Where Are You?

Isla saw as they dragged her away and into the woods where they placed her on a tree and tied a rope on one of the tree's branches while pouring oil around it. They tied her neck with the robe hanging on the tree.

Oh no! They were going to give her an excruciating death. They started pulling the rope down while lifting her up in the process. Hesebel held her neck, feeling suffocated. Her eyes became teary as she tried to beg for mercy but the people were adamant and stood strong with their intention of killing her.

They finished pouring oil and ignited a fire around her. The fire was quick to spread and Hesebel grunted painfully.

Isla found it too hard to watch and she closed her eyes while she heard the painful cries of Hesebel as she struggled to breathe.

She struggled for a while before she gave up eventually. The people stared before they walked away, spitting on her corpse.

Isla slowly opened her eyes and watched as Hesebel's body got burnt mercilessly. She stood there till dawn just watching the fire that slowly burnt until there was only smoke left. She slowly walked to the tree and watched the unrecognizable features of Hesebel. She was lost in her thoughts and shrieked back when Hesebel fell from the tree and landed on the ground.

Isla let out a breath when she saw that the rope got burnt. She was still breathing in relief until she saw the Hesebel move a little. Isla thought it was her eyes playing tricks on her but Hesebel moved again and whimpered. Isla instantly moved away from her and Hesebel slowly stood on her feet, staggering a bit. Isla gasped seeing that her features looked like they healed or were healing.

She wasn't sure. Hesebel walked weakly, getting out of the forest and saw her horse not far from the gate of the village. She smiled and walked over to it. She got on the horse and rode off while Isla watched but this time it felt like she was actually following her and not just seeing from Hesebel's point of view.

Soon Hesebel came to a halt and got down from the horse. Isla watched confused by what was going on since the roads were clear, yet something caught her attention.

Hesebel's gaze. They were staring straight at Isla as if she could see her or maybe she could, but before Isla could comprehend what was happening, she heard Hesebel saying, "time to go. You've seen and stayed for too long," she said as she pushed Isla back with force.

Isla shrieked as she felt herself falling, she closed her eyes in shock and fear.

However she didn't feel any pain afterwards. In confusion, she opened her eyes slowly only to see faces of strangers above her.

She gasped and moved back in fear. Her eyes moved around them.

"I see you are finally awake, witch. Hang her on the tree and burn her," their leader commanded and they hastily grabbed her arms and pushed her to a tree.

"Wait, don't do it," she heard her uncle's voice. She looked at him with a scared expression then her gaze shifted to Logan who was unconscious. Her eyes darted around the crowd only to see the woman they helped standing amongst them with a look she couldn't comprehend. Her daughter stood beside her as she watched with a frown.

They grabbed the robes and tied it around her neck before they pulled it down, raising her up while the rope strangled her.

She could hear faint screams of her uncle at the back of her head. She felt like she was dying but death seemed to want to come sooner because she heard the leader yelling for them to burn her.

"Mom won't you do something?" The little girl asked.

"What exactly?"

"Save her," she replied.

"No!" Her mother replied sternly.

"But they saved my life," she said and walked away in annoyance.

"Wait, my child." The woman followed the girl.

Isla looked at the crowd again with her gaze getting blurry.

Devon, where are you?.

The person holding the lighter tried lighting several times, still nothing, until they brought a torch but it went off before they could use it. Soon all the lights went off one by one. The people looked around confused.

Oliver wondered what was going on but soon he heard screams, painful screams as if someone was cutting through the crowds and before he could fathom what was happening, he heard a cutting sound of something, cutting through someone's flesh but then it wasn't just someone's flesh anymore but everybody that stood there.

The screams ended shortly like it never happened. He heard something drop from the tree.

Isla felt herself falling but then she landed on something hard but warm. It felt like she was laying on someone's chest while the person rubbed her back gently.

She knew this smell quite well. She couldn't be more sure about it. The smell of Dianthus filled her lungs and she felt safe for some unknown reason.

She blanked out immediately and Devon frowned then adjusted her into his arms.

"Can you move?" He asked Oliver who still struggled to sit up.

Oliver was surprised to hear Devon's voice above where he laid. He raised his head up slowly and nodded like he was in a trance.

"Yes.. yes I can," Oliver replied, snapping back to his senses. Although he could hardly believe that Devon actually came to save them. But what happened just now? What did he do?.

Devon looked at Logan. "Oh don't worry, I'll take him with me."

It was obvious that it was impossible for him to carry Logan when he could hardly stand up properly but Devon said nothing and instead walked away with Isla in his arms.

The woman whose daughter they saved beckoned him towards a building. He got in and walked straight to a room then gently laid Isla down, however he couldn't pull away as Isla's grip held his shirt tightly. He stayed in his position for a while, his eyes moving across her face. He leaned down with his eyes looking downwards at her lips before he placed his hand on her hand that held his shirt.

"Devon?" She called his name in the dim room with only the light in the room coming from the small window that let the slightly bright daylight in.

Her voice was hypnotizing and Devon's eyes darkened. In no time he leaned down a bit closer with his eyes not leaving her face and his hand gently caressing her hers.

"You shouldn't have called my name in dim light." He whispered, his breath on her lips.