Chapter 51

**Merianna**


The early morning hours of the next day found me back in Noch's office yet again.

“What is the meaning of this?” I asked as I stared at Noch menacingly while Thyrion happily sat to the left, munching an apple.

“It is exactly as it sounds. I need you to team up with Thyrion and go to a Coven where recent movements have been reported by Raska.

“I can do that on my own.” I said firmly.

“I know you can, but seeing as how things are escalating recently, I think it's about time someone tags along with you.” He said with a smile. “It also gets him out of my hair for a while.”

“So basically, you're sending me to gather information, and making him go with me just so you don't have to see his face or have to deal with him.” I concluded.

“You are absolutely correct. I might be tempted to outright kill him if he so much as walks the wrong way. Don't blame me, this was Fog's suggestion when he caught me strangling this sorry excuse for a human this morning.”

“And what makes you think that I won't also be tempted to kill him myself along the way?”

“You're a smart girl, and you also don't have as big of a grudge against him as I do. No burning or dismembering please. I would at least like to have him back alive so I can still kill him myself.” Noch said sweetly with a grin.

My eye twitched. “How do you know that I have already threatened to burn and dismember him?”

Noch smirked. “There is a saying, the walls have ears, my dear. And this is after all Fog's castle which I have free roam in.”

“We weren't near any walls last night.” I said flatly.

“Hedges also count as walls you know.” He smirked and chuckled at my furious face.

I couldn’t come up with a good retort so without warning I tossed a thick scroll rolled up around a wooden shaft at his face, which he unfortunately caught. He looked at the parchment curiously and looked back at me.

“Have fun reading my wealth of knowledge. You will probably only finish with it after the sun has set.” I huffed and exited the room before he could retaliate in any way. It only took a few seconds before I heard thudding footsteps following closely behind me.

“Where are you off to Meri dear?” Thyrion sang from behind me.

Without thinking twice about it, I turned on my heel and faced Thyrion squarely. His look of surprise quickly vanished as I grabbed his hand, turned my hips into his side and hoisted him over my head to slam him into the ground. “Do not, call me Meri.”

While he was still coughing his lungs out on the floor I waltzed into my room and slammed the door shut. I sighed at the bliss of being back in my own space.

“What seems to be the matter My Lady?” Asked Hezerial as he walked out from my bathroom.

I frowned at him. “What are you doing in my bathroom?”

“I was reddying your bath My Lady. I had come across some Honeysuckles while roaming about the borders and thought that you might find the scent pleasant in a morning bath. I had noticed that you have been tense for the past few days and thought that you would enjoy something refreshing.” He said with a smile so bright that it felt like I might be blinded.

“That is, very thoughtful of you Zerial, thank you.” I said as I walked closer and caught the fragrance of the sweet flower in the warm air.

“It is ever a pleasure, My Lady. Now, may I ask again what seems to be troubling you so early this morning?”

His persistence was a trait that I still needed to get used to. “Well, it seems that Noch decided to have Thyrion go with me on another scouting bounty. Why on earth he thought it would be a good idea is beyond me.”

Hezerial looked slightly concerned. “The man that also fought against the Nirns?” I nodded my confirmation. “You do not like him My Lady?”

“I do not trust him.” I said simply. “He seems to be one of those characters that would try to persuade their way into or out of anything. It also doesn’t help matters knowing that Nelia fancies him.”

Hezerial seemed to give this some thought. “So, you are concerned for your sister because you do not want her to fall under Thyrion’s charms, My Lady?”

“Yes. That man seems to know his way around women, and I don’t want her to get hurt. I also don’t want him to get in my way or think that he can sway me to his wishes.” I moved to my closet and chest to set my gear out on my bed.

“If what you say is true My Lady, then I will keep a close watch on his movements as well.” He said with a formal bow.

I smiled at him. “Thank you Zerial. Also could you please stand guard outside my bedroom door? I have a sneaking suspicion that the person in question is most likely sitting or standing outside my bedroom door right now.”

“Of course My Lady, I shall keep watch.” He said and promptly disappeared from my room. I smirked as I heard a yelp come from my door and hummed happily to myself as I went to have my bath.



***



It felt glorious to be back in my proper gear after having gone through the last two battles in a dress. I had no intentions of walking about between the people of the coven we were about to eavesdrop on, so there was no need for me to go parading around in another dress again. If I got any of my woefully few remaining dresses ruined, Dorris would have my head.

“So that Angelic from earlier is your Guardian?” Thyrion asked in the dwindling dusk light. We were walking through a forest that surrounded the coven, and my patience was running thin. Just like Thyrion’s previous fifteen questions, I ignored him and continued taking note of the surrounding area.

“You know, there is something to be said about silent women. Apparently they tend to be bashful and don’t want to speak for fear of revealing their admiration for the man they like.”

My hands tightened their grip on my swords as I tried even harder to ignore his presence. If I ever managed to finish this bounty without seriously maiming Thyrion, it would be a miracle.

“Apparently their silence and avoidance is their way of appearing mysterious and aloof, which usually succeeds in them catching the interest of their affections. Are you one of those women Merianna dear?”

I took a deep breath and held it tightly in my lungs for ten seconds. Someone somewhere must be praying for Thyrion’s well being, otherwise I would have stabbed him by now.

“Oh! Do you perhaps-,” I whirled around quickly with my blade drawn and aimed for his face. He ducked under my strike quickly and smirked up at me as I froze. “Even if you manage to stab my eye out, I can always go to the Ga’s and have it fixed.” He said with a grin.

“I swear, you are even more insufferable than Noch.” I huffed as I sheathed my sword again.

“She speaks!” He said in exaggerated excitement.

“Oh for the love of all things hexed and cursed in this world.” I muttered as I turned back around.

“I see you’ve picked up that saying from Arasule. She always did have a love for hexes and curses.” He said thoughtfully.

“At least hexes and curses can’t speak back.” I muttered to myself, not caring anymore if he heard me or not.

He hummed thoughtfully at that. “Maybe that’s why she likes using that saying.”

I heaved a sigh and jumped over a fallen tree with Thyrion hot on my heels. “Did Noch give you any other details regarding the people we are going to eavesdrop on tonight?”

He hooked his hands behind his neck and tilted his head sideways. “When does he ever give anyone the full details when he sends them on a personal bounty?”

I threw a disgruntled glare over my shoulder to which he only lifted his hands in surrender. “Answering me with another question is not an answer.”

“It did get my point across though!” He said triumphantly.

I turned back around and wished that I could just knock my head into a nearby tree to relieve some of the aggression building up inside me. Would hitting my head against a hard object actually help? I’m more inclined to believe that impaling him would be a much more satisfying option.

I suddenly went flying to the ground with a big hand covering my mouth. Before I could throw the weight off and act on impulse, I heard Thyrion’s voice next to my ear. “Someone’s walking by.” He whispered.

When I stilled my movements, he suddenly jumped off of me and settled on the ground to my right. I shot him a glare which he only grinned at, then turned back to the footsteps I started hearing to my left.

A woman emerged from the thick overgrowth with a herbal basket on her arm heading into the village. I frowned at this as I saw that her basket barely had anything in it. I looked back at the direction she came from and noticed that it looked like a well worn path. After the woman disappeared from our sight, I pinched Thyrion’s hand.

“Ouch!” He yelled. “What was that for?!”

“I’m going to follow the path she came from. You can go ahead into the village and eavesdrop, I’ll meet up with you again here in this spot.” As silently as possible I started to gather my feet under me. Thyrion’s hand shot out and grabbed a hold of my arm before I could stand however.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? We were told to stick together.”

I ripped my arm out of his grasp. “I would have done this bounty alone anyway if Noch didn’t feel the need to dump you into it as well.”

Thyrion gave a displeased scowl. “So at least tell me where you’re going?”

I gave a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. “I’m going to see where that woman came from.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because that Herb Basket she was carrying barely had anything in it. Also no one in their right mind would go out to gather herbs in the afternoon, especially not around dusk.” I stood up in a crouch to make sure that no one else was wandering around at this time of the day.

“I’m coming with you then.” Thyrion said as he stood up as well.

“Oh no, you go into that village and do the actual bounty we were sent here to do. If you’re successful in gathering anything useful you can even keep the reward. My curiosity is sending me down that path and I’ll be damned if I stay around you for another second longer.” I stubbornly declared.

Thyrion didn’t look pleased in the least and looked like he wanted to give me a piece of his own mind.

“Do not fret. My Lady is well guarded at all times.” I whirled around and saw Hezerial standing behind me like he was there all along. 

“Don’t do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” I whisper-yelled as I smacked his arm.

“Apologies My Lady, I only assumed that silence is fundamental in this situation.” I heaved another heavy sigh and wondered to myself what I ever did to deserve this type of situation.

“Well Thyrion, as you can see, I have Zerial to keep me company. I won’t be wandering the woods in the dark on my own. Gosh I’m not a child anymore, I can take care of myself.” Without giving him another glance I turned on my heel and started walking silently through the brush next to the path.

“He was only concerned for your wellbeing My Lady. I do not think that he is a bad man.” Hezerial whispered lowly as he followed me through a thin layer of Ether. I was thankful that he didn’t decide to tromp through the underbrush next to me. This way no one would be able to see or hear him while he can also stay close.

“He might not be a bad man, but I still don’t trust him. It would take a while for that to happen.” I whispered back as I pulled out Raska’s charm. I had come to carry it around with me lately. It was much easier to move around with the glamour than it was to meld in with the shadows.

Hezerial was smart enough to keep the rest of his opinions about Thyrion to himself for the rest of the time we walked. Night fell quickly and darkness swallowed the landscape. We walked for so long that I wondered if that woman had taken a path into the woods on the opposite side of the path. At least, that’s what I thought until I came across a small trail of freshly broken vegetation in front of me cutting from the path into the woods.

“This way.” I whispered as I followed the barely noticeable path that she walked. There were a few times that I felt like I had lost the path, only to find another flattened plant or broken twig close by. This was one of the times that I wished for sandy or muddy terrain.

A noise ahead suddenly had me ducking down. Even if I did have the glamour activated, it didn’t mean that my presence would go unnoticed. Slowly I sneaked forward until I reached a big tree to hide behind. Glancing around the trunk, I froze in my tracks.

There stood a man in a black robe in the thick underbrush. It was most likely the man that Noch had talked about seeing. Movement to his right caught my eye and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from cursing. A Hunter milled around the area, looking through the trees around him like he didn’t have anything better to do.

*Curses, this is bad…*

I suddenly felt Hezerial covering me from behind with his body and wings, practically crushing me to his front as we huddled.

“What’s that for?!” I yelled to him in my mind.

“There are more creatures around than the hunter and hooded man, My Lady. This area is highly dangerous.” He said as his head steadily rotated above mine.

With a frown I tried to unfocus my eyes slightly and open myself up to the ether, and almost immediately regretted it. I clamped my hand over my mouth before the gasp could escape my lips. Moving closely around the hooded figure, were black shapes that undulated and seemed to take grotesque shapes as they moved, only to dissipate again. 

*Demons...*

“Not just any Demons, My Lady. Those are high ranking Demons that are on the verge of being manifested in this Realm.” Hezerial murmured in my mind.

A shiver ran up my spine at that. I’ve read horrific stories in the library about times when Demons were summoned or Demon Gates were opened by Crazed Warlocks or Dark Witches. None of those historic accounts ever came out very positively, the only positive point in those accounts were the facts that they managed to suppress the aunslaught or close the Gate.

Massive losses of life were always reported in the records.

A massive dark shape suddenly fully took shape next to the hooded figure and seemed to mutter something to him, to which the hooded figure nodded and placed something on the ground.

The hooded figure then waved his hand and opened a Gateway like it was the simplest thing in the world. The Hunter came running from where he had been wandering around and seemed to mutter unhappily about something as he disappeared with the figure and demons into the gateway.

As the Gateway’s light dissipated I finally let out the breath I hadn’t noticed I’d been holding in. My body trembled as I remembered the demonic shape that took form next to the figure. That thing was unlike anything I had come across in my life. Fear made my body tremble as I stayed under Hezerial’s protective wings.

“They have gone, My Lady. I think they may have noticed us and chosen to flee.” Hezerial said reassuringly as he hesitantly uncoiled from around me.

“Why..” I breathed as I looked at my shaking hands.

“Why what My Lady?”

“Why am I this scared?” I whispered more to myself than to Hezerial. Gripping my hands to my chest, I leaned forward till my head rested on the tree. “I have never seen a demon like that before, yet, I can’t stop from imagining my flesh being torn apart by it, from thinking I can smell it’s rancid breath on my face. Why…?”

Hezerial didn’t say anything but knelt down to my left and lifted my face with his finger under my chin so I was looking at him. “My Lady, even if you believe you have no past lives, I know you do, and not all of them are always pleasant. Especially the ones from before I met you and became your Guardian.”

My shaking stopped as what he said hit me. “Then, why don’t I remember? Why am I so confused? Everyone else remembers theirs, they all know everything, the good and bad.”

Hezerial looked down at me sadly. “It is because they probably never wished to forget.”

“I wanted to forget?” My stomach turned and I felt nauseous. If my reaction was so strong to seeing that demon, then maybe the past should stay where it was. With that decision made, my nerves settled and I took a deep breath.

“Then let it stay buried if that is what I wanted. Even though I still doubt that I had past lives. I can’t afford to be distracted now.” I stood up from the ground and walked cautiously over to the area where the hooded figure was. He had placed something on the ground, I needed to know what it was.

Scanning the damp earth, I noticed a section that was freshly dug and covered. So the man didn’t just place something on the ground, he buried it. Stretching out my senses towards the area trying to get a feel of what it's intentions are for. I sensed a strong charm, small but intricate, it felt like it was a marker of sorts. Perhaps to reopen a Gateway in the same area again next time?

“We need to get back to Thyrion. I wonder if he gathered any information himself. We have plenty to share with Noch as is.” Turning back to Hezerial I saw that he was close behind me.

“As you wish My Lady. Shall I fly us back?” He asked with a smile. He knew I loved it when we flew.

“Yes please. That would be amazing.” I smiled back.