The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown
which lies in the darkness.
~Unknown
***
And a shiver ran down her spine.
That same gust of wind brushed her skin, causing her heart to seize for a moment before pulsing wildly against her chest.
Out of the blue, she noticed something on the wall and that's when she saw it. It was like a silhouette.
But the most confusing part was what she refused to absorb. What paled her was the realization that the silhouette wasn't carrying a human figure. More like a bird?
With her heart beating wildly, Ravenna spun around, expecting someone but there was nothing. No one except the moving curtains.
The curtains remained open as the breeze constantly teased them and her heart thumped wildly, refusing to calm.
Another sense of adrenaline rushed into her as she breathed. "Who's there?" She called out, barely audible, her voice trembling.
Silence.
It was all that answered.
Ravenna's gaze returned to the wall. But as expected, there was nothing. Just her, looking at an empty wall and her shadow reflecting how ghastly her expression was. It had vanished as if it never even existed. As if it was never there in the first place.
With a racing heart, she rushed to the window as her curiosity finally wrestled with anticipation. The night outside was dark and far away from this looming building, and she caught a glimpse of some houses as light through them. However, the wind whispered something. A foreign danger creeping into her skin, transmitting shivers down her spine.
But why did it have to sound like a secret?
For the nth time, Ravenna's question was regarded as one thought to trash. She was the only one to feed her wrestling headaches and so far, all she did was add to it instead of finding a cure.
Releasing a breath, Ravenna reached for the curtains to close them. When she did, she returned to her bed, staring at the candle, and her eyes drifted to the plain wall.
A bird? She thought again, and her heart raced. It was familiar, especially that beak doubting her idea of hallucination as she recalled where exactly she'd seen it.
Earlier today, Ravenna walked down the streets from her journey away from work, to the traitor's daughter in the town of Amberleigh as Ravenna. Her decision in cajoling a shorter route for the sake of time had been welcomed by the sudden unannounced rumble of the clouds.
'Oh poor Alaric… He must have been worried by now,' She mumbled to herself, visualizing the position of her brother by the window— candles left blown off, the curtains drawn to shield strangers from taking a glimpse of the gloom within— and his usual rosary curled at his finger while he recited the song of thy father.
As she rushed, the sky unleashed a torrential downpour, soaking her dress and slightly sweeping her body away due to the pressure of the wind.
Ravenna grumbled as the rain kept on pummeling her figure unmercifully, slightly lifting her skirt now and then, to welcome the wind causing a frost bite to her skin. And the little patches on the umbrella were now torn, absorbing the gravity of the raindrops on her body.
Seeking shelter, she ducked into a narrow alleyway between two buildings. It was empty and the rain drummed against the roof above, creating a melodious cacophony that echoed through the passageway.
She dropped a box by her side and pulled her arms to a hug, brushing them to provide warmth on her skin as her lips quivered. The wind returned, whacking her figure for the nth time, and fetching some sense of adrenaline.
She ducked her head, glimpsing at the scattered clouds and the flash of lightning. This would take a long while…
As she waited for the storm to pass, she began to hum a song filling the silence of the thunderstorms in the hope that the cold engulfing her would vanish.
'O thou, the pearl of great price, hidden in the shell of flesh, thou art sought by the merchant, who seeks to acquire thee…' The notes fled her lips flawlessly when she began to recite the song she had been humming.
Ravenna let the wave of the melody slide to her heart, pouring the rhythm to the rain, as though urging it to be calm and furious at the same time.
She didn't know why she wanted that. Maybe the rain was describing how she felt innermost.
When she was done, she inhaled, rubbing her hands together and staring at the clouds that thrashed with lightning and thunderstorms.
It seems heaven wouldn't answer her prayers this time after all… and she sighed again.
And as the rain continued for a longer time, she started feeling constricted, especially when a handful of villagers had gathered to stand at the spot where she sheltered herself, passing her uncomfortable glances while clutching their bags defensively.
She would pretend not to notice the disgust at the distance they kept away from her, but their looks made her heart clench, her sanity wavering every second the wind blew harder.
Ravenna would change course, pretending to be scrutinizing the clouds or anything at a distance to stop the thoughts that threatened to wash over her, but she couldn't, especially when someone had whispered the title she had built herself and the rumors that wouldn't stop flying.
The traitor's daughter of Vlaydorn.
She couldn't bear the judgment any longer, picked up her box, and stepped into the rain.
The rain remained vengeful, and the wind carried some sort of gravity in it. She sniffed and wiped the lone tear that slipped off an eye in haste, with a firm promise not to cry again.
CROAK!
A raven flew across the sky, making terrible noises and the raindrops splashed into her eyes when her head glided above. Ravenna wiped it off with the sleeve of her dress and her blurry vision caught sight.
It surfed above her, looming in a threatening manner, and confining her thought at the wonder of its strange movement. Ravenna had forgotten about the rain, when she stood fixed, watching the raven hypnotizing dance.
Its twists and turns had trapped her unknowingly, and all she did was stand and watch.
She didn't know what interested her the most. The raven or its dance? Or perhaps… something else, when suddenly it disappeared, dragging her back into reality.
Ravenna released a shaky breath. Maybe she was crazy. All she needed was a sound rest. But she doubted if she would be granted that.
She clutched the rosary at her neck, caressing it without a word as she stared at the ceiling after getting into the warm blanket.
Were the angels watching? Might they be with her parents from above? Would her parents be… disappointed by the decision of life she had chosen? Would they know, it was all for the sake of a good deed?
'Ravenna, Ravenna, my sweet Ravenna,' they would call, voice like an angel, melody like Mary. 'Burn in hell and suffer the flames,' she would dream, frightened and pale.
She had only shut her eyes for a few seconds when the cold bite of the wind pierced sharply into her. Ravenna's eyes snapped open, the sound of the breeze sufficing her eardrums towards the curtain's direction.
There was no way…
Her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched the curtain dance.
Slowly, she pulled away from the bed, and stepped on the cold floor barefoot, grabbing the small dagger beneath her bed with shaky fingers. Her eyes fixed on the window, taking note of every slight movement when she took a bold step.
The wind suddenly felt like a bite on her skin and as she neared, she gulped the lump down her throat. Her legs trembled but her body remained determined not to fall for its trick. She wouldn't let it betray her.
And yet nothing. Again, she saw nothing. Then who or what could be opening her window?
That question caused her to tremble.
She was about to turn when she spotted a pair of bright red eyes glaring at her from a distance.
Ravenna's heart escaped her chest, dropping into the depths of her stomach as a gasp escaped her lips.
He stood there, somewhere far beyond her reach in the darkness, but that pair of red eyes wasn't too far to be noticeable.
Like he knew he couldn't cross the gates of House Vale, and just stare from the gate, holding that familiar walking cane.
Staggering behind, she drew the curtains close in sharp motion, charging back like someone was threatening a sword to her face.
Oh God…
Without thinking, she dashed towards the door and out, seeking Alaric's room.
The movement of her heartbeat echoed in the silence as she rushed, forgetting her feet were bare until she reached the door and thrashed it open.
"Alaric…"
She sighed in relief when she sighted his small figure fast asleep. His nightmares had now begun to torment her. She had thought something or-
Ravenna's thoughts swirled, as fear and uncertainty entwined all at once, almost knocking her sense. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, a sigh escaped her lips.
However, it wasn't for long. She didn't trust this night to be safe. Something in her guts told her so.
And she recalled those eyes replaying in her mind like the effect of the ale earlier today. Whatever she saw out there, frightened her to the core and she quietly shut the door behind her.
As she lay on his bed, the bed dipped at her weight, and she almost grinned when he pulled her to a hug, acknowledging her presence.
All her trembling emotions vanished replaced with serenity and she curled closer, finding her peace under the unmerciful storm that raged in tempest.
However, that pair of bright red eyes glared at her as she shut her eyes, earning a shudder from her.
Who? What? And why?
Tomorrow was calling for it.
***