Chapter 4
Ivo has disappeared. His statue was nowhere to be found when I drove to it. The black mist was gone and I could pass the forest easily. But how further away I was from the castle I got the feeling I was missing something. I passed all the old hostels where we stayed when we wanted to kill Dimitri.
After a couple of days my horse dropped death. He was all dried up and exhausted because I didn't take a break. I am sorry, I just wanted to go home as fast as possible. 'Rest in peace my friend' I whispered. I run into my old forest and find my old path back home. The black mist doomed up, but I won't stop, not until I reach the end! Faster, Faster, Faster I say to myself. I jump and role until I feel the fence in my back: HOME. I check my arms and legs, but there is nothing, not even a scratch. I scribble up and see my old home. Run, Run I think.
Hillarey is shooting arrows into a hay bale out of boredom. Lisa is tied up on a chair and looks annoyed. 'Will you let me...' 'No' 'But we...' 'No' Hillarey shoots another arrow right in the middle. 'Is that Sephora?' I am walking towards them with a smile. Lisa disappears and reappears front of me. Her hands are still tied. 'Lisa' I burn the rope with my magic and we embrace each other. 'I thought, I mean, We thought you were dead' she says sobbing. Hillarey comes standing next to us with a poker face. 'Nice bang' she says with sarcasm. 'Thank you, long story' A little boy is running towards us. 'Ivo' He hugs me like a little boy would do with his mom. Then he shows me his freshly caught fish. 'Come lets go inside' I suggest. And they follow me like young puppies. Lisa listens thoughtful when I tell my story. Hillarey sharpens her new arrowheads and Ivo is eating his 4th bowl of stew. 'How did you came here?' I ask him. 'I woke up near the house' he answers and eats further.
Later on the evening I am in my old room. They did not change it, it's only a bit dusty. I take a parchment and charcoal and start drawing. When I come out of my hyper focus I see Dimitri. How is it going with him anyway? On a other parchment I draw: Isabelle, Anna and Mina. On a weird way I miss him. After a while I change my clothing, when I throw my old clothing on the ground, I hear a sound. It sounded like a coin what fell on something soft. I feel in the pocket and hold 3 little diamonds in my hand. Could it be? I open my hand and I see them floating and bumping each other. I walk to a bowl with water en throw them in. 'Dimitri' I whisper. I see his castle dooming up and then I see him.
Dimitri sits restless in his study room. Angry he throws a charcoal away and pushes his chair a side. He drawed me...Me in a beautiful dress standing on a beautiful place looking happy. His lips form my name. Small diamonds role in his hand. I see his face appear in a close up now and for a moment I have the feeling we look to each other. I want to touch him, feel his cold skin against mine. I want to kiss his lips, and take the coolness in my heated body. The water starts to shiver and his pretty face disappears. The diamonds dissolve and in one hit I feel sad and depressed. I start a new drawing. Again with Dimitri but then on the same place like he drawed me. I hope he is still looking in the water and that he will see my drawing. I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope too much. Behind me a door opens. Lisa jumps on my bed and stares. 'You must miss him' she says. I stop with the drawing and look at her. She took a bath, and her hair is combed, she smells good now. 'Do you know how long you have been away?' She asks all of sudden. How long have I been away? Days? Weeks? Months? I don't know, I never really kept track of time. 'One year' She whispers. The charcoal fell on my lap. One year? It felt like one month. 'Well, tomorrow, we are going to hunt so you'd better go and sleep' She says. Then she disappears.
Hillarey looks around her while I make a web of magic. She shoots two arrows and startled I turn around to see what she did. 'Boar' She says dry. Ivo comes back from the little lake and carries 5 fish with him. 'Well I think someone doesn't want us to starve of hunger' Hillarey says and climb in her favorite tree. Lisa comes out of the bushes and carries a branch with 6 rabbits. Before I can say anything my web captures: 3 pheasants and 1 wild chicken. Dear lord I almost must think of my dream. 'Well this is a feast' Hillarey says when she jumps out of the three and holds a squirrel. 'I suggest to sell some of this, the villagers would love to have some meat, I guess' Lisa says. I nod and put the birds in a back pack.
When we are at home we choose the meat we want to keep: The chicken, a couple of pieces Boar and 2 Pheasant. Then Hillarey goes to the market with Ivo to exchange the meat. Later she comes back with silverlings and gold. 'They ask a lot for meat and fish' Ivo tells it on his childish way, it's cute. They walk to our jewelry box and throw the money in it.
'You still miss him don't you?' She scared me. I was alone in my room, underline on Was. Lisa just warped in my room without me noticing. 'Yes I do' I admit it, I miss him very much. 'Why don't you just go back? We can save ourselves' She offers. She choose her words, that means, that she is worried about me so I smile and say: 'No you guys need me more then he does' She smiles back and disappears, this time with sound.
2 Weeks have been passed and I looked terrible. I had dark circles under my eyes, my skin look very white actually I look very sick! I slept very bad, I had nightmares, and if I scream Hillarey came and hushed me. Gosh why am I acting like this? At the beginning of the new week we all were sick and tired of it. 'Your horse is already waiting' Lisa said. I walked towards it and pet it. 'I am only going to check him out, nothing more, unless he is not doing well' I promised. Lisa start to laugh. 'We can save ourselves, you only have to send a letter, or a bird' I smile, the bird, is he still alive? Ivo pulls on my cape. 'I gave 5 fish for this food' I take the haversack and give him a kiss on his forehead. Even though I don't know him that well, I have the feeling I know him for years. Hillarey will ride with me until I am at the border of the forest near the castle. And there we went in silence.
When we finally reached the border after days of riding I am the one who said something: 'Thank you Hillarey, I have a small present for you' I take an arrow out of my saddlebag. It's gold and light weighted with little feathers. 'Wow a golden arrow' she says sarcastic. 'You know I used my magic' I answer. She takes it, and when she holds it in her hand it starts to glow. She gives me the : What is this? expression and I answer it: 'If you shoot it, you will always hit something' She smiles. 'It also takes it back to you, so you will always be able to have food' Her eyes look like rocks. That's a good sign, I greet her, and jump of my horse and give her the reins. Then I start my lonely walk through the forest.
As I walk I see small changes like: There isn't any black mist anymore nor quicksand. The end is almost near and I start running. The castle is still there.
I push the doors open and expect a warm welcome. It did not come. I look around and see nothing but darkness. 'Se-Se-Se...' His voice! I recognize it out of thousands! Little streams of magic come out of my fingers when I lift them. They crawl upon the walls and change in little flames which give blue or green light. And there he sits, on the chair, just like the first time we met. Only now he doesn't look that handsome anymore: His eyes are red, his skin is more paler, sunken cheeks, his muscled shoulders are nothing anymore. 'Dimitri' I whisper and walk to him. He sticks his thin fingers to me and let thousands of diamonds fall on the ground. 'Dimitri, what happened?'I ask and hold his hand against my cheek. 'W-where were you all this time?' He whispers. His voice sounded hoarse. And now I understand what happened. Because I was away for so long he did not eat until I came back. 'Dimitri drink my blood' And offer my neck. 'N-N-NO' Softly he pushes me away. I take my knife and cut my arm, not where my artery beats, of course. 'Drink' I command. Dimitri looks with a face who is in pain. I take my knife again and hold it against my throat. He can fix me, right? 'If you don't drink...' God, please help me, I hate to threat to him. 'I will cut my throat' His red eyes say they don't believe me. A little drop of blood fell on the ground. Dimitri grabs my arm and starts to drink. His skin changes slowly and he looks already a bit better. Good for him, because I am feeling weaker. The flames deaf slowly. I fall in a bed of roses, or it feels like it... I try to hold my eyes open, but I can't , I just can't. Finally he stops and I open my eyes a little. 'Would you have done it?' He asks. The blue eyes carve in mine and I nod weakened. My eyes close and darkness surrounds me and hold me tight.
'Sephora' His beautiful blue eyes look into mine. 'Are you okay?' he asks. I nod. 'Thank you for your blood' He says and picks up a big tray full of food. 'Hungry?' On the tray there is bread, grapes and cookies. I smile, Yes I am Very hungry. 'I'll be back in a bit, I need to take care of something' When he walks away I start my delicious breakfast.
I take a bath and when I come out of it a clean dress is laying on my bed. It was the same beautiful dress as from the drawing of the one Dimitri had made. I smile. After I dressed myself I brush my hair and see the other blonde plucks. He gave me vampire blood, again. Thanks Dimitri, I sight.
I have waited a whole hour now and he still did not come back. I am bored, so I walk out of the room. I walk through the halls and end up in the Library. I see interesting books and even a diary of: Isabelle. I just wanted to open it when I hear the purring voice. 'Your life is going to be mine!' She hisses. I turn around and see Isabelle. She is raging like a mad woman and starts to run towards me. Isn't she supposed to be death? Of course not, otherwise she wouldn't be here. I dodge a fist and role to a bookcase. Again she comes to me and this time she hits the bookcase. The books fall down right upon her. She jumps out of it like a bunny jumps in the grass. 'MINE' She screams. I hear a soft sound somewhere and then I see a golden arrow flying right in the heart of Isabelle. To quicken her death, I use my magic, red streams come out of my finger tips and they burn the skin of Isabelle. She screams en pulls the arrow out of her heart. Dimitri comes out of nowhere and turns her neck around. With a wooden stick, he ends her life. 'Everything okay?' He asks. I nod and watch how Isabelle turns in ashes. The arrow starts to shake and floats above the ashes. 'He always takes his pray with him, right?' Hillarey jumps down. 'How are you doing sis?' She asks. The arrow goes in her quiver and the ash falls for her feet. 'Aren't you supposed to be home?' Hillarey smiles. 'I supposed to be, yes, but I am not. When you left I took a night in the hostel and heard a woman speaking about Sephora the one who tried to kill her, and she needed help to kill her so she could live in peace' 'Well I am glad you came back'
I lived already a week there again and Hillarey got her own room. She could stay and help with hunting on daytime. 'Maybe it's too early, but I want you to know it' Dimitri and I walk in the garden where every plant and tree is death. We take a seat on a bench and look too each other. 'I love you' He said. He loves me? It sounded so weird out of his mouth. Do I love him? I think, I already know the answer. 'Dimitri, I love you too' I whisper. Diamonds fall on the ground like it's raining. He kisses me passionately. Everything around us starts to change: The plants and tree's start to bloom again and I hear little bee's . Dimitri stops his kissing and starts to float. A bright beam blinds me, and when it stops, I see Dimitri. He is human again! His eyes are now more dark blue and his skin isn't pale anymore. 'Sephora, it worked' He smiles and our lips lock again. We walk back to the castle and see that everything has lightened up and what was broken has been made again. The castle isn't dark and creepy anymore but Light and welcoming. The servants look to each other with a happy smile: 'It worked' the scream of happiness. 'Sephora, will you marry me?' I look a side me and see Dimitri with in his hand a diamond ring. 'Of course I want to marry you!'
Soon after, we married ,and I got pregnant. Lisa married too and came to live in our castle. Ivo still catches fish and teached the servants how they could do that easily.
Years later, Ivo married a servants daughter, Lisa had a twin and Hillarey still kept it with being single. But we are happy, and we will stay that, if it depends on me.
The End
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