章 107: - Whispers and Wonders: A Speech of Word
The guards were helping up their drunk friend, who had fallen over, blood running down his nose like the fall of water from the freshly fallen snow in the spring. They didn't get much snow in the plains, even with how far down south they were on the continent, but in the mountains like this, they got a few inches of snow in the dead winter days.
A bottle dropped, shattering against the ground, the drunken fool who had dropped it still acted as though the bottle was still in his hand, even as he walked over it, crunching the glass into bits and pieces.
The two guardsmen who had accompanied the two men overseeing this group of drunken fools in their hidden little cubby hole, grimace at the sight of all the blood rushing from the man's face.
Another friend, who was passed out over the table, his arm around a woman who had similarly passed out drunk, jolted, before his head fell back down on the table with a thud, causing the woman to stir, but not wake.
The first man watching the two guardsmen from outside the room turned to the second man, who had stood observing everything with a calm expression, his hands behind his back in an elegant manner.
"You think she did this?"
The second man said nothing, watching as the two guardsmen that they had brought with them, carried out the bloody man, one arm over each of their shoulders, before passing him over to one of the butlers who had also accompanied them, along with the chef to the kitchen just above them.
In the chief's eyes, this was his cellar, and he wasn't about to have blood and drunken fools piss all over his food. Especially when that food would go to the masters of the house. Therefore, he jumped at the opportunity to help out, seeing as half the work would get done faster than he could do it in hours.
"I don't see how it could be anyone else."
The second man finally spoke, his voice calm, matching his elegance as he surveyed his eyes over the scene before him. Drunken men, women, some half naked, some complete were strewn about the room in different places.
Some laid against barrels of Whiskey and Honey Dew, others had found comfortable places resting against sacks of vegetables, onions, potatoes, carrots and so on.
The scene looked the complete opposite of what you would think of when you would see the second man. But he was here for business.
"If she did this, then the masters…"
"They won't know."
The man reassured his friend, who was worried about this getting to the housekeeper's ears. Though the two men were loyal to the Masters, they were also loyal to each other first. The housekeeper however, was anything but that. She had little friends and little to say to you if you ever spoke with her.
Instead, she would simply gossip, berate other maids, as well as tell the Masters of any news that came her way. She had a particular fondness of Mrs. Dorrow, and would often gossip with her about various things.
It was only a matter of time before she learned of this.
"The girl made quite the impression on the Masters this morning. Now, it's late evening - gods how time passes these days. She's long left for the Graveyard by now. She won't be back till tomorrow."
"Even then, what if the Masters decide to question her. They would have good reason to, and with their relationship with Marcus, it will be a -"
"I don't care."
The man made a double take, surprised and shocked that this man, this man he had known for years in all his elegance, had said the very words 'I don't care' out loud.
"But…"
In the end however, he sighed, folding his hands across his chest.
"...you're right. The Masters won't do anything since it's her. She talks a big game, but what scares them is the fact that she can back it all up. You think she will?"
"Possibly. With how things are going, she might just end up confronting them, demanding answers."
"Wouldn't be surprising. After all, we have been keeping quite a few things from her these past several days. Maybe she will start asking us?"
"Again, possibly. She won't do anything until she speaks with 'him' first. And even then, he won't tell her everything. Lest she not believe him."
The first man knew who he was talking about, scratching his head, he looked over at the men in the room, me who could hardly be called anything short of pathetic. Hardly guards at all.
"After five years, you think this will be the one? He's never trusted another Hunter this much before. Other than that one mercenary, but…well, even he left and gave up after a while."
The second man turned to him, frowning, clearly not remembering this event before.
"You mean the one with the large spear? Or was it an ax?"
"Neither. Ha! Your memory is getting bad old man."
The frown deepened, not because the words were hurtful, though they were true, but because they were ironic.
"I'm only 65 years old. If anything, you're getting close too, you know? At 58, you're catching up."
"Bah! I'll die before then. At the rate I drink and smoke, it's only a matter of time."
"Bad habits do catch up every now and then. You should stop at this age."
The first man reared back his head, his laughter deep and warm, as if their conversation before was not even the least bit cold.
"And end up like you, all healthy things, grass, leaves, porridge-"
"I'll have you know, a good oatmeal porridge and grits is a delicious breakfast."
"Again. My breakfast is a good chug of Whiskey, a sausage or two, and maybe some eggs. Bacon is good every now and then too."
The man shook his head, seeing that his friend was dead set on staying the way he was.
"Besides, if I'm going to die even once in this life, I want to have lived my life well. He taught me all about that when we were drinking buddies. Of course…I don't got one now… suppose that's another reason."
The man caught himself, drifting off into silence, while both men grew quiet, distant memories of an old friend of theirs coming back to them now in droves. The smile on his face, the deep laughter he had, the kind heart he always shared with others.
It made them sad to remind themselves that he was gone.
Just then, as they were deep in loving memories of their long forgotten friend, a guardsman came out of the room, holding onto a stumbling man - awake - yet stumbling in his drunkenness.
If the man before had been bloodied, then this man already looked like he was dead. His face was covered in blood, some died, some still wet from the numerous wounds on his face. Many of which the first man saw as swollen bruises. Bruises that had burst into cuts on impact.
'Must have hit him pretty hard….good lord, I'm surprised he can even walk!'
The man was struggling against the guardsman's grip, clearly not happy to be woken up and dragged away from his drink.
At least that was what the two men thought, until he spoke.
"You two…ha…get me the Dorrows."
It was then that the first man, who had recognized the man's attitude, spoke up, recognizing him.
"Good lords! Marcus is that you?"
The second, more elegant man watched the appearance on Marcus' face go from sour to arrogant in all of about two seconds when his name was mentioned. Of course the second man knew it was him from the start, he had even been the one to steer the girl who did this in his direction.
He just didn't want to admit that, as he was having too much fun watching this grown man wallow in his own self deserving hell.
"You…bring me…the Dorrows."
"No can do sport. You've got to be treated right away. Can't have you going and getting them all -"
"Shut the hell up!"
Like the man Marcus was, his anger spiked as his voice did, talking down to the man in front of him.
Because of this, as a reaction, the second man, who had been watching on, stepped between him and Marcus, symbolizing the end of this argument before it even began. Something Marcus wasn't too happy about.
"Get out of my way! Do you know who I am! The Dorrows…they -"
"Won't speak with you when you look like this. Go get yourself cleaned up and presentable for them young man -"
"Shut the hell up!! I don't care! That b*tch will get what's coming to her!"
Seeing the two men still did not move, Marcus grabbed the shirt of the man closest to him - the elegant one - and spit directly into his face.
"Do what I say!"
"No one will be doing anything you say until you've calmed down, cleaned yourself up, and got treated. As well as you being drunk, this is the last thing I will show the Masters. Until then…"
The man's once calm voice dropped to a frightening tone.
"...no one will hear about this. At least until Lia of Endless gets back from her Hunt. Then you can complain all you want in front of her."
Marcus, realizing the situation he was in and how not one person down here cared much about his close status to the Masters, lunged for the man, but was drawn back by the two other guards and the chief, who had returned back down the hall just in the nick of time.
"Let go of me! That b*tch will get it! You all will get it! Just you wait, when I tell the Dorrows, they won't believe a single one of you-"
"No one will believe you while you're drunk. It takes at least five hours for you to be presentable without fumbling over your words. Lia of the Endless should be back by then."
Marcus' eyes widened as he now discovered that they weren't being defensive against him, they were outright attacking him indirectly, preventing him from getting a word out until Lia arrived back at the manor. Then what? Say all this in front of her, the woman who had nearly made him piss in his own pants.
In one final act of rage, Marcus leapt over the shoulders of the men, the latter now carrying him by his legs as he was brought father and father away from the hall from the two men.
"I'll get you! You bastard, I'll get you!"
His voice drowned out as he was dragged father and father away, the first man rejoining the second by his side.
"Are we really about to do this?"
The second man didn't hesitate, hearing his friend's words, he spoke with an emotionless tune to his voice.
"I've waited five years for this. I can wait a few days more."
Placing his hand on this friend's shoulder, his voice grew kind and honest, clearly concerned and filled with hope.
"This might be our last chance."
The first man shields, finding his friends' words to be too true to refute.
"Fine. I just hope you're right."
"Don't worry…"
He turned to leave, his voice echoing down the hall as his back turned to the first man, walking slowly away.
"...she's getting close.
***
It had taken them maybe two, three hours total to walk the entire ring around the Dorrow Manor in the dark. Lia wanted to avoid the Manor at all costs, at least until some real answers were given. That white and sleek marble building, built in elegance and beauty, only reminded her of a sheet of lies. A sheet she wanted to pull back, drawing it from the white light it hid behind, and expose its true darkness to the world around it.
The time it took them to make it to where Lia had rushed after Voln when he had been seen, took longer than she expected, only having two hours left before midnight arrived. A time she knew would be the best to come back to the Manor, in order to not run into anyone.
Her only worry was that Voln may not have been awake, but Cain quickly disputed that thought, explaining to her how he never slept unless he was too tired to walk. He went from limit to limit, and every time that limit was broken, he would sleep, wake up the next morning, and do it all again.
As they walked through the almost pitch black darkness around them, occasionally stumbling over some roots or loose dirt, rocks, or branches, Rian and Lukali secretly cursed Lia.
SInce Lia could see in the dark thanks to Cain, she had forbidden them from using torches to see, lest they be seen themselves from the Manor, something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Thus, it had only served to add an hour to their journey as they were forced to go over certain rugged terrain just to get to where they needed to go.
Eventually, they were far enough away from the Manor that Lia couldn't even see the lights from the windows or the torch flares anymore, the darkness surrounding them like a cloak of warm protection.
Well…
"Lia…I'm freezing!"
…not warm enough.
Lukali's teeth began chattering as he rubbed the sides of his arms. He was dressed in heavy forest clothes, long sleeves and pants, with a leather jacket. Rian was dressed in a similar way, though he had more skin showing that Lukali did, thus making him more susceptible to the cold. He was so cold in fact that he failed to do what Luklai did; complain about the cold.
Lia looked around them, waving her hand through the air, only for the occasional goosebumps to form on her arms.
"It shouldn't be this cold out. In fact…"
She looked over her shoulder, her senses spiking.
"...it's almost artificial."
Her eyes landed on a man cloaked in darkness, shadows of the tree on either side of him covering him in an unreadable expression.
By his side was the beautiful ice witch, whose rosy cheeks and blue lips told Lia that she was the one making it so cold around them, though Voln seemed fine.
His voice was calm and as chilling as the cold.
"Welcome. I see you've brought friends."
He looked to Lukali and Rian, both still shivering from the cold, and thus, barely gave him more than a shaking wave.
Turning back to Lia with a serious expression, he calmly looked around, wary of Cain and if he was there. When he saw that he wasn't, his gaze turned back to her.
"Care to tell me what you've found?"
He said this mockingly, as if he didn't expect her to know anything.
However, he was left baffled by the next words that came out of her mouth, the temperature around them dropping another few degrees.
"Your real dad. Daniel Green."
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