Chapter 68:
Entrapment
The carriage moved through the small village as the quiet townspeople looked on from their homes and fields, seemingly calm and spry as they moved around, steadily finishing their work for the day as they returned to their homes. Smoke from the earthen stoves lifted into the air from the tall, straight chimneys outside the brick-built homes. As the seasons began to change, the light fabric covering the windows had been replaced by wood panels, while some rested open without any coverings at all to enjoy the crisp, clear autumn air.
"It's so quiet." Silas muttered, finding himself looking around back and forth for any sign of his mother or the twins. Unfortunately, the carriage kept moving forward by Eva's command, and as they maneuvered down the wide dirt path, they approached the end of the town, where there were more large, open fields and scattered homes were built.
There was one home at the end of the path towards the town, however, that was seemingly nondescript. The home was not large, only a single story high. Cut logs rested to the side of the house in an open shed, while an axe leaned against the side of the wooden building. The windows were covered with heavy wooden panels, but the largest window in the front was open, covered only by a pale white curtain.
Eva's eyebrows knitted as she stared over Holland's shoulder as he steered, her lips taut as she turned to Meredith and said in a low tone, "Something isn't right." She stared over Silas and added, "Use your mana, Meredith."
The carriage traveled up the short hill with ease, but it was not comfortable to stand while the carriage was in motion. Meredith ignored his discomfort as he stood, ignoring the wrinkles in his jacket as he stood near Eva and probed towards the carriage using his magic. After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes again and said with a frown, "The mana trace there is old."
Silas stood up with alarm as Holland asked, "What does that mean?" He pulled on the reins and stopped a short distance from the cottage, hiding them behind a bundle of flourishing trees as he stood up in the front of the carriage, stepping down from the steering bench at the front.
"It means something isn't right. Holland, check the inside of the house." Eva stated, moving towards the back of the carriage as the color drained from Silas's face at a visible rate. Meredith turned to Silas, grabbing his nephew's shoulder as he led him to the back of the carriage, preparing him to step outside for some air.
Silas wanted to run for the home immediately, but Meredith's grip held him in place as they stepped behind the carriage, covered by the tall shadows of the nearby trees as Silas broke out into a cold sweat, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
"What's going on, Meredith? What's wrong?" The old mana trace had one of two meanings: either the elves inside had been killed, leaving the mana to decay in their bodies, or the elves inside had long departed, aging their trail. There was no way to know which of the two it was until Holland investigated inside.
They're alive, Silas repeated in his weakening mind as he balled his fist, leaving his fingernails to dig into the soft skin of his palms. They can't be dead. Maeir wouldn't give up without a fight like that. No… something must have happened. The thoughts ran rampant in Silas's mind as Meredith held Silas in the palace, keeping his own emotions at bay to support his young nephew.
Neema and Saoirse stepped out of the carriage together. Saoirse held her leather-bound book in her hands with a low expression as Neema held the handle of her raptier on her waist, preparing to go inside to support Holland if needed. Just before she could go, however, Holland stepped out from the house with an expression Silas had never seen from Holland before.
He looked immensely perturbed.
"Vaan and Yulia are inside. They're unconscious." Holland said in one sentence, his words coming out quickly as he came from the building. Eva listened as he spoke, her expression tightening as she motioned for Meredith to follow her inside the cottage, hurrying up the hill in her heels with the grace of a dancer. Silas did not hesitate to follow Meredith and hurried behind this, his face pale as he ran towards the door, slipping inside the narrow door frame after Eva and Meredith stepped inside. He was not prepared for what greeted them inside.
It was as if the home had been ransacked by thieves. The simple furniture inside had been turned upside down and broken. Rugs and tapestries were torn and ripped down from the walls, flower pots had been smashed against the floor, and food from the table had been tossed to the ground, left to rot in a heap as flies feasted on the freshly decaying food. The only thing that had been left in place were the elven herbs strung high against the wall, created by the forest elves to serve as a charm against bad intentions.
"Holland, check the rest of the building." Silas commanded, turning towards him with a serious expression. Holland nodded and unsheathed his sword, moving towards one of the doors. Silas then turned towards Neema and Saoirse, "Go check outside. Make sure there's no one waiting to ambush us." They both nodded and hurried outside, Neema raising her rapier and Saoirse wasting no time to open her book and cast a spell.
Finally, Silas took note of the bodies on the floor. Near the door, within feet of the group, was the familiar face of the strong Bethellian knight, Vaan. His eyes were tightly shut as his large body, covered in heavy armour, laid limp on the ground. His breaths were quiet, but the grimace on his face and the visible bruises on his body was enough to show he had not gone down without a fight.
"I'll take care of him." Meredith said as he bent down next to the unconscious man. As Meredith used his mana to examine and heal Vaan, Silas turned to the other unconscious figure. He was surprised to find that the other figure was not just any person, but another forest elf, much like himself.
The woman was young and frail looking, her height almost half as tall as Vaan's. Her skin was paler than Silas's, and her hair was a shade of white blonde so light, it was startling. Her hair was long and straight, almost waist-length as it scattered around her balled up body on the ground. Though there were no visible injuries, it was clear she had been severely injured before, as the mana trace around her body was weak from overuse.
"No. Yulia." Eva said with a low tone, her heels smacking against the wood floors as she hurried up to the unconscious woman, dropping to her knees as she put her hands on the small woman's face. Silas could hear the worry in her voice as he quickly followed Eva, taking in their environment as he did. As Eva stayed with the unconscious young woman, Silas looked around the room, his drawn sword feeling natural in his hand as he checked the corners and behind the knocked over furniture. When he felt sure they were alone, he sheathed his sword and joined Eva next to the pale, limp elven woman. Eva looked petrified as she held the elven woman's head in her hands, Eva's head drooped near her cold, beaten face. Silas rested his hand on Eva's shoulder, which caused her to look up in a panic.
"She's still breathing." Eva stumbled out, her tongue feeling like it was stuck to the top of her mouth as she tried to summon words to say.
"I'll take care of her." Silas said, gently placing the young woman's hand in his own. Silas called back to his years of training as he transferred a stream of healing magic into her body. Silas noticed Eva's panic, her hands shaking as she pushed the hair out of the young elven woman's face, leaving the color to steadily return to her cheeks as the mana circled her bloodstream. Silas continued healing the unconscious young woman with a steady stare, the ugly purple bruise on her face shrinking and fading. Eva sighed with relief, but she still stayed at the young woman's side.
"Stay calm, Eva. We need you to be aware and sharp." Silas said as he continued to watch the young woman's face for any signs of her gaining consciousness. Eva's eyes widened in surprise at his command, but her face quickly hardened as she weakly nodded. Silas looked up momentarily as he looked around the room, "Holland, Neema, Saorise. Are we clear?"
"The back rooms are clear." Holland said as he hurried back into the room, his sword still in his hand.
"The outside is also clear. Whoever was here is long gone." Neema said as she stepped through the front door, Saoirse following in behind her, their faces grim.
Silas paused for a moment, "And my family?"
Everyone fell silent.
Silas's eyes flashed before he continued, "I see. Did you find any bodies?" The tone he used was chilly, much unlike his warm, friendly tone he spoke with.
"No." Neema replied immediately, "There's nothing. No bodies, no blood-"
"No traces of anyone being here recently. Nothing." Holland interrupted, his face dark and his body rigid, "It's like whatever was here was a ghost." Holland added, his eyes searching around the room, looking for any hint of what had happened before the group's arrival.
An eerie silence fell over the room as everyone contemplated what had happened, and where Silas's family had gone. Eva watched Silas closely as he registered what he had been told, but his focus snapped back to the unconscious Yulia laying on the ground.
"Then the only way we will know what happened is if they wake up." Silas said, his voice firm as he looked at the unconscious victims in front of him. Slowly, he released Yulia's limp wrist and laid it on the ground. He then rose to his feet, everyone watching him cautiously as he moved over to Meredith's side, who was busy trying to heal the still, unmoving Vaan. Meredith looked up at Silas momentarily as Silas stepped up to Vaan's side, but Meredith continued to mumble under his breath. Silas's heavy armor clacked together as he crouched down, one hand resting on the ground next to him to balance him. The other hand reared back and, within a flash, slapped Vaan across the face.
As everyone gasped and Holland shouted in protest at the act of violence, Silas's face was cool. Again, he reared his hand back and slapped Vaan sternly across the face, Vaan's limp head bobbing with the force as a deep red stain grew across Vaan's cheek. Neema gasped at the sight, wanting to step forward before Meredith spoke first.
"Silas, stop." Meredith said firmly, letting go of Vaan's hand. Silas flicked his green eyes towards Meredith for a moment, then slapped Vaan again, this time harder.
"We need to know what happened." Silas said coldly, sending a chill throughout the room, "And we won't know that until one of them wakes up."
"This is not the way." Meredith said, grabbing Silas's shoulder and shaking him twice, as if to shake some sense into Silas.
"Don't try to stop me." Silas stated, the coldness in his eyes sending a shiver down Meredith's spine. Meredith's firm grip slowly released from Silas's shoulder as he looked at the young man he considered like a son. This was someone he did not recognize, and that scared Meredith.
"Slapping him isn't going to wake him up." Holland said, his teeth clenched as he hissed between his thinned lips. Silas looked at Holland for only a moment, but Holland did not stand down, "Don't slap him again." Holland warned, to which Silas ignored.
"Stop, both of you." Eva said, rising to her feet as she returned to the figure of authority she usually was, "Holland is right, slapping Vaan isn't going to wake him up. If anything, you will just make it harder for him to speak when he does wake up."
"Do you know where my family is?" Silas asked, his eyes locking on to Eva's as he slowly rose from the ground. He stepped around Vaan and closer to Eva, his movements small and quick, predatory, "You told me you were going to take me to them, so where are they?" As Silas closed the distance between them, Silas unsheathed his sword. Holland and Neema immediately readied their weapons in response, but Eva held up a hand to stop them.
"Stop." Eva said, her eyes narrowed, "If we begin killing each other, what will that get us? Your family will be gone, and my soldiers will be dead." Eva held her ground, her slim figure managing to look intimidating to the average man, as she stared Silas down without a trace of fear in her eyes.
Seeing the two were at an impasse, Meredith stepped forward, reaching out towards Silas, as if trying to calm a wild animal, "Put the sword down, Silas. Maeir wouldn't have wanted you to hurt someone like this." It was the first time Meredith had spoken of Maeir in a long time. His mother's name felt like a stranger's as it came out of Meredith's mouth, "Even if something did happen, Maeir can handle herself. If she were that weak, she would have given up a long time ago." Silas stiffly froze at his words, and the grip on his sword weakened.
"But what if she's lying about my family? What if they were never here? Or what if she did something to them before we arrived?" Silas responded, his voice full of anguish as he directed his gaze to Eva, who frowned as she stood in place, listening to Silas. Silas retightened his grip on his sword in response, his expression intense as his anger was fueled.
"Eva may lie about many things," Meredith stated, directing his gaze to her, his voice calm and soothing, "But I promise you she wouldn't lie about this."
"How could you say that, Uncle Meredith?" Silas asked desperately, his predatory aura breaking with his voice, "She was supposed to bring us to our family. I haven't seen them in ten years. Cirdan and Aurelia are eighteen years old now! I missed them growing up, and now I don't know if I will even see them again! So tell me how you can be so confident in her telling us the truth!" Silas looked down, his sword shaking violently as his hands shook.
"I know you're angry, Silas. You finally had a chance to reunite with your mother and siblings, and someone took that away from you. I can only imagine how alone you have felt all these years, and how upset you are right now. But Eva is not to blame for this. If anything, she's your only chance of finding them." Meredith looked down at Silas's shaking hands, then slowly reached his hand out and gently rested his hand on Silas's wrists, "I'm so sorry this happened, and I will do whatever I can to make it right, but if you hurt Eva, we will never find them."
Silas looked at Meredith with a defeated expression as he lowered his sword. With slow, controlled movements, Meredith took the sword from Silas's grasp and passed it to Holland, who had sheathed his sword and stepped forward to take it out of Silas's reach. The air of the room returned, breaking the still chill hanging stiffly in the air, and Eva sighed in relief, seeing Silas had finally calmed. Taking advantage of the calm, Neema left her position in front of Saoirse and approached Eva, guiding her away from Silas. Holland, who kept Silas's sword close to him, took a moment to check on the unconscious Vaan, who, other than a large, bright red mark on his cheek, looked to be in a stable condition. Saoirse glared at the shrinking figure of Silas as she hurried to Yulia's side, who was breathing in slow, even breaths. As everyone split apart, the emotions Silas had managed to contain began spilling out as he began to babble apologies, his shoulders hunching as he covered his dropped head in shame. Meredith mumbled soothing words to him as he turned Silas towards him and pulled him in for a hug, hushing him as he stroked the back of his head, just like he used to do when Silas was a child.
As muffled sobs echoed throughout the small room, everyone looked away as if on instinct, trying to save the pride of a broken man. Eva lifted her gloved hand and rested it on the arm of the distressed Neema. Eva looked into Neema's eyes, then looked over at Saoirse, who was leaning over Yulia, whispering something to her, her eyes fluttering, but remaining closed. Eva then looked back at Neema, who nodded, her eyes leaving Eva's. Gently breaking away from her grip, Neema hurried over to Saorise, who nodded in response, rising to her feet. They then both hurried outside. Their eyes squeezing shut as another loud sob racked throughout the room.
Eva refused to look over at the small, huddled form of Silas as she stepped over to Holland, who continued to watch over Vaan. Eva held her hands together, the gloves on her hands creating an uncomfortable friction as they rubbed together.
"I'll take care of him. Go help Neema and Saoirse outside." Eva said softly as she kneeled down next to Vaan. Holland faltered for a moment, unsure if he should follow Eva's order, but after a moment, he nodded and stood up, hurrying outside.
A strange silence fell over the room as Silas's periodic sobs momentarily broke the silence, as well as his mumbled apologies between breaths. Eva shut out the noise to focus on the task at hand, pulling a small vial out of her bag and popping off the cork lid. She brought it up to her nose, sniffing once before she recoiled and pulled it away from her body. Balancing the vial in one hand, she gently placed her hand behind Vaan's head and tilted it upwards.
"I'm sorry, Vaan. I wouldn't do this if I had a choice." Eva said, bringing the vial to Vaan's nose, the weak stream of air exiting his nose hitting Eva's fingers. As he breathed in, his breath slow and calm, his face contorted in disgust as his body twisted. With a sharp turn, Vaan gasped loudly and opened his eyes. With his eyes open wide in shock, then groaned in pain as he leaned back, "Take deep breaths, Vaan. I have something that will help with the pain." Eva said, gently placing Vaan's head back on the ground. As he looked around, his heart racing as he felt pain spread rapidly throughout his body, Eva pulled out another vial and slowly fed it to Vaan. Eva glanced back at Yulia, who was still quiet, then at Meredith, who was still holding a shaking Silas. Finally, she turned back to Vaan, who was finally regaining awareness.
"Vaan, what happened?" Eva asked as she leaned in towards Vaan.
"He took them." Vaan whispered, groaning in pain.
"Who? Who took them?"
"A man. He came in like a ghost." Vaan whispered weakly, "We didn't stand a chance."
"When? How long has it been since he took them?" Eva asked, shaking Vaan as he began losing consciousness again. As his head lulled back, Eva sighed in frustration and adjusted Vaan's head so he was comfortable. She pressed a hand against Vaan's chest momentarily before she went to stand up, but she froze when she felt something odd tucked into Vaan's shirt. Eva pulled her hand away, then slowly put her hand back, pulling the folded up piece of paper out. Eva eyed it suspiciously, but as she went to open it, she heard a light cough behind her.
"Yulia!" Eva gasped, rising to her feet and running to Yulia's side, who was blinking and coughing, trying to rise with a pained groan. Eva sat down by her side and gently pushed her back down to the ground, "Don't get up. You're too weak."
Yulia smiled weakly as she reached a hand out to Eva's, which was pressed against Yulia's shoulder, "Eva?"
"It's me." Eva said, dropping her head on Yulia's shoulder as she grabbed Yulia's cold hand, "I'm so glad you're okay, but I need you to tell me what happened."
"A man." Yulia said, clutching Eva's hand as her hands shook, "He was so terrifying. His aura," Yulia trailed off as she recalled what had happened, "That was not the aura of a common assassin. He was like a monster."
"Did he take the people staying here?" Eva asked, watching Yulia closely.
"He must have. He did not say anything. Vaan tried to stop him though. I think that's when everything turned." Yulia whispered, before she tried to sit up again, "Is that Vaan crying? Is he alright?"
Eva became silent as she considered what to say. When Yulia squeezed Eva's hand in concern, she replied, "No, Vaan is fine. It's a long story that I will tell when you both are a little better. Rest for now." Yulia laid back down on the ground, her eyes shutting heavily as she groaned in pain, and Eva watched her for a moment before she stood up, pulling out the piece of paper from her pocket.
As she looked around the room at the damage that had been done by this mysterious man, Eva's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched. With an anger she had not felt in a long time, Eva unfolded the piece of paper, reading it knowing whatever the paper contained, it would no doubt include the location of Silas's family.
…
"Is it done?" Clarence asked as he hurried down the hall, Alywin and Marquis Belland closely behind him.
"Yes." Alywin said sourly, "I just hope you know what you're doing."
Clarence glanced behind him with a smirk, "Don't I always?" Alywin grumbled angrily under his breath in response.
"But Your Majesty, while I am honored that you personally called for me, I still don't understand what you need me to do." Marquis Belland said, his breath heavy as his small frame attempted to keep up with the quick prince.
"You are a magician with medicine." Clarence said with a smile.
"And you certainly need a magician." Alywin retorted, his frown deepening, which caused Earnest to blink in shock at the informality between the two. Clarence's eyebrow twitched, but he ignored Alywin's sarcastic retort, turning at the end of the hall and quickly stepping down a flight of stairs. At the end of the stairs was a heavy metal door, with an intimidating, annoyed guard standing next to the door. As he noticed Clarence's approach, he stepped in front of the door and unlocked it, opening it wide before he stepped out of the way.
"Your Majesty." The guard said with a bow. Clarence nodded in response and he continued through the door. Throughout the dim, large room, torches light up small corners of the room, leaving most of the room dark. As Clarence and Alywin continued walking, unperturbed, Earnest looked around in wonderment and fear, his expression rapidly changing as he slowly trailed behind the walking pair.
"Keep up, or you'll get lost." Alywin snapped, turning towards a wide-eyed Earnest. He nodded energetically and quickened his step to catch up.
As they continued down the dark hall, wails and thumping echoed throughout the long hallway. Earnest jumped at each of the noises, and kept close to the pair, until they suddenly came to a stop.
Alywin looked over at Clarence, then approached the metal door they stopped in front of. Alywin knocked on it, then waited. After some shuffling from the other side, the door creaked open, and Alywin stepped to the side, "They're waiting inside."
"Follow me, Marquis Belland." Clarence said, stepping through the door. Alywin stood by the door, waiting for Earnest to enter, then followed him inside and closed it behind them. The room was small, so the torches were able to light up the room with ease.
"They're in there." A tall man said, pointing with a thumb towards a metal cage door. Earnest gasped at his cold, calculating appearance, and the smudge of red that glistened on his cheek. Alywin looked at the man and sighed, pulling out a handkerchief and approaching the tall, shadowed man with no fear.
"You're a mess, Theo." Alywin sighed. Theo pulled away in response, but Alywin followed him, not letting him escape. Clarence glanced at them, then towards the cage door.
"Hello." Clarence said with an eerie, bright smile, "I don't suppose you remember me, do you?"
A voice hissed out from behind the cage door, which caused Earnest to jump, holding his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart.
"Well, no matter." Clarence said with a nonchalant shrug, "You're just a pawn for me anyway." Alywin paused and looked over at Clarence, but he continued, ignoring Alywin's disapproving glare, "Your son tried to kill me, so now you're going to help me kill him."
An inhuman cry screeched out as two dirty, calloused hands grabbed the cage door and shook it ferociously, the hinges on the door protesting angrily. Earnest jumped upward in alarm and looked over at Clarence uneasily.
"Calm down, it will hold." Clarence said, annoyance dripping with every word he spoke.
"I'm surprised she has any energy after the fight she put up." Theo noted, gently grabbing Alywin's wrist and guiding his hand away from his face while Alywin protested.
The bloody, bruised hands reached out from the cage, and Clarence grabbed a nearby torch, holding it close to the outstretched hands, watching them closely in case their owner tried anything. The orange hue from the blazing torch slowly crept the light up the hands, then the arms, then the bloodied face of an older elven woman, who would be recognized by many older human soldiers as the "Bloody Maeir." The torch warmed the elven woman's pale face with an orange light as her light eyes fixated on Clarence. Maeir's face was brightened by the blazing torch as she pressed her face against the cage door, snarling at the prince with a grim glare, "Keep hiding behind metal bars, you human scum. They won't protect you forever." Earnest gasped at the sight of the disheveled elven woman, but Clarence ignored him too, focusing only on his plan coming to fruition.
"Theo, help Earnest take care of them." Clarence said with a warm smile, his eyes snapping back to the bloodied elven warrior, "We can't have you dying before your son gets here."
…
_____________________________________________________
Apologies for the delay. Finally moved into our new place Friday, but we're prepping for paint and other things, so it was an absolute nightmare to get that set up ;; Best part is waiting a month to get furniture, but I'd rather sit on the floor than stay where we are now ;D Ahaha goodbye, twilight zone!
Finally moving into the new arc, as this chapter felt like the best end of this season for us. There's a lot more to come, but Hunny and I are busting ass to get moved in, so we'll be taking next week off to finish moving in. After that, we'll be moving into Clare and Silas's long reunion, Maeir and the twins', and then more about Malcolm's darling (I cannot wait for that). Next season's name is "Imprisonment", so there's a lot to unpack there.
Silas's reaction to his family just killed me, and I have to thank Hunny for her hard work this week. Thank you all for your continued support, and I will be looking forward to starting the new season! ♥♥♥