BLOOD BOUNDED - THE SHADE - English - Castlevania Lords of Shadow (fanfic) PII

Chapter 38

The shriek of the crack opening tore through the silence of the hall. Julia leaned out slightly to peer into the dim light from the dim candles.

"Clean," she whispered. "This way."

Gabriel finished opening the hatch to get out first. Even after Julia's announcement, he fell into a crouching stance, gun drawn. He didn't completely distrust her, but he preferred to check with his own eyes, just in case. Once secure, he rose and raised a hand to help the young woman down.

"Smells like that balm," he announced. "We are getting close."

"This is as far as the holy water barrier goes," she went down and took out the map. "From here, all precaution will be insufficient."

The boy turned to hold Marie by the waist and lower her.

"Thank you," she murmured, blushing at his closeness and his chest puffed out as her cheeks flushed as well.

"The dead branch was planted in the water, which runs where the moon touches the ground," Julia read. "The trunk will be in the next block."

"I'm surprised you knew about this place," she told her sister, to which Gabriel frowned. It was becoming a habit.

"I have my ways," she answered calmly. "Over there, to the right. Marie, do you have the tools?"

"Yeah!" She answered immediately, clutching the backpack she had been assigned.

"Good. We will be able to set the first trap..." she advanced, analyzing the filthy walls of the passage. "Here!" With the piece of painted rock that she had collected, she drew a cross. "The jars, please."

"Yeah!" Marie went to meet her, investigating the content to give her sister what she asked for.

"Thank you."

The young man remained alert. Despite appearing relaxed, he hadn't lowered his guard for a single moment, as if he expected something to jump at any moment.

"Ready" she stood up and looked at her work. "From here we have an escape route. Let's continue."

They moved carefully through the dwindling canal. The girls went ahead, while the young man dropped back to better perceive the terrain.

Julia stopped again and Marie assisted her immediately. She watched her sister work swiftly, and she struggled to keep up with her.

"It's amazing, Julia," she whispered. "You have made a perfect staff with such ease, you even know how to place the herbarium. Are you sure you're not a witch?"

Her sister looked at her, amused.

"Oh yeah! I'm one of the witches who steals dinner from unsuspecting girls! Booooh!"

"It's not funny." Marie pouted, holding back a laugh. "You are always surprising me with that kind of thing, you could at least teach me a little."

"Oh, little sister! Do you want a love spell?" She pointed to the gentleman who was escorting them.

Marie gasped:

"I-I, no, well, um...!"

Her sister was holding back from laughing at all the blushing and stammering. The girl noticed and lowered her eyes:

"Do you think I need it?"

"Well" she sighed "each Christ with his cross. After all, I'm not the one who took on her grumpy warrior only to soften him up in her favor." She looked at her with a wink. "Are you sure that you are not the one who has a spell on him?"

"Julia, don't say that even jokingly!"

"Relax" she laughed "even if you did, I don't think he would have many complaints about it."