The Forbidden Entity (BWWM)

23

Akkar's POV

I attempted to step forward, but a powerful force kept me stationary, suppressing my movements. I observed the culprit, mesmerized by her vibrant, opalescent eyes; I had never seen anything like them.

Sayora trembled like a leaf as her fingers jutted toward her face, reacting to my regard for her extraordinary-looking eyes. She tried to speak, but no words came out. She then shrieked in frustration and slammed her palms against her head.

"Sayora?" I called out again. She positioned her knees to her chest and kept her head in her hands, not responding to my call. After a moment, I felt Elkie's presence skulking up behind me.

"You are scaring her, Akkar," she whispered to me.

"Sayora is stifling my movements. How is that possible?"

"I do not know, Akkar. Preserve your questions for later; we have enough unanswered ones already. Let me intervene and take Sayora to another room. The floor is soiled with blood."

"Be firm, Elkie; do not coddle her. Sayora must answer for what she has done."

"She is frightened, Akkar. What happened here has yet to be unveiled. Let us not act rashly and tread with caution." Elkie stepped around me and confronted Sayora, but the girl was so overcome with emotions that she lowered her guard and did not heed Elkie with panicked screams as she did me.

"Sayora, I found some herbs that might ease your pain. I was preparing your salve when I heard the commotion and rushed here, abandoning the concoction. Akkar will retrieve it from my study while I take you to another room. Are you able to move?"

Sayora nodded but kept her head down, her voice emitting too frail and uncertain. "Is Yeri all right? I-I want to apologize for my improper manners."

Elkie shifted her gaze to me. We did not exchange words, but I knew what she wanted to say regardless of her somber expression: Yeri, the servant girl, died instantly. Her pulse had fleeted well before we arrived, and the smell of her death now permeated the room, threatening to seep beyond this sector and contaminate the rest of the castle.

"Let's put you back in bed." Elkie grabbed a fur and draped it over Sayora's body, shielding her from the blood. Sayora winced but allowed Elkie to guide her out of the room. Once they departed, the force that suppressed my limbs quickly dispersed, prompting me to leave and recover the salve. On my way, I stumbled upon Kane conversing with two guards and waited for him to finish.

"What did you do with the girl's body?" I asked. "Did you take it far?"

"No, I wrapped her in a sheet and stowed her in a separate room."

"What about the other girl; what was her name?"

"Ashling, I think. She's a castle servant, so Elkie instructed a guard to escort her to the servants' quarters."

"All right. We need to abide by our protocols and notify the Elders. The nature of Ashling's interrogation will depend upon their responses. Given that Lord Marcellus serves as the Head of Elders, he must witness Elkie's examination of Yeri's body and ascertain the official cause of death. In the meantime, I need to access the Book of Human Records and locate Yeri's family before I inscribe her death."

"What else? What of Sayora?" Kane questioned.

I sighed and shook my head. "I suppose that Elkie wants to keep her ignorant until we figure out what's happening. Did you take note of her scent? Elkie said Sayora is supposedly in heat, but I have never smelled a heat like hers."

"I cannot recall. Yeri's blood distorted my senses," Kane pointed to his stained linen shirt. "I did, however, notice Sayora's eyes. What the hell happened to them?"