25

She jerked immediately she heard the sound of Betla’s footsteps, looking up from her bed. Betla smiled at her, which was so unusual and she knew that smile meant something bad was about to happen, she walked up to her and sat at the edge of the bed. “You aren’t asleep yet?” She asked, making sure there was a reasonable distance between them, as though to remind her that there was no way she was going to change her mind about this.

Aranya wished she could cry everything out in front of her mother, but she knew that would only make Betla want Lorcán more, because she would like to bring an end to whoever she lied to her about. She sighed and sat upright, it felt like yesterday when she came to her the day she brought Jaromir home, and she couldn’t believe that she was here just after she had held Lorcán captive. “Betla...” She began, but Betla lifted her hands up to stop her.

“You have nothing to say to me, Aranya. Why did you lie to me?” She asked, and her eyes that were once soft when she entered, had turned to their usual shade and color, bloody and fire filled.

Aranya gulped down a lump in her throat, “Betla, I didn't lie to you.” She knew whatever she said to Betla was seemingly useless, but not giving her an excuse too was not the right thing to do. “I kissed him first, surely, but he wasn’t into me. It was merely a mistake and you know I can’t lure a man that’s not into me. I had Jaromir at the time, I cannot bring two men at the same time either, right?” She was aware of the way Betla was keenly staring at her, as if she was waiting for her to finish weaving her lies so she could tell her whatever decision she had decided.

“Why did you lie to me about him coming to Zinambra? He tried to kill you, Aranya.” Did she have to know everything that happened in her life? Why would she know everything? Can’t she have a secret of her own? At this point, she wasn’t sure if what’s inside her heart is safe from Betla.

“Dûsan is his brother. He came here to take his revenge on me, but he couldn’t. I don’t know his reason yet, but he fed me with his blood, and that stopped me from dying, Betla. Don’t you think he deserves to live because of this? He literally deserves to live, Betla.” Her eyes emoted her plea and she watched as Betla smiled with the edge of her lips. She wished just like Betla knew everything about her, she knew of hers as well.

She wished she could know what she was thinking about Lorcán.

She nodded her head for a few minutes, “Dûsan?” Aranya knew she had never forgotten about him, for she had never forgotten about all the men she had brought back home. “That wouldn’t stop me from taking his life, Aranya.”

“He’s the only man left for me to be able to avenge, Aranya, and you know I can't back out after all these years. I'll have to avenge, even if it takes me to take your life, I'll do that.” She stood up, and when she uttered her last words, Aranya realized that she had been living with a stranger instead of the woman that supposed to be her mother.

She stood up as well, moving reluctantly toward Betla, “What do you want to avenge on, Betla? I deserve to know everything.”

She placed her hands on Aranya’s shoulders and Aranya had never seen pain in her eyes except today. And she could say, the pain was raw, and without doubt, it still pained her whatever it was she needed to take revenge on. “You will know everything, when the time comes.” The fire flicked in her eyes and when it disappeared, she was as malicious as Aranya had ever seen her look, “Take Lorcán to the Mourtzur tomorrow at night, when the moon is full, I'll meet you two then. And I can see through your mind, don’t think of leaving with him, if you dare let him escape from me, I’ll have to take your soul in his stead, and it doesn’t matter how much that would hurt me.”

She staggered back onto the bed when Betla disappeared, she palmed her face and broke into tears. All the strength she thought she had had been strained out of her soul and she was left broken and fear stricken. What would she do now? She can’t do this.

She stood up immediately, it didn’t matter what Betla warned her not to do, she would have to do that because that was the only way to save Lorcán. She was going to save him with everything she had, with her soul if it takes. She walked out of her room and she didn’t care if Betla would know that she had gone to his room late at night. She didn’t even knock when she walked inside and found him laying on the bed, not sure whether he was asleep or not.

“Lorcán,” she called out, trying so hard to liberate her vice from her tears but it came out as a choked voice. He immediately sat up and stared at her.

“Are you okay, Aranya? What’s wrong?” He walked toward her before she reached up to the bed and placed his hands over her shoulders. She was trembling when she felt his hands on her shoulders and he brought her closer to his body, “Talk to me, Aranya. Something happened to Betla? Are you alright?”

She pulled her body away from his, “How can you ask me of her wellbeing, Lorcán? She wants you dead, and I can never let that happen.” She moved closer to him when she saw the way his body eased as though his death meant nothing to him. She held his hands and cleared her tears but more gushed down, nothing had ever made her felt as miserable as she did now. “Lorcán, I beg you in the name of god, let’s leave Zinambra tonight. Please.”

He shook his head and moved over to the bed and sat down, “I can’t leave you alone, Aranya. I can't risk your life, the earlier you realize this and stop stressing yourself over it, the better.”

She walked to the bed and sat beside him, she didn’t know why it felt almost impossible to stop her tears, “You have to leave, I'll be miserable if I...”

“Are you the one that kills the men?” He could see that through her eyes, one of the huge reasons she didn’t want him to stay in Zinambra was because she couldn’t even imagine killing Lorcán herself.

She nodded her head painstakingly and took his hand in hers, “Imagine how that will make me feel. I’m sure if you were in my shoes, you would have found a solution since, and this is the only solution, Lorcán. She told me to take you to Mourtzur tomorrow at night, please leave tonight.” Her lips trembled as she spoke and he watched the way she looked so pitiful.

He cupped her crying face and cleared her tears away with his elf, “You don't want me dead?” He asked, as though the way she acted wasn’t palpable enough to tell him that she didn't want him dead.

Nevertheless, she nodded her head with a pout on her lips. “I don’t, let’s leave please. You have to leave, I can take you somewhere where Zartan wouldn’t know you left. She can only find out later and she couldn’t find you.”

“Then she’ll kill you, Aranya. I can’t risk that as well, don’t you realize?”

She shook her head, all she wanted was for him to be safe. “I can’t understand that, you matter the most.”

He sighed and cleared the tears that cascaded down her cheeks again, “We’ve been having this conversation for times I don't care to count,” he said and a small smile stretched his lips. “Can you kiss you? I've missed kissing you.” She wanted to argue with him, but then she didn’t have the courage to do that because with each passing minute, she had to remind herself that he might already be dead at this time come tomorrow and she slowly placed her lips on his, just lips on lips without any sync.

He softly groaned, “This isn't a kiss, Aranya.” And she closed her eyes before she kissed him, their lips syncing slowly at the pace she took them for she was in grief and when she wrapped her hands around his neck and dived her fingers into his hair, she heard the moan that escaped his lips.

He slowly broke their hug with a wide grin on his lips, “Sleeping alone was proving to be hard, let’s sleep.” He kissed her forehead and she didn’t argue when he took her to bed and she made a pillow out of his chest with his hands wrapped firmly around her body. This is where she belonged, she realized, and she wanted to be in his arms for the rest of her life without the fear of him being taken away by her mother.

•

Keres came out of the suite she had booked, blocking the scorching rays of the sun away from her face. They arrived at the inn in Elara yesterday at night and she was so tired to even lift a finger. She was just out now, and with each step she took, she couldn’t take it out of her mind that Jaromir had lived here, with the woman he left her for. In fact, he met the woman here, how funny life moved. And now he was dead, and she was the one that would make sure he got the justice he deserved. His soul wouldn’t be wasted without any revenge taken.

She was aware of the suite she had booked, it was the one Verena lived in, for the guards had told her everything. She lifted her eyes to the tree they told her of and she whistled. Like they informed, a beautiful bird fluttered her wings and when she came to where she stood, it transformed itself into a very beautiful lady. “Good day, your highness.”

She went straightforward, for she didn’t have time for any pleasantries. “What’s your name? I'm here to ask you a few questions and I hope you’ll answer me truthfully?”

Portia nodded herded and bowed a little, realizing this woman wasn’t the same as the ones that had lived in this suite. “My name is Portia, and I'll answer you with nothing but the truth.”

She lifted her head up, “Do you know Verena? The woman that lived here.”

“I know her, your highness.” She bowed her head, wondering why people came to ask her about Verena long after she had left. What’s with the woman and what deal did she have with people.

Portia made sure she answered all the questions Keres threw her way and when she was done, yet unsatisfied, she walked off and went into the market, silently hoping that she would find something there. For the guards had told her that she loved visiting the markets. She didn’t ask Katharina to follow her for she didn’t like to catch the attention of the people walking through the busy streets.

And when she was tired of walking, she sat down on a stone and took a breather, watching the way men and women were walking across the tiny paths. She heard as someone coughed beside her and when she turned, it was a woman. An old woman that had her canine teeth appearing whence grinned; mischievously.

“Who are you?” Keres asked, for she didn’t have to be told that this woman was an immortal and a dangerous one. She didn’t care how dangerous she was, what she wanted was answers to her questions and she could do anything to get them.

“My name is Desdemona, and I'm a Durush. I know why you’re here, and only I could only answer all of your questions.”