LUNAFEY

CHAPTER 26

"Maël's wound was just a scratch, unlike yours," she whispered. "The claw dug deep." She glanced towards Richer, busy talking with the man Angus had called Belmont. "Hopefully, Richer doesn't find out. Or we won't hear the end of it – me for letting that shapeshifter go, and you," she said, pointing to my face, "for asking him to spare those thralls or bondsmen. Whatever term you choose to call them." Her tone was familiar, and I quickly remembered Cedric – the night I arrived, he had sounded similarly dismissive when discussing the League of Darkness. I chuckled, and my laughter escaped involuntarily.
Araminti looked at me with interest, "Did I say something funny?" I shook my head almost immediately, "No, no, it's just you reminded me of Cedric – you're very alike." She raised an eyebrow, her hand on her chin, "Hmm, I hope in a good way." I nodded affirmatively in response.

"Okay, hold still, this is going to sting a little," she said, her hands moving with precision. True to her words, it stung more than a little. "I'm going to wrap this up," she continued, applying bandages.

Just then, Cedric and the man casually walked towards us, Cedric leading the way with the man directly behind him. "Tell me the full details," the man said, his eyes fixed on us.

"Angus, Bay," Cedric called out, gesturing with his hand for them to come closer to where we were. Marie was tending to Maël behind Araminti, her movements gentle.

As we waited for Bay and Angus to approach from the fireplace, the man crouched down to meet my gaze directly, his hand on his chin as if lost in thought. "What a pretty woman you've got, brother," he said, his eyes searching my face.

Cedric pulled him up by the shoulder, his expression stern. "Yeah, it'll be wise to keep your distance from her," he warned.

Belmont responded with a thoughtful "Hm..." before introducing himself. "I'm Belmont Bastien Harbinger, Richer's younger brother." Cedric added, shaking his head, "And Araminti's younger brother."

"We've got a problem," Cedric continued, his expression serious. "The League has gathered, and apparently, they've got a new leader now – about six months ago."

"How bad is it?" Araminti asked, finishing wrapping up my wounded arm.

"They've gotten stronger," Cedric replied, "and that's why I called for the council." Angus and Bay approached, bringing chairs with them.

"Symmetric sects are one thing, but Horda's organization means the awakening of Vilda," Cedric added, his tone grave.

I vaguely remembered a tale about Vilda, one my father used to tell me. As I let my mind wander, the memories resurfaced, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Who's Vilda?" Bay asked, sitting down.

"A long story," Araminti replied, her expression somber.

Bay pressed on, "Just how bad is this Vilda?"

I spoke up, my words spilling out before I realized it. "My father often told my sister and me tales of the dark witch and the pact with the monster of the underworld – Vilda, the Bondswoman. Wasn't it just a fairy tale?"

I paused, realizing all eyes were on me. Cedric's gaze never wavered, his eyes locked onto mine.

"How did you know that tale?" he asked, his voice measured.

I hesitated, "Um, well... my father told us – my sister and I – bedtime stories when we were little."

Araminti chimed in, "Not the best bedtime story for kids, I tell you."

Cedric added, "Yeah, and girls for that matter."

Belmont nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Cedric," I asked slowly, "I wanted to ask why you came back so quickly? What happened on the trip?"

Cedric's expression turned serious. "One, we couldn't meet Bay's father yet. And two, we might have news about your father's whereabouts," he said, looking at Bay. "I and Bay... turns out Bay was very useful on this trip." Cedric finished, and Bay let out a weak chuckle – the merriest I'd seen him since their return.

Cedric's gaze shifted to the twins. "But before all that, Maël, Marie... just how long were you two with the witch Amelia-Maya?"

Araminti corrected him, "She's a shapeshifter, Richer."

Cedric raised an eyebrow, clearly unbothered by whatever she was. Belmont, however, looked puzzled, waiting for someone to clarify why I had called Cedric by that name. He turned from me to Araminti and back to Cedric, who only rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Yeah, don't look at me, I don't know," Araminti said defensively.

"Maël!" Cedric questioned, his tone urgent. "We have more pressing matters at hand. It started five months ago," Maël began, "when we sent a letter to Aunt Rosa about our missing parents."

"We don't remember the details," Marie added, "because we keep forgetting."

Cedric's eyes narrowed. "When did you start forgetting?"

Marie hesitated, stuttering. "R-right when Aunt Rosa came... I noticed she was cold... when... when..." She held her head, as if trying to recall.

"The memories are a bit hazy right now," she admitted.

Maël took over, "When we find out something strange about Aunt Rosa, we forget it. Like when we saw a scar that wasn't there before – she smiled about it, and moments later, we forget."

Marie nodded in agreement. "Yes, we had forgotten we were looking for our parents at one point. I felt like she was my mother, and something felt off."
"Yes," Angus interrupted, "I noticed things too, at first. Like how cold she was, and she often smelled of garlic subtly. I tried telling you about it, Master Richer, but you didn't seem interested."

All eyes fell on Cedric, who looked sheepish. "Well," he said, running his hand through his hair, "I apologize for that, Angus. I put you through a lot."

I smiled, noticing how Cedric's family and Angus seemed unusually informal with him. He was never like this outside, I recalled from our first meeting.

Angus continued, "Also, how was Rosa's cooking, Master Richer?"

We all turned to him, and he replied with a sigh, "One word: awful." Trust Cedric to never sugarcoat anything, I thought.

"We never wanted to be rude, Angus," Cedric added, "we only ate to survive."

Angus nodded, "Yes, yes... Well, this Rosa cooked very well."