Chapter 16 - Maiden and the Well

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Turning on his heels, Alexa came across Locke, alive and well, coming her way.

"Thank God! she exclaimed, "Found Iain?"

"No, I put down two of them. They are mad bitches, completely mad! They cursed me before they died, and died happy because they were going to serve 'their goddess' in Hell! Their words!"

"These doors are impossible to be opened until dawn. But someone on the other side of the door told me that the spell might be in the well! I believe this well is connected with that pit in the meadow…"

"Don't tell me! I definitely don't want to know. Do we have to undo an evil spell? Just tell me how," the mercenary said, cutting off the mystical part which he never had interest or patience for.

"There's a big man with an mace outside, I was afraid of meeting him again! Let's go to the well, I need to see what I find there. You give me cover."

"Very well," was Locke's simple answer, and the pair once again went out onto the manor's courtyard, but the maiden was far more relieved to have the virtuoso swordsman at her side to deal with the big guy.

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"You are a very brave Lady. Many women would not have this presence of mind,' said the Captain. The Prince added, though,

"In fact, it's a little hard to believe."

"It may be hard to believe, but that's what happened. I went into the well while my bodyguard held the rope which he tied me with. It was too dark to try fishing an object with the bucket without knowing what to look for. I had a torch, and descended the well trying to see what the 'spell' could be. Of course I was scared! Then I found it. A little sack that contained weird half-moon 'coins'," the maiden said, a little annoyed by the prince's constant taunting and sarcastic tone. Despite feeling Father Agnello's heavy gaze upon herself, Alexa knew that this information could be known to someone and she didn't want to be caught hiding more than she should. But definitely, she was exhausted by the report and the ups and downs of the day. Perhaps it would be interesting to show a little tiredness at this point. Besides, Locke's death still stirred her emotions.

"To the Prince, who treats me like a suspect, it may seem that I am creating this grotesque fantasy out of my crazy mind. Unfortunately everything was real. When I saw him this morning, I was sorry! I was sorry wished that the Prince and his men could have crossed the border earlier to fetch his Bride along the way, instead of waiting by the border. Surely today I would not be here giving a report on my actions in the middle of the night!"

"… "the Prince just shut up, and Alexa, still frowning, continued her story,

"When I took that purse and opened it, the spirits were even more restless, and I knew I had touched something I shouldn't have! My bodyguard shouted to me that he was pulling me up,and there was a tone of urgency in his voice! And to be honest all I wanted was to get out of that well as soon as possible. It felt like a mouth from hell was opening under me as he pulled me up! I clung with all my strength and faith to the rope he had bound around me, and even before he could get me out of there, spirits plunged into the infernal abyss whose gaping mouth used that mere well as a channel with the world of the living The spirits dove down to the underworld with terrifying howls and extreme voracity, while I was trying to make the contrary movement! I just asked the Heavens for that hope to hold me tight so I was not thrown into hell …"

She covered her eyes, showing want to forget the incident, and after a few minutes in silence, the Captain asked,

"Unfortunately we have to continue, Lady Saskia. After that, what happened?"

"When we realized that the spell had been broken, we ran back to the mansion to open the doors. Those locked people left in despair without even looking back. They just ran out in disorder, shouting, apparently without proper direction. In the impression that it was all over, Master Locke and I wanted to find our friend, and we started looking for him when I remembered that there was still a woman upstairs.

So Master Locke said we should get her out of there too."

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After the souls sought their freedom and headed for the well as if it had indeed the power to lure them past Lex with their thirsty frowns, the maiden went. hastily hoisted by Locke. As he took it off and began helping her untie, Lex realized that his hands were shaking. She looked up and saw that the dark hair of the mercenary was streaked with white gray. The abrupt passage of that number of souls by him had left a physical imprint, and probably had touched his unbreakable spirit as well.

They just looked at each other, checking each other up and down, clearly trying to know without asking if they were physically well.

"Let's finish this," said the mercenary. "You advance with your holy torch and I cover you. Let's get Iain, get the rest of the people out of here, if there is someone left."

Grabbing her makeshift torch again, Alexa marched into the great manor, now knowing that these souls were no longer trapped in the physical world. They could leave whenever they wanted. Her job was to guide them, and though it wasn't the nicest thing in the world, the maiden gritted her teeth in determination to make it happen by the end of the night. When they arrived in the great Hall, they found poor Iain's corpse, respectfully placed on a table. The scene was one of complete chaos, torn tapestries and broken furniture, thrown objects and the scent of death and rot pervading everything. The maiden wasted time wrapping Iain properly with the white linen towel, like a shroud, with affection, so that he had his farewell ritual in the most appropriate way. While Alexa was doing this, Locke checked the spot, but Alexa didn't really pay attention, dedicated to her task as she was.

A sharp, sudden scream cut through the night from upstairs. The first scream was followed by several others, broken by loud sobs.

The sense of urgency was quite clear, and they both ran for the stairs immediately.

They reached the chamber on top of the mansion turret, whose path was clogged with fallen objects and bodies. Advancing with her torch, Alexa led the way, until they reached the door of the room where Lady Cordelia was cornered by the remaining spirits.

The maiden entered the door cautiously as the screams were suddenly muffled.

"Hmmmf!" she heard fighting noise and struggling movements.

The first thing Alexa saw was the four poster bed, with the veils closed. At first her mind played tricks on her and she wondered if she had been deluded by a ghostly call, drawing her here. But the heavy bed made dragging noises. Alexa took two more steps with her torch, approaching, and realized, with horror, what was happening. Three Shades were dominating the young woman, who was trying to struggle. Their intentions were clear. They intended to violate her.

"NO !!!"

Without much thought, Alexa threw herself against them, in bed, setting fire in the gauze curtains in the process. She touched them, the Shades, with her hands on blue fire, furiously shouting at the exorcisms and their crimes. The wicked Shades squealed in despair, being wounded by the flame emanating from the Light Bearer's hands, trying to escape. But Alexa chased them and definitely expelled them from the land of the living toward the judgment they deserved for this posterior crime.

When she finished the third and last exorcism, she turned and saw what she already saw behind her. Curtain fire was rapidly spreading through the room. She looked for the maiden who was being attacked, and saw her huddled in a corner, trying to protect herself. Alexa went to her, unable to understand well why the girl simply had not run away in the meantime, instead of staying in a room on fire, and reached out to help her. At that moment, everything was very frantic and she really didn't pay so much attention, her blood seething with the emergence of each of her actions.

"Gotta go! Come on!" she called, and the girl pulled on her partially torn nightgown, trying to cover herself as she cringed.

Alexa then realized that her outstretched hand still emanated blue flames, and simply turned her back on the other maiden, urging the Flemish girl to follow her out.

That was when she saw the masked giant with the mace standing in the doorway, treading on Locke's chest.