* FFWUT! *
A violet swirl-shaped portal was formed in the cell from the card. Opal watched her hand slowly sucked into the portal and panicked.
"N-no. P-Please, not! "
"Someone help me. Someone please…"
"I NEED HEEEEELP !!!!"
"Meeeoowww!"
Something appeared suddenly, emerging from the shadows in the darkest part of the cell. It was the help the girl so desperately asked for. Finally the cavalry had arrived. Or, in this case, the catalry.
Because the heroine who came to rescue of the girl was a gray pussycat with a coquettish pink bow on her head. It seemed as if she had been there for some time, hidden in the shade of the wall and waiting for the most appropriate moment to intervene.
The gray cat took impulse with her agile and delicate paws and leaped very hard towards Opal. She collide violently against the left ribs of the girl. The impact had a resounding success in its mission to separate the girl from the portal and both fell to the ground. So resounding indeed that Opal did not have even a little air left in the lungs.
"Auch!" complained in a strangled voice the dizzy girl, who had closed her eyes instinctively by the surprising impact, between coughs.
Taking advantage of the fact that the child could not saw anything at that moment, a magical tentacle made of shadows quickly and stealthily emerged from the back of the cat to pierce the card in the center of the portal. To tell the truth, the girl did try to open her eyes to see what was happening but she found that these were covered by a hairy and warm tail. Her vision was completely obstructed.
*POP*
The cursed card was completely perforated by the shadow tentacle. In the front of the damned object appeared some red cracks from which dripped a dark liquid. The portal gradually faded. The card tried hard to keep it open but the damned object sustained too much damages. Its power was running out quickly.
Suddenly, the brightness of the card was completely extinguished. The cursed item fractured and fell on the floor. The tentacle of shadows retracted on the back of the cat until it disappeared as if it had never existed. The gray cat pulled her hairy tail from the girl's face and she could see the cell again. Well, actually, what the girl saw was the ceiling, since she was still lying on the cold floor.
"Ouch! Opal moaned in pain. "What happened?"
"Meooww"
"A grey pussycat? A pussycat saved me? " the girl mumbled in shock as she looked around.
The broken remains of the card were on the floor. They were slowly transformed into ash. The violet portal had disappeared. The strange and terrifying devils were nowhere to be seen. The only difference was the presence of the gray cat in her bruised chest.
Strange thing, the kitten had a beautiful pink bow and a leather necklace with shiny gems. It definitely was not the kind of animal you expect to see in a prison cell. Where had this nice little animal come from? Maybe it was the personal pet of the Director of the prison?
"Meeoww"
"There is no one else so it's must have been you. I do not know why you felt the urge to jump on my chest but thanks for saving me. Thank you so much beautiful pussycat! " Opal Twister said as she stroked Shadows' back and gave her little kisses.
"Meeoww meow meoow"
"Yes. I totally agree, "said the little girl, making her pampering to the cat, although in truth she had not understood anything at all.
Shadow leaped from Opal's chest and walked slowly to the darkest end of the cell. There she lay on the floor and waited in the shade. Her eyes shone in the darkness. Opal got up with some difficulties and sat on the bunk as far from the ashes of the card as it was possible.
*CREACK!*
The girl was still trembling when a door in the hallway opened and a jailer entered. She was an old fat woman with a vinegary face and a club in her hands.
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! *
"What was all that noise? Those screams? It'd better be important or else I'm going to get very angry! "The old jailer shouted as she tapped some bars of the nearest cells with the club to emphasize her words.
"Yes! Yes! Please miss guard, please come, I need help! "Opal Twister pleaded.
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! *
The fat jailer approached with slow and tired steps. The boredom was reflected in her face. Under normal circumstances Opal would have been terrified by her. However, after the supernatural experience with the card and the vision of the devil, seeing the female guard brought her a sense of relief.
At least this was a normal human being. Well, as normal as a woman who worked in a place such as this could be. But that did not matter, after such a strange and terrifying event the traumatized Opal desperately craved the company of other human beings.
The dazed girl did not think clearly. On the contrary, she felt the urgent need to tell what she had seen as if only that could protect her from the repetition of the supernatural experience. Feelings of fear and vulnerability overcame her natural suspicion of people acquired during his years of living on the streets.
"What do you want?" the jailor asked the girl without any desire to get an real answer.
"A-A c-cursed card appeared in the cell and there was a red d-devil who ate grapes but they were not g-grapes at all… and ... and ... a violet portal and they tried to kidnap me. It was terrible! " the girl hurriedly explained while making all kinds of gestures to emphasize her words.
"…."
"The red devils whipped a man! He was on his knees screaming in pain!" Opal still talked despite the glare of the silent woman, "...and then they realized I was somehow looking at them and that's when a violet portal appeared! They wanted to absorb my arm!"
The girl was showing her arm as she talked as an evidence. However, at the eyes of the guard it looked like it was in perfect condition.
"…"
"Please, you have to believe me, ma'am jailor." The girl prayed.
"I see. So there was a violet devil inside the cell? " asked the jailor.
"Yeah, yeah! More than one! But the devils were red! What was violet was the portal!" the girl clarified.
"…"
"I tell you that a devil tried to kidnap me! But luckily the cat saved me! " said Opal
"Are you sure? A devil and a cat? Inside your cell? " repeated the woman.
"Yes! Please help me!"
The jailor walked a few steps closer to take a look at the cell but did not open the door. She sighed long and watched at the floor for a moment. Afterwards, the fat woman shaked her head before slowly raising the gaze. The jailor looked at Opal right in the eyes and her features almost softened for an instant. She sketched a grin that tried to be a smile before saying:
"I see. In that case, it is best to open the cell and let you go? Right?"
"That would be great!"
Opal was happy. Surprisingly the jailer was a sensitive and understanding person. Now she was going to open the cell and leave her ...
Suddenly a club violently struck the bars of the entrance of the cell. Opal recoiled in fright and fell to the floor.
"I told you not to make me angry! Damn little girl! Do you think I'm an idiot? "Are you looking for me to beat you up? Or simply that I do not give you food? "The jailer growled more than she said, showing her yellow teeth as if she were a dog.
"I'm serious! You have to believe me! Look, there's the cat! "Opal Twister turned to show the fat woman her new cellmate.
But the feline was nowhere to be seen. She had disappeared completely.
"Eehh? Where is the gray pussycat? "
"Neither cat nor devil nor anything. The only thing that can appear in that cell are rats. Rats as big as your head. Now shut up and do not give me problems. Or next time you're going to wish there was a devil to save you from my fury, "said the jailor, frowning as if she had eaten only lemons since the day she was born.
Then the guard walked away with her slow and tired steps as she hit the iron bars of the cells with the blackjack club.
*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! *
The girl waited without getting up from the floor until the female guard had long left the corridor of the cells.
"I do not understand. Where did the pussycat go? "
Opal searched again in the dark part of the cell but found nothing. No traces of the cat. Would she have imagined the whole situation? But then what were these ashes stacked on the cold floor?
The burned remains of the damn card were still there. Everything had been real. She began to sob quietly and rivers of tears ran down her face.
The little girl trembled and sat in the exact place where she had seen the cat for the last time. Undoubtedly it was the darkest place in the cell but Opal today had learned that not all shadows are bad.
Sometimes bright lights are more dangerous. Especially the violet ones.
The girl pressed her legs against her chest and afterwards she surround her legs with his arms. Opal tried hard to imagine that the grey cat was at her side in order to make herself feel more protected.
A short distance away, in the kitchen of the prison a gray cat suddenly emerged from the shadows of a wall. There was a very appetizing aroma in the air. Three men of different builds and stature were preparing food for the Director and the prison guards.
"Aww! A pussycat! " said, with a broad smile, a tall cook with a thin body that worked at the back of the kitchen.
"Meeoow"
"Look how cute it is! And what a lovely pink bow she has in her head! " commented a shorty but robust cook enthralled with the beautiful and cute animal.
"Come here! Kitten, kitten, kitten ... "said a fat chef of medium height while a peculiar idea was forming in his head.
The gray cat looked at them with her bright eyes wide open. It was so tender! Even the most heartless prisoner would have been moved.
"¡Meoow!"
"Awww" said the three cooks and approached the cat to caress her.
The shorty cook and the tall cook treated the pussycat sincerely and she licked them with her tongue in a friendly way. But she squinted when the fat cook approached her.
This last man touched her body a couple of times in a slightly more abrupt manner while looking at her calculatingly. It was the kind of look you get from someone who is trying to figure out exactly how much your weight is and how many plates of food he can prepare with the meat on your body.
And what really happened was that the fattest cook had become accustomed to eating cats since the time when he was one of the prisoners in this jail.
But Shadow suddenly escaped from his hands and, taking a leap, landed right in the sector of the table she had been trying to get close to from the beginning. Where was the most delicious aroma. A scent that she knew very well.
"Pretty kitty, do not go ... Eeh? That place is ..." the tall cook was surprised to discover where the cat was.
"Meeoww" said a grinning Shadow in front of the delicious food and licked her lips.
"Pretty kitty, get out of there. That is not for you ... " pleaded the shorty cook with his hands united together in supplication.
The two cooks rushed to where the cat was but she was much faster than them.
"Do not take that fish!"
"The damn cat stole the fish! Get her! " ordered the fat cook while taking a cleaver from a nearby table.
The men tried to catch her but the cat eluded them nimbly. She ran around the counter turning and throwing to the floor all kinds of prepared food, ingredients and kitchen implements. The two cooks slipped on the floor full with things and fell on their butts. It was havoc.
The fat cook threw his cleaver but luckily he missed the target. The cat jumped from the counter to the floor and stepped between the legs of the fat man.
"Damn cat! Drop that fish!" he yelled while he tried to retrieve his cleaver.
But Shadow was already fleeing quickly from the room, with the fish stolen between her teeth and a smile from ear to ear.
"Idiots! Do not let her escape! Chase it! " The fat cook ordered as he ran after her with the huge butcher's cleaver.
The other two cooks got up from the floor, their clothes smudged with a lot of sauces and vegetables, and went after the cat.
The cat ran at full speed and turned down the hall disappearing from sight. The men followed her but when they reached the intersection they had already lost her. The animal was nowhere to be found.
"That fish was the plate of freshly made food for the Warden!" lamented the tall cook who had prepared the fish with his own hands.
"And now, what do we replace it with?" Panicked the cook who was rather fainthearted.
"With cat bathed in orange sauce! Find that damned animal! " replied the angry cook, who was not resigned to having lost the opportunity to taste cat's meat once more.
Nearby, hidden in the shade of the corridor, the gray cat frowned. Those guys were very scary. They wanted to eat this cute little cat! Poor Shadow! They even chased her with a butcher blade. Definitely, they deserved to have the fish stolen from them. Without a doubt, it was a punishment that some god sent them for their sins.
Satisfied with herself for having imparted divine punishment, the gray cat immersed herself in the shadows and the chefs' screams disappeared. She re-emerged a few second later in the shade of the facade of a building some distance away. She took a few moments to savor her newly obtained trophy.
Yummy!
The fish was delicious, as was to be expected from the food prepared for an official as strict as a Warden of a prison, and eating something so delicious put her in a good mood.
Afterwards she climbed up to a nearby window and moved quickly into the building. There, the same as in the prison, there were several guards guarding the corridors.
Shadow advanced without stopping in the halls until she found a private room that had what she was looking for. She climbed into a dresser and approached a round mirror.
The grey pussycat looked at herself in the mirror and fixed the bow on her head. Once she was satisfied with her appearance the pussycat left the room and continued her journey across the building towards her intended destination.
The building had three floors. In the last one there was a large living room with some benches to sit where a group of people was accommodated. On one side there were some men and women dressed in black. Most were dark-haired but there was also a delicate female teenager with blonde hair.
On the other side was a young woman in a black velvet dress, a sad-looking child and beside him was a suited man that went unnoticed. A non-descript man.
All these people argued before a man of grave and solemn expression who wore a black robe and a white wig, and held a mallet in his right hand. The man with the wig was cerefully listening at that moment to a dark-haired, tall and bearded man dressed in the latest fashion of the empire but in a rigorous black color.
This bearded gentleman's face was red with fury. He argued in a very loud voice, almost shouting and making many gestures when he spoke.
"That girl is guilty. She poisoned my son. She sold him those poisoned candies taking advantage of the innate goodness of his heart. I cannot believe that I handed the gold coins in payment for the candies to that vagabond. Now I regret it infinitely. To eliminate this murderer is to do justice."
Immediately the sad looking boy shaked his head in denial. The non-descript man that was at the side of the boy chose this time to intervene in the discussion. He fixed his suit, and began talking.
"Lord magistrate, I tell you that this girl is innocent. You already hear my son's testimony. He was the one who gave the candies to the girl after eating a few of those with his brother," explained the non-descript man named Roberto Gomez before continuing, "In addition, my son also claimed that it was Lucas Montes who snatched the candy from the defendant and ate it of his own free will, even though she repeatedly told him not to."
"Hhmm! I do not know what interest the Abercrombie company has in defending a beggar girl but we want justice for the death of our son. That girl murdered a Montes clan noble and must be hanged. " insisted the tall bearded man.
The men and women dressed in black protested loudly in favor of their representative. The magistrate hesitated.
"I am not here on behalf of the Abercrombie business company but as a citizen of the empire. Honor forces us to tell the truth. The death of that boy is an unfortunate event but those sweets were not poisoned, "claimed Roberto Gomez in a solemn but determined tone of voice.
"The doctors said our son died by a powerful poison. The last thing he ate that day were those sweets. The poison was fast and deadly. Most likely, the poison must have been in them. I'm as sure of that as my name is Miguel Montes, " said the tall, bearded man as he strucked repeatedly his chest with a fist.
"The most likely thing it's not always what actually happens. Lord Magistrate, the sweets were a gift from the owner Zanthia. She is here present today and already confirmed to me that they were normal candies. She is a respectable merchant and there is no reason to doubt her." Roberto explained as he gestured to the young witch, inviting her to step forward.
"Is that true, owner Zanthia?" The magistrate asked with a frown.
"Yes. I endorse what was said by Roberto and Pedro Gomez. I am the person who made those sweets. I usually give them as a courtesy to the clients along with their purchases. "
"And you say you never had problems with them before?" The magistrate insisted again as he looked at the eyes of the young woman.
"Your Excellency, I suppose they should have been satisfied because the truth is that none of my clients have made any complaints about candies so far," replied the witch, shrugging her shoulders.
Her words were strictly true. Zanthia's clients were quite discreet and none had ever complained about the candies. After all, the dead people usually do not speak.
"I do not intend to doubt the words of this lady ..." A brunette woman began from the other sector of the room in a tone that suggested exactly the opposite of what she said and made a malicious pause before continuing. "But how do we know she is telling the truth? Could it be that she's an accomplice of the girl? "
"Previously Pedro and his brother ate several of the sweets. And of course, they were not poisoned at all." lied Zanthia without the least embarrassment and continued, "It seems to me that the two Gomez children look pretty healthy."
"Then the girl must have poisoned those candies," Miguel Montes insisted as the woman in the black dress nodded to his words.
"There was not enough time for the girl to do that. Think of it carefully. We know Pedro gave the candies to the girl and before they could even taste them Lucas Montes took them out. I guess your deep grief would it not made you to suggest that my son poisoned the sweets himself," said Roberto Gomez.
"Maybe he did. You Abercrombie would stop at nothing to achieve your goals! What better way to stop the Percy than to harm their closest allies? " the female adolescent with delicate air finally talked.
"I am willing to face a Truthteller to clear up doubts. And the same with my son. "Roberto Gomez assured to the magistrate.
"And you, Owner Zanthia?" The magistrate asked.
"Oh? Yes. Yes, of course. However, I have a doubt. Surely someone as rich as the Percy and Montes families would spare no expense to save this boy. Even if he is dead, he should be able to be resurrected by one of the Bishops of the Cathedral. Once revived, Lucas himself could tell his truth about the facts. "
"Do you think we have not tried? We pay the most expensive resurrection spells. But none worked. The Bishop informed us that the boy's soul is missing. Someone or something is holding him. Something impure and powerful enough so that even a bishop cannot overcome it. "
"Well, then that solves the doubts. There is no way that a little kid , and one so powerless as Opal is, can catch the soul of the boy. Something like that it's high level dark magic. You do admit that she is only a beggar who lives in the streets. There's no way she can do that. Isn't it true?"
The Montes looked at each other, without being very convinced but momentarily did not have arguments to oppose. Finally someone spoke but it was not them but the magistrate.
"No, definitely a girl from the street cannot trap the soul of a boy. There is even less chance that she could beat the divine magic of a mighty bishop of the Scarlet Empire. If that is the only evidence and the Truthteller really confirm the words of Owner Zanthia then I am afraid that I should release the defendant and continue with the investigation. "
Pedro and Roberto looked at the young witch with a smile. Zanthia's words had turned the magistrate's opinion. The Montes complained but it did not seem like they could do anything about it. The magistrate took the mallet and prepared to dictate his verdict but just at that moment the delicate blonde teen spoke once more.
"Maybe the girl has no way of doing something like that. But I'm sure that a witch definitely can do it. Yes, there is no doubt that a witch that owns a shop of horrors should have that ability. Especially one as powerful as you. Isn't it true, Owner Zanthia? " said the insidious voice of Fiona Percy.
Sighs of surprise were heard at that unexpected statement. Suddenly all the people in the room stared at the young witch, waiting for her response.