The Search For Peace 2

Chapter 30

As the moonlight filtered through the branches above, lighting the sheet of snow on the ground, Juliet, Kevin, and Ultima followed Sir Aiden into the depths of the white evergreens beyond them.

The wind howled and snapped at their bare cheeks, a strange hinting sound filling the rustling silence.

Juliet stayed as close as she could to Kevin, the only person she thought had some sympathy for her in the group.

They came upon a large clearing, and Sir Aiden stopped his quick, long strides. Ultima and the others looked over his shoulder, but only saw darkness ahead. All was still, their breaths coming out as icy clouds.

And then, there was a hiss. It was quiet at first, like a harsh whisper, but it intensified steadily as a shadow began to creep out of the abyss.

The shadow has eyes in the front, glowing an edgy purple, like wisps of watercolor paint bleeding onto paper.

With quivering lips, Juliet inched closer to Kevin and grasped his forearm, her pounding heart telling her something unaudibly terrifying was about to happen.

They watched in hushed silence as the shadow grew in size, taking shape of a slithering snake, looming over their small forms.

Juliet held back a scream as it opened its jagged mouth, the interior a sickening pink against pointed silver. Meanwhile, Ultima gaped at the whole ordeal in awe, while Kevin and Sir Aiden remained unbothered.

The monstrosity dipped down to their level, it's misty gaze scanning them from head to toe. As Juliet's nails dug into Kevin's arm, the snake receded back into the darkness with a sharp hiss, then dissipated, leaving a cloud of heavy purple smoke in its wake.

"Hold your breath." Aiden earned them as the smoke drew closer, covering his mouth and more with a gloved hand.

With not a moment to spare, as the smoke was spreading, the three teenagers did as they were told, all thoughts of the snake banished from their minds. The lilac mist engulfed them completely, and Juliet shut her eyes too, just in case.

When it finally cleared, the group of four found themselves in different surroundings, the previous snowy forest nowhere to be seen.

In its stead, there was a long, cobble-stoned pathway, that lead downwards into a town that was as black as the night sky above.

With the measly light from the moon, they could make out the pointed roofs, remnants of the former mist hugging their tips. In the distance, a tall tower pushed out of a building that had blended into the darkness, probably the biggest one in the entirety of the town.

"I take it this is the Scorpio Clan?" Juliet suggested in a small voice. She hadn't let go of Kevin, who's arm was starting to throb with pain.

No one answered her, their eyes busy scanning the unfamiliar, silent place. It was dark without any streetlamps, the curtains drawn in all the houses as if everyone was asleep. The wind snapped at the evergreens, and Ultima folded her arms tightly against the cold, her blood red coat crumbling underneath.

"So, now what?" Her question was directed towards her cousin, who had pulled out his phone and turned on the torch.

"The castle is where we need to go." His eyes were fixated on the tower as he spoke. Then, he shone his light on the road and began walking briskly. "Let's go."

"Right." Kevin had turned on his phone's light as well, so Juliet didn't bother reaching for hers.

The road dropped slightly downwards as they paced on it, a winding pathway up agaed laedinh to the ominous castle. With cautious steps, Juliet Starr at the houses and little shops they passed by, the meager torches showing her bits of writing on signboards and such.

She was about to look away, when her eyes caught something she really shouldn't have seen.

DRIED BLOOD TAFFIES AVAILABLE AT REASONABLE PRICES!

Bile sizzled up her throat, and her gaze snapped forward, a wave of dizziness sweeping at her feet.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kevin stopped to steady her as she held her head, soft blonde curls falling into his concerned eyes.

"I-I'm fine, it's just-" She inhaled forcefully before continuing: "Dried Blood Taffies."

"What?!" She had mumbled those words, but he had certainly heard the 'Blood Taffies' part. "How in the world did you even eat those? You're hemophobic!"

At this she glared at him sharply, unable to form a proper retort in her tired state. "You're hopeless. All of you." And with that, she flung her hand off his supportive arm, which he rubbed thankfully as he winced.

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"Father." A girl's voice boomed in the vast, mahagony room, the vaulted ceiling offering a long cobwebbed chandelier that was barely lit up.

"What is it, Isabella dear?" The man she had addressed sat with folded legs on a high chair, a woman too young for her age seated on the arm of it, twisting her soft purple curls with a finger.

"It is them." The girl named Isabella spoke once more, cautiously but accurately. "They are here."