"Miss Ann! Miss Ann!" Pietro cried frantically as the others checked Angelica's pulse.

The woman had gone deathly pale and each of her breaths had turned into desperate gasps. Her hands were cold like ice, and the beads of her sweat were nearly as cold as her skin. She shuddered as if she felt winter's kiss on her lips, and she was even too weak to even hold on to the man who held her in his arms. From moment to moment, Angelica attempts to speak, perhaps to instruct them, but only blood would ooze out of her mouth, sliding down her purple lips.

It was a pitiful sight. No one knew how they could help her. Enzo held her gently in his arms, feeling nothing but regret and hatred for what was done to her. He watched the other men frantically look for medicine through her bag, but not knowing what was wrong with her was more than enough as a useless endeavor. Their faces were filled with despair, and every moment seemed to choke them from their senses as each became more desperate. They could not be blamed. The time they had spent time with the fortuneteller were far more precious than gold, and what they achieved from it was even far more better. Of course they would all have naturally grown into the woman.

Annoyed, the black woman suddenly yells at the men and told them something gibberish in an unfamiliar language. "Kupata mbali kutoka kwake, wajinga! Wewe ni kwenda kuua yake katika kiwango hiki!" she yelled angrily.

"Speak in our language, woman," snarled Abelle.

The black woman glares. "Stop doing your useless search of antidotes! It's clear that your woman's been poisoned with something lethal." She inspects the fortuneteller's eyes. Her eyes widen when she sees the continuous bleeding in her eye sockets. Ekundayo nearly vomits from the sight, worrying the rest of the group.

"What's wrong?" asks Azad, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Her wounds. Her eye sockets aren't healing," replied the woman. "They might have possibly poured some kind of mixture of some sort."

"Is there something we could do?" Enzo muttered, holding Angelica more tightly.

The tall woman sighs. "I apologize. There's nothing I know of to help this. But when I was but a wee little girl, my grandmother worked as a witch in our beloved homeland. Perhaps magic could do something."

"Are you going to use voodoo??" Jahan cried anxiously.

Ekundayo nods her head in reply, and then goes back to Angelica.

With her arms crossed, Celestina scoffs at the prince. "What are you? A kid?"

"Shut your mouth, thief," Jahan snarled back at the gypsy. Clicking her tongue, she stomps away from him and stood by Ekundayo who takes a knife from one of her pockets.

Afterwards, she carefully slashes her wrist allowing blood to flow a little from the cut. Letting her hand hang for a moment, the blood streaming down to the palm of her hand. But instead of dripping down from her finger to the floor, it formed a swirling pattern and it glowed ever so slightly. Not long after, her eyes shone into a completely white light. What's even more surprising was the visible stigmata on her forehead which glowed a bright golden color.

"Move aside," her voice boomed.

With that, she gestured them to leave, which they obediently did; only Enzo remained with Angelica still in his arms. Their eyes were wide with surprise and shock, utterly dumbfounded that they were at a loss of words. They had no idea as to how Ekundayo managed to gain such power, but more so to get her hands ahold of an Arcana card.

Pointing her middle and pointer fingers towards the fortuneteller's forehead, Ekundayo began chanting something in gibberish. It was beyond the others' comprehension, so they simply listened and watched. As she was doing that, more patterns covered her skin, glowing just like her stigmata, a color of beautiful gold. In a matter of moments, Angelica's condition began to stabilize. She stopped finally stopped shaking and she had stopped gasping for breath. But her grip on Enzo weakened until she finally lets go. The man quickly grabs her hand and squeezes it, raising it close to his lips. Gritting his teeth, he squeezes it even tighter.

Soon, the chanting stopped, and silence lingered. With beating hearts, everyone else refused to utter a word until the injured will. They didn't wait long once they saw her eyes flutter.

"Enzo. . you're breaking my hand," Angelica's voice broke the silence, bringing sighs of relief from her companions' lips. Without warning, Enzo kisses her lips, surprising everyone, but it also disgusted the men. The woman just chuckles a little and apologized for worrying them all.

Walking to her slowly, the men began asking her if she was alright, each holding her hands one by one. Angelica would simply smile at them, telling them that she was more than fine. She praised them for their perseverance, but Ekundayo received the highest praise from the woman. While she was doing that, the companions who were with her the longest began to miss the look in her eyes. The mysterious glint, the story that was hidden in her eyes had disappeared. The look of ease and confidence were gone. All that was left were the empty eye sockets, and they could not help but feel responsible for her loss.

However, the woman did not seem to have a tint of worry. It made them uncomfortable, but they did not remark or comment anything about it.

"I'm impressed to know that you've taken a firm ground on the Arcana," Angelica told the black woman. "Reminds me of the time I first formed a contract with La Stella."

The black woman remained stoic. "Thank you for the praise. But I do not understand why you brought us here to become contractors."

Shocked, Azad's eyes widened. "You two made contracts with—"

"The remaining two cards, La Sacerdotessa—the High Priestess, and L'imperatrice—the Empress," Angelica interrupts him as she got up from the bed, leaving a baffled Enzo. "The deck. . is finally complete."

"How amusing," remarked Connor as he isolated himself in the corner, merely watching everyone else worry about the fortuneteller. He was amazed, but he was suspicious about Angelica's calm demeanor. The man said nothing though, and decided to just watch everything unfold.

But before anyone could ask her what she meant, the group heard a violent commotion below their feet. They could hear glass breaking, doors crashed into, and the bloodcurdling screams of slaughtered men, women, and children. Anger and panic came upon the group with the exception of the fortuneteller, quite unusual for someone who's just been cured of poison.

Soon, heavy, impatient footsteps began to echo down the corridor, and Angelica quickly stretches out her hand towards the door where a glowing symbol covered the center. It functioned as a lock because it refused to open or budge. Angry cries yelled through the door, and fists pounded on it.

"I think it's about time we leave," said Celestina, turning to the window outside. She quickly approaches it, but Jahan pulled her back just in time a bullet was shot into the room.

"Are you stupid?!" he yelled irritably.

Instantly the girl slapped his hand away from her wrist and slapped Jahan across the face. Her face was red with angry, seething her teeth at him, and her eyes furious like a provoked lion. "Are you insane?! There's no other way out, idiot! Do you have any brighter ideas?!"

". . . no. ."

"Then shut your mouth!"

"But we'll be shot dead by the time we step out!" added Pietro, feeling beads of sweat roll down his forehead. Besides the two, the rest were calm. In fact, the seemed ready and confident to leave. They bore fearless faces, unafraid of what would come to them. Probably they were still affected by what happened to Angelica—it turned into a driving force. They had their weapons out as well, which made Pietro and Jahan anxious although Pietro were more afraid than anxious.

Seeing this, the fortuneteller just smiled. "I believe. . we're all ready to go," Angelica said calmly. "Celestina is right, there's no other way to leave than through the window."

Everyone just keeps silent and nods.

Angelica continues. "After this god-forsaken town, we will have to head to the next town for a train that will lead us to a town right next to Regalo. We will have to go there as soon as we can. What I learned at the dungeon was far worst than I had imagined."

The door pounded hard again, and they all quickly scrambled towards the window, running out of the window just as bullets came their way. They were quick to dodge them, but sometimes they would use their daggers as shields. Once they were out of the edifice, they quickly began running across the rooftops, making their escape. Even Angelica ran, almost as if she had eyes; her companions were more than amazed witnessing this. Even though she lost her sight, she protected everyone with her defensive skills. When a rain of bullets came at them, she used her abilities to shield everyone from getting hurt.

Suddenly, a loud bang exploded behind them, nearly knocking them off the building. Debris flew out of the building and onto the street where people screamed in fright. Quickly hastening their pace, the group hurried to leave the area until Angelica felt a chain wound around her ankle. Before anyone knew it, she was dragged off the roof and crashed onto the ground hard with a loud thud. The bystanders immediately dashed out of the battlefield, just as a robed man came into sight through the smoke. He was laughing hysterically, swinging his chain wildly which destroyed everything that got in the way.

Without thinking, everyone else jumped down and surrounded the fallen fortuneteller and they quickly put on fighting stances. Jahan was the first to rush to Angelica's side, and the first thing he did was remove the chain around her ankle before the man could drag her away when he gets the chance to. They could see soldiers coming in every direction with their hands held swords and guns, and all were pointed at the group's direction.

"Damn. We're screwed," commented Connor, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"We have to get out of here quick!" cried Celestina with her daggers drawn out. "Why am I helping you guys anyway? I didn't want any of this!"

Jahan frowned. "You're quite the loudmouth for someone who's supposedly a thief."

"Bastard, your friend couldn't even put up quite the fight," she snarled.

"You're a woman, of course he wouldn't do his best to hurt you," Jahan snarled back.

Before Celestina could hurl something back, both she and Jahan received harsh smacks on the backs of their heads. It was no one other than Abelle who did it, he was already irritated enough by their little disputes. "You two should just get married already and just shut up!" yelled the bespectacled man.

"Now, now. Cool your head," said Pietro, holding his own weapons which were pistols; his face filled with anxiety.

"You're one to talk," Abelle told his friend sternly.

"Please calm down," boomed Azad. "Now is not the right time to be arguing over trivial things."

"Agreed," said Ekundayo.

Angelica, like the rest, frowned in all seriousness, fully aware that they were in grave danger. There was no telling what could happen to them now that they were surrounded once more in the dark of the night. She knew more than anyone that they needed to leave, having the enemy know who one is, what one's plan is, and even one's weakness is more than bad enough. It puts them in a great disadvantage, especially that she does not know everyone. But she knew enough people to make her feel anxious. Despite her calm demeanor, the woman was the one who felt the most worry.

With her daggers in her hands, the fortuneteller whispered instructions to those closest to her, and they would nod ever so obediently. Suddenly, the woman staggered forward, dropping to her knees and began coughing out blood. Instead of Enzo being the first one to run to her side, it was Abelle. Ekundayo soon came with him to the fortuneteller's side. And the moment she would see the glowing mark on her chest, the black woman frowned.

Turning his gaze on them, Enzo began commanding his comrades instructions. "Abelle, Ekundayo! Take Ann away from here! There're too many of them! We'll all die at this rate."

"Enzo, what about Alfieri? Are we going to leave him behind?" Azad asks.

"We can't leave him!" cried Jahan. "He may have made a mistake, but everyone makes one from time to time!"

"I understand, but there's nothing we could do now," said Enzo, gritting his teeth angrily. "That bastard! Why?! I thought. ."

"I don't think it's the right time to worry about that man," interrupts Celestina, glowering at the men.

Ekundayo nodded in agreement. "Enzo, is that your name? We'll see each other then at the rendezvous."

Celestina sighed. "Could I go with the fortuneteller? It's bothersome to be the only girl."

"Fine," said Enzo, his voice stern and strong. He felt a tingling sensation go up his spine—the cause? The desire to stay by Angelica. But he refused to leave with her in safety while the rest would slow down their enemy, it's a cowardly act. And even if the woman he loves would be with Abelle, a man who confessed his love for her to the rest of the men.

Hysterical laughter echoed down the street as fire and smoke raged like a mist. Heavy chains dragged along the dirt, and Angelica and the rest could hear the hissing sounds of a serpent close by. Suddenly, one did come for Angelica's face, but Abelle quickly shot it before it could get a meter close to the woman. Its blood though splattered on her, but she didn't seem to mind—or at least she didn't care.

"Ne, ne," said the man walking through the smoke. "I believe Master is having a lot of pests today. He sent me to exterminate them, did you know?"

"What do you want?" Enzo coldly asks, placing Angelica behind him.

"Fufu, even the prince charming is protecting a slut," chimed the man. "You're wasting your time on her, pretty boy. Has she been filling your head with false missions? Perhaps she earned your pity to protect someone like her?"

Enzo gritted his teeth. "I was asking you what you wanted!"

"Tch. How rude. Did Mommy ever tell you to never yell at your guests?"

"Shut it." Enzo turns to the others. "I don't think we have any other choice than to use our Arcana."

"But we haven't really practiced using it," said Pietro.

Abelle pushes back his glasses. "Then shouldn't it be about time we use them?" he asks.

Azad nods. "I agree. Ekundayo was even able to use hers."

"I merely used mine to enhance my present abilities," she replied calmly. "I did not use its full potential."

"That's why we should use it now!" yelled Abelle.

"I could hear you, people," chirped the man. "Hey, Angelica, remember me? It's Cirillo! I'm from the bordello where Bernardo worked in! I'll be real upset if you've forgotten all about me; Bernardo's alive by the way! All good and well!"

Hearing this, Angelica's mouth gaped for a moment. She became as still as a statue, but her heart was quite the opposite. It raced the moment she heard Bernardo's name, the name of the man she had fallen in love with and lost eventually. Her fingers went numb from shock. But she quickly regained her composure and glared at the man before her. She knew that there was no way the man lived, she saw it all with her own eyes—his corpse. She remembered how brutally he was killed, the morbid scene was burned into her memory. There was no way she would be mistaken. Then she remembered the brothel, the hell she met Cecilly, the only friend she truly had.

"You dare tell me lies, Cirillo?!" growled Angelica, pointing her dagger at the man before her.

"Heh?? Why would I lie to you, sweetie?" Cirillo asks her in a singsong voice.

Something's wrong with him, thought Angelica as she pondered and listened to his voice. First, why is he talking like that? It's his voice alright, but shouldn't he be dead?

The man grinned evilly at her. "Still skeptical I see, but no matter! You would believe me once—oh!"—he slaps his forehead—"Silly me! We've plucked out your eyes I can't believe I've forgotten!"

Suddenly a loud bang rung through the air, and Cirillo quickly dodged the bullet as if it was nothing. The bespectacled man by Angelica's eyes was responsible for it, and he was glowering at the man with hatred. "You dare, scum!" he growled with his pistol still pointed at their opponent.

Placing her hand on the gun, Angelica lowered it gently. "It's alright, Abelle. We'll be leaving soon, just a little longer," she whispered.

"What are we waiting for?" he whispered back with an irritated tone.

Angelica just smiled. "Our ride."

Just as she said these words, the clanking sounds of a rushing stallion on cobblestone filled everyone's ears. The loud, angry cry of the creature could be heard in the air, and it alarmed everyone when they earth shook ever so slightly. But it was enough to surprise the bystanders. Not long after, everyone in the premises could see a smoking creature as if it were the legendary nightmare itself was hitched to a wagon. And no one other than Alfieri himself were by the reigns, yelling commands to his horse.

Everyone except Angelica gawked, watching the handsome man rush towards them while an invisible force made everyone else move aside violently. Then seeing his friends, he quickly barked at them to get on. They hesitated for a moment, but the fortuneteller prodded them to get ready. And once Alfieri passed by, they all ran towards the back and piled themselves in. Enzo made sure that Angelica got in first, grabbing her waist without her notice and tossed her inside. He did the same to Celestina who yowled angrily at him, but Ekundayo got in without any need of his help. He then made sure that everyone else got in and made himself last.

Without his knowledge, a furious Cirillo grabbed his gun and cocked it, aiming right at Enzo who struggled to get inside. But the bullet never struck him; Angelica shielded him using La Stella. The men quickly pulled Enzo in, leaving the hell of a town, Colosseum.

"Everyone alright?" Alfieri asks, peaking behind him.

All the men glowered at him with the exception of Connor, who looked more amused than upset. The women seemed surprised, but they were more confused with Angelica being the only perfectly calm. In fact, she was smiling in relief. "Yes," she replied in everyone else's place. "You were late though."

Alfieri chuckled. "I found out some material you might amuse yourself with; I couldn't help but be late."

"What's the meaning of this?!" Enzo yelled angrily.

"Why's the traitor here?" Abelle asks coldly, pushing back his glasses. "It seems like you had something up your sleeve, Ann."

The woman smiled. "To tell you the truth, this was all entirely planned."

~~~

Number of words: 3202

This chapter is dedicated to Chris and Alex.

E X P L A N A T I O N :

In case you have forgotten from the first book, Cirillo was Bernardo's partner in buying women in black markets to make them prostitutes; Bernardo became Angelica's lover eventually. When he helped Angelica escape from the hellhole she was in, he was killed in the process as a traitor to the business, not to mention that several other prostitutes used the mayhem as a diversion for their escape. Cecilly was Angelica's true friend there and midwife, because Angelica was raped in the brothel and gave birth to a child, who was taken away from her while she was unconscious after its birth. And several years later after the incident  but a few days after Angelica temporarily left the Arcana Famiglia, she went back to the brothel and kill everyone there, and Cirillo was supposedly included.

- R