LOGINAeryl stood in the middle of the chamber, her hands shaking.Her mother and sister wouldn’t look at her. That alone made her chest hurt.“Say something.” Aeryl whispered. “Please.… just say something.”There was silence.Her father sighed, uneasy. “Aeryl....”“No!” Her voice cracked, then steadied. “Don’t say my name like everything is normal. It’s not.”She took a step forward.“He said my blood.…” She swallowed, unable to believe what she was trying to say was actually true. “He said it’s the reason.... that I’m tied to him. That he needs me.”Her mother’s fingers curled into her dress. Aeryl saw it.“You knew. You all knew.” She said, her voice going quiet.No one answered.“You knew, mother.” She repeated, louder now.“We didn't know where to start, my child. Everything feels so strange and scary. In all, we were trying to protect you....” Her mother said finally, her voice breaking.Aeryl let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “Protect me? From what? From myself?”Her father steppe
Aeryl’s body trembled violently as consciousness returned in fragments.Voices. Stone. The smell of iron.Then....When she finally opened her eyes, she saw the witch.Bound by iron shackles, kneeling but eerily unterrified.“No.…” Aeryl’s voice broke instantly, her fingers reaching to clutch Aramisius’ sleeve helplessly. That was when she realized she had been handcuffed. “No, no, no. Please, I beg you.”From beside her, Aramisius did not look at her. His gaze remained fixed ahead, expression stone cold.“This woman....” He said slowly, his voice carrying across the courtyard. “....assisted in the concealment of my Luna.”A small murmur rippled through the gathered guards.Aeryl shook her head frantically, tears spilling fast. “It wasn’t her fault! Please, Aramisius! Please! I went to her. She.... she didn’t know. Aramis, please!”His hand came up not to hurt her but to warning peel her hands off his sleeve. The gesture alone silenced her and that scared her more.“I gave one comm
It was not loud but instead, it was like he knew.Aeryl moved through the edge of the street, keeping her head low, blending into the flow of early city movement.But something shifted, and Aeryl started noticing it everywhere.At first, it was small. Sometimes a pause in conversation. Sometimes a vendor’s voice cutting off mid-sentence. Ans even more scarily, a cart wheel stopping too suddenly.Aeryl slowed down without meaning to and her fingers tightened around the small vial in her palm.She didn’t know why but her body did.Then the silence became even more noticeable. Like the city itself had shifted its attention....She couldn't bear to finish that thought. Her breath caught slightly and she kept walking, trying to imitate a normal pace and a normal face.Don’t look around. Don’t react.A shout echoed far down the street.It was not close enough to understand but it sounded close enough to feel the impact. People began to move differently. Less random and more…. deliberate.
Aeryl stiffened.“I do not understand you, my lady.”The woman held her gaze for a long moment. Then finally took the coins and pressed the vial into Aeryl’s hand.“This will help.” She said and paused. “But it's not enough.”Aeryl swallowed.“What do you mean?”The woman leaned back slowly, her eyes never leaving Aeryl’s.“Whatever is tied to you.…” She said softly. “…will not forget your scent so easily.”Silence stretched between them. So heavy and uncomfortable. Aeryl tightened her grip on the vial, her heart thudding painfully, already jumped into her throat.“I must run now.” She said.For a moment—just a moment—the woman almost smiled. Not kindly or cruelly but knowingly.“Run well, then.”Aeryl didn’t wait. She turned and disappeared back into the narrow streets, the vial clutched tightly in her hand and the unsettling feeling that she had just been seen lingering in her heart. And in the depths of her mind, she saw his eyes again. Like the orbs of a flashing beast. *******
The outer gates of the city rose ahead of her, tall and guarded.The city was alive with movement even at that late hour. Aeryl slowed her steps. She knew that if she walked too fast, she would draw attention and if she walked too hesitant, then she would look suspicious.She forced her steps to even out to look normal enough. Her hands moved quickly to repair her appearance.She pulled the dark cloth from her mouth and wrapped it instead over her hair, dragging it low across her forehead. Then lower.Half her face was covered beneath it bur it was still not enough.She dropped to her knees briefly near the roadside and pressed her hands into the dust, dragging it along her arms, her gown, dulling the richness of the fabric.Now, she felt less noticeable.When she stood again, she didn’t look like someone running from a castle. She looked like someone trying not to be seen.At the gates, guards stood with spears in hand, watching the small flow of late travelers. Aeryl didn’t look at
Aeryl screamed against the cloth, her body dropping a short distance before her hands caught again. Pain shot up her arms as she clung on, legs slamming against the stone.For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes flew wide, heart slamming so hard it hurt.No. No, no. She pressed herself against the wall, shaking and forcing herself to look. One of the tied strips had torn. Not fully but enough.The fabric above her strained, threads pulling, threatening to snap apart completely if she moved.Her stomach twisted. If it snapped....She didn’t finish the thought.Think. Think! Think! That was all she could tell herself. One hand held tight that it burned do fiercely while the other fumbled at her side, gripping the edge of her gown. Without hesitation, she tore at it, the fabric ripping unevenly beneath her shaking fingers.Once. Twice. Harder.The sound seemed too loud in the night. She didn't pause. The aching in her arms were becoming too much. Then suddenly she heard distant v







