Chapter 0006

Recalling the map in my mind, I walk along the edge of the forest, breath clouding in front of my mouth.

I'm glad I took the cloak. If nothing else, this cold will kill me.

I've been walking for at least twenty minutes when the sound of footsteps reaches me. I still in my tracks, one hand going to the hilt of my weapon. I've never fought someone for my life before, but I've seen plenty or bar fights go down.

I hurry inside the forest, hiding behind a monstrously big tree.

Unfamiliar voices reach me.

"This shitty forest is overrun with beasts," A man speaks, accent so heavy I can hardly understand the words "Don't know how those bastard can live here."

Someone else spits, speaking in a nasally voice "Those Sigmonds."

What? I find myself straining to hear. I don't have to try hard. They're coming this way.

"We should've killed those freaks," The first voice says

"Shut your mouth," A new voice, this one a lot clearer "Are you questioning the Crown and Church?"

The fog makes it hard to see, but the sky has started to lighten and I can make out three silhouettes walking along the edge of the forest.

"B-But now all of Greten has to pay the price!"

"You sure they're even here?" The nasally voice again

I shift on my toes, inching forward. They're going in the opposite direction, as long as they don't see me, I should be good to go.

"We cannot move forward without exhausting all our option-

"What is it? Broke your mouth?"

Silence. The hair at the back of my neck stands.

The world shakes.

Right above my head, a fist is slammed into the tree truck. Bits of broken bark fall and slip down the hood of my cloak.

"What do we have here?" A low growl has me looking up. Ice blue eyes are narrowed at me viciously.

I can tell, without the shadow of a doubt, that this guy was aiming for my head. My eyes flicker left and right to see the other two men, cutting off any route for escape.

They lack the coldness of the blond man standing in front of me. One of them is a relatively shorter, pudgy faced man and the other tall and willowy, with a horribly crooked nose. All their eyes seem to glow. The shorter man grins, and his teeth look like an animal's.

Don't panic. Panic makes you nervous, nervous gets you killed.

"Just a traveler on my way," My voice comes out scratchy as I slowly reach for the hilt of the dagger "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Does this look like a traveling route to you, lad?" The blond man sneers

I assess the identical black robes these men are wearing, with a symbol I can't recognize. They don't look like thieves. If they think I'm a guy, they might just let me go. Plan A is to get away as soon as possible.

"The gentleman at the manor over there suggested I follow this trail to Aquiliona, Sir." I say, unbelievably, in an even tone

They exchange looks, and I know I have them. So they were looking for SeraphFall. I send a prayer that the manor gates won't open for these men.

The blond steps back after a moment, and I feel like I can breathe again.

"You've been to a Manor around here?" He demands

"Why yes, Sir," I cant believe I'm copying this way of speaking "Just a ways straight from here."

I point to the very other side of the forest, far from the mansion "You can't miss it."

The other two turn their heads to look where I'm pointing, but the blond keeps his eyes on me. I hold his gaze, counting seconds.

"We should hurry," The pudgy man says "What if that bastard leaves?"

"As if," The lanky one grins "The fool won't know what hit him!"

Come on. Come on. Go already.

"I will take my leave now, Sir," I nod my head, tugging at the hood as I inch forward

One step. Two steps. Three-

Someone yanks at my arm.

Plan B. Plan B!

I draw the dagger from its sheath and swing it on the hand holding me. Something else reaches me first, and I fall to the ground harshly.

The blow is searing, and for a moment there's white noise is loud in my head, stars in my vision. The weapon falls on the earth with a thud as I'm hauled to my feet, by the front of the cloak.

"Do you take me for a fool?" The blond man's face twists, baring his teeth, jabbing a sharp finger at near the strings of the cloak "That's the Sigmond family crest."

He gives me a shake that makes my teeth rattle, the hood falls. The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, and I distantly wonder if it's because of the blow, or I've bitten my tongue.

"A girl?" The lanky man barks out a laugh "Didn't know the Sigmonds let their women become whores. The Archbishop is gonna have a fit!"

"What if she's a thief?" The pudgy faced man is saying "Aint no way a Sigmond looks like that."

This man is holding me in iron grip. My weapon is gone. Both my plans have gone to hell. A hundred thoughts ricochet through my head, not a single one registering.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, wench?" The man holding me spits

My mouth moves, but no sound comes out.

"What?" He pulls me forward "Speak when you're told to!"

I reach forward to grab his collar in both hands, and slam my forehead against his nose. He startles, letting me fall, and the world spins. By some miracle, my hand bumps against the dagger. I jab my hand down his foot.

He screams now, guttural and loud. I don't know how I manage to yank the dagger back out, the pungent smell of blood is everywhere as I stumble to my feet.

"I have to say," I spit the blood from my mouth, breathing hard as I hold the dagger in front of me "Keep your bloody hands off me!"

"You bitch!" The lanky snarls, but the blond stops him, still groaning on the ground

"She's got silver!"

I don't know why that matters, but when the taller man steps back, I follow suit, managing a shallow slash across his jaw, all the way up his cheekbone. The skin blisters immediately, seemingly burning, and he yelps, jumping away.

Good, some part of my mind thinks with satisfaction. Holy shit, I just stabbed people. Every other part of me is screaming.

The third man draws out a something of a long knife "You're gonna regret this!"

He keeps his distance, but I know if he rushes me, I'm going to die. The first two were lucky hits, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I need to run. He raises his weapon.

And it falls from his hand, an arrow gutting out of it.

All of us stare at the shot in bewilderment. Swip! Another catches him right in the neck. He falls.

Behind us, several feel away, I can see a familiar figure holding a bow.

I don't wait to see what bloodbath is about to ensue. I break into a dead sprint forward. I can't tell how long I keep going, but I finally see it.

Under a canopy of tree, that goddamned well.

I circle around the moss covered stone walls, eyes searching the grass frantically. My phone, my phone- where the hell is it?

I'm so frustrated, I want to scream.

Screw it. I put the dagger back in its sheath, press my hands to the wet moss and stones, looking into the darkness of the well. If I came here through this, I can go home through this. Hands on the wall, I reach down one foot as far as I can, looking for the stone steps desperately.

The rustling of grass under footsteps, and I swivel my head around to see silvery eyes widen as they meet mine.

"Stop! Don't-

He's in front of me all too fast. Startled, I lose my grip and fall-

Right into the icy water. It was dry last night.

It fills up my lungs cruelly fast, clinging to my arms, almost desperate to pull me under. I know how to swim, but my limbs lock up, vision pitch black-

Then the pressure is gone, and I'm couching out water, blinking it from my eyes. Under my feet, the dark waters are restless, angry waves rising and I'm...

I'm suspended in air.

"Are you in a hurry to die?" I'm aware of the hands under my arms, emitting searing warmth "Because if so, please tell me. I will drop you right back in."

My eyes go from his deep scowl to his hands. Long, sharp fingers circle my upper arms whole, holding them at an odd angle in front of me. There's blood under his nails. He starts to move both of us away from the well, and the motion startles me into action.

"Put me down!" I kick my legs, hoping I could reach for the dagger "Let go of me!"

"You're soaked to the bone. We need to go back unless you wish to freeze to death." He holds me as far from himself as possible, eyes narrowed "What are you even doing out here?"

After everything that's happened in the past hour, it frustrates me beyond measure how logical he sounds, as if he's appalled that I'm trying to resist. I turn my head over my shoulder to shoot him a withering glare.

"Put me down, right now."

His expression evens out, and he raises a brow at me. Then, the arms holding me are gone, and I fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs. I draw the dagger from its sheath, holding it in front of me.

He gives me an unimpressed look "This is ridiculous, My Lady."

I narrow my eyes to slits "Says the guy who's keeping people in glass cases!"

That does it. Realization dawns on his face.

"You saw the library," He muses aloud "You're misunderstanding, Miss. I mean you no harm."

I ignore that statement "What about those three men? They were looking for you."

I shrug off the soaked cloak, holding it up so the crest embroidered on it is visible. A silver wolf with two swords.

"Sigmond, isn't it?" I watch his face for any reaction but there's none, even as I let the cloak drop on the dirt

"I've never seen them before," He finally says "One of them is dead, as you saw. The other two ran away."

"Good to know they're gone," I ignore the fact that I just witnessed someone die "Now if you would step out of my way, we'll never have to see each other again."

"And where do you plan on going?" Sigmond asks dryly "In the well?"

I don't take the bait, but a question is forming at the back of my head, and I'm afraid I already know the answer.

"This isn't-" I swallow thickly, unable to say the words "This really isn't-"

"Your world?" He says calmly, as if that would soften the blow "No, it is not."

I brace myself against a tree. An ache has started to form at the back of my neck. My cheek hurts. My arm hurts. This absolutely sucks. Why the universe randomly decide to screw me over just when things were starting to get better?

"I can't catch a break, huh." I move the wet hair back from my face, hating the tremble in my fingers. I blame it on the cold.

The rustling of clothes, and Sigmond takes a step towards me, but stays there when I move into a defensive stance.

He holds out his coat "You're going to be sick. We should head back to the Manor-

"Why are you doing this?" My voice cuts clean through

His expression remains inscrutable "I'm only trying to help."

"Out of the goodness of your heart, I'm sure."

Now Sigmond sighs, though his arm remains extended.

"I'd like to say yes, but I'm far from sentimental," He says, then pauses, lips pressed together in thought "I'm helping you because I might be one of the reasons you're here."

My grip on the dagger falters "What?"

"A few hours before your arrival, I was here at this well." Sigmond explains, the hint of a grimace on his face "Some magic residue may have been triggered."

Silence stretches out between us. In a distance, some unknown bird cries out.

He sounds crazy for blaming this situation on magic, but I'm disturbed to find myself believing him. The well was dry last night, and now its full of water. My phone should've been here, but it isn't. Instead, there are drakes and people with glowing eyes in this freezing place.

"So you brought me here?" I narrow my eyes at him "Do tell me how. Did you get bored in your fancy mansion full of bones and thought you need new ones so you wished upon a well?"

"I did not wish anything. And what you saw in the library is irrelevant to our situation." The sheer dispassion in his tone doesn't cultivate trust "You have nothing to fear from me."

Sure, you can kill someone ten minutes ago and tell me I have nothing to fear.

I haven't overlooked that he doesn't in the least look affected by that fact, or by anything I've discovered in his house. He saved my life, but he has no qualms about taking one either.

I can't make sense of this man "Any reason for the generosity?"

"Because you're not a witch," He says simply, shrugs a shoulder "If you were, you would be dead already, placed somewhere among the remains you saw at the Manor."

So there are witches around here. That might explain a thing or two. I'm suddenly unsure of how much protection this dagger is providing me.

"So, you're like," I look for the right words "A witch hunter?"

He doesn't say anything for a long moment "I was."

"Then, how did you bring me here?"

"I am not saying I did." He leans back against the wall of what's turning out to be my worst enemy "I'm implying there is very small possibility that I might be at fault somehow. The well used to be a purifying place, where the ashes of powerful witches were scattered. Sometimes, magic perseveres."

I don't want to think about what I might be drenched in.

"Then send me back." I say "If you're so remorseful, send me home."

"I can not." Sigmond let out a deep breath, and has the audacity to look like he's the one dealing with an unwanted problem. "I have zero affinity for magic. It eludes me how you could even come from this well."

He doesn't seem like he's lying though. Then again, his face doesn't change often. I replay the conversation in my head, thinking of how to proceed.

I have very little information to work with, and some serious drawbacks to any decision I make.

"You cant do magic," The sun has come up, and soft sunlight cuts shards through the branches and fog "Then who- what are you?"

Everyone I've encountered up till now moves too fast, is abnormally tall and their eyes glow. As far as I know, that's not the standard description for a human.

"Here in Greten, you will only find Lycans."

Lycans? "As in werewolves?"

Next we'll be talking about talking flamingos.

"That's a mistake you do not want to make in the wrong company, My Lady." He says, but sounds absolutely nonchalant himself "Werewolves are runts who aren't blessed by the Goddess. They cannot shift, nor do they have soulmates. Few survive for long."

Okay. How interesting, but not very useful. I don't plan on going on a trip around here.

"Can a witch send me back?"

Now a shift overtakes him, tension seeps into his frame, and if I weren't watching closely, I might've missed it. He averts his eyes, staring at his feet.

"Yes, a witch could."

"Alright. How do I find one?" I can't imagine a witch would help me for free, but I can at least see some hope here "You're a hunter, you must know how to track them."

Sigmond grimaces, the coat bunches up where he's holding it.

"You will not find any witch here," He says, and the remorse in his voice is palpable "I am no longer a witch hunter, because there are no more witches left in Greten."

My lungs stop, ribs squeezing over them "I'm stuck here?"

His eyes snap to me at that, greyish silver and ever-so-slightly apologetic, as though just realizing how much his words might affect me.

"Of course not," Sigmond steps forward, hesitates, and remains where he is

"Crossing worlds is not something that can be possible for long," He says factually "A vacancy is created. The universe would correct itself on its own. You shall be home within the next couple of days."

Couple of days? My heart sinks.

Everyone would freak out. After Dad's passing and mum's surgeries, things had just started returning to normal. I can't plunge my family into another nightmare. I think of Noah rushing to police stations, I think of Emily sobbing, I think of Mum's health that is still too weak to handle this sort of situation. I think of Tina and Isaac and Mrs. Gaines.

I press my eyes close and sink to my feet against the tree truck, the dagger clutched so tight in my hand, it hurts. Everything hurts. I'm tired to the bones.

Distantly, I think it's not safe to show my despair infront of him. That I need to look strong at least in nerves. It's too early to give up!

So I look up and make my voice strong "Is there any way before that?"

Sigmond holds my gaze for a long moment "There are a few Lycans who have affinity for magic. There might be someone in the city who could tell you more."

"Aquiliona," I say and he nods "Is there a way for me to get there quickly?"

"It would be pointless." His brows furrow, as though he can't understand my insistence "You could just stay at SeraphFall and in the next few days, you will wake up in your own world."

"What if I don't?" I snap, harsher than intended "You said you don't even know why I'm here. What if a few days pass and nothing changes?"

"Whatever the reason, the universe would balance out-

"If you really want to help me, tell me how to get to that city." When he remains quiet, I muster up the last bit of my patience "Please."

We stare at each other in muted silence. I wish I'd just taken his stupid coat. If nothing else, this cold would kill me.

"Alright."

"What- really?" I have to blink. That was sudden.

"Yes." He sighs deeply "We can leave after-

"We?" My brows furrow in confusion

Sigmond looks tired "Do you honestly think you can navigate this place alone and stay alive? Of course I'd have to go with you."

Of course not. But there are ways other than strength to live. I know that all too well. I just have to keep my head down and stay on the sidelines.

Going with him, when people are willing to kill anyone even apparently related to him, sounds like a terrible plan.

"There are people looking for you. I'm not going to ask you to put yourself in danger for my sake." I say calmly "Just, please give clothes that aren't soaking wet or embroidered with your crest and a map so I-

"You're human. Anyone can tell by your scent." He says, cutting me off "You'd be killed for suspicion of being a witch."

Now, he's getting on my nerves "Alright, I'll keep to sidelines and not draw any attention-

"If you think you can fool a Lycans senses so easily, you'd be dead before evening."

"Stop cutting me off!" I snap

He keeps talking about my death like he's wondering what he'll have to dinner!

Sigmond raises his brows "I assumed that's how people converse in your world. You kept doing that after all."

I open my mouth to say something my he holds up a hand. I can't believe the gesture instincrivly makes me shut my mouth.

"These aren't the real reasons," Sigmond says, silver eyes cold enough to see right through me "You don't trust me."

"That too," I raise my brow in lieu of saying seriously? "Can you blame me?"

Apparently, he can.

"I have saved your life twice in the last 12 hours," Sigmond says haugitly, looking offended "And you're threatened by my person still?"

"You're the one who brought this upon both of us." I point at him with my dagger "By all means, I should be throwing every curse I know at you!"

We glare at each other, both unwilling to bend.

"You were allowed to pass through the gates," He sighs, voice betraying frustration "It's on my honor as a Sigmond, and an Alpha, that I offer you my protection. I do not like it any more than you do. We can either both go to the city, or no one does."

"Fine!" I throw my hands up, patience well and beyond at this point "Swear to me that you will not harm me and help me get home then! Give me your word!"

The shift in the air is so intense, it catches me off guard. As someone who relies all too much on words, I know they don't mean much. I just thought he'd be offended and leave it alone.

But Sigmond's jaw tightens, frame tensed like an animal encountered by an opponent.

"A vow," Sigmond says, voice frosty "Is not simple for a Lycan. It's an unbreakable commitment, not to be made carelessly. You do not know what you ask for."

No, actually, that sounds exactly like what I want to ask for.

"Being plucked from your world and tossed into another may not be a big deal to you, but it is to me," I say, sarcasm dripping from my voice

Sigmond opens his mouth to say I cant imagine what, but I beat him to it, using his own words against him.

"Besides, you say it's just a couple of days. Then what's the harm?" I shrug a shoulder

He casts me a long look "You're a menace."

"Is that a yes?" I blink up at him

He looks like he's debating the pros and cons of doing this, and that gives me a bit of confidence. It must be an authentic deal, if he's thinking about it so much.

"Fine." He finally says, extends his hand towards me, looking for all intents and purpose, lost as to why he's even doing this "I vow not to ever harm you, My Lady."

I can't help but think that's a little lack luster. Are we just supposed to shake hands and some unbreakable vow would be made?

"Stop calling me that," I crinkle my nose "And hold for a moment, let me think."

"Is there anything left?"

"Of course. Let me think of the phrasing."

This Alpha Sigmond looks like he's regretting it already.