Tartrios - Felps Miera - 2

02 - A Heart

The moon illuminated the entire street, and some torches were lit on the mansion’s facade. Linie was in a grand hall with columns made of plaster spaced four meters apart from each other. There were also some yellow tables with vases full of blue flowers. Some maids looked pale and terrified but refrained from asking anything. Linie was cold, rigid, and had an upright posture. She was watching the street, her fingers touching the small ledge of the window, making repetitive movements: one at a time touching the ledge, and when the last one touched it, the first started again.

Peny was entering a courtroom filled with pale people with dark eyes around her. She walked coolly towards the judge, a black man with the same eye color as Peny and a millennium-old appearance. He wore dark robes with a raven-shaped pendant around his neck, and his hair was curly with a well-groomed beard.

He looked at Peny with a hint of disdain and spoke somewhat irritated: — So, Miss Burya. I see that you authorized the transformation of another human. You know that according to the rules, you were not allowed to do this. You will have to rectify this deed.

Peny looked at the man, chuckled softly, as she always does, and spoke with her hands at her stomach and feet together: — Your Honor, I couldn’t refuse the offer.

Peny took the child out from her umbrella and showed it to the judge. — This was the soul he gave me in exchange for the Tartrio pendant.

The man looked at her, a bit suspicious. — Very well, Miss Burya. But you will keep the child. And what about the transformed person?

Peny pulled out a thick book written in a very ancient language from her umbrella. It was the book with the names of all the Tartrios that exist and have existed. Linie’s name was newly written; it was the last name in the book: 2711 – LINIE VLOUT MIERA. Transformed: 21/02/1890 – Portugal.

The judge looked back at Peny and spoke with a somewhat confused voice: — Peny, I have another task for you. This woman will certainly start killing everyone in her path, as she still cannot control her instincts. So you know what to do.

Peny’s eyes were sparkling. She gave a tight-lipped smile and said in a sweet and gentle voice: — Alright, Judge Zly Dess — she said, tapping the umbrella on the floor and then disappearing in a gray mist.

In the mansion, John was stunned by what had just happened. After sitting immobile for a few hours, he stood up and walked to the hall. For some reason, the house was extremely empty, and only the wind against the windows produced somewhat eerie howling sounds.

— Linie? Where are you, my love?

John felt something dripping on his head. Several drops began to fall, and he thought it might be a hole from the rain, but it hadn’t rained for days. Then he looked up and saw the body of one of his maids, the gracious one who had opened the door for Peny earlier. She was stuck to the ceiling with five swords embedded in her body. It was a horrifying sight: the woman’s eyes were open, staring at John, and then a word came from her:

— There! — The woman closed her eyes, and silence continued.

John was perplexed by the scene he had just witnessed. As he was running towards the door, a voice called him from behind.

— Darling, where do you think you’re going? Come back now! We need to get ready for dinner.

John looked at the woman with agony and, showing no sign of fear, turned back and said, walking towards her: — Of course, dear... I’ll get ready. I’ll meet you in the dining room.

Linie gave a malevolent smile and turned toward one of the stairs. It seemed that no one had remembered the maid’s body on the ceiling. John took a few steps toward the staircase leading to his room, then heard a cold voice from behind him:

— Hello, Mr. Miera. I came to pay you a visit and brought two of my friends. These are Manahara and Marc.

John looked at the three in shock. Manahara was a bit shorter than Peny, with pale skin. Her hair was short, reaching her shoulders, and she wore all black with a black veil over her face. It was clear she was chuckling a bit. Marc was dark-skinned with curly hair, wearing a gray suit, black pants, and medieval brown boots. His eyes were black with an orange gleam. His hands were gloved, and he wore a monocle.

Then Marc raised his left hand behind him, bent forward making a brief bow, and then said: — Hello, Mr. Miera. I’m pleased to see you’re still alive. Many kill their entire families! — Marc smiled and then fell silent, and Manahara stepped forward with narrow legs, lifting the veil from her face.

— Hello. I’m Manahara Knis. I’m going to kill you. But stay calm, it won’t be today — she said with a chilling voice.

Peny gave a small smile seeing that John was completely terrified and said: — Stay calm, Mr. Miera. They are children of Death. Their job is to take people’s lives, and in their spare time, they work for me.

John was far from calm: — What are they doing here? That isn’t my wife! — he emphasized.

Peny laughed loudly and then became as serious as a stone: — My dear Mr. Miera, I told you that your wife wouldn’t return the same, but you insisted. I couldn’t do anything. What a pity. I think your wife is very out of control. What is this poor lady doing on the ceiling?

Manahara gave a crude laugh and spoke with great caution. — She arrived at the Pot a few moments ago.

The Pot is a place where the souls of people killed by Tartrios are kept. These souls are trapped in a huge pot. In some cases, they manage to escape and enter the bodies of those who killed them, causing the killer’s soul to go to the Pot.

Footsteps were heard approaching the hall. It was Linie. She wore a tight green dress. Her sensual expression quickly turned to one of doubt. — Who are these...?

John looked down at her and said somewhat embarrassed: — They are like you, dear. They came here to help you. They said you need to learn to control your instincts.

Peny interrupted John and said with her cold and cautious voice: — We are Tartrios, also known as “Ravens’ Hearts.” We eat human hearts, just like you do. We came here to warn you that if you make any trouble or anything of the sort, you will face serious consequences. Didn’t your husband tell you?

Linie looked at Peny, somewhat interested. — Tell me what?

Marc interrupted and said seriously: — He sacrificed your daughter’s life so that you could stay alive.

For a few seconds, the air grew cold, and Linie looked at John. She leapt at him, but before reaching her target, Manahara threw a metal ball that shot out ropes at Linie. Linie fell on the staircase, trying to free herself.

— Never act on impulse. That’s one of the commandments of the Brown Ravens Society.

Linie began to laugh hysterically, and after a few minutes, she fell asleep, eventually fainting. Peny looked at John and told him to send all the servants to the dining room. Manahara and Marc took Linie and calmly carried her to an empty room. For some reason, they knew the place well. Terrified, John summoned all the servants and, once they were all in the kitchen, locked the doors.

Then he followed a trail of blood left by Linie, perhaps she had some injury, and arrived at the hall. Linie was chained in bronze, Manahara was holding a feather and a cross. Marc had an open book on a coffee table. And Peny was holding a cup with a reddish liquid. Linie woke up and tried to free herself, but the attempt was in vain.

— So, Miss, I see you already know what will happen to you again. Next time you act on impulse, your punishment will be worse!

Peny took the reddish liquid and poured it over Linie’s head. Manahara took the feather and made two circular movements. Then she took the cross and moved it up and down three times. Linie began to scream in pain, her body was turning whiter, and the hair on her arms was disappearing. Marc took his book and started reciting some words: — “Vy Nikoly ne Tera Tomu Zhyttya!”

Linie’s body trembled, and then she passed out. Manahara released her from the chains and looked with satisfaction at the mark on Linie’s left wrist. It was a circle with a cross inside, where only the axis touched the circle.

— Very well, it all worked out. Now she can start learning a bit more about her new life. If we can even call it life.

Manahara threw four silver balls into the air, and the four of them disappeared in a gray mist.

— Wait! Where are you going?

John tried to shout to see if they would come back, but nothing happened. He walked calmly to the dining room. When he opened the door, none of his servants were there. Only a note on the large dining table.