“Gloomy weather, isn't it?” The cracked, aged voice behind her Violette whip around. The woman with gray hair styled in a low bun was whipping the dust from the table with a cloth. Her white linen shirt with long sleeves was neatly tucked into a brown long skirt with colorful flower tracery along the hem. A reserved but sincere smile lit up her face as her eyes met Violette's.
“A little,” Violette confirmed by closing the window. “I quite enjoy the freshness the rain brings.” Her legs drew a few steps forward in the direction of the woman, the same who met her and Dante at night when they needed rooms.
“Uhh,” she sang peacefully. “Me either. But I thought you had plans and the rain might ruin it.”
Violette glanced at the window again.
“I wanted to walk around the town a bit,” she admitted.
“I advise you to hurry up if you don't want to get your feet wet,” the woman said softly, touching up the flowers on the table.
She was right, it wouldn't be nice to catch a cold in the middle of their trip. Violette didn't have much planned but she wanted to go outside and look around, however her mind was still wondering about Dante. She hasn't seen him since they wished each other a good night.
Nearly at the threshold from the living room she turned her head around to the old lady. “Excuse me. My companion…The guy who was with me, did you see him today?”
The woman raised her eyes. “No, miss. I believe he didn't leave his room.”
Violette nodded meaningfully and thanked her before returning to her room to grab her cloak.
Her eyes lingered on the next door. The idea to knock on Dante's door was tempting but all she did was turn back and go down the stairs and to the door leading to the world outside.
Chapter 9
A MONSTER BEHIND THE MASK
The faint glow of street lamps entered the room through translucent curtains. A line of warm light divided the floor, falling directly onto the illustrated pages of the book Violette was sitting over.
?runch.
The sweet scent of apple burst into the air as her eyes continued to run over the words. The apple in her hand was oddly shaped like a heart, a soft pink hue, the inside of which looked more like sprinkles made from stardust than the inside of an ordinary apple. It also didn't taste like what she was used to – incredibly sweet with the first bite and sour when you chewed it.
Violette's fingers turned the page of the book she bought at the store that afternoon. It has been narrating about the magical and legendary places of these lands. Her eyes studied the lively illustration of the next chapter – a dragon-shaped stone arch in the far south. It's been said that it was a sacred place for dragons until they disappeared, taking refuge in the north forever, more than five hundred years ago.
Crunch.
The small hand of the clock pointed to one o'clock in the morning. Violette didn't notice that she'd been sitting over the book since dinner. Her eyes rose to the bed and she moved the book onto the blanket.
Her hands reached out to the curtains to draw them and retreat into the world of dreams as her attention was quickly caught by a figure in a dark cloak outside. She patted her lashes and leaned closer. Only two floors away, but she could swear it was Dante.The young man looked back only for a few seconds but she couldn't confuse his mask with any other scarf, as well as his inky hair.
What was he up to?
Violette wasn't going to just leave this question unanswered. Grabbing her cape, she sprang out into the corridor. Her boots knocked on the stairs so loud it could wake up other guests but her thoughts were occupied by other things. She had to be quick. Whatever Dante was trying to do – she had to know it. His cryptic personality and Machiavellian mind were bothering her more than anything and her dreams will not give her answers she was so eager for.
The street was empty and dark, only street lanterns lit up the road. A fresh rainy scent saturated the air, clean and cool, sending a shiver over Violette’s shoulders. An absolute hush hovered over the town drowned in sleep.
Splash!
Violette looked down, her leg sunk in a puddle. Every street was covered in wet spots. It will not work this way. She quickly grabbed her magic wand and cast a spell to mute her steps. Now she could start her shadowing. Fortunately for her, Dante hadn't gone far. He was just around thirty feet away down the lane.
She had to hurry if she didn't want to lose him. A few steps and she hid behind one of the buildings. His late walk aroused suspicion. Where was he going? Why at night? What else was he up to and didn't tell her?
She tried to be as unnoticed as possible, careful not to get too close. Luckily, Dante didn't look back, continuing forwardwith a slow, unhurried pace, as though he had nowhere in particular to be. She again didn't hear any steps from him like he was flying, however his feet remained on the ground. The pure lull.
And she followed him for ten minutes more until he stopped in the middle of the street, near a tall lantern. His head raised to the stars, eyes closed. A deep breath left his lungs just before his mouth let out the words into the cold night air.
“And how much longer are you going to follow me?”
Violette's heart numbed before it started throbbing faster, a stone dropped down her stomach. She couldn't see him but she definitely sensed he was looking in her direction, knowing exactly where she was. She squeezed her eyes shut. There was no reason to hide anymore.
