Bash grasped a hold of Narcisse's arm.
"It's too late to go riding in the Blood Woods."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Lord Chancellor, I am warning you, if you go now you may never return. You are riding with nothing to base it on."
"Sebastian, I am basing this on instinct. You cannot honestly tell me you do not feel a pull to the woods."
"I have delt with creatures that lurk in the darkness. Ready to prey on an unsuspecting traveler."
"That is the reason as you must know. Catherine is somewhere in those woods with god knows who."
"No, we know who this person is. Catherine knows we know, seeing as how she tried to tell us. " Bash's gaze became unfocused. "I will round up my guards. They must help us search."
"Good," said Narcisse snidely, "you see to that." As Bash retreated back up the hill, Narcisse snapped his reigns, and his horse galloped off to the woods. A light snow began to fall, the light grey clouds sprinkling his hair with the frozen water. He ignored this coldness and pressed on. The ground crunched beneath his horse's hooves as he was more than two miles into the ominous woods. The snow began to pick up.
Bash returned to find Narcisse nowhere in sight.
"Sir, we do not know the whereabouts of Alastor. One guard stated he saw him take off toward the Blood Woods at dusk the previous night."
"Of course!" though Bash to himself. Alastor Brothers Vineyard. How could he have been so unobservant? Catherine had placed the killer's identity into his hands, and he disregarded it. The only problem was, there was at least two killers, but who was the other Alastor brother?
"Ignatius, have your men question every servant in the castle about a man with the last name Alastor! Report to me as soon as you find something." Ignatius nodded and rode off. Internally, Bash was fighting a raging battle. He finally decided to take on Alastor himself. The castle would be well fortified, but Catherine was not. Steering his horse in the direction of the Blood Woods, he galloped forward, snow stinging his eyes. The frozen white had accumulated to about three inches and still rising.
Catherine woke suddenly, hitting her head off of the mantle.
"Awh," she silently hissed to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a door close slightly. Pretending to be asleep, she rested her head back against the mantle. She heard light footfalls across the floor as though a fairy was walking. The ropes bound tightly around her wrists became looser, and then disappeared. She opened her eyes to stare into the emerald green ones of Marius.
"What are you doing here?' she whispered harshly.
"I'm sorry!" he groaned and started to cry. "I-"
"I promise we will talk later, but right now we have to think about escaping." She stood up and stretched her limbs.
"Do you know where Alastor went?" she asked him. He shook his head,
"I watched him leave this morning. I don't think he will be back until nightfall." Catherine nodded, quickly looking for her dress without success.
"Have you seen my dress?" she asked, somewhat embarrassed.
Marius replied sniffling, "I..I heard Alastor burn it this morning."
"That bastard!" she muttered under her breath, "Is there a blanket somewhere in your room?"
"I think so. I'll go check." he raced back, and returned with blanket that bore a crest that Catherine recognized. It was the Montresor crest which illustrated a foot stepping on a snake with the snake biting the heel. Below, in Latin, read Nemo Me Impune Lacessit which translates to "No one provokes me with impunity". Catherine protectively wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Is there any shoes lying around?"
"No your Majesty. I heard Alastor tell that other man to remove all shoes from this place before he left."
"He didn't count on me leaving without shoes," she thought to her, "Come on!"
"But, you'll freeze!"
"I'll take that chance," she said as she pushed opened the door. The snow tumbled down, flinging itself in their eyes as though attempting to blind them. Marius' jaws clattered against each other in a desperate ploy to warm up.
"Don't worry. Bash will find us," said Catherine reassuringly, although she herself was sure he wasn't even looking for her right now.
Narcisse continued through the storm, his breath a frozen gas that lingered in the air.
"Catherine!" he called out. He didn't care if the killer heard him. At this moment, he would accept dying if it meant Catherine wouldn't be harmed. "Catherine!" he bellowed, his voice hoarse. He ran his hands through his hair, breathing frantically in and out. His horse, sensing his distress, picked up the pace. The snow melted against his face, leaving streaks down his cheeks. If one had glanced quick enough, he seemed to be crying, but those who knew him, knew that Narcisse never cried. Why would he? He had no reason to-except now. "Catherine!"
Catherine heard shouting off in the distance.
"Hide in the bushes," she said, shoving Marius into a leafless ball of branches. The shouting surged and then subsided. The clatter and crunching of horse hooves only intensified. Catherine stood her ground, back pressed up against the tree-ready to face Alastor. She heard the hooves stop at the base of the tree where she and Marius were hidden. Softly stepping around the trunk, she punched the anonymous man's face.
"Jesus, Catherine, is this how you pay all of your rescuers?"
"Narcisse!" she gasped excitedly, but then it extinguished. "I was not in need of rescue." Narcisse looked her up and down, from the blanket to her bare-feet.
"Why must you be so stubborn?" He extended a hand to help her up when he noticed the little boy.
"You come too. I recognize you from the castle." The boy hopped onto the horse where the horse replied with a snarled.
"Here, Catherine," Narcisse said as he undid his cloak. He tried to undo the blanket around her shoulders, but her grip was that of iron.
"Don't!" she said ferociously.
"It would make sense to put that around your feet and the cloak around you upper body."
"What would make sense is if you would stop trying to help me when I don't need or want it!" she exclaimed, yet it was not out of anger but out of exhaustion which Narcisse sensed.
Kicking his horse in the side, he quickened the pace. When they reached the castle, Marius leaped off and sprinted toward it, the burning desire to sit in front of the great fire overcame him. Catherine had wrapped her arms around Narcisse's waist and rested her head his back. She was sound asleep, and the thought off disturbing her pained him so, but she was surely freezing. Lightly, he undid her arms, and stepped down from the horse. Bunching the blanket around her, he carried a sleeping Catherine for the second time-her feet a pale blue. Snowflakes stained her eyelashes and auburn hair. As they walked, he shooed them out of her hair. He carried her into her bedchambers and prepared a fire. He could not wait around for the catle's fire tender. Once it had ignited, he brought Catherine near it, cradling her against himself. He pulled the sheet off of her, so that he could change her damp clothing, however he saw that she wore only a slip. A startling thought crossed his mind, but he then felt Catherine weakly push him away.
"Catherine..."
"You may leave, Narcisse."
"I refuse until I see the color return to your pale skin."
Catherine wanted to argue, but she was too tired to. Wobbling over to her changing room, she found a nightgown designed for winter nights like these. She slipped it on, tossing her caught hair behind her. Strolling around the door, she collapsed on the bed, pulling the sheets up to her neck. Narcisse laid down beside her. Only the moon and fire provided light, and even then, Catherine's face was victim of the shadows. Silent tears rolled down her cheek as she gazed out of the window to admire the disappearing Scorpio constellation. She thought of the phrase from earlier, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.
"Damn right!" she thought before shutting her eyes. Narcisse intertwined his hand with hers. Though her back was to him, she tightened her fingers around his in an unconscious response. He kissed the back of her hand and returned it to its former position-his arm slung across her back. He began stroking the hair that had fallen down her back.
"Loneliness was but fantasy to me. I knew not the meaning of the word for I always had company. Yet when you disappeared that word pierced my mind as though mocking me. It is an invisible shard that punctured every corner of my stone heart. Without you, the stone crumbles from the silent attacks. I love you with every bit of myself I can find. You give definitions to all of the words I cannot begin to understand. Like the life after this one, my love for you is eternal. Neither the demons of the treacherous circles nor the demons of past secrets and promises can ever draw me away from you again. I am not an acclaimed poet nor a famous play writer, so I cannot convey what I want to say as elegantly as I would have liked, but I love you," he finished in a whisper.
"For all its worth, you don't have to be a poet or a play writer. I'll accept you being a Lord Chancellor," she said turning over to face him. "Though that was sickly romantic, I have to admit, you are more creative than most poets of this day." He grinned.
"I do love you, Stephan," she said, sitting up, "but I must ask you once more to leave.."
"Of course." He kissed her hand one last time and left. Before he shut the door, he watched as she pulled her legs up underneath her and lowered her head.
She needs space. Let her get through this herself. Sighing, Narcisse shut the door , and proceeded to seek out Bash.
