“I understand. You’re just looking around.”
“That’s right. Are you here to change the guard?”
“Yes…”
“I see. Do you have someone else coming soon to replace the other guard?”
“No…”
“In that case, maybe you can help me. Would you be a dear and help me subdue your partner once the knight you replace leaves?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
As the knight she’d trapped in her mind control entered the dungeon, Fellis jumped up the wall. She placed her hands on one wall and her feet on the other, holding herself against the ceiling as she waited for one of the knights to leave. It was hard. Her arms and legs shook, and her abdominal muscles shivered as she flexed them.
The door beneath her opened. A knight walked out, his armor clinking. He didn’t look up as he went up the stairs, disappearing as he rounded the curve.
Fellis dropped back down to the floor with a grimace. Her arms and legs felt stiff now. She did her best to stretch out the kinks before walking into the dungeon. The knight whom she’d ensnared saw her walk in. He stood up and, without warning, sent the other knight to the ground.
“What the f—what are you doing?!” the other knight screamed before he was captured in a strong grapple. He struggled to break free, but in that moment, Fellis grabbed his chin and forced him to look into her eyes.
“Would you please stop struggling?”
Despite asking politely, the knight still continued—at least for a little while. His struggling eventually subsided and then ceased altogether. She smiled when his eyes glazed over.
“Good. Now, you two go back to standing guard. Please just forget you ever saw me here.”
“Okay,” the one in back said.
“We can do that,” the other said.
“Good.”
As the two knights sat back down, Fellis wandered deeper into the dungeon. It honestly didn’t look like much of a dungeon to her. Sure, it was dark and old and rusty, but it was thousands of times better than the dungeons in the darklands. She couldn’t even feel a draft in here.
All the cells were empty. Fellis guessed they weren’t used often. It made sense. Alucard had once told her that humans were soft-hearted. They could rarely bring themselves to imprison people. As she reached the end of the dungeon, she finally found Jacob. He was laying on a small cot, his feet hanging off the edge.
“You’re looking comfortable,” Fellis commented.
“I’m very comfortable,” Jacob shot back, sitting up in bed and sending her a look. “What are you doing here? Where’s Enyo?”
“Worried about your woman?”
“Yes. Is that wrong of me?”
Fellis needed a moment to contain her surprise. “No, there’s nothing wrong with that. In either event, Enyo is fine. She is currently residing within Avant Heim, to help Queen Alice with her investigation.”
It was amusing to watch the way Jacob’s face scrunched up as if she’d just said something amazingly stupid. “Is that some kind of joke?”
“I assure you this is no joke,” Fellis said before kicking off into an explanation of what had happened up to this point. The longer her explanation went on, the closer Jacob’s jaw came to dropping. By the time she’d finished, his expression reminded her of a troll being strangled by its own loincloth.
“That’s… a lot to take in,” Jacob admitted. “I had no idea there was so much going on outside.”
“Speaking of outside, may I ask why you haven’t broken out of here yet?” Fellis inquired. “These bars are not strong enough to hold you, so why are you still in here?”
Jacob shrugged. “Where would I go? If I broke out now, not only would I be hunted, but the chances of me getting into Avant Heim again would be close to zero.”
“I see. So you are remaining here to await an opportunity for you and Enyo to make your escape through the otherworld gate.”
“That’s pretty much it.”
That was a smart move. She was impressed by his foresight. He wasn’t just sitting around for no reason, accepting what must have been the harshest form of betrayal ever, but was instead waiting for the right moment to escape.
“Very well. I’ll let Enyo know what is happening.”
“Thank you.”
With nothing left to do, Fellis left, exiting the dungeon the same way that she got in. None of the guards stopped her. The next day, they would not even remember that she’d been there.
CHAPTER 4
LUSTFUL INTENTIONS
Enyo woke up early the next morning. Fellis was already awake, or perhaps she’d never fallen asleep. She found her former servant sitting on the windowsill, looking at the ground below, her expression furrowed as if in deep contemplation.
“Fellis… morning…” Enyo yawned.
“Good morning.” Fellis sent a smile her way. “I was quite surprised to find you asleep when I returned from visiting Jacob last night. I would have expected you to be up and eagerly awaiting to hear news about your boyfriend.”
“Could you please stuff it?” Enyo asked. “Just tell me how Jacob was.”
Fellis chuckled. “He is doing well, from what I could see. Nothing seems to be wrong with him, and it’s not like he couldn’t escape whenever he wanted to. When the time comes to leave this world, he will join up with us.”
Despite having already suspected that to have been the case, Enyo still felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They were in the perfect position now. All of them were in Avant Heim, where the otherworld gate was located. There was only one thing left to do.
“While we help out the queen with her problem, we should use this opportunity to locate the otherworld gate. Once we know where it is, we’ll have Jacob break out of the dungeon, activate the gate, and leave this world behind.”
“That seems like a sound plan,” Fellis agreed.
A knock sounded at the door. Enyo clammed up as a moment of panic struck her. Had the person on the other side heard them talking? Calming her racing heart, she took a deep breath and said, “Come in.”
The door opened and Listy came in, offering them both a smile and a polite bow. “Queen Alice has asked that I bring you to her. Breakfast has been prepared, and she would like you to join her and Kindness.”
“Thank you. We’ll go there in just a moment. Would you mind if we took a second to wash up?”
“Not at all. I’ll be waiting outside. Come out when you’re ready.”
Giving them a bow, Listy exited the room, the door closing behind her with a soft click. Enyo sighed in relief. It seemed the servant hadn’t heard anything.
She and Fellis took a quick fifteen minutes to wash and get dressed. There was a basin of water they could use to clean themselves with. It wasn’t anywhere near as pleasant as the baths, but this was placed within every room because sometimes a bath was just not feasible.
Enyo also had her hair dye reapplied and recast the spell on her eyes. It was a good thing Listy hadn’t been looking at her from up close, or she might have noticed that her eyes had been pink instead of brown. Exiting the room, they found Listy standing outside just like she’d said.
“We’re ready,” Enyo said.
“In that case, please follow me.”
As they walked off, Enyo immediately noticed that they weren’t traveling to the same place as yesterday. The route they were taking was in the opposite direction.
“Has anything changed since yesterday?” asked Enyo.
“If you are speaking of the things that Queen Alice discussed with you, then there have been a few changes.” Listy paused as if gathering her thoughts. “The other members of the White Council all arrived last night and were informed of what happened. Since they’re the ones in danger, it has been decided that they will be living in the west wing until the killer has been caught. They have rooms there in either event, and it won’t deter their work.”
&nbs
p; “How did they take that?” asked Fellis.
“Justice and Abstinence took it well. Chastity did not. He complained quite loudly. I’m honestly surprised you were not awakened by his shouting.”
“I’m a heavy sleeper,” Enyo joked.
Listy smiled. “Indeed.”
They arrived on a balcony overlooking another garden. There was a circular table set up next to a magnificent balustrade made of gleaming marble. Queen Alice and Kindness were already sitting down. The other two empty chairs must have been for her and Fellis.
“Good morning, you two,” Queen Alice greeted. “Please, come and sit down. I trust you both slept well?”
“We did, thanks,” Enyo said as she and Fellis sat down. Listy walked to the table, grabbed an ornate teapot, poured tea into two silver cups, and then presented it to her and Fellis. Then she stood beside Queen Alice, hands clasped in front of her.
There was a smorgasbord of food arrayed on a three-tiered tray in the center of the table. Danishes filled with cream cheese and fruit fillings, muffins, and various treats sat sparkling on the tray. Enyo’s mouth practically watered at the sight, but she held back and carefully grabbed only two Danishes instead of the whole platter.
“How are you feeling, Kindness?” Enyo asked before taking a bite of her muffin. Blueberry. Delicious.
“I am doing well,” Kindness said. “All of my wounds have healed and I was able to sleep peacefully, though I could have done without Chastity’s whining.”
“I heard that the other White Council members showed up last night,” Fellis said. Unlike Enyo, who tried to eat with grace, she had no issue shoveling food into her mouth.
“You heard correct,” Queen Alice said. “They will be joining us for our meeting today. Since this situation involves them, we can’t afford to exclude them.”
They spoke for a little while longer—small talk about subjects of little importance. Enyo had never done small talk before, but it was interesting to talk about things that didn’t involve life or death situations. She also learned a bit more about the two: Queen Alice and Kindness.
Kindness was actually from another country, one that could only be reached by crossing the sea. She’d come to Terrasole seeking to escape a war that had ravaged her lands. The clothing she wore was in honor of her homeland.
On the other hand, Queen Alice liked to complain and make wisecracks about the nobility, especially the men. She told them stories about all the men who tried to claim her heart and were subsequently brow beaten until they realized she had no intention of getting married. It was fun.
“I’ll eventually have to produce an heir,” Alice said. “However, when I do, it will be at my convenience and with someone who I think is worthy of siring a child with me. Thus far, only one person has shown themselves worthy of that honor.”
She said nothing of the man who’d “proven himself worthy.” Enyo wondered if she was talking about Jacob, but she didn’t ask. It would have been rude to pry. Also, there was a small part of her that feared the answer.
After breakfast, Queen Alice and Kindness went off to discuss political matters. Since Enyo wasn’t involved in those, she and Fellis were left to their own devices.
Having grown used to being in near constant danger, or at least having something to do, Enyo found that she was very bored. She wanted to do something. She wanted to save people, face danger, and go on adventures. All this waiting around was annoying.
In an effort to quell her boredom, Enyo wandered the castle. Avant Heim was a big place—emphasis on the big. There were so many rooms that she couldn’t help but wonder what Queen Alice did with them all.
As she was turning a corner, someone else appeared in front of her. Despite her shock, Enyo still responded with instincts bread from constant battle. She spun on the balls of her feet. She glided past the man who’d nearly ran her over. Behind her, Fellis stopped several paces away, avoiding the entire incident.
“I’m sorry,” Enyo apologized. “I didn’t see you.”
The man, a young man with dark hair and black eyes, held up a hand. “There is no need,” he said, his hair swaying as he shook his head. “I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. I hadn’t expected anyone else to be wandering around like I was.”
“Okay. Well, in that case, I’ll bid you a good day,” Enyo said, prepared to leave.
“H-hold on a moment!” the man practically shouted. She looked back at him. He licked his lips. “Perhaps you would like to accompany me? I’ve stayed in Avant Heim enough times that I know my way around fairly well, but you look new. I could show you around.”
Enyo debated the idea of telling this man off. Truth be told, she didn’t like the way he was looking at her. She felt naked. On the other hand, she couldn’t dismiss someone merely because they made her feel uncomfortable. Besides that, if he did try something, she could always stab him with her daggers.
“I don’t mind,” Enyo finally said. “Fellis?”
Fellis shrugged. “Whatever you want. I’m just tagging along.”
“Great!” the man clapped his hands together. “In that case, I’ll show you around.”
The man, who Enyo soon learned was Chastity—the White Council member who Queen Alice had complained about—took her on a basic tour of the castle. While showing her the various rooms and wings, he tried to link their arms together. She jerked her arm out of his grip. He frowned, but when she raised a challenging eyebrow, his agitated expression was replaced with a smile.
Avant Heim had a grand total of six wings: north, south, east, west, and then the towers, which were considered their own wings. Most of the wings consisted of lounges and bedrooms. Those were used to entertain guests. According to Chastity, a lot of nobles visited the castle from all over Terrasole and would stay in these wings with their family and servants.
“I haven’t seen you in Avant Heim before,” Chastity tried to make conversation. “I’m assuming you are not a new servant, but someone who has business with Queen Alice?”
Enyo nodded. “That’s right. Fellis and I saved Kindness when someone tried to assassinate her.”
Chastity twitched. Was he concerned about Kindness, or perhaps the knowledge that Kindness had been attacked made him fear that he would be next? Enyo didn’t know.
“Yes, I had heard about the attack, though I had not heard that you rescued her. Thank you for saving her. Kindness is a valued compatriot.”
“You’re welcome.”
It took some time, but Enyo finally managed to separate herself from Chastity, who kept trying to touch her. A brush to the back of her hand with his knuckles, a hand on the small of her back. He might have thought he was being subtle. However, subtlety clearly wasn’t his strong point.
After escaping from his presence with a flimsy excuse, she and Fellis ran into Listy. The maid greeted them with a polite bow and said, “I have been looking for you two. The meeting is about to start soon, and Queen Alice wanted you to be there.”
“Lead the way,” Fellis said with a wave of her hand.
The meeting room was in the west wing; Enyo remembered from when Chastity had given her the tour. Everyone was already there. Queen Alice sat at the head of a long table. Kindness sat on her left, while an old man with so many wrinkles his face seemed to sag sat on her right. Chastity was also there, and he waved when he saw her. She waved back to be polite.
There was one other person sitting at the table. Like the one next to Queen Alice, he was aging and looked frail. His twig-thin arms made her think they’d snap at the slightest movement. Despite this, he grabbed his long beard with his frail hands and stroked it while contemplatively eying her with narrowed blue eyes.
Bayard was also present. He, along with a surprised Caslain, stood behind Queen Alice.
“Good, you two are here,” Queen Alice said. “Now we can start the meeting. As you all know, three members of the White Council have been killed. Kindness would have joined them were it not f
or Enyo and Fellis’s aid. Once again, you have my eternal gratitude.”
“You’re welcome,” Enyo said as she and Fellis sat together. They were as far from Chastity as they could be without making it obvious.
Alice nodded back to her before she continued. “Thanks to Kindness, we have learned that Liberality, Humility, and Patience were killed by a poison. I’ve sent one of my alchemists to check the water from the well at Kindness’s manor. We should be getting the results within a day or two.”
“So, you’re saying that someone has poisoned our wells?” the old man close to Queen Alice asked.
“That is what we believe, Abstinence.”
“That’s preposterous.” Abstinence scoffed. “All of our manors are protected by a personal barrier. The only way someone could get past it without us knowing was if they had an intricate understanding of the barrier. No one has such knowledge except for other members of the White Council.”
“You don’t know that,” Kindness rebutted in a calm voice. “The fact that three of us were killed and I was almost killed is proof enough that someone can get past our barriers.”
“Bah! You four were probably just foolish enough to allow someone into your manor without knowing they were trying to kill you. I’m not so simple-minded as to allow an enemy into my house.”
Kindness narrowed her eyes. “To not only insult the dead but also insult me to my face. You, Abstinence, are an idiot.”
“What was that?!”
“For your information, I did not allow anyone into my home,” Kindness continued. “I had been home alone with my servants and knights. There was no one else. Yet I still fell prey to poison.”
“Perhaps it was one of your servants.”
Kindness narrowed her eyes. “Are you accusing me of having poor choice in servants?”
“I didn’t want to say it out loud, but…”
“An ignorant fool such as yourself has no right to say anything about me,” Kindness snapped. “All of my servants have been serving me faithfully for over ten years now. What’s more, all of them died because they were also poisoned. I’ll not have you speak poorly of the deceased anymore!”
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 2 Page 11