Chương 80: Chapter 78: A Smear of Red Carved Across the Ice

Damian had left. He had said it was late, that he simply needed sleep. An obvious lie, but one I let him have.

"Now you can't wait to tell us everything. Maybe you should have started with that." Violet held the man up by his chin. His face was a mass of blood and bruising. Impossible to tell how bad it was beneath all of it. The confidence he'd had before had long since shattered. What remained was pathetic and quivering. Sere nodded. Her hands were covered in blood too, none of it her own. I had reined her back more than once, so as not to kill the man before he told us everything. She hadn't trembled. Hadn't hesitated.

Hadn't stopped. Not even once and I had been watching for it. Violet's enthusiasm I both could and had accepted far more readily. There was no point in thinking about this now. The room smelled of blood and still carried the echoes of his screaming. Justice. Vaelin whispered. Is it, Vaelin? I turned the word over. It didn't fit. No, this was simply the consequences of one's own actions. That, I could accept.

"What now?" Violet muttered.

"You have a name. Should we go and do the same to him?" She sounded very eager at the thought. Sere nodded fiercely.

"No." I said.

"There's not much point." Violet frowned, hands on her hips.

"You sure? Who knows when they'll try again. You might not be so-" She caught herself.

"Might not get lucky twice." I reached out and set a hand on her arm.

"It won't happen again. I was careless," I allowed.

"I'll ask for more guards. Besides, we're already here, unless of course someone else wants to kill me too." The tortured man had explained just how easy it had been to sneak up here. Apparently, there had been three guards posted outside the inn, and they had been drunk both literally and figuratively over the merriment that had come before. A disgrace. Though I could allow that these men were not trained guards. They were not used to protecting anyone from assassins.

Violet nodded, her face coloring the barest crimson. Odd, that she'd show this now, when she hadn't during what had come before. Sere had moved over to the man. He was unconscious now. That was preferable to the whimpering. She leaned down, began to pick him up.

"Let me carry him," I said. Sere looked at me uncertainly, moved aside. I stepped over, channeled and compressed mana. It was easy to drag him. Perhaps I could have carried him instead, but this image would work better.

"Violet, get some rest." I said.

"Sere, I want you to follow me. With your Gift." The blonde haired girl nodded, winked out of existence. The disorientation came, my brain making sense of the sudden gap in the room. It passed a second later.

"You're leaving me behind?" Violet stepped in front of me, arms folded.

"For a little while. Unless you can go invisible." She clicked her tongue, tugged on her braid.

"I don't like this. What if there are more out there? Waiting?"

"I doubt it. He did sing rather convincingly." Once his resistance had been crushed, the man hadn't held anything back. Anything at all. He didn't have much of use to say, and so much effort had been spent forcing him to only answer our questions, in favor of his own rambling. There was one other man. Not another killer -an observer. Someone to watch, confirm the kill, and report back home, though the assassin didn't know how that was supposed to happen. The order itself had been simple: kill me.

It wasn't an order given by Greenward himself, though I was sure the chain would lead to Julian one way or another. Duke Greenward truly did think me a stupid child. He had sent one assassin. Just the one, a man whose Gift let him smother sound in a space around himself -the perfect tool for slipping past a few guards and into a sleeping girl's room. A rare Gift, though I couldn't help but think it was a rather pale imitation of what Sere could do rather easily. He had never imagined the man failing. Why would he?

An experienced killer with a Gift tailored for exactly this, against a fourteen year old girl, asleep and alone. It should have been simple.

"And what if he didn't know everything?" Violet demanded.

"If I can think of it then I'm sure you have too."

"His lips were sealed by a Magical Contract." I said.

"Julian can't imagine me protecting myself. I doubt he can imagine me breaking one of those." Violet hesitantly nodded, though she still angrily tugged at her braid.

"I still don't fucking like it. If this is some shit where you're trying to protect-""It's not that." I said.

"It's just better if I have Sere along. With her Gift…." I paused, glanced at the spot where she had been.

"It will look better this way if I'm alone. That's all."

"I don't like it."

"I know." Violet sighed deeply. She was very much not happy. If she was any unhappier, she might have snapped off her braid.

"I want you to sleep with me." Her tugging stopped. She stared at me, her eyes going wide. Even as it did, her face went a very distinct shade of red.

"What?"

"It's safer that way. Sere too. I'd ask Damian, but I don't think he'd agree after…." I shook my head.

"The man was quiet. If it wasn't for Vaelin, he'd have killed me before I knew he was there. It's the tiniest of risks but...." There was irony in there somewhere. I did not care to look. Violet's mouth opened and closed. She let out something between a groan and a sigh, murmuring to herself. I didn't catch the words. She looked at me again.

"F-fine. Don't have much, but I'll bring it over." That settled, I moved to drag the man again.

"Sere, stay close, okay." Despite not seeing her, I liked to imagine she nodded. I did not relish putting the armor back on.

"Listen, Sere." I kept my voice low, trusting she could hear.

"Watch everywhere I'm not. Don't drop your Gift unless I say so." The merriment hadn't died entirely. It had slowed, but even now, some men and women still danced drunkenly with the villagers. It didn't take long for some people to notice me. To notice the body I was dragging behind me through the snow. It left a trail in my wake. A smear of red carved across the ice. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. A few of the expeditioners ran towards him.

"My Lady, who is-" There were more voices. Some of those voices came from children. I had forgotten about them. Damn it.

"Is that Arin?!" This one came from an adventurer, which certainly made sense.

"What is- Ah!" A scream came, this time from Dorothy. It seemed she had been partaking in the revelry herself. I paused for only her.

"Wh-who-" She blinked, shook her head.

"W-what is-""This man was an assassin." I said, projecting mana for the benefit of the small crowd around me.

"Evidently, he failed at his task." Men moved forward to take the body.

"No." A single word. It made everyone pause.

"Where is Count Vance staying?" Nobody answered me. Not until Lieutenant Simone stepped through the crowd. He eyed me, saw my bloody hands, found the even bloodier adventurer.

"I will lead you to him, My Lady. He isn't far." Then, he turned to the crowd.

"Off with all of ye! Double the damn guard!" I noticed quite a few wary glances being thrown the way of the adventurers. There were only nine of them now. Not everything in this world was my problem to fix.

"Come, My Lady." Simone said. I followed him through the snow.

"Apologies for asking." The man's eyes stayed forward.

"But did he harm you?"

"He certainly tried." I scanned as we walked. If I were a scout waiting to confirm a kill, I'd want elevation. A view of the inn. There was no place like that in the village that I could see. The inn itself had been the tallest structure. Probably waiting for a report back then, unless there were some Gift-related shenanigans involved.

"I'm sorry, My Lady. I was in charge of setting the guard." Simone confessed.

"Hmm." Part of me did want to berate this man for that, but it wasn't like there was a point to it. My business was with the Count, the one who held the actual power here. The only one who really mattered.

"It is fine. The man found I wasn't as easy a target as he'd hoped." We moved in silence toward the village's edge, near the gate we had entered through. The walls were metal, interlocking in places, blue mana running between them. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought it was an electrical fence. This was the village's only real defense against what lay outside. Surprisingly effective, given that nothing in the Everfrost Plains could fly. Save for the dragon on the mountaintop.

"This must have happened some time ago." Simone's voice was careful.

"You tortured him."

"I did." His tone wasn't admonishing. I wasn't sure what it was. Something between curiosity and fear?

"Did I not have the right?"

"You did." Simone said.

"Just never thought this was the kind of thing a Lady would want to watch, let alone try and do on her own."

"I didn't do most of it." I said.

"My friends handled the worst of it. I just helped... in places." Perhaps I had more than just helped. There was no need to mention that now. That made the man stop midstep. I walked two paces past him before I noticed and turned. Now I could name the expression. It was awe.

"You…have some strange friends. Pardon me for saying it."

"I do not mind." I said.

"And I quite agree." Even as I said it, I found myself smiling.

"I trust you can manage one prisoner? And the other matter?" Count Vance sat across from me, eyes on the man I had dragged to his door. He kept a house in this village - one he returned to with each expedition, I was told.

"Yes." He said. His words were cautious and considering. I had already walked him through what happened. The word "assassination" had made him flinch. I had told him the name of the observer -one of the scouts. He was going to be taken into custody until I decided what to do with him. I was sure the man hadn't made his report yet. Best to make sure he never did. The assassin himself lay face-down between us. A mess of bruising and dried blood. The girls had made him talk. And squeal. And cry. And much else besides.

That had gotten me my answers -the only thing that mattered. Part of me had wondered if the horror would come, now that there was some distance between me and my room. It never did. I nodded and turned, only pausing at the door"Do guard the inn more securely next time. The guards were rather poor." Count Vance hadn't looked up. His eyes were still on the body. I suppose I understood. I wouldn't have wanted to look at me either.

"Count." I let the barest thread of mana carry the word. He looked up.

"More guards at the inn. More vigilant guards," I held his gaze.

"This was aimed at me, so I can forgive the lapse. If someone else had been caught in it, I would not. If one of my friends-" I didn't finish the thought. He nodded. His face had gone pale.

"I'll put seven men outside. At all times."

"Good." I left him with the body. It wasn't a body yet, but I would be truly surprised if it wouldn't be one soon. Sere knew where arteries were well enough. Her knowledge of other vital organs was less precise. The interrogation had lasted the better part of the night, though night in the Everfrost Plain was a relative thing. It was always at least somewhat bright. The mountain loomed to my right. A massive spire that shot up towards the heavens. Everfrost Peak, it was called.

Though, surely it had a more creative name at some point or another. It was brighter now, which signalled that it was closer to daylight. The Count had been insistent with his questions. I had answered every one, if only to let the full weight of his failure settle. He would feel he owed me. No. Far more than that. The debt might prove useful soon. The merriment had finally stopped. The only people out were villagers -the natives. I had not yet had chance to speak to any of them, not even the Chief.

That was something I needed to change soon. The villagers shied from me in a way they hadn't from the expeditioners. Was it the blood they feared? It had long since dried, staining my hands. I needed to get that cleaned too. The children shied away just as much. Not the welcome I would have chosen. Oh well. The walk back was quiet. I didn't speak again until we were right outside the inn.

"Sere. You can come out now." She materialized beside me. Closer than I'd expected. Sere looked around. Saw that we were alone. Then, she leaned in close. Pressed herself against my arm. Some of the coldness melted. Smiling, I wrapped my arm around her. We stayed like that for a time, and then Sere pulled herself back. Only then did I ask: "Did you see anything worth pointing out?" I certainly hadn't, even though I'd been using my Gift. To my surprise, Sere nodded. That made me smile.

"Oh?" Had that observer really come out after all? She pulled out her notebook and scribbled only three words. On. Mountain. Watching. Not the answer I had expected, and one I had no idea what to do with. Estovan was waiting inside the inn. He stood near the base of the stairs, arms folded, his back against the wall. He didn't look like a man who had been pacing. He looked like a man who had chosen a spot and simply not moved. Sere and I both paused. Sere looked at me.

I nodded, she nodded back, and then she was heading up the stairs. Estovan watched her go, and then he looked at me. His eyes swept across me once.

"My Lady, are you hurt?"

"No." He nodded.

"I was at the perimeter," he said.

"Watching the wall -the eastern section of the wall."

"That was the right place to be," I said.

"No, it wasn't." His voice was quiet. There was no anger in it, no self pity either.

"The right place was here. I am sorry." He stepped forward, bowed his head. The First Sword of House Veyne bowed in front of me.

"You couldn't have known."

"That's the point, My Lady. I should have accounted for not knowing." There was nothing to say to that. He was right, in the way that only mattered after the fact. I didn't blame him. I genuinely didn't, but I also knew that me saying so would change nothing for him. So I didn't. Estovan raised his head and looked at me for a long moment. His expression shifted. Not dramatically -Estovan didn't do anything dramatically but the quality of his attention changed in some immeasurable way.

"The man I saw being carried out," he said carefully.

"That was your work."

"Partly."

"And your friends?" I held his gaze. I could have deflected. Could have softened it.

"Yes. Everyone but Damian." The words settled between us. Estovan closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, there was something in his expression that I couldn't quite name. Not disappointment, exactly, something heavier than that. He knew what had happened. He just wished he didn't.

"Sere?" he asked.

"She didn't hesitate."

"No," he murmured.

"I imagine she wouldn't." That surprised me. I had thought she would. The silence stretched. Somewhere outside, footsteps crunched through snow as the doubled guard made their rounds.

"Do you know the problem, My Lady?" Estovan asked.

"I know the problem."

"It's not about the man or what was done to him. It's about what it leaves behind. In them." He looked at me steadily.

"In you."

"I know."

"Do you?" The question was gentle. That made it worse. If he had been angry, I could have met it with reason. If he had been cold, I could have matched it. This quiet concern had no edge to use to push back against.

"I let them," I said. The words came out smaller than I intended.

"Sere and Violet. I could have stopped them but I chose not to."

"Why?" The honest answer was complicated, and ugly, and I had already turned it over enough times. I gave him the only piece of it that mattered.

"I wanted to know if they would. For me." Estovan said nothing for a long time.

"That," he said at last, "is the part that worries me." He was right. I had known it in that room. There was nothing I could offer him that would make it better. No justification he would accept.

"I will have my lodgings moved here." He unfolded his arms, straightened. It wasn't a request. I nodded. That was all I could do. Estovan stepped aside, clearing the way to the stairs. As I passed him, he set a hand on my shoulder, brief and firm.

"You are not your father, Esra." I stopped.

"That is both the best and the most dangerous thing about you." His hand lifted. He moved toward the door, towards the room I assumed he would now be staying in. I climbed the stairs. The hallway was quiet. Violet's cloak was visible through the open door of my room - she had made good on her word and moved herself in. I stepped inside, closed the door, and let myself breathe.