Facade

It was late August in the deep mountains where Jadonia and Valdenland met. A young woman in a snug dress and an older lady stood before a nameless grave.

The young woman, Hera Youngworth, was born into the Everett family of Norburgh. However, she was given to the wrong family due to a mistake at the hospital 17 years ago.

Just a week ago, the Everetts located her. Today, they were here to bring her back to the city.

Catherine Youngworth shifted her gaze from the tombstone to Hera. “Let’s start heading downhill. The Everetts will arrive shortly. Once you’re back in the city, you’ll be recognized as an Everett. It’s time to leave the past behind.”

“Okay, Grandma. You go ahead. I’d like to stay a little longer,” Hera replied.

Catherine took one last glance at the tombstone, let out a sigh, and said, “Don’t keep them waiting.”

Hera stood alone, silently gazing at the nameless tombstone.

Suddenly, she heard rustling in the woods behind her and glanced up. Something was stirring among the trees and approaching her.

Turning around cautiously, she caught the glint of sunlight on her long eyelashes. A figure dressed in dark camouflage dashed out from the woods, stirring a heavy scent of blood into the air.

The tall man had camouflage paint on his face, making it hard for Hera to see his features. Yet, she spotted a flag on his right arm.

Meanwhile, Hera could still hear rustling sounds from the woods behind him.

Bernard Killian hadn’t expected to run into anyone in these desolate mountains. With a growl, he cautioned, “It’s dangerous here. You should go!”

Drained of energy, he stumbled and collapsed before Hera. He lay motionless, his blood staining the grass beneath him.

Hera frowned. The smell of blood was overpowering, leading her to believe that Bernard had likely lost consciousness due to excessive bleeding. He might not survive if she didn’t act fast to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, two men dressed in light camouflage suits emerged from the woods.

The first man, Edwin Elrod, who had curly hair, spoke in Terranish, “There’s a woman over here!”

The second man, Albert Barlowe, had a crew cut and thick lips. He glanced at Hera and said, “Let’s take her with us.”

It seemed that Albert hadn’t seen a woman in a while. His gaze turned lustful as soon as he laid eyes on Hera.

Hera’s heart pounded. She had lived in this borderland for 11 years and was aware of its dangers, but this situation was new.

Despite her anxiety, she silently thanked her lucky stars that Catherine had gone down the mountain before her.

Hera calmly looked at the weapons they were holding, then spoke in standard Terranish, “Please don’t harm me. I’m just a villager.”

Albert stepped forward, using the barrel of his gun to lift Hera’s chin. Her face was beautiful and soft. He imagined that touching her would be pleasant.

He licked his lips and grinned. “Miss, you speak Terranish quite well. Come with us. I’ll take you everywhere and we’ll live a good life.”

Hera fixed her gaze on the ominous gun barrel, her throat tight with fear. “Fine, just please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll pack my things and go with you right away.”

Her timid response only fueled Albert’s dark intentions. He smirked with a hint of malice. “Since you’re so agreeable, let’s begin with making me happy!”

Edwin chimed in with a similarly unsettling laugh.

Albert dropped his weapon and seized Hera’s right hand, pulling her close.

Quick as lightning, Hera ran her left hand along the side of her tight dress, revealing a silver needle between her fingers. She then thrust the needle into Albert’s ST 9 acupuncture point.

Albert froze, his head dropping to meet Hera’s icy gaze. The fear that had been in her eyes moments before was now gone.

Edwin sensed trouble and muttered curses under his breath. He pointed his gun at Hera but hesitated to shoot, fearing he might hit Albert instead.

Once Albert fell unconscious, Hera shoved him aside and rolled swiftly toward the tombstone. She grabbed a handful of white powder from a basket and flung it at Edwin.

Edwin hurried to reload his gun, but it was too late. The powder filled the air, and as he breathed it in, his vision blurred. He felt his senses dulling. Within moments, he collapsed unconscious, just like Albert.

The powder Hera used was her own mix, designed to repel wild animals. Without an antidote, they wouldn’t wake up for at least an hour.

Hera got to her feet and looked down. She noticed that the dress Catherine had tailored for her was stained and ripped from the stones. She frowned, feeling a pang of regret.

Then, she moved closer to check Bernard’s injury. He had been shot in the right shoulder blade, and blood was flowing from the wound.

Hera undid the intricate camouflage uniform Bernard wore and lifted the slit of her dress. Along the edge of the slit, rows of silver needles of various lengths and thicknesses were found.

She picked a few and carefully inserted them into Bernard’s acupuncture points, which aided in stopping the bleeding.

Next, she tore off a fabric from her torn dress and used it to bandage Bernard’s wound. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, she couldn’t remove the bullet.

As Bernard slowly woke up, he felt a numbness in his right shoulder. He was still feeling dazed, but he snapped wide awake when he felt someone’s hands on his chest.

Hera had just finished wrapping a bandage around his wound when Bernard grabbed her right wrist.

“Don’t worry I’m just tending to your injury,” Hera reassured him.

Bernard finally got a good look at her face and was surprised. “C-Cecily?”

Hera was shocked. She looked at Bernard’s face, which was smeared with camouflage paint. Then, she pulled away from his grip and distanced herself.

The name Cecily was known only to the Killian family. Hera wondered if the person standing before her could be one of the Killians.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.