NIGHTS OF HALLOW

”I’m sorry but Marco cannot be located. Even if you try with another witch or another creature, you cannot locate him. The path to locate him is blocked and nothing can be done to destroy it.”

”I don’t understand,” Perdita whispered with obvious confusion written all over her face. Meanwhile, the witch’s face was still contorted in pain. She occasionally wheezed for air while answering Perdita’s question.

She explained, ”What I mean to say is that to find your brother, it is going to be in vain because the witches blocked out the clues one can use to locate him.”

”Can that be possible?” This time, Perdita turned to look at Sthena as she questioned. Her heart which was already fragile before they came for the ritual to be conducted felt like it would stop beating from the news she was hearing. Marco cannot be located?! Does that mean she won’t see her brother anymore? Has she lost her only family?!

”Yes,” Sthena answered her this time. He went on to explain, ”It means that Serena doesn’t want your brother or them to be found out. They must have taken him to their original lair.”

”Their original lair? What and where is that?”

Sthena’s gaze went from Perdita to the witch who had stopped coughing as the pain she received had also stopped. He replied to Perdita’s question, ”The witch’s original lair is where the witches originally came from. It is where their history began.”

”Then we should go there and get my brother back, please. I beg you, he is my only family left.” Perdita’s pleaded as she was on the verge of breaking down entirely.

Sthena shook his head negatively and responded, ”I’m afraid we can’t do anything about this at this moment.”

”Why? The more we delay, the more—I don’t know...I feel they will hurt him.” As Perdita spoke, the more her voice turned lower than before. She supported her head with her hands as she bent down, biting her lips from wanting to weep her soul out.

The witch this time spoke up, ”I’m sorry, Your Ladyship, but I don’t think going there is a good idea now. The possibility of you being taken with them is very high, and not to forget, not everyone goes there. Even the King himself would need a concrete plan before going there. The witches that reside there are first, second, and third-generation witches. And to get past them...” The witch paused and clicked her tongue with a negative shake of her head and continued, ”I don’t think you can get inside in one piece or out alive.”

Perdita raised her head to look at the witch and Sthena. Her green eyes had turned moist because of the tears that were on the verge of breaking out. ”So there is no hope and way to save my brother?”

”For now? No. But we will come up with something soon, trust me, Perdita. We will find your brother. Okay? They are not going to hurt him or you even if they decided to come for you which I would never allow to happen the second time.” Sthena reassured the broken woman whose tears slipped from her eyes.

His gaze hardened at the sight of the Perdita’s tears which he gently wiped from her cheeks. He hated it with everything in him to see the woman he harbored feelings for cry because of another person. And the more he thought about it, the more it made his blood boil in anger to destroy the witches who had caused her pain.

”Perdita,” Sthena gently called. He said, ”We will get your brother back. All I need from you is for you to stay strong. Can you do that?”

Perdita shook her head negatively at Sthena’s question. She weakly replied, ”I can not. I cannot promise that, Sthena. I’m already broken to stay strong. Marco is my only family left. We have never been separated. He is my little brother and I don’t know how he has been for the past two days. I don’t know if he ate, or if his health got better or not. I don’t know... he’s gone. They took my only family away!”

The tears Perdita had been holding back finally poured from her eyes, like the break of fresh rain after a sunny day. Her lashes and her face moist from her tears.

Sthena allowed her to cry. To let out her frustration and anger without her holding back. He stayed by her side and gave her the support she needed as he gently stroked her back to help soothe the pain she felt.

Perdita after some minutes of letting her emotions go, sniffled and took a deep breath that came out shaky as she exhaled to calm her heart. She leaned into Sthena for support as her body had turned weak from all the thinking and exhaustion she had passed through.

So her Marco was gone and there is nothing that can be done to get him back? Perdita internally questioned herself in disbelief. Her only family is gone?!

Perdita stood up as these questions swirled in her head while she tried to find an answer to her predicament that was turning haywire each time she tried to find an answer to her problem.

Her head felt heavy, as though it was spinning, and before she knew what was happening, she lost her balance and swayed backward. Sthena whose attention was on her had noticed the change in her and was quick to catch her before she fell.

Sthena helped her back to her seat. He asked in a concerned worried voice, ”Are you alright, Perdita?”

This time it was Perdita’s turn to wheez for air as she negatively shook her head in response. ”I’m not. I f—feel l—like...I feel like I want to give up—I feel suffocated.” Every word that left her lips came out as a stutter while she continued to hold her spinning head. Her green eyes seemed to stay out of focus, even the people in the room seemed to phase out from her eyes.

Sthena bent in front of Perdita with his arms protectively holding her. He raised her head with his hand and whispered in a calm soothing voice, ”Look at me, Perdita. Look at me. Try it Perdita. Look me in the eyes.”

Perdita’s green eyes that was glistening with another badge of unshed tears tried to stay focused as she stared into the red eyes of Sthena. It felt as though she was staring into a deep burning coal that seemed to warm her in the cold the weather and her problems had enveloped her with. His red eyes remained focused on hers as they were the only thing she could look at. The eyes that held so much emotions and so much unspoken support Sthena had towards her.

Lost in Sthena’s eyes for a moment, she heard the faint words of Sthena come into her ears when he said, ”Take a deep breath and exhale. I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid.”

Perdita did as she was told a couple of times and found herself regaining her composure. She took another deep breath that came out shaky as she exhaled, and with it came a tear that dropped from her eyes and Sthena let the tear fall on its own without wiping it.

Sthena stood up from his squatting position and took Perdita’s hand. ”Come with me,” He said and gently tugged on her hand so she could follow him. He turned to speak to the witch only to see her suddenly disappear with one word leaving her lips.

”Attack!”

Sthena’s gaze and ears heightened as he understood the meaning of the sudden predicament of the witch’s word. Without wasting a second more, he took Perdita by her hand and teleported them out of the building, and no sooner had they disappeared than the building went crashing to the ground.

”What was that?!” Perdita asked alarmed. The sound of the building crashing to the ground had been enough to wake her consciousness and make her alertness sharper than before.

Sthena’s gaze went from one end of the fallen building to the other, the dust and snow swirled together, creating an obscured view that was difficult to see through. But this did not hinder the sharp eyes of Sthena from identifying the faint movements of the persons in the vicinity.

”Seems we have some company in the cold,” Sthena smirked, still holding onto Perdita’s hand securely in his. ”Come on, maybe we could use the heat from playing with them to warm our cold bodies.”

Immediately after Sthena finished speaking, a bunch of arrows swished in the air with great force towards them. As quick as the arrows came, Sthena was also fast to teleport him and Perdita away from the arrows but not too far away from the vicinity with an evil grin playing on his lips.

”Let the game begin then,” Sthena uttered with a chuckle. The next time he turned, the part of the forest where the unknown persons were caught fire, making them scream their lungs out as they hurried out of their hidings to roll themselves on the snow-covered ground to prevent them from burning.

”What are you doing?!” Perdita asked still feeling alarmed. She couldn’t understand what was happening. If they were being attacked, was it not appropriate for Sthena to teleport them to safety, instead, he welcomed the attack of the attackers. What was he doing?!

”Pretty good way to welcome the fight. Don’t you think?” Sthena asked the perplexed Perdita with a smile as though he was enjoying what was happening. ”Maybe I could try freezing them next? What do you think?”

What was wrong with this vampire King?? Perdita internally questioned herself in doubt about the person she was with. Of course, how could she forget she was with the crazy and sly red-haired vampire?ℴ