The Mother

Chapter 9

  As they headed down the path, they saw that to the left the drawbridge that had led to the entrance of Castle Dimitrescu had been raised meaning they could no longer get back into the main parts. Scarlett didn't really mind all that much, they had found all the could inside and was happy to be free of the deadly place. Ethan led her down further and she really began to feel the cold, she was a small woman, and it didn't take much for her to get cold even with all the things inside her. She had discovered that little fact during her trek through snow with Jake and Sherry before they had been captured.

"I really wish they hadn't dressed me like this. Who does that though? Puts a woman in a dress and heels with no real way of keeping warm in a climate like this?" Scarlett asked as they went to search the small shack near the drawbridge. Inside they found a note about an item that had been requested that was supposed to be in a house with a rede chimney in the village. They went to the caves and Ethan shot the lock off so they could get inside, following them and dropping into a small pool of water where Scarlett made Ethan wait while she used her knife to kill the three fish swimming inside so she could give the meat to the duke along with the spices she had taken from the castle kitchen.

They headed up the stairs and could hear the hag's voice echoing through the cave tunnels as they walked. Scarlett still felt there was something off about the old woman and really didn't want to deal with her, but they had to in order to try and get back to the village and hopefully the duke. Ethan pushed the door open slowly to reveal the woman with her back to them in what looked to be a room of worship.

"As the midnight moon rises on black wings, we await the light at the end... In life and in death, glory to Mother Miranda." The woman said as they walked to her side and saw her standing before an alter holding a strange key up before she lowered it.

"Hey, remember us? We almost died up at that castle. Tell us what is going on around here?" Ethan demanded as the woman turned to look at them. Her face held a strange expression as her light eyes looked over the pair, her gaze shifting to Scarlett which made her skin crawl with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"How can a man be 'almost' dead? And a woman undying? That's a question for the wise." The woman said turning to the alter once more and placing the key in an ornate box before she closed it. Her words didn't settle well with Scarlett, how could she know that Scarlett couldn't die, it made her wonder who the woman really was. What part did she play in this whole mess they had found themselves in.

"You know what I mean. And we still haven't found Rose. Where did Mother Miranda take her?" Ethan asked and the woman began laughing and he had to stop Scarlett from grabbing the woman and shaking her until she gave them a straight answer. Scarlett's nerves were shot, and she didn't want to deal with an old crazy woman who refused to tell them anything substantial.

"You're too late! Or maybe...'almost' too late? The child will be sacrificed. Life for life. " The woman said with a tilt of her head before she turned from them and began walking to the large stone etching on the wall.

"What kind of sick medieval shit is this? She's just a baby." Ethan said as the woman used her staff thing to show them the wall and Scarlett's eyes registered the large Umbrella symbol with a strange thing in the center, it was surrounded by crest images in each corner. Scarlett frowned, this was far older than the Umbrella Corporation from the look of it, so she guessed somehow, they had seen the symbol and decided to use it for their own image over the company, minus the crests and the weird thing in the center.

"The crests of the four bloodlines may open the path you seek." The woman said as they walked closer, Scarlett reached out and traced her fingers over the engraving.