The girl was still banging the doors.
"Let me out! Let me go!" She screeched and cried her heart out.
While I was terror-stricken standing there, watching the empty space in front of me.
I knew that I saw those six women. I believed myself. But I couldn't believe my own eyes now.
The floor beneath my feet felt like sliding away slowly.
"Let me go, Severa!" The girl yelled at the top of her lungs and let out a heart-wrenching sob.
I flinched and felt the shivers running down my spine. Turning around to look at the door in the darkness, I couldn't even make out the slightest shape of objects.
I hadn't heard that voice before, it seemed. Or even if I did, then I had never heard this girl screaming before. Now I couldn't guess who she was.
But she was definitely not Rosetta or Noira.
"Severa!" The girl cried while letting out the loudest scream.
I thought of walking towards her in worry but the sound of loud footsteps rushing echoed around. I had to hide.
So, I ran towards the left turn, directly opposite to the corridor from where someone was calling my name moments ago.
There was a big metal pot lying like a showpiece there. I kneeled behind it while hearing the loud screams echoing everywhere. But then I caught the lantern's light spreading around. Biting my tongue in nervousness, I hurriedly got up and put it inside the metal pot. Covering the mouth of the pot with the hem of my cloak, I sat behind it while glancing up at the ceiling.
The light wasn't bright enough to catch attention. But they were Lycans. I couldn't hide for long.
"Oh dear, no." The voices came along with the foot sounds. They were coming from the stairs to run towards the girl.
"No! Stop! Hold her hands or she will rip all of her hair!" One of them yelled.
The screams turned into wails as they tried to get a hold of her while I gulped hard.
The atmosphere felt so disturbing and scary. Because like the background music, I could hear the same screams coming from the upstairs. They were echoing as if there were more girls getting desperate to leave this temple.
"We shall take her to the room and chain her up." A heavy voice echoed while I cupped my mouth. My eyes widened in shock.
"Two are tied already. This one will create more havoc like the old times. She is getting worse with each moon." The other girl said while my eyes narrowed in curiosity.
"Yes. If Sister Lucine wakes up from her chants, she will be furious. We all know what she will do then. She won't allow any of us to go out the next moon." A velvety voice said that sounded like Alma and I was guessing already.
"No. No. No. We can not let that happen. That's the best thing we can afford here. We need to silence her."
"Let me go! I need to see my mate!" The girl let out the loudest sob while I tilted my head to rest on the wall.
"Then, must we give her the sleep potion."
It was Emily. It was her.
I released a small breath in relief that she wasn't the one crying out loud.
"Take me to my mate. I beg you all, " the girl cried while my eyes lowered at remembering Keira's plight. Not just her, the pain in Pete's eyes, in Aunt Ilona's eyes—I could understand it all.
"We will, sister. We will." Emily said, her voice probably shaking in sympathy.
My lips parted in sadness and pity until I gasped at the sudden realization.
Did she call her sister lovingly or was it truly Reveka?
The girl started sobbing hard while the others may be carried her as a lot of shuffling and grunts were heard.
I didn't move a single inch when they passed the corridors.
When the voices turned faint and it got completely silent, I finally let out a sigh.
Taking support of the wall, I looked up and thought about my motives for tonight. I hadn't done a single round of this temple to look for the ashes. All I did was, getting scared and hiding.
I was of no use to Chelsea.
What was the point of climbing all the way to this temple and not finding out the secrets?
But this darkness was cutting through my courage. All I could wish for was to go to bed and sleep the night away.
I couldn't do that. I needed to go back and look Chelsea in the eye. I needed to smirk at myself in the mirror. I needed to be better than this.
Wiping the warm tears that escaped smoothly off my cheeks, I quietly got up and took out the lantern from the pot. It didn't create much noise and I started tiptoeing back towards the main corridor. Peeking towards the right where the space was empty in front of Severa's statue, I took a long breath.
Walking close to the wall, I got closer to the main hall where the girls were dancing in the evening. Peeking back at the stairs, no one was there now.
It risen my confidence and I almost reached the statue.
For a moment, I thanked the six girls for not being real. As now I could easily look around Severa's feet. But they did scare the shit out of me. I still had to wonder if it was a trick or something.
My head raised a little to take a peek of Severa's radiant face. But nothing was visible in the darkness. This made it scarier for me. Because I kept imagining her features more bold and dark.
Glancing down at her feet, I walked closer and forwarded the arm with the lantern. Shivers ran down my spine when I saw the carved nails and skin of her feet. The shape of the fingers and toes were so beautifully defined.
The roses from the evening dance were still there. I walked passed them to reach the statue and gulped hard in uncertainty.
Bending down, I hurriedly moved my hands around her feet, touching every space. As they were big and finely carved. The floor around them was checked too.
But nothing seemed related to the ashes. If the ashes were buried inside the floor beneath her feet, then I was a lost cause. Nothing could be done.
All that left now was moving away from here and exploring the other sections of the temples.
I hadn't gone towards the left side of the temple and thus, without wasting any more time, I started walking between the pillars.
The mirror image of the stairs that I had left behind was right ahead of me. But that would only lead me to the upper floor I knew. Thus, I took the corrupt and explored the ground floor hurriedly. Taking the first ever right turn, I found the wide corridor full of so many doors.
As I walked passed them hurriedly, I could feel the sweat beads trickling down my forehead while the throat was chilled with continuously harsh breathing. The gusts of wind were so chilled. Everything around was so dark and cold.
This side of the temple felt so silent.
Shifting the lantern in my left hand, I walked past the doors only to stop at the bigger ones on my right side. The door wasn't bolted. So, I pushed it slightly and brought the lantern forward.
Entering inside, I looked around and saw the reflections of light around the shelves.
It was a big kitchen.
Immediately, my stomach growled and my throat felt dry. Gulping slowly, I walked closer to the shelves and found the earthen pots on the marbled counter.
Finding a glass from the shelf full of organized utensils, I picked up one of the glass and took out the water.
Drinking hurriedly, I took large gulps of water and let out a huge gasp.
Wiping my mouth, I was about to walk towards the large marble rectangular sink in the middle of the shelf at another wall. But my steps halted the moment I heard it again.
Misty. . .
The glass fell from hand in the horror.
Fearing getting caught any soon, I picked up the lantern that I had put on the floor hurriedly and jogged out of the kitchen. The door shut as I pulled it close.
Turning around, I could already sense someone coming to this corridor. Whoever it was, must be coming from the back of the temple. Because the sound of someone walking came from that way.
I hurriedly ran back towards the front near Severa's statue.
A loud scream echoed around followed by a loud slap.
My eyes widened and I looked up immediately.
All the sanity left my mind when I saw someone holding a lantern on the third floor, looking down at me.
My heart started throbbing in terror while the woman in cloak brought the lantern closer to her face.
I couldn't recognize her seriously. The shadow and light were hiding her face so well despite the lantern's light near her face. She was far and I couldn't even concentrate because of the continuous screams echoing around.
It felt like I was spending a night at a mental asylum.
The woman turned her head and walked away after a long stare. She went towards her left quietly while I gulped hard shakily.
Feeling the chills against my spine, I walked ahead under the roof. My hands roamed against the carvings of wolves and faces on the pillars that Lucine had shown me at the beginning.
Giggles erupted from the stairways that I had left behind, making me stunned. I hid behind a pillar to sense three-four girls running around in fun.
"The Goddess would smell you, Maya." One of them chuckled while running after her.
"I have no face on my mind. But my own, " the girl yelled, making them chuckle. "A black shadow. An empty space yet in the form of a man. The Goddess knows. She allows it. Because she too must have done the same."
The girls giggled again while running towards the way of the kitchen.
I blinked in shock while looking around in the darkness. A hiss escaped me as I had touched the warm glass of the lantern by mistake.
Misty. . .
I sighed helplessly while tears erupted in my eyes. God, I didn't want to be here anymore. I missed Karam. I wanted to be with him than be anywhere.
My lips quivered at the thought while the loud gusts of wind came fast from my left side. All I could see was darkness there.
Raising the hand holding the lantern, I walked towards the corridor.
The heart was pumping loudly. Legs were shaking. The throat had dried. Eyes were twitching.
My courage was diminishing the moment it started to rise.
The graph was going up and down. Flat and steep. Zigzag.
Misty. . .
My soul was tired of ignoring this feminine voice. For some reason, it felt sad. Yet it was just spine-chilling. Cold and echoing.
Misty. . .
I kept walking slowly.
The light of the lantern couldn't spread easily, it was that dark. Forwarding my other hand, I kept alert to avoid falling or bumping into a pillar.
Misty. . .
The voice kept echoing in my ears. Slowly, the atmosphere turned silent.
No screams. No giggles.
Misty. . .
Just her voice. It kept pulling me slowly.
Even the motives had left my mind. The ashes. Chelsea. Exploration. The purpose of being here.
My body was moving ahead on its own and I had no problem with this.
The wind stopped coming from the front and instead, was heard crossing beneath my ears. The hood of my cloak had fallen already.
In front of me was a pillar. Bringing the lantern closer, I observed the shadows of women sitting around a bonfire.
Lowering the lantern, more drawings came in sight. Women around bonfires. Dancing naked. My eyebrows raised at the flames drawn so high from their heights.
Looking up, the carving continued up. There were more ladies drawn in cloaks and sometimes just naked. The hair was shown as long and silky.
I was so busy studying the drawings that I completely ignored the sound coming from my left. Something wooden was being beaten by the wind. Rattling. It caught my complete attention when I heard the voice again.
Misty. . .
I stumbled back away from the pillar in shock. Because it felt like someone had just whispered my name in my left ear.
Ants started crawling on my skin while I felt my eyes getting glossy.
Yet the sound of rattling wood kept me distracted. I raised the lantern and walked ahead. The sight of the dark wooden doors nearly polished and decorated with iron hooks and loops, made me suck in a huge breathe.
Reaching closer, I roamed my hand over it only to pull it back slightly. It was freezing cold. There was a little dust but not enough for me to claim, that it wasn't touched for months. But surely, these doors weren't being opened daily. There was no lock either.
Removing the iron needle out of the loop, I took a long breath. Pushing the one door open, I forwarded the lantern slowly.
My heart reached my throat at the huge gusts of wind that slapped my cheeks. It was freezing cold.
Entering the room with my soul-shaking inside, I walked ahead while clearing my throat.
The walls were closed as of a corridor. I kept walking ahead until my foot bumped against the wall. Lowering myself, I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
There were stairs.
Straightening up, I looked for the railing. But there was none. I bent again to observe how the stairs were going round and that was when it hit me.
I gasped and straightened up in shock. Slowly, craning my neck, I looked up at the sight.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
The faint moonlight was falling across a section of whatever I could see at least forty metres high. Standing down here with faint light hitting the round walls at different spots like little spotlight, I had gotten the idea of where I was.
The voice brought me here.
But I wasn't ready to move. The gusts of wind were refreshing and chilling. But this was claustrophobic even then. The stairs must be too many to reach up there.
I gulped hard and shook my head. No, I couldn't do this. Because going above, the round wall was turning narrower. Congested.
A mere slip of feet would be dangerous. I would end up dead by either harsh cold breathing and dried throat or by broken bones.
I couldn't do this.
My lips twitched in restlessness as I couldn't make a decision.
When all of a sudden, I felt heaviness behind me.
Like a presence.
Faint hair blew against my right ear and I shuddered hard.
Shaking in horror, I tightened my fist and clutched the lantern hard.
Before I could even turn around to look at the intruder, a horrifying wail occurred right behind me, making me whimper in utter fright.
Wasting no more, I went to the only way I had ahead of me. Sticking myself to the wall, I started climbing the stairs one by one while the wails turned into mixed laughter and screeches. Mixed voices yet it felt like was coming from one person only who was now following me. Because the voice wasn't fading. Instead, it as rising.
Anxious and breathless, I let out a sob in fright and climbed the stairs hurriedly, not looking back. At times, I stumbled upon my dress and cloak, nearly slipped to roll back down the whole stairs and die. But I saved myself in time by stabling balance. Holding the dress with one hand, raising it up to my knees, I clutched the lantern tight and pasted myself to the wall completely.
Climb and climb. My heart kept beating fasted as the wails didn't silence.
Misty. . .
The voice came from behind.
When I glanced back at the darkness, the soft and cold voice turned into the horrifying wails again.
Tears flowed helplessly while sobs escaped in plea for mercy. For the time to rewind back to when I was in Karam's arms safe and secure.
I begged for that relief.
I hissed hard when my knee hit right at the stair. The bone inside felt stuck and shivers ran across the whole thigh on the right side. Stabling myself, I winced and sobbed. But the frightening voices of the witch that was following me didn't stop.
I climbed ahead with all of my might.
Stairs and stairs.
Ten. Twenty. Forty. The counting was endless.
For a moment, even when I couldn't see much in the darkness, my head was spinning because of the wall roundness.
After twenty more stairs, a small window came. Equal to the size of my face. I put the face to it and felt the wind reaching out to me. But the moment the wailing of the monster continued, I shrieked and kept climbing ahead.
"Help!" Escaped my mouth. "Karam!" I sobbed while holding the lantern shakily.
Taking the support of the wall, I slid myself above by each stair.
"Karam!" I gasped and sobbed heartily. "Please take me away. Come and take me away." I cried while climbing ahead.
Misty. . .
Whimpers escaped me and I squeezed my eyes shut. Opening them, I kept climbing ahead with nowhere to stop.
When it felt like half an hour had passed with the voice of the devil woman fading after me, I turned slow because of the fatigue.
Yet I didn't stop. Because the moment I wound dare do it, I would be followed and frightened again.
The tears never stopped. They were my only support. Slowly, the darkness started fading.
The moonlight had illuminated the upper section of the tower, making my sobs fade. Gasping hard for water, air and rest, I kept climbing.
The circle had turned smaller and now, the head was spinning crazily.
I kept myself pasted to the wall. With one hand the dress was raised and with other the lantern. My back had chilled from consciously being rubbed against the freezing wall.
Nose felt like it was peeled off from inside. Eyes felt tired and yet blank. Burning yet so cold.
Blinking rapidly, I kept moving ahead until the last fifth stair turned me mesmerized.
I couldn't move my eyes off the window and the big moon visible from here.
So bright and enchanting.
I took the five steps tiredly in relief and walked ahead while not moving my eyes off it.
My mouth opened in disbelief while eyes felt relieved all of a sudden. Heart started to calm down and the silence was dominated only by the gusts of wind and nothing else.
I put the lantern down and reached the window only to realise that it was big enough for two people to sit on its shelf and even stand. The shelf was reaching my stomach.
The wind up here was so cold and fast.
Yet so peaceful.
Blinking sleepily, I looked around the space.
The moonlight was spread across all the lower mountains and trees on them. The dark shadow areas were covered with mist and clouds. Squinting my eyes, I looked far away to the downtown. Not much was visible. I could make out the ant-like houses of the village. But not in details.
Faint growls echoed around and I tilted my head. My eyes narrowed and then straightened at catching Lycans running around the top of the houses and hills. Climbing over the trees and howling at the moon.
Some wolves were running around the valley too being chased by the Lycans who seemed authoritative and much taller than them.
My lips parted when a loud howl came from the left side of the jungles of the valley. I squinted my eyes and saw a Lycan running and jumping around the trees.
But something was different.
It didn't click until my eyes turned blank.
In this dark night, under the white moonlight, the furs of those two Lycans were shining bright unlike the matte black Lycans.
My eyes widened at the realization.
I stepped back in shock and hit my foot against the lantern. It didn't turn much and I kept it away, closer to the wall.
My gaze went to the stairs and the walls were visible now. Not dark anymore. Even the rest of visible stairs looked bright enough to not use a lantern.
Something else caught my eye all of a sudden. My eyes raised above the stairs and fell on the another window. This one was smaller just like the earlier one. The size of for one's face to fit in only.
I walked over the floor to reach the spot and put my hand on the wall. Peeking through this window, my eyes squinted to observe the shiny silver clouds in the fark sky. The moonlight falling over them look so beautiful. They were passing quickly.
For a moment, I nearly fell asleep standing there with my head resting against the edge of the little stone window.
Where was Karam? How was he? Was he missing me as much as I was missing him?
The sighs of longing escaped my mouth. I just wanted to lay down on the floor and sleep peacefully. But that would lead me to my death because of the coldness here.
Maybe, the wailing woman was my illusion. It was my inner conscience wanting me to reach the top of the tower anyhow.
I felt crazy.
But it was worth it.
The wind. The clouds. The moonlight. It was charming. My stomach was filled with butterflies.
The howls sounds painful yet understandably romantic. These were the howls of love. Looking for the mates. Reaching them. Thanking the Moon Goddess for showing up. For brightening up the night. For reviving the hidden love in all the hearts.
Fifteen to sixteen minutes passed with me standing there and wondering the happenings of life. Pondering over my decisions and mistakes.
I was having a talk with myself. Only because of the peaceful environment. Yet it felt so wild because of the harshness of the wind. This was high. So high. I wondered if the fall Rosetta talked about was higher than this tower. Or maybe, some magical mystic river was falling from the sky.
Breathing softly, I started at the shiny clouds slowly going from the peaks of the large mountains far away. The top now looked clear and edgy.
But then, something caught my eye.
Something humongous which looked so small from being this far.
Behind the two peaks of the two mountains covered with misty clouds were eight towers of different heights.
My eyes narrowed to study the detail and make a guess.
I did and the eyes widened in disbelief.
Shivers ran down my spine.
When I needed a sign for my guardian angel to agree with this assumption of mine, the voice came so smooth in my ear like an alive whisper.
Misty. . .
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"What do you think?"
Please vote and comment.
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Thank you so much for your patience.
I completed this chapter sweating like crazy even in the fresh coldness of AC. Because summer in North India is insufferable.
Waiting for rain of relief and so many comments. Because I missed you all. 🥰