Chapter 155 - Into The Forest- Part 1

Belle didn't react and instead got inside the carriage and Lucas followed her to tell the coachman, "Take us to the next town," he said to have the coachman nod, who hopped on to the seat and pulled the reins of the horse. 

The Grim reaper who stood outside the carriage turned its head slowly and Belle who sat next to the carriage door could hear the crackling sounds that appeared to come from the Grim Reaper. It was almost similar to the sounds that was created by the ghoul she had met but this one was louder and clearer. Belle shivered at the sudden coldness she had experienced. It was strange how she didn't feel the coldness when she was with Lucas and Barron but when it was the other reapers, she could sense and feel the atmosphere of death that was cold and void. A feeling of emptiness that was consumed by her bones. 

The crackling sound was heard because the reaper had turned itself to look at her and she could feel the red eyes staring at her. To avoid possible eye contact, Belle closed her eyes and leaned towards Lucas's shoulder to place her head, as if she was tired and wanted to rest. 

When the carriage started, neither did Lucas or Belle speak until they were far away from the church they had been too. 

Belle finally released her breath and asked,

"What was that?" she whispered even though it was just two of them inside the carriage, "I have never felt that cold. It felt like moving past a block of ice."

"That was the second Grim. Warth," Lucas said in a serious tone, trying to understand what the Grim reaper was doing in front of the church, "He must be here to collect Isabell's soul."

"But she still has time," said Belle, "It felt more like it was testing us."

"Warth has seen me come and go. He must have placed his suspicion on me that I am the Grim who stole her soul and helped her cheat death." 

"He doubts you," Bell was severely worried on how grave things were turning out now. 

Lucas nodded his head, "You could tell that. Though I am a person in disguise, it doesn't stop others from doubting. The tenth Grim, Baltimore was the one who got framed for what I did. Served him because he was helping the black witches in killing Isabell. She was one of the most powerful ones until she died and returned. Warth usually steps in to make sure no one would cheat death again and the Grims follow the rules. If I am not wrong he's currently looking for Baltimore."

"What if they find out you were the one who actually swapped her soul and it wasn't Baltimore?" asked Belle. She didn't want anything happening to Lucas. 

"That won't happen. If they had to they should have known the moment it happened. The Grims are trying to get to each other, some of them placing traps for the past and for the future that they want," he said, pulling out the letter again and burning the letter in the palm of his hands that turned to ash in a blink of an eye, "Isabell knew about the involvement of the black witches because with the prophecy comes the hint. But she had her doubts in the council on how things were not straight. Whoever was working in the council took the step to end her so that she would not be able to find anything."

"Was it a person?" asked Belle.

"I am not sure about it. Though Isabell lives a new life, she doesn't remember important details that occurred previously. Like a memory loss which puts her in a disadvantage position," said Lucas. 

The carriage stopped when they got to the town, the coachman pulling the reins of the horses and both of them got down. Belle remembered that this was a village a few months which was recently remodelled to turn to a town. 

"What are we doing here?" asked Belle, looking at the tall buildings that looked similar to the ones in Isle Valley, "You know Nelison used to live here before."

Nelison was the servant who had gifted Belle with the stuffed rabbit when the fair was set up in the village. The servant had passed away though. When she was young, her parents had told her it was because of sickness but it was when she grew up did she get to know, that it wasn't an illness but she had been killed by the rogue vampires. 

Lucas didn't have to know that Belle was favoured greatly by the servants in the mansion because of the way she was. 

"I heard there has been two more villages that were pulled down and rebuilt on the word of the magistrate."

"It wasn't the magistrate," corrected Lucas, "Come let me show you something," he said to take her along with him. They walked inside the town, moving to different streets, "A village can hold only some people in it but towns, it has the ability to house more people. And people who are of a higher class than the lower ones." 

"Was it the council?"

"The word did come from the council but not the right people. Do you see the indentation on the ground," he asked looking down and Belle followed the line of his sight to notice a straight line that went past from one street to another, "The architect was given the work to build houses and buildings but it was the council who spoke about plumbing and how they wanted to design it."

Belle was no illiterate when it came to the witches or the vampires or how the council worked. She was the girl who had initially planned to work for the council. She murmured, "Witch markings."

"I found it yesterday. The other town that was built during the same period of time has the same plumbing. Disconnection won't work because the black witches have completed the marking and the ground is ready for a massacre." 

"What are we going to do?" Belle asked looking at Lucas to receive the reply,

"Nothing."