Chapter Eight

Lillian witnesses Dante in Action.

             When Lillian awoke the next morning, her heart swelled at the sight of the tiger lily, still gently held in her hand. Cupping the flower afraid to bruise it she quickly gets out of bed and heads for the washroom. Once in there she looks for something to put her treasure in only to spot something pinned against the back of the door. Placing the Lilly on the wooden table she examines it. It was a small delicate dagger driven a good half inch into the wooden door with a piece of Parchment it was also driven through. Although it was deep in the door it was clear the person who put it there made it easy for anyone to take it out which Lillian did gently so not damage the parchment. On one side her name was neatly written in handwriting that Lillian could not identify. Making sure no one was around she shuts the door to the washroom and leans against it for extra security. Taking a deep breath Lillian carefully opens the note.

 My lady I write this to you as you sleep next to me the moonlight glowing against your silky hair. Forgive me for writing this note but I cannot stay. I wish I could be here when you awaken but I have some business to attend. When you do find this which I hope you do meet me at the old willow tree in the place we first met. I will wait for you there all day. Forever yours Dante.

          “Forever yours Dante.” Whispers Lillian feeling her cheeks blush at his words. ‘Where is the old willow?’ she thinks to herself tucking the note in the hidden pocket within the folds of her dress. 

       “THE CEMETARY!” she almost shouts. Rushing around she gets dressed and makes her way downstairs. “Father I am going to the cemetery to visit mother I don’t know when I shall return don’t wait up for me I will eat lunch and dinner in the square.” She tells her startled father who just sat down for breakfast. 

        “My child what about breakfast?” he calls after her his words falling on deaf ears for Lillian was already out of ear shot. Glad she grabbed her cape she pulls it tightly around her as the wind whips around her trying to burry itself under her collar. 

        ‘Just get to the tree you will be warmer there. Dante will be there’ she thinks and quickens her pace. She slows almost to a stop as the village comes into sight, she didn’t want people seeing her. She veers off to the left and goes on the secret path that she knew would take her directly to where the tree was.

         The sounds coming from the tree is what makes Lillian stop dead in her tracks. It was a sound she had never heard before but knew what it was. It was the sound of something being slaughtered. She quietly creeps toward the tree and makes a lunge for the bushes that obscured the path directly in front of the tree. The sounds were louder and Lillian could hear the gut wrenching sounds of liquid gurgling as something’s throat was being slit and filling with blood. Trying not to get sick she takes deep breaths only to be assaulted with the taste and smell of thick copper almost as if she had eaten it. The taste was so putrid and so horrible she can’t control herself as she goes into a coughing fit. A hissing sound along with the sound of metal scraping against something makes her coughing die quickly in her throat. 

         “Show yourself or you will meet your fate early.” A deep and mean voice says from the tree. 

        The color from her face drains as her brain goes numb. She knew that voice although she had never heard it that threatening and menacing before. She would have stood up and shown herself if only her legs would work. Why wouldn’t they work? 

        “I Said Show yourself you cur!” the voice yells. Gasping Lillian jumps up and shows herself. She slowly emerges from the bush and faces Dante. Only she didn’t see the Dante she knew. The man before her was surrounded by an unnatural sea of red that was pooling out of the lifeless body of a fancy dressed man. 

       “Oh my god I knew him! That’s sir Rhys!” She says breathlessly not able to take her eyes away from the horror. A slight movement from the corner of her eye makes her head snap up to see Dante who stopped dead in his tracks. 

        His appearance was disrumpled There was a stain of deep red on his black jacket and his usual neat ponytail was coming undone letting a tiny piece of hair to fall in his eyes. When she didn’t run away from him he moves quickly to her. Wanting to run she tries to but fails for her legs wouldn’t budge it was as if they were torturing her to stay and continue to see this nightmare. 

         Once he was in front of her something shiny in both his hands catches her eyes and she looks down at them wanting to scream at what she sees. Blades at a length she could not calculate in her state of mind were held tightly in his grip. Blood slowly dripped off the curved swords and started to congeal sickenly in some places. Noticing that she was stared wide eyed at the blades Dante throws them behind him so that they were out of sight. She looks again at the body gasping and starts to cry. Moving to block her view of the body Dante puts his hands on her shoulders. 

        “Lillian deep breaths please just take deep breaths close your eyes.” At this touch she once again freezes and instantly stops crying. She looks at him with a look that makes him flinch and take a step back. The look was of Pure Fear and Horror

Author's Note

I wrote this Chapter