Zavier slept on the issue. The next day, morning came faster than he had expected. It was almost as if he had closed his eyes only for an instant.
The gentle but firm knock of the house keeper on Zavier's door roused him from his slumber.
Because of his nocturnal activities from the previous night, Zavier gotten much sleep. His bloodshot eyes were testament to that. He stumbled out of bed and headed down the stairs to have breakfast with the family.
It was a custom that his aunt Valarie strongly advocated for.
The family had breakfast as usual. Everyone was present except his uncle. While the others chatted away, Zavier kept to himself as he pondered on the best possible way to speak to his aunt about his precarious situation.
He soon got the opportunity he was looking for.
As he strolled through the lush gardens of his uncle's estate, he chanced on Valarie picking up berries in one section. Quick as a cat, her perceptive eyes glazed over in Zavier's.
"Hello Zavier."
"Hello Aunt V."
"Going for an evening stroll?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"Well, be sure not to put too much strain on your body. You know you're still in recovery."
"Yes Ma'am."
When Zavier refused to move on, and instead lingered awkwardly, Valarie shot him with a questioning look. She could tell that he wanted to speak, but was hesitant about it. Valarie was not exactly a touchy feelings kind of person.
She lacked the emotional intelligence that was typical of most mothers. So, she questioned him directly;
"Zavier, if you have something to say better say it. Don't just stand there looking like a dummy."
Valarie truly meant well. But her brashness often made her appear somewhat cold at times.
"Aunt V…"
Zavier began;
'There's something I have to tell you…"
A look of concern crept across her face. She instantly dropped her gardening tools and stood up straight.
"You have my undivided attention Zavier. You may speak freely."
Not sure how to begin, Zavier shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a booming voice came up behind him and interrupted his speech.
"Am I interrupting something here?"
Zavier whipped round in surprise. It was his uncle the Marquess. Valarie instantly tossed her conversation with Zavier aside and immediately reached out to hug her elder brother.
"Brother! What a wonderful surprise!"
Zavier echoed her thoughts in his mind;
"Indeed, what a wonderful surprise…"
The middle aged man answered his sister sweetly;
"Just thought to drop in and surprise the family."
Valarie grinned like a schoolgirl.
"That is so thoughtful of you."
The Marquess turned towards Zavier and offered him a handshake.
"Zavier, how are you doing these days?"
Zavier shook his uncle's hand firmly and replied respectfully;
"Fine thank you Uncle. Good to have you back."
A few moments later, as Zavier left the couple behind in the garden, a nagging thought bugged his mind. It was too much of a coincidence that his uncle had chosen such a strange time to visit.
The more Zavier thought about it, he thought just maybe he was better off telling his uncle than his aunt.
The Marquess was a serious minded, meticulous, middle-aged man who never did anything without a reason. If he was here at this time, Zavier knew that something must have triggered his return.
Though Zavier wasn't completely sure, he was willing to bet that it had something to do with the current trend of events.
Later that night, as the family gathered together around together to have dinner, out of the blue and totally unprovoked, Zavier's uncle asked him an unexpected question;
"So, Zavier, how are you doing these days?"
It wasn't just the question itself, it was his uncle's sudden interest in him that put Zavier on edge. It was the way the Marquess sipped wine from his massive goblet while he stared at Zavier with his narrowed eyes. Zavier tried as much as possible to sound as passive as he could.
"I have been fine sir. Nothing much has been happening."
He kept his answer short and simple. He didn't want his uncle to pick on anything he had said to further the conversation (or interrogation).
Fortunately, the ever chirpy Nadia cut in at that exact moment;
"Oh don't be so modest! Father, Zavier's magic level has improved significantly within the past few weeks!"
Zavier watched his uncle's reaction to that bit of news. Val nodded indifferently. He was obviously not too concerned with that particular bit of news. The conversation diverted to the basic dinner banter; the kids, their grades, school stuff, etc.
Zavier was just starting to relax when out of the blue, his uncle put out a rather interesting question;
"Say Valarie…"
He wiped the corners of his mouth with a towel.
"Has anything extraordinary happened lately?"
Valarie paused for a while before replying her brother.
"No, not really. The only strange thing I can think of is the fact that Nadia has recently decided to start eating her vegetables. But other than that, nothing."
Valarie's attempt at humor had livened the mood a bit, but the underlying effect of Val's sudden question still hung over the dinner table like a storm cloud. Zavier was instantly suspicious.
It was obvious to him that his uncle had other intentions, but he chose to be shifty about it. He decided to hang around for a while to see if it was still a good idea to tell his uncle about his situation.
After he finished his meal, the Marquess surprised everyone by announcing that he was leaving. No one protested.
Like an ocean breeze, Val left as quickly and as suddenly as he had come. Zavier noticed that he wasn't the only one who had noticed just how strange his Uncle had been acting.
Even Nadia who was the youngest and the most insensitive member of the household could tell that something had been off with her dad. She turned to Valarie and voiced her concern openly;
"Aunt Valarie, is everything alright?"
Valarie replied Nadia as truthfully as she possibly could;
"I'm not sure Nadia, maybe my brother is occupied with some new political matters. We can't really say for sure."
While Nadia and Valarie went back and forth, across the table from them was Zavier who was equally suspicious of the whole scenario.
The more he wanted to wave it off as a big coincidence, the more his mind amplified the little details. There were so many questions.
What exactly was the Marquess' sole aim of dropping in at this time? Why had he left in such a hurry? Maybe it had something to do with his own personal schedule. But then again, the timing was just too close to be considered an actual coincidence. The more Zavier fought it, the more apparent it became to him;
"He knows! Uncle Val knows someone is trying to kill me! No wonder he kept asking how I was. He came to confirm if I was actually dead!"
The sudden realization brought Zavier close to the brink of insanity. He felt like screaming it aloud so everyone could hear him.
But he knew what the outcome of a sudden outburst would mean for him. His family would immediately rule it as a case of full blown psychosis as a result of his injury.
He had to stay strong- alone! As he watched the innocent faces of the women across the table, Zavier knew that he couldn't risk involving them.
It was imperative that he kept his suspicions to himself. The Marquess definitely knew something. Zavier just didn't know how much he knew. In any event, he was going to find out no matter what.
"Zavier…"
His aunt's voice brought him back to consciousness with a jolt. With a look of concern, she inquired after his state of mind;
"Are you sure you're alright? You blanked out for a minute there?"
Zavier did his best to shoot his most charming smile.
"Thanks for your concern aunty. I am just a little tired that's all."
Valarie wasn't completely convinced.
"There was something you wanted to say the other time…"
Zavier cut her off before she could make it about him.
"Oh I just wanted to thank you for the concern."
Even Zavier was surprised at just how comfortable he had gotten with lying. Before Valarie could reply, Nadia butted in.
"Hey that's not fair! I also gave you a healing potion and you didn't come to thank me!"
Zavier replied her smoothly.
"Well yours is different Nadia. You're going to be a doctor remember? It's your job to make me feel better."
Nadia stuck out her tongue.
"Well it'd be nice to be appreciated around her."
Valarie jumped in with a concluding order.
"That's enough for one night. Off to bed now! All of you!"
Nadia grumbled in the background but made no move to speak up openly. The others pushed back their chairs and headed in the direction of their rooms.
All through the night, while other members drifted off to sleep, Zavier was haunted by his nagging suspicions that had taken on the roles of tormenting demons in his head.
When he finally did manage to drift off, he found no solace in his sleep. His nightmares were plagued with the mysterious masked man in a large hat and his uncle. In his nightmares, they were both one and the same man.