Redstone: Sanctuaries
Chapter 22: The Enigma

Maria seems confused. Those blue eyes blinked slowly, like trying to adjust to the light of a room.

"Mary?" call Jose again, this time more gently. Shouldn't I wake her? He's sorry now.

Mary had experienced somnabulism, sleepwalking, while under the influence of Sir William. Rolan gives him advice to let Maria alone if the condition arises again, and just supervises without waking her up.

Maria was not sleeping on the road. His wife groaned and made small gestures like a nightmare, so Jose woke her up. But what if he shouldn't have done that? What if by waking her up, she was ruining something in Mary?

"Mary, are you awake?" Jose corrected the position of sitting on the lip of the bed so that Maria could lean on him.

Mary's face was pale white. Jose grabbed the side of his face, rubbing it carefully with a pounding heart. "Say something ...," he whispered. "You scared me ..."

Mary opened her eyes several times, then took in many breaths as if she had just emerged from the depths of the sea. "Jose?" Slowly but surely, the hue of his face returned. "You .. is Jose?"

Before Jose could answer, Maria had already puffed her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Jose could feel Maria's heartbeat in his chest. Fast and hard. The body was trembling, shaken in a soundless sobbing.

***

"Is there a good doctor in Redstone?" jose whispers to Edwin outside the room. He turned inward for a moment, confirming the condition of Mary who was currently telling Susan what happened. "Maria's okay, but I want her checked."

"The doctor here is only two, sir," replied Edwin equally softly. "One was young, but he could not write, could only read. The other one's already old."

"They're doctors or shamans?" Jose said bitterly. He did not trust his wife to a doctor who could not write. "Search a doctor from Aston. Tell him to come in tomorrow morning."

"What about Dr. Rolan?"

Rolan is the Argent family doctor, Jose's maternal uncle. Despite his looks, the man graduated from medical school in Aston. Rolan has also been involved in supernatural cases at Bjork with them, making him the most appropriate person to ask to come check on Maria.

But Jose nodded. "As far as I know, Uncle's back at Orlov. The distance is too far. I'll call him in the morning. But for now, just call another trusted doctor."

"I'll find the best doctor in Aston for Madam" Edwin assured. "Mrs. Krucher and Mr. Devon is still waiting downstairs, are you going to meet them?"

Jose nodded. "A little while," he said. "Ask me again what Devon sure doesn't want to call a doctor. Provide whatever they want."

"Of course, Sir. Is there anything else you want?"

"none. Go."

As soon as Edwin withdrew, Jose shifted to the side and leaned his back against the corridor wall. Both hands were cupped to his face. He closed his eyes, breathing in the darkness.

When he saw Mary's pale face, Jose was sure half his life had been lost.

"Master?" a whispering voice called. Jose lowered his hands and turned his head slowly, finding Susan looking at him politely. "The lady wants to meet."

"Ah, sure. What did he tell you?"

"The lady was suddenly thrown into a place similar to Redstone, but darker and colder. There are demons there chasing. Madam met with Mr. Devon, then returned to the manor to open the jar of salt" Susan recounted briefly.

It's the same story Jose heard from Maria. He nodded. "Don't take care of Mary" she whispered. "Take care, you always have to make sure he's okay."

"Surely, sir," Susan replied earnestly. "What happened tonight was entirely my carelessness" he continued, full of regret. His hands clutched each other in agitation. Wet eyes. "But I was standing guard in the room .. but I was not aware of the condition of the Madam. I'll be more careful in the future."

Jose nodded, but had no word of consolation. He walked past Susan, approaching Mary who was still sitting on the bed, now looking at the dental bracelet placed on the blanket on his lap.

Maria looked over, giving him a bright smile. "So it was on time. If you're a little late just take this bracelet out .. I can't imagine."

"Not to be imagined." Jose sat on the lip of the bed facing Maria. "Now you're safe."

"Same?" reset Maria. His eyes stared in full search. "You know there's something in this house, huh? That's why you told me about a curious ghost when we talked about dental bracelets. You also know these bracelets do work as a protector, so you suggest I wear them. Right?"

"Of course I can guess." Mary raised her chin higher. His feelings were jumbled between annoyance and relief. "I thought about it just now and everything fits. The demon I saw was the same description Mr. Deckers. As soon as you remember that, everything is directly connected."

"Connect how?"

"Just now you went to the wheat field and then Mr. Decker saw a demon, and then you suddenly wanted to rush back there even though it was late." Maria's fingertips tapped on the bracelet. "You rushed there because Blake came and gave you this artifact. You think it'll protect me while you clear the root of the problem."

"true." Jose grabbed Maria's hands and squeezed them in his hands. "I didn't say it out of fear of making you nervous .. I thought it was a golden opportunity. I made the mistake of bringing home a strange creature. Blake suddenly came and gave the protective artifact, I thought everything would go smoothly."

Maria shakes her head, making her hair fall to her shoulders. "Wait, so my guess was right?"

Jose nodded.

"Everything right?"

One more nod.

Although her conjecture was correct, Maria was upset. "Tell me everything from the beginning, Jose Argent! I don't want anything covered up or hidden anymore!"

"Can I tell you later?" Jose asked. "Tamuku's waiting. Uh, all right," she hurriedly let out a sharp glare as soon as Maria threw in. "I'll tell you a story. Mmm, did you know that I can see things sometimes?"

"Me too" said Mary. "But you never tell me as far as what you can see or feel. .. We always avoid that story."

The door to the room is still wide open. Susan was outside, waiting for them along with the other lady. The girl could hear them. Jose had thought of closing the door, but canceled it because he did not want to make Maria feel cooped up after what had just happened. He inched closer, making their distance no more than fifteen inches. The wetness in Mary's eyelashes is clearly visible, as are the reddish colors on her eyeballs. Jose dropped his eyes. Her heart ached at the thought of how her intention to keep Maria put her in danger.

They grew up together from childhood until the two could easily guess each other's way of thinking. That's a very practical thing, Jose considers he can continue to behave the same as before they were married.

Jose was wrong. He realized it recently. Even if Mary could read his thoughts, he should still communicate his intentions clearly.

Thinking that the woman must have understood his condition, he ignored Maria and several times deliberately pretended not to catch her when seduced. Mary does understand it, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt her. Jose only understood that when Maria criticized him yesterday, asserting that he was not a puppet. He was determined to change his attitude, but again slipped in the same stumbling block: communication.

Jose thought Maria must have understood his point, so he rarely explained his point clearly. Maria is not a super-capable human being, her wife is only good at guessing, not really able to read minds. He shouldn't have forgotten that.

"Since a year ago, after that night in Bjork, I've seen some strange things, sometimes" Jose began. "I thought it was temporary at first. I can't always see anyway. Just sometimes I hear things, see shadows, or glow."

Maria understands. "Sometimes you shut up like you saw something when there was nothing, I thought you just felt uncomfortable like me. We have been sensitive since that incident. I wonder why the others don't."

"Maybe it's because we're fully involved?"

"Uncle Marco didn't feel anything, did he? He's not having the effect?"

Jose smiled a little. "So he could pretend he didn't see. Or maybe I can't see. When it comes to Uncle, everything is possible."

Mary laughed softly, agreeing to it. "Alright, the introduction is enough. How's point?"

"Well, as I said earlier .. upon returning from the wheat field this afternoon, I felt something strange. At first my car was hit by a big wind. Then on the way home, I couldn't stop thinking like we're over one person."

"And you didn't tell me that."

"sorry. I think even if there's something weird, Hubbert's gonna get hit, not you. He's the one who saw. I knew that the danger of letting something go was at home, so I did intend to go back there as soon as possible to see what I could do. Then Blake's afternoon came, he gave me the Ghost Relic." Jose glanced at the artifact still lying on the blanket, in the middle of them. "The eagle is creepy, but I feel there's nothing evil about the relic. So I left it at home."

"But why was I thrown into another world?" Maria still looked at the bracelet on the blanket, watching him diligently. "That's the same place you've been to, like your story about getting into another Bjork."

"That's an unsolved thing." Jose ponders. "Then one more thing, you can come back because the bracelet is now near you, but I don't know why Devon can come back." He thought for a moment. "You want to meet him with me?"

Maria nodded.

***