It was late at night. Brightmoon mansion was silent, except for the sound of wind brushing against the old stone walls. The torchlights gently flickered. Cerdic wandered through the hallway, his thoughts heavy. His father and uncle left for Evernight estate two days ago. They were yet to receive any updates.
Cerdic was really restless. He walked out onto the balcony. He needed to breathe some fresh air. Then he gazed out into the distance. The outer courtyard was illuminated with moonlight. He felt the cool wind caress his skin.
And then, something moved—
"Hm?" Cerdic stared towards the outer walls. He just thought he saw something. A shadow. Was that a human form? And it was fast, like a blur.
Cerdic stared harder, scanning all over the courtyard with his eyes. But there was nothing.
"Was it just my imagination?" He stepped back slowly. "No. I certainly saw something, and it wasn't normal."
A cold unease filled his heart. He quickly walked inside, looking for Garon.
Meanwhile, outside the mansion's walls, three skeleton-like figures stood beneath the veil of night. They were barely human in shape—malnourished, bone-thin silhouettes. Their skin looked stretched over their bones. Their eyes were sunken and looked like three walking corpses.
Yet, they moved with unnatural grace. Their steps were silent. The guards patrolling outside didn't notice them even when they walked past them at arm's length.
One of them was a woman; she looked at the balcony and hissed.
"Tick, you idiot. He saw you."
The other two were men. Tick, the shorter one among them, chuckled.
"And what about it, Crow?" He said lazily. "What if a mortal boy saw me? He will die like the rest of them."
The woman—Crow—glared at him in anger. "We were told not to leave any survivors. If he raises an alarm, we will face resistance."
"Resistance? From mortals? Who cares?" Tick laughed mockingly.
The third figure, a taller man, spoke up.
"She's right, Tick," he said. "If we fail, Master won't give us our medicine; we will be dead by the next evening."
Tick flinched. His smile faded from his face. He clicked his tongue and looked towards the estate.
"Whatever, let's get this over with," Saying this, he turned to the stone wall. He bent his legs and lowered his body with his arms drawn back. As if he is about to leap.
"Wait! There are two guards at the gate. We can't miss them," Crow said, raising a hand.
"You deal with them. I have no interest in small fries." Saying this, Tick jumped. Without even causing a noise, he was on top of the wall.
"I will go too," the tall man said before following suit. Neither of the two alerted the guards even for a bit.
"Fine, whatever," Crow sighed and headed for the main gate.
The two guards before the main gate were brought to the Brightmoon mansion by Cerdic's father when they were just children. They were saved from a plague-ridden village at the border, trained, fed and brought up. That's why, despite knowing the Brightmoon family is most likely going to fall, they didn't leave. They continued to do their duty, diligently.
One of them rubbed his hands together. The wind was unusually cold tonight. The other guard thought he saw something; he stood up and drew his blade. But he chuckled as he realised it was just a cat. He sheathed his sword.
But then he felt some cold metal against his skin. Right on the neck. The dagger in Crow's hand flashed once, slicing across his throat in a single, controlled motion. Blood poured down his chest as he collapsed onto the ground.
The second guard heard the noise and turned around. But he was a bit too slow. Crow was already behind him. Another slash, another kill.
Two dead bodies lay at the front gate of the Brightmoon mansion. Crow wiped the dagger on her sleeve and then entered through the front gate. Nobody noticed her as she vanished into the shadows again.
Inside the manor, Cerdic walked through the corridor. His boots echoed softly on the stone. He was certain that he saw something moving outside the walls. It looked like a human figure, and it wasn't one of the guards. A thief? If that was the case, he would be relieved. But something made him feel unsettled.
He found Garon near the eastern hallway. The moment Cerdic appeared, Garon saw him. Garon sighed. This young master had been having no sleep since Lord Regulus left. It wasn't the first time; Garon found him wandering around the mansion last night as well.
"Young master. It's already past your bedtime," Garon said. "If you neglect your sleep and fall ill, I won't be able to answer to Lord Regulus."
"I saw something from the balcony," Cerdic said, cutting straight to the point. "It was a human figure, near the outer wall. It wasn't a guard, and it didn't look normal."
"A human figure? Are you sure?" Garon's voice dropped. "What was wrong with it?"
"It was like a flash. But I am sure I saw it," Cerdic said. "It was too fast and too quiet. Like a shadow,"
Garon's eyes narrowed.
"Where's young Master Aldric and Lady Seraphina?" He asked.
"In her chamber", Cerdic said.
"Then go to them. Lock the chamber door and don't come out. I will take care of this."
Cerdic gave a sharp nod. He didn't hesitate and turned towards the direction of his mother's chambers.
As soon as Cerdic was gone, Garon hurried towards another direction. He also had to warn Lady Eleanor and her sons. But as he came close to the main entrance, he suddenly stopped. Because the door was slightly open. Garon breathlessly approached the door. His heart pounding. He then looked out through the opening. His eyes widened in shock. A guard lay dead at the foot of the doors. His throat slit open. Blood pooled beneath him.
Garon dropped to one knee and checked the wound. Blood was still warm. He was killed moments ago. Then as he raised his eyes, he saw another body nearby. Another guard was killed in the same manner.
"Heavens!' Garon whispered. He searched the body for the brass horn every guard in the Brightmoon mansion was given. It was a small piece. But its shrill cry could echo across the entire mansion. But he couldn't find it in either of the bodies.
"I don't have time."
He rushed back inside the mansion and ran towards Lady Eleanor's chambers. He breathed heavily as he finally reached there and pushed the door open. Garon staggered forward a step, and then he froze.
Lady Eleanor lay on her bed, in her nightdress. Blood ran down her neck, soaking her dress and the bedsheet.
Everything was silent except for Garon's ragged breath and his pounding heart.
"Lady Eleanor..." He clenched his fists. Then he ran out again. Towards the bedroom of Gareth. He saw that the door was not locked. He pushed it open.
Garon gasped as he saw Gareth in a similar state as Eleanor. He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes open but lifeless. The bedsheets were a mess. It was obvious that he tried to fight back but failed.
"Y...young Master Gareth!" Garon felt like life was draining from his body. "Who...who...?"
Garon was feeling suffocated. He quickly ran towards the nearest room. Which belonged to Victor. He prayed he wouldn't be too late this time. He had to find others. He had to save them.
***
Meanwhile, Cerdic had already arrived at Seraphina's chambers. He was about to knock on the door. But then he stopped. There was a low grumbling coming from inside. His heart pounded. He pushed the door open and entered. The fireplace wasn't burning, and there was only the moonlight spilling through the window. Then, he saw it.
Lady Seraphina lay slumped on the floor beside her bed. Her eyes were wide open but lifeless. Her neck twisted like it was broken.
Cedric staggered back in horror. Blood drained from his face.
"M...mother..."
He was about to scream. Then, he heard a choked gasp.
His eyes snapped towards the far side of the room. A thin figure stood there, short and hunched. He held Aldric by the neck, the boy dangling like a rag doll.
"Aldric!" Cerdic screamed.
Tick turned his face with an eerie calm. He eyed Cerdic with annoyance. But at that moment, Aldric twisted sharply and bit into his wrists hard. Tick let out a sharp cry of pain as he pulled his hand back. Aldric fell onto the floor. He scrambled across the room gasping and hid behind Cerdic.
Tick let out a maniacal laugh as he lunged towards Cerdic. But Cerdic snapped out of his shock at that moment. He grabbed the edge of the wooden door and slammed it shut before the skeletal man could grab him. Cerdic quickly latched the door from outside. But they weren't safe. A heavy hit from inside shook the entire wooden door. Cerdic was horrified. This man was too strong. It wouldn't take him long to break out.
He grabbed Aldric and ran. There was no time to think. They had to get out of here.