The Invictus

Forest and River

The pallet of sky had shifted from insipid amber to a rosy violet by the time Bonnie and Delilah were returning from the valley, with a hefty basket of Rowan berries in Bonnie's hand and an obvious dishevel in Delilah's now loosened braids_ if observed close enough, daisies braided into the dark trails.

The expanse between Martindale keep and Pentcraig valley, however, had a thick band of forest line en route and only when they had traversed the woods halfway did Bonnie and Delilah come to conclusion that they had infact delayed their return far too much than reasonable. The woods, though a precarious venture in dark, were familiar and with the cahoots of finches and ravens returning to their nests_ so noisily and echoing the sky with their clamor, the two weren't much anxious to reach home.

Bonnie, at least, wasn't.

Delilah worried, of course, but when did she not?

"Truly, luv?" Bonnie scoffed. "With two days to your engagement, I am awed that you still fear Master's temper for returning late, eating too loudly or walking too slowly."

"I do not eat too loudly!"

"That's beside the point, Eves."

"I will always fear Alexis." Delilah confessed, and a sudden chill just then went down her spine when she thought of how her triflest mistakes had him all set off. "And his fleeting temperament."

"Subservience isn't yer trait." Bonnie tilted her face, regarding Delilah. "I believe you do not as much fear Master as you empathize with him."

Delilah frowned. "His resentment towards me isn't unwarranted."

"Talk to him, then." Bonnie spoke, her voice slightly more firm than before. "A union must be evenly placed in matters such as these, or I fear you two would end up eating the head off of one another the very night you wed."

Delilah laughed. "Oh spare me the reprimand Bonnie and go knock some wisdom in your master, why don't you?"

"Nay, if I could, I would have_"

But the rest of what Bonnie had to say dissolved away in the ruckus of the crowd from across the stream they had reached just then. There were men murmuring grimly, women bawling and kids in their arms mewling and sniveling. Their were hunt dogs on leash, all barking.

Another observation that couldn't be discounted was the fact that the water running through the stream was a rusty shade of sanguineous red. Delilah tried not to assume anything and Bonnie was pale.

"Oh for god's sake, what has happened?" Delilah inquired a traumatized little boy as she crossed the stream cautiously. "What is this commotion, young man?"

"They hav' found a body of a man, upriver." The woman beside the boy spoke, his mother presumably. "Very young, that lad. Limbs torn apart, fingers shrouded, littered all over the water body. They even scooped out the eyes. Head's missin'."

"When...How?" Delilah's eyes followed the river, trailing towards the hill from where the brook came down. It was an objectionable rarity because these parts of the highlands had always been peaceful for as long as Delilah knew. And in two years of her stay here, the worse that had happened was a theft in local tavern.

Nothing as dire as..this.

"Some animal..." Delilah tried to reason the ghastliness of the murder and it was nothing but that.

"Nay ma'am." The woman shook her head. "I say, no beast contains such intents of carnage as to hew its prey into chunks."

Not knowing what to say, Delilah sighed. "Did they identify who it is?"

"They are tryin'." The woman said. "Some chap from the village, they're sure."

Delilah nodded. "When was the body found?"

"This afternoon, darling." A dark-faced man answered from afar, as if he had been listening to them talk. "Young Bheans such as yerself shouldn't be interested in affairs such as these. Run home. And take that witch away along, won't ye?"

The Witch addressed was Bonnie, as the villagers believed and resented as much. Bonnie's fiery red hair, incisive, twinkling blue eyes and the souvenir of her tendency to predict prophecies in alarming, wayward manner had gained her this title, as well as lack of acceptance among the villagers.

They didn't like her mastering subjects they dared not identify with. They didn't like a woman's knowing more.

Delilah frowned at him, not caring to hide her disgust. "You do not need to_"

"Yea, Sassenach!" The man puffed his cigar right on her face. "Do not tell us what ye think ye know. Fuck off with that shrew."

The other men cheered at that, loud as they could forgetting the fears of upriver. Like Bonnie, the village didn't particularly care for Delilah either and her opinion, the opinion of an outlander, was certainly not well acknowledged by the local folks.

"Bastard." Delilah spat and turned to face Bonnie, who was now pale and stood very erect. "Bonnie. Come."

"They are cursed." Bonnie whispered instead. A film of haze as if now layered her eyes and she spoke in a far-away voice. "All of them. All of us."

"What did she say?" The bawdy man, having overheard, sneered. He tossed his cigar aside as if to entreat a bout of violence. "What did ye say, witch?"

"Will you just stay away!" Delilah growled, backing Bonnie off.

"The blood in the stream is ominous." Bonnie watched the river flow past. "It speaks evil."

"What evil?" The man demanded.

Delilah clasped the redhead's hand. "Bonnie, let us not stay here anymore."

"And the air..." Bonnie gasped as if she couldn't breathe. "The sky has a stench in it. The woods seems wraithed, shadowed."

"She has gone mad." Someone shouted. "That heathen!"

Some man released his dog and the animal came racing towards Delilah and Bonnie. Bonnie didn't as much as shifted but Delilah was alarmed on her behalf as well, she staggered rearward, taking Bonnie with her and the basket of rowan berries had fallen, letting the red orbs scatter all over.

"Stop!" Delilah cried. "Please, please stop."

Yet far before the hound had reached them, it was attacked. By another, much bigger beast of its own kind. It was a giant shepherd dog, black pelage and darker skin underneath. It dug its great canines into the fleece of the attacking hound and had it down the next moment.

"Back off, you ungrateful lots!" A strong voice ordered and...

Delilah wasn't certain. Grateful or Horrified? She had no idea what to feel.

"Alexis." Delilah ended up feeling relieved and found the lord of Martindale beside her, staring angrily at the crowd. Just then, a great shudder ran over Bonnie's body, as if from sudden chill, and Delilah looked over at her. "Bonnie? Are you well?"

"I am not." Bonnie sniveled. "Do not venture uphill, men and women. Not for your cattle or your sheep or your fire woods. Stay off the water. Close your windows at night and_"

"Enough." Alexis interrupted Bonnie softly, and shrugging off his coat, he put it around Bonnie form. "That's quite enough. Delilah. Take her to the keep."

"She says_" The other man began but Alexis' eyes were warning.

"Titan is trained to kill greyhounds easily." Alexis spoke. "But he can also harm a man, Bolt, lethally. Have a care."

Delilah meanwhile did as was told, directing Bonnie away from the ordeal.

Walking away, Delilah heard Alexis talk to the villagers. About the mutilated corpse and how, the officers had in fact found an article of great importance near the corpse.

An aquamarine pendant threaded in black ribbon.

"It will serve as a major clue in finding the slaughterer." Alexis was saying. "The blue crystal is shattered somewhat...believe it is from Yorkshire...quite unusual...."

But Bonnie fainted walking thirteen steps far and Delilah was oblivious of the rest said.