The chapel itself seemed to groan in anticipation, as the shadows thickened briefly in the seeping moonlight.
Clara hesitated briefly, looking up through a crack in the ceiling, as if to confirm what Aliya had said, then blinked. By then, Aliya was gone. Aliya had her answer and did not need Clara to articulate them.
It never occurred to Clara that this whole behaviour was non-human and odd. How could a live human disappear and claim to be able to undo what a witch had done? Clara never bothered to think of that. Her myopic vision was on only what she could gain from this person, despite Aliya's identity and her demands.
Clara looked around a bit frantically, as her heart jolted. One moment, Aliya stood right in front of her, and the next moment, nothing!
Only the vial remained, pulsing with a faint, greedy heartbeat in her hand. That was the only indication that Clara had not imagined the encounter.
Only Clara's own trembling breath filled the hollow, crumbling chapel.
