Intertwining Destinies

Chapter 8

Emerald woke up to find herself in the same room, wearing the same clothes. She was calm and the place seemed quiet, unlike the last time she had opened her eyes. She let her mind go back over all that she had seen and experienced since yesterday. A Bethmooran royal had stolen the crown piece and had mysteriously murdered a roomful of people within minutes. The memory of hard yellow eyes and a cruel smile made her shiver. By some strange coincidence, she was still alive.

Next, her mind picked up the thread that she was probably now in the exact place where her uncle Trevor had worked. She had met her long hidden cousin, Hellboy. She was absolutely taken aback by his appearance, but she also remembered that his eyes weren't cruel or cold. They held a sort of softness which threw his demonic appearance out of balance. She already trusted him. There was much that she felt they had to talk about, and years of catching up to do. She realised why he had to be kept hidden and underground. Trust people to misunderstand and fear anything so different from the conformed norms of the society.

She mulled over the words "Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence", and wondered if she could possibly get hired here. She was, after all, an expert on the lost ancient European civilizations and had learnt a great deal from what her uncle and father had told her of their expeditions. She was also well versed in the study of creatures that were a part of these civilizations, and considered mythological in this day and age. She had not come across paranormal creatures until recently, but had decided that she could handle it. She could not go back to mainstream academia, where people simply refused to acknowledge truth and facts. Their narrow-mindedness could not accept the fact that the world contained more intelligent beings than just humans. She also could not face the thought of priceless artefacts being sold to a bunch of snobbish treasure hoarders who revelled in keeping from the public. Working for the BPRD would definitely open up more fields of research and would definitely involve site explorations.

Unbidden, the crown piece surfaced over her thoughts again. An elf had taken it. Its only purpose was to complete the actual royal crown for control of the Golden Army. As far as she knew, the remaining two pieces were held by the elvish king, Balor. Could it be possible that he was still alive? According to the texts, elves were nearly immortal, with lives spanning over millennia. Emerald had never doubted that faeries and otherworldly creatures existed, but to her, they inhabited different realms and dimensions. She would have continued to believe so had she not come face to face with an elf and a troll last night. She would have to tell the BPRD agents what she had witnessed and everything she knew of Bethmooran history.

Making up her mind, she left the bed and walked out of the room to find someone. Before anything else, she needed a bath and some fresh clothes. Also some food, as her stomach protested with a wild growl. She located a man who was dressed in a white coat, and reading a magazine.

"Hello," she called to him.

The man jerked his head towards her. "Miss Bruttenholm, you're awake. How do you feel?"

Emerald assumed that he was a doctor, and replied, "I feel better. My head still feels a bit sore, but I think I'll be fine. I was wondering...can I have some fresh clothes and a shower? It would help a lot!"

The man got up and led her back to her ward. He opened a cabinet, and after a few minutes of sorting, he brought out a set of scrubs shirt and pants.

"Will these do for now? We can get you something more appropriate once you have a chat with the agents, and they decide what to do." Emerald nodded.

"The bathroom's over there," he said, pointing.

Taking the clothes, she went into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, she got out of her messy dress suit and removed her contact lenses. It took several blinks before her eyes stopped itching and watering.