Roisin

VI

"You w-what?" I stutter in surprise.

"I want in. I want to help you, Roisin." She repeats.

"Why?" I ask incredulously.

"Because, if Winsley doesn't die, I will serve him for eternity. Eternity gives me a whole lot of time to screw up, and if that happens, there will be a new messenger, not by the name of Sylvia," Her voice lowers to a dangerous whisper.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Sylvia looks to the ground, her hair falls over her shoulders, obscuring her face.

"I'm not sure," her small shoulders begin to shake and she looks back up, tears streaming down her porcelain face. "but you just have to believe me."

Not sure how to console her, I lay my hand on top of hers and offer her a smile.

"I trust you."

A faint smile passes over her face.

"Thank you," Sylvia says softly.

I nod and rise, dusting all of the snow off of me. Sylvia does the same. She adjusts the collar of her dress and throws the skirt around so it falls just right.

Turning on my heel, I restart my trek to Alfie. Sylvia runs up beside me and looks at me quizzically.

"Why don't we run?" Sylvia asks.

"I like walking. It gives me time to think," I tell her.

"Oh. I guess you're right. So, what's the plan?"

I glance at her.

"I thought you would know."

Sylvia grins slyly, showing off her fangs.

"I do."

"Go on then."

"I am Winsley's personal messenger, therefore, I have access to everything, whether it be parts of the manor or information. That being said, I know exactly where your friend is being held, and thankfully, he's in an exterior cell. All you have to do is climb the wall!" She throws her hands up in excitement.

"Are there bars?" I ask.

"Yes, but they are weak with age," I watch from the corner of my eye to see her look me up and down. "Something tells me you won't have a problem getting it open."

"Great. What about Winsley? We have to distract him some how."

"I've already got that sorted out. I'll tell him you are in fact on your way," I get an uneasy feeling as she relays her plan to me. "Knowing Winsley and his overly inflated ego, he'll want to meet you himself. Little will he know is that you're already there. I'll send him on a wild goose chase. Hopefully, you'll get your friend out quickly and run up behind him to carry out your deed."

I look at her, eyes wide.

"Sylvia, he's gonna take you with him, right?" She nods. "So when he finds out you lied. . . he's going to kill you."

Sylvia purses her lips and shakes her head.

"I plan to be long gone before he notices," She says.

"Sounds solid."

"Great," Sylvia claps her hands together. "I think it'd be best to run now. We want to make it before the sun rises. . . we have a little ways to go."

I sigh and stretch a little. Sylvia waits patiently for me to ready myself, and in a flash, we're off.

The forest rushes by us in an array of dark, muddy colors. The wind whips our faces and the snow bites our skin. My legs burn at the sudden burst of energy— I haven't run like this in a long time.

"What's your friends name?" Sylvia shouts over the wind.

"Alfie," I reply.

"How come you didn't eat him?" She inquires, leaping over a log.

"I just couldn't do it. . . it wasn't his time."

    Sylvia doesn't respond and we keep on running.

As we jump over fallen trees, leap over streams, and unsuspecting wildlife, Sylvia and I make steady process through the Washington rainforest, towards the hellish manor Sylvia described.

I assume around two in the morning is when Sylvia signals to stop. We come to a screeching halt and I look over at the small woman, awaiting her instructions.

"We are about a mile away from the manor. This is about where Winsley will begin to pick up your scent," She stops for a moment and looks at me, confused. "Would you mind rolling in the snow?"

I quirk an eyebrow but does what she says. I stand back up and brush the white stuff off of me. When I look back at Sylvia, she looks back at me, baffled.

"Roisin, you have no scent," Sylvia says slowly, taking in the information herself. "You are an oddity."

"Then how did you find me?" I ask, not quite believing her.

"Because you smelled. . . sweet. . . like the boy! You carry the scent of whoever you're around! This means you should be able to approach the manor undetected," Sylvia exclaims. "This is great news! This should be very easy for you."

I roll the sharpened stake between my palms, pondering this claim.

"I suppose it is," I say.

Sylvia smiles genuinely for the first time since I've seen her. I offer a wistful smile in return.

"Before we get any closer, Alfie will be in the tower on the left side of the manor. As I told you before, all you have to do is climb the wall and pull out the bars. Killing Winsley though. . . I'm not quite sure where he'll be."

"That's okay. I'm sure he'll come out when he realizes what's happening."

"I agree," Sylvia adjusts her cape and flattens her dress. "Are you ready? If we run, we should be there in about five minutes."

I take a deep breath of the frigid air, releasing it in one long puff.

"Let's go."

•••

Ah, it's been a year since I've last touched Roisin and I finally picked back up here. It's exiting to be back! I missed these two.