"Nooo!" Edith jolted awake, her head nearly slamming against the carriage wall.
The sound of the thunder clapped, startling her, and she hugged herself as goosebumps rose on her skin. A chill ran down her spine as the memory of her father being shot through the heart by an arrow resurfaced. She didn't know what happened to her mother either because she was certain she didn't just scream because her father was shot.
"You are awake?"
Edith heard and was startled by the coldness in the unfamiliar voice. She looked up and saw the man seated across from her and drew back immediately, but being seated limited her movement greatly.
The pitta patta of the rain on the carriage roof drowning into the background. Her eyes were focused on him as she tried to deduce whether he was a friend or foe.
"Who are you?" She asked, looking around, the narrow space confused her. Her eyes returned to the blonde seated opposite her.
"Do you remember the auction house?" He asked, and her brows furrowed. But he could see the look of realization in her eyes. "You have been asleep for several hours, so this might seem confusing to you…"
"Have we met before?" She asked, interrupting his words, and he frowned, but she didn't pay attention to that little detail. She found him familiar but couldn't quite recall where she had met him.
"At the auction,"Although he found her questions odd, he still replied.
"Before that," she uttered, her gaze scrutinizing him as much as he did her.
Evans didn't reply immediately and allowed the silence to settle.
"Well…?"
"None that I recall," he said, and she nodded her head.
"Perhaps I was mistaken," she said with a thoughtful nod. "Where am I then? If I remember correctly, you and the man in your company set the auction house ablaze. I was fortunate enough to survive, and since I am here with you, I assume you took me along with you," she paused and he nodded his head. "What do you want from me? I am no fool to assume that it was an act of chivalry."
"It depends," he said, and her frown deepened. "First I would like to know where you got the jewel on your arm and what your connection to the forbidden lands is."
"The forbidden lands?" She asked, confused before recalling that the auctioneer had said that before.
At her question, his eyes narrowed. But when he spoke, his voice remained calm. "Perhaps you know it by another name?"
"Perhaps," she said without looking at him, she pulled the thick velvet curtain aside and looked out the window. The rain was still pouring down heavily, and seeing that, her expression fell too. This gloomy weather matched her emotions at the moment, but she could not allow herself to show any weakness.
"Where do you come from?" He asked, his tone now more authoritative than before. Edith turned with a sharp glare that took him off guard.
"I will share no such information with a stranger. I don't even know your name," she said after taking a deep breath.
"If that is the case, then allow me to introduce myself…"
"There is no need," she pushed open the carriage door and stepped out. "I won't tell you even if you held me at knife's end," she said, but before she could close the door, she heard him say his name, and she paused.
"Evans Blackhart," Evans said and smirked when she stopped. Although she had her back to him, he knew the realization had dawned on her. A pity I can't see her expression, he thought and sighed inwardly.
"What did you say?" Edith slowly turned, her fist clenched, and the hand that still held the carriage door left a dent on it.
Evans was no fool to not see all of that. The strain in her voice was more than enough to know that she was not afraid or smitten but rather infuriated. As she turned to look at him, the fury in her eyes was paramount.
But he wouldn't be Davion's sword and shield if a little girl like Edith could intimidate him. He had underestimated her before, and she escaped the auction to live until this moment, he would not repeat the same mistake twice.
"Evans Blackhart, his majesty, King Davion's humble servant and…"
"A traitor," Edith said, interrupting him.
Evans chuckled. "That's quite a unique word, my lady," Although his voice came out soft and pleasing to the ears, his expression had lost all of its earlier warmth. "Could you tell why you chose that word?"
He placed his hand on the seat to push himself up, but the moment he did that, a spear was pointed at his chest, right where his heart was.
Evans paused, shocked at the sight of the weapon. He started at the tip, barely inches away from piercing through his clothes,and sniffing the life from him. Where did she hide the weapon?
He slowly looked up and met her gaze, steady and sharp, and the murderous intent in them could be clearly seen.
"Dariel Blackhart, right?" She asked, and his already darkened expression darkened even further. "I will end you here before I go out hunting others like you."
But he laughed as if she had just said something amusing.
"I don't know how a human like you came about this information, but do you truly believe you can harm me?" He gripped the spear and wanted to crush it, but it didn't, and his expression faltered. It was then that he came to realize what material it was made of. His eyes quickly darted to her arm, and the jewel that was once there was no more.
"Do you still believe 'a human like me' can not harm you?" Edith asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
"Green and gold. I should have realized it sooner," With his grip still firm on the weapon, he smirked. "I must admit it is quite a surprise that you are in possession of a weapon such as this. But you are still too weak to fight against me." He pushed the spear back, intentionally using enough strength to send her flying and crashing on a wall not too far from them.
Edith crashed hard against a wall, groaning at the painful impact. But she was quick to get herself up on her feet just as soon as Evans emerged from the carriage.
"Like I said, you are still much too weak to fight against me. Come back when you are strong enough. Then you can ask me…" he was not given the chance to complete his sentence when a light beam came at him. The carriage exploded, shattering to bits.