When the soldiers untied their horses, Ribola put Tina on his horse and instructed the soldiers to return to the castle and report. The soldiers seemed puzzled, but they followed his orders. Ribola didn’t want the soldiers to know what he was about to do. If word reached Queen Sabina, it would surely result in an extremely difficult situation.
After riding for some time, they entered a thicket. This place seemed suitable for what he intended to do—whether it be to kill or to act. He stopped his horse in a clearing and dismounted. Then, he drew out his riding crop. Tina stood with her back against a tree. Though her tears had dried, her eyes were red and swollen, and the dried streaks of tears were still visible on her cheeks and jaw.
“Take off your clothes.”
Tina stared at Ribola, as if trying to figure out what was happening. Perhaps this was a situation she had endured countless times. Just as Ribola was about to urge her, Tina reached behind her neck and loosened her dress. The tunic fell to the ground. Holding her baby in her arms, Tina asked,
“You still plan to kill me, don’t you?”
Ribola only moved his eyebrows slightly. Tina nodded.
“I understand. I have just two requests. First, I hope the baby won’t have to see it.”
Ribola nodded, and Tina continued.
“The other is that you hear me out just for a little while. Even if it sounds ridiculous, please don’t interrupt me. Just listen to the end before you decide. Even if you refuse, that’s fine—just let me finish. After that, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“What is it? Make it quick.”
He had no interest in whatever story she was about to tell, but pretending to listen wasn’t difficult. It was obvious she would plead for her life, and if he didn’t want to spare her, he wouldn’t. As long as it was brief. However, from her first words, it was completely unexpected.
“If you kill us today, you’ll die too.”
From beneath the reeds, dusk seemed to rise. It spread wide and slowly grew upward. It was like watching a shadow rise and transform into a beast. Finally, the figure in human form stared intently into the reed field, and then it abandoned the reeds and began to move in a different direction.
A dark blue stain covered the sky. A few drops of rain fell, then stopped, repeating intermittently. There was no light. A shadow was cast where the forest began, and then a voice was heard.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll die too. Even without evidence, even if no one accuses you, the general will be seen as the culprit.”
“Well, isn’t that amazing. Did the stars tell you that last night?”
Tina shook her head.
“It’s inevitable. His Majesty will suspect the queen, and the queen knows that, so it’ll happen. I’ll explain why now.”
Ribola sneered. Even though this woman had spent some time in the palace, she was lowborn and ignorant. It was absurd that she thought she could persuade a general like him with words. But Tina was desperate. Her voice trembled, yet each word was clear and deliberate.
“There was an incident when I was with the troupe. One day, the purse containing our earnings went missing. No matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find it. Then suddenly, the troupe leader accused the clown of stealing and dragged him off to be beaten. There was no evidence. Later, someone told me that if the money disappeared without a culprit, people would think the troupe leader was a joke, and others would be emboldened to steal more.”
“So what does that have to do with anything?”
“The prince has disappeared, and there cannot be no criminal. Whether there’s evidence or not, someone must be blamed.”
“Oh, really? So they’ll just pick someone at random to accuse? And that someone is going to be me? How convenient. Thanks for the heads-up. Is that the end of your story?”
Tina shook her head. At that moment, no one could have known how much superhuman effort she was exerting. She had to convince him. This man, Queen Sabina’s confidant, who had been following them from the start to kill them. It seemed impossible, but it was the only way. To save her baby.
“No. There was a reason the clown was framed.”
Ribola looked irritated.
“Wasn’t there no evidence?”
“There wasn’t. He was just the younger brother of a popular acrobat who acted arrogant. The troupe leader beat the clown to send a warning. It didn’t matter whether there was evidence or not. It was to show that he could punish anyone and that if they continued to be arrogant, they’d be next. Everyone knows that Queen Sabina is the one who most wants us gone. His Majesty knows that too. The queen cannot be punished without evidence. So, someone close to the queen will be punished as a warning. The queen knows this as well. And since you’re the one who really did it, you’re the person she most wants to get rid of. If you disappear, all evidence disappears with you.”
Ribola’s expression was one of disbelief.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Do you trust the queen? Do you really think she’ll protect you no matter what? People don’t entrust such dangerous tasks to those they truly care about.”
“You, I swear, if you keep pushing it…”
Though his words were harsh, doubt was beginning to creep into Ribola’s mind. Tina strengthened her voice.
“I will repay your kindness.”
“Kindness? Even in your state? Is that your way of persuading me?”
“It’s mutually beneficial. And I’m a dancer. Do you really think something as small as undressing matters to someone like me?”
Tina even managed a faint smile. Ribola said,
“You’ve thought it through, but what if I keep you alive and you show up at the court to reveal everything that happened today? The dead are the only ones who stay silent.”
“I have no intention of returning to the court.”
“What?”
“My baby is in danger. If I stay in the palace, the queen will try again, over and over, until one day she succeeds in killing both of us.”
“How do you know that?”
“I may be a foolish woman, but I’m a mother. And mothers are the best at recognizing danger to their children.”
“So?”
“I’ll go live in another country. Wherever you send me, I’ll go. I’ll write to you under a false name. You’ll always know where I am and what I’m doing.”
“What if you don’t send letters and just disappear?”
“I won’t. I have something to gain by sending letters.”
“What would that be?”
“I’m a woman with no money and no one to help me, and I have to raise a child. Who else but you would make sure I survive?”
As he listened, her words began to sound more plausible. Hiding her in a distant land and supporting her while occasionally visiting her didn’t seem like a bad idea. Perhaps he was more inclined to agree because, in truth, he had been reluctant to kill her after holding her in his arms.
“Keep us alive, and you won’t be sacrificed by the queen. But once you kill us, my baby and I will never come back to life.”
As Tina spoke her final words, Ribola made up his mind. He approached her.
“Alright. Then show me the proof of our agreement.”
Tina turned as if to place the baby down behind her. She felt the outline of the dagger wrapped in the cloth of the swaddling. Just as she was about to grab it, she noticed the shadow covering the ground. It wasn’t from the trees or the rain clouds. It was nightfall. She instinctively looked up at the sky, realizing that it wasn’t yet time for night. Above the rain clouds was a dark border, moving. Before Tina could say anything, it descended onto Ribola’s back.
The rain began to fall.
Tina looked down at her trembling hands. They were covered in blood. The swaddling cloth, too, was soaked. Thin blood, mixed with rainwater, dripped down her elbows. The warm sensation snapped her out of her daze, reminding her that this wasn’t a hallucination. She looked up and saw a towering black shadow with a mouth burning like flames in the rain. The gaping, horizontal slit wasn’t where a human’s chest should be, but like a door to the underworld.
She wanted to close her eyes. To surrender to her fear and lose consciousness so she wouldn’t have to feel the final moment. But the baby in the swaddle moved. If she gave up, it would mean giving up on her baby’s life as well. This blood wasn’t hers or the baby’s. Ribola, missing his left arm, lay motionless, slumped into the wet bushes. Was he dead?
She recalled the stories old women used to tell to scare crying children. They spoke of demons. Living in the dirt, never coming out unless summoned, and when they did, they devoured people indiscriminately. There was no talking to demons, they said, no pleading. The demons had no eyes or nose, just a burning mouth. That mouth wasn’t on their faces like humans, but could be anywhere on their bodies—legs, feet, shoulders, or back, even on their chest. The creature in front of her was exactly as they had described. Had those old women actually seen demons?
Tina thought for a moment. Someone must have survived an encounter with a demon to have passed down its appearance.
“Please… spare me.”
If there was even the slightest chance of survival, she couldn’t give up. How had she kept herself and her baby alive until now? But the demon didn’t move. It just stood there. If it wanted to kill her, it would have torn her apart as it had done to Ribola.
“Please…”
Tina tried to step back. The moment she took a step, the demon moved. Startled, she stopped, and the demon stopped as well. She held her breath, realizing that it had only moved as much as she had retreated. What did that mean?
“What… what do you want?”
The demon raised one arm. Tina’s body stiffened with fear. Instinctively, she turned to shield the baby. The demon’s arm seemed to approach, but stopped just short. Tina realized it was pointing at something. Glancing downward, she saw the rose tattoo on her upper arm. She was naked, so it was exposed, and turning had revealed it to the demon.
The Mark of Aragis.
A voice, as if from the abyss, spoke. Tina had never imagined that a demon could have a voice. Nor did she realize that she might be the only person in the world to hear it. Even demon sorcerers believed that demons didn’t speak, not understanding that demons simply chose not to answer. If demons lacked intelligence, how could they follow the command not to kill those bearing the Mark of Aragis?
But in this moment, Tina had no idea what it meant. She didn’t even know what the Mark of Aragis was. The rose tattoo had started with a single petal, inked by her grandmother when she was a child. As she grew, she had begged her grandmother to add more petals, until by the time she came of age, it had grown into a beautiful rose vine. When she entered the royal court, Roandros had even remarked on how well it had been done, without insisting she remove it. She had never considered that the tattoo could have another meaning.
Tina looked at the tattoo again. This time, her eyes opened wide as she noticed something strange. In the tattoo she had seen countless times, something was hidden. For the first time, she saw it. Within the vines and petals, a tiny centipede was wriggling.
King Aragis commands. Do not harm you. But you and the one you hold are my prey. I cannot return to the earth until I drink your blood. I cannot kill you or spare you. So give it to me.
“What do you want?”
The centipede. Give it to me.
Though she couldn’t imagine how she could give it, a glimmer of hope rose at the thought that if she did, the demon might leave. Tina looked at the tattoo again. She needed confirmation.
“If I give you this… you’ll spare me and my baby?”
The power of the centipede breaks the command of the one who summoned me. Then, I can return to the earth without killing you.
Tina thought about it. All the stories the old women had told about demons. She remembered them saying that demons never lied. That gave her courage to make her decision. In truth, she had no other choice. But how was she supposed to hand it over? Tina fumbled through the swaddle and pulled out the dagger. The thought of what she was about to do sent shivers down her spine. She looked down at her baby, bit her lip until it bled, and finally gathered her courage.
Sitting on the ground, Tina laid her baby on her lap and used one hand to cut out the flesh where the centipede was tattooed.
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