The Forbidden And The Tempting

Blood had never been a problem for Ailith. Living where she was, there were random corpses lying around almost every corner, the aftermath of a brutal drunken brawl perhaps.

And they call this city peaceful.

The point was, her mind had been dipped in folly yet there was just something so horrifyingly new and terrible about the blood that was one's own.

She did not want to look at it, clean It, or do anything for that matter. She lay on her white sheets, solemnly and too still for her own good. Eyes attached to the ceiling as she tried not to think about the lack of money under her bed.

Her eyes threatened to leak but the pride she had forgotten moments ago now stopping her from what just might bring her relief.

If she could have given her life for the coins, she would have.

It was, for her, the only thing that made her push herself to do such a sinful work.

Sterne had been where she was born and lived her whole miserable life. It was harsh but it was somewhere she knew, but this was not where she would feel free. Ailith had tried that.

The money was what she saved for herself. The money that was almost enough to get her out of this place for good.

It hurt. It hurt physically to learn that in a matter of a night everything had been stolen from her. She even had the oozing wounds on her back to prove it. She didn't want to cry but it felt like it would help.

As she thought about it the door to her small room opened and came a series of giggles and chatters which immediately stopped.

Ailith did not move an inch. The pain had finally settled down.

"Oh," came a disgruntled sigh, "you are still here." It was Sally, without a doubt with her friends that follow her every footstep and worship her like a god.

There were sounds of retreating footsteps.

"Wait!" Yelled someone from her group, "Ailith, I heard you got punished today, why was that?"

She wanted to either reply with words that would move heaven and hell or slap the woman in the face. Unfortunately, she couldn't do both.

"Just leave her alone," Sally sounded exhausted.

"Is it because of that handsome boy that came to meet madam today?" The same girl uttered with excitement.

Her ears perked up at that.

"What boy?" Sally was the one who spoke this time.

"I saw him as well," someone else spoke, "a charming young fellow. Halo he said his name was."

She was out of bed faster than she had ever moved. The pain was long forgotten as anger boiled in her for Halo once again.

Grabbing her coat, she strolled to the front door of the house.

She heard some girls call for her but at the moment she couldn't care less.

Her mind jumped to different conclusions and none of them was a good end for the boy she had despised so much without even seeing.

As soon as she stepped out of the house and saw the silent and dark streets. She realized why her plan was a fleeting one.

Thankfully the guards were not yet there. With her luck, they might be closer than she suspects. And when the fast paced hooves sounded, that notion was put to rest as well.

Putting on the jacket with a scrunched up face, Ailith slightly limped out of the streets and into the alleys. She was not exactly sure where Halo might be or what he might look like. Going on pure recklessness was one of her prevailing instincts but not an efficient one.

She knew the gambling den though. She had visited it a couple of times, unfortunately.

It gave her shivers just ponder on about it. The place in itself was luxurious. For people like them who had never seen luxury that beat up building was indeed a place to awe at.

Her thoughts were cut off by a loud crack. She might have guessed someone got caught roaming and now was being whipped by the palace guards, and would have been utterly wrong.

The skies that were gloomy all day were roaring now. The lightning shone and made her cower. Storms scared her.

There, perhaps, wasn't a thing she wasn't afraid of. Large bodies of water, heights, violent storms, and the dark. Everything terrified her.

The fact was before getting into this 'business', Ailith was scared of getting caught as well, but soon enough that fear was chased away. Reya was a big part of it. As much as intimidating and harsh she might seem, she was a good mentor and she appreciated her efforts. There was some animosity in her heart for the woman but that was something she couldn't control.

Learning from that experience she learned that it was easy to get rid of fears. One just have to push forward or be given one. The rest comes like a hurricane. Which she was afraid of.

In that spirit, Ailith wanted to try getting rid of her fear of the sea, but for that she needed to learn how to swim and that was tedious.

In short, she had the push needed to get rid of a fear, she was just to slothful.

The fast paced sound of hooves were distracting. She had to stop and hide everytime they passed, and they passed a lot.

It a while before she could reach the door. No one stood outside and it looked like a normal house. People knew better though.

She raised her hand which caused her to stretch her wounds. It was not a pretty feeling and her reaction was a curse to the winds.

As she somehow managed to knock a big burly man opened the door and apparently he knew her.

The smile he gave was menacing.

"Come in," he sidestepped. There was an accent to his speech but she couldn't tell from where that could be from.

She walked in.

From the interior it also looked like a normal house, but the basement was where it all went down. The upstairs rooms were available as well, but much more sinful activities take place in them.

She instinctively moved to the stairs that went down.

"Not there," the man halted her. With a firm hand he pointed up. "Colt wants to meet you first."

If she wasn't in the presence of a man she barely knew, she would have sighed dramatically. The last thing she wants to do is meet that scoundrel.

She had no choice though, she thought while walking upstairs. He owned the place and she was just a random admirer in this establishment.

Several lewd sounds seeped tgrough in the hallway. Ailith walked with her head down and tried focusing on her steps.

On the third floor, everything was silent. One of the rooms were open and shined light in the dark hallway. A vague tapping sound came from the room.

If this wasn't a fantasy novel, she might just think she was in a horror one.

With a deep breath she went in. The room was a study. Several shelves lined the walls, two couches were placed in the middle and a desk behind it.

The man she dreaded grinned at her while tapping his finger on the well made desk.

"Darling," he said in a way of greeting.

"Mr. Severne, why, might I ask, did you call me?" She smiled the fakest of her smiles.

"Such formalities," he sighed, "take a seat, the night is long and I haven't seen you in a long while."

"I apologize but I have matters to attend." She was ready to leave then.

"Reya didnt inform me of you coming," he leaned forward with interest.

"I come on personal matter," she replied in a straightforward manner.

"Daring aren't we?" He chuckled a dark laugh.

"If there isn't anything I can do for you, then I will leave." She whirled and was a step out the door, when...

"Halo, right?" His words stopped her steps. "So it is true. I can tell you where he Is, and I can also swear on my life that he isn't here."

"What do you want?" She gritted through her teeth, not bothering to look back at him.

"Ah!" He clapped his hands, "there is my darling."

She waited for his reply.

"What I want is simple," he said, "a display of your powers, just for me."

"Where is he?" It was an agreement. He already knew what she was. A display probably wouldn't hurt.

He pushed forward a piece of paper.

She walked up to his desk and without even a glance in his direction walked out the door.

"Good luck, darling, you might just need it this time." His voice called out.

Ailith made her part of the deal clear by closing the door to his study shut with a loud slam. It might not seem impressive but she did it when she was out the building and back into the streets.

As much as he craved to see psychic powers in action, hers might have excited him way more than she initially thought.

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