The girl who chased the moon

Chapter 8

The men chanted in low, almost monotonous voices. Carefully, I crept around the side of the building and climbed up the side of the toppling steeple. My foot nearly slipped several times but I clung to the rock for dear life, praying I would not fall to serious injury or possible death. 

Once at the top, I crawled down the steeple, precariously avoiding the rusted bells. I landed like a crouching cat on the decaying floorboards, careful to not make too much noise. Once at the edge of the ledge, I watched down from the shadows, more grateful than ever that my dress was discrete and at least blended with the shadows. 

The windows of the chapel had long been smashed and boarded up with large planks of wood, the great hall was lit with candles, wax dripping down the iron holders. The floor I was on was coated in a thick layer of dust which stirred as I passed. After another few moments, there was an eery silence. 

The atmosphere intensified and grew darker and more sinister. "Brothers!" said the booming voice of a young man, "tonight we gather once more, meeting in the darkness"

I could not see the faces of the other men, their hoods drawn up, covering any human features. The man at the front continued, "In my hand, I have a letter from the council, and in it contains instructions"

There was a low grumble, "we do not answer to them!" someone called. A loud bang followed the cry, and the flames of the candles leapt up. "Do not speak of the council as such! They bind the worlock community together!"

"They have no interest in the diamond!"

"ENOUGH" was the answering roar. The man howled, and collapsed on the floor, unmoving. I gulped but could not bring myself to leave, I couldn't stop watching. The man smoothed his robes and continued, "the council have written and they have given us another task"

"Our task is too protect the stone!"

"Yes, but it appears people are trying to take it" he answered coolly. 

"Who? They must be stopped! They must die"

"No, this girl cannot die, in fact it is expressly prohibited, the girl must remain alive"

"Why? What makes her so special?" 

"She is the villiedr" 

I felt as if the air had been sucked from my lungs. I staggered back and heard uproar below. 

"Impossible! This cannot be!"

"They tell lies! The villiedr is a myth!"

"There is no such girl!"

"SILENCE!" the man said, breathing heavily, "it is true, the Torgard's wouldn't lie, I am not sure they are capable"

"They manipulate us! Thora has done it time and time again over the years" 

"This time is different, there has been news of this girl coming in for months, she matches the prophecy, there can be no doubt she is the one"

"Why does she want the diamond?" 

"That is the question the Torgard's are asking, but right now their priority is finding her, as worlock's it is our duty to help"

"We do not-" 

"We answer to the council, and it would be unwise to cross them" the man warned. 

"How do we find her?" one asked. 

I could sense the wickedness of the smile growing beneath the hood of the man, as he said, "we hunt" 

"How do we know where to find her?" 

"She is in France, that they know, and it is extremely likely that she is in this very city"

"But how do we find her? We have no idea what this girl looks like!"

"You will, trust me, you will know it is, you will be able to sense it"

I backed up slowly, afraid they would be able to 'sense' me, pressing myself against the wall. 

"We find her, then what?" 

"We hand her back over to the council, they will send a representative"

"Why the hell is Thorias not getting involved, or Thora!"

The man growled, "Thora is busy, trying to recover her brother from that lunatic Felix Petrov, self proclaimed king of the vampires"

My heart leapt at the mention of his name, and I could not help creep closer. "How does he have Thorias?"

"After attempting to rescue the girl from the vampires, he was taken prisoner"

"You mean the girl is the Everlyn child?"

"Precisely"

"Surely the slayers are looking for her also?"

"They are, but it is our job to find her first" he said with deep menace. 

*******

I left the church quickly, and once out of sight I ran. My heart was pounding and tears streamed down my face. This was not a problem I needed. I felt as if everyone was hunting me; the slayers, the council, the vampires, the werewolves and now the...whatever they were.  

It was impossible to believe my father was now looking for me, did this start after he discovered me alive? Or now that I was a power to be manipulated?

I'd once held so much respect for my father, but now I was not so sure, after meeting my mother for the first time in 11 years, I was unsure I could trust anyone or their motives. 

I ran along the banks of the Sien, the night was calm but I disturbed it like a hurricane, bringing with my every step loud foot falls like thunder and my jewels sparking in the street lamps like lightening. 

No one was following but that did not stop me running, I feared my own shadow, because in evey shadow lay a monster. I called a cab, looking dishevelled and unkept, but after throwing a bag of coins at the driver he said nothing but "Where to, miss?"

"The chatuea de Lune" I answered hastily, peeking through the heavy black curtains of the cab. The horse shot forward keenly, it's hoof beats pounding against the cobbled path. Eventually, once out the city, the clouds began to recede, revealing a crescent moon, and stars dotting the sky. 

Light flooded the fields and the trees cast long shadows. I gripped the side of the window ledge, and my other hand was clenched firmly around my dagger. I doubted I'd sleep at all, it seemed I was safe nowhere. 

"Merci" I said, hurrying down the long drive way and back inside, closing the door quietly behind me. No one came to greet me, I assumed Lydia was hunting, and Carlisle had gone with her. Brendan probably wasn't speaking to me. 

Looking at the clock, to my surprise it was only 11,50. It wasn't even midnight. 

Wearily, I plodded up the stairs, kicking off my shoes and washing myself down in the bathroom before slipping into my night gown. It was colder than I'd thought, my feet freezing on the hard wood floors, and the fire in my room dying. 

I sighed, prodding it idly with the poker before going to shut the windows. They were flickering and wavering, despite the lack of wind. I frowned, looking behind me I saw nothing. 

Leaning across, I latched the window shut before turning around. I did not have time to reach for my stake as a man's figure emerged from the darkness, and as he stepped into the dim candle light, I found myself staring into eyes I had been dreaming of ever since my departure from England.