The Mist Comes To Remnant

Chapter 13

Emerald looked hurt, but more than that worried. "Mercury go find Salem or Watts or someone!" She called to him.

With a nod he took off out of the room only to bump into someone and fall back on his rear. Looking up he saw dark red eyes that stared straight into his soul. Nothing in his life was able to make him feel smaller and more insignificant than that glare.

"C-cinder's awake." He said to which she simply moved past him and into the room.

Walking into the room Salem saw something that was slightly concerning to her. Cinder the half-maiden was trembling in a corner while the girl's… pet? Stood by looking helpless.

"Cinder you've awoken." She said as she took slow steps forward.

Cinder paused in her incoherent mumbling and looked up for a second before it started again.

"… can't, I can't… no more… never more…"

"She's been like this ever since-"

"Girl go fetch Watts and send him here." Salem interrupted not looking away from the trembling brunette.

"But-"

Salem broke her gaze away from Cinder and sent a glare to the greenette, who quickly shut her mouth and ran out the room.

'Children of today, they know nothing of respect.' She thought with a shake of her head before returning her gaze to her youngest subordinate.

"Cinder." She said in a quieter tone stepping forward once more.

Said girl flinched back but fell silent. Terrified amber eyes met calm red ones.

"Calm down you're safe now child." She soothed as she knelt to the girl. She may be an immortal witch, but every once in a while, long-thought dead maternal instincts would appear if only for a moment. Cinder seemed to bring out that side of her more than any of her other subordinates, and right now… there was little to no trace of the proud girl trying to play the role of an adult. Now all that sat before her was a scared child.

After a few moments of silence Cinder seemed to calm slightly.

"With the acknowledgement of it I'd imagine you still know your name, but do you know who I am? Where you are?" The witch asked probing.

"Y-yes mam. If you're here, then we're in the Grimmlands." She answered quietly. After calming down a bit she was trying to process everything.

"Good." Salem said standing from her kneeling position. "Arthur will be here shortly to check up on you. After that I need you to brief me on what happened to you, and you'll need to be caught up on what's happened while you were comatose." She said turning away.

"You called for me mam?" Arthur Watts' voice came from the hall.

"Yes, come in and check the health of our fall maiden." Salem ordered, missing the immediate stiffening at the mention of those words.

"Right away mam." He replied looking down the huddled mess that was Cinder. 'How delightful…'

With her orders given Salem left the two alone to focus on other things. Specifically, Tyrian.