Annabelle La'Crain - The Prophecy

Chapter 10 - Scar's Mask

Annabelle travelled day and night, not stopping to rest, finally after two days and two nights of non – stop travel, she arrived at the Silvene Castle. The sun still hadn't set by the time she had arrived, so she stopped at the meadow just outside of the town of Silvene and rested for by the lake.

Annabelle let Nightshade graze in the grass and play in the water. Nightshade was wading in the water and saw a fish, he tried to bite the fish, but it swam out of the way and splashed him in the face with water. He had a disgruntled look on his face and shook his head displeasingly. Annabelle laughed at this, "Silly horse" and got up and walked over to him.

She took her boots off and hitched up her dress. She then entered the water, wading next to Nightshade. Annabelle looked off into the distance, a longing look on her face. "...Harry, why?" She whispered, heart aching at the words, a tear streaming down her face. Nightshade looked up at Annabelle and nuzzled her. She turned to look at him and, with a thoughtful look on her face, she stroked his mane, and said, "I know, you miss him too."

After that, Annabelle descended from the water and rested up against a tree to get some sleep before sunset, leaving Nightshade to guard her, she drifted off into a restless sleep filled with thoughts of love and regret.

Annabelle awoke to Nightshade nuzzling her, "What is it boy?" she asked him, half – awake. Once she had opened her eyes, she saw that the sun had already set and that it was time for her to set her plan in motion. Annabelle stood up and brushed herself off, she put her boots back on and ensured that all her weapons were strategically hidden. Then she pulled her hood over her head, grabbed Nightshades reigns and set off into the town of Silvene, to the Silvene Castle. 

Annabelle wandered through the streets of Silvene, her head down, hiding her face from passersby and trying not to draw attention to herself. Silvene is well known for its alliance with the vampires, she is most definitely not welcome in this town, and she knowns it.

The street stinks of death and the people look like death, it is a sad, dark town, with horrible secrets behind every doorway and a dark soul behind the false kindness in the town folk's eyes. Annabelle came across a stable with a young boy standing in it, tending to the horses. She approached him and said, in a quiet voice, "Excuse me, I wish to leave my horse here for the night, can you help me?" The boy turned around and looked at Annabelle, "Just for the night?" He asked a smile on his face, but caution in his eyes, Annabelle nodded her head in response, "I can keep him for one night for 5 gold pieces" he responded, his false kindness shielding the caution he felt towards Annabelle. Annabelle pulled 3 gold piece out of a bag and handed them to the boy, she then settled Nightshade into a spare stable, the boy looked at her in disbelief, "You get the rest when I come back in the morning, and see that he is still here and you haven't sold him" Annabelle responded plainly, the boy settled slightly and said, "alright but if you don't pay, you'll have hell to pay" and with that he turned his back on Annabelle and went back to grooming the horse.

Annabelle glanced around the stable and then leaned into Nightshade and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, I won't be long, I'll be back for you tomorrow, don't run off okay" and with that she kissed him on the nose and left, heading towards the castle, leaving the stables far behind her. 

Annabelle reached the castle wall and looked up at it, it was covered in vines, and only about 20 metres tall, Annabelle scoffed and approached them. Annabelle grasped one of the vines with her right hand and then placed her left foot on the one of the ajar bricks holding up the wall, she then began to climb, using the wall and vines to pull herself up the wall. Once she had reached the top of the wall, she ripped out one of the stronger vines and used it to abseil down the wall.

Once Annabelle had reached the ground, she took her bag off and hid it behind the single white rose bush that was at the base of the wall. She then used the shadows to conceal her as she approached the castle door. Annabelle had almost reached the door, when suddenly two guards came around the corner. "...and her blood made me so drugged up, I almost ended up dead myself" the guard with a scar on his face said to the dark haired one, "Really? You know I had heard that if you feed off of one of those humans that is on drugs you get affected by them too, but I never thought it was true." "Oh yeah, I bet you didn't know that..." Their voices fade as the walk off again. "Vampires" Annabelle muttered angrily to herself. She then left the shadows and ran to the small wooden door on the side of the castle, "servants entrance" Annabelle whispered, pleased, as she entered the castle.

On the other side of the wooden door was a kitchen, although, luckily for her, it was deserted, "Suspicious" Annabelle muttered as she walked through. She reached the door on the other side of the kitchen, and slowly opened it, listening for anyone on the other side... Noone. 'Good' she thought, before going through the door, making sure to shut it behind her. She walked down a hallway and came to a door at the end, she entered the room shutting the door behind her. Once she had shut the door she had realised that she went the wrong way, she was in a room... her old room. "I haven't been here since... well, since I was human. I can't believe they haven't changed the room." Annabelle said nostalgically, as she looked around the room. There was a large canopy bed in the middle of the room with purple sheets, a larger window next to the bed with purple curtains, her same dresser and there was also a painting hanging in front if the bed, it was of a younger, happier Annabelle, and there were two boys in the photo and a tall man. These were Annabelle's brothers and father.

"What once was, will never be again..." Annabelle muttered sadly, before turning to leave the room. Annabelle exited the room and made her way down the hallway to the throne room. Annabelle quietly slipped into the throne room, and hides in the shadows. On the throne is a man with a scar down his face, the king is standing at his side and on the other side is a woman in dark clothes, a vampire.

Suddenly the door at the end of the throne room opens and in enters 2... 4... 9... 11 vampires, each vampire is dragging a human along with them. "Finally, now that the guests are here, we can begin."

The first vampire speaks to the man on the throne and says, "We are humbled by your invitation to this feast, and bring these humans as gifts." Then the vampires all bow to the man and say, "Hail, Scar"

"Now, Now, my friends, feast on your humans, no need to give them to me, my drink will be here soon enough. Tonight is a night of great celebration, tonight everything will change, after tonight... nothing will be the same" He says smiling an evil and manipulative smile.

"Scar" Annabelle growls quietly, "Please my friends, drink" he says, smiling and raising his hands, indicating to the humans around him. All the vampires rise and, in sync, sink their teeth into a human.

"How dare The Order have a gathering in my old home, they killed my family here, and now they drink the blood of innocents in their name!

No More!"