Page 63 of Haunted Hearts

“You have?” she gasped. “Where?”

He didn’t answer. “Are you sure I can’t escort you into the woods? It is a dark night and not one to be travelling alone.”

“Nay. The moon is full, and I’ve got my dagger to protect me. I won’t be gone long. Please, don’t tell anyone where I went.”

“Of course not, my lady.”

Lillith headed out the gate, directing her horse toward the stone circle. She needed to see how Blaze and his mother celebrated Samhain. She wanted to know more, and couldn’t count on Blaze telling her anything on his own. The farther she went into the woods, the darker it became. She heard the howl of a wolf and looked back over her shoulder.

Her horse became agitated, and she had all she could do to hold it steady. Now, she regretted not taking Orvyn’s offer after all. She didn’t like being out here in the dark all alone.

“It’s all right, girl,” she said, rubbing the horse’s neck. “There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Just as she said that, something flew over her head and she screamed. Then she realized it was Blaze’s raven. It landed in a branch overhead, watching her.

“Ebony, you scared me,” she spat, feeling her heart beating like a drum about ready to burst from her chest. “Don’t you know birds aren’t supposed to fly at night? You could break your neck.”

The raven squawked and flew off into the night sky.

She heard twigs snapping off to the side, and her head jerked around again. “Who’s there?” she called out, but of course, no one answered. All she could think about was Orvyn saying he’d seen the ghosts of dead ones come back. This thought terrified her. Her hand went to her waist to grab her dagger, but to her horror, it wasn’t there. She must have dropped it somewhere along the road.

“Oh, nay,” she said, not liking the fact she had no way to defend herself now. Then again, if she would be attacked by spirits from the other side of the veil, she didn’t think a dagger would do her any good.

She was about to turn around and go back to the manor, when she realized she wore her leather bag over her shoulder. She still had Blaze’s dagger with the moons and stars and skull on it, inside the bag. She had never had the chance to return it to him yet since Posy stole it from his chamber.

An owl hooted in the night, sounding so human that it made her skin crawl. Her heart sped up again. The moon was half-hidden behind a cloud now and it was getting even darker. She slid her hand inside the bag, closing her fingers around the hilt of Blaze’s dagger. Pulling it out, she held it up in front of her for protection.

When the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, the moonbeams fell upon the metal of the blade, almost seeming to make it glow. She gasped again, wondering if this dagger held some sort of magical power. If she hadn’t been afraid for her own safety and needed protection, she would have thrown it down.

Lillith thought she heard music and the snapping of a fire from up ahead. When she peered through the trees, she was sure she saw orange on the branches from a fire burning nearby.

“It must be the stone circle,” she said to herself, glad to have finally found it. She dismounted her horse and tied the reins to a tree. Through the woods she could see a group of people, all dressed in costumes, dancing around the bonfire inside the stone circle.

She saw Blaze’s back as he stood next to his mother. The group chanted and someone played flute music. The whole thing was intriguing, yet terrifying at the same time. She couldn’t let the witches see her. If they caught her here, there was no telling what they’d do to her.

Looking at the dagger in her hand that led the way, she decided she didn’t want them to see that she had this, either. If it was some sort of special or enchanted blade, they would be furious that she had it.

Gripping Blaze’s dagger tightly behind her back now, she moved closer, hoping to hear more of what was happening up ahead. Lillith realized it was nearing the midnight hour. And as if being by herself in the woods spying on the witches wasn’t frightening enough, she kept thinking of what Milo said about the dead coming back to life. Her heart beat faster and faster. She didn’t want to see the dead spirits of her father or brother. She just wanted them to rest in peace.

Lillith felt something or someone touch her shoulder. She screamed and spun around to find two men standing there in costumes and masks.

“Stay back or I’ll kill you,” she spat, waving Blaze’s dagger in the air.

“Calm down. We’re not going to hurt you, Lady Lillith.” The men removed their masks to show their identities.

“Orvyn? Milo? What are you two doing here?” She let out a breath of relief to know it was them.

“We came to protect you, my lady,” said Milo. “Orvyn found your dagger on the ground after you left the manor. You must have dropped it. We figured you needed protection.” Milo held both his dagger and hers up in the air to show her. “As soon as Orvyn told me you came to the stone circle, I knew we had to follow.”

“Orvyn said that, did he?” She scowled at Orvyn for following her after she said she didn’t want him to go with her.

“It was for your own safety, my lady,” Orvyn tried to convince her. Somehow, Lillith had the feeling it was much more than that. Orvyn was nosey and most likely wanted to see what was going on in the woods. “Milo knew exactly how to get here, so he showed me the way.” He held up a dagger too. “We’ve come prepared to see to your safety, should you need it.”

“Thank you, but I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.” She held Blaze’s dagger higher.

“Isn’t that the blade I saw with blood on it by your father’s dead body?” asked Milo with wide eyes.

She lowered it quickly. “Yes. It’s Blaze’s dagger,” she admitted. “However, he was hunting the day he ran across my father. He didn’t kill him. Father was already dead.”