shadows

an unexpected discovery (4)

The first wave.

That was what Krom called it. They were a ragtag team of mercenaries. A mix of everything. Anton didn’t entirely understand the words, but he didn’t have the opportunity to see them with his eyes. Not only was he in the hall with Milan and Emerald, which was the safest room in the heart of the castle, the first wave didn’t make it through the woods. All they heard in the hall was the first siren, triggered when the intruders entered the woods. And Krom telling them it was over. The first wave was taken care of.

The second and the third and the fourth were no different. The second wave attacked just as they were sitting for lunch. The third wave a half hour later. The fourth wave another hour later. All three stopped within the woods.

When the siren was triggered for the fifth time, Krom stayed with them in the hall. And he gave them a brief account of what was happening. Mostly for the sake of Milan and Anton. Emerald seemed already aware.

“My team has taken over the woods. You know them, Mil. You’ve met them. All nine are spread out. The moment anyone enters, they know. The spells have also been cast. The callers erected strong. Many rings of spells, that are automatically tripped. When one is set off, it also tells us of the intruders’ location. Like a marker. And we go right over. Take them out. So far, no one has been able to break through. We’ve tested it many times. It is quite powerful.”

“Callers?” Milan asked. Looked toward Emerald. And then back at Krom, who nodded. “The witches,” she said. “Eustace?” She saw Krom nod, nodded herself in reply. “Who would have thought we would make for such a proper cooperation. Witches. Elementals. Are there any Shuuto too? Hidden somewhere?”

Krom was amused. Emerald looked shocked, as if she had just heard something preposterous. Krom laughed at the two girls. And then stared at Anton, who remained unaffected. And he felt something stir inside. A creeping feeling he couldn’t put a finger upon.

“What’s wrong?” Milan asked, noticing Krom’s gaze. She took Anton’s hand, diverting Krom’s attention. And stared at him, until he shook his head, and smiled apologetically. “Better be nothing,” she added quietly, so only Anton heard her.

The fifth wave failed the same as the rest. In the woods. Only, they lasted much longer. A full hour passed before word came of the fall of the last of the intruders. There was an ominous note to it. Nobody could deny that.

There wasn’t another wave that evening. After dinner, during which everyone was distracted, everyone returned to their rooms. Milan didn’t let go of Anton’s hand until they were in her room and the door was closed and locked behind her.

“I don’t like this,” she said, finally revealing her inner thoughts. “I can see that you don’t either. You feel it too, don’t you? Something’s wrong. Something’s very, very wrong.”

“Is it the intruders?” Anton asked.

She put a finger on her lips. And walked to the bed. He lay beside her. They were both on their sides, their faces so close each could feel the other’s breath. And their lips touched, the faintest touch, with every syllable voiced. And their voices were the softest whispers.

“There’s something,” she said. “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. It’s just there. Something. Wrong. Ugly. Not nice. Like a worm in the porridge. Hiding. So you cannot see it. But you know it’s there. It’s here,” she said, putting his hand on her chest.

He was calm. It wasn’t that he felt nothing. It just wasn’t the same. “Mine,” he said, putting her hand over his chest, “is heavy. Like a stone. Pressing down. I’ve felt this before. It’s been so long. But not forgotten. Feels so familiar in its return. An old, hateful friend.”

Her eyes went wide. She understood without any difficulty.

She learned everything about him from the investigation into his life. His past. They had a whole year to get all the details. An awakening was like a stone thrown into a still lake. The ripples spread to all ends. Anyone sensitive enough could feel them from anywhere on the lake. And anyone sensitive enough could follow the ripples back to the origin. To the stone. She was very good. She followed the ripples to the Greene’s mansion. To Anton’s room. To Anton. She didn’t make contact immediately. And it wasn’t because of his tragic life. No one was a stranger to tragedy. Certainly not her. But, there was something about him, something undeniably attractive. And so, she investigated. She learned everything about him. Everything he had experienced. Everything he had suffered. And she waited. For the perfect opportunity. It presented itself on the highway. The accident.

She had him replaced with another. An orphan dead body. The injuries were bad enough to make it easy. And no one was looking hard. No one really cared. She took him away to another hospital. And as she stayed by his side, waiting for him to awaken, she realised what it was. She felt a kinship with him. He reminded her of herself. Their pasts, their lives weren’t exactly the same. But there were similarities enough.

After she invited him into her home, after they got talking, she learned of how he felt too. All his life. Through all of the sufferings. All of the injustices. All of the bullying. And all of the sorrow. He never felt anything, he said. He felt dead. One day, he would stop breathing. And he would be no different.

That struck a deep chord. She wanted to save him. She wanted him to feel alive. She wanted him to be with her. And it was more than just responsibility. It was affection. Born the moment she laid her eyes on him. Growing continually. Every day. Ever minute. And when she realised it for what it was, it had overwhelmed everything else. She was in love.

He had fallen in love with her too. That forged a connection between their hearts. A connection, a bond, that made them able to understand each other as if telepathically. And so, she knew what he meant. He felt that same heaviness from the morning of the accident. It wasn’t his ability, and so he couldn’t see it as clearly. But she could. Premonition was her gift. And so, she knew beyond any doubt. This was a premonition. All the area she was feeling, and he was experiencing, was about something that was going to happen in the very near future.

He was in danger.

“Stay with me,” she commanded.

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Every moment,” she added. The moment she said it, and he replied with okay, the feeling grew stronger. It was as if the declaration, their decision, only cemented the fate. Made them both feel worse. Strengthened their resolve even further. They would pull through. Together.

The sixth wave came in the middle of the night. The clock read something after two in the morning. The siren was triggered. A while later, there was an explosion. Much closer. The woods had been breached. The spells in the clearing had been triggered. This was the witches at work.

Milan held onto Anton tightly, keeping away from the window. The explosions were continuous. They were light and sound and flames and downpours and lightning and so much more. The silence that followed was so much more dreadful. The two stayed huddled together, until there was a knock on the door. And Emerald’s voice from the other side.

“It’s over. They made it past the woods. We stopped them in the clearing. You can go back to sleep. Or, if you are unable to, you can come down. We’re having tea downstairs.”

Having said her piece, Emerald walked away.

Milan had no intention of going down. Or letting Anton leave her side. She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. She couldn’t feel it any stronger or any clearer. The moment was now. She stared at Anton unblinkingly, telling him through her eyes.

There was someone in the room. Someone other than the two of them.