Chapter 44

Jasmine's POV

“Daphne, it has been quite a while since we talked. Why are you so jumpy?”

“Jasmine, I don’t know. I feel like something is coming, I think you should go back to the pack house. I can’t explain why.”

“It’s okay Daphne, I’ll head back then. I wandered quite far anyway. I don’t think I’ve been to this part of the territory. It seems rather deserted. Omg, deserted, that’s it. Might sound crazy, but it’s possible the Barbie has been hiding here all along. I promise we’ll go back after I take a look.”

“Fine, but let your senses take over; hearing, smelling, seeing.”

Daphne was right, I had to be sharp. My tiniest mistake could cause disaster. The trees, bushes and the grass were unkept and it started to resemble a jungle. Axel didn’t mention that part of the territory was like this. I had to ask him after I got back, maybe we could clear this part too and build something useful. There were no foreign scents or noises. I smelled the forest and dishes were being cooked in the houses. Occasionally I heard small animals running through the forest, birds singing and leaves falling on the ground, but nothing else. I neared a little cottage that must have been abandoned for a while. The paint was coming off of the walls, the wooden porch seemed unstable and vines swallowed up the cottage almost entirely, except the front door. It was strange, why not the door? Someone must have been here recently, that was the only explanation. The whole house screamed danger and I shivered. I didn’t like the energy at all. I didn’t want to go inside alone, so once in my life I thought rationally and left. I’d ask Axel to take a look with me. I went to the office and without knocking opened the door.

“Axel, I know you’re working, but I have something important to show you.”

“Sure Jasmine. I need ten more minutes then we can go. Sit down until then.” - ten minutes later he was done, just like he said.

“What do you want to show me?”

“I found a part of the territory that’s unkept. It’s almost like a jungle. I didn’t find anybody there, only an abandoned cottage. It was questionable, because the whole building was surrounded by vines, but the door. I think someone was there recently. Also I didn’t like the energy that was coming from the building. For me it resembles a haunted house and not the fun kind. More likely where a creepy doll like Anabelle can be found. And no, I didn’t go inside. Once in my life I didn’t jump without thinking.”

“Jasmine, no part of the territory is in a state like you described. I have no idea what you saw, but it’s definitely important. It feels like the maple tree situation all over again.”

“You’re shitting me, right? Why am I the only one who can see these things making me sound like a real psycho?”

“I don’t know Jasmine, I don’t know. Let’s go, maybe this time I’ll be able to see what you see.”

When we arrived at the part where the vegetation started to grow I stopped.

“This is where everything starts. The vegetation is stronger than a few feet back.”

“It’s indeed strange, this is still inside the territory, but it was never like this before.”

“In five minutes; approximately, we’ll reach the cottage. You’ll get goosebumps when you see it.”

“I hope not, but if it’s like you said, something has been going on inside.”

“This is the cottage. Can you see it?”

“Yes, I can, but it’s nothing like you described. There are no vines surrounding it, on the contrary. It’s in an immaculate state and the vibe is calming. Now, there are two possibilities. One, you’re just pulling my leg, two it’s enchanted to hide something from prying eyes and I vote on the second one.”

“Gee, thanks! Seriously, you don’t see anything wrong with the cottage? Do you know who’s the owner?”

“Nope, nothing. And I don’t know who’s the owner, I didn’t even know there’s a cottage.”

“Okay, we’ll have to look into this. Let’s try and go inside.”

“Uhm, Jasmine. There’s something blocking my way, it’s like an invisible wall.”

“Damn it! You were right, there’s magic surrounding it, but I don’t feel it. I can move forward freely. Please, don’t tell me it has something to do with who I am?”

“I want to say that, but I’d be lying. It definitely has something to do with your origin. Where are your guards?”

“I told them to rest, because I’m safe inside the territory. Wait here for me, I’ll be back in five after I tell them to come.”

With that I ran, enjoying the way my hair flew behind me. I quickly asked my guards to come, but I didn’t wait for them and ran back. Axel was standing where I left him and we waited a few minutes when my guards arrived. Demons were fast too, but not like me. Combining the Moon’s essence in my blood and my demon half I was basically more upgraded than others.

“Can you tell me what you see Leander? The more detailed, the better.” - I asked him. He was the head guard among the six of them.

“My Queen! There’s a cottage up ahead in a bad shape. The paint is coming off of the wall, the wooden porch is rotten, vines are everywhere except the door and the energy coming from inside is rather evil.”

“Now it is confirmed. It’s connected to the demons somehow. Axel can’t see any of that. For him the cottage is in perfect shape and calming. He can’t go further because of an invisible wall, which we identified as a result of magic. Leander, can you come in with me? I have no intention to go inside alone. And what did I tell you? Call me Jasmine.”

“Okay, Jasmine. The King would kill me if I leave you alone so either way I would come with you.”

The two of us stepped towards the house, the barrier let him through like it wasn’t even there. He stepped in front of me and carefully maneuvered through the rotten porch until he opened the door. As soon as the door opened, freezing cold air hit us and I shivered, goosebumps instantly appearing on my arms. How was this possible? I had a feeling it wasn’t because of the AC. The inside was just as creepy as the outside. Cobwebs were hanging all over the place, everything was covered in dust and the wallpaper was torn. There weren’t any pieces of furniture in the living room and in the kitchen. The staircase leading upstairs was the only thing that didn’t look dangerous, only because it wasn’t made of wood. Leander didn’t leave my side even for a second and I was especially grateful for that right now. The second floor was no different from the first. The only difference was the temperature. It was a few degrees colder than downstairs and by now I was shivering non stop. Leander landed me his jacket earlier, but it didn’t help at all. This was the kind of cold that reached my bones, freezing me from the inside. The first door led to a study room. Papers were scattered on the floor, but they were unreadable. The wooden items were just as rotten as the porch and the ceiling must have been leaking when it was raining. There was a cabinet, but it was empty.

The other door was closed, but I couldn’t open it. Leander tried to force it open, but it didn’t work. We needed the key and I was determined to find it. Something important had to be inside if the key was needed to open the door. The only place we didn’t check out was the basement and I had a feeling the key would be there. The basement was worse than the other rooms in the building. The water reached our ankles, the vines grew inside, thanks to the missing window. The only item in the basement was a steel safe. It was clear that somebody put it here recently, because it was brand new. There was a note placed carefully on the top of it. “The only person who can open the safe apart from me is the one I’m looking for. A drop of blood is all that’s needed.” What was that supposed to mean? I got the part with the drop of blood, but the question was whose blood? Deep down I knew that person was looking for me, but I refused to believe it. The house was empty, so it couldn’t be a trap and someone was waiting for me to open it. There was a needle taped to the handle of the safe and I took it in my hands. I needed to open it if I wanted to enter the locked room upstairs. I quickly pierced my finger with the needle and pressed it on the safe and there was a click. Inside the safe was a key and another note.