Part Two: (Or the scene in which a boat washes ashore with precious cargo and a falcon thinks it’s okay to tease the night hounds.)

All chapters for Part Two will be written in Alan Ashby’s POV unless otherwise noted.

I watched from the crumbling tower. It was a beautiful day, but ordinary nonetheless. The waves tumbled onto the pebbled beaches as the sun shone down to our little island. The castle was only a hundred meters away or so. It was nothing big that we lived on, but it was home. There was an old tower that had been built and was now crumbling because of the high tides crashing against it. The stone path was now little bricks scattered here and there until it reformed back at the bridge to our home’s doors.

Inside, the residents would be contemplating local Witcher resurfaces, why the feed-subs were acting up, and watching over our newest member, Oli.

But, of course, I was stuck out on guard duty.

I sat down with a book I pulled out from behind a stone. The hollow in the broken wall was a perfect place to store my books. I basked in the warm sun and read the inked words.

Although it was commonly thought we couldn’t go in the sun, but that frankly wasn’t true! We might prefer the moon over the sun, but that didn’t mean we turned to ash in the rays!

The waves continued to rock my brain to a slow sleep. I set down the book and struggled to stay awake. I busied myself by whistling a tune and bringing back memories long forgotten.

But that’s when I saw a boat.

The wooden planks were floating on foam crest. They splashed against the pebbles, creating an unusual sound. I peeked up from behind the binding to see the planks. My eyes wandered from the soaked wood to a broken vessel.

It was obvious that the rowboat had been through a lot. My eyes scanned the clouds. I don’t think there had been a storm recently, but a growing wall of clouds on the western edge of the sky signaled a brewing maelstrom.

It looked vicious.

With a sigh, my curiosity and boredom seemed to hold hands and pulled me forward. I guess I deserved a little break from the constant watch and heat.

I trampled down the steps and silently slowed my pace so I picked along the shoreline. The waves crashed around me and I picked up a piece of wood. Tossing it further ashore, I shook my head and made my way towards the smashed boat.

How did this get here?

No one ever rowed out in this far into the ocean. We never had anyone past the cliffs that jutted out on the mainland. It was far too dangerous for a large boat out here, but someone foolish must’ve decided a little boat would hold up against the large rocks.

I held my hands at my sides, ready for whatever it was. It could be a fisherman, a load of abandoned cargo, or a dead body.

Stepping over the shattered paddle, I stopped in the shadow of the vessel. A hand was sticking out. It looked petite and as if it belonged to a woman. Carefully, I moved the boat aside, flipping it over so that it didn’t crush whoever it was.

As the boat sat heavily on the pebbles, I gawked at what I saw.

It was a woman in metal armor. The silver was hammered in neat designs around the edges. Her brown hair was a salty mess, but her lips were parted as a shudder escaped her lungs. The form showed signs of life as the sun hit her body. She looked about twenty years old. For the first time in almost seventy years, I was awed at her beauty. I was marveled at the way her gaunt jaw peaked and her skin was pale but shone with a familiar radiance. It was all so familiar, all so gorgeous, all so….deadly.

That’s when I saw the Witcher’s logo branded on her breastplate.

The crest was a dawning sun surrounded by a banner with the words Nocte Mane Vincet.

Morning will conquer night.

I stepped back hesitantly. My brain was thrown into confliction. This woman, she held my heart in her open palms, yet she was our mortal enemy. We had known all along that whenever we meet a Witcher, we just kill him or her. It’s not debatable.

Destroy them before they destroy you. That is the motto.

Ageret perdere prius quam disperdens.

Suddenly, I found myself at these crossroads. What should I do? I could kill her, drown her, or even just let her die in the heat. There was the other option that I could save her, but what would the boys think?

They would know she was a Witcher immediately. I couldn’t take her into the castle-she would be attacked, or when she woke up, she might attack the others! There were so many variables taking her to the others.

She gasped awake, her green eyes suddenly open to the world. I guess I was out of time. It was my turn to make a decision.

The woman struggled and choked on the stony beach. Her hands rubbed her face, not believing she was alive. I took one look into the emerald green orbs that stared at me and I felt like I was looking at my Jasey Rae all over again. They both had the same physical appearance, but I knew my Jasey Rae had died in my arms.

“Hey, don’t worry, you’re okay.” I knelt next to her, lightly touching her shoulder. Her glance flashed to me before freezing. She struggled to get up, but groaned in pain.

“Get away.” She growled. My face fell a little. This might be a little tougher than first thought.

“I’m not going to eat you, if that’s what you’re thinking.” I raised an eyebrow in concern. Her thin brow arced a minute.

“No, but you could drain me just as easily.” She tossed back. Her hands clutched her chest. She must’ve been pretty tossed about in the little rowboat. I guess something had bruised her pretty badly.

“I promise, I’m not going to do that. I know we’re vampires and you’re a Witcher, but I swear to you I’m not here to hurt you.” I begged her to understand. She stopped struggling, but I knew she was tensed up. I could smell the fear that radiated off of her.

“Why should I believe you?

“Because you have no choice.”

“Oh.” The Witchers might be notoriously stubborn, but this lady knew when she had been beaten. I sat down on the beach, throwing little pebbles back into the ocean while I felt her icy gaze glare at me.

“So what’s your name?” She asked me eventually. The shadow of the castle loomed over us. Where her little rowboat had crashed, it was right at the side of the mountain of stone. It was if we had our own little secluded hideaway.

“Alan Ashby.” I extended my hand. The ginger locks fell into my face as I leaned over. The salty breeze kindly pushed them away. Her brown hair was in a mess around her shoulders.

“Lily Erebos.” She slowly took my hand, shaking it. As soon as I let go, she drew back in an instantly. I skipped a few pebbles through waves, my strength allowing the little rocks to be tossed like arrow heads.

We continued to exist in in the realm of quietness ten minutes longer, or until the shadows of clouds started to roll over the sea.

“It’s going to start heavily raining soon.” I noted, looking to the sky. My voice traveled to her and she perked up.

“I’ll be fine.” She nodded with dignity, but I could tell she didn’t want to be stuck out in the open and rain.

“No, trust me, it can get pretty rough. Here, let’s get you to the tower.” I pointed at my crumbling watch tower at the other side, just a distance away. She hunched her shoulders back as I stood up and offered her my hand. Her soft emerald eyes held traces of disguised fear.

“Come on, you’re going to need shelter and a warm place to stay.” I coaxed. Eventually she relented and hobbled with me to the tower. We pushed past the rotten wood door. There were two levels and a basement to the small tower. The basement had collapsed in on itself and started to flood a little. I offered her the second level, direct access to the round, flat roof where I usually stayed to keep watch. The open room had a few broken candle sticks propped up on closed windows of shattered glass and moth eaten curtains. I closed the curtains, putting wood in front of them to keep it stable. Lighting a few candles, I grabbed some spare blankets I always kept out here.

Hey, it never hurt to be prepared for any cold gusts on a watch!

She thanked me with a soft murmur and settled on the chair with blankets tucked around her shoulders. The armor was left in a cabinet that squeaked in the corner. I smiled as she rolled in her green shirt under the brown cover. Smiling, I left her be in the tower and walked downstairs.

I still had time to finish my book.

Notes

Oooh, beginning of Part Two!! So we meet the mysterious Lily Erebos and we get to see what Alan decides. I hope you liked reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it!! We're also 17 votes away from starting the contest. Remember, the quicker we get to the contest, the more time I have to read more of your stories!!

Don't forget to leave a comment, rate, and subscribe! Love you all and stay beautiful, my wolves!