TheSequelReturns
Faithful Crusader
~ Cainhurst Manor - Dining Room ~
The somber mood that hung over the group seemed to dull everything, even the taste of Violetta's five star cooking. The chef hadn't been seen since her initial appearance, but it seemed that she didn't yet know about the strange circumstances that had so far befallen the estate.
The staff did their best to follow the standard routine, but it was easy to tell their hearts were no longer in it. There were few smiles. No jokes. Hardly any small talk. The festive decor and delicious food did nothing to change the fact that someone had been killed and the master of the home was missing. This was a fact Alena was the first to voice.
"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop ****ing avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!"
Jules' expression softened at his daughter's outburst. As much as the decorum-obsessed side of him wanted to reprimand her, he knew she was right. They should be doing more, hunger be damned.
"It is natural defense mechanism for prey to gather in herds. Makes it harder for predator to enter their mists." a familiar Russian voice said. Yuri and Belle entered the room together and took seats at the table where they could. "Now we are all together." Yuri said. "We stay close, killer can not strike unseen."
"Unless one of us is the killer." Belle said quietly. Though the curly haired maid had taken a seat, she simply sat with her head down. She hadn't even reached for a plate. Lucy gave her a raised eyebrow and a glace that suggested she should do her job, but Belle either didn't see or simply ignored her.
Yuri shrugged as he stuffed a bite of vegetables in his mouth. Not a single meat item was on his plate. "Still, killer will have hard time killing in crowded room."
"Isn't Alena right though?" Orianna asked. "Shouldn't we be out doing something about all of this? Looking for Kieran? Anything?"
The orange haired maid, Katrina, sighed. "What else can we do? We can't even go looking without putting ourselves in harms way. Especially if some psycho is out there in the dark."
Jules nodded. "I agree with Yuri. What is safest for all of us is to stay together."
"In that case..." Gregory looked off towards the kitchen and gave Lucy a look.
The raven haired maid nodded. "Yes, I should tell Vi what's going on." Lucy took a deep breath, clasped her hands to compose herself, and headed off into the kitchen. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then the door burst open and Violetta came stumbling out of the kitchen, a batter soaked whisk still in one hand and a flour stained apron around her waist. Her face was twisted with grief.
"Not my little Sai Sai." she said between sobs. "Please tell me it isn't true."
Lucy knelt with her against the wall, Katrina and Gregory heading over for support. It became apparent through her sobbing that she and Saizo had shared a special relationship between them, though what exactly that entailed was not elaborated on.
After Vi managed to calm herself, she simply sat there on the floor, her back against the wall, whisk sitting on the floor in a small puddle of batter. Katrina stayed with her. Lucy had gone back to the kitchen to ensure that whatever Vi had been working on didn't burn to a crisp in the oven and returned a few minutes later with a large cake pan upon which rested a massive chocolate cake, though by this point Yuri seemed to be the only one looking forward to it.
"I'm sorry Vi." Lucy said. "I truly am. If only all of this could have been prevented somehow."
"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." a voice called out from the back of the room. The voice fell over the group like honey, sweet and smooth and rich. All heads in the room turned to see a figure standing at the far side of the room, opposite the kitchen doors. It was impossible for them to have gotten in the room through the kitchen or the entryway doors without being seen by someone, and yet there they were. The honeyed voice belonged to someone even more impossible though. For the woman who now stood before the group looked for all the world like the woman from the painting in the foyer. She looked like Beatrice.
"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago." Her words fell from perfect lips that rested upon the face of an angel. Blond hair as richly colored as spun gold flowed over her shoulders in flawless waves. She wore the same wine red and royal purple and brilliant gold dress depicted in the painting, the same pristine white gloves on her hands with the lace around the edges, the same unearthly air about her that suggested all adornment was beneath her. And her eyes were the same icy blue, her gaze piercing right into your heart, as it had in the foyer when those eyes were but a painting that held you in its gaze. "You all have a part to play dearies." she continued. "There was never any other way."
"Who are you?" Orianna asked.
"Is it not obvious?" the woman said. "I am Beatrice."
"Did you kill Saizo?" Gregory asked. Beatrice laughed, a haughty but strangely angelic sound. "Answer me!" Gregory shouted. He started to repeat himself but Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth agape, trying to form words but no sound was coming out.
"I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak." Beatrice said coldly.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jules was on his feet, eyes burning a hole through the strange woman.
A thin smile slowly spread on Beatrice's lips. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn, but spending a second or two longer on Sybil, Callum, and Haze than the rest. "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed, the angelic tone fading into something far more sinister.
"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her porcelain face broke into a demon's grin. "Play your part."
No one in the room moved. The weight of this strange woman's presence was suddenly so heavy that the air seemed suffocating.
"You have four options dearies." Beatrice said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else."
"To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks." Beatrice smiled that angelic smile from the painting once again. "I am a benevolent witch dearies, so in this difficult pursuit I shall grant you all a boon. Anything I say in red will be absolutely true."
"What do you mean... 'say in red'" Jules asked hesitantly.
Beatrice seemed confused. "Why, this of course dearie." She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers. "Anything I say in red can not be a lie." As she spoke those words, the same words appeared in the air before her as bright red letters seemingly made from glowing light.
"You will see me again, I assure you." Beatrice said. "And anything I say to you in red will be information you can trust. As for anything else... well, I am a witch." she grinned. "Wither you trust me or not is your responsibility. But I will leave you with a head start."
"I am not the one who killed Saizo, nor was I the one who made Kieran vanish." Again, the words appeared before her as she spoke, floating in the air like magic only to fade away after a moment.
"How can we trust you to tell us the truth?" Orianna said nervously.
"It is quite simple dearie." Beatrice said. "The Red Text can not lie. It is not my rule, it is simply how it works. Let me show you what a lie looks like in Red Text." The golden witch cleared her throat. "My name is Kieran." she said with that same power. But this time, the red letters only appeared as:
"My name is"
The word Kieran simply did not appear. Instead, only broken red shards appeared in its place, like the word "Kieran" had been smashed to pieces.
"Red Text does not lie." Beatrice said sternly. "Doubt me if you will, but the rules of magic are unbreakable."
"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.
The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face. For the first time, she truly looked like a witch. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist."
And with that command, the Golden Witch Beatrice snapped her fingers and exploded into a cloud of golden butterflies that flew through the walls and vanished, her laughter echoing as it faded away.
The somber mood that hung over the group seemed to dull everything, even the taste of Violetta's five star cooking. The chef hadn't been seen since her initial appearance, but it seemed that she didn't yet know about the strange circumstances that had so far befallen the estate.
The staff did their best to follow the standard routine, but it was easy to tell their hearts were no longer in it. There were few smiles. No jokes. Hardly any small talk. The festive decor and delicious food did nothing to change the fact that someone had been killed and the master of the home was missing. This was a fact Alena was the first to voice.
"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop ****ing avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!"
Jules' expression softened at his daughter's outburst. As much as the decorum-obsessed side of him wanted to reprimand her, he knew she was right. They should be doing more, hunger be damned.
"It is natural defense mechanism for prey to gather in herds. Makes it harder for predator to enter their mists." a familiar Russian voice said. Yuri and Belle entered the room together and took seats at the table where they could. "Now we are all together." Yuri said. "We stay close, killer can not strike unseen."
"Unless one of us is the killer." Belle said quietly. Though the curly haired maid had taken a seat, she simply sat with her head down. She hadn't even reached for a plate. Lucy gave her a raised eyebrow and a glace that suggested she should do her job, but Belle either didn't see or simply ignored her.
Yuri shrugged as he stuffed a bite of vegetables in his mouth. Not a single meat item was on his plate. "Still, killer will have hard time killing in crowded room."
"Isn't Alena right though?" Orianna asked. "Shouldn't we be out doing something about all of this? Looking for Kieran? Anything?"
The orange haired maid, Katrina, sighed. "What else can we do? We can't even go looking without putting ourselves in harms way. Especially if some psycho is out there in the dark."
Jules nodded. "I agree with Yuri. What is safest for all of us is to stay together."
"In that case..." Gregory looked off towards the kitchen and gave Lucy a look.
The raven haired maid nodded. "Yes, I should tell Vi what's going on." Lucy took a deep breath, clasped her hands to compose herself, and headed off into the kitchen. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then the door burst open and Violetta came stumbling out of the kitchen, a batter soaked whisk still in one hand and a flour stained apron around her waist. Her face was twisted with grief.
"Not my little Sai Sai." she said between sobs. "Please tell me it isn't true."
Lucy knelt with her against the wall, Katrina and Gregory heading over for support. It became apparent through her sobbing that she and Saizo had shared a special relationship between them, though what exactly that entailed was not elaborated on.
After Vi managed to calm herself, she simply sat there on the floor, her back against the wall, whisk sitting on the floor in a small puddle of batter. Katrina stayed with her. Lucy had gone back to the kitchen to ensure that whatever Vi had been working on didn't burn to a crisp in the oven and returned a few minutes later with a large cake pan upon which rested a massive chocolate cake, though by this point Yuri seemed to be the only one looking forward to it.
"I'm sorry Vi." Lucy said. "I truly am. If only all of this could have been prevented somehow."
"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." a voice called out from the back of the room. The voice fell over the group like honey, sweet and smooth and rich. All heads in the room turned to see a figure standing at the far side of the room, opposite the kitchen doors. It was impossible for them to have gotten in the room through the kitchen or the entryway doors without being seen by someone, and yet there they were. The honeyed voice belonged to someone even more impossible though. For the woman who now stood before the group looked for all the world like the woman from the painting in the foyer. She looked like Beatrice.
"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago." Her words fell from perfect lips that rested upon the face of an angel. Blond hair as richly colored as spun gold flowed over her shoulders in flawless waves. She wore the same wine red and royal purple and brilliant gold dress depicted in the painting, the same pristine white gloves on her hands with the lace around the edges, the same unearthly air about her that suggested all adornment was beneath her. And her eyes were the same icy blue, her gaze piercing right into your heart, as it had in the foyer when those eyes were but a painting that held you in its gaze. "You all have a part to play dearies." she continued. "There was never any other way."
"Who are you?" Orianna asked.
"Is it not obvious?" the woman said. "I am Beatrice."
"Did you kill Saizo?" Gregory asked. Beatrice laughed, a haughty but strangely angelic sound. "Answer me!" Gregory shouted. He started to repeat himself but Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth agape, trying to form words but no sound was coming out.
"I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak." Beatrice said coldly.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jules was on his feet, eyes burning a hole through the strange woman.
A thin smile slowly spread on Beatrice's lips. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn, but spending a second or two longer on Sybil, Callum, and Haze than the rest. "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed, the angelic tone fading into something far more sinister.
"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her porcelain face broke into a demon's grin. "Play your part."
No one in the room moved. The weight of this strange woman's presence was suddenly so heavy that the air seemed suffocating.
"You have four options dearies." Beatrice said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else."
"To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks." Beatrice smiled that angelic smile from the painting once again. "I am a benevolent witch dearies, so in this difficult pursuit I shall grant you all a boon. Anything I say in red will be absolutely true."
"What do you mean... 'say in red'" Jules asked hesitantly.
Beatrice seemed confused. "Why, this of course dearie." She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers. "Anything I say in red can not be a lie." As she spoke those words, the same words appeared in the air before her as bright red letters seemingly made from glowing light.
"You will see me again, I assure you." Beatrice said. "And anything I say to you in red will be information you can trust. As for anything else... well, I am a witch." she grinned. "Wither you trust me or not is your responsibility. But I will leave you with a head start."
"I am not the one who killed Saizo, nor was I the one who made Kieran vanish." Again, the words appeared before her as she spoke, floating in the air like magic only to fade away after a moment.
"How can we trust you to tell us the truth?" Orianna said nervously.
"It is quite simple dearie." Beatrice said. "The Red Text can not lie. It is not my rule, it is simply how it works. Let me show you what a lie looks like in Red Text." The golden witch cleared her throat. "My name is Kieran." she said with that same power. But this time, the red letters only appeared as:
"My name is"
The word Kieran simply did not appear. Instead, only broken red shards appeared in its place, like the word "Kieran" had been smashed to pieces.
"Red Text does not lie." Beatrice said sternly. "Doubt me if you will, but the rules of magic are unbreakable."
"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.
The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face. For the first time, she truly looked like a witch. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist."
And with that command, the Golden Witch Beatrice snapped her fingers and exploded into a cloud of golden butterflies that flew through the walls and vanished, her laughter echoing as it faded away.
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