Fear Among The Shadows

Chapter XV - Broken Void

Adilah had thought Joah could sound cold. But no, the voice coming from the doorway behind the basilisk, that was cold. It was ice personified into a living being. An avalanche of snow ready to snuff out whatever hope they may have had left.

The paralysis had left her limbs, but still made them feel too heavy and sluggish. Adilah scooted next to Letitia, hoping beyond hope that the girl would wake up any time soon, but from the look of the bump on her head, Adilah worried she may not hold out much longer. Next to them, Eric still had tears streaming down his cheeks. Eddie was still standing in front of the basilisk, bleeding from multiple wounds and his body weighed down slightly on his right side. Even from a distance, she could tell that his face mirrored Eric's expression of utter horror.

Eric could not believe what was happening. How could she be here? Letitia had said she never came down here, unless there were special prisoners that she wanted to give her personal attention to. Also, there was a battle, and she loved to visit the battlefields, to spread her darkness, ensure her victory and leave no survivors. She should not have come down here. Oh, he wanted to pray but even the Just One couldn't help them now. They were going to die. He was sure of it. It didn't need a genius to figure that four servants with not much combat training – one severely injured, one ex-paralyzed mortal, one unconscious (hopefully not dead) Hashab, and him – would last about one second before the Mistress decimated them. I'd hate to agree with Eric, but it was a sad, sad little group.

They could hear the crunch of feet on bone as the Mistress treaded languidly towards their little group, huddled on the ground. Eric didn't even bother trying to stand up, hoping to raise their chance of survival just a smidge by maybe groveling and begging.

Adilah, not being able to handle the mystery anymore, grabbed the little ball of light from Eric and aimed it in front of them. She didn't know how it worked so when it shone brightly, she was surprised by both the light and the woman before her.

Adilah didn't know whether to be terrified or enchanted. The Mistress, the horrible witch everyone feared and despised, looked like one of the saints the priests back home told stories of. Her skin was as smooth and white as alabaster, like a perfect porcelain doll, with the only marring, a scar running from the inner corner of her left eye, through the corner of her mouth and to her chin. But it only made her face more mesmerizing, the face of a suffering victim, a saint tortured at the hands of the Corrupt One. Her high cheekbones and bow-shaped lips were strangely familiar but Adilah couldn't place them. For all she could think of was that slight, simple, almost shy smile on her face, coupled with the mesh hat she was wearing, tilted low, so they couldn't see her eyes. She was draped in a silk black gown, embroidered with black lace and obsidian, in a style fit for a mourning queen, with two daggers sheathed at her hips.

The Mistress leaned forward and lowered Adilah's hand, holding the ball of light. Her fingers were like icy daggers, chilling the blood in her veins, but Adilah could not move, as if she was paralyzed again. The Mistress leaned forward, and as she did, she paused and cocked her head to the side,

"Curious...What exactly are you? You are mortal - that much is clear, but there's something else, isn't there?"

"No," Adilah was surprised she could find her voice, "I'm just a mortal."

From the corner of her vision she could see Eric widen his eyes and shake his head just a tiny bit. But the Mistress wasn't disturbed,

"You would answer me without fear in your voice? Without addressing me by my proper title? How interesting...Do you not fear me, mortal?"

"I think I'm just in awe. From how people have described you I didn't think you'd look like a saint. And, to be honest, I don't actually know your proper title."