The Forty-Third Chapter

“What is your kind again?”

“Winnowers,” Laara replied while accepting the pudding that Rozelyn gave.

“Which means?” Rozelyn continued squeezing for answers.

“Folks of the Wind.” It was Thalia Turner who answered.

The rest nodded in discernment. But Rozelyn Zadzisai was hungry for more answers, curious for what else the folks of her nanny could do.

Yet, she couldn’t pass through any of their mental defenses. It seems they have an amulet of sorts.

‘A Thaumaturge has limitations then…’ She thought while eating a caramel pudding.

Isla cleared her throat. “You must be Eku’s daughter?”

She looked her in the eye. For one second, Isla Ivane is indeed pretty scary. Rozelyn doesn’t know if it was for the eyebags or the dry skin or the crooked hair.

Isla is just…she seems traumatized ever since and had been avoiding the people outside as long as she could.

She looked at her again and Rozelyn forgot that Isla was waiting for her answer. “Yes. Yes, I am Eku’s only daughter.”

“And your stepmother?”

‘I thought you had been avoiding the outside life? How do you know I have a stepmother?’ Rozelyn pondered.

“I-We don’t know where she is. She hasn’t attended Sam—Halloween two days ago.”

“I see,” Isla murmured.

Rozelyn tensed. Avril and Anaztasia glanced at her and seemed to say ‘it’s all right’. But for her, it’s not okay. She almost divulged and spit out that they’re blood-sucking and flesh-eating creatures of the night.

But she heard Thalia’s telepathic words in her mind that said, ‘They know, dearest…’

She looked at Thalia and the latter gave her a sweet smile.

“Have some kiwi.” The old woman offered.

“Thank you,” Rozelyn said. She stood while eating the kiwi, relishing the wind and the breath-taking view of the orchard.

Anaztasia and Avril jerked their heads up. Their eyes went wide and they went pale as if they just saw a ghost.

“What?” She asked.

“Behind you,” Avril managed to say.

It was Maebh Mullin and Ludwig Vergara. The former gave her a snake-like smile. She’s wearing a Sunday yellow dress and Ludwig was in a fishing attire.

“We just finished fishing at the man-made pond over there,” Maebh sweetly said and pointed with her slender, dainty finger.

“So?” Thalia challenged. Rozelyn watched the two gaze at one another.

“Let’s have a toast!” Maebh gleefully suggested.

“You can lay your blanket beside us, Ms. Maebh,” Laara, who was only wearing a simple t-shirt and black jeans, offered to the socialite.

“Thanks,” Maebh then gave Laara a curtsy smile.

Anaztasia secretly rolled her eyes.

But Rozelyn noticed Maebh’s unusual smell. “You smell funny, Maebh?”

Ludwig smelled her. “Those are fish smells, Ms. Zadzisai.”

Rozelyn nodded, pretending to hide that she did not recognize her smell.

“Are you two lovers?” Finally, Anaztasia Arryn asked Maebh a question.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Maebh replied while eating cheddar cheese and white grapes.

“It’s obvious,” Avril muttered candidly, eyes not parting from her as if he admired her. But in reality, he too had smelt Maebh’s weird scent.

Maebh smells like that of a heathen. No, not like. She smells very much of a heathen.

Rozelyn and Avril looked at each other and realized that sometimes you have to keep your friends close. But, your enemies should be closer to you, as close as at your side.

“Cheers, everyone!” Thalia initiated. All of them, including the wealthy couple, joined the toast and drank their respective wine.

“You should try our Muscat Blanc wine. It came straight from Switzerland,” Ludwig boasted to the others.

“It’s a delight then. But I think I’m already full,” Avril was the first one to courteously refuse.

“Me too,” said Laara and Isla.

“So do I,” Thalia replied.

“I’m fine with red wine. Thanks,” Anaztasia then drank her pinot noir.

“I’ll try it,” Rozelyn’s voice made the others abruptly turn towards her.

“It looks lavish and tasty…” she added with so-called curiosity.

“Rozelyn…” Anaztasia’s eyes were incredulous. “Your alcohol should be limited and keep watch.” Anaztasia lied. In reality, she knew the drink could’ve been spiked or, well, poisoned.

“I know dear Ana. But I can’t resist Mr. Ludwig’s offer of his ten thousand dollars’ worth of a wine, isn’t it?”

“Ye-yes, Ms. Zadzisai” Ludwig’s unexpected shaky voice sent Rozelyn smiling on the inside.

She grabbed her wine glass and handed it to the man. “Just a little and I’ll give it a judge,” Rozelyn then winked and watched as Ludwig poured her that wine from that luxurious worth-of-a-wealth bottle.

She’s a Thaumaturge. Rozelyn had endured poisons, dreamwalking consequences, being blamed for murders, and even from Maebh’s insult during Cyrill’s musical show.

‘It’s just a poison…’ Rozelyn kept repeating in her mind. ‘It’s just a poison…It’s just a poison… It’s just a poison…’

In a heartbeat, Rozelyn had glanced at the contents of the bottle. There’s a snake’s skin on the inside. Perhaps the serpent was dead, perhaps not.

‘A fucking snake wine!’ She was about to shriek her thoughts when Romaine Eastwood-Zadzisai arrived when Rozelyn jerked her head.

“What the hell are you doing, Rozelyn?!” Romaine’s voice made Ludwig halt pouring the wine.

“It’s just wine, Romaine!” Maebh countered.

“Exactly. She’s not supposed to drink alcoholic beverages!”

Romaine then spilled Rozelyn’s glass, burning the cloth a little like an acid burning a paper. All but Rozelyn had not seen it.

‘What the fuck? Didn’t no one see that?!’ She conversed with her mind again. Rozelyn felt that someone was covering the burn, someone was preventing it not to be seen using a glamour, an illusion.

Romaine put her passion fruit juice in the middle and sat comfortably between Rozelyn and Maebh.

“Juice anyone?” Rozelyn’s stepmother asked as she poured herself a glass of that juice.

“Where the hell have you been Romaine?” Rozelyn had never heard that tone from Avril Arke ever since—so serious and demanding.

“Hmm?” Romaine asked, face innocent as if she was hiding and acting just to cover that secret.

“I said where have you been?” Avril’s voice becomes rougher, denser.

Secretly, Rozelyn magically exchanged the contents of Ludwig’s wine with the nearby water from the lake that was occupied by swans and ducks and geese.

Just before Romaine could reply, there was a loud explosion nearby that seemed to come from the apartment where Laara and Isla reside.