The moonlight filtered through the skylight, it seemed like a cloud had shifted finally releasing it’s light to shine on the figure in the room.
Long, blonde hair cascaded down their back, now painted with crimson. Their pale face contrasted sharply with the horror of their appearance, wide, vacant eyes staring ahead with unsettling calm. The moonlight highlighted every detail, casting eerie shadows around her as blood dripped steadily to the floor.
The most beautiful child in the world.
And underneath her the split body of Everlyn.
“Dr Morewood?” The child said again, facing Ilya, Ilya felt her heart beat wildly out of control. It was merely a child yet she did not dare move under their gaze.
“Detective.” Ilya called out to the man waiting behind her. “You need to call a priest.”
----------------------------------------
‘A child born from destruction can never hope for grace.’
Ilya stared into space; it all felt surreal to her.
“Would you like a cup of tea Miss Ilya?” Agnes asked. Ilya was sitting silently in the receiving room staring into the fireplace as behind her people moved up and down the stairs. Detective black and his comrades were preserving evidence of the scene and the child was wrapped in cloth and taken outside. Their hands were tied together waiting for the church.
The only thing the child had managed to say was ‘Dr Morewood’. Was that the last thing Everlyn said? Ilya’s mind was in no place to speak. Agnes sighed and sat next to her wrapping her shawl around her. For something like this to happen just after moving, it was bad luck.
Ilya focused on the crackling of firewood, her mind trying to make sense of a situation. This Evelyn birthed a full-bodied child that looked no older than 10, then what happened to the other Everlyn? Who killed off her family? Where is the child?
“Dr Morewood.”
Ilya’s head snapped up to see Detective Black, how long had he been there fore.
“I don’t feel comfortable letting you stay here, please consider my offer to stay at the Black residence until this investigation is over.” He felt guilty he dragged her into this, and now this house will forever linger with the smell of blood.
“Thank you for your consideration, Detective, but I will stay in a separate Morewood residence.” Ilya said, no matter what it would be too inappropriate to live with him.
“I understand, then please let me escort you there tonight.”
Ilya nodded absentmindedly, “Agnes, please pack our things, it is better to leave tonight.”
“Yes Miss.” She said before getting up leaving her Shawl with Ilya.
“Detective Black! The priest is here!” Someone called from outside.
Ilya stood up, her fingers combing through her hair to look presentable. Detective Black watched her, but held back his statement, he headed outside first and brought the priest in.
Detective Black returned with a tall slim man in a black cassock. A gold crucifix hung from his neck and his fingers were intertwined with a rosary. His had long blonde hair and piercing green eyes that bore through Ilya’s soul.
“Dr Morewood, this is Father Andreas.”
He took her hand politely kissing the back of it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Dr Morewood. Please, call me Lucian.” His hands were cold against hers.
“I am Eliyah, but you can call me Ilya.” She returned his courtesy. “Are you here for the child?”
He straightened his back and nodded. “The child will be investigated by the church, it seemed like something sinister is lurking under Ardes, something rotting.”
His words sent a shiver down her spine, he sounded so ominous in his whimsical voice it freaked her out.
“Now if you excuse me, I should take a look at the crime scene.” Lucian said before heading upstairs.
Detective Black watched her stare at Father Andreas absent mindedly and sighed. “Should we get you a carriage Dr Morewood?”
She looked at him and nodded silently. Understandably, she was still shaken up from the ordeal.
He helped her outside in the cold, the conversations of the other officers and the curious gazes from the neighbours made her hide her face in his side, he understood how she felt.
He waved down a carriage who waited for Agnes to come back with two boxes of things ready. Realistically they could not uproot everything in a night, much less tonight but they could take what they needed.
“I will join you tomorrow, Miss Ilya, so please be safe on your journey.” Agnes said with a kind smile. Ilya nodded as her things were loaded inside the carriage and Detective Black got on with her.
The carriage set off through the cobblestoned streets of Ardes, Detective Black looking at Ilya only to see her staring out of the carriage absentmindedly.
“I am not one who Is usually wrong Dr Morewood, but this time I have made an irredeemable blunder, I hope you forgive me with time.”
She didn’t say anything.
And neither did he.
They rode in silence for the hour until the city’s infrastructure slowly became grass fields and the houses seemed to appear less and less.
The Morewood estate closest by was a two-hour trip from the city, Ilya realised she wouldn’t be able to go to work tomorrow.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Do you mind dropping a message at Baskerville clinic when you return Detective Black?” She asked quietly.
“Yes of course, what message would you like me to give them?”
“I won’t be coming to work for the week, until I find a closer residence. Lord Baskerville will be quite upset with me, I just started that job you see.”
“I understand, Dr Morewood, I will explain the situation to the staff, please do not worry about it.”
“.. When we arrive at the city it would be quite late, you should still stay the night at least. Travel back to the city in the darkness alone is not safe.”
“I understand, thank you for your hospitality, Dr Morewood.” He thanked her, at least she was willing to converse with him.
After nearly two hours of travel, they approached the Morewood estate. The grandeur of the mansion loomed ahead, a memory of Ilya’s childhood before moving to the capital. Even when she came back to Ardes, she had hesitated to return to her childhood estate. Her heart felt tight looking at it.
They pulled up to the grand entrance, and Detective Black helped Ilya out of the carriage. She gazed up at the mansion silently, the sounds of children laughing echoing in her mind. The front door opened, and the chief butler stepped out.
“Welcome back home, Miss Eliyah,” he said with a smile, bowing.
“I’m glad to be home, Benjamin.” She smiled at the elderly man who was happy to see her again.
“Your visit was unexpected. I will ask the servants to clean up your room this instance, Miss Eliyah.”
“Please ask that my parents' room be prepared. I’d rather sleep there,” Ilya said.
“Yes, my lady. And this man…”
“This is Detective Black. He was my escort on my journey here. He will leave in the morning, so please prepare a room for him.”
“Of course, Miss Eliyah,” he said, bowing slightly. “Detective Black, please this way.”
"Dr. Morewood, I will ensure the message is delivered to the Baskerville clinic first thing in the morning," Detective Black assured her before he was led away by the butler. He had a feeling that he would not see her the next morning.
"I appreciate that, Detective," Ilya said, managing a faint smile.
"Please, rest well tonight," he added, his tone sincere.
She merely smiled.
As Ilya settled into the warmth of the bath, the events of the night replayed in her mind. The blood, the child, the horror of what they had witnessed—each image was etched vividly in her memory. She submerged herself in the water, hoping to clear her mind, only reemerging on the edge of drowning.
After her bath, Ilya dressed in a soft nightgown and climbed into her parents' bed. They were not with her, but the comfort of their presence remained in the room. She held onto her pillow tightly as she felt the weight of exhaustion pull her towards sleep.
She tried to sleep, she desperately wanted to, but she felt herself tossing and turning that night, the vivid imagery of Everlyn’s destroyed body had seared itself into her mind. She wanted to desperately forget that little girl but she couldn’t. Time and time again she found her gaze being drawn to the parcel on her desk. She had yet to open it and now she was in her own estate it was convenient for her. Her things had been neatly put away in her parents room but that parcel was the only thing on her vanity, the moonlight streaming from her windows illuminating it. She got up from her bed and took the parcel in her hands. She tore away the paper only to see an intricately carved wooden box. It looked like a beautiful brush box or a music box, but she hesitated to open it.
After that night’s proceedings she had a nagging feeling that she was sinking into something she could not escape, like quicksand, but she remained unaware of the threat underneath her. Pandora's box, something like that should never be opened. Something was written around the sides of the box, ‘Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate’.
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
Logic dictates she set down the box, but she found herself compelled to see what was inside, she had to se the box down immediately, she would open it in the morning with Detective Black, she was uncomfortable and stuffy. Her room felt uncharacteristically warm and so she headed to the balcony opening the clear glass pane doors stepping outside into the cool breeze. The moon and stars decorated the night sky and she took a deep breath.
She looked down on the gardens below, dark shadows covered every corner, even the flowers seemed to be deadly, their innocence and beauty stripped from their petals making her uneasy. Everything felt oppressive and malevolent.
She thought she heard laughter, glimpses of herself as child running around the gardens, three children following closely as they ran through the freshly cut grass, the edge of her skirt was wet from the dew, and often played hide and seek in the labyrinth, but now out of those four children she was the only one here.
Her memories were interrupted by a drop of blood in the otherwise beautiful grim scene. A figure in a red cloak walked into the labyrinth and disappeared from her sight.
She paused, unsure of what she just saw. She looked closer and there were no movements in the shadows, it was as if that figure was never there. She remained uncertain and so she grabbed her coat and boots sliding them on before heading out of her room with the box in hand. Everything was too coincidental to be unrelated. The children, the box, the red figure, she needed to find out what was happening.
“Dr Morewood?” She froze at the detective’s voice, turning stiffly to see him at the end of the hallway looking at her. “Where are you going?”
“I am going for a walk in the gardens.” She didn’t need to explain herself, but she did anyway. “I will be back shortly.”
“I do not feel comfortable letting you out of my sight, let me accompany you.” She didn’t decline his offer; it was saver to have him with her. He returned to his room to find clothes that were more appropriate to wear, also bringing his revolver with him as he always did.
“What’s the box for?” He asked on his way back, she was holding onto it tightly like it was important.
She looked at the cold wooden box in her hands, “I’m still unsure, I hope to find out soon.” That raised many questions, yet he did not ask instead only following her out the kitchen door to the gardens.
They walked through the labyrinth, the gravel crunching softly beneath their feet. The moonlight cast long, eerie shadows on the hedges, creating a stifling atmosphere. The air was crisp and cool, and every breath Ilya took felt like it might calm her racing heart.
"Did you come here often?" Detective Black asked in an attempt to break the silence between them.
Ilya nodded her head. "I used to. I know this labyrinth like the back of my hand. There’s no place for anyone to hide that I wouldn’t find."
They continued walking, turning corners and doubling back, but they found nothing. Despite looking for a while, no one was there. The silence of the night was only broken by their occasional murmured conversation and the distant rustling of leaves in the wind.
“Ilya, this place is enormous,” Detective Black remarked, scanning the surroundings. “How do you manage to keep track of where you are?”
“I spent a lot of time here as a child,” Ilya explained. “It was our sanctuary. I memorized every twist and turn.”
Just as they were about to give up, Detective Black noticed something. "Wait," he said, stopping abruptly. He pointed to the ground. "Footsteps."
Ilya looked down, seeing the faint impressions in the gravel. The footsteps were fresh, leading deeper into the labyrinth. "Let's go," she said, her voice resolute.
They moved cautiously, following the trail. The footsteps led them to a secluded part of the garden, where the hedges grew taller and closer together. The air seemed colder here, the shadows darker.
At the center of this hidden area, they found a small, weathered stone bench. The footsteps stopped there, but there was no one in sight. Ilya placed the box on the bench and looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. "What now?" she whispered, more to herself than to Detective Black.
He scanned the area, his hand on his revolver. "This is strange, footsteps don’t just vanish.”
Ilya looked at the bench, noticing something peculiar. It was an old, weathered stone bench, It had been here for years. She got down and using her hands searched around and behind the bench but nothing. She pushed her hand through the hedges expecting to find nothing but twigs and the occasional animal but she cane across a pillar. Hidden in the hedges a tone pillar with some kind of notch.
She pressed it.
To her surprise, the notch clicked, and a section of the bench shifted slightly. Ilya pushed harder, and the bench began to move, revealing a hidden staircase descending into darkness.
"This is also somewhere you played in as a child?” Detective Black asked in surprise.
“I think I would have remembered the descent to darkness.”
Detective Black whistled, “let’s have a look.”