Forces Beyond The Grave

13.6

As Jay would find out, the next phase of their journey was to give themselves to Ekaterina as sustenance. It hadn't been mentioned to him before that point that her version of food might've been something less human than he would've liked, so although he wasn't surprised, he wasn't expecting to see Ekaterina consume all eleven of the ancestors, leaving Evelyn in one piece as her loyal servant. When she turned her attention back to Jay he wouldn't look her in the eyes. She stood in front of him, a blank frown adorning her dainty features. 

"What's wrong? You look troubled my darling." 

He shook his head, refusing to make eye contact. "You killed them. All of them, they're gone." 

"No. They had already perished long ago my love, I merely freed them of their bounds to this earth. They can now find peace. Drew please, look at me." 

"My name is Jay." He finally faced her, his eyes dark with hatred as she slowly stepped back from him. 

"You are angry. Understandable. I will give you some time to adjust." She raised her hand to touch his cheek, but he turned away once again, causing a look of anger to cross her face. "Evelyn, take him inside." 

"Yes your grace." Evelyn walked over to them, grabbing Jay by the shirt. 

The priestess released her hold over Jay and he dropped, wincing as Evelyn dragged him by the collar into the manor. When he was told that Ekaterina was the heart of the manor he thought it was purely metaphorical, but the resurrection of her soul and spirit had brought about the restoration of the manor to its former glory. The walls were no longer shedding from centuries of water damage, but decorated with maroon-shaded wallpaper and paintings. Each room had it's own style, flowers and gorgeously preserved furniture, creating the illusion of a happily lived in family home. It would have been warm and comforting if it weren't just an illusion. Evelyn shoved Jay into a bedroom to the west of the house, shutting the door as he hit the wall. 

"You wish to be dead, that is the only explanation as to why you would treat her that way." 

"Evelyn-" 

"How dare you treat the high priestess with such disrespect?!" 

"I'm not gonna be her little toy-" 

"You will be whatever she wants you to be!" She crouched in front of him, sporting dark golden eyes that resembled raging wildfires. "You are nothing. Do you understand that? There are others, that she can find-" 

"Not in this lifetime she won't." 

"Don't! Your life, your experiences, everything about you has been created for this very moment, you are nothing but a repeat in a pattern that has existed for centuries and will exist for centuries after you are gone." 

"Then let her kill me. Because you told Lennox that if she did this she would be breaking that pattern, resetting the cycle. Let me ask you something, was everything you told her a lie?" 

"You have no idea how much power Ekaterina holds." 

"I won't pretend to love her just to stay alive." 

"Then you have a death wish." 

"I lost any reason to live the second you tied your daughter to those anchors!" 

"Don't be stupid Jay you have a chance to survive this-" 

"She's not Lennox! And she never will be. If she wants to kill me tell her to go ahead." He stood his ground, watching Evelyn tense with frustration. 

"You stubborn boy. I'm trying to help you." 

"She'll never let me go Evelyn. You saw the way she looked at me, you saw that kiss. The only way I get out now is if I die of natural causes." 

"You will be lucky to receive such a merciful death if you continue down this path."