The cold night air grazed her skin, her knees shaking with each step she took. Branches snapped beneath her feet as she bolted through the canopy of trees. The moon seemed to shine brighter tonight, its rays falling in scattered patches throughout the vast forest.
Seraph's eyes darted across the wilderness, desperately searching for a place to hide—a place that could save her from the danger lurking behind.
Her grip on the satchel tightened as she ran, each step heavier than the last. She glanced over her shoulder—praying she'd lost them. When she saw no one, she stopped, leaning on a nearby tree, gasping for air.
"There she is… catch her!" a voice rang out, piercing the silence of the night.
"Shit!" she hissed, pushing herself off the tree and running again—breathless, hopeless, praying the gods would grant her mercy. But luck wasn't on her side tonight. Her foot struck a stone, and she crashed face-first into the dirt.
Gritting her teeth, tasting soil, she forced herself to rise. She couldn't let them catch her. Not now. Not ever. Turning left, her eyes caught sight of something in the distance—a cave.
Hope flickered across her face. Maybe luck hadn't abandoned her after all. She sprinted toward it, the damp soil clinging to her shoes, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
She reached the cave's mouth and slipped inside, her chest tightened as she didn't know what creatures might lurk within.
Inside, warmth enveloped her—a stark contrast to the bitter cold outside. She reached out, feeling nothing at first until her palm brushed against moist rock and the soft bristles of moss. Pressing her back to the wall, she shut her eyes, whispering silent prayers.
Footsteps approached. Close—too close. One sound, one breath too loud, and she'd be found. She held her breath, heart slamming against her ribs.
"Where is she?" the voice called again. It was him. She could hear him just outside.
"I think she went that way," another voice replied.
"What about this cave? She could've hidden in here," the first voice said.
Her heart stuttered. Please don't come in here. Please.
Just as he stepped closer, a sharp clinking—stone against metal—sounded nearby. "That way!" one of them yelled. Moments later, she heard them rushing off.
The leader hesitated. She could feel his presence just outside the cave, his suspicion heavy in the silence. After several seconds, he finally followed the others.
Seraph waited, breath trembling, until she was certain they were gone. Then, cautiously, she crept out and ran in the opposite direction.
Whatever—or whoever—had saved her, she was eternally grateful.
After several miles, a small cottage nestled deep within the forest came into view. An exhausted smile tugged at her lips. Finally… she was home.
With slow, aching steps, she reached the rickety door and pulled it open. Warm air wrapped around her like a familiar blanket. She stepped inside, bolting the door with care before making her way deeper into the small house.
She pushed open the door to the bedroom. Her eyes immediately found the frail figure lying in bed beneath heavy blankets. Her chest rose and fell gently—steady, calm.
The bed was old and worn, the sheets soft but faded. The window frames were cracked from past storms and termite damage, allowing cold air to creep in. Seraph walked to the run-down wardrobe, pulled it open, and grabbed a piece of fabric.
Dust and cobwebs filled her nostrils, but she ignored it—she was used to it. She covered the window with the cloth, and her mother visibly relaxed.
The floorboard creaked as Seraph moved closer to the bed. Her gaze softened as she reached down, pressing her hand to her mother's forehead.
Normal temperature. She smiled faintly. Then gently tapped her. "Mother… Mother…" she whispered, her voice steady despite everything she had just endured.
Her mother's eyes fluttered open. "Da…ugh…ter," she breathed, voice frail but tender, filled with love.
Seraph grasped her hand, stroking her hair. "I brought your medication. You need to take it now." She rummaged through her satchel, pulling out a small vial of green liquid.
Adjusting her mother upright, she gently parted her lips and placed the vial to them. Eldina drank it all in one go. Seraph pulled the empty bottle away and tossed it aside.
"How are you feeling, Mum?" she asked gently.
Eldina opened her mouth to respond, but a sharp pain gripped her chest. She clutched at it. "Mother!" Seraph cried, rushing to her side. Foam began to form at her lips.
"What… did you… give me…" Eldina rasped.
Seraph grabbed the bottle, confused—it was her usual medicine. Panic rose. She spilled the contents of the satchel onto the bed, frantically searching for her spellbook.
"Where is it?" she cried, scattering items everywhere. It wasn't there. She must've dropped it during the chase.
She looked at her mother, who was now jerking violently, the pain unbearable to witness. Seraph could've told her to cast a spell herself—but she was too weak. The illness had stolen her strength. Her magic.
She was powerless.
She grabbed her mother's trembling hand, kissing it as hot tears fell freely. "You'll be fine… you'll be fine…" she whispered over and over, as if the words themselves could rewrite fate. She shut her eyes and prayed to the gods, hoping that maybe they could change their mind, maybe they could save her mother, but they didn't....
"I love you…" Eldina breathed, before her body stilled, and silence swallowed the room.
Seraph looked up, eyes swollen from sobbing. "Mother…" she rasped. Her chest tightened. Her breath caught. She reached out, touched her mother's cold face, wishing it was all a dream.
But the rise and fall of her mother's chest had stopped. Her pulse had faded. Only silence remained. "Mother.." she called again, her voice a bit louder this time but was met with silence again.
She picked herself from her seat, as she roughly shook her mother cold body. "Mother!!! Mother!!" She yelled, her voice breaking from the pain. Nothing.
"Wake up mum , please I beg of you!"
Silence...
She was gone...and there was nothing she could do about it. She staggered back, falling into the chair, her fist clenched, nails digging into her skin as a fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks.
She looked at her mother's still body, memories of the times they had spent with each other flashed in her eyes. The laughs they shared, the times they cuddled under the moonlight all gone...
She was about to reach for her mother again when the door was pushed open by an insurmountable force. Wind poured into the room, making the candles flicker and the curtains to dance in the direction of the wind. She snapped her head to that direction, anger and hatred for the gods boiling in her chest.
Three women stepped into the room, all excluding a cold but dominating aura, mockery filled the air as they looked down at her with smirks plastered on their faces.
One leaped forward, kicking her to the ground with deadly precision. Seraph's spine crashed against her chair, nearly breaking it.
The lady's eyes moved to the bed, her eyes glimmered with mischief. "Sorry. For your loss." She said, her tone laced with mockery. Seraph picked herself up, anger surging through her.
"What did you do to her." She snapped, her voice laced with nothing but malice and hatred for the woman who stood before her.
The woman—Caroline chuckled, a sound made Seraph's stomach churn. "I just helped you in taking care of her, that's all."
What did she mean by that?
It was then she remembered the old lady she stole the vile from. Her eyes widened from realisation. "That was you....?"
"One and only." She said smugly, raising her hands dramatically as though she has won a prize.
Seraph charged at her but was instantly held down by the other women, who came with her. "How can you be so evil.....she was your sister Caroline!" She snapped, pain etched in her voice.
"Sister or not, she deserved to die...." She inched closer. "And so do you."
With that she turned around, flinging the tail of dress behind her. "Bring her..." She ordered and the other two waved their wands bounding Seraph by shackles as they all vanished leaving Eldina's body to rot....