The Scarlet Scepter

Chapter Eight (Revised)

"Get away from her!"

Cepheus?

Horses came into view, with two figures riding on their backs. Cepheus threw a spear, and the men missed it narrowly. They ran into the forest, and Celia went with them.

"Celia! Come back!" I ran after her.

Cepheus grabbed my arm. "Don't," he whispered. "We'll get her back."

I sobbed in response as the sun lighted the sky.

"What exactly is going on, Serena?"

We were back in her house, and she sat across the table from us. She didn't answer.

"Please, Serena, explain what happened to me. To Celia," I pleaded. "How are we going to save her?"

"You cannot," she said quietly. "Once a soldier possesses her body, you cannot save her anymore."

"A soldier?"

She sighed, clutched something from the fireplace and sat down. When she opened her palm, it was the figurine I have been toying with last night.

"This town was once a favorite of the soldiers," she began. "They liked to stop here during drills or anything in that matter, and they trusted the people here. They came here whenever duty would allow them to.

"Narsus, the leader of this town, was a cousin of the Prime Minister of Eleos. Everyone here respected Narsus, and they did everything he said. During the Rebellion, Narsus supported the Prime Minister and urged everyone to join him.

"That night, when King Cleon died, some of the soldiers spread out to look for a member of the Royal Family. They passed through this town, and the people welcomed them and invited them to stay and rest. Supporting the Rebellion meant betraying the soldiers who willingly put their guards down for this town. And everyone followed Narsus. They killed the soldiers."

I was on the edge of my seat. It was a good thing that it was already morning, because I hated hearing stories like this at night. It gave me nightmares.

She paused and clutched the figurine tightly. "Years later, when the whole of Sapiro and Eleos was now in ruins, strange things began happening. The livestock suddenly died, the people were getting strange illnesses, and wailing sounds could be heard at night. Then the full moon came, and many people disappeared. My husband went out to investigate at the last night of the full moon. He told me to stay home, but I couldn't. I followed him to the forest. The missing residents were chanting near the river, and their eyes were white. They then marched to the river. I should have seen what was coming, but I only watched in horror.

"My dear Albert went out to stop them, but they only looked at him with white eyes filled with hatred. They killed him, and then one by one, marched into the Rheo, and drowned themselves. They never came up. Hiding in those trees was the hardest thing I have ever done. I could have stopped Albert, but I was too scared." She began weeping.

I reached for her hand. "I am so sorry, Serena."

She wiped her tears away and placed the figurine on the table.

"But, what caused them to act that way?" Cyrus asked. He recoiled when he saw the figurine.

"Did you not understand? What possessed the people was the spirits of the soldiers, as revenge for betrayal, not only to them, but to Eleos as well. The Rebellion happened on a full moon, and every full moon, the soldiers take their revenge. At the exact time when they died, they enter the bodies of the residents, and they gather in the forest. At the last night of the full moon, they drown themselves in the river."