I ran on the street chasing the big carriage in front of me. Once I was close enough to it, I jumped and entered the carriage through the window. Inside, Irien and my servants were waiting with a worried expression. Now they were wearing black robes to cover their bodies. Irien greeted me.
"Lilieth, are you okay?"
"Lowly soldiers like them won't be able to defeat me," I replied casually. "But it seems we can't stay here any longer. They have found our tracks. We must leave before they search the entire city, " I continued.
I turned my gaze to Vance.
"Sir Vance, do you have another hiding place?"
He nodded.
"I own a mansion in Ironshade town."
'Ironshade town... That place is a small town, we should be safer there than a big city like this,' I thought.
"All right, take us there," I said.
"Yes, my queen " he answered. He turned his gaze to the coachman in front of the carriage.
"We're going to Ironshade town!"
Shortly the coachman pulled the reins and turned the carriage toward the city gate.
*
*
*
Our carriage runs slowly through the forest. The rocky road makes the carriage keep shaking along the way, but we have no choice. If we go through the main road, we will be easily traced, so we decided to take another way.
Soon a lake was seen through the window. I looked at the lake suspiciously.
'Why do I feel there is something strange there,' I thought.
"Do you know anything about the lake?" I asked Irien.
"That lake name is Cursed Lake. The rumour says that the lake is haunted, many people disappear without cause and they never return. The official has forbidden everyone to approach it especially at night like this," Irien explained.
"Did the official say anything about activities related to demons?" I asked again.
Irien shook her head.
"They only told us to stay away."
I returned my gaze to the lake.
"I don't feel any demonic aura from the lake... But what is this uneasy feeling?"
Suddenly a black shadow appeared from behind a large tree near the lake. I watched the shadow that looked like a man silhouette from afar. A moment later, he raised his hand and suddenly his hand seemed to split into many and lengthened trying to attack our carriage. I gasped in shock and jumped out of the window while swinging my body upward to the roof. My fingernails extend when hard black skin covers my hands. As soon as his hands reached us, I brushed aside all of his attacks with my claw.
There was a strange feeling when I brushed off his attack, but rather than human flesh I was like warding off something else. It was soft, slimy and slippery. But despite its softness, the hand's movements are fast and strong. If I'm not careful, that hand can send me flying in a single attack. With a strange form and massive strength like that, I was sure that the attackers are not human, but also there is no demonic aura from his body.
"Speed up the carriage!" I commanded.
What I can think now is to get out of here as soon as possible. Not because I'm afraid, but I don't know what kind of creature he is, I can't act recklessly. Our carriage runs faster, but the uneven road makes our speed limited. The shadow moved quickly to follow our carriage while his hands continued to attack us. I continued to brush off all of his attacks, which were getting faster and faster.
Suddenly, one of those strange hands tied my leg, the feeling of stickiness mixed with wet and slimy could be felt on my ankle's skin. That hand pulled me, I almost fell but fortunately, I could still hold on to the window's frame. I looked at my feet and realized that what had been attacking us was not a hand but a tentacle. I quickly swung my claw to cut that strange tentacle and jumped back on the carriage. But soon the tentacles regenerated and returned to normal.
The tentacles attacked me again as if they were endless and my hands kept moving to ward them off while the shadow continued to chase our carriage.
'At this rate, he will overtake us soon,' I thought.
"Leave! I'll face him," I shouted at the others.
I just finished giving orders, suddenly the tentacles tied my legs and pulled me. I just swung my claws to cut it but another tentacle tied my hands then another tentacle came tied my waist and chest.
'I let my guard down!'
In one pull I was pulled towards the shadow. I struggled, but the tentacles tied me harder.
'I haven't sucked enough energy, my power is limited,' I thought.
The tentacles pressed my body against a large tree and held my hands against the trunk. I stared at the shadow, he approached me slowly. The cloud covering the moon shifted, illuminating the shadow. An innocent-faced man with messy brown hair, his clothes looked dishevelled and the tentacles were actually his fingers. He observed me carefully for a while then he smiled happily.
"Miss, do you want to play with me?"