“The earl of Middlemarch is powerful. He will use you again in the future,” Mrs. Turner said mechanically.
Zach sat up. He turned to look at his father, whose eyes widened in shock. Sir Fielding and Alessandro eyed each other, and then they both turned their attention to the earl of Middlemarch.
Zach asked, “Mistress, who said that?”
“The Master’s servant.”
“That’s preposterous!” the earl said darkly, shaking his head, flabbergasted at the accusation.
Zach, his face impassive, ignored the fear that began to emerge within him, and said to the woman in a calm, stern voice, “Mistress, I’m going to count to three, and when I’ve reached three, you will wake up.”
The woman nodded, and Zach counted to three. On three, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. As she did so, she looked around the room in confusion, as though she had just woken from a deep slumber and saw strange people in her bedroom.
“Take them to the station,” Sir Fielding said to the four policemen. “We need to retain them until further evidence surfaces.”
Two constables started dragging John out the door. Mrs. Turner, who was still confused, stumbled behind them with one of the policeman guiding her. Maiko, who was directed by Jeremy, tried to push his hand away from her arm as she walked.
Once they were gone, Alessandro turned to the earl and said, “Tell me it isn’t true you ordered this woman and her husband to kill my king.”
The earl, standing tall, said calmly, “Alessandro, we have been friends for thirty years. How could I plan to murder your king? ’Tis preposterous!”
Sir Fielding interrupted and said to Zach, “This method of yours, my lord—hypnotism—it does not lie, is that right? A sort of psychology that plays with the mind? The method allows one to dig deep into the suspect’s consciousness to find the truth? As you said prior, what they have heard, seen, or experienced?”
Zach narrowed his eyes at Sir Fielding, gauging what the older man was formulating in that intelligent mind of his. Indeed, he knew the renowned detective was skeptical of his anomalous method.
Hypnotism. It was undisputable the method worked, albeit to a certain extent. What they had heard thus far from their suspects was indeed true. Zach would vouch for that. After all, he could see what they had seen, and hear what they had heard as he was gazing into their eyes during the hypnotism. It was as if he were there with them, seeing through their eyes and hearing every minute detail through their ears.
It was his gift, this ability to see and hear through those he put in a trance. It was a magical power of sorts that he and his young brother Connor had inherited from their mother’s side of the family, the Pendragon, the blue-blooded noblesse. His was sight manipulation while Connor’s was mind manipulation.
Hypnotism itself, on the other hand, was merely a show for his audience to enjoy, a performance to disguise his true intent while he sight-manipulated their suspects to research the truth. After all, noblesse and their magical powers, like the night creatures and their supernatural abilities, were supposed to be nonexistent in the normal human world. It was best kept as a myth of sorts for the normal to speculate on.
Zach nodded in response to Sir Fielding’s query. “Yes, that is correct.”
Sir Fielding nodded in understanding. Turning his attention to the earl of Middlemarch, he said, “Though I’m dubious of the merit of this method of hypnotism your son has used to obtain statements from the suspects, I cannot, however, disregard it completely as if it has no merit. It is, after all, still a statement made by the suspects, and I must take that into account in our investigation.”
He paused, his eyes intense as he flicked his gaze back to Zach for a moment, as if making a statement. Then turning back to the earl of Middlemarch, he continued. “As I’m sure you know; this will not go unnoticed by our Queen Victoria. She will want the full details of it.”
Zach couldn’t dispute the powerful, stern queen of Britannia would want the full details of such an atrocious act of treason, the intended murder of a newly crowned king. Especially one that could put their relations in jeopardy with the small, influential, and wealthy kingdom of Darnia, with which they had just recently signed an important treaty. Indeed, the king of Darnia, King Francesco II, was an important figure in the recently developed European nation, and a power to be reckoned with that would aid in the betterment of Britannia economically.
Sir Fielding continued. “From what I’ve heard so far, it is plain that, my lord, you are a suspect.”
Zach responded like lightning had struck him. He hauled himself up so fast his chair fell back, crashing to the floor with a loud clunk. Everyone in the room jumped back in shock.
“Sir Fielding,” Connor said, shaking his head. “Aren’t you going a bit far? We’re talking about Father here.”
“Just what are you implying, Sir Fielding?” Zach queried darkly.
The detective locked eyes with Zach. Though he was not as tall nor as muscularly built as the young man, and indeed he respected the young lord very much, he was not going to be imitated by such a powerful presence, and he would conduct his job accordingly.
“What I mean, my lord, is that I must do my job properly. From what evidence I have heard thus far, your father is the mastermind behind the king of Darnia’s attempted murder. Indeed, a suspect, and I must follow protocol. Trust me, I don’t like this, and I also don’t believe the earl is behind this, but...”
Zach calmed his raging temper. He was quick to understand what Sir Fielding was implying.
“You both must remember, Sir Fielding,” he said, looking pointedly at the detective and then Alessandro, “my lord, that if it wasn’t for Father’s troops, the king and your family never would have escaped France’s troops when they invaded Darnia seven years ago.”
Both Sir Fielding and Alessandro nodded in understanding.
“This Master,” Zach continued, his mind now reeling at the possibilities, “must have said that last bit deliberately so Mr. and Mrs. Turner would think it was Father who was the mastermind.”
“Do you mean this Master, the real one, has something against the earl and wanted him framed for treason?” Sir Fielding asked.
“It certainly looks that way,” Zach replied. He then turned to his father, his eyes dark. “Father, tell me the truth. This will be the first and last time I ask you.”
The earl of Middlemarch looked at his son and said, “Ask away, son.”
“Did you plan to kill the king of Darnia?” Zach asked, looking into his father’s bright, emerald eyes, similar to his own.
The earl of Middlemarch stood straight, his shoulders squared and his eyes boring deep into Zach’s. “No, son.”
Zach knew without a doubt his father was not lying. His father was a loyal, strong, and disciplined man, a military man who knew his own mind and would sacrifice his life for his country. What he saw in his father’s eyes was sincerity, and that was all he needed to know.
“I am sorry, my lord, but I must take you to Scotland Yard for the time being, until further evidence surfaces,” Sir Fielding said.
The earl turned his attention to the detective. He nodded as he said, “I understand. I know I am innocent, and thus, I will not fight, nor would I run cowardly.” He turned to Zach and said, “Find the evidence, son. Dig up the truth.”
“I will, Father,” Zach replied, his tone dark.
It was a promise, and the earl of Middlemarch was confident his son would not fail him. Satisfied, he then turned his attention to his friend of over thirty years, Alessandro.
“I am so sorry, Alessandro,” he said apologetically, patting his friend’s arm. “But I swear, I would never—”
Alessandro cut him short. “I know you, Stephen.”
The earl nodded, and a moment later, Sir Fielding escorted the earl out of the study with Alessandro following behind them.
* * *
Finally, Zach and his brother Connor were left alone in the study. With his h
ands clasped behind him and his head bowed, Zach reflected on what had happened that day, trying to remember every single detail, searching for anything he might have missed.
“Well...” Connor began, interrupting Zach’s thought process. “What did you see?”
Zach frowned, his mind reeling at the complex possibilities. “I see things that do not make sense.”
Connor shook his head in mirth. “I never thought your gift would put our father in jail.”
Zach sighed in resignation. “Me, neither.”
Connor shrugged. “Can’t be helped. Might as well erase all their memories and start over. It’s easier that way. It’s not like Father did anything wrong. He’s obviously been framed.”
Zach folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “The last time we did that, you went into hibernation for two years.” He shook his head in the negative. “It was a disaster. Every living being within a ten-mile radius of Ambrose Castle looked like the living dead. Even the trees couldn’t flourish in spring and summer for two years, until you awoke. You were consuming the majority of their life qi while hibernating.”
Connor chuckled in amusement. “Can’t be helped I nearly killed myself. It was the entire kingdom of Darnia’s memories I had to erase. If those senseless night creatures hadn’t been involved, things wouldn’t have gone that far.” He shrugged his broad shoulders again. “Besides, it was Uncle Lucian’s idea. Can’t let the civilians know these night creatures exists. Better to leave them known as myth than let the entire kingdom turn into a frightened, useless mob.”
Zach said, “I know there was no alternative then, but there is plenty of alternative in this case. Besides, I would like to get to the root of this attempted murder of King Francesco II.”
“Still, erasing memories is an option. Less work and less painful for both parties,” Connor reasoned. “Besides, it’s nice to use my gift once in a while, and I certainly don’t mind hibernation, just as long as there’s an adorable darling in my arms accompanying me during the long sleep.”
Zach sighed. He certainly didn’t want things to go that far. When Connor had used the full strength of his powerful gift as a noblesse seven years ago in the kingdom of Darnia, during the French siege, his life qi was nearly completely wiped out. He had been a mere thirteen-year-old boy back then, while Zach himself had been fourteen. The overuse of that yet-to-be-controlled power nearly killed Connor.
In order to regain his life qi, he had to hibernate for two years at Ambrose Castle in the country, here in Britannia, which belonged to their reclusive Uncle Lucian Pendragon. This long slumber slowly allowed Connor to recover his power by absorbing surrounding living beings’ life qi, protected by a powerful barrier within Ambrose Castle.
At the time, Zach himself had been exhausted in the aftermath of the forty-day siege. After all, he was merely a fourteen-year-old, and his ability to kill was subpar, to say the least. Three noblessen, himself, Connor, and their Uncle Lucian, defended Acquaviva Castle against a horde of demons and ghouls, with only the help of a few foot soldiers.
One-third of the town’s population had been slaughtered during the massacre. Demons and ghouls took their rampage along every street in the town of Acquaviva; murdering every man, woman, and child they came across. Most of the refugees had thought they were having nightmares, for these creatures surely could not exist. But of course, they were wrong, and fear had struck every individual like a scorching bonfire, consuming everything in its path. If Uncle Lucian hadn’t ordered Connor to use his mind manipulation to erase the population’s memories after the incursion, Zach knew things would have been worse, and apocalypse would have ensued.
Thinking about those dark days made his stomach twist. He had killed hundreds of thousands of night creatures, if not more, during those bleak forty days. The process of exterminating them, and seeing thousands of mutilated corpses, had numbed him.
Truth be told, he had grown considerably that year. His power, too, had grown tremendously. So much so that he had to learn the art of Qi Extinguish from their Uncle Lucian to veil his true power from the night creatures. After all, it was common for those supernatural beings to hunt noblesse with strong life qi for the sake of their own power.
“So,” Connor said, drawing Zach’s attention, “what’s the plan?”
Zach thought for a moment, flipping ideas through his mind. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when loud noises came through from outside the window.
“Who’s up there?”
The brothers glanced at each other and then turned their attention in the direction where the shouting was coming from. In a flash, Zach dashed to the window, thrust it open, and jumped out onto the terrace. Connor followed behind him in haste.
“Who’s up there?” the guard from down below shouted again.
Zach saw dark figures dashing into the library as he turned the corner.
“Who goes there?” the guard repeated, this time his voice sounding desperate and frightened.
“It is I,” Zach replied loudly, and commandingly to the guard.
“My lord?”
“Yes,” Zach said, and then dashed into the library.
Once inside, he came to a stop immediately and scanned his surroundings.
Connor wasn’t far behind. “What was that?” he asked, once he was in the room.
“I thought I saw something,” Zach replied, scrutinizing the place with narrowed eyes.
He noted the room was in a chaotic state, as he had witnessed when they had found the dead maid. The place was a mess with books and furniture fallen to the floor from the assumed struggle between the maid and her killer. But of course, Zach wasn’t fully convinced, as the policemen had been that this was so.
Ruth was a slender woman of no more than one hundred ten pounds in weight. She would not have the vigor to put up so much of a fight against her attacker, who they presumed was a male of strength. This ramshackle mess, he was certain, was the result of a struggle after the death of the maid between two undoubtedly strong people. That, however, wasn’t what was irking him.
What am I missing? He asked himself.
“Looks like there was more than a little struggle here,” Connor said, eyeing the room with interest.
“Hmm.” Zach agreed, nodding.
He had been in this room only a few hours ago when he was alerted of the maid’s body. He had examined the room at the time, trying to decipher the scenario of what had happened. He had known then that he was missing a vital clue. But what is it? What can’t I see?
He moved over to stand by the sofa and scanned his surroundings again, his eyes zeroing in on every detail. Then he saw it and his mind clicked.
The ashes!
The grey dust, thick and prominent, was everywhere on the sofa. Surely, it wasn’t because the servants were slack doing their job.
Connor was behind him and said, “That looks like...”
Zach nodded as he scooped some into his hand. Then he brought it to his nose and sniffed. It smelled of burned flesh and... sulphur!
Connor leaned in and sniffed as well. His eyes widened and he gasped. “By God, but that’s...”
Zach nodded, as a smirk appeared about his lips.
Connor saw the glint in his brother’s bright, emerald-green eyes, not to mention that dark grin, and he sighed in resignation.
“Damnation, Zach. I dislike it when you wear that expression. It looks like you’re about to bring the devil to his knees.”
Zach folded his arms across his chest and nodded. “Things are beginning to make sense to me, and that boy is at the center of it all.”
Connor cocked his head to one side. “Ah, that little imposter?” He chuckled. “He’s a cute little thing, eh? And I’d say his friend, that Japanese boy, isn’t half bad either.”
Zach chuckled. “Trust you to eye up pretty boys. Your taste is truly a mystery to me.”
Connor shrugged his broad shoulders. �
�It’s my talent. And pretty boys are amusing to toy with.” He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. Suddenly, he was serious again. “So, what’s next?”
Zach cocked his head to one side. Then he smiled darkly. “I think we need to have a party.”
Connor was flabbergasted. “Party? When father is in jail?”
Zach chuckled in amusement. “How about bring in some of Madam Rosé’s women? It’ll be fun.”
It took Connor only a moment to understand what his brother’s plan was. He rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever.”
“I’ll leave it up to you, then,” Zach said as he walked out the door.
Connor nodded, without much interest. “Sure. Sure. Just because I have the title of a notorious rake with eccentric tastes,” he said sourly.
* * *
Romano House
The Shadows: An organization whose prime goal is to investigate and eradicate the Night Creatures.
Marco Romano, Blood Alchemist
* * *
Daniella had known she’d be in trouble the moment she returned to Romano House. Indeed, the news of her misadventure tonight, and the fact that John and Maiko had been mistakenly taken into prison as suspects in a murder case, had undoubtedly traveled fast. She wasn’t surprised to hear both her foster fathers were waiting to pound on her the moment she stepped across the threshold of the restaurant’s door.
Tan, one of the waiters, rushed over to her when Daniella arrived with Ren and Shin. He looked troubled, which made her stomach knot in dread.
He said, “Your fathers are waiting for you in the private dining room.” He pulled a face and added, “Master Romano looks ready to kill.”
Daniella’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a little sick to her stomach. She glanced behind her to look over at Ren and Shin, more than a little worried about their involvement with her nightly misadventures. God, she truly did not want them to get into trouble because of her, more so when her foster fathers were in an infuriated mood.
Shin instantly glared at his brother. “You sold us out?”
The Blood Alchemist Chronicles: An Intended Murder Page 7