Chapter 40 The Dark Gaze of a Monster (2/2)
”Your funeral”.
Arita rolled her eyes and stepped forward to enter, but not before Jane, who rushed inside and threw her arms around the boy.
”I'm sorry,” Jane said softly.
Arita stood in the doorway a moment, and was quite moved to see tears form in the boys eyes. They never fell, but the experienced Magician could tell that he was very sorry to be in this position. That it was not something he had desired.
Arita waited another moment, then walked around the outside of the cell to view the boy's back. Jane, sensing her movement, pulled away and watched Arita with cautious eyes.
Arita never moved forward to touch the black lines that covered Rassa's back. From the boy's reaction he clearly disliked anyone going near them. Instead, Arita stood a distance away and attempted to read them as she had Jane's earlier.
But she could read nothing. The lines were random, clashing with one another and tearing each other apart. There was no distinguishable pattern or symbol, it was just...a mess.
”Have your lines always been so...chaotic?”
The boy looked over his shoulder, his eyes showed confusion.
'You cannot read them?'
It was what he appeared to ask her, and Arita shook her head, ”I've never seen anything like it. There are no distinguishable patterns or happenings. I...I don't even know what you are”.
”Last night,” the Baron piped up, ”Last night the Knight that was left alive said that the boy had stated he was a Vampire”.
Arita frowned, ”I've never heard of it before”.
She moved back towards the door, ”I think...I need to contact my superiors about this. I'm not sure I can deal with it alone”.
”Does he not just need an exorcism?” asked the Baron.
”An exorcism?” Arita scoffed, ”He has Life Lines. Those who are possessed don't get Life Lines”.
”Then...what do you expect us to do with him?”
Arita looked from the Baron to where Jane still sat beside the chained boy.
She gritted her teeth in thought for a moment, then turned back to the Baron, ”I'm taking him back to my Laboratory in Toulle. Hopefully we can find some answers there”.
”And if not?” asked the Baron.
”Why do you care? Once he leaves here, he is not longer your problem”.
Arita knew that was exactly what the Baron wanted anyway.