1 THE RUBY

The clouds are all heaped up on the horizon, casting an eerie shadow over the land. The moon, shining bright and full illuminates the night with its ethereal glow. The dark huge castle that stood in front of me, its towering walls cloaked in ancient mystery. I still couldn't believe I was supposed to enter inside, now that I was actually in front of it I was starting to feel fear crawl up my spine. It doesn't matter anyway, I was still going to do this, I have to. Muttering a prayer to whatever gods that chooses to listen at that moment, I moved closer making sure to press against the dark stony wall so I could blend a little with it. 

From somewhere I could hear the sound of faint music and laughter which was good because it meant the festival was still going on. Today was the moon festival, a very important festival for the werewolves where they come and offer sacrifices to the moon goddess for longevity and wealth. I still think it was stupid though, since the werewolves tend to have longer life spans than the average humans and also the wealth? Didn't they already extort too much out of us poor folks? Perhaps, the moon goddess didn't tell them how wrong it was to prey on us weaker species.

Carefully, I made my way into the castle, making sure I was as quiet as possible and avoiding the guards that were on duty. Luckily for me, there were few of them because they were all too busy with their celebration of the moon festival. As I slipped through the castle, a chill ran down my spine. The air was thick with anticipation, and the torches caused shadows to dance on the walls, whispering secrets of forgotten times. I tread cautiously, my heart pounding in my chest.

Hunger was what pushed me to be where I was now, a place where no human dared to venture. At least not without losing a head or a limb and if you are lucky, they might even give you a quick death. That place is called Vernon, the kingdom where supernatural creatures and humans are forced to coexist. A place where I, Aneesa Fritzgard is currently in and about to steal the most prized possession ever.

This was wrong in so many ways and there were a lot of things that could go wrong but I had no choice. I was hungry and it was hard to get food during winter. I would have hunted but it seems even the animals had taken shelter from the winter. Therefore, the only option that was left was stealing.

I had to survive, my family also had to survive and there was no way we were going to last four days, not with the condition we were in. It wasn't always like this. There was a time when we were rich and part of the aristocratic class. I never knew my birth mother. She died after giving birth to me, leaving my father to take care of me and he did a very good of it. But my father was a merchant which means he was always away most of the time, leaving me alone in the care of nannies.

Deciding he couldn't do it alone, he went on one of his trips, but this time he didn't return alone. He brought home with him a wife and two children, his new wife Mirabel with her daughters, Grace and Giselle. They were twins and also my stepsisters.

The old tale about how stepmothers maltreat the daughter of the household she married into actually worried me but Mirabel wasn't like that. She treated me like her daughter. She showed me so much love and catered for me like I was her own while my father went on his trips.

Everything was going so well until one day tragedy struck. My father went out and never came back home. I could still remember the nights I waited by the fire, anxiously expecting the return of my father but he never came. And then one night, we received a letter announcing the news of my father's death. He had died at sea on his way home, the tide was strong and it had sunk his ship along with his goods and the eleven passengers on it.

I can remember that night very well. How heavy the rain fell and how cold it was. Mirabel had gathered us close in her arms as if to shield us from the tragic news but the damage had already been done. My father was gone and along with him, a part of me died too.

Things soon got hard for us after that. Our servants left one after the other when paying them became an issue. Feeding also became a problem for us, sometimes we'd skip meals. It became so bad we had to sell most of what we owned. Dresses, shoes, jewelry and we even had to sell most of the silver dishware that we had. The last straw was us selling our house.

I had put up a fight about Mirabel selling our house. It was the only home I ever knew, the place Papa had lived in most of his life and Mirabel wanted to sell it. She later convinced me that we had no choice that we had to sell it to live. I had reluctantly agreed with Mirabel and that was how we found ourselves living in a small cottage on the outskirts of town.

We got paid good money for the house and we also got a horse. Mirabel hadn't seen the use for a horse but I told her I would keep it and cater for it. I didn't know how to ride a horse but I trained myself. I can remember the bruises and broken wrists I got before I finally got it right. I became close with the horse and I decided to name it 'Spirit' because it was fierce and strong.

The money we got from selling our house quickly ran out. Mostly, because my stepmother and stepsisters don't know how to manage. They indulged themselves in a few days of luxury. I had cautioned them but of course, they didn't listen to my words. The money ran out after just lasting us for a year and we were left to fend for ourselves.

Grace decided to sell flowers and the pay was enough just for us to buy bread to put on our table. I decided to learn how to hunt. I went into town and went into the forest with hunters watching how they hunted, learning how to lay traps and how to track an animal. I also learned bird calls and one day a hunter, Mr. Finn took pity and finally taught me properly. He also gave me my first bow, which I still use till now.

Sometimes the days in the woods were good and I'd bring home a good catch, other times my efforts were futile. It became worse during winter, the animals already moved on so it became difficult to catch anything. As a result of that, I resulted to petty thefts. I started with picking people's pockets and I was very good at it. Because I was small no one really took any notice and I used my stature to my advantage. Whatever I stole I sold it to a guy who deals in the black market, Garrett. 

Garrett and I became very close and he told me of other big places I could put my 'talent' to use. He was also the one who alerted me of this job at the king's castle. Of course, I had declined but that bastard Garrett had known I was in a tight spot. I had no choice but to accept the gig because Mirabel was sick and the little herbs, we grew in the garden weren't doing much to heal her. We needed an actual healer to be able to do that, I needed money. This is why I accepted the job, I wasn't going to lose Mirabel like my father and the twins weren't going to suffer the loss of having to lose both parents.

Feeling more determined than ever, I stealthily made my way across the castle hall grateful none of the guards or anyone could smell my scent. I had applied a substantial amount of mountain ash all over my body. I had gotten it from the black market it was a balm which was made with mountain ash. Apart from creating a barrier against supernatural creatures like the werewolves, it also helped in throwing them off my scent.

I had thought that was a myth but it was proven now as I sneaked past two guards and I made my way towards the king's bedroom where the jewel was being kept. The assignment given to me was to steal a single ruby jewel that was kept in the king's room.

I know I was risking a lot for this most especially my head, but I had no choice. There were a lot of lives on the line for this. I made my way into the corridor to the king's bedroom and of course, two guards stood in front of the door protecting it. Not surprisingly, even if they were on their moon festival, there was no way they would leave the king's room unguarded. But luckily, I was prepared for it.

I brought out the flask containing the wolfsbane potion Garrett had given me. In front of the glass written in big bold letters were the words 'USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY!' Well, this was an emergency, I thought to myself as I unscrewed the cap and the sweet smell of the wolfsbane wafted towards my nostrils. The smell might be sweet smelling to humans but deadly to werewolves.

Making sure my aim was perfect, I threw the glass in front of the guards watching as it shattered and purple smoke wafted from the ground, engulfing the guards. I watched their eyes widen in surprise before their faces contorted in pain and they hit the ground. Gagging and writhing in pain.

Pleased with myself I came out of my hiding place and strolled towards the king's bedroom. I stared down at the guards who already had blood streaming from their eyes, ears, and nose. I know I should feel some kind of remorse for them as they choke on their own blood. But I felt nothing for them, the werewolves have also been part of our suffering with the heavy taxes imposed on us by their king and with little or no regard for us mortals.

Without sparing them a second glance, I crossed over them and entered the king's bedroom. What greeted me was the large portrait of the king. He was dressed in a dark suede coat with a white shirt that stretched across his muscles underneath the coat. His dirty blond hair was slicked backward with rogue curls coming to form a curtain over his deep green eyes. He had a long straight pointed nose with red full sinful lips. Beside him was a large dog. No, not a dog, a wolf. A big grey wolf!

I stood there for a moment, staring at the portrait. There's no mistaking the air of arrogance the king carried about him and I couldn't also help but notice how beautiful the king is. He looked ethereally beautiful and for a moment I felt this ache in my chest as I stared at the portrait.

The king was beautiful to look at but what was captivating the most about the king were his green eyes. Another thing I noticed was the jagged white scar that stretched from the corner of his right eye, across his cheek, and ended close to the corner of his lip. That deformity still wasn't enough to hide his beauty. The king was the most handsome being I've ever seen, no wonder he stayed hidden most of the time because people would fall at their feet at the sight of him, women mostly of course! I thought to myself as my gaze roamed back to his enchanting green eyes. They were eerily beautiful but they looked soulless, there was no emotion in them, nothing but an empty stare.

Oh well, I suppose that's exactly what he is. He was no man, he was a creature that felt no emotions. I hope one day someone twists a knife deep into his cold soulless heart!

With that thought in my mind, I moved away and I decided to look for the ruby. I started with the drawers, scattering the contents inside to look for the ruby but it wasn't there, just old parchments, books, and inks. I opened the other drawer and found a lot of jewelry inside it, jackpot! I rummaged through it looking for the ruby, but I couldn't find any. 

I was always about to give up when my eyes caught a medium-sized black box. I reached for it and hurriedly opened it. I let out a soft gasp when I saw the ruby inside it, but that wasn't what surprised me. What surprised me was the way the ruby was glowing! I've never seen anything like it before.

Captivated by the glow of the ruby, I reached inside the box to grab it. I marveled at the cold feeling of the stone in my hand, it was wonderful. I was still looking at it when the light suddenly shone bright and all of a sudden there was a spark that sent a jolt of electricity through my veins.

I let out a small yelp then dropped the ruby on the floor, cradling my hand which hurts a little bit. I peered down at the tiny strange markings around my wrist. What the….? I muse trying to figure out what the markings meant.

I didn't have time to figure it out because I could hear loud voices coming from down the hall, the guards were probably on their way. Without another thought, I reached down to pick up the ruby and shoved it in my purse, then ran towards the drawer to pick up some more jewelry for myself. When I was sure that everything was ready, I sprinted towards the window and tossed myself over with the rope I had placed there earlier.

 Once my feet touched the ground, I cut off the rope and went into the bush where I had hidden my horse, Spirit. I mounted him and together we rode away from the castle escaping into the night.