Page 40 of An Ancient Power's Revenge

Hesitantly, I reached out and knocked. Silence. I knocked again, harder this time. The sobs ceased, replaced by a tense silence. Finally, the door creaked open a sliver, revealing a pair of frightened eyes peering out.

"Who's there?" a woman's voice, laced with fear, whispered.

"It's alright," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm not here to hurt you."

There was a long pause before the door opened further. A woman, her face etched with worry, stood before me. Her eyes, red-rimmed and swollen, scanned me from head to toe, suspicion lingering in their depths.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I… I saw a boy," I stammered, unsure how to explain myself. "He ran in here. Is he… is he alright?"

The woman's gaze flickered towards the back of the room, a flicker of despair crossing her features. "He's safe," she murmured, her voice heavy with fatigue. "But barely."

Seeing her distress, I decided to take a chance. "Look," I said, my voice gentle. "I understand this seems strange, but I need answers. Answers about the attacks, about the creature everyone's talking about."

The woman's eyes widened. "Attacks?" she echoed, her voice trembling. "What do you know about the attacks?"

"Enough to know it's connected to what happened to your son," I said, hoping it wouldn't backfire.

The woman hesitated, then stepped aside, ushering me inside. The room was sparsely furnished, a single flickering candle casting an erratic light. In a corner, huddled beneath a threadbare blanket, lay the young boy I had seen earlier. He was fast asleep, his face pale and drawn.

"My name is Alexei," I said, sitting down on a rickety chair. "And you are?"

"Elena," the woman replied, her voice hoarse. "Elena Vargas."

"Elena," I began, "tell me what happened to your son, to you."

Elena sank into a chair opposite me, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Tears streamed down her face as she recounted a harrowing tale. A night of terror, a chilling creature with empty eyes, and a scream that tore through the night. The boy, traumatized, the bite marks on her wrist a chilling reminder of the attack.

As she spoke, a coldness spread through me. The bite marks were similar to the ones on Sarah Moore and the others. But the creature she described… it didn't match what I knew of banshees. This was something else entirely.

"The last thing I remember," Elena continued, her voice trembling, "was seeing its eyes… red… then darkness. And when I woke up, I felt weak, drained. Like something was missing from me."

I leaned closer, a strange scent catching my attention. It emanated from the bite marks on her wrist, a faint, sickly sweet aroma. Reaching out gently, I took her hand, my enhanced senses picking up the traces of an unknown poison coursing through her veins.

"You've been poisoned," I said, a chill running down my spine.

Elena recoiled, her eyes wide with alarm. "What? But how?"

"By the creature that attacked you," I explained, my voice grim. "This bite… it's not just meant to drain you, it's meant to weaken you further."

Elena stared at her wrist, a look of dawning horror creeping across her face. "What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered.

"That's what I'm here to find out," I said, a new sense of urgency building within me. The theory about a banshee was dead wrong. We were dealing with something far more sinister, a creature that could drain life and poison its victims.

"I can take you back to Harmony Grove," I offered, knowing the coven witches could heal her. "They can help you, and maybe they'll have some answers."

Elena looked at me, a flicker of hope battling with fear in her eyes. Then, she shook her head, a defiantly set to her jaw.

"No," she said, her voice gaining strength. "I won't leave Miguel. And besides," she continued, her gaze hardening, "the less they know about us… about what's happening here in Mystic Vale… the better."

Disappointment gnawed at me. Elena's knowledge could have been invaluable in unraveling this mystery. But I understood her reluctance. Mystic Vale was a place that thrived on secrecy, and trusting outsiders wasn't part of their culture.

"Then let me help you here," I insisted, rising from the chair. "I can't stay long, but I can offer some protection, at least until you get some answers of your own."

Elena seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded slowly. A spark of apprehension flickered in her eyes. "Alright," she said, her voice laced with a newfound determination. "But tell me, who are you, and why are you so interested in this creature?"

I took a deep breath, knowing I couldn't reveal my true nature. Thinking quickly, I came up with a cover story. "I'm a… a researcher," I lied, "studying rare anomalies. And this creature… the way you described it… it falls within my area of expertise."

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