Part III

Alallia walked through the halls hurriedly after the servant leading her to her father. He had been brought to the Mayor’s guest bedroom in his Lakehouse. She’d noticed the cards on the dining table, but she wasn’t surprised that her father gambled with the men. Each Saturday, he and his friends would relax and gamble a bit. It was never a very serious gamble. Usually it would be at Lord Alastair’s house, but this night Lilith had planned her Gala there. Alallia walked into the room and rushed to her father’s side, taking his hand in hers. “Papa…” She turned her head to the spectators in the room with her. She addressed the Mayor. “Tell me what happened, my Lord. What happened to my papa?” The Mayor, with a look of pity on his face, told Alallia that her father had just suddenly collapsed in the middle of their game, but that didn’t make sense to Alallia so she asked him to tell her of the events that had taken place that evening. And so he did. Her father had arrived after dropping Alallia off at Lilith’s Gala and then he’d joined the men at the dining table where their food had been served. He told her that they had eaten and then they started playing the games. Her father had never gotten up from the table once they started with the games. Alallia once again frowned, but then she focused on her father’s condition and felt for his pulse.

At once she was frightened, because there was no pulse, but after a few seconds she felt a slow, dull pulse. She was less frightened that her father was dead now, but much more worried about his condition. Was he in one of those ‘False Deaths’? His pulse was so slow and so faint. She worried that if he was not treated, he might truly die. “We’ve already called for the Priest to get your father’s body. His funeral will be held tomorrow.” Alastair said.

Alallia’s head swung toward him. “Dear sir, my papa is not yet gone from this world. His heart still beats.” Before she could go on, the priest walked through the door, announcing his arrival loudly. Alallia continued anyway. “Please, let me try to save him. I am the only medical practitioner in your town now. If I can save my papa from this cursed fate, this plague, then I might save this town along with him. You need me.” She asked, begged.

The priest snorted and came over to her father, feeling for his pulse. “The girl is in denial, there is no pulse.”

“But there is!” She insisted vehemently. “It is faint, but it is there.” She once again pleaded with Alastair.

Finally Alastair agreed to let Alallia attempt to save him, but her time was limited. He’d only given her until noon the next morning, but at least it was something. He’d given her a chance to save her only living family member and she was very grateful for it. He’d also arranged for someone to take him to his own clinic so Alallia would be able to work in a good, medical environment. Alallia also felt relieved that her father had taught her everything he knew about the medicinal world, for now she had a decent chance to save him. She was surprised that the Mayor trusted her with this task, since she was a woman. In this day and age, no woman was trusted with such things as a man’s work. Perhaps the Mayor was just pitying and humouring her. It didn’t matter. She would take the chance to figure out how to save her dear papa. The Priest grunted once again. “This is absurd. You’re trusting a woman with a man’s job, a witch no less. She is in denial, Lord Alastair.” Alallia scowled. She did so dislike the Priest. He was not a very nice man. He knew Alallia would hear him, even though she was not in the same room.

Alastair sighed. “That may be so, but she is right. She is the only medical practitioner in our town at this moment and we will need her.” He paused. “And do refrain from calling her a witch, father. There is no such thing and if there was, there is no proof. Besides, for all we know she will be successful in reviving Balthazar.” Alallia smiled. Alastair was one of the men she knew was well liked and respected, even by her. It also helped that he was standing up for her.

*

Alallia gazed at her father who was now lying on the patient’s bed. The doctor had become the patient. Alallia gave a sad little smile. If she were to fail in this endeavour, she would most likely lose her father forever. “My lady, is there anything I can do to help?” Alallia turned around and looked to the door where the Count stood. He’d stayed at her side even as she was told of her father’s condition, he’d even offered to help her. He was trying to get on her good side, and it was working, but she was also sceptical. Why was he so kind to her, a stranger? The fact that all ‘False Deaths’ had occurred when he arrived also made her suspicious of him.

Alallia nodded. “Count, come look at this.” She turned back to her father and held a feather close to his mouth. The soft grey fluffs barely moved, but if you looked closely you could see that they did ever so slightly �"which meant that he was still breathing. She put her finger at the base of her father’s throat, feeling for his faint pulse. She took the Count’s hand and pressed his fore- and middle finger to the same location. The Count must’ve been surprised at her out of character behaviour, but he remained quiet. “Do you feel anything?” He only shook his head. Smiling tiredly, she told him to focus solely on feeling for a pulse and, after a little while, he finally felt it. “People so easily believe that there is no heartbeat when it is as faint as my father’s.” She turned to the Count of Kuro Isle and took his hands in her own, looking at him through her lashes. “My lord, will you help me save my papa?” She asked, a silent plea in her eyes. Of course, Alallia already knew he would agree, for he had already offered his help, and so he did agree. As Alallia and the Count created different types of potions �"medicines- she told him of all she had discovered. Alallia told him that she had discovered that those who had recently been buried were not truly dead, but �"like her father- in these ‘False Deaths’. Alallia, still quite suspicious of the Count, kept a close eye on him as she talked. She wanted to see how he would react to this; if he’d show any sign of being the true culprit. She even attempted to enter his mind as she spoke, but it seemed to be too difficult a task as his mind threatened to pull her in completely. Alallia walked over to her father, holding a small bottle with one of the potions in it. She pulled out the cork and held the bottle to her father’s nose. If she was right, the strong aroma would wake her father. “I believe there is someone behind these ‘False Deaths’,” She watched the Count out of the corner of her eyes and sighed, closing the bottle again. No luck. Her father did not wake. “Someone who is targeting the nobles.” Shaking her head, Alallia took the next potion in her hand. The Count showed no sign of having known any of this. It was possible that the Count simply had not known of these horrible acts, but then he could just be skilled in the act of deceiving �"much like Alallia herself.

The Count frowned. “But who would do such a villainous thing?”

Alallia forced her father to swallow a bit of the contents in the next bottle, but once again nothing happened. He did not awaken, nor stir a muscle. “I have a few people in mind.” She turned fully toward the Count. “At the moment I can think of no less than 4 suspects. There was once a young boy who died in the care of my father, but he’d been taken to him too late. There had been nothing my father could have done to save the boy, but his mother had been furious and hated my father for his inability to save the poor child. She had broken several objects before someone had finally taken her away. She is my first suspect. You may think it improbable for a woman to cause such terror, but Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn, dear Count. Remember that.” Alallia smiled teasingly at the Count, before becoming serious yet again. “Then there’s a former noble who got stripped of his title because he had gambled and had been in too much debt. He despises and envies us nobles because he does not have what we do. There is also a Madman who thinks us nobles fictional creatures who bathe in virgins’ blood.” Alallia chuckled. “But if that were true, many young girls would have been slaughtered to get that blood �"including myself. And then there is the fourth suspect,” Alallia turned her gaze to the Count and held his stare. “Whose identity I will keep to myself for the time being. I will investigate this person on my own.” It was the Count of Kuro Isle himself. She could see that the Count wanted to know who this last suspected person was, but he did not push her for an answer to which Alallia was grateful. She feared that if the Count asked too many questions, she might let something slip and he’d know she suspected him.

The rest of the night, Alallia and the Count made potions and made Balthazar swallow it, but none of it worked and he never woke up. By the time dawn broke, Alallia had become desperate. A few hours from now her father would be buried alive, never to be seen again and doomed to die within the confines of a cursed casket for no one would believe Alallia. She was a woman and according to them, that meant she was not smart enough nor experienced enough to know much. She was doomed to live the life of a woman, doomed to be looked down upon. The Count tried to assure her that they could still succeed, but with the impending expiration of their time, she knew that their chances were too little, for they had as little as 10% of a chance to succeed in their quest to awaken her father. Potion after potion was ingested by her father, yet nothing ever seemed to stir him. Despair was at the edge of Alallia’s mind, but she would not give up on the revival of her father. One way or the other, she would make sure to see her father alive and happy again. She would not let anyone stop her. “I will not give up.” She muttered to herself. She could see the Count watching her, but she did not care. Alallia worked hard and conjured up every which potion and antidote which she knew of, almost exhausting most of the supplies she would need to treat injuries and illnesses. Each and every one she made, she let her father swallow about a pint, but it never made any differences. Her father did not awaken; he did not stir. Finally noon came and the Count gently touched her shoulder. Alallia leaned on the table, her whole body shaking while tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. Several tears dropped onto her father’s hand before she wiped her eyes. She despaired for her father. He was to be buried alive and should he wake up, he’d wake to be in a coffin with a limited amount of air to breathe. He’d suffer horribly. She couldn’t bare it. Alallia clenched the Sapphire stone on the choker in her grip. She had not slept nor had a chance to change her clothes yet. She was tired, cold and she felt helpless to stop the following events. As if to mock her, there was a knock on the door. Alallia slowly walked to the door and pulled it open. She stepped back to allow the men to come inside the room, but she refused to meet their eyes. She felt ashamed for her lack of success.

Alastair Williams cleared his throat. “It seems you have failed. That is a shame.” He paused, seeing the look on Alallia’s face, and with a whisper filled with remorse he spoke again. “I am sorry for your loss.” Alastair knew that Alallia’s only family had been Balthazar and now she was all alone. She could not save her father anymore, she had no more authority and did not have a say in the matter. Without further ado, the Mayor of Ashville ordered men to take her father to the church where Alallia’s father’s funeral would be prepared.

The Count of Kuro Isle suddenly wrapped her silvery cloak around her shoulders. Alallia started. She’d forgotten this at Lilith’s house, had he gotten it for her? If so, to wrap it around her, he must’ve seen how cold she was. She quietly thanked the Count and watched the men take her father’s body, tears yet again threatening to fall. How could someone do such a thing to her kind father? He had done nothing to hurt anyone and yet… One tear fell down Alallia’s cheek as the men’s carriage rode away, quickly followed by another tear. Soon her tears were flowing down freely. Having noticed this, the Count wrapped Alallia in his embrace. “Do not lose hope, Lady Alallia. We may still be able to save your father.”

Alallia shook her head in confusion and looked up at him. “But how? How could we possibly save my papa?” She asked, her voice filled with despair.

“I have regretfully seen my fair share of death before, my lady, and if I am right, your father will have at most two days to live after he has been buried. If we can find the person or persons responsible for these heinous acts before then, we might be able to get them to tell us how we can wake him and all the others and at the same time we will rid this beautiful little town of the miscreants.” The Count smiled at the hope he saw shining in Alallia’s eyes. “First I will see you home safely so you can rest and then, after the funeral, we can question your suspects and see who is behind it all.” She nodded and allowed him to take her home where she once again was met by Seraphina who instantly ushered Alallia �"now the head of the house- to bed and thanked the Count for bringing her Mistress home safely. Alallia exchanged her ball gown for her night gown and got into her soft bed. Not long after, the young girl fell into a deep, troubled sleep.

*

Alallia let the warm water soothe her tired body as she let one of the maids help get her cleaned up and ready for her father’s official funeral. The maid’s name was Cecile. She was one of those who had been frightened of Alallia, but having seen the girl’s pitiful state a few hours past, she’d realised that she was just another girl �"with strange abilities of course. Cecile scrubbed the grime and sweat off of the young girl and put Yasmine-scented oils on her before helping her out of the bath. Alallia tiredly let the maid help her get into her black dress, this one less revealing then the ball gown she’d worn a few hours prior. She had only gotten a few hours of rest before Seraphina had woken her up. She felt like there should be dark circles around her eyes, but saw nothing in her mirror and she felt worse than she looked. She was going to watch her father be ‘put to rest’ as they say. Everyone believed him to be dead, save herself and the Count of Kuro Isle. Worse still, was that she had to be there, she �"as the new head of the LeStraut house- had to watch as they buried him alive. Alallia was handed a bowl of porridge to eat, but she had no appetite. The most she could eat was two spoons full and an apple. She tied a black cloak around her shoulders once she finished and pulled the hood up over her head, hiding her face in the shadow. Alallia waited for her carriage to arrive and instantly climbed inside as soon as it stopped. She was in no rush to get there, but she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t muster up the courage to speak to anyone, not even the maids. She’d been silent from the moment she had been awakened. Alallia focused on the sound of the horses’ hooves on the ground and the whirring of the wheels of the carriage as it was pulled. She sat completely still even as the carriage jostled over the rocky path, not falling like the previous night. She knew the path like the back of her own hand; she’d been on it many times �" most recently 5 months past. She’d gone to her mother’s grave almost every day for 4 months after she’d been buried to mourn, and then she stopped going altogether. She’d stopped grieving. She did visit her mother’s grave from time to time, but not as frequently as she had then. Finally the carriage became more still as it moved. They were now on the grassy path. Not 5 minutes later did the carriage stop and Alallia was forced to get out. She knew she could not sit and wallow in her sorrow, she had to get out. She walked toward where everyone else was waiting, her family’s plot. They had once had a family crypt, but the previous generations of her family had filled it up. There was no room for Alallia’s mother or father. She looked up only to see that her father’s body was already in his casket and he’d been dressed in his best clothes. Alallia’s heart broke at the sight. He seemed so peaceful in the casket, it was almost as if he truly was ready to leave this earth. As if he was ready to see his beloved Ariadne again. Even if that was the case, Alallia could not let him leave her, not like this. She was selfish, sure, but dying from lack of oxygen was a horrible way to go. Alallia watched the service in silence, feeling many eyes on her, but she never lifted her head up to acknowledge them. Many people spoke kindly of her father and most of what they said was the truth, but there were some who had not even been his friend who spoke of the good times they had had. Alallia hated those people for telling such lies. The Priest asked her if she wanted to say a few words, but Alallia declined. She did not have the courage to speak in front of these people. She already knew they suspected her for all that has happened. Nothing she said would make them think otherwise. She watched with a painful throb in her heart as they closed his casket and lowered her father into his grave and Alallia clenched her jaw. She had to save him. She had to spare him such a terrible death. He’d had no choice in what would happen to him, but he had the right to die an honourable death. Most of all, she could not lose her only family. Many people had brought flowers and now they threw them onto the casket. Lilies, roses, petunias, daffodils and tulips all fell onto the mahogany casket, all of them silent goodbyes. Alallia turned away as the gravediggers covered the casket with dirt to fill the hole. She felt a single set of burning eyes on her and looked up to find the source. Not too far away, she noticed Lilith standing under the shade of a large tree watching the funeral from afar. Their eyes met and Lilith briskly turned on her heel to walk away. Alallia frowned as she watched Lilith’s retreating back.