Chapter 14(Chaos at the Valerian manor)

“Holy Mary! Do you know what happened?” Lucy stopped in her tracks when she heard one maid say to another.

Eva and Sally walked to a stop behind her with confused looks. Eva held a basket of freshly cut roses while Sally held a basket of rosemary bushes.

“Madam Lucy, why did we…” Lucy abruptly turned to Eva with a finger on her lip and a glare that said “Be quiet!”

Eva and Sally exchanged glances and listened in as well.

“I do not know. Madam Elric said there was an earthquake or something of that sort?” the other maid said to the other.

“An earthquake. I did not hear anything. How deep did I sleep?” the first maid asked with a brow creased.

“But the others say otherwise,” The second maid told her.

“What do they say?” the first maid asked with a curious look.

“There are rumors the Lady did this” the second one whispered.

“You lie” the first maid gasped.

“I am no liar. They say she was screaming like a madman at dawn. They say the scream was so deafening it, the palace began to rumble, shattering and destroying everything in its wake” the maid continued.

“How do you know it is not a lie? The Lady Valerian is such a nice person, she will not do such a terrible thing” The first maid said doubtfully.

“Tsk. I already told you they are rumors, dummy. But, I think there may be a little truth to it. No maid is allowed in the Lord's chambers as of this morning. Earlier I saw Royal builders troop in and I overhead Elric tell Old Buckle to get ready for the move to the Runen Palace” the second maid whispered.

“This is terrible. I can not believe the Lady did all this” the first maid responded, shaking her head.

“I must say, I am not all that surprised. Lady Valerian may be kind but beneath all that outrageous beauty and generosity is a witch. And witches my dear are terrible folks at heart” the second maid told her.

Lucy clenched her fists at this. She stepped stormed out of the hedge toward the two angrily.

Oh, she was going to show those two how terrible witches were and teach them another lesson for bad-mouthing the Lady.

“A little bit too early to be tattling, is it not?” a voice asked stopping Lucy in her tracks.

“Lady Corianne” the two maids quickly bowed their heads. Behind her wheelchair was Elric who stood with a stern look.

“I do not want you spreading such false rumors about the Lady, Darlene. This must be the last time I will hear you utter such false tales. And you too Alba, resist engaging in idle gossip” Corianne rebuked them.

“Forgive us, my Lady Corianne. It will not happen again” The maids said with their heads bowed.

“You will be punished the next time. Now get to your chores” Corianne snapped.

Lucy watched as the maids bowed and scurried off in separate directions. She turned to find Corianne with a frown. It was the first time she'd ever seen her without a smile or speaking this harshly.

Corianne glanced in her direction and waved her over with a smile. Lucy walked towards her with Eva and Sally behind her.

“My Lady Corianne” Lucy greeted while curtsying.

“I apologize on their behalf, Lucy. I promise there will be dealt with properly” Corianne apologized.

“I trust they would but please, my Lady, do not apologize for their unpleasant behaviors,” Lucy told her.

Corianne nodded with a smile.

“Getting ready for the move?” Corianne asked as she looked at the baskets of herbs the maids held.

“Ah, yes. I was on my way to prepare the Lady's bathe before the journey” Lucy informed her.

“Very well then, I will leave you to it. Enjoy the rest of your day. Let us go Elric” Corianne said.

Lucy bowed her head humbly. Elric pushed her wheelchair and together they headed towards her workshop.

“So is it true, Madam Luce? Did the Lady do this?” Sally asked only to receive a nudge from Eva. She glared at her and shook her head in disapproval.

Lucy glared at the two and they quickly bowed their heads. She let out a sigh and looked back at the manor. It stood in chaos, with every glass shattered and cracks running through its walls. The royal builders were everywhere around the manor, carrying out, fixing, and gathering broken shards, vases, and demolished portraits.

This was all her fault. If only she was there when the Lady got out of control this wouldn’t have happened…….

Last night…..

Wrath stepped into the bedroom to find it unusually quiet. The large bed was empty with no fire going at the fireplace. He checked his pocket watch and it was midnight. It wasn’t like her to not sleep in their room.

An image of Cole touching her suddenly drifted into his mind. The raven in his hand cawed frantically. He looked at it to find his hand gripping its neck.

“I am sorry Lu,” he said to the bird. He caressed its neck gently and then slowly set it down on the ground. The raven suddenly morphed into a black cat and instantly sped off.

Wrath walked to the open balcony to find it empty. Where on earth was she?

The black cat trotted back into the room to his side, circling at his feet and rubbing its feet against his legs.

“What is it, Lu?” Wrath asked as picked it up into his arms again.

It purred then abruptly leaped from his arms and outside the room again. Wrath slowly followed after it down the hallway to his private library. The door was slightly open, with streaks of dull light coming from within. He slowly pushed the double door open and stepped inside. His once clean and organized library was turned upside down and thrown into chaos. They were books scattered everywhere.

Lu's purr drew his attention toward the east wing of the library. He stepped into the dark corner of the room where Lu stood.

Amongst the tall bookshelves in the looming dull-lit darkness, lay Eloise fast asleep and naked in a pile of ash. Eloise groaned muttering something inaudible and curling into a ball. Amidst the pile of ash, lay her green silk night dress along with several books scattered all around her. The only source of light was a single candle shielded in glass.

Wrath slowly walked towards her. He knelt at her side and watched her intently.

So, this is it. The power of the Phoenix. Its power to die and rise in a pile of ashes is fascinating, he thought. It was his first time witnessing this at hand.

Her copper hair was longer with thicker curls dangling at the ends and specks of ashes at the strands. His eyes trailed down her body, from her face, down her long neck, to her breasts then her freckled belly then to her huge round-shaped buttocks. Her skin glowed amidst the dull light. Her soft pink lips parted, with her chest heaving slowly. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he set eyes on her.

He slowly reached up his sleeve and began unbuttoning his shirt. As he did so, he glanced at the books scattered all around her.

Philosophy of Time, The Art of Time, Into the Stars, Mechanism of Time. Witch lore and time. Wrath glanced at the books skeptically and then back to her.

He wondered why he was interested in these books. A glittering mark on her arm caught his eye. He pulled off his shirt and leaned closer to examine the mark.

It was a mark of a fiery bird glowing red as if it had just been scorched into her skin. The Mark of the Phoenix, the first time he'd ever laid his eyes on one. He reached out to touch it, caressing the red flesh beneath his thumb. His hands roamed up her neck to her hair, then to her face.

Wrath gently wrapped the shirt around her body and carefully carried her back to their room. He laid her down on the bed and positioned the pillows underneath her head. Eloise suddenly laughed and muttered in her sleep, drawing his attention.

“Stupid, it’s a TV show… stop it... Cole...” She giggled with a sigh.

An air of pure inappropriate rage fanned his senses as he looked at her. Why was she mentioning him even in her dreams? Wrath instantly threw the covers over her body and turned to leave. A sudden grip on his wrist stopped him.

“Help! … please” Eloise muttered. A sudden wave of fear hit him. She was frightened. But of what? Her grip on the sheets tightened, with a bead of sweat breaking on her forehead. What started as mutters and giggles suddenly turned to screams. Wrath quickly sat next to her as she tossed and turned, screaming for help.

“Eloise… Eloise!” Wrath shook her, trying to wake her up.

The fireplace suddenly burst out with blue flames while Eloise screamed in a piercing tone. The entire manor trembled then it followed by sounds of glass shattering all around the manor.

“Eloise! Eloise!” Wrath grabbed both her arms yelling. Eloise woke up abruptly, screaming and gasping for air. The blue flames suddenly diminished and the immense rumbling stopped.

“Eloise” Wrath cupped her face with his brows creased with worry. Her green eyes were clouded with tears that refused to fall.

“Come here,” he said softly attempting to gather her in his arms. She flinched, clutched the covers closer to her body, and shifted uncomfortably. Wrath’s eyes wavered for a second. He abruptly grabbed her to him and wrapped his arms around her.

He placed a hand on her head and gently stroked it, calming her down. He felt her racing heart slowly return to normal now and her body easing up into his. “You are safe now” He whispered to her.