Heaving and panting heavily, Mara kept pushing herself forward with every being and with limited strength left in her.
She was determined and continued running as fast as her weak legs would carry her. She would not allow them to get hold of her again after she finally escaped from them.
The monsters
The monsters that killed her parents and destroyed a whole village without any form of remorse.
The monsters behind her were starting to gain on her.
Mara had just one thought in her head, and it was to keep running.
A couple of times, she would look behind her to ascertain precisely where they were on her trail.
It was horrifying, especially how things had forcibly changed from the peaceful and quiet time just a few hours ago to this nightmare.
Her mother’s need to protect her from the invaders earlier crept up into her mind making her gasp in sorrow and also allowing her to realize how everything was beginning to make sense to her.
Her actions and behavior before the attacks were concrete evidence that she knew something of this nature would happen.
Somehow, her mother must have known they would be attacked and was demanding of her father that they should move out and relocate immediately.
She recalled the scary one who had ended her mother’s life, referring to her as a witch.
Mara began to wonder just how deep she was in the dark and how everything that seemed impossible initially was becoming a reality.
It was as though fate had prepared to deal with her in ways she didn’t expect personally.
Before the attack, they were just an average family and had to live through each day as usual as possible, and now, she has lost not only one but both parents to death while she had no idea of her brother’s whereabouts.
However, as the cold breeze brushing over her shoulders suddenly increased, Mara was reminded of her
shoulders, and she grunted out in pain.The men had peered at her shoulder area and found her birthmark.
The same birthmark that had been on her since childbirth and had been thought of as just any ordinary born mark, but once they saw it, they had termed a meaning into it which shocked her.
Suddenly, the white flakes that had appeared briefly during the day before the attack started dropping gradually.
Snow, at that moment, chose to present itself, causing Mara to feel colder than she was before.
However, she was getting weaker by the minute. When she heard the howls of the monsters after her, she knew that her plan to get away from these beasts had failed woefully and held tightly onto the necklace that her mother gave her, which a few minutes ago had severe as a weapon for her against the beast.
Her breath was beginning to fail her, and that instant, she unknowingly stepped on a pointed wood. It pierced her skin, and she gave off a scream.
It was game over.
She could tell that she was already bleeding but did not stop in her bid to get away from these men.
She dragged along the injured foot, and suddenly, one of them jumped before her to stand in front of her.
The man turned to face her and then gradually began to retake the form of a human.
“Brave girl. I commend you for trying to escape from a pack of us and holding out for a few minutes.” He said, walking closer.
Mara looked away immediately in disgust and hatred as he moved to stand before tauntingly.
At that moment, she was feeling so much pain.
She grunted out in pain as the pain of grieving and the one steering from the cut underneath her feet.
When the attack began, Caelum was not around and was fortunately and hopefully not seen by these monsters.
She did not want to assume the worst, but certainly, she hoped he was not yet dead.
She did not want to live with the guilt that they had killed her parents because of something relating to her.
Her twenty-first birthday was only a few days away, yet it had to seem like something was amiss other than what was happening.
The village also had been destroyed, and she sincerely hoped it was not her fault that all these things were happening.
Why was it that she had to be the only one alive of the young girls in the village?
Why was she even picked out carefully like a diamond in the rough?
She knew, however, that whatever it was, she would not be able to live with the guilt. All she wanted right now was her peaceful life with her mother’s nagging.
The men on horseback were beginning to approach, and she could hear both neighing and hoof sounds.
There were there suddenly.“Great. You’ve caught her, but she did hold out on your lot. Pathetic.” The man who she had come to both
hate and dread was saying now as he got off his horse“It felt fun playing chase with her. We could have had her in her heartbeat, but we wanted to give her
the benefit of a race.” The naked man in front of her said“Oh, I see. You can find something to wear while I chat with our Guest. All of you!!!”
he said.A guest he had called her, but now Mara was beginning to understand why they had taken her from
what the second man had said about playing chase with her. They would have treated her with more dignity if she were so vital to them.However, she was merely a plaything to them, and all they were taking her back for was for games to whoever sent them on this mission. The man in front of her and his fellow monsters walked away to create a distance between them while the murderous man came to stand before her.
For a moment, he stood over her, looming and looking down at her, but then, seeing that she would not
lookup, he came down to make a half squat to level with her.“I see you’re wounded, sweetheart.” He said
“I’m not your sweetheart,” Mara said between clenched teeth and balling fists.
She was still unwilling to look at him as he desired and would rather keep looking down.
“Oh, I see. Well, let’s take a look, shall we?” he said casually and tried to grab Mara’s feet.
Mara drew them away in such a way she folded them closer to her.
“Don’t,” she said with a warning tone.
“That was not a request.”
“That was not a request.” He said and moved to reach for her injured foot to pull it closer to him. Alarmed and anxious, Mara felt the urgency to defend herself and moved away from his outstretched hand. Though she was wounded, which meant that whatever she planned would not make much impact, the beast-man was much stronger than she was and at a more extraordinary advantage form. Compared to him, she was merely nothing. But that did nothing to dampen her morale. It gave it a push. “Neither was mine.” She said spitefully and slapped away his hand. He smirked before shooting her a warning glance to tell her that should she make the same move again, he would tear her into bits. However, she was confident that it was an empty threat since they had destroyed an entire village to get their hands on her, which all but meant one thing: she was even more valuable to them alive than dead. They wouldn’t go through all that, only to kill her at the end. Whoever sent them needed her for a
Am I alright? Am I alright? Mara wanted to ask incredulously as she stared up at her mother. She couldn’t have imagined the whole thing, could she? The woman mumbling crazy things just a few minutes ago was so far from the woman that was now talking to her that she wondered if perhaps she was the one who was losing her mind. Shaking her head to clear them of the terrifying image of her hysterical mother, Mara plastered a small smile onto her face. “I’m fine, mother,” she replied with a sigh before gesturing to the basket that had fallen to the snow. “I was coming over to suggest that we head inside. I think we’ve gotten enough supplies from the garden. Why don’t we get out of the cold, and I’ll make you a hot cup of tea?” Lucinda still looked confused and unsure, but she nodded and picked up her basket. “Yes,” she murmured, her fingers lightly touching her forehead. “That sounds like a lovely idea.” Mara put a hand on her mother’s back, lightly guiding her toward the direction
Mara scrambled back into bed, terrified that they would find out about her eavesdropping. She had no idea there were far worse things to be terrified of than she could imagine. She’d just gotten back under the covers when her mother barged into the room, nearly sending the door flying off the handles. Lucinda was no longer concerned if she woke up Mara. The door hit the wall, creating a loud bang that made Mara sit up in bed. She saw her mother standing by the threshold, her face gaunt and eyes wide. Lucinda looked like she’d seen a ghost, and blood had completely drained from her face. “Mara,” she hissed in a low voice. “Come with me quickly!” Still paralyzed by surprise, all Mara could do was stare at her mother, wondering if she was having another breakdown. She nearly dove under the bed when her mother marched into the room and grabbed her by the arm. Despite her mother’s petite frame, she had enough strength to haul Mara out of bed. “Mother, where are you taking me? What
Something snapped within her; she turned to one of the men and bit into his hand, which held her with all her might. It had been unexpected, so he let go of her with a howl. Next, she turned to the other one trying to hold her in place, and kicked him right in the bullocks as she dashed away towards the forest.“Well, after her!!!” was the command she heard, and she looked behind her to see them running after her.Mara continued sprinting away as all she felt was the wind in her ears till they eventually caught up with her.That was how her once-perfect morning had taken a downturn to the horror-filled night. Her mother and father had just been slain right before her eyes, and her brother, whom she was uncertain of his whereabouts, was nowhere to be found.Right now, from how she sat, her wounded leg hurt badly but not as hurtful as the thoughts of what would occur here.The man with his claws still held her, and she could feel the rest of his part sneering as his hand squeezed her th
Clutching the necklace tightly in her hands, Mara took off running. Her feet sank into the snow with every step she took, slowing her progress. When she heard the snarls coming from behind her, she made the mistake of looking back. Whatever was happening to Anias was over. Standing in the little patch of moonlight that reflected off the white snow, he looked different but also the same. She recognized some of his features, but they were distorted under a thick smattering of fur that had grown in certain parts of his body. His nose had also merged with his mouth, forming a snout that looked like a dog's. Long, pointed ears peeked from his hair, which had also grown longer.A scream built up inside Mara, but when Anias lunged toward her, she turned and ran instead. It seemed that the monsters who’d come for her family were, in fact, real monsters and not just the worst of humanity. No wonder she heard growls, and that howling noise she’d heard from her hiding spot underneath the floor
Mara gasped, awake, and slowly sat up to her banging head as she suffered from aches. Her befuddled brain couldn’t seem to make sense of what was happening. As she came to her senses, the lines between dreams and reality were still a little blurry. She was sure she’d had a bad dream, but she couldn’t recall much of it. There was a lot of screaming and running and… things in the night. With a sigh, she tried to shake away the nightmare and focus on getting started for the day. That’s when she noticed that she wasn’t in her room. She wasn’t even in her bed. No, the mattress was far too large, soft, and comfier to be hers. Looking around, she didn’t recognize any of her surroundings. With the fear mounting inside her and hoping that her dreams just a while ago were not reality, Mara scrambled from under the sheets and dashed towards the substantial mahogany doors that stood sentry in front of the bed. But the minute she did, pain surged through her bones, and she released
The woman stared intently at her out of curiosity."You must be the one he brought home. Strange. He never brings anyone home." She said, and Mara began to feel scared "Him? Who is he?" she asked the woman looking frightened now.Her gray and silver locks were pulled into a tight bun, and dark glasses were perched on her nose, making it impossible to see her eyes. There were wrinkles on her cheeks and hands, belying her advanced age. Despite her shaking fingers, she somehow managed to sew whatever she was repairing. "Well, don't just stand and gawk over there, child. Come and sit." The woman gestured to a vacant chair opposite her. Mara looked between her and the gates, wondering if she should run for it. She was surprised when the woman spoke up again, seeming to read her thoughts. "Would you rather be trekking through that awful garden and climbing past those gates rather than sitting comfortably here with me?"Mara felt her fears and plan sounded stupid when she put it like that.
It had been a dark story all along, yet somehow she could not make anything out of it. It was all a story about curses and how they were being passed on for many generations.According to Sonya, although most believed it to have steamed from the gods, there was every possibility that the less popular and silent story of a sorceress putting up a curse on a lover who had betrayed her was also confirmed.It was pretty confusing, but Mara did not mind.Only a few parts interested her, and that was when the older woman was differentiating between Lycaons and Berserkers. It was a fascinating thing to hear, sending shivers down her spine.The woman had also mentioned the name of her savior to her. It was Sebastian, and that name echoed in her eardrums. It had this unique ring that she could not explain, yet she knew that she had to be afraid of him very much.Sebastian had been explained to her as a berserker who does his things out of code. He has been known by many names and descriptio