The Shadress (MCD x Reader)

Ch. 23- Come to an End

Instrumental Version of HDMI by: Bones

Zane didn't end up surprising me with any visits last night. I know for certain, cause I stayed up the entire night and studied everything I could about my surroundings. And once I learned something new, I made sure to immediately contact Jace, who also stayed up all night.

As of 6:00 this morning, I know for sure that the guard shifts are six hours apart. The two new idiots at the door are less secretive than the last; honestly, it's a wonder they have a job where they do. Not to mention they blabbed enough to let me know that the maid girl was okay. Strange... I had thought Zane would have been more upset with that.

During the night, the guards outside the house had become more relaxed. Which I only know because they got louder. I also found out they are being commanded by Ivy the Venom Scythe as she had gone out and yelled at them for unprofessionalism.

The noisiness of the guards outside allowed me to figure out that the candle wall was an outdoor wall despite having no window. I could also tell that it was a wall that faced away from the center of O'Khasis; the general level of sound outside wasn't as much as I'd thought it'd be by 8:00 a.m.

However, the worst thing that I learned was around 5:00. I had moved to meditate on the floor because clearing my other senses helped boost my hearing. My eyes were closed and I was sitting cross-legged with my hands in my lap. But the moment I heard it, my eyes snapped open in a flash.

"She's supposedly getting a new job from the High Priest."

"At this hour?"

"Does it really matter what time the Death Witch gets her assignments?"

The Death Witch. One of the more secretive members of the Jury of Nine, only those who share a position or are of higher power are allowed to know who she is. Through rumor, it is a person who has held the position for an increasingly long time, someone who walked the earth when it was filled with magical creatures and Divine Warriors.

Of those I know are alive today, Hyria, my brother, and I would be the only ones to know how she got the position in the first place. Her presence in O'Khasis as well as her new duty to fill were things I told my brother faster than the other things.

Through our last message at 8:00, I learned that Jace still doesn't have a plan when it comes to my rescue. There wasn't one last night, and there wasn't one this morning, but he mentioned something about fleshing out the plan during their journey. I reminded him that the best time would be noon cause I sure as hell didn't want to stay here any longer and it would be a shift change.

At 9:53, there's a single knock on the door, and it opens before I can say anything in response. I pinch the amulet tightly at the sound of footsteps; it sits around my neck under my shirt, hidden from view but easily accessible. Like the last time the High Priest came, the sound of the door shutting and the lock clicking back into place follows his movement.

I cross my arms and turn to face him, taking a deep breath to steel my nerves. The candles have completely burned out in the night, so it is harder to see. Despite that, from what I can make out, he looks almost identical to the way he looked yesterday, with some minor differences to his outfit. For one, there are fewer accessories — fewer things for me to kill him with. His mask still sits low on his face, however.

Skipping all formalities, Zane begins with a taunting question. "Did you like my gift?"

I smile, glancing at the clock. "Oh, yes. The clock is quite lovely." What I can see of his face drops. His eyes darted about me, trying to decipher my secrets no doubt. I give him one more moment before I relent. "Unless... you weren't talking about the clock."