Chapter 3

She kept staring at the pot of dirt with budding flowers in front of her. Elvenia had barely gotten any sleep after knowing a message was written in blood outside of her home. Her heart ached, why couldn't she have magical abilities like the rest of her folks? It killed her knowing that she couldn't protect Grandma Elodie.

"Dearest?" Grandma called from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Elvenia stood up from the floor, glancing at the pot one last time. She headed into the homey—yet cramped—kitchen, gathering her white skirts. Grandma was looking out to the foyer, worried. "What's wrong?"

"There's quite a lot of commotion," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't like not knowing. Come, we should go see what's disturbing the land, dearest." Before Elvenia could priest, Grandma waddled out of the door.

She hurried after her, passing by the tree stump and bloody message; though it was taken away by Soleil. Elvenia took steady breaths as she huffed, exhausted from the running. "Grandma Elodie!" she called out. They flocked into groups with other Rhoswen Folks and she realized that they were heading to the Rhoswen River.

Grandma grappled for Elvenia's arm. "Oh, Elya, I don't feel good about this." She shuddered. "Go, go now. Go ahead, run fast, my dearest." Elvenia suddenly felt a pull towards the river, an instinct.

A bad one.

"I-I'll meet you at the river," Elvenia stuttered, blinking. She pushed past people, running as fast as she could. Something bad is happening, she rushed off trail, taking a shortcut that Grandma said Grandpa Cyrus took when going fishing. Trees breezed past her as Elvenia took short spurts of air in, the wind whipping her ginger hair.

At last, she arrived at the river's shore before most of the folks did. She didn't understand—what was happening? Elvenia spotted Soleil, hunched over the river's edge. "Soleil?" Elvenia asked, coming closer.

Soleil whipped around, wide-eyed. "No, Miss Foster, don't come any closer—"

Elvenia screamed when she saw that the Rhoswen River's water was bloody red. She gasped, collapsing on the ground, and crawling back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ramarisk Doğa's body. Pale-skinned, eyes rimmed with red, and...

So lifeless.

"R-Ramarisk," she whispered, the world morphing around her. Her vision went in and out of colour as she tried to stand. Elvenia wobbled on her feet, grabbing Soleil's arm for support. He said something to her, but her hearing was failing. Ramarisk, Ramarisk, Ramarisk.

She released a shallow sob, letting go of Soleil. He's dead, she trembled as she tried to take deep, shaky breaths. He's dead and never coming back. They had a full year of a relationship—surely, a crumbling one—but it hurt so bad.

"Miss Foster," Soleil said loudly, "please, calm yourself."

Folks surrounded the river as Elvenia stood up, quivering. It felt so warm all of a sudden. She looked at Ramarisk's corpse again, seeing his body floating in the water. His hand was blackened. Oh no, she realized.

Suddenly, Mrs. Doğa came running through, shouting. When she saw Ramarisk, she screeched in pain. Her knees buckled as she dropped to the ground at the river's edge. "My son, my son," she wept. Elvenia felt hot tears falling down her cheek as she shut her eyes.

Ramarisk's relationship with Elvenia was complex, but she would never wish ill on him. She clasped her hands, her fingernails digging into her palms until she thought they would bleed. Oh, Rowan, she hoped the God could hear her. Why? Why take someone's life?

"My b-boy," Mrs. Doğa sniffled, standing up. Others tried to help her, but the woman swatted their hands away. She glared at Elvenia, making her shrink back, and snarled. "She," she breathed, "drowned my son."

Elvenia blinked, her fingers twirling the promise ring that Ramarisk had given her. "I-I—" She was at a loss of words, looking at Soleil for support. He glanced away and the rest of the Rhoswen Folks stared at her as if she was insane.

Mrs. Doğa's eyes stung with tears. "You are a killer."

"I am not—"

"Maybe you are the reason why your mother went missing three years ago. Maybe you are the reason why your father hung himself." Mrs. Doğa shot her a nasty look. "You are a curse. Now, that curse has infected Naim, my dear son, and soon, the rest of the Elowen Forest."

Elvenia Foster was a curse.

Stop it, she heard herself snap. I am not cursed and I certainly did not drown Ramarisk.

Elvenia Foster's upper lip quivered. "I didn't kill him."

She wrapped her pale arms around her waist, feeling as if eyes were crawling all over her skin. The water gushed at her feet as she glanced around, surrounded by the Rhoswen Folks. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she looked around, desperate.

"I didn't, I swear!" Elvenia screamed and the folks backed away from her as if she was a monster.

Soleil gazed at Elvenia, a distinct frown plastered on his face. "No one said you were guilty of killing Ramarisk Doğa." He was older than Elvenia so he looked terrifying in front of her at the moment.

"Then why the fuck is everyone looking at me like I did?" she yelled before realizing what she had just said. Elvenia blurted out, it didn't seem to improve the situation. She wrung her hands, toying with the silver ring on her left pinkie. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She did not know what she was apologizing for. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

Mrs. Doğa stepped forward, shaking her head furiously. She made unhearable noises as she clenched her jaw. "You little girl!" Mrs. Doğa growled, pointing her trembling finger accusingly at Elvenia. "You killed my l-little boy! Ramarisk is dead because of you!"

Elvenia was wide-eyed. "I don't know why Ramarisk was—"

"Lies, she speaks lies like those Lamia Folks!" Mrs. Doğa screeched. "She is the Cursed Mistake of Rowan! Cursed Mistake of Rowan!" Elvenia backed away, nearly tripping over Ramarisk's corpse. She screamed, collapsing into the Naim River, gasping for air. Water flooded into her eyes as she came up to the surface for air.

Her vision blurred as she was soaked. The people she thought she could trust leered at her as Soleil Harlowe moved forward to offer his hand. Elvenia grappled for it as she stood up in the river. Elvenia was gazed upon like a mistake.

Maybe she was.

All of a sudden, Grandma Elodie appeared in the crowd, her eyes going wide. "Is that my Elya? Oh, Gods above—" She marched over the edge, dismissing Ramarisk's corpse, and pulling Elvenia out of the water. Elvenia sneezed, shivering as Grandma Elodie rubbed her back. "It will be okay, dearest."

No, it won't.

"Elya?" Soleil's brows furrowed in confusion. Elvenia wanted to tell him that her grandma's memory had been fading over time, but she felt stuck in place as a few folks pulled Ramarisk's dead body out of the water.

His eyes were black, and so were his hands. Ramarisk's legs and arms were crooked, almost deformed. Just like the buckshot that Elvenia had seen in the forest. The black plague was not limited to animals, but also the folks living in Naim.

Soleil moved to the body, bending down. "This isn't good." Soleil stood back up, turning to a few men, whispering. In the growing crowd, Elvenia saw Linden and Sparrow. Uh-oh.

Linden looked away immediately, almost scared of her. Sparrow was disgusted as if he had already set his mind on the idea of Elvenia drowning Ramarisk in the Rhoswen River. "Folks," Soleil declared as Mrs. Doğa was ushered away. "It's confirmed that Ramarisk Doğa died by drowning, but he has been infected by the newfound plague. This is not the time for questions, it's a time of grieving for our lost one."

Grandma Elodie glanced at Elvenia wearily. "It's time to go home, dearest."

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When they had gotten home, chaos ensued. By the early evening, someone had thrown a rock into the foyer's window. Grandma Elodie screamed in shock as Elvenia rushed forward to see who it was. Her jaw dropped as she saw the familiarity of black curls meet her.

Sparrow Lorne.

"Sparrow?" she gasped, stunned and betrayed. The brown-skinned boy leered at her as Elvenia's fists shook. "You scared my grandma nearly to death! You're foolish and c-crazy—get out!"

"I know it's you who killed him," Sparrow spat. "You just got so jealous when Ramarisk broke the relationship off because of his parents." Jealous? "You only wanted him for yourself, so you drowned him when he rejected you."

"Stop it, Sparrow." Sparrow didn't know anything about their relationship. Yes, Elvenia loved him so much until it physically hurt, but she hated how exhausting their love was. Out in public, he would pretend to not know her, Ramarisk would insist that it was an act, but acts still hurt.

Sparrow narrowed his eyes. "You're the only one who opposed the idea of the blackened plague being caused by the Lamia Folks. Maybe it isn't caused by our enemies, but a traitor." He stormed off as Elvenia's blood boiled.

If that boy knew half of it...

Her fists shook furiously as she cleaned up the mess. Elvenia felt somewhat guilty, she was the reason why bad things were happening around the Foster cottage. Grandma isn't safe because of me, Elvenia thought. She had already lost her parents, she wouldn't lose Grandma Elodie either. If it was true that all of Naim thought Elvenia was a traitor, then she would have to flee, it was too dangerous.

But to where? Then Sparrow's words came back to haunt her. Maybe it isn't caused by our enemies, but a traitor. If Elvenia could prove that the Lamia Folks were to blame, then the Rhoswen Folks would leave her and Grandma Elodie alone. She would travel to the Peregrine Border and cross over to Naga, maybe confront a Lamia Folk and pressure them into confessing their crimes.

It wasn't a solid plan, but Elvenia needed to get away from the Rhoswen Folks, it was only a matter of time before they would find her suspicious. She was the one who found the blackened deer, the bloody message was outside her cottage, and it was her ex-lover who had just died.

As she swept the glass shards into a bin, dusting off her hands, a thought crept into the back of her head. Grandma. Would she be able to function without her? Her memory wasn't very good. I'm leaving for her, Elvenia rationalized.

She stood back up, spotting the rock that Sparrow had thrown. Huffing, she grabbed it and swung the front door wide open. Elvenia chucked the rock back onto the lawn, narrowing her eyes before slamming the door.

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Elvenia had taken her father's spear and a dagger, leaving behind her bow and arrows. She also had taken a bag of survival items, but packed light. "Every creature unique, gifted and blessed, living harmoniously in this enchanted place, Rowan's beauty surrounds us, one and all," she hummed.

It was nightfall and she was close to the Peregrine Border. She had never traveled so far away from Naim and so close to Naga. The border had no line, but there was a red slash on a tall tree to mark where the Elowen Forest was split.

Elvenia was anxious as she got to the border. Birds hooted as a butterfly landed on her finger. "Hi, little bugger," she whispered, smiling slightly. "I'm about to cross over to Naga, hopefully, the Rhoswen Folks will find me innocent if I do so." The butterfly flew away as she took a deep breath.

She stepped over the border, wincing. Nothing happened to her, Elvenia was fine. Huh, not as bad as the old wives' tales made it seem like, she thought. It didn't look any different, but she was getting paranoid. What would happen when she came face-to-face with an actual Lamia Folk? Their gaze can turn others to stone...

This was a mistake, she couldn't be here. Elvenia turned to cross back into the Naim side of the forest when she heard a twig snap. She whipped around to see a tall, nearly her height, boy holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. He wore a white blindfold over his eyes.

He was a Lamia Folk.

They stared at each other as fear crept into Elvenia's mind. He's your enemy, her mind hissed. Elvenia didn't know who initiated the fight first, but they both drew their weapons. He raised his bow while she clutched her spear. He released a fury of arrows as Elvenia dodged. She hit the ground hard but recovered quickly as her heart raced furiously. Stay alive, stay alive, stay alive—

Elvenia slashed at him, cutting open a wound on his chest. The boy stumbled back as blood pooled. Elvenia gasped, covering her mouth. She had only hunted animals, never in her dreams would she dare to harm another being. Suddenly, the spear dropped out of her hands, but the boy loomed over her, digging an arrow into her side.

She doubled over, falling to the ground. Blood gushed out of her side as her hand struggled to cover the injury. Elvenia felt light-headed and dizzy, but she refused to die. I won't be killed by a Lamia Folk, she thought.

"Rhoswen Folk." He had a lilt to his voice. Elvenia reached for the spear, but the boy kicked it away. "Rhoswen Folk." She crawled back but was backed against a tree. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she panted. Elvenia grappled with the idea of death and leaving everything she knew behind.

She tried to summon vines in an attempt to strangle him, but her power failed. The boy stood over her, clenching his jaw. Elvenia had no idea how he could see with a blindfold on but didn't want to find out. Suddenly, her hand reached for her dagger and she brought it out so quickly that he didn't have time to react.

Elvenia attacked, slashing his face. Unfortunately, it also had sliced through the blindfold and the fabric fell onto her lap. She froze as she realized she would turn to stone. She shut her eyes, whimpering. A few seconds passed, but she felt nothing. Was death truly painless?

Elvenia opened her eyes, wincing. To her shock, she was still perfectly fine while the boy standing over her was looking at her strangely. He stumbled back, gasping. "Y-You didn't—"

She heaved a sigh, feeling woozy. Her clothes were soaked in blood as she leaned against the tree. If she didn't die by a Lamia Folk's gaze, then she would surely die from her wound. Elvenia blinked back tears as she closed her eyes, letting the black void envelope her.

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