The Weaver's Source

Chapter 85

I watched with worry as Mary was wrapped up tightly in a thick blanket by Lynda. Wilson came and gave her warm cup before he stepped aside and watched over her darkly. Mary drank as she sniffed with tears still pooling in her eyes. She hadn't stopped crying. While the hysteria had died down, she continued with hiccuping sobs. Lynda and Wilson were trying their hardest to calm her as Remus needed her account of what happened as well as mine, but Mary would not be consoled.

I sat in the corner, watching them carefully with Grigore's grasp tightening slowly on my shoulder as he loomed over me. He was tense. His body was tightly wound, his hooded gaze black and his jaw clenched. Remus wasn't happy either. He glumly sat in the chair with an absent-minded hand tugging at his ragged beard.

I did fret about Rhye while I waited. She was upstairs in her parents' bedroom with No-Tongue watching over her and healing her wounds. I hadn't seen her. I wanted to. I wanted to apologise for failing to care for her and to see what kind of damage had been done but I wasn't allowed. Remus wouldn't have it. So I remained here, waiting for Remus to speak.

"Mary, calm yourself. I need you to speak." Remus said eventually as he leaned forward, looking at her with a gentle gaze.

Mary gulped down some more of the tea and nodded. Her eyes were red and her cheeks incredibly pale from the tears she had cried.

"Now, tell me. Where did you go?"

"To town." She managed to say before another wave of tears came and swallowed her words.

"And then to a church. It was burnt and rotten." I said as Mary's whimpers echoed about the room.

"That damned place? You know that place if off limits." Remus growled at Mary and caught himself when he realised she was in no state to be ridiculed.

"We ended up there, Remus, she didn't purposefully take me there." I reassured.

"Ended up?"

I heart thudded at the memory of the Black One, all thoughts of him having vanished the moment we found the woman. I glanced up at Grigore.

"The Black One found me again." I said, twisting my fingers lightly as Grigore stiffened and his eyes shifted to a dangerous shade of black. "The girls ran randomly until we lost him. We ended up at the church."

"Is the dead church the place the monster appeared?"

"We found it inside."

"It tried to eat Rhye." Mary forced out in a strained tone of panic. Lynda held her and hushed her, trying to soothe her as much as she could.

"Lyra, what did you see?"

"A woman. We thought she was dead. Mary and Olive said she had no signs of life." I said, raking my memories for anything useful. Anything that would help Olive.

Remus' eyes dulled and his mouth became tight. "But she got up?"

"Yes."

"Was she rotten? Any signs of decay or lifelessness?"

"No. There were no wounds on her and her eyes were vibrant and focused when she woke up." I felt Grigore stiffen dangerously beside me, his magic crackling.

"Mary, is this true?"

Mary nodded. "She was just dead. And then she got up and attacked us." She sobbed and cringed at the memory. "And her mouth."

Remus frowned stiffly and turned to me. "Lyra, what did you feel about her? Was she soulless, was she simply a vessel of magic?"

I frustratingly didn't know what he meant. "I'm not sure. She felt like a monster to me."