Madeline shook her head. “It’s not safe.”
“What other option do we have?” asked Calhoun to Madeline gently. He placed his hand on her cheek, “You don’t want to see your sister die, and without the antidote, we have no other way, do we?”
“Not at the cost of your life or anyone else,” replied Madeline. She stared into the depth of his eyes, “What is the point of you sacrificing your life. It wouldn’t be right.” She placed her hand on his hand, “The Salvete Mortems, they-”
“Nothing will happen to me, have faith, my sweet rose. I wouldn’t leave you alone in this world,” and he pressed his lips on her forehead, leaving a tender kiss before he pulled back to look at her. He looked at her features and the anxious expression on her face. “Raphael, the card of the fool, please.”
It was the very first time, Calhoun had willingly asked to draw his card from Raphael. Madeline stared at the card that the card reader pulled and then at Calhoun. Calhoun took hold of the card, turning it around to show a single flower of lily on it.
Though Calhoun had never touched the cards willingly from Raphael or any other card reader carried with oneself, it didn’t mean he hadn’t been intrigued to read about them. He knew exactly what the flower on the card represented, and his eyes met Raphael, who was quick to look at him with a passive expression on his face. The flower had many meanings, like love, hope, and death.
“A perfectly healthy card. As I said, there’s nothing to worry about,” Calhoun smiled brightly at Madeline.
“What does it mean?” Madeline asked, not knowing the interpretation of the flower.
Raphael’s eyes had not moved away from Calhoun. The King raised his eyebrow, and Raphael took a second before answering, “The Lily represents good hope, milady. It speaks about beginnings.”
Madeline hoped it was a good thing and she relaxed upon hearing this, but that didn’t remove the issue where the creatures of the death were lurking in the castle. “Come back soon,” she whispered to him. Raphael stepped away from the couple to give them the space, while going to where Beth was.
Calhoun’s hand reached out for Madeline’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and he kissed the back of her hand. “I will know if something happens here with you. And if it does, I will return right away. Don’t forget what I told you, first is you and then comes rest,” he said to her. The heavy clouds in the sky had started to scatter away, giving way for the sunlight to touch the land one last time for the day before the sun would sink below the horizon.
The rays of the light passed through the grills of the window to fall inside the place where they stood. Madeline nodded her head. She saw the black wings appear from behind Calhoun’s back, spreading and he took a step back where the ceiling had an opening.
“I will be waiting for you,” she whispered, and with one flap of the wings, Calhoun disappeared from the room into the sky.
She prayed to God, for him to stay safe. Beth, who had turned into a werewolf, growled louder than before. Her movements turned aggressive, and with her being tied this time, Madeline noticed the werewolf didn’t look pleased.
Madeline spent the next hour watching over her sister, and she walked towards the window to see the clouds hiding the sky. The sky was turning dark, and so far, there was no hint of the moon.
“Looks like the moon isn’t out yet, milady,” said Raphael with his hands crossed and leaning against the wall.
“We cannot be too sure about it,” replied Madeline. Now and then, her eyes moved to look at the window, hoping she would catch sight of Calhoun even though he wouldn’t return this soon.
Looking down at the castle’s grounds, she noticed the Salvete Mortems had not left their places. They were no more greeters, and she caught sight of them holding axes in their hands. It looked like there was going to be a war, and she gulped.
“Where do these creatures come from? Salvete Mortems,” she asked Raphael. To Madeline, it seemed like guarding Beth was necessary as there were chances of her turning into a rabid werewolf before she would go on a killing spree. She didn’t know that it wasn’t her sister who was going to bring trouble, but people from outside the castle.
“Some say they come from the place between heaven and hell. Some say that they come from hell because of the appearance that they carry with them,” answered Raphael. “I would place my bets on Hell.”
She took a deep breath before trying to ease the tension out of her body. While Madeline was still taking a look at the creatures of death, her eyes took in one of the Salvete Mortems that made its way towards the castle. Noticing how it didn’t hold an axe in its hand, she believed it to be the first creature of the greeting until she caught sight of blood on its bones and unusually long fingers.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips were set in a thin line. She said to Raphael, “I will be going down for a while and will be back soon.”
With Beth meticulously chained, and unable to harm anyone, Madeline couldn’t help but question for whom the Salvete Mortem was coming for. Walking down the stairs of the tower, she retook a look outside the window, in the direction of the creature that continued to make its way to get into the castle.
In one of the castle rooms, Lucy went to the cupboard to pick out the remaining clothes, to place it in the trunk which she was packing right now. She would be leaving early tomorrow after breakfast, and she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be leaving anything behind. When her room’s door was knocked, she asked,
“Who is it?” Receiving no reply, she frowned. Walking to the door, she opened the door to see the person standing in front of her.
She whispered, “You…”
