Jacquelyn stepped outside, clad only in her shirt and shoes. She attempted to tidy her hair with her hands, but it stubbornly fell back onto her shoulders. Abandoning the effort, she tied it into a haphazard bun. "Ballister, are you ready?" she called out, descending the stairs as she made her way out of the castle.
A weary Ballister came out with a long broom and a rope, raising them in a questioning gesture. "What am I even doing?" he wondered aloud.
Jacquelyn clapped her hands, excitement radiating from her. "Let's go! What's the broom for?" she asked, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
Ballister shrugged, handing her the broom. "I don't know, maybe for hitting the animal?" He trailed behind her as they exited the castle doors.
As the duo approached the castle gate, Kael, lounging on the balcony, was met with a funny sight. A tiny girl in a shirt that swallowed her body and hands, grasped a broom taller than herself with a serious look on her face. Kael's head tilted in amusement; it reminded him of an ant struggling to carry a crumb. He wondered where they were headed.
"Ballister," Kael called out in a lazy tone.
Jacquelyn turned around at the sound of Kael's voice, her grip on the broom tightening. Unlike their previous meetings, where she met Kael's gaze with boldness, her eyes now held a humble respect. She was acutely aware of the vampire king's power, knowing he could end her life with a mere flick of his wrist.
Ballister bowed deeply, "Master."
Jacquelyn followed suit, her voice barely above a whisper. "Husband... I mean, Mas-husband..." She faltered, unsure of how to address Kael now, her eyes looking down as she bowed alongside Ballister.
Kael's smirk grew as he observed Jacquelyn's flustered state. Leaning against the balcony railing, he inquired, "Where are you two off to?"
Ballister opened his mouth to respond, "Hunting."
Kael hummed softly, his head tilting slightly to the side. "Hm?" he asked. Ballister nudged Jacquelyn forward to reply, as it was her idea initially.
Jacquelyn shifted her broom to the other side, her grip tightening. With a soft gulp, she replied, "We are going to hunt... dinner," she stammered.
Kael's perfectly arched brows rose in surprise, intrigued by the girl's words. "You're really going to hunt your own kind for me?" He was already so proud of the girl if she decided to turn against her kind and hunt for him. All Kael thought was that the girl was finally stepping into darkness, and he was going to walk her through it all, making her his minion. But her response caught him off guard.
"No... not humans... we are going to hunt animals," Jacquelyn whispered.
Kael's mouth formed a perfect O of surprise before a smile spread across his face. "I see," was his short response.
Ballister stood frozen, waiting for Kael to forbid their excursion, knowing the evil nature of the mountains they lived in. The young boy doubted Jacquelyn's ability to survive the harsh environment.
"And what are you waiting for, Ballister?" Kael asked in a relaxed tone, noticing that Jacquelyn was moving and Ballister wasn't.
Jacquelyn, who was almost at the gate, turned to see that Ballister was no longer behind her. "Ballister, come quick."
Ballister's gaze moved from the girl to his master. "I-should we really go? The mountains?"
"Don't be a nuisance, Ballister," Kael tsked. "The young lady wishes to test her hunting prowess. It's only fitting a gentleman accompanies her," Kael said, waving his servant away with a cruel smile.
Ballister turned slowly, following Jacquelyn. He wondered if Kael had sent them away knowing the girl wouldn't survive in the mountains. Was this his master's subtle way of killing her without sullying his own hands? But why involve him? Ballister thought to himself. Was it to burden him with guilt? The sadistic tendencies of his master's soul knew no bounds. The boy shook his head.
As they walked farther away from the castle, the gloomy atmosphere persisted, the same as the day Jacquelyn first arrived. She felt chills run down her spine.
"Ballister, tell me about lost souls. Are they truly here?"
Ballister hummed a response, his footsteps crunching on a dried leaf. "Yes, lost souls are really here; most of them are the souls my master killed. So, they don't have anywhere to go but hang around here. If you've noticed, here is darker than the outside; that's because the lost souls have drained the good energy from this place."
Jacquelyn listened intently, trying to distract herself from the feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach. But as she walked, she sensed something move out of the corner of her eye, making her gulp. She quickened her pace, not wanting to lose Ballister.
"So, um... the lost souls-can they touch humans?" Jacquelyn asked again. She just wanted something to keep her distracted from the bad decision of hunting she had just made.
Ballister stopped abruptly. "Don't look back!" But Jacquelyn's fear got the better of her, and she turned her head. When she turned back to face Ballister, he was gone.
"Ballister?" she called softly, blinking in confusion. She was certain he had been standing beside her just moments before.
"Ballister..." Jacquelyn's voice trembled, fear creeping into her tone. If only she had known that this was what outside the castle looked like, she wouldn't have suggested hunting. She only suggested it because back in the days when she was still in the palace, she and Grisie would play around with some rabbits that ran into the isolated part of the palace. It was fun, and bright. So she thought it was going to be the same. This wasn't the case, because right now, it looked as if she had traded places with those rabbits she used to hunt because she felt hunted.
"Balli-"
Jacquelyn's voice got stuck in her throat when she heard a woman shriek. Without looking for the direction of the noise, she started running without direction.
"Help me! Help!! Ballister!" Jacquelyn shouted, running as fast as her legs could carry her. And without knowing it, she ran deeper into the mountains. The princess finally stopped running. Looking around the forest, all she could hear were broken twigs and the caws of crows that now echoed. She could still see the cross overhead the castle.
"I have to find my way back..." Jacquelyn muttered. But then, a faint squeaking caught her attention; a dormouse. Jacquelyn tried to run away from it as she didn't know if it was a lost soul too. Then a thought crossed her mind, going back to the castle with a dormouse was better than nothing. She got herself ready to catch the mouse, and to her surprise, she caught it with ease.
Looking at how little the rat was, Jacquelyn wondered what it was doing in a place like this; a creature as tiny as it was.
"I'm sorry, little one," she whispered, "but you'll have to serve as dinner for my husband... forgive me." Now getting ready to leave, Jacquelyn raised her face, but the sight she saw made her heart sink down to her stomach. The dormouse squeaked and scurried up Jacquelyn's shoulder, as if seeking refuge from the horror.
The figure in front of Jacquelyn had no form at all. Dressed in a black cloak, it tried to stand tall by breaking its bones and making an unnerving crunch sound.
"No... no no!! Go away!!!" Jacquelyn screamed, looking for something to defend herself with. When the figure raised its face, she saw it had multiple faces of people screaming. Jacquelyn almost passed out at the sight, but she found her legs running in another direction.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" the princess screamed, but her screams were drowned out by the scream of whatever it was that was chasing her at the moment. Its heavy steps were audible on the ground, letting Jacquelyn know that she was still being chased. As she turned in another direction, she hit something. Raising her face, Jacquelyn was met with the morphed faces that had been chasing her, now looking straight into her eyes.
"Ohhhhhh no no no!" Jacquelyn whispered, her voice trembling as she took a step back, her eyes clenched shut. She tried to silence her ragged breathing, but the figure drew nearer, its presence suffocating. With each step, Jacquelyn's heart raced against her chest, until her back hit something solid; a tree, a wall, another monster; she didn't know. All she knew was that there was no escape. She was trapped.