Demon From Heaven

Chapter 8

JUDE'S POV

There was something about her that seemed so natural and got me attracted to her. Her charisma and devoutness towards my safety made me wonder. Though I was unconscious and didn't see her face, I recorded her unique fragrance in my subconscious mind and I just couldn't stop thinking about her.

Memories of her lingered in my head as I continued walking down the rustling forest, the pain from my wound had subsided a bit, thanks to my saving grace. I haven't gone too far when I noticed a poster on a large tree with the inscription, 'WANTED'. It carried the picture of a lady, tearing off the poster from the tree, I folded it neatly into my pocket.

Something in me told me that the lady whose picture was on the poster needed my help and I became even more curious and decided to get to the root of the matter. I walked some distance and saw the same poster on another tree.

It was then it dawned on me that there was trouble indeed, I beckoned on one of the villagers inside the forest and questioned him frantically.

"Please who's this lady and why is she wanted?" My voice, lacing with determination. The man peeked at me as if to question my sanity.

He then called the other villagers and informed them of my reason for visiting.

"Ohh! I see… since we don't have her, at least we have someone who is an accomplice. Do not try to make a fuss or try to escape because we've surrounded the whole forest." Their words hit me and I was left in total awe, I only asked a question. What then did they mean by accomplice?

Their accusations frightened me and I just had to think of a way to convince them that their thoughts about me were actually wrong.

"I don't understand what you mean by accomplice. I managed to find my way into this forest, I was badly bruised and almost ran out of blood." I threw a glance at them and continued.

"All I remembered was that someone helped me out of the bare forest into a cave and applied some medications on me."

My story began to interest them and they listened with keen attentiveness.

"Who helped you? A male or a female?" One of them queried, placing his hands beneath his jaws in a dramatic way.

"Yes, was it a male or a female who helped you?" They all chorused in support.

"Though I was unconscious, I could vividly tell that it was a lady who attended to me. Her fragrance and soft fingers helped me to discover that easily." I explained, my voice now quivering because of fear of the unknown.

"Interesting!" They all roared in unison as if they had rehearsed it before now. "That lady is the person we are searching for, we have a lot to gain if we find her… that's why we're searching for her with all seriousness." One of the men further explained, his voice now calmer than before.

Their revelation made me grow more interested in the matter and something within me kept telling me that she was innocent of whatever they were accusing her of. "What's her offense if I may ask?" The men glanced at each other and then at me, they came closer to me, giving me a terrifying stare.

I felt uncomfortable by the way they were staring at me, was anything wrong with me? Why was everyone looking at me that way? Perhaps, I was just overthinking and overreacting.

"Mmmmmh… you are making it hard for us to believe you don't have any relationship with the lady in question." One of the men, who possessed extremely long hair and brown eyeballs, said.

Convincing them seemed like a great deal of work but I wasn't going to give up anytime soon, I had to save the lady, and quickly.

"How sure are you that she is even the right culprit for this? Don't you think you are handling this issue wrongly?" They looked at me as if agreeing with me. I had already succeeded in convincing them of her innocence and now we had to search for her and save her.

The men alongside myself left the cave, marching down the thick forests in search of her.

"Stop!" I ordered everyone and we came to a halt. I then used my hands to signal to them that she had been arrested and captured again. They looked at each other in disbelief, "How did you get to find out about this? Weren't we just walking together now?" Their questions were unnecessary at this point, we just had to find her and save her before she gets executed.

We then turned around and made our way out of the forest, I made use of my powers to find out her location and we made our way there.

The men seemed terrified and troubled by the incredible way I discovered things as they followed behind reluctantly. I noticed their worried state and asked them, "Are you sure you want to continue on this journey with me?" I didn't want them to feel as though I used them and at the end of the day, wasted their time and energy for nothing. I dismissed them gently and watched them move back to their huts in the forest.

Now, I was all alone in the search and I wasn't giving up for any reason, I had already made up my mind to uncover the truth, even if I had to die in the course of doing so. I walked for many days and nights without any trace of the innocent lady nor her supposed executors.

As I continued walking, searching earnestly for her, I came in contact with a strange tree, its branches were changing colors simultaneously and I moved closer to have a clearer look. There was something about the tree that didn't seem right, the fact that despite the mighty waves and the breeze, its branches didn't move an inch. They remained still as if being controlled by a mighty force which opposed the winds.

As I drew near to have a closer look, the branches took on a different look and structure, they turned white immediately. And its colors showed brightly, forcing me to cover my face as a result of the fierce light rays from the tree's branches.

On getting to the spot, the tree transformed back to its original and natural state. Confusion piqued as I stood still, waiting to find out the mystery behind the tree's multiple nature.

"Why are you here?" A deep, cracked voice asked from the tree. The voice echoed mystically as it said the last words. "I'm in search of a maiden who has been accused for the murder of the Alpha King, I believe so much in her innocence and that's why I've been walking in this mysterious forest, in search of her." I stated, my voice shaking with fear. The voice seemed to be a mysterious one and I just prayed that it gave me a solution to my problems.

I stood for a while, waiting for a reply but none seemed to be coming. My anger intensified and I felt disappointed that I had been wasting my time talking to an ordinary tree. But who could have been the person behind the mystical voice I had just heard? Was it just my subconscious mind playing tricks on me again? Frustrated and disappointed, I turned to leave but a loud thunderstorm striked, sweeping me off my feet.

"Make your way to the palace and prove the innocence of the maiden to the people. Someone you know and trust dearly is the one behind the murder of the Alpha King, you will find out when you get there." The voice faded into a murmur and I struggled to regain stability.

I pondered on the words of the mysterious voice, now rising to my feet. I felt excruciating pains on my legs as I staggered to get up.

The voice had said something about the palace, and it was a very far distance from where I was currently. I thought of a way to go about it despite the far distance.

My determination to save the poor, innocent lady increased by the day; I fought for her freedom with all the strength in me like I would for my family. She had saved me from dying even without knowing who I was and I just had to reciprocate in any little way I could.

One hot sunny day, as I was preparing to continue on my journey to the palace, a voice called my name from a far distance. "Jude! Wait…"

Turning back, I saw a manly figure running tirelessly towards me and I sat down, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say; who knows, he might have a better and clearer view on the lady's whereabouts and identity.