Chapter 63: Vultures [Free]

After being released from the cellar, Dragunov assigned them multiple chores. Kaius constructed weapons and trained with the soldiers. Allyria fetched firewood, planted crops together with the others and tended to the animals. She, in fact, wanted to convince Dragunov to let her train but Kaius advised it wasn't a good idea. A peasant girl who is now a playwright just doesn't go well with being a trained soldier. Insisting on it would only blow their cover.

The two of them had distant rooms. Allyria resided with the other girls in the cabin. There were seven of them in the room, four double decks lining up to accommodate all of them. She could still remember how their first encounter went and it was nowhere near pleasing.

"Hello!" she greeted as soon as she stepped inside. The cabin was not that huge. It had a high ceiling but the size was fairly enough to fit the beds and no other things. Then again, space wasn't needed. They didn't have that much things and neither did she bring any. It was only necessary to avoid distractions. They weren't here to have a camping trip or a vacation. They were here to work for him.

A girl who was fixing her bed stopped to see her, scrutinizing her from head to foot. She definitely wasn't the princess type. Her hair was barely combed back into a messy ponytail, and dirt smeared across her dress. Allyria guessed they were too busy to even care about their appearances but she didn't mind. She offered her a hand, "I'm Allie. It's nice to meet you."

Before Kaius and Allyra separated paths, they thought it was better to call them by their alias. Someone in here might know the names of the lost Vervalian and Cesparian royalties and they could be assassinated for it. The camp has already done it once, she was sure they could do it again. Though she wasn't sure where they were now. She familiarized their faces, the coachman who betrayed them and his companions. However, when they got out, there were no signs of them at all. 

"Hi," she greeted again when the brunette didn't hear her for the first time.

The girl raised one side of her lip and crossed her arms. She was disinterested, that's for sure. 

"I don't really know how everything works around here," Allyria suppressed an awkward smile. "I hope you'd —"

Before she could finish her sentence, the girl pointed towards the far left corner, saying, "Your place is there." Allyria followed her gaze and saw a bunk bed stationed solitarily. One look at it and she already didn't like the feeling of staying, even more so that these were the kinds of people she'll be with for a long time.

"What are you waiting for? Go," she gestured for Allyria to shoo away. 

'Even peasant girls have an attitude, so much for being friendly.'

Allyria walked past her and moved towards the corner. She covered her nose at the stench that wafted that area of the room. It smelled of stale coffee and vomit. Wait, it really is vomit. She gagged in disgust. How did this happen?

The brunette snickered, "You'll have to clean it up since our last tenant, Eve, had a thing called bed sickness," the other girls in the room gave a disgusted face, saying "ew" and whatnots. "I'm sure she just made it up to get Dragunov's attention. She was completely obsessed."

"Not a doubt."

"I told you guys, she was crazy."

They commented. Allyria raised a brow. Who in the right mind would force herself to vomit to get noticed by someone she liked? Oh yeah, only Eve. But she couldn't bring herself to believe their speculations either. Eve must have probably been honest. If there was someone who seemed to obsess over their commander, it was the brunette and her underlings. 

She brought her eyes back on the bed. It looked like a drunken cyclone had erupted in the sheets covered with different shades of green and yellow. She couldn't use the bottom bunk now without cleaning it so she climbed to the top deck. Her bed was unusually distant from the rest of them. The other beds were a meter away from each other with the brunette and her top personal assistant's being in the center.

She could tell by the way they talk that they already knew one another for so long. Allyria didn't belong here. She was completely out of place but there was no time to grieve over lost and missed friends. 

"Since you are already here, you will be assigned to do all the cleaning," the girl said without looking at her direction. "We are busy here you know," Allyria could see her staring at her nails for drama effects. "Dragunov trusts us enough to do the tasks. Unlike you…"

The blonde girl laughed, finishing her sentence, "She won't be needed. I don't even know where Dragunov found her. She doesn't seem to be very helpful."

Another girl stepped in, black short hair and petite. Among the six of them, she doesn't look that despicable. Her movements were soft and demure. It's impossible how she could have this circle of friends when she looks like the complete opposite of them. Not like Allyria's judgmental or anything but it is obvious how this girl would have never fit in with the rest.

"Why don't we give a chance to prove herself first?" she said and Allyria was right. She hasn't been influenced by the nasty virus in this cabin yet. 

"Oh, Denize. Our innocent Denize," the brunette gave a mirthless chuckle, "We already heard that with Eve and where is she now? She's probably dead. Weaklings won't survive here. You know that."

Denize. She could be a potential friend but with these vultures surrounding her, it's out of the question that they'll be able to have a short conversation. She would only get punished if there was such a rule in their committee for being friends with Allyria who's a nobody.

"But…"

"Give her a chance to prove herself by being useful here in the cabin," the girl with the long black braided hair said. She and the other one with the same hair color looked surprisingly alike but this one seemed older. They must be twins or sisters.

"Lael's right," the girl with Lael's identical face replied.

"When have I ever been wrong, Les?"

They continued talking as if she was not there while Allyria remained silent, listening. Anything they say might be insightful, something she can use against Dragunov to stop the attacks. Though Kaius had an easier suggestion, she just couldn't do it. Her magic might still be there but there's no certainty it will work if she'll use it against him. And if she ever does incinerate him successfully, which perhaps she couldn't do since burning people wasn't her thing, his followers would kill her and it will be too late to save the castle.

Allyria lied down, placing her clasped palms under the back of her head and stared at the ceiling. Deciding would've been easier if she was with her siblings. Nikolai had a good sense of judgment. He'll know what's wrong the second he sees it. And Vysela and Markolin could talk their way out of a situation. Her, on the other hand, she wasn't sure. She couldn't see anything advantageous being Allyria Aleshkovsky.

She heaved a deep sigh. And Kaius. She wondered how he was doing. Were his cabin mates also like this or much bearable? After everything that happened, Allyria expected he won't come with her anymore, not this far but she convinced him pretty well about being undercover agents for the castle.

"Excuse me, lady," the alpha of the pack said, knocking on the side of the bed. Allyria rolled over to her direction and got up. "I know you want to sleep, rest and all that but I really think you need to clean the lower bunk. It's distracting," she pinched her nose and waved off the disgusting odor in the air. "Also, don't forget to include cleaning ours. We actually planned this day to be our wash day but since you're here now, might as well bring you to good use."

"Celiana, that's enough," Denize said.

Celiana raised a palm in her face, silencing her, "Shh, let the girl talk." 

Allyria didn't know what to say. She just got out of the cellar and this is what will greet her. It doesn't sound right.

"What? Are you deaf? Why are you—"

"First of all, I am not your majordomo. Dragunov got me here because he thought I would be valuable to his cause. Any comment you say won't change the fact that I'm here because he wanted me to," Allyria couldn't take it anymore and gave everything she had. She couldn't just watch and let herself be trampled by these girls. 

Celiana's eyes widened. She didn't expect that from her at all. "What did you just—"

"What's going on here?" When Dragunov spoke, it was like a low roll of thunder. His words were chilling to the spine and no one ever dared to ignore what he says. Before Celiana could answer, he cast an eye over Allyria who was being flocked by girls and in that same moment, he already knew what was happening. "She's the new occupier if you aren't well aware. Be kind to her."

"Huh? That's—"

"Stop asking her to do something like what you did to Eve. I'm observing your every move. And by you, I mean every one of you," he directed a glance to each of them and then to Allyria, "Whatever they say, only take orders from me. That's an order."

And he shut the door close.

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Written and edited by ephemery.

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Allyria will hunt you down to the ends of Arde Terra and cast you out together with the Undying in the Islands of the Cursed. You've been warned.

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