I never really liked the rain. I hated trudging through mud and wet places because my cheap boots couldn't keep the water out. I hated how it turned my hair into a wild bird's nest, along with the after-effect of tangles and knots because I couldn't afford the hair creams to keep it neat. Mostly, I hated the way it interfered with work.

Travelling on the back of a wagon with nothing to protect me from a heavenly downpour save for a broken parasol was not a heavenly experience, and neither was showing up to work shivering and drenched. Did that stop me, however? No. I simply warmed myself in the kitchens where the fire was going, borrowed a dress and went about my cleaning duties at whichever mansion. The only thing I thanked heavens for was my repulsion to sickness.

Today, the rain was appealing. It fell in torrents over the earth, wetting the trees, shrubs, flowers and grass in the Devereux compound. The thousands of pelts hammered incessantly against the roof, drowning out all other sounds.

I watched from the swing seat on the patio of the Devereux mansion, dry and warm underneath a stole Madam Felicity purchased for me. She had become quite fond of giving me gifts on occasion—dresses, shoes, jewellery, sweaters and even make-up. She had also gifted me several beautiful hair ties, only for her joy to multiply tenfold when I told her the reason I would not be wearing them.

I seemed to have given her the misconception that I had developed affections for Tristan, and so would agree to marry him. No matter how hard I tried to make her understand that that was not the case, and that I would sooner lose my wits than fall in love with her son, she was convinced Lady Fate was at work.

Hence, I left her to her delusions.

I found that I rather enjoyed the rainy weather when I wasn't in any rush to go out hunting for money, medicine, or burdened by the source of the next meal. The issue of the missing murderer persisted, and the threat of the fifth and final plague loomed over my head like a dark stormy cloud.

Today, I forced the negativity to take a back seat. For now, I would sit in comfort and enjoy a good adventure novel.

I read for what seemed like hours. The rain had found me on the patio shortly after noon, persisting four seven chapters until humming to a drizzle. The world conjured in my mind only punctured by a shrill voice.

"There you are, dear!"

Madam Felicity came to stand before me. Her short frame was swallowed by a burgundy winter coat with white fur lining the collar, down to the hems as well as the ends of the sleeves. Her picture hat was burgundy as well.

"I have something for you."

Usually, she uttered those words with a felicitous glint in her eyes, so I did not expect the somberness that accompanied them. She fished out something from her pocket—a medallion with a shimmery purple crystal at its centre.

"It's an amethyst crystal, and it's been blessed by an oracle," Madam Felicity conveyed. "Please do not think of this as any another gift I have given you so far. You have to wear this at all times."

"But—"

"Please, Mae dear," she implored, her brows furrowed with worry. "I went to the seer today to ask about you, and he saw darkness in your future. He told me this amulet would ward off the darkness and preserve your fate. Here, you must wear it at once."

She clipped the amulet around my neck and placed a warm hand on my cheek. "Promise me that you will keep it on until I tell you otherwise."

The concern in her emerald eyes, coupled with her sincere plea made me mellow. "I promise."

She smiled, and her eyes lit up. Her tone lifted, as did her mood. "Now, what are you reading?"

**********

Long after supper that evening, I prepared for my bath. As was custom, I took off my glass bangles, placing them on the dresser. I hesitated when my hand reached for the amulet, my promise to Madam Felicity echoing in my mind.

I dismissed the thought. It was just for a short bath.

So I took it off and placed it alongside my bangles. I had a nice warm soak in the tub and scrubbed myself clean, after which I changed into my night gown. While I wore my hair bonnet, my eyes landed on the novel I had been reading during the day, atop my bed. Excited to slip back into the exciting world of assassins and lady knights, I sat on my bed and leaned against the pillows, pulling up the novel.

**********

"Why did you not listen to me and leave this behind?" Madam Felicity's voice reached my ears, and I found myself staring into her emerald eyes.

I blinked. "What?"

She frowned. "You promised me that you would keep it on, didn't you?"

I was standing on my feet. Madam Felicity stood in front of me in her night gown and silk robe. My eyes flitted across the room, and shock struck me upon realizing where I was. Cupboards, cabinets, gas stoves and a table filled with baskets of fruit.

The kitchen?

Something was cold on my neck; foreign. My hand drifted upwards and found the medallion, the crystal within smooth on my fingers. "You put it back on me," I breathed.

"Yes, you left it on your dressing table after I specifically told you to wear it at all times!" She rebuked, upset.

"I..." I stammered, my mind reeling. Try as I did, I could not grapple how, in all heavens and abyss, I ended up in the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Madam Felicity. I took it off in preparation for my bath and forgot to put it back on."

"Mae dear." Her hand rested on my shoulder, pulling my gaze to meet her stern, almost commanding eyes. "When I said at all times, I meant it. Bath or not, lavatory or not, never take this off. Do you understand me?"

Her seriousness unsettled me. The warning she gave built a thick apprehension, whereas my lack of memory was an omen.

I nodded meekly, and she smiled.

Just like before, her mood was instantly lifted. I envied her ability to shift colours in the blink of an eye. "Good. Now come. I meant to show you the perfume I bought you, but you weren't in your bedroom. Did you want some milk?"

I looked around, noting I was near the island. The closet thing to me was the knife holder filled with all kinds of blades.

I swallowed, a shudder passing through me. "I thought I forgot something here, but I couldn't find it."

She bought my lie, waving a dismissive hand. "Well then, you may search for it tomorrow. Come and tell me if you like the perfume."

With a sunny smile that was all teeth, she took my hand and tugged. My legs felt like lead, only able to move on account of her insistence.

I wasn't prone to sleepwalking. Dreams, sometimes nightmares did seep into my mind on occasion. Many a time, the night was dreamless and uneventful, where I slept like the dead due to exhaustion.

Of late, I dreamt about ghostly night warriors, singing greftyrs and Tristan doing many different things, not limited to dancing and playing all sorts of games with me. Tonight was still young—too early for a dream. It was also improbable for a sleepwalk. Jennifer would have told me if I possessed that habit. Otherwise, I went to sleep in my bed and woke up in my bed. Not in the kitchens amidst an already ongoing conversation.

While I kept the bottle of perfume on top of the dresser, my eyes met my reflection in the mirror. My fingers felt the amethyst crystal yet again, and unease crept into my gut. Would it be superstitious to believe in the amulet like Madam Felicity did?

Several weeks ago, I would have thought so. But not tonight.

Keeping the amulet on, I went to sleep.

**********

Sharp pain erupted from my belly. It was a piercing, bursting pain so intense I could hardly breathe. A bemoaning sound drifted into my ears, and it took me a while to register that it came from the back of my own throat.

My head lowered to locate the source of my agony, only to find myself in a standing position, with my hands wrapped around someone else's. That person's hand gripped the handle of a knife plunged deep into my belly. Copious amounts of blood seeped through my nightgown, my vision blurring at the mere sight of it.

Slowly, I lifted my pounding head, tracing the standing figure before me up a toned masculine torso and wide dark brown eyes.

My already racing heart suffered a massive blow as his face blurred. I choked out, "Tristan?...Wh-why....?"

My legs gave away, stumbling. Everything was a spinning blur after that, but I didn't believe I fell. He was there, wrapping himself around me and calling my name.

But I couldn't feel anything save for the throbbing rupture of my insides. My eyelids were too heavy to keep lifting.

Author's chit-chat:

Dun Dun Dun!

It's gone get serious again.

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