Chapter 4

Rylie sat on the bed, not knowing what else to do. Why did Killian ask her not to wander about? How else was she going to know her way around?

She opted to have her bath before dinner but sudden sleep came over her. She laid her heavy body on the soft, comfy bed and drifted off into abysmal rest. As usual, she dreamt of her mother. She couldn't hold back her tears in the dream as her mother left. Her encounter was cut short by the abrupt knock on her door.

She opened her eyes slowly and sat up. Her face was wet when she touched it. She had been crying in the real world too. The knock came again, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she muttered and quickly dried her face with her cloth.The door was opened and a young girl in a black and white gown appeared before her.

"Good evening, mistress. Dinner is served." The girl said with her feeble voice and bowed.

"Alright. Thank you." Rylie said before getting out of bed. As soon as the girl left, she took a rushed shower and changed into something we felt was more comfortable; a shirt and some loose pants.

As she steered her way to the dining room, she noticed that the palace was an entirely different world on its own. Although the world was quite modernized, the palace still looked old and grand, like that of the medieval eras. The gargoyle statues outside made her think so.

At dinner, she didn't hold back. Although she didn't rush the food as she did earlier in the car, she made sure to finish every single meal that was served on the table.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal," She smiled. The maids bowed to her and made to clear the table.

"Mother would have loved the food they serve here. It's so different but tasty. I wonder what part of the county I am." She thought to herself. She wanted to go outside and take a look but she was stopped by the maids. She remembered Killian's words. Disappointed, she walked back to her room and sat on the couch. She stared at the beautiful chandelier just above her.

She then remembered she had to unpack. She brought out her nice dresses and hung them in the wardrobe. Those she didn't feel were okay were kept below the hangers. After that, it was back to boredom. She couldn't sleep anymore for she had slept a lot during the day.

She heard the sound of a loud bell that made her sit up abruptly.

"Lights out." She whispered. The lights in her room suddenly went very low but allowing her to still navigate her way around the room. She heard voices close to her window. She walked slowly toward it. She looked through and saw two men in uniform discussing with low voices.

She couldn't really hear what they were saying so she opened the window a bit. The men, hearing a creaking sound, ran for their dear lives. Rylie thought they were cowards for running without checking the source of the disturbance. She rolled her eyes and looked around. There was a hill just across her window. Her eyes lit up at the sight. She remembered how she and her mother would sit up late at night, watching stars shine in their glory.

She needed to feel that way again. She looked back at her door and finding out no one was in close proximity, she climbed out through the window. She was glad her room was located on the ground floor. All thanks to the dim lights, she was able to walk toward the hill unnoticed. Her empty feet touched the green low grass. At some point, she accidentally dipped her leg into a pool of stagnant water. She laughed at the tingling feel of it.

She heard some noises and immediately hid behind a tree. It was those guards from before. She hissed.

"Scared cats." She rolled her eyes. When they passed by completely, she continued her journey up to the hill. She soon got to the top and sat down. For a moment, she felt her mother's presence. The place was serene and soothing. She could dwell there for days meditating on how to carry out her revenge.

A scream of horror roared through the tranquil atmosphere. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the cry. She opened her eyes and stood up. Was the place already being attacked? Was that why Killian warned her not to come out?

She was already regretting her decision of stepping out of her safe spot.

But then, someone could be in danger. She couldn't just leave. The cry came again and she located the sound. It was coming from an old building. Something probably fell on someone. Who would be out here by that time of the night? She thought. Slowly and stealthily, she approached the building. The door was half opened, and being a slim fit girl, she passed through without making a sound. Also, thanks to the fact that she wasn't wearing any slippers.

There were only dim lights everywhere. The sound came again, making her shake out of fear. She was beginning to think that lights out was a creepy and shady rule.

"Maybe I should get some help." She turned to have but the cry came even louder.

"Please, help me. Somebody!!"

She shut her eyes and turned toward the sound.

"Ugh... I hate myself." She began climbing the staircase, steadily. She made sure she didn't make any sound. Getting to the top of the staircase, she found herself in a long hallway. And the cry for help was coming from the inner part. With a divided heart, she walked forward until she came to a door. She opened it and luckily, it didn't creak. She didn't see anybody in the room but the noise was strong there. As she looked around, she saw a bright light coming from below.

"Weird. There isn't supposed to be any light this bright around here." She thought as she approached the place. She laid down gently on the floor and peeped through the medium-sized hole.

She nearly gasped at the sight but covered her mouth with her hand. Just below where she laid was a man being tied up and crying. Beside him was a giant man with an axe bathed in blood. There were dead bodies piled up in one place. Killian stood beside the seat where the masked man sat.

Rylie's eyes dilated in surprise. What the hell was going on down below?

"Who sent you?" Killian's deep voice roared through the tight space.

"Please----"

"No need to ask, Killian." Asher halted him with the flick of a finger.

"They seem to keep coming and it's annoying. I ought to just kill all of you." Asher stood up and with one swing of his sword, the man's neck flew off his head.

Rylie shrieked, alerting them to know that someone was spying on them. She stood up and eventually threw up. Her breathing began heavy. The room was suddenly tight and she couldn't wait to go out. She heard heavy footsteps coming for her. She ran as fast as she could out of the building and hid behind the same tree.

When she looked, she saw it was the man in a mask that was coming toward her. She covered her mouth and stopped her heart. The man stood just beside the tree, scanning the environment. She shut her eyes, hoping he wouldn't find her. She heard the footsteps of others. That was it. She was doomed.

'Mom, I'm joining you soon.' She thought.

"We couldn't find out who it was, master. There were no traces." One of them reported to him.

"It's fine. Whoever that was won't pose a threat to us at all. Discard those bodies. I don't want my house smelling like a dump site." Asher commanded. Everyone left except for Killian.

"What are you going to do, master?" Killian asked.

"I'm going to teach whoever it is a lesson once I find out. They should better prepare themselves." He said, swinging his sword. The tip of his sword stopped right before Rylie's face. Her eyes widened. What if they found out it was her?