The next morning Rio rose from his wooden bed his body weary and aching. His eyes still carried the shadows of last night's exhaustion and anxiety. He dressed slowly hesitated for a moment then opened the door and headed downstairs. The castle's dark hallways with their cracked stone walls and the stale smell of dampness had become familiar to him. As he approached the main hall Valentina's soft singing reached his ears a mournful whisper that seemed to rise from the depths of history echoing through the cold space.
Entering the hall Rio saw Valentina seated behind her canvas as before. With a brush in hand she painted gentle strokes of a lush green field and a silver river. The faint glow of the fireplace cast a warm calm light on her face but her turquoise eyes, as always seemed to hide a deep secret. Seeing Rio she nodded and said with a soft smile,
"Good morning Rio. How are you today?"
Rio approached her and said in a tired voice,
"Good morning Lady. I'm better but my hand still hurts."
Without looking away from her canvas, Valentina gestured to a table beside her. On it sat a glass of green liquid and some dried red leaves.
"Come here and put those leaves in the glass."
Rio walked to the table and carefully dropped the red leaves into the liquid. They dissolved like tiny flames turning the green hue into a deeper shade. Valentina, still focused on her painting murmured,
"Drink it. It'll ease the pain."
Rio stared at the glass. His instincts screamed that it wouldn't taste good. But the throbbing pain in his wrist forced him to obey. He grabbed the glass and downed the liquid in one swift gulp. The bitter burning taste scorched his throat like thick poison. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground gasping for breath.
His eyes teared up from the bitterness. Valentina brush in hand let out a soft laugh—both kind and mischievous—upon seeing the scene.
Rio stood shaking his head.
"That's not funny. Not funny at all."
Valentina still gazing at her canvas smirked and said,
"Whatever you say."
Rio swallowing repeatedly to rid his mouth of the taste stood beside Valentina and stared at her painting. The soft lines of the field and the river's reflection seemed alive like a world pulled from dreams.
"You're really good at art."
Valentina glanced at him ruffled his hair and said with a warm smile,
"Thank you Rio."
She set her brush on the table and continued,
"Truth is my husband and son both loved painting. I had no talent for it but I learned for their sake. Still I think I have room to improve."
Shocked by her words Rio said with wide eyes,
"Lady Valentina you…"
Valentina looked at his stunned face and smirked.
"What? Didn't expect me to fall into the trap of love?"
Blushing with embarrassment Rio ran a hand through his hair and muttered,
"No, just…"
Valentina picked up her brush again and as she painted said,
"We all find someone who completes us one day. Even you'll fall in love someday."
Rio paused to think then nodded and said,
"I think you're right."
Valentina smiled and continued painting but Rio asked hesitantly,
"But where are your husband and son now?"
Valentina's brush froze on the canvas. The air in the hall seemed to grow colder. In a cold heavy voice as if drawn from ancient sorrow she said,
"Everything that begins has an end Rio. My husband passed away, and my son… well, let's just say we don't have a good relationship anymore."
Seeing Valentina's cold mournful face Rio fell silent for a moment. Then, in a voice full of regret he said,
"Oh, I… I'm sorry."
Valentina gave a bitter smile and looked at him.
"Thank you Rio."
Silence settled between them again heavy like a blanket wrapping them both.
Later Valentina finished her painting and said to Rio with a tired expression,
"Rio can you grab that bottle of drink by the window for me?"
Rio nodded and walked to the hall's large window. He picked up the bottle from the sill but suddenly froze. His eyes staring outside caught something that stopped his heart with fear. The bottle slipped from his hand crashing onto the stone floor with a piercing sound. Valentina startled said loudly,
"What's wrong Rio?"
Paralyzed by fear for a moment Rio shouted in a trembling voice,
"someone's out there! Someone's watching the castle!"
Valentina's eyes turned cold and serious in an instant like a storm ready to devour everything. She leapt up and ran to the window. Her gaze sliced through the snow and darkness outside like a sharp dagger, but she saw nothing. Rio still trembling shouted,
"I swear someone was out there staring at the castle!"
Valentina now hesitant said in a quiet but commanding voice,
"Stay right here."
Then with a shout that shook the stone walls she roared,
"Frohel follow me!"
Frohel lying by the fireplace sprang up with glowing icy eyes and darted after Valentina like a white shadow. Valentina strode toward the castle's exit with determined swift steps. With a wave of her hand the massive wooden beam sealing the gate floated into the air as if weightless. Then the metal gates opened with a terrifying roaring sound and a blizzard surged inside like an enraged beast. Valentina flicked her finger and her belt with heavy metal orbs detached from the wall flying toward her. The belt fastened around her waist with precision the orbs settling into place with a soft metallic clink. With clenched fists and eyes blazing like icy flames she stepped out of the castle.
Amid the storm she took a few steps away from the castle. The wind whipped her woolen dress like wings of night and the snow scratched her skin like icy blades. But she stood motionless her eyes scanning the surroundings with deadly focus and fear as if searching the entire world for that unknown threat.
After a moment she looked at Frohel and said in a voice trembling with rage,
"Do you sense anything?"
Frohel his eyes gleaming like cold stars in the darkness scanned the area. His nose twitched as if following a scent. In a deep mysterious voice he said,
"Valentina someone was here!"
Valentina's face grew graver. She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Without a word she returned to the castle. Entering the main hall she saw everyone—Zelina, Nadia, and Ayhan—gathered due to the shouts and noise. Zelina standing anxiously beside Nadia and Ayhan said in a trembling voice,
"Master what's happening? Rio said he saw someone outside?"
Valentina strode heavily toward Rio. Her eyes now like two black holes locked onto him. In a voice where each word felt like a heavy weight she said,
"Rio what did the person you saw look like?"
Rio still trembling with fear swallowed hard and said in a broken voice,
"I'm not sure! that looked like Valdis, wearing a tattered black cloak… and a white mask."
At those words the color drained from Valentina's face as if her soul had been ripped from her body. Without hesitation she ran to the fireplace grabbed a piece of black charcoal and with frantic rapid strokes drew an image on her canvas—a figure with a white mask and a black cloak as if pulled from a nightmare. She held the canvas with both hands and showed it to Rio. In a voice trembling with rage and fear she asked,
"Is this the person you saw?"
Rio with wide eyes nodded and whispered,
"That's him."
Valentina gritted her teeth so hard the sound echoed in the hall. Her rage flared like a fiery storm within her. In a determined furious voice she roared,
"You need to leave. Now!"