THE LIBATION

CHAPTER TEN

The room was dark and unnaturally warm, wrapped in the heavy fragrance of burning incense. Shadows clung to the walls like living things. Prudence stood stiffly before the table, a small black cage resting at its center. Inside the cage, a photograph lay flat, perfectly still—waiting. She opened the wooden box beside her.

Slowly.

Carefully.

A large black spider crept out. Prudence did not flinch. She made it crawl to her finger, and she lowered it into the cage and guided it until its legs touched the photo.

Then her lips began to move.

Her hands vibrated as she whispered:

“Por la luna y por la red,

que el temblor visite su sed.

Sin dolor y sin herir,

solo el miedo ha de surgir"

“Por la luna y por la red,

que el temblor visite su sed.

Sin dolor y sin herir,

solo el miedo ha de surgir"

The incense smoke twisted sharply, the candle flame bent sideways.

The spider shuddered.

Outside the room, Elara froze. The smell of burning incense struck her first—thick and choking. Then she heard the whispering. She leaned in and pushed the door open just a crack.

Prudence stood inside the dark with her eyes closed, arms stretched wide like she was welcoming something unseen. Elara’s gaze dropped to the table. A spider crawled slowly over a photo inside the cage.

Then it grew. Not suddenly. Not naturally.

It stretched larger, darker, heavier. Elara’s heart slammed against her ribs.

Mr. Alberto sat alone on his rocking chair, the soft creak of wood keeping him company as he read his favorite book. The room was quiet—too quiet. Something brushed lightly against his ankle. He frowned and shook his leg once, not bothering to look. Whatever it was, fell away. He returned to his book, his eyes still on the page.

Then he felt it again. This time, on his wrist.

Slow. Deliberate. His fingers stiffened. Very slowly, his eyes dropped to his hand. A spider rested on his skin. His breath caught in his throat.

Before he could move, another thin shape dropped onto his shoulder. He let out a sharp gasp and jumped up, sending the chair crashing to the floor behind him. He slapped his arm. Another scurried across his sleeve. His heart pounded wildly as he turned in a slow circle.

The wall near the door moved. Not the wall itself.

The surface.

Spiders were crawling out from the cracks.

One after another.

His legs weakened as the room seemed to come alive around him. The floor crawled. The ceiling stirred. Every shadow shifted with tiny moving shapes.

Mr. Alberto stumbled backward and fell to the ground.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as fear locked his body in place. He could not scream now. He could barely breathe.

Then the movement stopped. One spider—larger than the rest—crawled slowly toward his face.

It paused inches from his eyes.

The voice that followed was thin and unnatural, like dry leaves brushing together:

“Do no more disturbance to Prudence!" And plunged at him.

The spiders vanished.

The room fell silent.

Mr. Alberto lay frozen on the floor, staring into the darkness, his mind shattered by what he had seen.

Back in the room, Prudence lowered her arms. Her eyes back it it's normal black color. The candle straightened. The spider shrank back to its normal size. She smiled softly at the photo. Then the air shifted. She opened the cage, brought out the spider and took it back into the wooden box she had brought it out from earlier.

"Thanks buddy." She smiled as she locked the wooden box. Prudence felt something watching her. She turned.

Elara stood in the doorway, pale, frozen where she had been watching everything. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

Slowly.

Quietly.

She walked up to Prudence and folded her arms over her chest.

"Who was that?" Elara stared deep into Prudence's eyes.

"Alberto."

"Mr Alberto?" Elara's eyes grew wide and her voice almost came out loud.

"Yeah." Prudence went over and sat on her bed, looking at the surprised Elara.

"What....what did he do?"

She lowered her head, and her voice came out low and broken, "He tried to r**e me."

"What?" Elara ran over to meet her. She sat close to her and hugged Prudence tightly. "What do you mean by he tried to r**e you?" Elara asked after they broke from the hug, her eyes scanning Prudence's own.

"He threatened me at first, saying he won't give me my exact score until he gets under my legs—"

"Okay?" Elara asked still staring deep at Prudence.

"And when I went to his office to take my note book, he....he tried doing something nasty to me. I was lucky enough, someone knocked on the door."

"Big nasty!" Elara said with anger. "How could he. Alberto?" She gasped.

"But hey, promise you won't tell anyone what you saw."

"Of course I wouldn't, alright?"

"I didn't mean no harm. I just wanted fear that's all. It's not a dark magic."

"Dark magic? Of course Prudence, it is, but I'm sure he won't get hurt that way. No problem, it's safe with me okay. You just taught him a lesson and that's all."

"I made the last one say, 'do no more harm to Prudence!'

Elara turned to her. "You did what? You shouldn't have mentioned your name, Prudence."

"Then how will he know I warned him. I want him to know it's me and he should stay clear off me unless I'm gonna make that spider go down his damn throat."

"How did you know Spiders are his fears."

"Oh, he mentioned it one certain time in class, and he acted towards it when Nathaniel brought a spider to class. You could have seen Alberto almost running crazy, acting like a two year old toddler who's scared of a dog." Prudence laughed so hard, making Elara join her too.

"I know that must have been irritating for a man to touch you. Guess he didn't know you aren't straight." Elara laughed.

"Very irritating, Elara." She shook her head and rubbed her forehead. "I can't imagine him going down there with his pipe— haewwwwww!"

"Did you just call that pipe?" Elara laughed and fell to the bed.

"Whatsoever it is." She shrugged. "So....what happened the other night, between you and Draven?" She grinned at her.

Elara's face changed, quick flashes came running by. She sat up and looked at her. "Well.... nothing much. Just needed blood and I got it." Elara shrugged a shoulder.

Prudence moved her head back and frowned. She grabbed Elara by the shoulder and pushed her hair back, as she scanned her neck.

"What are you looking for?"

"He didn't mark you?" Prudence asked disappointed.

Elara laughed. "Mark me? Oh come on." She chuckled and blinked twice. "Prudence, we didn't do that so he can't mark me, alright?"

"You didn't?" Prudence's expression could tell she was irritated by that. "Elara you were with the most handsome warlock in this kingdom for just a night, and you mean to tell me you didn't make love with him?" Prudence eyes widened.

Elara chuckled. "No. I wouldn't allow that."

"Why?"

"Hey... I'm 16. I can't. My birthday is coming up as well as the night I'll be marked by Dark Lord, so I definitely can't defile myself now."

Prudence paused and bit her lower lip. "Yeah, definitely can't. I broke out at 17 though....yeah this year."

"Maltida?"

"No, Venessa." Her expression became cold.

"You mean Venessa who follows Raven?"

"Yeah, we were a thing before she left me and joined Raven. She probably thought I was cheating on her with Xavier. I tried telling her I'm not bi, but she didn't believe. And later on, I found out she was cheating on me with the same Xavier."

"Ooh, how I hate those clique, always acting perfect when they are not." Elara breathed out. "Well, you have Maltida, f**k Venessa's ass okay."

"Okay." Prudence smiled.

"Draven loves you—"

"Draven lusts over me."

Prudence paused and looked at Elara.

"He's a play boy, sleeping around with so many girls in the Academy and other kingdoms, he can't love, definitely not." Elara clicked her tongue.

"Hmmmm.....yeah I know of him sleeping around, mostly with his favorite, Raven, who thinks Draven loves her. What a fool indeed!" Prudence smiled.

"I don't love him. He irritates me." Elara felt something pinch her inside. Does Draven really irritate you? She heard something ask her inside, as she remembered how he had made her feel. Elara sucked in her breathe.

"Are you okay?" Prudence asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I am. So, emmm....I'll be leaving now. Take care." She stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Okay, see you tomorrow at the Academy."

"And have a good time with Maltida." Elara smiled and closed the door.

"f**k you, Elara!" Prudence laughed. Her expression changed as she turned and looked at the photo in the cage and swallowed hard. "Hope this would make you stay away from me with all alacrity." She breathed out and laid on her bed.

Elara walked down the stairs and into the hallway as she headed for her own room when she turned and got a glimpse of Draven and Raven. She turned back again to see if her eyes weren't deceiving her. She stood still, fist clenched as she breathed out, and watched how Draven dragged Raven to her room and locked the door behind them.

"Assholes.!" She shook her head and went into the dark lonely hallway until she got to her room.