I will probably never know.”

“We have to find out more,” Alessia said. “Standing around won’t do us any good.”

“Maybe there is one way.” She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. “But first, I chose a name. It’s Saiph, which means sword or hilt.”

“That’s also Orion’s knee if you gaze at the stars,” Calien added.

“Okay, Saiph, what were you going to tell us before?”

Saiph stood up from the tree stump. “You aren’t going to like it,” he said. “We have to capture one of the Sluagh.”

“Capture one? How?” Calien asked.

“I am not entirely sure, but all I know is that I have to be the one to do it,” Saiph said, shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous for you both.”

“What about you?”

“They didn’t even see me. Like, I was nothing to them.”

Alessia shook her head, remembering what Jaera had warned her about. “We can’t do that.”

Calien crossed his arms. “I agree. It sounds dangerous.”

“If I die, you don’t need to worry,” Saiph said. “I’m a walking corpse, for Light’s sake! No one will miss me.”

“It’s not that; it’s if you need our help.”

Saiph turned to face both, his eyes bottomless pits. “Well, that is up to you, but if you want to stay here in this condition, go for it. I’m not stopping you.”

“Let us think about it,” Calien said. “This situation is not ideal, but we must discuss it.”

“Fine by me,” Saiph replied. “Don’t forget, we are running out of time.”

Alessia glanced at Calien and hated to admit it, but Saiph was right. They had to do something about the problem in Stag.