Unmarked

Chapter 12

Lavina looked around as she looked at different pictures to include in their presentation. She sifted through books and looked through the Marked online forum. She selected a few and even though it pained her, one where she was deceased. Yet, it was that same picture that bothered her. She grabbed her pictures from the printer and then looked more closely at that one picture.

"I swear that looks like a stab wound from a weapon." She waved the photo around and then set it back down on the table. "I've seen this type of cut before, I know I have." Lavina got up and grabbed the photo in her hand. She walked through the forest and to the wall, making her way through the Market until she reached the palace. She walked through the palace and finally found the armory. She walked through it and looked through the weapons. "Now which one was it?" Finally her gaze stopped on a sword. A sword she had seen her uncle use only a scarce few times. Lavina could tell it was his sword because of the color and shape of the hilt. Leo did have a specific style. Lavina went up the stairs and took the sword from the wall. She looked it over and then took it to the training grounds. She stuck the sword in the dummy and looked at it again. Lavina scratched her head and then took the sword out. "I could swear this one made that cut." She looked at the dummy and then dropped the sword.

"Lavina, you're here, at the castle." Leo said coming up behind her. "Lavina, Lavina are you alright."

"It was you." She started.

"What?"

"It was you!" She screamed, turning around. "You killed my mother!" She said, tearing up.

"Now Lavina, calm down."

"Calm down?! No, you stay away from me!" She said backing up.

"Leovan, Lavina. How are you two today?"

"Leovan what's going on?"

"I- I, um."

"He killed my mother!" She paused. "How could you, I thought you loved her!"

"Killed your mother? Leovan, what is she talking about!?"

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about." Lavina picked up the sword. "I was looking at a picture of my deceased mother for my history report and I noticed that the stab wound looked familiar. I found this sword, your sword." She cracked up. "I stabbed it into that dummy, and lone and behold I was right! The stab wound is the exact same as in the picture."

"Lavina."

"No!" She slapped him.

"Leovan is this true?"

Leo groaned, "She told me to!"

"And you listened?"

"Wha- no, of course not! Please just let me explain."

"Take a step back Leovan." Leo did as he asked and took a step back. "You can explain yourself from right there."

"Please let us go into the library or the throne room, so that you all can sit down."

"We're good, Leovan." Yxeyhzfkx held his arm out to Lavina and she ran over to him. "Explain. Your. Self."

Leo sighed. "Let me start with saying she asked me to."

"Get on with your, story, Leovan."

"Yes, sir." He paused. "After a year and a half of Amilia going away she called me. She said she needed me to come out and help her. I asked her with what of course, and she responded that she needed me to cut up some firewood. She wanted to cut her bill down by lighting a fire at night but she couldn't determine which tree to cut down, she said she couldn't tell. So I went ahead and headed out there. Once I got there she greeted me right away. We talked for a little bit and then she showed me to the forest. Once we were deep in it she told me that she didn't call me for firewood. I was confused of course, but she was quick to explain. She told me that I needed to kill her." Yxeyhzfkx furrowed his brow. "She explained to me that Unora was still there and that she was trying to possess her. And that was why she left in the first place, so that she wouldn't hurt anyone. She thought she could find a way to rid herself of Unora, but everytime she was led to a dead end. I tried to reason with her I really did, but all of the sudden she started laughing and then a sword came out of thin air. And it was all so fast." He started to cry. "I guess my instincts just kicked in and I- I-" He struggled to say. "I killed her." He whispered.

"And you didn't tell anyone?!"

"Well, I-" He sighed again. "Why do you think Elsie broke up with me? And Amilia's friend Becka knew too."

"You told them?"

"No, they kind of figured it out. Except for Becka, I might have been in a panic and showed up at her house."

"I- I have no words for you Leovan. With all my disappointment, how could you?"

"I- I-" Yxeyhzfkx turned with the two girls and walked back into the castle and away from Leo.

"Go back to the surface sweetheart. We will finish up here." He held out his hand and Lavina handed him the sword. She walked out of the palace and did as he said. Lavina sat down on the couch when she got home and stared off into the distance.

"Well there's my little Lavina." Oglm said walking in with a plate. "Lavina are you alright?"

"Leo killed my mother."

"What!?" Lavina teared up.

"He killed her dad, he stuck a sword right through her chest." Lavina hugged him and nestled her head in his chest.

"Oh Lavina." He said, hugging her back. "I'm so sorry."