The Factory
Narratha stared at the bars of the cell that Heisenberg had placed her in. The man's factory was not built to include a jailhouse, but the quick assembly of a makeshift holding room was an easy feat with the aid of his powers. The redhead, admittedly, marveled at its sight. She still could not understand how a man could have fawn-like abilities. It appeared as though this world was a hotbed for the extraordinary and the unimaginable.
She did not sleep much at all during the night. Her body was still in pain, and her stress levels were higher than ever. The fawn wanted nothing more than to regain her powers and escape her confines, but there was no use in playing into fantasies. She was stuck here, and her future was uncertain.
Sighing as she sat against the wall, her face pressed into the crooks of her elbows, which both rested on her knees. Narratha felt a tear crawl down her freckled cheek. She knew that this was what she deserved. After all the torture that she had inflicted upon her fellow fawns, why wouldn't her life end in a place like this?
She couldn't stop thinking about her final encounter in Locwitary, right before the unexplained window to this world opened and allowed her to run through. Cassandra, that strange woman who heralded from this place, had fought tooth and nail to rescue Leta from her clutches. The way that brunette was able to transform into a vast army of insects was the most unnatural sight, but it was enough to overwhelm her concentration and force her to drain her powers.
After all the blood that she had shed and consumed in the pursuit of her goals, was that her true limit? Did those fawns die for nothing?
Death. She still couldn't forgive herself for slitting Leta's throat.
"What were you thinking?" Narratha mumbled to herself as another set of tears fell from her eyes. "She was only a child. You didn't…" She wiped her face, pushing her bushy locks of curly hair away from her eyes. "You didn't have to do that, but you did."
She understood the complications associated with cannibalism when it came to her kind. Fawn blood elevates one's powers, but at the cost of their sanity. It had been a decade's worth of struggling to balance the addiction with the benefit, but Narratha was aware that she wasn't always herself, even when her instances of feasting on her sisters were moderated.
She had sought to eat less and less over the months as the number of fawns in her world was beginning to dry up. If her powers remained the same, then she would hopefully find stability. But she knew that there were times when she had psychotic breaks. Falena, the only fawn who ever came around to side with her, paid the price for that many times.
"I was trying to figure it all out," she said to the dead, who may or may not have been there in spirit. She didn't want to admit to herself how often she needlessly abused her captives and slaughtered them like worthless animals. "I didn't want it to be for nothing. I thought there was a reason."
Narratha couldn't figure out the rest of her words. She still believed in her mission, but her time away from the blood and from Locwitary itself had already started to affect her. It was easier to live a life full of hatred than it was to have a moment to think about her actions.
She sighed again as she sat up, gazing around her cell. After all the evil that she had willfully inflicted back in her world, why should she have been given any form of comfort? Heisenberg could have let her freeze and starve. She had used her destructive magic to tear people apart, so who was she to cry in fear of being raped when she was weak?
Narratha's biggest problem with her life and the world around her was that nothing was fair. She wanted balance, and if the world would not allow it, then she had promised to fight against it and break it apart until she could sort the pieces out for herself.
Fairness? Another tear fell from her cheek. She was always jealous of her sister, Nackia, who displayed the powers of a surge, while she got nothing. Was it fair for Nackia to be bludgeoned to death with a rock while she slept?
Narratha punched the wall behind her. She didn't want to think about anything anymore.
Heisenberg's whistling was what finally stole her attention a few minutes later. Out of the corner of the dim light on the other side of the room, his silhouette appeared along the wall. It wasn't long before that egotistical grin of his was aimed right at her, another cigar lit and wedged between his fingers.
"Wakey wakey!"
She groaned as she buried her forehead into her arms. "I'm already awake…"
"I wasn't expecting you to get much sleep, anyway," he stated, glancing and waving toward the walls. "There's a lot going on back there at night. Hell, it even keeps me awake after all this time."
Narratha offered no response. Instead, she just sat where she was, waiting for whatever his next move would be. The rattling of the lock at the cell door played in her ears. With a deep breath, the fawn prepared herself for the next step of this process.
Before he placed her in here, the two of them had a lengthy conversation about the concept of loyalty. He explained that Mother Miranda would not treat her as kindly as he had. But with that said, he could not keep her in the confines of this factory forever. Miranda sometimes came knocking, and by the grace of luck, she never ventured further than the upper floor.
Keeping Narratha down below just spelled trouble. He couldn't trust that any of his soldats would find their way to the woman and demolish her. She had to stay here, but she couldn't stay here. If that tyrant even caught a glimpse of her presence, he would be the one at stake.
Heisenberg had spent the night mulling it over after their conversation together. His impression of Narratha was that she had some weight to her story. Her arrival in this village made no sense at all, and her failure to transform into a Lycan was proof of some special qualities. He had to know more about her and what she could bring to the table, but he didn't want to risk losing her.
And the best way to keep her hidden was to keep her out in the open.
"I haven't changed my mind," he told her, standing idly by the cell door with one hand gripping the bars.
She already knew what he was referencing. Heisenberg had suggested that he would likely have to inform Miranda about Narratha still remaining human, but he couldn't allow that heartless wretch to think that this could be the vessel that she desperately wanted. No.
He would have to break some bad news. Narratha was never scratched by the Lycan's claws, only its axe. The redhead would then go on to lie, saying that she had also suffered various injuries from a fall prior to the arrival of the feral wolfmen. She was never infected at all, but with that said, he recognized her potential to work. She was strong and could handle manual labor.
He needed an assistant in his factory, after all.
Heisenberg figured that he could talk Miranda through the rest of the conversation. As much as she hated outsiders, it wouldn't have been the first time one was condemned to work here. Hell, she had already sentenced the other prisoner to work in that dreaded castle.
If everything went according to plan, then the last thing that he needed to count on was the freckled woman sticking to his side. She didn't have to like him, nor should he expect him to like her. If she tried anything to escape, then her fate was out of his hands, and she could expect a torturous death at the hands of Miranda herself.
It was a silent pact of cooperation. He didn't want her to die, as did she. It was her only chance to get something remotely positive out of this situation, and he told her that she would have been a fool to refuse it. But in the end, the choice was hers.
She accepted.
Narratha's brow flattened as she turned her head away and frowned, her arms wrapped around her shins. "You're saying that nothing is going to happen to me. Is that true?"
"As true as I can hope it to be," he chuckled, waving his cigar around in the air as he shook his head with a cocky grin. "I'm kidding. Just be quiet when I talk to Miranda, and for your sake, don't scream like you did last time."
"Sure." Narratha looked so unhappy, but he didn't care. He knew that this must have sucked for her. Though she had managed to earn her way out of that chair and into some fresh clothes, sleeping in a makeshift jail cell couldn't have been much fun.
He took another drag of his cigar and beckoned her to stand. With an audible exhale, Narratha did as she was told, glancing at him before she averted her eyes again and stepped out into the open. The fawn peered at the doorway that led outside, wondering how far she would get if she were to make a run for it.
She felt weak for having to consider that option. She hated feeling weak.
The redhead shrugged her shoulder as she stood there. "Are we going to go to her?"
"No," he replied. "I'm just going to call her."
"Hmm?" She rotated her torso to the right as she looked back at him. "How? Can you really speak that loudly? Is she nearby?"
"I'm taking about on the phone." Heisenberg pointed to a strange, black device that was set up on the wall. She could not tell what his eyes looked like behind those dark glasses, but if she were to guess, he must have been staring at her like she was a complete idiot. The device was something that she had never seen before. Coiled strings trailed all around it, but the item appeared to hold some form of significance, judging by its placement atop the desk.
All the contraptions here were strange.
"What is a phone?"
Heisenberg groaned.
...
As Heisenberg hung the phone back up onto the stand, he glanced over his right shoulder, noticing how that look of amazement was still on Narratha's face. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed take place.
Cautiously approaching the phone as if it were some sort of threat, the redhead pointed to the device with a slightly shaky finger. "Is Miranda inside that? I heard her voice!"
"You really don't get it, do you?"
The fawn crouched as she got to eye level with the instrument of communication. Her brow pinched with a suspicious glare, as if somehow she could get trapped within its confines. Narratha studied every inch of the base, taking note of the odd inscriptions in the ten circles at its center. With her lips parted, her head bobbed from left to right, thinking that the phone would either expel Miranda from its captivity or try to strangle her with its cords.
"How could such a thing be possible?" She stood up and took a step back, her fingers curling into her palms as she brought them by her breasts. "Is her soul displaced from her body?
Heisenberg couldn't help but chuckle again. "It's been that way for a century…"
Narratha took a couple more steps back. "So, she is in there?"
"Are you fucking stupid?"
Her face grimaced as soon as she heard the insult, but all she did was shut her lips and stand still. Shifting her eyes between him and the phone, Narratha wondered if the thing would claim his soul as well, but she had a feeling that it would not. Perhaps it was subservient to him. Who knows?
"I'm not stupid," she said.
"No," he replied. "Maybe you're just insane. I don't know. Maybe you honestly believe this phone is some soul-hungry monster, just as much as you believe you are from another world. The only thing that is convincing me is that you haven't turned into a Lycan, and trust me, after what I saw, your ass should be running around in those woods right now, growling at squirrels."
She tilted her head with a furrowed brow. "What is a squirrel? Is it some sort of competitive predator? Do they match up on the food chain?"
He didn't know what else to say. There was no doubt in his mind that she wasn't acting. With the way this woman reacted and with the questions that she asked, she truly believed in everything that she said. Whether it was true or not was for him to find out later. He removed his hat from his head, revealing his long strands of greying hair.
Setting the cover on the surface of the desk that he sat at, Heisenberg crushed his nearly-finished cigar and promptly lit up a new one. With a big huff of smoke down into his lungs, he blew out the largest plume that he had expelled all week. "Please, just don't say anything when Miranda gets here. Fuck."
Castle Dimitrescu – later that afternoon...
Daniela watched as Delia quietly cleaned the floor, still trying to rid the wood from the stains of red wine that had fallen earlier. During their earlier engagement, the redhead had lost herself in the moment and inadvertently knocked her bottle of wine off the nightstand. It was enough to snap her out of the fantasy in her mind, only for her to reawaken in the real world and see the mess that was there.
Delia had been spared a harsh punishment, but a slap across the face for distracting her was sufficient. Daniela was able to demonstrate some self-control this time. She remembered what had been on her mind. The thought that she was considering kissing the maid would not die easily.
I just want to know what it's like, but I don't want my first kiss to be with some servant! It must be the winter. This season always gets to us—Cassandra, especially. I need some fresh air to clear my head. Ah, but it is only getting colder. Just a few more months, and then it will be time. Maybe the man of my dreams will come by then. Right?
"Are you almost done?" Daniela said as she rose from the couch and set down her book, turning her eyes to the maid on the floor.
On her knees, Delia scrubbed endlessly to undo the copious stains. She had been silent since the smack to the face, but when she heard her master's question, her shaky voice stirred in the air. "Not quite, Miss Daniela. The stains are most deep."
"I'm going to leave the room," she said. "It must be done by the time I return."
"Yes, Miss Daniela." Delia pushed harder and harder, doing everything she could to clean the floor. Shards of glass still littered the ground, occasionally biting her skin as she shuffled around. The girl knew that she could fish those fragments out later. She was more concerned about the punishment that awaited her if she failed her assigned task.
Her cheek still stung from the swift blow. Daniela had not given her any word of warning, but the sound of the bottle shattering was the best heads-up that she would have received. Even if the daughters were the cause of the mess, the blame always fell on the staff. Delia still couldn't figure out what was going through the woman's head when she held her by the lip, but the redhead's thoughts were everchanging.
She was just glad that her lip was still attached to her face.
When the door to the library finally shut, Delia took a second to pause as she rubbed the side of her jaw. Her eyelids scrunched with sadness, and her hands quaked at the anticipation of more trouble to come. She mustered up whatever strength she had left to not cry. Crying would get her nowhere in a place like this, but the temptation of death reared itself again.
If she could just get to the kitchen and grab a knife, a quick dance around her wrists or throat would put an end to this miserable life. The Dimitrescu family could have her body for dinner. She did not care. There was only so much torment a person could take before they gave up.
After a long breath, her hands resumed their previous motion. There was a mess that needed to be cleaned, and she would not condemn another to her personal hell. Delia promised herself that she would look out for the others, and killing herself was not the way to go.
Still, as she wiped the floor as best she could, the lingering thought of suicide would not go away. She even wondered what would happen if the wine stains did not come out. Would death truly be the punishment for such a trivial thing? And if so, would it come quickly?
Even if it didn't, death was still death, and its soothing embrace was more enticing than ever.
...
Walking along the edge of the upper balcony, just above the Main Hall, Daniela watched as the group of servants below her catered to the needs of the castle. There wasn't a word that was to be said on her part while they went along. Bela was already on the floor below, supervising them. With a wine glass in the blonde's hand, she casually took a sip while her amber orbs followed each of the young ladies one by one.
I wonder what Bela thinks about when she stands there like that. There is always so much on her mind. She's probably thinking about what Mother will think of her. Well, maybe she's just worrying about finding dirt on the floor. She has quite the eye for that!
Leaning over the banister, the redhead peeked over the railing, allowing her body to dissolve into a horde of bugs as she sought to descend. The staff tried their best to ignore the sight, lest Bela snap at them in fury. There was never an excuse to break from their work.
When she reformed, Daniela straightened out her gown and casually approached the blonde. With graceful skips, her shoulders swayed as her bubbly smile lifted across her cheeks. "Bela…" Her voice trailed out as she drew closer.
Taking a long breath, Bela lowered the wine glass from her lips as her eyes sharpened on the playful redhead. She was not in the mood for any games right now. With all the tasks that needed to be accomplished, there was no time that could be devoted to Daniela's antics.
Breakfast had been a near-miss. It was only a miracle that Luana had managed to get everything in the right order at the end of the hour. Bela had thought for sure that the backlog of cooked food was going to be an issue, but the faithful young lady was always pushing herself.
Still, the eldest daughter could not help but wonder why that new girl wasn't as engaged as the others. Luana had stated that she was showing Kyia the way to do things, but with how that woman had sounded just last night...
"Yes, Daniela?"
Her sister's shoulders rose to her ears, her hands cupped at her waist, as she shook her body around like an eager child. "I was wondering if..."
"I'm not going to read with you right now, Daniela."
Why does she always think that I… Argh!
"No," Daniela corrected her. "I just wanted to ask how everything was going with the extra kitchen staff."
It was as if she had hit the nail on the head. The door was open for Bela to complain about her life, and for Daniela, it was the best way for a conversation to open up between them. Sure enough, the blonde sighed as she ingested another helping of her wine. It seemed like she would need at least an extra bottle to get herself through this day.
"Well, I'm expecting a lot after what that maid said last night," Bela remarked, replaying Kyia's words in her head. "But when I showed up, it didn't look like she knew what she was doing. Everybody starts somewhere, I guess. Ugh, I swear, if she causes today's lunch to be delayed, I will hurt her."
"I thought she was a great cook?" Daniela's brow raised at the comment. "Shouldn't the extra staff make the process go faster?
This was one of those rare instances where the redhead was on the ball, and Bela could see it. Taking the moment for what it was, the eldest would not allow this opportunity to go to waste. Daniela has had times like these in the past. She would strike a sudden period of clarity, acting as though she were any other person. It was an odd turnaround, but one that did not last for long.
It would likely be an hour or two before that mindset faded and her thoughts returned to the fantasies that she lived in.
"You would think," Bela said, "but apparently not." She drank some more of her wine and set the glass down on the dresser nearby. Through the sides of her hood, she glanced at the rest of the staff as the women went about their assigned roles. "She's got one day to get it right. At the very least, I could probably trade her for a more competent maid, but...
"But what?"
Bela hummed as she reached for the wine glass again. It seemed as though her mind would not allow her to part ways with it for too long. "I would have to ask Mother, and she already said that she wanted that girl in the kitchen." There was a tinge of disappointment in her voice as she spoke. Could she not be happy with their mother's command?
"Who would you like to take?" Daniela asked, eyeing the ladies with her.
"Hmm, I really don't know," Bela admitted, sipping on her glass. "Luana and Sorina know how to handle food. I watch these women carry the plates, and they can barely do that right."
"Oh!" The redhead let out a laugh. "Do you remember when Esmerelda dropped that tray of food all those years ago?"
The blonde chuckled, but there was still a groan left to follow after she ended her exhale. "I never jumped at the chance to torture a maid more than Cassandra, not until that night. What a mess."
"But she tasted so good!" Daniela's trademark snicker rattled out from her thin nostrils. Bela couldn't help but return the gesture as well. The flesh of that servant was more delectable than the dinner itself. In some ways, it was a blessing in disguise, as even the eldest didn't have faith that the night's intended meal was going to be stellar.
When there was nothing left but bones dripping red with blood, the three daughters took the time to sit down and chat. When Cassandra wasn't bored, she would tell jokes, and some of them had wrangled a genuine reaction of amusement from her often-stern older sister. Daniela basked in the mix, laughing and smiling at everything that had been said.
Those were the kinds of dinners that she loved the most. It wasn't the meal itself that made the night so enjoyable. It was the sisterly bond that she had been chasing ever since those better years.
With another sigh, Bela peered down at her wine glass and watched as the crimson contents within swirled back and forth in her hand. The corner of her lip lowered as she thought about the soothing feeling of warmth that this little talk had brought. She wanted nothing more than for Daniela to be well again, but in her heart, she knew that the redhead was never really well to begin with.
The years had just seen an already existing problem degrade with each passing month. There was no telling what the future held, but it did not show anything promising. In some ways, it was best to enjoy even the worst of her days now, because by then, what was bad would only pale in comparison to what was to come.
Daniela glanced at her sister when she failed to give her a response. "Right, Bela?"
With a low voice, the blonde brought the rim of her wine glass to her lips. She would have to return to her role as the supervisor quite soon, but the memories of the past didn't want to let her go. She wished that she had been better for this woman, but the thought of trying to fix what was already broken did not sit well with her.
In fact, she couldn't bear the truth. It hurt her to see her sister like this. And so, coping with the situation as best she could, Bela decided to turn herself off. It would be best to not get too involved. She would only be bound for disappointment if she tried.
"Yeah, Daniela. It was great." The glass parted ways with her lips, and she began to step off. "I need to go check on the kitchen, so you be well, alright?"
I guess she's got to leave, then, I suppose.
"Of course, Bela!" Daniela's cheery voice filled the air as her sister departed, echoing across the room and filling the blonde's ears. Bela tried to drown it out, but there was no way for her to do so. She wanted to go back there, but she had been through this before.
If only Daniela's mental state could stay in one place, then so could she.
The Kitchen
Luana, Sorina, and Kyia were busy making the day's planned lunch. Luana, the most experienced and confident of the three, had taken it upon herself to direct the preparations in Bela's absence. It was the only way to ensure that there would be no issues when the noblewoman returned, but the maid could not help but concern herself with the potential outcome that lay ahead.
With Kyia in the mix, the job only seemed more difficult.
"Sorina, continue sorting out the fruits. They need to be perfect for the bowl," Luana instructed, her voice firm but not unkind. She knew that the girl was already stressed enough with the lifestyle around them, and adding to the pressure would have only served to dampen her performance. After so much time working together, the two ladies had a system in place.
It worked well when Bela wasn't around. They knew how to communicate and get things done. In some ways, the Dimitrescu family couldn't have picked a better pair for the job. In both of Luana's hands were two pots of soup, ready to be placed over the fire. She handled herself well with such things, watching the contents inside while simultaneously eyeing her coworker.
Sorina nodded, continuing to balance out the correct portions of the assorted grapes and apples. She had regained some of her composure since Bela had departed earlier on. The atmosphere tended to be gifted with a breath of fresh air once the bloodthirsty murderer exited. Luana figured that the maid had never witnessed anyone raise their voices before she entered this dreaded castle.
That must have been the cause of her fragile ways, but Sorina never spoke much about her personal life. Who knows? Perhaps it was the opposite. Maybe Sorina's life had been so tumultuous that she never got a break from the endless stress.
Maybe she didn't know how to ever stop being afraid.
While the skittish young lady was working well by herself, Kyia, however, was still struggling with the basics. The fawn, unaccustomed to the intricacies of a kitchen, was visibly flustered. She fumbled with the simplest tasks, her frustration mounting as the minutes ticked by. For someone who had proclaimed that messing up a meal was a "great insult" to herself, she must have been accustomed to such insults.
It had been a repeat of the fiasco that went down during breakfast. Ever since the three maids reconvened inside the kitchen, it was back to square one. Kyia was fortunate enough that Luana had tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, even when any other rational-minded person would have thrown her to the wolves.
Bela had been annoyed at how close breakfast was to being delayed, but it was Luana's quick thinking that got all the food prepared in time. Still, her disappointment at the subpar performance with an additional staff member could not go unheard. She had demanded to know why things didn't pick up, and Luana explained that there had been confusion over the names of some of the local dishes.
With the new girl being a known outsider, it was a decent excuse. But that excuse had already been exhausted, and the worst thing that could happen would be to repeat past errors. If there was one thing that Bela hated, it was a failure to learn.
"Kyia, hand me that spice jar," Luana said as she pointed to the shelf behind her.
Kyia, trying her best to conceal her annoyance, turned to grab the jar. As soon as it was in her hand, she handed it to Luana without a word, knowing what was about to come next.
"Thanks. Now, the ladle," Luana continued, pointing again. Kyia squinted her brow, evidently uncertain of what the blonde was referring to. "It's right behind you, sticking out of the small pot right there."
Kyia glanced over her shoulder and saw the item in question. After a slow breath, she extended her arm and retrieved the ladle, her jaw clenching as she held it. The constant need for direction made her feel like a complete idiot, but she knew that she needed to learn what the items in this world were called.
In Locwitary, a ladle was known as a 'bell-stick,' even though they were identical. It angered her how similar their worlds were but how different the terminology was. She wanted to scream and tell Luana to shut up, but she held her tongue in between her teeth as she handed it to the younger woman.
To be ordered around by someone so inferior in age was beyond frustrating. This girl couldn't have been older than her early twenties, and to be telling a full-fledged adult what to do was unimaginable. If these constant orders did not stop...
"Good, now pass me the carrots," Luana said, moving to place the pots over the fire as soon as those words left her lips. "The orange sticks with the green tops."
Grunting, Kyia grabbed the carrots and handed them over, her emerald eyes briefly meeting Luana's with a flash of resentment. She desired nothing more than to see that smug, know-it-all face pressed against the flames of the stove.
No. Better yet, the flames of her powers.
Sorina glanced at Kyia, sensing her frustration from nearby. "You're doing great," she said, trying to offer up some sympathy. The young girl remembered how often she herself messed up in the beginning, much to the stress of the maid, who would end up becoming her best friend. A little patience and compassion were enough to steer her mind in a more positive direction, which was what she needed to make it through what should have been her defeat.
But Kyia didn't respond. She didn't even look at her at all. Instead, the only thing that came out of her was a closed groan that was faint but audible to anybody close, which in this case was Sorina herself. The frail maid didn't want to press her luck with the new servant. She resumed her work immediately after, giving the brunette some space.
Luana had just set the carrots down in a bowl to be chopped up and added to the soup that was already being heated up. "Kyia, pass me the bowl of diced meat. I need to add it to the soup and then chop these carrots up. As soon as you do that, I need you to start cleaning off the other end of the table so we can set up the trays."
Saying not a word, the fawn gazed around the kitchen, seeking to gain a better understanding of what was about to come her way. The opposite side of the table that Sorina was still working at was cluttered with the husks of raw animal carcasses and assorted bottles and spices. It was unnerving to have to go touch such gross things, but with how busy the other maids were, it seemed like she didn't have a choice in the matter.
Once she handed over the bowl of meat, the brunette slowly walked over to the mess at hand, her fingers shaking as she reached out to clear the surface of the deceased animals.
How could one family consume so much? Dead creatures tended to rot so quickly, and there was no way to preserve their bodies for the foreseeable future. Unless these wretched women preferred to consume rotted corpses…
Kyia stopped debating it right then and there. That had to have been in the cards for soulless monsters such as them.
Seeking to create more space for herself to work with, Kyia picked up one of the plates that housed a large collection of carefully sliced and prepared strips of meat. Each segment of flesh had been sprinkled with a precise number of seasonings and sauces, crafted to perfection, and ready to be brought over the flames once all was done.
Seeing how much space there was on the counter nearby, Kyia cradled the wide plate in her hands as she walked across the kitchen. However, her luck would only carry her so far. Once she made it about halfway, she stumbled, dropping the plate onto the ground. The sound of the plate shattering echoed through the kitchen, bringing everything to a standstill.
Luana jolted as soon as she heard it. When the blonde craned her neck over her shoulder, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Her blue eyes couldn't have gotten any wider as she stared at the mess. Sorina, equally stunned, stood frozen. Both maids knew that this spelled trouble.
That dish wasn't for the family to pick at. It had been made for Alcina herself. Kyia could not have made a more critical mistake.
"Kyia," Luana's voice shook as she hurried over to the splattered food, "what did you do?!" She moved quickly to redo the ruined dish, her mind racing with the consequences that would surely come their way if this was not rectified. Bela would be furious if the lunch was delayed, but if her mother's food was ruined, then there was no telling how much control of her anger she would lose.
Kyia stood there, gazing at the mess with a blank expression. It was as if she couldn't process what had just happened. "It was an accident," she said without emotion, save for a little animosity after having to contend with the unending series of orders from the young woman.
"Kyia!" Luana snapped. "This was Lord Dimitrescu's food! Just move away!"
Kyia could not stand to listen to Luana's incessant nagging. To her, it was simply a plate of food and nothing else. If there were other ingredients, which there were, then the dish could easily be recreated. She felt like Luana was making a big deal over nothing, and the more she thought about it, the more she believed that the woman felt threatened by her presence.
Why wouldn't she want to seek out a way for Kyia to look like the bad one? The brunette believed that if she could learn the ins and outs of this kitchen, then she would quickly dominate the others. Looking at Luana, she saw a weak soul who clung to dominance obtained solely by the lack of shared knowledge.
Kyia was about to lash out and scream at her, but as her lips parted, the kitchen door swung open, and Bela entered. The eldest Dimitrescu daughter quickly took notice of the mess on the floor and gravitated toward it at once, her amber eyes hot on the trio around her once her feet halted just a foot away from the ruined meat.
"How did this happen?!" She demanded to know, barking with rage. "Who did this?"
This would usually be the moment where Luana stepped forward to take the blame and suffer the punishment. With the addition of a new maid, the answer shouldn't have required any deliberation, but Kyia's actions were seen as neglectful to the seasoned cook.
As much as Luana did not want her to suffer, part of her could not find the strength to take the brunt of the blonde's anger. Kyia would not say a word, while Sorina quaked where she stood.
Seconds ticked by with no answer. Bela's anger grew, and her patience wore thin. "I said, who did this?"
Her gaze settled on Kyia, who still had a slightly defiant look in her eyes. Bela recognized it as the same glare Kyia had given Cassandra during last night's dinner. Ever since this outsider had been brought into the castle, Bela couldn't stop noticing the way she acted whenever she got close. While there was a visible element of fear, the brunette had this strange expression that the eldest of the three could not describe.
It was almost as if there was a past between them that loomed over their heads, but how? She did not know why Kyia looked at her the way she did, but it did not matter. After what had taken place this morning, her outlook on the slender maid had only grown sour. Luana had a proven track record of keeping things in order, but since the arrival of the brunette, the kitchen has teetered on the edge of disarray.
Bela stepped closer, getting right in Kyia's face. "Is this the kind of incompetence that I am going to get, Kyia?" The heat of her breath was hot against the fawn's skin. Those amber eyes did not blink as they tunneled deep into her soul. The noblewoman's enhanced senses could detect the rapid rhythm of the woman's heartbeat, beat after beat.
Kyia fantasized about regaining her powers and burning Bela to the ground. She wanted to use her magic to rip apart her limbs and throw them at the walls. In her prime, she could have pulverized this disgusting woman with the mere flick of her hand, but she knew such thoughts were far from reality. There was still no sign of her powers, and arguing would only lead to a death sentence because of it.
Swallowing her pride and anger, she did the only thing she could to survive. It was the same method that she had used to make it through the darkened streets of Serpenmoor, allowing her to avoid both suspicion and creatures alike.
She kneeled before Bela, her head bowed, playing the role that was needed of her.
"It was my fault, Miss Bela," Kyia said, her voice trembling as she cupped her hands at her chest. "Please, I beg for your forgiveness. You deserve only the best!"
Bela stared down at her, a fleeting smirk adorning her face. There was no telling just what its purpose was. When matters were serious, her sadistic side tended to take a back seat. But there was also no way that she would have ever set aside such obstacles to revel in her own ego, either.
"Then clean it up," she said.
As Kyia reached to start picking up the shards of broken glass, she suddenly felt a sharp yank at the collar of her gown. In an instant, the fawn was abruptly hoisted onto her feet and then held even higher than that. This was a far cry from the Bela she had known in Serpenmoor. That woman could have never wielded such profound strength back there. The barriers between the realms must have filtered that out as well. The realization of how monstrous this woman had become sank in as she watched flies buzz out from Bela's sides, a reminder that she was far from normal.
Kyia had already known about such qualities from the visions she had undergone once the first fragments embedded themselves in her arms and returned a sliver of her abilities. All it took was the mere touch of Bela's hand to shine a light into her darkest moments. But after seeing it up close, that was what made the truth all the clearer for the fawn.
The next thing that followed was an explosion of pain across the skin of her cheek.
Bela's slap was swift and brutal, the force of it sending shockwaves of agony through Kyia's face and knocking her to the ground. She lay there, stunned, feeling the burn of the strike as she struggled to regain herself.
As soon as she realized that she had been let go, Kyia's instincts kicked in, and she tried desperately to summon her magic. There had to be something buried deep inside, she thought. It couldn't have been all gone. She focused, willing flames to ignite in her palms so that she might murder her abuser in a blazing inferno, but nothing came. Her body felt tapped out, her powers seemingly inaccessible for reasons unknown.
Entering through a portal should have guaranteed the retention of her qualities, but it seemed as though the opposite was in effect. Kyia couldn't make sense of it, nor could she do anything to defend herself right now. She was at the mercy of the woman she so desperately wanted to kill.
Bela's voice called out from above her, "I'll make you beg, Kyia. I promise, I'll make you beg. Clean it up!"
The fawn suddenly felt a faint warmth rise in her wrists, but it was not enough. Not even close. It was a spark in an ocean that stood no chance of ever igniting a world of flame. As much as she wanted to free herself from this torment, Kyia knew when she was beat.
"Yes, Miss Bela!" She ignored the pain from the slap as best she could, quickly gathering up pieces of the wasted food and broken glass. Bela was her master right now, and there was nothing that she could do to change it for the time being. Deviating from her role meant a terrible end.
Her mind, however, still could not let go of her mission. Kyia swore to herself that she would regain her powers. There had to be a way. If it was possible in Serpenmoor, then it had to be possible here. As her fingers picked at the scraps below, the shards of glass suddenly reminded her of the shard of metal that had allowed her abilities to return before.
The Dagger of Death's Flower's. It was in this realm. How could she have forgotten?
When that thought hit her mind, Kyia paused for a fraction of a second. In a twist of relief, her tormented heart found itself clutching onto a glimmer of hope. The Bela that she had met in Serpenmoor had stated that this castle indeed held the blade gifted with unparalleled fawn magic.
The flicker theory had to have been real, and if so, then the dagger was inadvertently replicated as it sped through the barriers and across timelines themselves. If its shattered body could revive her dormant flames, then could its intact form restore her to the fabled surge that she once was?
Kyia believed so. That dagger had to be somewhere, and she would find it. No matter what it took, however long, or whoever she needed to sacrifice, she would obtain that weapon. And when she did, Bela and the rest of the Dimitrescu family would face the true nature of a fawn's fiery fury.
NOTES:
Welcome back! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
So, Narratha's fate is still up in the air. She's going somewhere, but where? In this cold new world, what kind of place is there for such a ferocious woman? Make no mistake, as vulnerable as she is, she is also vengeful. We'll soon see what awaits her.
Delia isn't doing so well, but I'll offer you all a sigh of relief and wind these abusive chapters down as the next arc is set to begin. She's been through enough, and we already have an idea of how terrible the Dimitrescu's are to their staff.
Daniela, meanwhile, is about to be brought deeper into the recesses of her mind. Her interaction with Bela is just part of the bigger puzzle. She is the most broken of the three, and with all those fragments, can she be put back together?
As for Kyia, retribution is brewing. She's finding the direction that she needs. In the hands of a fawn, that dagger can unleash the unimaginable. What will she do to obtain it? Let her not forget that there is another fawn in this village—one physically stronger and willing to aid her.
Chapter by chapter, this story is all coming together, and as it does, everything else around it will crumble.
Now, addressing what's been going on with me, life has still been good but complicated. I've been getting out a lot more and working on myself, so my writing has taken a dive. The next chapter will release in two weeks, but I may have to keep this schedule for now. We'll see in the future.
I am a week late on Fragmented Flies: Flickers latest chapter release, and it kills me to have missed a deadline, but I can't rush it (it will release tomorrow). I also know that I am lagging on comment responses, and I sincerely apologize for that. I love hearing all your voices, and I will get back to you all! Thank you so much for supporting this story. It means the world to me, and I will continue to push out content for you to enjoy.
On one last note, I had slated a release date for the 26th for the Leon/Ashley story, but obviously, with everything going on, there is no way I can juggle three stories right now. I'll have to come up with a date in the future, but for now, enjoy these current two projects. I will write as much as I can.
I wish you all a safe and cool weekend! You are all so awesome, and I hope you are enjoying yourselves out there. I can't wait to see you all again! 😊