The night was heavy with silence, broken only by the creak of wheels and the steady clop of the mule's hooves.
A cart rolled slowly down the lonely road, lanterns swaying, light flickering across the sleeping children.
In the moving cart was a family of four.The father held the reins tight, his eyes darting to the dark line of trees on either side of the path.
Then…the sound of quick footsteps could be heard.Faint at first, then multiplying, quickening.
The father's heart thudded. He snapped the reins. The mule strained forward, the cart jolting. The mother stirred awake, clutching her youngest.
"What is it?" she whispered.
The man squinted his eyes into the darkness beyond.
"I can hear voices…" He didn't finish his sentence when shadows broke from the treeline—riders, cloaked, armed, fanning out in silence. The lantern's glow caught the glint of steel.
The father shouted...
"Hold on!" He held on to the reins, but an arrow split and flew past his side, grazing his arm.
The riders closed in. One seized the cart's side, another swung his sword, and then he ran it through the man's neck. The mother of the children was terrified as she clutched them to herself.
"Noooo! She screamed, tears gathering in her eyes, as she saw her husband's head separate from his body, blood spilling everywhere.
The cart tipped as it jolted over a stone, nearly spilling its passengers; the rider was dead, so it moved in a wavy direction. The attackers pressed harder; they slaughtered the woman and her children, their cries breaking the silence of the night.
They took some spoils and valuables for themselves before turning around and riding away, leaving the bodies of the family of four in the pool of their own blood.
...…..
The chamber was illuminated by the moonlight, the silver glow trickling through the tall arched windows. Vashi slept in restless slumber upon her silken bed, her breath uneven as though dreams toyed with her.
A faint rustle stirred her awake. The heavy curtains swayed, though no breeze touched them. Her eyes narrowed. In the shifting folds of velvet, she saw…shadows.
Long, skeletal shapes gliding as if someone stood behind.
Her heart skipped as she slowly sat up, her gaze not breaking away from the curtains.
"Who is there?! She shrilled, taking the blanket covering her body off.
She climbed down from her bed, her bare feet whispering against the cold marble floor. Step by step, she moved toward the curtains, her pulse pounding in her ears.
The shadow grew darker; it was shaped like that of a female.
"Who is there…"
She seized the edge of the drapery and swung it wide with sudden force.
Nothing.
Only the pale moon was staring back at her, serene, merciless.
She stood frozen, the silence pressing heavy around her.
She could have sworn she saw the shadows of a woman.
I must be seeing things." She muttered to herself, sighing between. She placed one of her hands on her waist, the other on her temples. She felt a headache coming in; suddenly she traced her hand around her face… sweat.
She was sweating profusely… Why?
Vashi cast a fleeting glare at the curtains now swaying to the breeze coming from outside before turning around.
Immediately she turned around; the shadow of a figure was cast on the floor in front of her. Her hand flew to her mouth, she blinked her eyes, and it was gone.
Her gaze darted about the chamber. No one. Yet she could hear faint whispers circling her ears like unseen voices.
Her hand trembled, but she clenched it into a fist.
"Show yourself!" she demanded. Her voice broke the hush but stirred no reply, only laughter—soft, mocking, echoing from every shadow.
The candle flames shuddered though the air was still. Her reflection in the tall mirror quivered, not matching her movements. She stepped forward—the reflection lingered a moment behind.
Her chest tightened. She blinked hard.
"This is an illusion… This is an illusion… It can't be real."
But the whispers rose louder, weaving with her thoughts, turning them sour and strange.
The chamber she was so familiar with seemed to shift around her, walls stretching, ceiling lowering, and shadows lengthening like grasping hands.
She closed her eyes and pressed her palms against her ears. Yet still the voices seeped through.
"All is an illusion…" she muttered with eyes shut.
"I must be dreaming; this isn't real… …wake up, Vashi… Wake up!!
When she opened her eyes again, she was alone in her chamber, the curtains still, the mirror quiet, and the candles steady.
Only her etched breath could be heard; she turned on her queen-sized bed towards the direction of the window… It was morning.
"It was a dream." The relief laced in her voice couldn't be ignored. She shut her eyes, calming her racing pulse.
She climbed down from her bed…
"Viper." She called out softly, and the latter crawled out of the bed. but withdrew when it saw a maid coming.
A maid walked into her chamber to get her ready for the day's activity. She was bathed and dressed in a black gown with sharp collars, a V-neck dress exposing some of her cleavage.
She was now seated in front of the dressing mirror, the maid brushing her moistened hair. Inadvertently…Vashi' gaze darted to her window… She was about to retract her gaze when the soft glow of a jewel caught her eyes.
She straightened up on the chair she was seated on, her eyes now on the chair.
"Get me that piece of jewelry." She said to the maid brushing her hair while pointing at the direction the pair of earrings was on the window ledge.
The maid placed the brush she was using to comb Vashi's hair on the dressing table, then made her way to the window. She took the almond-shaped diamond earring in her hand, then made her way to where Vashi was seated.
Vashi took the earring from the grip of the maid; it was lacking its other pair. How did it get there?
She raised the earring in the air, her siren green eyes scanning it with scrutiny; she had seen this earring somewhere, on someone. She couldn't place the face.
She finally lowered her gaze, opened the second drawer in her dressing mirror, and placed the earring there.
"You may leave." She said to the maid still standing dutifully by her side. The maid took her leave, shutting the door behind her.
For a fleeting second, Vashi's eyes darted to the window. Suddenly flashes of the dream she had filtered through her mind; she blinked her eyes to push back the thoughts in her head before slowly rising to her feet.
The black gown she was wearing dropped down, circling around her. The silver ring on her index finger was carved to perfection; out of habit, she fingered it, deep in thought.
She finally makes her way out of her chamber, stepping into the main hallways of the castle. She took many turns and a short staircase before arriving at her destination… Jazell's chamber.
She stopped at the doorway; the double door leading to the chamber was left ajar. From where she stood, she saw Ragaleon conversing with the grandmaester in whispers.
"She might live…but I am not certain." She heard the grandmaster say it, and her face paled.
She shifted her gaze to Jazell… She was horrified.
Jazell looked awful; her skin was beginning to have blisters as though it would peel off soon, and her flesh would be left bare.
Jazell had dark circles around her eyes, her short blonde hair seemed to be losing color, and she hadn't had a proper bath in three days!
The whispers in the chamber stopped; Vashi raised her gaze, and it met Ragaleon's. Only hatred stirred in his eyes when he gazed at Vashi; she was the one who urged Jazell to drink the poisoned wine to prove herself.
Ragaleon ended his conversation with the grandmaster and then took his leave. But not before pausing when he got to the doorway; he spared Vashi a glare and then continued on his way.
Vashi walked into the chamber, then made her way to Jazell's bed.
"She hasn't opened her eyes since she fainted…has she?" Vashi asked, and the grandmaster nodded.
Just then Linn, Jazell's personal maid, walked into the chamber with a bowl of lukewarm water and a silk material in her hand. She was surprised to see Vashi seated on Jazell's bed, staring down at her.
Linn made her way to Jazell's bed and then soaked the silk material into the bowl of water. She used the silk to clean Jazell's skin, her hand…legs…then her face. Slowly and dutifully she cleaned Jazell's skin.
"It is a wonder she is still alive." Linn started off, her emotions bubbling inside of her. Vashi could only agree to her words; it is indeed surprising that Jazell hasn't drifted to the afterlife.
"She was such a dynamite queen." Vashi said in a low voice…running her finger on Jazell's pale face.
Linn nodded in agreement to Vashi's words…
"She is so strong; she battles with death itself." Linn was fighting back her tears. She swiped Jazell's hair to the side, tugging the hair behind her ear.
Vashi was already on her feet and was about to turn to leave when something caught her gaze.
She blinked her eyes a few times, swallowed hard… before shifting her gaze to Jazell's ear, where a pair of almond-shaped earrings was pinned.
Vashi's heart constricted, her thoughts twisting in a whirlwind.
What…a lovely earring she has there." She finally found her voice, her gaze not breaking away from Jazell's ear. She inched closer, then leaned forward; she swiped Jazell's hair on the right side of her cheek to the side, and what she saw stunned her.
The other pair of earrings was missing!
The blood on Vashi's face drained.
The earring…the other pair, it's missing." She said, leaning away, then turned to gaze at Linn.
Linn creased her brows, then took a look…
"It must have fallen off." Linn answered by taking off the pair of earrings on Jazell's ear. She placed it aside.
Vashi's green eyes glowed with dread; she now lacked words since her throat was drying up…from unknown fear.
Let me have the other pair. I will have a jewelry designer make one just like it as a gift for Jazell when she recovers." Vashi said, snatching the other pair of earrings before Linn could respond.
Linn was simply glad at her gesture.
"Lady Jazell will appreciate it." She smiled and then continued wiping Jazell's skin dutifully. Vashi made her way out of Jazell's chamber and made her way to her chamber.
She walked up to the drawer where she had kept the earring she had seen on the window ledge; she opened it and took out the earrings.
Bringing out the other pair she had found on Jazell, she raised both the earrings to the ear, comparing them, her green eyes scanning the sharp details of both earrings.
They were exactly the same.
The realization soon struck Vashi as she slowly lowered her hand, then collapsed on the chair in front of her dressing mirror, her gaze still.
"How…how is this even possible?"