The embers of the pyre glowed with an unnatural, rhythmic pulse, like a heart beating beneath a layer of ash. The villagers had begun to drift back into the shadows of The Veins, satisfied by the spectacle of destruction, leaving only a few to watch the remains of the 'witches' cool in the dusk. After searching all over the area, it was late afternoon when he was led to this place by the same boy who had been staring at Eve before they went inside the library, only after he paid him a few coins.
From the edge of the square, hidden behind a stack of rotting crates Eddie had arrived too late to stop the crowd. He had tried to rush to his sister 's aid, but Jack had to pull him back lest he was also included in the riot. He could only wait to take the remains of his sister back home. Jack had gone back to bring the carriage nearer to his master. The remaining villagers where distracted, arguing over who could claim the witch 's jewelry, ironic, as they had watched her burn to ashes leaving pieces of gold and silver behind.
Eddie crawled forward, the heat was blistering to him, but he wrapped his gray coat around his face and arms to get to the center of the pyre. He reached into the center of the ruin and tried to haul as much ash as he could with tears quietly streaming down his face. He then felt something solid beneath his fingers. Curious, he cleared the ash surrounding the solid object he had felt and found unblemished skin, with traces of soot. It looked like a small hand. He knew without a doubt, this was Eve. He had heard the villagers discussing how they had burned two today, a mother and a child. Quickly uncovering her body, he scooped up her limp body and began to run from that place. Finding a place to hide to check his surroundings and to see if anyone saw his suspicious actions, he looked down to the unconscious Eve in his hands. She was unnaturally light, and her skin, though she had just been in the heart of an inferno, was as cool as cucumber.
"H...H…How?" he stammered, still unable to believe his eyes. "Eve, wake up" he whispered, his own blistered hands trembling as he adjusted his grip. He didn't wait for a response. Quickly throwing her over his shoulder, he sprinted toward the narrowest alleyway, heading north toward their carriage. He knew Oakwoods was no longer safe. If the villagers found her alive, they wouldn't use fire a second time, they would use something much worse.
Eddie didn't stop until the dust turned into cobblestones and the cobblestones turned to pine trees. He made sure to cover her hair and keep her close to him. He stumbled into a thicket, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Eddie laid Eve down on a bed of moss, his chest heaving. "Just a moment" he wheezed. "Just a moment to breath"
But the forest was not silent. From behind the ancient oaks, shadows detached themselves from the darkness. They were dressed as the villagers of The Veins, but the look in their eyes, told of a different story. They moved with a predatory grace that made the hair on the back of Eddie's neck stand up.
"The girl, she survived the fire" one whispered, her voice a low vibration that seemed to come from the earth itself.
"Who would have thought the sacrifice we made would yield such results" another smiled back
"Stay back!" Eddie shouted, drawing a small silver handed fruit knife from his pocket. A pathetic defense against those surrounding him, but he had to give it his all to protect both their lives.
"You don't understand boy" another witch said stepping into the clear. Her eyes were milky white, devoid of pupils. "She has our traces in her; she belongs to us" she screeched
The witches moved with terrifying speed. One lunged for Eve, her clawed fingers outstretched. Eddie threw himself over his sister, swinging his knife wildly. He managed to nick the woman 's arm but she didn't flinch. Instead, a third figure, smaller and swifter, slipped behind him. Eddie felt a sharp, icy prick just below his shoulder blade. He gasped, spinning around to see a woman holding a curved silver dagger. The blade was coated in a vicious shimmering black liquid.
"a gift for the meddler" she hissed.
She went in for another strike and a blade managed to stop her attacks just in time. Eddie looked up to see Lucian wielding his sword against the one who had struck him. He turned around to see his trusted coachman, Jack also doing his best to fight the other witch.
Jack had met Lord Lucian when he went to fetch the carriage. They both had seen Eddie holding someone in his hands heading for the forest, and Lucian decided to follow him whilst Jack was right behind him with the carriage. The three managed to strike down as many witches as they could, and the rest ran away before the scene could attract the villagers.
The world suddenly titled for Eddie. His heart began to hammer against his ribs. A cold numbing sensation spread from the wound, racing through his veins toward his extremities. He instantly knew, this wasn't just a wound caused by a normal blade. It was a toxin. The rate of the poison 's spread was exponential. He felt his legs grow heavy, his vision burning at the edges, but adrenaline, fueled by a brother 's desperation, gave him one last burst of strength. He scooped Eve up again, her weight now feeling like a mountain, and started to make his way toward their carriage parked nearby.
"Thank you…Lucian, I am taking…my sister…home," he growled through clenched teeth"
"Let me give you a hand" Lucian offered. Eddie didn't want to, but he knew it would make things easier, he reluctantly handed Eve over to Lucian and they swiftly walked towards the carriage with Jack looking behind to see if they were being followed. Lucian caught sight of Eve 's hair and heard what Eddie instructed his coachman but decided to say nothing. It was none of his business after all, if Eddie decided to keep whatever happens in their family to himself, then he would respect his privacy and if he were to ask of his help, he would provide it. Eddie was more of a brother to him than a mere friend despite their difference in age.
"Not a word of this to my parents" Eddie ordered his coachman "I will handle all explanations" saying that, he crashed through the underbrush, his boots heavy as lead, his lungs burning with a fire that scotched him from the inside out. Lucian placed Eve gently into the carriage, and trusted Jack would see them home. "Write to me when you get better" he instructed his friend. Eddie could only nod in agreement.
By the time they reached the wrought-iron gates of their family estate, Eddie was wheezing. The front doors opened, and their mother, Sophia, screamed at the sight before her, a naked Eve and a pale sickly Eddie. His shirt was now socked in a mixture of black bile and a crimson red.
"Edward!" their father, Clement, rushed down the steps, his face pale with horror.
"What happened? The village…they…they said there was a riot" he stammered making his way to his son
"The riot…" Eddie managed to choke out, collapsing on the ground "they tried to kidnap Eve. But I…I managed to saved her"
Clement didn't hesitate "sent the carriage for doctor Aris now! Tell him it's a matter of life and death! Take him upstairs and change his clothes, bring him something to aet in the meantime so that he regains his energy."
The house exploded into a frantic controlled purpose. Servants hurried with basins of warm water and fresh linens. Eve was whisked away to her chambers, still deep in her mystical slumber.
Eddie was laid out on his bed, his breath coming out in shallow, wet rattles. When they stripped his shirt, they found the wound, a small, puckered hole surrounded by black, spider-like veins that were crawling across his skin. Doctor Aris arrived within the hour, his medical bag clattering against his knee. He took one look at Eddie 's back and recoiled.
"This isn't a common infection Clement" he whispered, his hands trembling as he reached for a vial of salts. "The tissue is necrotic, yet it's cold. I know about this only in theory, in the histories of the great plague…but this…this is much darker.
"Well? do something" Sophia cried, clutching a damp cloth to Edward 's forehead.
"I will try to bleed the toxin" Aris said, drawing a lancet. "But if this reached his heart before he got through those doors, God help us all."
As the doctor began his grim work, a heavy silence fell over the house. Upstairs, Eve 's eyes suddenly snapped open. They were no longer the soft black Eddie remembered. They were now eyes like thick, prowling clouds in a thunderstorm, a charcoal grey black.