The Runaway Huntress
Chapter 52 - 51

Chapter 52: Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Melisca crossed to the other side of the room. The creepy woman finally took off her eyes in her direction. Maybe because it was again of her eyes, but she sensed there was something more. She shrugged her shoulders, waving the thought aside.

She glanced behind her, and the woman entered the counter. Her long, silvery hair was quite intriguing to see. She could have been just older than she looked like. Her skin was tight and didn’t have any wrinkles or stretchy marks. Her hair color appeared natural from the roots, though. Does she have a disease, a syndrome, or something?

Melisca wanted to roll her eyes at where her thoughts were straying. Then an item caught her eye. It wasn’t what she was looking for in the shop, but what she needed also. She crouched to take a closer observation. It’s a vintage double-edged dagger, enclosed in a transparent box. It wasn’t shiny at all. The silver handle was of old metal. An intricate design of two crescent moons facing away from one another with their backs intertwined was at the end of the hilt. And her face lit up as there was a tiny skull engraved on the blade. Close to the handle. She blinked, feeling in awe, eyes twinkling. The weapon seemed to call for her, drawing her in.

"Can I take a closer look at this, please?" She asked and stood up straight to turn around. She met her gray eyes again in an instant. Was this lady staring at her again? She hadn’t noticed, for her attention was solely on the weapon. Those eyes were unnerving to her. It was like a look of longing for someone. Though she was sure that she had never met this woman before. Her silvery white hair was remarkable enough. It looked like silk when lights glinted on her head. She guessed silver hair wasn’t that bad. But would attract unwanted attention also.

Was this lady mute? She wasn’t speaking at all. Haven’t even greeted her earlier, as she knew that was standard etiquette for a customer.

"Yes, my dear."

Melisca flinched. She can talk, indeed. She had the lilting voice of a mature woman.

The woman rummaged something in the drawer before stepping out of the counter and sauntered in her direction. She stepped aside to give her a space in front of the case.

She observed her movement from inserting the key to opening the lid. Then she faced Melisca, tilting her little face up to her. "You can take it out, dear." A small, warm smile was plastered on the woman’s face. Melisca, without further ado, extended her arm and grabbed the dagger from its stand.

The moment her hand clasped the hilt, she instantly released it from the burning cold. It brought a shiver to her body. Looking at the woman with a knot on her forehead, she was tempted to ask. "Did you case this with ice? Or is this a freezer?" But the case wasn’t cold at all. There was no indication that it had a negative temperature.

The woman only shrugged. Melisca tried again. This time, she braced herself for the cold burn. She bit back a wince and gripped the handle tightly. Instantly, the freezing temperature vanished. It seemed like her warmth enveloped the object. She removed it from the stand and pulled it out of the glass box. It had a bit of a weight but was an ignorable matter for her.

She held the weapon close to her face, scanning the details meticulously. From the hilt to the tip of the pointed object. The blade was sturdy. She lightly grazed her thumb at the edge to test its sharpness.

"Careful!" The woman’s warning was too late. Melisca’s fingertip was sliced open. Blood instantly oozed out, and she brought it to her mouth, nipping at the cut. Not wanting to let the woman see how the scratch would close on its own.

It was indeed sharp despite its appearance. The lady looked at her with a creased forehead.

"It’s just a scratch. Nothing to worry." She said and stepped away from where they stood. "Would you mind if I try it for a second?" She did not wait for the woman’s response, though.

She slashed in the air to get a feel for the weapon. It wasn’t like the daggers she had. It felt more hers. She twirled it on her palm smoothly. Her lips quirked up with the incredible feeling of wielding it.

The lady at the side was staring at the girl, moving gracefully like a cat. A formidable aura was encircling around her.

Melisca stopped and approached the in charge. "I’m taking this." She exclaimed excitedly having found a new weapon that she felt was meant for her. "How much?" No matter the amount, she would pay for it.

"It’s for free, dear if you buy other items in my shop."

Her jaw fell. "What? For free? Seriously? Was this cursed?" Why would she give it for free then? Or was it smuggled and she wanted to get rid of it so that she would be safe for being a suspect of an illegal activity? She eyed the woman suspiciously.

She gave a wistful smile to her. "No. It had been there for a long time. So, I’m giving it as a freebie if you buy something in here."

"Something? Oh." Melisca wanted to smack herself for forgetting her purpose of being there in the first place. "Right. I’m looking for a metal box that could fit something like a book." Of course, she won’t give out specific details to anyone.

"Hmm. Let’s check that here, dear." She moved to a far corner, Melisca following behind.

The woman stopped in front of a rectangular chest and kneeled before it. She opened the chest, there were different sizes inside.

"Pick the one, dear."

Melisca crouched and reached for the one that she thought was closest to the size of the album. "This. This is it." It had a bit of weight. She checked all the sides, even the bottom and the lock hole. She nodded in satisfaction. Good enough for its purpose.

They moved to the counter then for Melisca to pay for the item. The woman gave her the scabbard of the dagger. She did not take the change of the amount she gave. "Please just take it. It’s my ’thank you’ for the dagger. But I have something to ask." She had been curious since earlier. "Where did the dagger come from? Do you know what it was made of? What was its origin? Or just any information about it." She bombarded all the questions at once.

The lady looked hesitant but blatantly looked at her while contemplating or so. Then she averted her eyes, sighing, before meeting her gaze again. "I wish I also knew more details about it, dear. But I just found that at the storage when my mother died and I took over the business. It was sealed in a box, and that box was already purchased a year ago. And I placed that dagger in a glass case so that no one would accidentally hurt themselves with it. Just as you had tested its prominent sharpness earlier. It can cut even with the lightest graze."

Melisca looked at the dagger in her hands, already safely sheathed in its scabbard. "Why does no one want it? This is such a great weapon." She took it out again and grazed the side of its safety case.

"Maybe it was meant for you."

"This scabbard is something else also." She slashed the edge of the black cloth again, but it did no damage to the material. "Resistant to the sharpness. Amazing." She ended her enthusiasm for the weapon and thanked the lady again before exiting out of the shop. She even walked her to the door.

The woman continued watching Melisca through the glass wall inside. Until her motorcycle revved away. I truly hope that you are ready for everything. She can’t see her on the road anymore.

Melisca was still grinning while driving. She felt like she didn’t need any additional weapons with her. But then, she felt like she just couldn’t use it on every occasion, only when she was on a hunt. Yeah, it would be a waste to use it just for random things. And as she’d thought earlier, the more the better.

Her face turned serious when she thought of where to bury her album exactly. The first thing that came to mind was near the mountain cabin or her parents’ grave. For that, she won’t have a hard time remembering where she buried it.

But she was hesitating to come back there too soon. Ezekiel might be waiting for her return, setting a trap to kidnap her, put a guard there or whatever could it be that he prepared.

It is daytime, but that gorgeous devil was a hybrid wolf. There’s a high chance that the sun won’t be a problem.

Huh! Gorgeous devil, huh? His striking face was plastered on her mind. Then, his wolf form emerged. It suits him though, the eminent power and unique appearance of a king. She shook her head, wanting to smack herself again for having such thoughts.

Without thinking any further, she decided to dig near the cabin, close to a tree that she had to remember or put a clue to its bark would be easier.

She stopped at the mechanic shop again and made a deal to keep her things for a short while. And she managed to ask for a digging tool, the boss lent her a prybar. It was the only tool they had since it was a mechanical shop.

With a chest box sealed with a cloth in one hand to carry it easier, the prybar in the other, she started on the road to the forest. But she had only walked for a minute and her eyes noticed a van, parking at the side, off the road. She stopped in her tracks and used her vision to see if there were people inside the vehicle. Glad that the windshield wasn’t fully tinted, there was someone in the driver’s seat. The guy was probably watching on his phone or something, for his head was tilted down.

She quickly stepped out of the open. She hid in the nearest tree. It seemed like the driver was waiting for something or someone. And she wasn’t sure if he was human or wolf. Too far for her senses to pick up what he is.