Quickly, Idalia pulled one of the covers around herself. Tore a part of it to strap Arik to her. Grabbed the lamp on the side table and yanked off the delicate top so the strong golden polished metal part could be useful in attacks.,
She pulled the door open and began her search for an exit.
The raven was gone by the time she made it out of the room. There was not a single trace of it.
That was unsettling.
Idalia's grip tightened around the lamp and she gently placed one finger across Arik's lips. As if to tell him to keep quiet, as if he could understand.
The mansion was too quiet, and felt empty. But it was too large for her to reach that decision, and something in her was more than certain that someone was here.
Hadn't the evidence of a person's presence been reflected everywhere?
Idalia looked around, pulling the cold air into her lungs.
Places like these would usually have passageways that led outside. She would know.
So she began to search for any secret passageways.
It was getting darker and darker. She was starting to rely more on the light that the small flickering white bulbs above provided. She hadn't even noticed that they were on before, not until now that it had gotten so dark.
Idalia's hands moved around the walls of the receiving room, believing that its empty exterior was just a trip. She didn't want to go upstairs again, it felt like a lure to more danger.
The walls didn't feel strange here, but she continued. Continued her inspection around the four walls of the receiving room. Only to achieve nothing.
She moved her inspection beneath the stairs.
"Hahahahaha!" She could hear the raven laughing somewhere in the building, but it sounded too far away, so it didn't make sense to think that the raven could see her.
But she did.
That stupid bird!
It was mocking her.
By Argon, she really hated them.
Click!
The sound dinged across the silent receiving room. A smile played on Idalia's lips as she felt that section of the wall push back beneath her hand.
She pressed it down even more and the walls slid open before her, to a lit stairwell that led to a hallway.
What was it with this mansion and stairways?
She let out a breath, hesitating.
What if this wasn't going to lead outside the building? What if this was a trap?
But then she heard the bird, its voice even louder.
It was approaching the receiving hall.
"Hello, Coin!"
This time though, Idalia did not run. The potential danger the secret passage way presented terrified her more than the trauma ravens had dealt her in her life.
She patted Arik gently, and she adjusted the lamp in her grip; just in case she would have to swing it against that raven and crush its head open.
She eased out a breath and turned away from the passageway.
But just as she had done that, something made her stop.
She looked back at the open passageway, at the light that further into the place, at the emptiness, and nothing assured her of safety.
So she tried to walk away again, but she couldn't.
Her heartbeat quickened, as she felt her body move forward. The moment she stepped in, the walls behind her slammed shut.
She turned back sharply to try to find a way out but the feeling that had pulled her here, pulled her attention back to the hallway.
Arik began to babble something and she quickly pressed her hand against his lips to keep him quiet.
Just never come back, like the others.
The words echoed in her mind but beyond that was this reckless curiosity that had suddenly taken over her, this warm feeling that blossomed in her heart and spread betraying goosebumps across her skin.
That must be it. These vampires must have the power to spread a false sense of safety. Whatever monster was in here, it must be the power that it had.
Just never come back, like the others.
This must be it. This must be why everything was clean.
The monster didn't chase, it attracted.
Fear flared up in Idalia.
There was no way she was about to walk to that monster and offer herself and her son as its feast.
Her son!
By Argon, she wasn't going to let anything happen to her son!
She tried to fight but her body refused her. It was as if it wasn't her own. As if she had been possessed by something whose loyalty lay vehemently with whatever was pulling them in.
Her body moved forward, quietly.
She had never had to fight against herself this way before. The existence of the monster terrified her, but the fact that her bust was betraying her was a different type of fear she had never experienced before.
Her body didn't stop moving until she came face-to-face with a door.
Her body trembled even as they reached for the doorknob. She screamed at herself to stop, for her to turn back, but her body simply refused.
It was as if something in here was beckoning for her. Something she simply couldn't refuse.
Then she pushed the door open.
It moved silently under her command, and her gaze fell on the hooded man whose face was buried into the neck of another, who sat very still on the floor.
His face was turned to Idalia and there seemed to be no light in his eyes.
It didn't even seem like he could see her.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
She wasn't supposed to see this.
She just knew it.
Dread filled Idalia's veins, and she wanted to run. But her body stayed put. All that fear inside a stationary body.
She watched as the hooded man dropped the other like a ragged door. And just when she thought it couldn't get worse, the man looked right at her.