So Be It?!
His thoughts were troubling and the thoughts of the depressing days that would follow if that were to happen took his mind in a reckless abandon.
He forced himself to stop thinking about it so that he may tell her of his idea.
"You have tried everything to get rid of the magic but you can not. I think that is because the ghosts do not want to leave. You are letting go of one end of the rope, while they hold on to the other."
She shook with a disagreeing laugh. "They want to. They beg me to set them free. If they could, they would leave."
"You are right, they want to, they just do not know the right way to. I believe their souls must be appeased. They are angry, and their anger ties them here."
"Of course they are angry." She blamed him for that, it was in her eyes.
"Can you ask them what they want me to do?"
"What?" Her fight dissipated from her.
"I want their forgiveness. My actions took their lives, the least I can offer them now is peace."
Belladonna turned away, turning the thoughts in her head.
She had never thought of that. So she tried it and surprisingly, it worked.
There were many demands and the one that was requested for the most made her chuckle.
"Eli, they want your head." She said as she turned to him.
He nodded, as if he had been expecting that. "Tell them I have that request noted."
She rolled her eyes, not taking him seriously.
There were many more requests, so many that they had rushed up to her study, to get scrolls to jot them all down, while she shouted the numerous demands to Eli.
After a couple of hours, they were done.
Belladonna leaned back on the sofa, with the scrolls scattered all around, her wrists aching from how fast she had been writing. Eli was standing some distance in front of her, studying the scroll in his hand with observant eyes, as he tried to arrange the demands in the order that was possible for them to fulfill.
Many wanted some sacks of gold coins to be given to their families.
Well, that was something they could send some guards to do. That way they would be able to do a lot in a very limited time.
There was a ghost bride who wanted them to help her mother celebrate her birthday because that was a promise she had made to her before going to the Choosing Ritual. She had promised her that she would come back and celebrate her birthday. It would give her peace to fulfill the promise.
They both decided to go on the next journey together and fulfill the ghost bride's wish. Also, they decided to send the first round of coins dispatch tomorrow.
"We will have to go together." Belladonna declared as she helped with rolling up the scrolls, suddenly realizing what this meant.
She wanted to get away from him to figure out her feelings, not to have to spend more time with him!
Well, this had just changed everything.
"Yes, but I promise you that once this is over, I will not come in front of you again. I will be gone."
He was handing her the last scroll and suddenly she observed something.
"You are still wearing your gloves? Why?"
"I do not think I deserve to attain my dream of touch until I have made amends for my wrong." It was moments like this that confused her even more because they made some of his past actions that she had fallen for feel less like a trick.
She shook her head, taking the last scroll from him, putting it into the sack, and tying it up.
"This cannot be mistaken as an opportunity to take us back to what we used to be. Nothing will change. I do not love you anymore."
"I understand."
"If we must communicate, then it would strictly be on matters relating to this." She raised the sack for reference.
Eli sighed.
It was suddenly so quiet in the study and the light of the candle suddenly felt too bright.
Everything felt too much.
"I give you my word."
She nodded. "It is done then. We leave together and---" she stalled and he completed her words.
"I will be gone once this is over."
___
___
The witches had reported back the next day, and everything they said they found had been directed to Granny.
Granny was nowhere to be found, however, and her house was empty.
Her spell had probably backfired, maybe it had even killed her.
Well, too bad. Belladonna really hoped that Nadia was all alright. For Seb, however, the news of Granny and Nadia's disappearance had a more devastating effect.
Soon enough, the coins dispatch was sent out and it was time for the journey to Tikivah.
Belladonna's cold demeanour was present once again, and the journey down to Tikivah was accompanied by silence and the neighing of the horses.
They got to the Village by nightfall, and immediately set out to find Kami's family. That was the ghost bride's name.
After asking for directions from many villagers and receiving help from Kami herself with her constant whispering in Belladonna's head, they finally got to her family's house.
On their way here, they had gotten stared at a lot for many reasons.
They were clearly strangers in Tikivah, and it wasn't every day that a man with scales on his cheekbones walked their streets. Some offered them polite smiles as they passed, some murmured discreetly, and some weren't so discreet as they pointed and whispered their thoughts loudly to the ears of their companions.
Kima's house was quiet and the yellow light seeping out from the windows showed that there was someone in there. (Only one window had no light coming out of it.)
Good, for a second there, Belladonna had been scared it was empty.
Belladonna had stepped forward and knocked.
It took two more knocks for them to get a response.
An agile-looking average-height man with a face partly covered in beards of black and grey, answered them at the door. He gave them one quick look before shaking his head and the corners of his eyes wrinkled in anger when he noticed Eli's scales and the sack in his hands.
"We are not buying any decorations for the coming Rain festival. Go away, thank you."
Bam!
He slammed the door shut.
Belladonna knocked again.
"I said, no!" He yelled and Eli had been quick to state why they were here.
It was hard for him to say, his guilt and pain making it through his voice despite his firmness.
Now, when the man's face shadowed with rage, it was for reasons that truly related to these unwanted guests at his door.
"So you are the King that stole my daughter." His whisper was filled with anger and thirst for vengeance. "Neighbours! The Masked Killer is at my door to mock my family of my grieve! Don't watch me like this. Do something!"
Things escalated fast and before Belladonna could say anything, someone had thrown the first stone at Eli.
Then more came his way as they shouted profanities at him.