NIGHTS OF HALLOW

”What do you want, green eyes?” Daemon questioned with an arrogant look on his face.

Being called green eyes with that annoying tone and also that look on Daemon’s face ticked Perdita’s nerves off. She opened her mouth to retort but had to hold herself back since she needed the man’s favor.

”It’s Perdita” She corrected to see Daemon roll his eyes at her.

”What’s the difference?”

”You!” Perdita pointed her index finger at Daemon more than annoyed with him.

Daemon looked at the lady that was puffing invisible smoke from her eyes and ears in anger. This reaction made the smile on his face widen more.

”State what you want, I don’t have all day to stare at your green eyes” Daemon spoke and at the same time, he stressed the ’green eyes’ to infuriate Perdita more.

As expected Perdita glared at Daemon before asking, ”I want to see Sthena. There’s something urgent I want to discuss with him. Do you know where I can find him?”

Daemon couldn’t believe his ears. What did he just hear? He asked himself as he stared at Perdita with a narrowed look this time. This lady had the nerve to call the king by his name?! Well, he wouldn’t blame her, it was the king that wished to be invisible to the people he was ruling. He wouldn’t be surprised if one day, one of them slapped him on his face.

”What?” Perdita questioned the shocked Daemon ”Why are you looking at me like that? Did you not hear my question? Please I need his help” She added this time in a pleading tone.

Daemon quickly recovered from his stupefied state. He nodded his head and answered ”Yes, I know. Any problem?”

”Yes,” Perdita quickly answered feeling a surge of hope enveloping her heart. She turned her voice down and whispered, ”It’s about that man he took with him”

”Which one?” Daemon asked confused about the man she was speaking of.

”The man yesterday. Mr. Perkin, my fellow villager” Perdita answered still whispering.

”Oh,” Daemon relaxed his shoulders. He thought she was asking about the other man they also took with them yesterday. It made him want to question if she knew something about the pills. But since she was asking about that old hag, then it meant she didn’t know about the other man.

”What happened? Do you want to let him go?” By now Daemon had dropped the smug and suspicious look on his face to be replaced by a curious look. He knew how the brain of these soft souls worked. They would not allow harm to happen to others, but they will watch others cause them harm.

But Perdita proved him wrong by saying, ”Of course not! Why would I want him back? I don’t want to die yet, and neither do I want that for my brother. It is his wife I’m talking about”

Daemon felt Perdita surprise him again today. He said, ”What about his wife? You want her to be captured too?”

”No, no, no,” Perdita shook her head ”I want Sthena to help me release her. She was wrongly accused of something she didn’t do”

Daemon internally sighed. That was what he was talking about. These soft souls...sigh.

”What is it? How will His ma...” Daemon realized he was about to expose the identity of Sthena. He coughed before changing his language ”How will Sthena help you?” It felt weird calling the king by his name. Daemon thought. He was sure if the king was here, he would snap his head. But since he was not here, why not take the privilege? Still! It felt somehow on his tongue.

”I want him to help me get Mrs. Perkin out of the village warden’s custody. She was accused of taking birth c...”

”What makes you think he will help you out?” Daemon interrupted Perdita before she could finish.

Perdita scratched her jaw in irritation. She didn’t like being interrupted. Why can’t he just tell me where Sthena is so I can ask him myself? He would help her faster than this man who kept asking her several annoying questions.

”It is because it has something to do with the pills” Perdita hastily spoke.

”The pills?” Daemon immediately became alert. He pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and fully faced Perdita with questions in his eyes. Anything about those pills was a task he must see that nothing went wrong. If not, Sthena will skin him alive.

Perdita seeing how Daemon become attentive spoke with the same vigor. ”Yes, the pills! She was accused of taking them because of her husband, Mr. Perkin. She is in the house of...”

”Take me to her!” Daemon commanded.

”Right away, Mister!” Perdita exclaimed and led the way to the building of the village security where the head warden had taken Mrs. Perkin.

When they reached the building, they went straight to the office of the head warden. One of the junior wardens went in and informed their head that someone came to see him.

The junior warden came out and informed Daemon and Perdita to go in. Entering the office, the head warden sat behind the old desk that looked like it would fall with a little push on it. Several parchments were scattered around the table. A large cupboard filled with old and new parchments leaned on one side of the wall. The room was large compared to the small rooms in the villager’s houses.

The man on seeing the people that came in rose to acknowledge their presence. His eyes first fell on Perdita who offered him a bow and then to Daemon.

”What can I do for the both of you?” The head warden asked bringing out his hand for a handshake with Daemon.

Daemon looked at the man and his hand. He didn’t bother to acknowledge the man’s hand and rather said ”There’s a woman you arrested today”

The head warden brought his hand back to his side with a small frown on his face. He nodded to Daemon’s question ”Yes”

”Release her.” Daemon’s voice was neither high nor low making his order sound like a warning.

”And you are? Do you have evidence to clear her innocence?” The head warden questioned Daemon who got on his bad side by not shaking him.

”I don’t remember you introducing yourself nor do you have the evidence to hold the woman in your custody” Daemon snapped back. His red eyes bore into the black eyes of the man. Even though he was not there when the incident happened, he knew how this type of man worked. They would capture someone not bothering to make sure of the evidence given to them to hold the person in custody. He was sure it was the same issue with this head warden who was daringly looking him in the eyes.

The head warden slightly flinched at the intensity of Daemon’s gaze. He shook his head to get rid of the fear Daemon was trying to create in him. He shouldn’t be scared of his fellow man even though he was facing a creature of the night. He is the head warden doing his job while this man was a nameless vampire.

”So? I’m doing what my job requires. Besides, who do you think you are to come into my office to order me on what I should do?”

”What your job requires?” Daemon clicked his tone in annoyance ”You are telling me that arresting someone without proper investigation is what your job requires? Should I take it that you are stupid or do you want me to tell you the rules of your work?” The tone of Daemon lacked humor as he stared challengingly at the head warden.

Perdita watched as Daemon and the head warden battled with their words and eyes. Somehow she was enjoying that someone was annoying Daemon. But it seemed like it was the other way round because sweat had started to form on the head warden’s forehead which he wiped with the sleeves of his shirt.

”Who are you?” The head warden couldn’t help but question again while trying to stand his ground. ”I can’t release her without evidence”

Daemon sighed in a bored tone. If not he had other things to do, he wouldn’t mind teaching this rotten man a lesson. He reached inside his shirt pocket and brought out something that looked like a pendant and threw it at the man who caught it with both hands.

The head warden took a peek at what Daemon threw at him and his eyes widened in disbelief. Immediately he bowed at Daemon and hastily spoke ”I’ll release her right away, sire!” Gone was the challenging tone he was using.

”Good,” Daemon breathed to see the warden move quickly with his feet.

A few minutes later, the head warden came back inside the room with Mrs. Perkin trailing behind in a disheveled state.

”Here she is, sire!” The head warden bowed again.

”Good. Now, I want you to go to the village, use any excuse you can think of, and announce that she was wrongly accused. Don’t wait for morning to come, do it now!”

”Yes, sire! Right away sire!”

Perdita watched in awe as the table turned around. The head warden who was behaving all mighty was the same person bowing to every word of Daemon. And what was that thing Daemon threw at him because it seemed that was the thing that did the magic now. Perdita wondered. She watched the head warden return whatever it was to Daemon who put it back inside his shirt pocket.

Together, Perdita, Daemon and Mrs. Perkin, and the head warden left the building. On their way, Mrs. Perkin kept thanking Daemon and Perdita for coming to her aid when no one believed her. She felt truly grateful to Perdita and her respect for her grew ten folds in her heart before she left with the warden to clear her name in the eyes of villagers.

Perdita turned to look at Daemon who walked beside her with his stoic face. Looking at him this close, Perdita noticed his sharp jawline and his pointed nose that stood below his dark red eyes. He was handsome she had to admit. But then, Sthena surpassed him. It was as if Sthena was specifically carved and created to perfection. Perdita shook her head to get rid of her line of thought. She stopped walking and said to Daemon.

”Thank you for your help. I’m truly g...”

”You should thank Sthena and not me. But remember, you owe me one” Daemon interrupted Perdita. With a glare and roll of his eyes, he walked away from there leaving Perdita standing with her mouth open.

”Such an annoying man. I’ll make sure I never see you again. So dream on if you think I’ll repay you. Hmmph!” Perdita harrumphed to herself before heading home.