Valda turned around to face the iron lady, and just as she guessed, there was nothing welcoming about her expression; her face lacked warmth, and those topaz eyes of hers—reminiscent of the autumn sunlight gawked intensely at her.
She had her light-blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun, and the emblem fixed on her training gear hinted at a secretive pact—a twisted blade etched with a serpent, and the mere sight of an ominous craft sent shivers down Valda's spine.
Are they merely assassin's or something more? She didn't want to know.
"There you are!" The little sprout exclaimed after spotting Sayge who stood apart from the trainee's, and in her hand was a brown book. "Are you busy, Sayge? The new recruit has been wanting to see you, but she didn't know her way around, so I brought her to you."
The little sprout explained the situation, and Sayge glanced fleetingly at the sprout before settling her gaze on the silver-haired woman. Surely, if Eryx was the master, then Sayge had to be the second-in-command, because her aura in comparison to everyone else was clearly unmatched.
"You." She approached Valda, making her halt by the sudden intensity of her confrontation. "You have no business here. This part of the mansion is open to shadow pact members only. Every other filth unattached to this mansion is told to wait on the other side." She pointed at the exit, signaling to Valda what she needed to do without specifically stating it.
Filth??
Valda scoffed in outrage, too taken aback to respond to that vulgar choice of word. Honestly speaking, it was not her problem if the fox lady dislikes her presence, it won't bail her free from this mess anyway, but was it necessary to make her ire feelings a little obvious? Too obvious even.
"See, you're being unnecessarily impolite, but I'm not here to start an argument with you either." Valda responded as quietly as she could, "I need to return to my kingdom, and your master's orders are to take me back home."
"And why would I care about your plight?" Sayge's lips curled, and she faced the wide field where the rest of the shadow pact members trained. "As you can see, I'm a bit preoccupied, and this is more important than taking you back home. Whatever help you seek will have to wait till I'm done here."
"But I–"
"You certainly don't portray the character of a complete pushover." Sayge added, glancing at the record book in her hand, "patience, and it will get to your turn. For now, fulfilling my duties comes first. Prudence and Mildred, I need you two to switch gears, take first strike, if you think I've forgotten then you're certainly mistaken."
Her attention had shifted to the two conversing Fae's. She turned away from Valda, focusing on the two Fae's whose expressions dampened the more Sayge kept blabbing about what they needed to do, and it was obvious they hated how she portrayed herself to know everything.
"You're Valda, right?"
The sudden unexpected voice nearly sent Valda jumping out of her own skin, and she bristled away from the unknown voice behind her. Turning around, her gaze swept the fox lad who had scared the living daylights out of her, and she placed a hand to her chest afterwards.
"How may I be of help to you?" Was the only question Valda could ask that made some sense. However, the youthful stranger continued to stare at her without uttering a word, his feline-ears perched atop his head, alert and sharp.
Valda's gaze shifted to the ebony mark encircling his left eye—a sigil etched into his skin, and she wondered what secrets it held. Was it a blessing or a curse? She didn't know, but his training outfit bore the same emblem as everyone else, which meant he was part of their pact.
"Are you…really leaving?" He asked in a low murmur, tilting his head a little to the side, but his expression, or lack of thereof, made Valda uncomfortable.
She's never seen a face so devoid of emotion—no flicker of surprise, no hint of joy or sorrow, it lacked curiosity, interest, like he was wearing a mask carved from stone. His crystalline blue eyes, half hidden beneath his unruly silver and midnight black hair, peered at her.
"Yes." Valda answered with a steady voice, and her response seemed to have made him lose another wave of interest that wasn't even there to begin with.
He hummed a tune and turned around to take his leave.
What was that all about? Valda blinked at his retreating figure.
In no time, Sayge finally gave her some attention and led her away from the training ground. The fox lad watched their retreating figures from the towering ruins where he sat, his silver tail swaying to the side as if to wrap him gently.
"So… we kidnapped her and killed those guards for nothing." Mildred concluded after watching them leave.
"Maybe he changed his mind about taking in another member." Prudence shrugged her petite shoulder, "I also think that is a good choice. She looks too pure for the things we do, and she's inexperienced to say the least. Mortals don't learn as fast as we do, so it's a good decision to take her back."
"And a suspicious one." The fox lad named Deus spoke his thoughts out loud, his eyebrows furrowed into a subtle frown. He knew the type of master he served, it was unlikely for him to let anyone go, and those he didn't approve of, he would kill them and drain their life force.
That human shouldn't even be alive, but his master spared her, and is willing to make her return. Something was definitely off somewhere, and he could guess his master was in his chamber, plotting yet another type of mischief that would work in his favor.
✿
Valda stumbled as Sayge dragged her through the shadowed corridor, her grip surprisingly strong. She released Valda's arm after stopping at an enclosed alcove, and her gaze swept the displeased silver-haired woman who rubbed her sore wrist.
"Why?" Valda took a deep breath and asked, "why are you treating me like this? Is there something I might have done to provoke your untamed rage?"
"I don't like you, Valda." She said bluntly, uttering her name like a curse. "and I most certainly don't like the fact that you're here. I don't know what conversation you must have had with my master for him to let you go, but I'm relieved to say that, I won't have to put up with your presence being a liability here."
"It's not about being a liability to you or anyone, remember, your master brought me here." Valda's attitude warred with her suspicion, "what grudge do you hold against me?"
"That's none of your concern." Sayge's jaw clenched at the persistence in Valda's eyes, "just know this: I'll ensure you return safely, because that is what my master wants. But once you're gone, don't even try to cross paths with the shadow pacts after this, and lest you stay away from master Eryx."
Sayge's words were a threatening whisper that hung heavily in the air. Valda could not bring herself to push any buttons, she could see it in her eyes that she wouldn't hesitate to end her if her master orders it.
"Fine." Valda swallowed her rage, "will you take me home now?"
Sayge's gaze hinted at her skepticism, but she reached for her sash and brought out a shiny oval-shaped purple stone. She handed the stone to Valda who accepted it.
"It's an ancient relic, not something the mortal eyes see everyday." Sayge explained, noticing the question in Valda's gaze, "it's a magical transporting system I entrust you to guard. The stone has the ability to take you back home, and all you need to do is close your eyes and utter the name of your Kingdom, it must come from your heart."
"What happens when I open my eyes?"
"A unicorn pops up and stabs you in the gut, hopefully." Sayge mocked, and Valda frowned after getting the joke.
Not willing to waste anymore time here, Valda closed her eyes and followed Sayge's instruction. The name of the kingdom she stayed in was known as Altena, but the image that popped in her head was her home, where she once happily lived with her father.
Suddenly, a gust of wind enveloped her form, wrapping around her like a cocoon, and when she opened her eyes, a gasp escaped her lips when she realized she was indeed standing in front of her home, right at the front gate.
She was truly back?! Valda glanced at her outfit to see it had changed as well. She was wearing her nightgown, the same one she wore the night she was taken away from her home.
This is unbelievable! She thought, it almost seemed like everything that happened was a dream, but it couldn't possibly be a dream, not when she still had the purple stone in her hand.
To confirm she was truly in the right environment, Valda glanced around to find the familiar neighborhood quiet. It was past morning, and the people living within her environment would have gone to fulfill their daily duties already.
Her uncle and Aunt were part of them, as they were barely home at this time of the day. This is the only perfect opportunity she had to search for those documents in the house—the documents that state exactly who her father had named his home to.
Her problem right now is figuring out which file it was, since she has difficulty reading. She'll take all the files she can lay her hands on and find Nelson afterwards. He was the only friend she could trust to help her accomplish this mission.
Nodding to her idea, Valda carefully opened the gate and made her way to the house. Once inside, she tip-toed up the stairs, heading for her Uncle's room, but before she could take a turn through the corridor, a strange sound coming from her cousin's room made her stop in her gait, and her ears twitched.
Oh! How could she forget that sly good-for-nothing would be at home! But what was that noise?
With a mix of curiosity and concern, Valda tip-toed to her cousin's room instead. She peeked through the door that was left slightly ajar, but nothing could have prepared her eyes for what she was about to see.
Her idiotic cousin, with her clothes discarded on the floor, was sitting on the legs of an equally naked, burly-looking man, riding him to no end.
Is that Chucks?!!