Reject me once, Beg me twice

Chapter 8

Destiny's POV

Faith and prayers were very fickle topics I always didn't get into, but since the recent turn of events in my life, I realized those were the only two concepts I had. Maybe that's why I didn't see the interruption coming, but I was more than grateful for it.

I heaved a sigh of relief as my eyes clung to Fredrick's dagger, which was still pointed dangerously close at me. I wasn't totally out of danger, yet, but I still had a couple of minutes before judgement would be passed across to me, courtesy of whoever had decided to cut Fredrick short.

I watched as Frederick's gaze lingered on me, but only for just a second. Pure rage and fury burned in his eyes and if looks could kill, I would have been six feet under by now, my body parts mutilated and chopped into pieces. Fredrick was said to be the most powerful here, but as he stopped on request by the stranger, it made me wonder just how powerful he actually was.

Was there someone else he reported to? Someone higher maybe? Or perhaps with the …

The sound of a million footsteps reached my ears immediately. Both Fredrick and I adjusted our gazes, just to come face to face with a group of guards. Although they had their faces covered, I could feel only one aura radiating from them; anger mixed with a little bit of fear from the other members.

I skidded back a bit as Fredrick tilted his head to the side, obviously some sort of sign and a guard walked towards me. A loud yelp slid past my throat as rough hands grabbed a hold of my legs and sharp fingers dug into my skin. I couldn't see his face, but I could bet it was the guard who'd freed me of my chains earlier.

I only did what I had to do to escape. If I had stayed even for so much as a minute, there was a certainty I wasn't going to make it out alive. Even though it looked like it wasn't worth it, I would still choose this path over and over again.

I was pulled back to the present by the same rough hands pulling me along the damp and muddy floor. I screamed and trashed but it all fell on deaf ears until…

“I said, unhand her now!” The voice came again, interrupting us once more. My legs screamed bloody pain and I couldn't help but wait for whoever it was to swoop in again. If I kept up with this I was going to die. “Let her go. Did you not hear me the first time?”

“But.” Fredrick cut in. His steely orbs observed mine but it didn't last. The look in his eyes disappeared just the way they'd appeared.

“No buts.” Only when she had gotten closer, did I realize it was a woman. A line of gray hair streaked down her hair, with black and gold under roots. Her eyes were white, almost lifeless even as she copped a freaky smile. Her face was youthful, but her body told an entirely different story. She looked nothing more than a century old, but the air around her crackled with life and something different. Something I couldn't quite place my finger on.

Shivers streaked down my spine and my heartbeat picked up its pace. Apparently, I was the only one who felt that way because Fredrick and the other guards were unfazed, almost like they were already used to it.

Who the hell was this woman?

“Why?” Fredrick asked, the question obviously thrown at the strange woman. I could tell from the little distance between us, that he wanted nothing more than to drive that dagger into the deepest part of my heart. If that wasn't enough for him, he would probably cut off my head just to serve as a warning to the spies he insisted I was working with. He was just so hellbent on killing me that it made no sense.

Had I offended him in some way before? Perhaps my former life?

“Come with me.” The woman chirped. She pushed a long bony hand to the side, a sign obviously meant for Fredrick alone. “And get your men to take her to my place.”

“You heard her.” Fredrick barked,before stepping into the distance, with the woman trailing behind him. I yelped again as rough hands grabbed a hold of my limbs, before pulling me up to my feet.

I'd barely gotten on my feet when a pair of hands pressed down on mine, causing me to throw away every thought of being able to move my hands at all.

“Move.” One of the guards barked in my ear. But I couldn't be bothered with that. I had other important things to worry about, other important things like what Fredrick and that woman were talking about.

All my attempts to catch even the tiniest bit of information were crushed the moment the guards shoved me hard, before steering me deeper into the forest. I took another last glance at the duo, hoping to be able to catch something this time, but I didn't.

I guess the moon goddess only answered one prayer at a time.

I trudged on and deeper into the forest as the guards behind me pushed me in the right direction. Twigs and branches snapped under my feet, as a couple of them tore through my skin, but they didn't care. A huge breath of relief slid past my lips the moment we got to the place I assumed to be hers. A weird looking house sat in the middle of a clearing and without so much as a warning, rough hands pushed me inside.

I gaped in awe the moment I was inside. The room was dark, with only a few lights illuminating a part of the room. At the center of what I assumed to be the living area, there was a single table and chair and I took it. Different artifacts, ranging from antique items to glittering items stared back at me from different shelves. I was so mesmerized by them, I didn't realize when someone walked in.

“They're quite the collection aren't they?” I jumped as the woman walked inside, just before going around me and settling on a seat opposite me.

I said nothing as goosebumps lined the surface of my skin. Pin drop silence settled in the air as I wondered if this was really the woman Fredrick's daughter told me about. There was something about her, something about her that didn't feel ordinary. I felt my body tingle just by looking at her. In fact, I couldn't help but feel a tiny sense of dejavu.

What was wrong with me? Had I really experienced something like this before?

“Stressing your brain won't bring your memories back, dear.” She smiled, exposing a row of yellow and decaying teeth. “If you force yourself to remember, the consequences will be dire.”

“You know about me?” I couldn't help but be wowed. I hadn't even uttered a single word,but yet, she already knew. “How, how's that even possible?”

“I know everything.” Her grin broke into a smug smirk. “Every single thing.”

Or perhaps Fredrick had told her? But why would he tell her anything about me if he didn't believe I was telling the truth?

“Can you help me?” I pleaded, genuine worry lacing my voice. “Please, he doesn't believe me and he wants nothing more than to kill me…”

“He won't. ” She chimed, almost at the same time I heard her whisper the words “He can't.”

“Your case is no different from the others.” She continued. “All you need is a little push in jogging up your memories.”

“How can I do that?” A ray of hope swelled in my chest at the sound of that. If I could get my memories back, then I would be able to figure out just why the moon goddess brought me back. “ What do I have to do? I'll do anything to make sure….”

“Fredrick.” She cut me off again. “Fredrick will help you.”

“What?” I paled instantly. What did she mean by Fredrick would help me? The same Fredrick who wanted nothing more than for him to see my blood trickling out of lifeless body? The same man whose sole aim was to end my life? So how the hell could he possibly help me? “I don't think you understand ma'am, Fredrick is after my life…”

“I already spoke to him.” she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. I swear I could hear her bones rattle against each other, but I was too dumbfounded to focus on that. “Now leave.”

“But ..” a cold gush of wind rushed at me all of a sudden,cutting me off. I stared ahead, just to be met with crystal white irises.

“I said, leave!” Her voice bellowed around me, causing a shift in the atmosphere .“Leave now!”

As quickly as I could, I scurried to my feet. I inhaled and exhaled as I processed her words the moment I was out of her house.

What did she mean by Fredrick? Would he really help? What if this was some plot to be able to kill me off so easily? What if…

“Well, well, well.” I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. I had no idea which was creepy, the fact that I recognized his voice, or the fact that it sent shivers down my spine. Either way, I didn't miss the sarcasm in Fredrick's voice as he chimed. “I guess it's me and you now.”

Oh moon goddess, please help me.