NOCTURNE

CHAPTER 4

The two women left the mansion wrapped up in multiple layers of warm clothes. In Kaszanka, once the sun was up, the fog would follow suit. Such was the gift the Scarlet goddess bestowed upon them with her last breath.

The two sisters were running late, their pace accelerated as they traversed the empty streets of the village. By this time, most if not all villagers had left for the ceremony. The only ones that didn't come were the elderly and the mothers that had just given birth.

Finally, amidst the fog, Myrthe recognized the village's iron gates. They passed in between the two large ornate doors and soon felt the soft dirt against their shoes. Luna signaled Myrthe to pinch her dress, so that it wouldn't be stained by the dewy grass and mud. From this point they just had to go straight until a crossroad, turn left and follow the path until they reached the bottom of the cliffs. From then, they would have to climb along the cliffs until they reached the top.

Fortunately, the path was large enough for a carriage to pass, but also steep and quite uneven. Father Heide had requested for renovations to be made, but without a response from the Envoys, this project had to be abandoned. It wasn't as bad as Father Heide made it out to be, Luna took out her retractable cane from her bag, and opened it. Since getting it, climbing to the church had been easier for her, but Luna felt dizzy from their previous run and needed a moment to recover. 

"Wait... I need to sit a little." Panted Luna.

"Of course ! Let me see..." Myrthe looked around in search of a place for her sister to rest." Look, this rock will do perfectly." She guided her sister towards a flat rock, laid plainly among the local heather.

Luna put her cane down, and sat herself. A breath of saline air came to her face and almost made her fall off.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. We are almost there, I think we can take a break."

Luna turned her attention towards the sea. As always, the fog covered the sky completely. From where they stood, Luna could only see the waves crashing against the shore.

"It sure is foggy today..." she whispered to herself.

"You mean, like every day since our birth ? I guess so." Mocked Myrthe.

Luna ignored her. "Who cares if the weather is monotonous, at least we are safe here."

"I'm going to look around for a bit.  When you are ready... Uh, just scream and I'll come back."

Luna laughed at the suggestion. "Sure, I'll think about it."

Myrthe smiled before walking away, leaving Luna alone with the sound of waves. She took a few deep breaths, while closing her eyes, this worked when she needed to calm her body. She concentrated on her heartbeat listening closely as the rhythm got calmer. She could feel her body's temperature get colder, and finally her breathing calmed down.

When she opened her eyes, the whiteness of the sky almost blinded her. Luna winced and blinked a few times before opening them again. It took Luna a few more minutes before her vision adjusted again to the brightness.

A large wave, bubbling with cream colored foam, crashed on the sand, before retreating in the sea. Its passage left behind small clouds of foam and a dark log.

Luna jumped at the sight : Débris crashing on the Scélène island were quite rare. When they were young, Luna and Myrthe used to wander around the shore in search of lost treasures from the ancient world. Most of the time though, the treasures they found ended up just being driftwood, it didn't really matter to them though. At the time, the most simple things sufficed to impress them.

Luna wondered if she should call Myrthe to check the mysterious gift of the sea. Maybe, if they were quick enough, they could make it just in time for the ceremony... Or-

Luna stopped thinking when she saw the log move. A sligh movement, barely visible. Luna blinked, the log was layed motionless on the sand. 

Luna could have sworn it had moved, she rubbed her eyes with her fingers and looked again. The "log" shuddered again and, to Luna's shock, stood up.

The woman watched, in pure shock, as what she thought was a piece of wood made its way towards the land. As the figure moved, Luna could observe it more closely : soon, arms and legs detached from the main body, and its shape became more human.

A human... There was a human that came from the Maelstrom !

"Myrthe, MYYYYRTHE !" She screamed. "Come here quickly !"

Behind her, Luna could hear her sister respond with a  "What is it ?" muffled by the wind.

Luna didn't respond back, her eyes were fixed on the silhouette that had now changed its course, and was now headed in the opposite direction of where she stood.

"Hurry up !" Luna cried.

Myrthe quickly shoved the plants she was picking in her bag before making her way towards her desperate sister.

"What's the matter ?  Did you see a ghost ?"

Luna frowned before looking at Myrthe's smirking face. "Look, do you see it ?"

"Yes, I can see." The woman answered plainly. Too plainly. Luna turned around and darted her eyes along the sandy shore. "The sky... is as gray as ever. Luna, don't tell me you made me run just for that ?" Myrthe laughed.

The figure had disappeared, but how ? Myrthe should have had the time to see it. How could it vanish so suddenly ?

"There was someone... I swear Myrthe I saw someone coming from the sea."

Myrthe raised a brow "At this time ? The ceremony starts in... 12 minutes." She confirmed while looking at her rusted pocket watch. "I doubt anyone would enjoy the fresh air at this hour, well, that excludes us."

Luna kept looking at the sea, she couldn't believe what she just saw. Did she really see a figure, or did the fog confused her ?

"Are you alright ?" Myrthe asked.

"Yes...Maybe you are right, it must have been my imagination."

Myrthe kneeled beside her sister. "Do you feel sick ? Maybe it would be best if we went back home..."

"No no, absolutely not ! Father would worry too much. Please let's forget about it, we need to get here in time."

Luna grabbed her cane before getting up, with the help of Myrthe, the two women made their way back toward the path. As they walked, Luna couldn't help looking back towards the sea, hoping the mysterious figure would be back.