Parents of the dead children appeared and like Lord Alexander had told, the situation was nothing better. There was pain and sorrow. Rage over the loss and the state they received their children back. Everyone did their job well but the witches knew when and what to do when to pick the people and where they would find them as the humans slipped when it came to looking after and knowing what was going to happen.
The magistrate was brought back but taken away after the white witches had appeared at the cemetery with their books, cross and holy water to perform the exorcism. After the ritual of exorcising was done, the children were finally buried in the cemetery. The parents stayed longer, watching over the headstones while refusing to leave right away.
With their work done, Damien and the others left the cemetery and Penny asked,
“Will the magistrate be executed?”
“It is only the right thing to do. He could have caused chaos if we didn’t appear in time to question and take away the spitgrass that he was going to trade with,” Damien’s answer came out to be empty, unaffected with what they saw and did. The carriages which had been used to bring the children over to the cemetery had gone for a wash while fresh new carriages from the town had been assigned for them to leave in.
“What about compensation?” she asked him, “The woman had no family to take care of her.”
“Alex will settle them with some coins for their losses. It should suffice them, at least for now or for the future.”
“Okay,” she breathed out, getting into the carriage and heading back to the mansion. Penny sat quietly as the rest, her mind still full of what she saw and experienced. The death in the cemetery reminded her of the time when she had to bury her mother months ago. The loneliness she had felt with no one to take care of her or love her, she had felt the pit of emptiness until her aunt and uncle had appeared to take care of her.
It wasn’t that she wanted someone to take care of her back in the day but it was more on the side where she wanted a family whom she could get back to. Someone whom she was close to but that never was built with her relatives. By the time she had thought about it, reality had hit her hard with the cell of slave establishment that surrounded her.
Family…
Even with the scarce memories, she missed her father terribly. He was a good man. She knew it. Damien’s hand squeezed her hands gently to bring her back to the carriage as he felt her emotions drift farther and farther away to where she often went to dwell.
Reaching the room, Penny who had been holding her question shot Damien with the question, “Can I ask you something?”
“Mhmm,” she heard Damien respond, who took his coat off his body, hanging it on the stand.
“Do you think I will have the same fate as Lady Isabelle?” his hand that was still on the stand stopped moving. He turned to look at her,
“Why that question?”
Damien stared back at her, his eyes gauging and knowing where Penny was going to steer the conversation to.
“When I asked you about the council examination you denied right away,” she pointed out and saw him nod in agreement.
“That I did…”
“Why? Isn’t it better to have your enemies closer than keep them far away not knowing what’s going on?”
He gave her a surprised expression, “You have enemies? Don’t tell me this is about the councilwoman Evelyn.”
“Of course, not I am not that petty,” Penelope went to brush his words away to see him raise one of his brows as if asking ‘Really?’ She pressed her lips and said, “Okay, maybe a little it is but I would still want to enter the council.”
“The council is not a child’s play, Penelope. Once you enter the council you will be stuck for life there. I thought women wanted to drink wine, look pretty and enjoy the money of their husbands. Was I wrong?”
“I am not like other women,” she corrected him and he quickly agreed.
“That’s right, milady.”
“Then why not?” she pestered him.
“Because it isn’t safe,” he deadpanned.
“I can protect myself.”
“Maybe you can or maybe you cannot but that isn’t the point. I would rather you work with me behind the scenes than take yourself to be part of something which is filled with nothing but filth. People like you won’t last long,” he turned his back, removing his tie and hanging it next on the stand.
“W-what do you mean I won’t last long?” she walked around the room to come where he stood. She knew she hadn’t fought the witches as he did but for a first timer in her mind she did pretty good.
“You want to walk in the path of righteousness. To make and set the world right, it is why you want to join the council, am I wrong?” He asked to receive her silence in return, “The world of the council is not for good people, at least not with the ones who have good intentions. Very few survive and even if you did I will always be worried. Do you want your future husband to have worry lines on his forehead and make him look ugly?” he asked her in a serious face and Penny had to turn her face away to stop herself from smiling in front of him, “Do you?”
She turned back to look at him, “Yes, I do,” hearing Penny’s answer, Damien gave out a baffled expression in response.
“You want this handsome man to turn ugly? How cruel. If we were of the same s.e.x I would have told you were jealous,” she rolled her eyes over his act.
