The Infernal Crown: Of Roses and Lies

Chapter 5

Stars had winked into existence by the time I exited the forest, my knees buckling. My hands, stiff from clenching the deer's legs, had gone utterly numb miles ago. Not even the carcass of the doe could ward off the intensifying chill.

Shafts of buttery light escaped from the shutters of our dilapidated cottage as I approached my home, interrupting the ephemeral moment of stillness of the blues shifting to solid darkness. I trudged up the path, each step fuelled only by near-dizzying hunger and exhaustion, my worn boots scuffing noisily at the gravel and grass.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding upon me. It had started ever since I entered the fairy-tale-like meadow. It had been bugging me for the past hour or so, getting worse as time flew by. I shoved the thought away though, it wouldn't help worrying now.

I kicked my boots against the stone door frame, trying to remove the debris from them. Bits of mud and moss came free from my too-small boots, adding themselves to the collection of dirt and dried leaves that cluttered before the threshold. I yanked the door open, the cold iron burning my skin like an asp's poison. Heat and light blinded me as I slipped inside.

"Eleena!" Theodore's soft gasp scraped past my ears as my eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the hearth. I squinted to find Theodore bounding towards me, around him wrapped his favourite shabby blanket. His chestnut hair was as neat as ever as he wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against his ribs. "Are you alright?" The undercurrent of concern honed his words into a caress which I had become accustomed to. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Now, will you let go of me? The doe is quite heavy." Theodore muttered an apology as he pulled back, returning to his place by the wall.

I took a calming breath as I slung the deer off my shoulders. She hit the table with a thud, rattling the few cups on the other end.

Alistair was pumping water into a pot, it was overflowing yet he was staring at a speck of dirt on the wall in front of him, his eyes glassed over. Caught in a thought maybe. I exhaled. Best not disrupt him from his train of thoughts.

It had been too common these days for Alistair to slip into one of his little "dazes" as I call it. At first, I had been curious to know what caused these befuddlements, but after last night, I finally knew why.

I turned back to the doe, pulling out my hunting knife from my pocket. Silence was my only company as I started to clean the beast, my hands now sticky with blood and fur. I'd only learned to prepare and harvest my kills thanks to some spying on the village hunters.

"Eleena, may I ask you something?"

I dropped my knife, startled by Theodore's sudden question. He rarely asks questions, especially asking from me. Theodore was supposedly the wisest one under this roof. "Of course."

He bit his bottom lip, eyes darting to the floor. "I have this feeling that something is going to happen tonight, something big that could alter one of our futures. I wanted to ask if you feel it too?" He looked up, frantic, wild eyes boring into mine.

I sucked in a breath.

It's not just me that felt it, Theodore felt it too.

The question seemed to hang on a thin thread between us as I contemplated whether to answer him. My skin prickled. There, there was that feeling again. I felt it now somehow, the air practically buzzing with static. I leaned on the table. Should I tell him? I have to stop keeping to myself.

Theodore waited patiently, his arms folded neatly on top of each other, his muscles bulging a little. Sharply inhaling some air that was all too quick, I opened my mouth.

"I-"

The faint sound of knocking cut me off my sentence.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

"Shi-" Theodore started, I silenced him with a glare.

Who could've come to this cottage? No one knew where the Asterins lived. My body was on alert, senses sharpened as I slid my hunting knife across the table into Theodore's trembling hands. He picked it up carefully to inspect it before catching my gaze. Theodore was panicked, I could see it in his eyes. I didn't blame him though, if I was being truthful to myself, my legs would've already brought me to the windows to escape.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The knocking was louder now, growing angrier in response. I was surprisingly calm. The years of hunting in the forest had taught me well. Padding softly on the cottage's floors, I made my way to my bow and arrows.

The distance between my bow and quiver of arrows and myself seemed to go on forever, an endless amount of space. My eyes kept darting to the door and my family, making sure they were safe. Alistair had taken the knife from Theodore and now stood protectively before his youngest brother. He held up the knife in front of him with both hands trying to keep his grip steady. It still quivered a little though as he tried to maintain his stern façade. True fear shone in his eyes, all of their eyes. Father was cowering like a fool by the flames, peeking from behind the legs of Alistair.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

The door was groaning under the angry knocking. Whoever was behind that door was inhumane, had supernatural strength for a mere mortal. This just intensified my already rising wave of panic as I crouched down and reached out a hand towards my quiver and bow. Three inches. Two inches. One inch. Just a few centimeters more.

But there was an ear-splitting shriek of my brothers and a thunderous crack as the gusting winds swept into the room, so strong that it knocked me backward with me my bow and quiver. I groaned as I helped myself up, swinging my quiver over my shoulder and nocking an arrow, pointing it towards the door. My breath was sucked from me as I saw the two figures standing before the broken door, now left in scraps. They were glowing literally, their skin glowing with a dim, warm light. Before me were the most beautiful man and woman I had ever seen.

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