Trouble in paradise

It launched forward at her. Jada ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She stumbled on sharp rocks that made her bare feet bleed.

Feeling numb to the constant pain, Jada searched for a road path from the forest, it seem like there was never ending trail of trees.

Once again a cloud hovered around, blocking the rays of moonlight.

"Don't run from me Jada, I thought you loved me!", Kate voice rang again.

"HELP ANYONE". Jada screamed.

There was an eerie silence.

"Tch!, to think I would be summoned when sleeping", Someone grumbled. Covering his mouth with his palm while yawning. He stretched and turned to look at her.

Green hair and silver eyes glimmering under the moonlight.

"W..Who are you?", Jada stuttered at the shirtless good looking male.

He was topless revealing his bicep. Jada tired not to blush when her life is in danger.

"I should be asking you that, human". He narrowed his eyes. "Or should I say creature". He whispered to himself.

Someone stepped on a dried twig, making it snap.

They both looked at the same direction.

Kate walked towards them. Taking slow and steady steps.

"Let's switch places". Her dead eyes looking straight at Jada. It kept murmuring as It approached them.

"A wandering soul... This isn't where you should be creature". He said to it. "I wonder who's the bastard that threw your essence at this side of hell", He growled.

Hell?, Jada thought. Jada remembered being alive and not dead moments ago. Did she die?, her eyes widened.

"No wonder the air smelt funny, black mages wandering in my territory and you". He turned to Jada and said. "You don't belong to the land of the dead, since you woke me up from my sleep you better have a good reason for interrupting my sleep", He grumbled.

"It was never my intention to wake you from your slumber but I lost my way, I don't know how I came here". Jada bowed.

"No living have stepped on the land of the dead, Maybe you were meant to be dead". He stroked his chin.

Jada stared blankly at him. "Let's get this over with, I need my other century sleep". He yawned. He turned to the figure that was slowly approaching her. He walked up to it and touched it head.

It instantly turn to dust.

"Now let's return you to your world. You don't belong here, you shouldn't know about this place existence, Jada".

"Who did you know my name. Who are you ?". She asked backing away as he stalked towards her.

Her back hit a tree. Discovering that she was cornered. She turned to look at him in the eyes.

"A creature of the living should never know about my existence... An Arch demon". He smirked.

His fangs were longer than a vampire's own appeared.

He touched her head and whispered a simple spell.

Jada woke up the same range of time the other maids did. Her muscles felt sour as she stirred on the bed. Sitting up. She held her head. Her head aching. She felt she had a really horrible dream but she couldn't remember what she dreamt about.

Getting out of bed she joined the other maids to begin the day's chores.

***

Soft wind blew the curtains. Giggling filled the room. The duke of west, Duke Armstrong was in the middle of two ladies as they had fun.

A shadow appeared in the room. The brunette seeing the shadow first screamed and ran out with the other lady tailing her. The Duke drew out his sword.

"Come out whoever you are", He said tasting the waters. Feeling and invisible push.

His back hit the adjacent wall. He groaned

He heard footsteps approaching him. Feeling dizzy he forced himself to open his eyes.

He saw a pair of leather shoes before him. He looked up and gasp. It was the lord of the south and his butler.

"What sort of nonsense is this", He tried to gain some face. "We are allies, when I get out of this room be ready for war!, the emperor would hear of this". He shouted.

"Tch, how troublesome, you have something of mine in your possession".

"I have nothing of yours, I don't want your filthy coins or gold, This means war". He tried to stand up.

Leo had a blank look on his face. His butler had a smirk on his face. The Duke advanced with his weapon but he staggered.

"The ladies did an excellent job in poisoning you", Grey grinned at his plight.

"Poisoned or not, it doesn't matter but seeing you humiliate yourself gives me pleasure". The butler concluded.

"Those sluts". The Duke coughed out blood.

"Grey". That was the only signal Grey longed to hear.

He stalked to the coughing Duke. Swatting he yanked the Duke's shirt revealing a new stitched up chest.

"You knew I was coming for it, yet you think burying it in your organs would help you, Grey you know what to do". Grey smiled. He knew exactly what to do.

Using his sharp fingernails to cut the stitches off. The Duke groan helplessly as his limp turned numb.

Not responding to him. Dipping his hand into his stomach, he searched for the gem. Feeling the solid substance. He held it and removed it. He brought out a red blood stained gem.

He used the Duke shirt that laid on the floor to clean the blood off the gem.

The red gem sparkled under the dim light.

Leo took hold of the gem.

"Let's just hope you'll survive". With that they disappeared into thin air.

The door burst open, two guards rushed in. They saw their Duke soaked in his blood. The Duke has bleed to death with his chest opened.

The sight was gruesome. The passing maids that couldn't hold back on the sight of the body and blood puked.

There was no trace of the intruder.

***

Weeks passed and Jada could taste her freedom. The lord was not in the mansion, according to what she heard. He was paying a visit to the central empire and he have been away for three days.

She had gathered enough coins that would sustain her when she escapes. She rounded up her duty and had her dinner.

She retired to bed.

A few hours into her sleep the door flew open.

"That's her". Lacy pointed at her the confused Jada.

"She's the one that poisoned my meal". The guard caught hold of her. The disoriented Jada was confused.

"I don't know what you are talking about". She voiced out.

"She's not among the maids assigned to assist the chefs but she's always seen around the head chef. A maid witnessed her putting a substance in my meal. I thought she was lying. We fed the meal to the chickens and they died!", lacy cried out. Her mother held her and patted her back.

"What are you waiting for, seize her".

"I didn't do it, I would never poison anyone". Jada shouted frustrated.

"Search her things". The housekeeper instructed.

A guard rummage through her things. Taking out a little bottle with black powder.

Lacy wails increased. Everyone present gasped as they saw the bottle. It was rat poison.

"That doesn't belong to me". She tried to explain.

Maya clung unto Lisa's night dress, Tears streaming down her eyes.

They all knew the punishment of a maid caught with poison.

Instant death. Maya sobbed in Lisa arms.

Lisa pat her head to comfort the scared girl.

Jada was dragged out of the room.

Allot of things ran through her mind.

They wouldn't listen to her. She has to escape now or never.

The lord isn't around it was the perfect opportunity for her to escape, her wrist slipped from the guard's hand, without thinking she headed for the open window.

She jumped out.

She immediately regretted her actions. Scream of ladies was heard as she jumped through the windows. They never expected her to jump through the one story building meant for servants.

Jada crashed hard on the floor.

She prayed that she didn't break a bone.

She stood up in a hurry before they caught up to her.

She discovered she only strain an ankle.

She limped as she ran with her strength into the woods.

The guards came down and saw nobody.

They reported to the housekeeper about the situation.

"We will send a search team to capture her". A guard reported. "The fall she wouldn't have gone far". Madam Mary nodded.

"Don't worry mama, let's leave her, she won't be coming back. Let's save our strength and leave the heavens to decide her fate".