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He sneaked forward, making certain that no sound escaped his mouth or was revealed by his movements. That was the game's norm. He needed to remain undiscovered until he was ready to make his presence known in order to win. He navigated the darkness by following the silver moonlight that seeped inside the cottage through the partially opened window.
As soon as he entered the front room, his eyes fellupona young woman pacing from left to right, holding a candle in her hand. He had no doubt she was the healer's daughter. Her walk was graceful, and he couldn't help but be attracted to her. Despite being tied in a bun, her hair was falling out. Her foreheadwas glistening with sweat beads, and her expression was solemn.
“Oh mother, where have ye kept it?” she questioned; looking up at the sky from the open window. He could tell she was looking for the same thing he was — but for very different reasons. They were both thinking about the interests of different people. He knew that tonight, however, it would only be his interest that would be realized, but he needed to act quickly to ensure that everything went as planned. He had made a mistake the night before, but he was not going to repeat it.
He continued to watch as she set the candle on a nearby table and began to tear through the small shelf on the other side of the room. He hoped she'd find the paper he'd come to look for. He knew he couldn't stay hidden or this still for much longer. She began to throw out books and papers, carefully inspecting everything. Her gaze was fixed on the task at hand, and she wasn't looking elsewhere. Her attention was solely on the parchments stretched out in front of her.
This was why she didn't notice when he stood up from the partition wall and hid behind the tall curtain that was partially open inside the living room. He was now even closer to her and could easily attack her when the opportunity arose. He narrowed his eyes as her hands came to a halt on a piece of paper and her eyes darted across it at breakneck speed. His heartbeat became frantic, and his breathing labored. He knew this was what they were both looking for.
A shiver ran through the young woman's body as she looked up and inspected the room around her. He could tell she was scared, but he had no idea what she was afraid of. She was probably aware that the piece of paper she was holding was desired by several others. If she was wise, she would also know that her mother was murdered because of the very piece of paper she now possessed. He continued to examine the paper as closely as he could to ensure that it was correct. From behind the curtain, it appeared to be a birth certificate, one that had been kept hidden for far too long.
She turned to look at the parchment in her hands once again; her fingers visibly shaking. He knew that she was upset; her whole body was the proof of that.
“Ronin,” she whispered softly; her voice almost inaudible. He held his breath as he waited for her to continue. For confirmation, he needed her to say aloud what she had seen written there. He had no desire to kill or injure her for no apparent reason. She spoke once more, as if she had telepathically heard his thoughts.
“This means that mother was right. She had been guarding this secret for far too long. Oh god, this must be the reason that got her killed. Ronin is not the laird's son – and this is a secret that someone wishes to keep hidden. Someone is trying to keep this secret tucked away. But, nae, I'm not going tae let that happen,” he hands trembled as she muttered to herself, “Ronin has returned, and I will tell him everything. He is entitled tae know the truth about his life and birth.I'll ensure he finds out.”
He smiled to himself as he heard her whisper encouraging words to herself. He wanted to burst out laughing because he had finally gotten what he had come for, and he knew what her near future held. She expected to be able to easily reach Ronin and tell him the entire story, but that was not going to happen. He was here to put an end to all of her plans and shape them to his liking. Her fate was a toy in his hands, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
“I must go now – before it is too late,” she whispered again and turned around to walk towards the main door of the cottage. As he stood up straight from his crouched position, he knocked a vase off the table with his sudden movement. He noticed her eyes landing on the fallen vase on the floor andshe stopped breathing. Her gaze was drawn to the curtain, where he was hidden, and he was certain she was aware that someone was there— watching her. If she was smart, which he knew she was, she would realize she only had a few precious minutes to live and that her life was about to end.
He stepped out from behind the curtain, watching her eyes widen. In comparison to her small, childlike figure, his tall frame appeared to be a giant, and he wondered why the world was so unfair. Killing her would be far too easy. He could tell she wasn't as brave or ferocious as her mother had been and that she wouldn't even fight. He was quite depressed at the prospect because the sweetness of killing became even sweeter when the victim was courageous enough to oppose him. He waited for her to dash for the door, but she remained motionless in the center of the living room.
“Who are ye?” she finally questioned; her voice nothing more than a short squeak.
“That doesn’t matter,” he replied.
“What are ye doing here? If ye are a robber, ye can take whatever ye want and leave. I promise I will not put up a fight or call for help,” she bargained and he felt like laughing once again. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew he wasn't a robber. He was clearly here for the secret piece of parchment she was clutching tightly between her fingers. She was aware of everything, but she remained silent.
"I am not a robber. I am here for that," he replied, pointing to the birth certificate she was holding. Her breathing became shallow, and he noticed fear in her eyes. He took a few tentative steps towards her, and she backed away until her back hit the wall and she had nowhere else to go.
“Please, let me go,” she whispered; a few tears trailing down her face. For a brief moment, he wished he could leave her. He wished he could just take the paper from her hands and let her go, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. She had read the paper— she was aware of the secrets that lay beneath it. And she could reveal it to anyone, at any time. The risk was far greater than he could tolerate.
“I wish I could,” he finally replied as he closed the distance between them and snatched the parchment from her hands. He tucked the piece of paper safely away before picking her up from the ground as if she weighed nothing. She began yelling and screaming. He could feel her fists pounding on his chest, but there was nothing he could do. He needed to make certain that it was done.
“Let me go, please. I promise I— I will not say a single word tae— tae anybody. I swear— I swear on my dead mother,” He moved quietly to the back of the house and out into the small yard as she continued to sob. Her cries fell on deaf ears, but he allowed her to scream a little longer before her voice was permanently muffled.
He threw her down on the grass and felt his waist belt for his dagger. The dagger, to his surprise, was not there. A large stone came hurtling towards him from the ground below and landed squarely on his chest before he could even think. He looked down and noticed she was looking for a weapon to help her. He did not have the time to find his dagger, he needed to dispense of her now.
He knelt down and looked her in the eyes. He saw the certainty of her own death reflected there. She knew she couldn't defend herself against him, so she accepted her fate. He strangled her, wrapping his fingers around the soft flesh of her exposed neck, until her eyes rolled back in her head and her soul left her body. He stood there watching as she collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless. He waited for the familiar pang of guilt that came with a murder, but there was none.
The only thing he needed to do now was get out of here and make sure the birth certificate reachedthe right person. He stood up, but his gaze was drawn back to the small body that lay motionless on the grass. He knelt down and picked her up, laying her on one side. He quickly dug a shallow grave with a shovel that was leaning against the wall he had jumped over. He'd never imagined himself digging a grave for anyone, but she was too innocent to die in vain. This was not her fight, and it was not a problem she should have been involved in. She was too pure, and he had murdered her.
He picked her up and gently placed her in the grave. He watched her milky flesh turn earthen as the soil rose over her body, ensuring she remained hidden, completely concealed, as he threw the dirt back in. He picked a few flowers from the yard and placed them upon itonce the ground was roughly leveled. He wasn't sure what people would say if they found out what he'd done, but he knew he wasn't completely heartless. Mostly heartless, but not entirely.
CHAPTERTEN
“Edna, darling, why are ye still in bed?” Edna could hear her mother’s voice in the background but opening her eyes felt like a huge task. She had hardly slept a wink last night and the effects were starkly visible.
“Edna, wake up. We have tae go tae the market,” her mother insisted once again. She squinted against the sun as it shone on her face from the open window of her room and hid her face under the pillows once again, not yet ready to face a new day. She was very sleepy, and her mind felt sluggish as she tried to process everything that had happened yesterday. It had been a long night and had ended on an frightening note. Edna opened her eyes suddenly as the deafening scream rang through her memory; reaching her ears once again.
“What things?” she asked her mother; her voice groggy from sleep.
“Ye get up first and then I shall tell ye. Did ye not sleep well last night?” she asked and Edna blushed deeply as thoughts of the previous evening entered her memory. She couldn't forget what had happened between her and Ronin, but the memory of those beautiful moments was always followed by the scream they had heard in the middle of the night, the scream she couldn't let go of or allow to escape her mind. She needed to know who the woman was and why she had screamed in suchagony.
“Nae, I couldn’t sleep much. It was a strange night,” Edna answered softly as she pushed away the sheets and placed her feet on the cold ground. Her mind was suddenly clouded with thoughts of the mystery woman.
“It was a strange night indeed, Edna. Something terrible happened,” her mother said suddenly as she sat down beside her on the bed. Edna turned to face her mother, a puzzled expression on her face. She had no idea what her mother was talking about, but she assumed it had something to do with thathorrible scream.
