Chapter - 46
The estate was indeed as imposing as Elara's father had described: high stone walls with towering iron gates. Beyond the gates, they could see lush gardens and a grand stone house.
Jacob cast a glance at Elara. "Stay close," he instructed, his hand resting on his revolver as they approached the entrance. He could feel her nervous energy, and he reached over, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll find them," he promised, and she managed a small, grateful nod in response.
Two guards, clad in uniforms, stepped forward, each resting a hand on the hilts of their swords as they barred the way.
Jacob lifted a hand in a show of non-hostility, keeping his voice calm but firm. "Gentlemen, we're here to clear up a misunderstanding regarding two women sold here recently. My friend here—" he gestured to Elara— "needs to speak with your employer about her family."
The guards exchanged a look, their expressions hardening. One guard crossed his arms. "We don't allow just anyone to speak to Mr. Malakar. He's a busy man, and doesn't see visitors without appointment."
Jacob's eyes narrowed, his patience already thin. "I'm afraid this isn't a request," he said. "We need to see him, and we need to see him now."
The guard straightened, his stance now openly hostile. "You'd best be on your way before things get ugly."
With that, Jacob drew his revolver with one hand and his sword with the other, the gleaming blue faerium swirling around his form as his voice dropped to a low growl. "I'd rethink that statement if I were you."
The guards instinctively reached for their weapons, their own faces tightening. Then, just as the guards prepared to strike, a voice rang out from behind them.
"Enough. Stand down." A maid stood at the gate, watching the scene. She inclined her head politely toward Jacob. "Mr. Malakar has been observing from his study. He requests that you and your companion join him."
The guards hesitated, but the maid's words left them little room for argument. Reluctantly, they stepped aside, allowing Jacob and Elara to pass.
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Inside, they followed the maid through richly decorated hallways lined with dark wood and gold accents. She led them to a large sitting room, where a man sat casually on a leather sofa, watching their entrance with an unsettlingly calm expression. He looked to be in his fifties, his graying hair brushed back.
"Please, take a seat," he said, gesturing toward two armchairs across from him. He gave a small, knowing smile and nodded toward the large windows. "I couldn't help but watch the… activity at the gate. You're a mage, I see. Mages are always welcome in my home."
Jacob kept his eyes level. "My name is Jacob, and this here is Elara. We're monster hunters, but we're here on a personal matter."
"My mother, Angela, and my sister, Lily, were sold to you by my father recently," Elara said. "We'd like to take them back."
Malakar's smile widened as he leaned back, assessing Elara with an unsettling glint in his eye. "Ah, yes. I recall them." He motioned to the maid by the door. "Fetch the new arrivals."
After a few moments, the door reopened, and two women entered. Both wore simple black dresses, the kind of modest attire given to house servants.
The older woman was strikingly beautiful, even in her modest clothing. Blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, her full lips pressed in nervousness as she scanned the room. She had large, expressive brown eyes and despite her weariness, her beauty was undeniable. Jacob could see at once where Elara had inherited her looks from—this was Angela.
Beside her stood a younger woman, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, with a slight, petite frame and the same deep, brown eyes that seemed to mirror both her mother and Elara. She had short black hair that framed her face, a striking contrast to her mother's blonde, and her features were delicate, with a youthful innocence that made her resemblance to Elara all the more poignant. Jacob realized that this was Lily.
Unable to contain herself, Elara sprang from her seat, crossing the distance in an instant. "Mother! Lily!" she cried, pulling them both into a fierce embrace. Angela's initial shock melted into relief, and tears filled her eyes as she clutched Elara, her expression a mixture of disbelief and joy.
"Elara… my sweet girl," Angela whispered, holding her daughter tightly, as if afraid to let go.
Lily, though still stunned, wrapped her arms around her sister, her eyes wide with amazement. "We… we thought we'd never see you again," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Every day, we hoped…"
As the three women shared this emotional reunion, Jacob's attention shifted back to Malakar. The man watched them with an air of amusement, like someone watching a particularly entertaining play.
Then, in a cold, commanding voice, he spoke. "Slaves, come here and stand behind me."
Angela and Lily's expressions changed instantly, their smiles vanishing as glowing runes around their necks flared to life. The slave marks forced them to release Elara, their faces twisting with discomfort as they were compelled to step back and stand behind Malakar, who leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other as he observed Jacob.
Jacob clenched his fist, forcing himself to remain calm. He knew slave marks, but seeing them used so callously—on Elara's family—stoked a dangerous fury inside him.
"Mr. Malakar," Jacob began, his voice deceptively polite, "you seem like a well-educated man. They say a good businessman never lets go of a profit. I understand you bought them for fifty gold orins, but I'd be willing to offer you eighty orins to take them off your hands."
Malakar chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Eighty gold orins? Mr. Jacob, please." His voice was thick with mockery. "A mother-daughter pair like these, with the daughter's… virginity still intact? Why, they're worth far more than that. I'm not inclined to part with them for anything less than five hundred gold orins."
Elara gasped, shock and disbelief filling her face at the outrageous sum, while Jacob remained silent, his gaze locked onto Malakar's as the man continued.
"Or," Malakar said, his smile turning devious, "you could come back in a year, after I've… had my enjoyment of them. Perhaps then I'd consider your eighty-orin offer."
Jacob knew this type—a man who enjoyed not only profit, but the power to control others and make them dance to his whims. He tightened his jaw, but kept his tone level, as he said, "What do you want from us? You're clearly inflating the price because you have something in mind."
Malakar's smile widened, his gaze gleaming with a spark of satisfaction. "Ah, a sharp mind, Mr. Jacob. I never expected to meet such a perceptive monster hunter." He rose from his seat, moving to a cupboard at the side of the room, where he retrieved a rolled map. Unfurling it across the table, he pointed to a mark on the map, just north of Havenrest.
"There's a cave here, in the nearby mountains—a den of Silkshade Spiders. They're a particular species with a penchant for capturing humans, and their webs are known for being incredibly strong and pliable. They produce a rare type of silk that, when treated, can be woven into the finest fabrics. I happen to be in the cloth business, and such a resource would give me a distinct advantage over my competitors."
Jacob studied the map with narrowed eyes. "So, you want us to retrieve this silk?"
"Precisely," Malakar replied. "Bring me the silk from those monstrous spiders, and the women are yours to take. Fail to do so, and they remain with me indefinitely."
Jacob kept his gaze on the map, though his mind was churning, assessing the risks and logistics of such a task. A spider den would be no easy feat, especially one inhabited by monsters that made their nests in darkness and preyed on creatures larger than themselves. But if it was the only way to secure Angela and Lily's freedom, then there was no other choice.
Jacob looked up, meeting Malakar's expectant gaze. "We'll do it."