"OWWOOOOOO!"
Agatha covered her ears as she looked down at her feet. The sound of men fighting outside mixed with the growls and the tearing of flesh terrified her. Could this be one of her many nightmares? This felt too real though. She could hear some of them crying out in pain. She had seen the monster right in front of her.
"The wolf I saw was merely a pawn…he was just a pawn and yet…"
Even though wolves were much stronger than humans, the thought of her being so shaken by the weakest of the pack made her feel so…
"Weak…I'm so weak…"
She thought for a moment about the men who were protecting her. Those men were giving up their lives for someone like her who did nothing but shiver and hide.
"This is just pathetic…I…is there nothing I can do?"
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just what exactly was she supposed to do in this situation? Was it all right for her to just sit in the carriage and wait for things to be over? She looked at her hands which would not not stop trembling. If the White Lotus Priestess were in her position, she wouldn't be trembling like a little mouse. She would be outside fighting side by side with the soldiers. Casualties would be very minimal.
"But she's not here…not right now…"
"AAAAH! HELP ME!!"
Agatha hard as a soldier begged for aid. She shut her eyes again trying to not think about him being torn apart.
"LOOK OUT!"
"NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"THEY JUST KEEP COMING!"
"DON'T LET THEM NEAR THE CARRIAGE!!"
The more Agatha tried to mute the louder they got.
"GRRRR!"
"DIE YOU DEMON!!"
Agatha felt a warm touch on her trembling hands.
"My lady, it's alright. Everything is going to be just fine."
Agatha opened her eyes and slowly looked up. Daliyah Was looking at her with a calm smile. She looked composed, almost unbothered by what was happening outside.
"Daliyah, do…do you not hear what is happening…outside?"
"AAAAAH!"
"Yes my lady, I hear them."
Agatha looked at her with so many questions going through her head. The most important one being…
"How…how can you be so composed right now?"
"There is no reason to panic my lady."
Agatha's eyes widened.
"No reason…to panic? What…Daliyah…people are dying out there right now!"
"Yes, they are."
"And you're saying there is no reason to panic…?"
"As long as you're safe my lady, that is all that matters to me."
"What?"
Agatha felt as her question came out of her mouth as a soft whisper.
"Those men came here knowing full well about the cost. They have sworn to give up their lives for the greatest good…and you, my lady…"
"Don't say it Daliyah…"
Daliyah tightened her grip on Agatha's hands.
"You are the greater good."
"Stop!"
Agatha moved her hands away from Daliyah and gave her a sharp look.
"You are sounding just like Elwood right now…stop it…"
Agatha was used to hearing others talk to her in this manner, but hearing Daliyah saying these things felt different. Was it because Daliyah had never talked to her like this before? It didn't feel right. Something did not feel right. There were monsters outside of course, but something else felt off.
Agatha hadn't noticed that Daliyah had moved to the window and was observing the situation outside. Her eyes were carefully inspecting the surroundings, and she didn't flinch at whatever she was witnessing.
"Daliyah…what are you doing? Get away from the window…what if the wolves see you?"
As Agatha was reaching out to pull Daliyah back from the window, the young girl turned to look at her with a serious expression. Her gray eyes seemed to be trying to decide on whether to do what she was thinking of doing. She took one more look outside and then looked back at Agatha.
"My lady, you have to listen to me carefully."
"Huh…?"
Agatha was taken back as Daliyah grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close enough to be face to face. She was serious and had a sense of urgency around her.
"Even though the circumstances are not how I would have preferred them, it is probably the only opportunity we will have."
"Opportunity? What are you talking about?"
"We have to run."
"Run? Run…where?"
"That is not important right now. When I open the door of this carriage, we will both make a run for it into the woods."
"Wh-"
"Your shoes are good enough to run around this area."
"Hold on"
"It may be difficult because of the rain but we should be able to make it."
"Daliyah wait…"
"Just wait for my signal and don't look back."
"Wait!"
Agatha pushed Daliyah back.
"You want us to run?! What?! Run where?!"
"My lady please!"
"There are monsters out there Daliyah! Not just any monsters, but Wolves! And they have their Alpha with them! Even if we make it, we don't even know the area!"
"My lady."
"You are acting strange! I…It's too risky! I…I don't want to…"
"Agatha…"
Agatha froze for a moment as she could not believe what she had just heard. Not only was Daliyah saying her name, but her tone was cold, indifferent, and authoritative.
"You do not have a choice in these situations. Know your place as the vessel."
Agatha felt dumbfounded. She felt as if her body had become numb. She looked at Daliyah for a few moments in disbelief. Her eyes grew dark as she heard those dreadful words from the person she had considered her closest friend. She wanted to cry but no tears would come out. She felt cold and just like back at the tower, she felt that drowning sensation and not being able to escape even if she wanted to.
Daliyah avoided eye contact with her as she tried to keep her composure.
"I'm sorry my lady…but this…"
"*sigh* Please just trust me on this."
Agatha didn't say anything. She kept her face looking down and her eyes remained emotionless. Still. even though she looked like she would not move, Daliyah had seen her like this enough times to know that she would follow her anywhere and do anything she asked of her.
"In this state, she would throw herself in a lake of fire if I asked her to."
Nothing but a doll. A vessel.
"How low of me…"
Daliyah took something from under her seat and tied it around her waist. She then placed a cloak around herself and Agatha. She kneeled to make sure that Agatha's shoes were well tied up. After checking, she remembered that Agatha's hair was loose.
"Right…that would get in the way."
"My lady, please let me tie your hair."
Agatha turned without a word.
*Thump*
The carriage shook as a wolf fell against it…dead.
"THEY ARE GETTING TOO CLOSE!"
Agatha did not seem to get startled by the shaking. She remained quiet and allowed Daliyah to do whatever she wanted. Daliyah worked quickly to tie up Agatha's hair and then moved on to her own. She pulled the hood of the cloaks over both their heads and checked outside one more time. After everything was ready, she grabbed the young girl's hand and opened the door of the carriage.
Outside, the corpses of both men and wolves lay on the muddy ground. Puddles of water mixed with blood were seen everywhere. Some corpses were missing limbs, while others could barely be recognized as something that belonged to a human. The fight was still intense. Daliyah could tell that the men sent to protect the "vessel" were probably among the best the empire had.
"It is to be expected, after all, they weren't escorting just anyone…"
Daliyah felt as the hand she was holding started to once again tremble. She looked behind her and saw Agatha's expression. The young girl was covering her mouth with her free hand as tears were finally rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were wide as she witnessed the horror in front of her.
"What is this? All those men…are they…oh Heavens…please wake me up from this!"
Agatha felt her knees weakened and almost lost her balance.
"My lady! Please focus! Everyone is too busy right now to pay us any attention. Follow me."
Through her tears, Agatha stared at Daliyah.
"Who…who are you?"
Agatha had so much to ask but knew there was no time. As Daliyah had said, she was just a vessel. A vessel doesn't ask questions. A vessel doesn't have a choice. A vessel was like an empty pot that was disposable once it had fulfilled its purpose.
"A vessel…"
Agatha firmed her grip and closed her eyes once again. Daliyah took this as a cue and stepped out of the carriage. When both of their feet touched the ground…
"Now my lady!"