Chương 48: The Lords Manor

"Quietly," I replied, standing.

"Would be preferable." Vaelith suddenly appeared on the stairway. The woman had been sleeping this entire time, only woken up by… No, it wasn't the noise. Darwin was on top of her shoulder. He must have snuck away to get her.

"Save Master—" Darwin yelled.

"No!" I replied, standing and holding my hands out.

"Let's just surrender. This is some sort of mistake."

"Mistake," the guard said.

"Sure." The man grabbed me roughly and shackled my wrists behind my back. The metal bit cold against my skin as he cinched them tight.

"And you two… you're both under arrest as well."

"Try it, stick boy," Vaelith growled.

"Oh, shut it," I said.

"Let's at least hear the lord out. No reason to go to war with all of Stoneford. He said that Fenna had been kidnapped and… well, with Marnie missing, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened."

"So you're admitting to being an accomplice?" the guard asked.

"No," I replied flatly.

"Only that only an idiot wouldn't see why your lord would think we are involved. We aren't, which is why we should just come quietly and sort this whole mess out."

"You fancy yourself a sort of talker, doncha?" The guard snickered.

"Talking won't get ya' out of this. I fancy torturing information out of ya—""Vaelith, if this guy doesn't shut the fuck up, I give you permission to break free and break his jaw."

"With pleasure," Vaelith replied.

"And don't you be telling me what to do. I don't need your permission." The guard sputtered, but eventually shackled Vaelith and led us out of the inn. It was a familiar scene. Here I was, yet again, being arrested and dragged through town for something I didn't do. It was getting rather tiresome, truth be told. Outside, Stoneford was already alive with morning activity. Hammering rang from distant smithies, and the smell of smoke and baked bread drifted between the squat buildings.

I saw the human merchant and his dwarven son nearby. The merchant smiled at me for only a second before he noticed the guards and the shackles.

"Sorry," I called out.

"Bad timing. But hey, I got you some golem cores. Keep that knife safe."

"You did?" The merchant sputtered.

"I mean… thank ye'. Hope to see you… soon?" We were led down the stone walkway with the entire town staring at us. Conversations quieted as we passed. Heads turned from open shopfronts, and more than a few dwarves paused mid-step to watch. We passed the Adventurer's Guild, where the dwarven man who ran it—I never caught his name—stepped outside and took his hat off as a show of respect. That was ominous. When we passed the Merchants Guild, Odrin herself rushed toward the guards.

She was done up in finery, her golden hair and beard intricately braided, silver chains and trade tokens glinting in the daylight.

"What is the meaning of this?" Odrin asked. The guard openly balked at the question. Odrin clearly held power in Stoneford. As much as the Lord himself, if she were to be believed. The guard would not want to cross her.

"Lord Bracken has issued an arrest warrant for this man and his party," the guard explained timidly, like a mouse explaining itself to a cat.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my lord's wishes come before your own—" Odrin was in the guard's face, pointing a finger at him.

"You listen to me—nothing is beyond my wishes. Not even Lord Bracken—and you can tell him I said as much. And then, after saying it, you can mention just how much debt he owes the Gildcrown." The guard swallowed hard.

"That, uh… won't be necessary. Lord Bracken just wants to have a word."

"A word?" I replied.

"Didn't you say you can't wait to torture me? Oy, Vaelith, didn't he say that?" A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"That's what I heard," Vaelith replied.

"The man was practically giddy with excitement, talkin' about it. Rather odd, if you ask me. Seemed sexual in nature."

"Yes, rather odd," I concurred.

"And sexual? Maybe that was a bit too far. We have to work on your playful jabs." The guard went red in the face.

"Alright, you both," Odrin said, "knock it off. Fine… the lord can have his word, but I've taken a liking to the human—and especially his companion. You are not to harm them. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the guard replied.

"Now then… Darwin." She addressed my companion, who still rode on my shoulder. The guards hadn't even bothered to try to restrain him.

"Fancy spending some time with me? You know, while your master is… incapacitated?" Darwin turned away.

"Why not?" I replied.

"At least then you'll be out of danger in case things go sideways."

"No," the guard said flatly.

"The lord said all of his party members—" His words died in his throat as Odrin glared him down.

"I, uh… suppose the lord failed to mention his odd companion."

"Go on, Darwin," I said.

"No," he replied.

"Stay with Master."

"Think of it like this," I explained.

"If we get into trouble, you can just break us free. I'm counting on you." Darwin considered for a moment, then tongue-lashed the guard and flung himself over to Odrin, landing on her shoulder. The guard sputtered and cursed while Odrin squealed with delight.

"Right then," the guard said.

"We've wasted enough time. On you both go."

"Take your time," Odrin called out, not giving us a second glance. Perhaps leaving Darwin had been a mistake.

The nameless guard eventually shoved us into a rather large room in the lord's manor. As usual, the manor sat at the highest point in town, overlooking nearly every other building except the Merchants Guild, which rose tall enough to remain almost level with it. Just once, I wondered if a lord would ever build at the same level as their subjects. I supposed not. Then they would have to look them in the eye. The room itself was spacious, with polished stone walls and tall windows overlooking Stoneford.

Thick curtains framed the glass, and expensive-looking furniture sat arranged across the floor. The guard slammed the door shut behind us. Clearly, we had upset him. Vaelith looked around and put her hands on her hips. She whistled.

"Fancy."

"Wait… I thought you were a demon princess? Surely you're used to fancy things?"" Pfft —I haven't been home in quite some time. Besides, we demons tend to be more… practical."

"Like what? Instead of linens, you have swords hung on the walls as decorations?"

"More or less," she replied.

"Always good to have a sword at hand, wouldn't you agree?" She leaned down and removed my knife from inside her boot. She walked over to a wooden table and flicked her wrist, causing the blade to stick into it.

"Don't you want it?" I asked.

"Probably would be better in your hands."

"Nah… my fists and feet will be enough if we need to break out of here."

"So…" I said, looking around.

"What do we do?" Vaelith's stomach growled.

"I say we find the kitchens." She walked over to the door and tried the handle. Locked. Of course it was.

"I guess we'll need to wait—" I heard the crack of breaking wood. When I turned, the door slowly opened. The handle was clearly broken.

"Looks like that guard forgot to lock it after all," Vaelith said.

"Oops." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What?"

"We aren't winning any friends, that's for sure." I stepped past her and into the hallway.

"You don't need any other friends besides me." The hallway was just as fancy as the room, and I felt wrong trodding across the pristine red rug, inlaid with gold, that ran the length of it. Sunlight spilled through narrow windows along the outer wall, catching on polished sconces and carved stone trim. Vaelith checked each and every door while I cautiously looked for more guards. Wait… what the hell was I even doing?

All of this was so Vaelith could grab a snack—"Found it," Vaelith said, pointing a thumb into one of the rooms.

"Over here." I sighed.

"If we get caught, I'm saying that you kidnapped me." She was right, however. Inside was a marvelous kitchen. Made almost entirely of stone, like most things in Stoneford, its layout reminded me of a modern kitchen. Long counters lined the walls, and polished metal cookware hung neatly from hooks overhead. It had an oven. A stove. And a refrigerator. Just like Pella's kitchen, it ran on magical crystals—red for heat and blue for cold.

The red crystals glowed faintly beneath the stove plates, while cool mist clung to the edges of the refrigerator.

"I could get used to this," I said.

"Is there anything easy I could make?"

"How about these?" Vaelith dropped three of the smaller golem cores onto the table in front of me. The smooth black stones struck the surface with three heavy clacks.

"Where did you hide these—" Vaelith was smiling from ear to ear.

"—you know what, never mind. I don't even want to know."