Chapter 2 Death by Accident

It was a fine day to wake up. The early chirps of the birds could be heard outside.

Adrienne Mallory stretched her arms past her head and released a big yawn. She removed the eye mask she had on. It was still dark and shadows enveloped her room. But a trace of light brightened up her dim room passing from the white laced curtain that covered the glass door of her bedroom leading to her own personal terrace. She stretched her legs and moved her toes under her blanket and after a while removed the blanket off her body. She moved to a sitting position and rose from the bed. 

She went down to the kitchen and filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove, switching the button with a soft click, and waited for the water to boil. And while she waited for the water to boil, she took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink, drank from it, gargled, and spit into the sink. When the water boiled with the sound of steam blowing out of the kettle, she switched off the stove. 

Then, she took a small basin and soap on a dish from the kitchen toilet. She filled the hot water on the basin and filled the other half with tap water and climbed back to her bedroom bringing the warm water with her. She put it on a desk by the window and cleaned her hands, arms and face. 

Once she’s done cleaning herself, she went to her cabinet and selected a wine red dress with puffed long sleeves buttoned to the wrist and changed her laced white sleeping dress to it. Adrienne stood in front of the vanity mirror and ran a comb to her thick curls of red hair which she found a little challenging to comb with because some of the curls entangled with the teeth of the comb. When she was done with it, she picked a soft brush and once more ran it on her tresses. 

Going to her drawers, she selected a pair of socks and put them on her feet, and went back to her cabinet to pick a black hooded cloak and put it around her wine red dress. Now, she’s ready for an early morning walk. 

She went down to the kitchen and briefly checked the time on the wall clock. It’s a vintage wooden clock embossed with Latin numerals entangled in vine leaves and flowers representing each month. Its hands were a spoon, fork, and a knife representing the hour, minute, and seconds respectively while the plate of the clock was designed like a wooden summer hat woven by the rim. It showed past four in the morning. 

She prepared her early morning tea, green tea with lemon and a teaspoon of sugar, and sat by the kitchen table while she took her time sipping the tea until it drained from the cup. When she’s done, she went out of the kitchen and went to the front door stopping for a second to get her pair of tall dark brown boots putting them on her feet. She opened the front door and looked outside into the wide green meadow that lay ahead.

Dawn was here but sunrise was yet to come. She could see the fog inside the forest almost feeling the cold air that enveloped the place. A mass of high-altitude clouds descended from the sky to chill the air and the forest ahead. The sky was blue but it was dark and clear with clouds overhead.

Adrienne went out putting the hood on her head concealing the thick tresses of her red hair. She started her slow early morning walk on the green fields silently admiring the wildflowers wet with dewdrops then stopping for a while to observe the nearby forest that could be seen from a distance. Dressed in her wine-red dress covered by a black hooded cloak showing only but the minimal strands of red curls, she was humming to herself while she continued her stroll enjoying the chill of air against her covered arms when a woman in a distressed state came running into her from a distance clinging into her arms in desperation. 

“Mary! You are distraught. What happened?” asked Adrienne suddenly surprised and caught off guard with the woman holding into her cloak like she was holding on tight for life.

The woman whose brown hair has gone loose from its ponytail was kneeling before her. Adrienne could only see the white dress on her back while the woman was gasping for breath. Adrienne strengthened her posture while she felt the heavy weight of Mary’s arms on her.

“Tell me, what’s wrong?” she asked trying to hide her bewilderment at the distressful state her friend was showing.

Mary looked up at Adrienne’s face. Her face revealed a severe line of worry and fear. Her dark brown eyes were dilated. Her lips were ashen.

“I think I killed someone, Adrienne,” said Mary in a rough hoarse voice while still gasping for air. “I will be killed for sure.” She said sobbing into her arms. “This is the end of me.”

Adrienne felt wet tears on her arms. She patted Mary’s arms gently consoling her friend from the anguish she was feeling.

“I don’t think it would be so bad that it would be the end of you, Mary.”

Mary didn’t lift her head this time. She shook her head in her arms and went on sobbing silently; her hiccups could be heard from between the sob. 

“No, Adrienne. This is a very serious matter. I was out in the forest to practice my magic and was doing a powerful spell when it must have hit someone and I heard a loud thud on the ground. I ran to see who was hit by a spell and it was a dhampir.” 

She explained in a low voice. Her grip on Adrienne’s arms tightened once more.

Adrienne was shocked by Mary’s confession and felt that sudden fear in her heart, too. Witches and vampires are mortal enemies of the realm. Any witches found guilty of killing a vampire or a dhampir would be put to death immediately. That is the law of their land.

“What should I do now, Adrienne?” she asked in a helpless sob. 

Adrienne took a deep breath and helped

Mary to steady on her feet. She lifted Mary’s face that kept looking at the ground. With a calm face, she looked at her friend with bravery and determination.

“First, we should head over to where the accident happened, Mary,” she said though she could feel her knees buckling.

Mary is never a good liar and from the sound of her voice, she might as well be telling the truth. But, they must first see the evidence to make a final judgment.

“C-can w-we t-try t-to b-bury the dead without anyone k-knowing a-a-about it…? asked Mary in her unsteady voice.

“We should see the dhampir first,” said Adrienne with a firm voice.

She started to walk and kept Mary’s right clammy hand on her left hand as she walked beside her. Their pace was slow.

“We should make haste, Mary,” she said with urgency. “No other witness must see it aside from you and me. Come, let’s walk faster.”

They walked faster this time, changing into strides until they reached the entrance of the forest.

“Just a little deeper into the woods and he’s there,” said Mary looking into the deeper part of the forest biting her lips helplessly.

“Show me the way, Mary.”

Mary led the way going deeper into the forest first while Adrienne followed from behind her. When they were fifty meters away from the entrance, Mary stopped.

“We turn right and we’ll find the corpse of the dhampir.”

Mary said not moving her head to turn to her nor move one more step from where she was standing. Adrienne walked towards her and stood in front of Mary. She was a good inches taller than her so she has to stoop before her and she held both her hands and peered down at her.

“Mary, you don’t have to be afraid. We’ll see the victim together. Together.” 

Adrienne said mustering courage in her voice and lifting Mary’s hand to their chest like it was a prayer. 

“He might still be alive,” she said lightly praying for hope.

“I already checked his pulses before I left him on the ground to seek help. He’s no longer breathing.”

Mary said in a weak squeaky voice as they turned right and walked steadily until they found the immobile body ahead. He was ten meters away from them. They dashed to reach the unconscious man lying on the ground, their skirts flying, and found him with his eyes shut close seemed to be only asleep very peacefully.

Adrienne bent down to the other side of the body and checked for his neck pulses, then searched for a pulse on his wrist and lowered her ear next to his chest.

“I already tried my light magic of healing to heal him earlier after I found him flat on the ground.”

Mary said as she stood rigid before Adrienne and the unconscious body.

Adrienne traced the man’s vital organs with the palm of her hands over his vested clothing. He had a brown coat on, an old rose vest over a white long-sleeved shirt.

“I’m sorry, Adrienne. I-I d-didn’t mean to k-kill h-him,” said Mary stuttering. Her face was now washed with guilt and wet with tears.

Adrienne looked at Mary with her calmness and said with a steady voice.

“Mary, I know you didn’t mean it when your powerful spell hit him but it hit his vital organ—his heart.” She sighed and shook her head. “We can no longer revive him.” 

Mary stood looking at her. Her fists were tight on a clench. Fear, guilt, helplessness, and desperation were all written on her young face.

Just then, the sound of a bird flying out of a tree startled them. Then, a loud rough masculine voice called from afar, from outside of the forest.

“Athan! Athan! Where are you? Answer me!”

The man said with urgency.

“We’re leaving now. Where the hell are you?!”

“Athan!”

“Athan! Answer us!”

Adrienne and Mary stood transfixed and frozen to the ground when they heard voices of men calling for a man’s name.

“T-they c-couldn’t m-me-aan h-him…?” asked

Mary, her face already drained with color.

Adrienne looked back at her and simply nodded.

“O-oh…n-no…I-I'm…d-dead…” said Mary helplessly, her voice almost just a squeak now.

The sound of approaching footsteps crushing twigs and dried leaves on the ground finally reached them and stopped behind Mary.

“What do you mean dead?” asked a cold deep voice from behind Mary. 

Mary flinched at the sound of the man. She didn’t look back but simply shut her eyes.

Adrienne seeing Mary asked the stranger instead.

“Who are you?” asked Adrienne in a quiet but clear voice while she knelt on the ground before the corpse.

“I’m Alaric Emrick, witch,” answered the man in a voice that almost sounded like a sneer. 

Adrienne simply looked at the trace of the man standing a few feet away from her, feeling pale.

“Don’t you know me?” he said mocking her. “And that dhampir you are kneeling before you is my first cousin, Athan Silos.”

At that moment, both Adrienne and Mary only wished one thing—that they would be swallowed by the ground under them and completely disappear forever.