No clues

I opened my eyes. Hovering over me in a worried manner was were two figures, who upon closer inspection, turned out to be the prime minister and Gladius.

How did I get here??!!

"Are you alright?" asked the prime minister, who over time I had to refer to as Lord Tarnn.

This was turning out worse. I had done my bit of protecting Araharn at the Temple, and got surrounded by IBO officers and soon found myself being bundled along to the Royal Prisons. Frantic, I had called on everyone I knew in that vicinity to help. Araharn was too shaken to do anything, promptly fainting. Duke Karlem gazed at me with unkind eyes, somewhat wondering if I had infected his daughter with something. Arhid failed to meet my gaze. Axlah saw it all as a big circus performance. The rest of the people would have stoned me given the chance.

So I had quit struggling. But the drama didn't end there. In about the time it takes to run across the capital, three masked warriors stormed into the Royal Prisons, killing whoever stood in their way. While trying to 'free' me, one of them knocked me out. And now I'm here in the Tarnn manor.

Where is Iria?

I hope she's keeping tabs on me. I hope she has all this fitted into her master plan somehow, the master plan she never tells me anything about. Meanwhile, what am I supposed to do here?

"Are you okay?" Gladius asked. I nodded, starting to get up.

"Good. I have a few questions to ask you," Lord Tarnn went over to sit on a chair by the window. Gladius sat uncomfortably close to me on my bed. I inched away subtly.

Perhaps Lord Tarnn thought I'd be useful to him in his bid to-- what? All I know is that he hates magic users, as they killed his two sons. They. I had no part in it.

"Who are you?"

Always the worst thing to ask.

"I am a maid of Miss Araharn," wasn't I so pleased with my new identity?

"Why did she do nothing to help you?"

Well, considering the circumstances, Araharn would have been arrested herself if she had tried to help me. I lowered my head and said nothing. What story could I tell now? He already knows I'm a magic user.

"Why did you rescue me? Aren't you against magic users? Why do you want me to be indebted to you?" I threw away all my fears. What can he do? I'm the one supposed to be asking questions here.

"We are even now. You saved Gladius. I saved you. I only want to know why you did what you did. How did you know that Gladius was poisoned? How did you get in? How did you save him? Why did you save him?"

All this is Iria's fault, sir. I never knew all of those things and I have no clue how Iria did. I only followed orders.

"I--"

"You can tell the truth,"

As if.

"I did not think Master Gladius had to die. That's all,"

He did not look too convinced.

"Do you know him from somewhere before?"

Did I? Not until Iria told me. Jeez! Iria should come clear this up.

"I--,"

"The whole truth cannot be gotten out at once," Lord Tarnn rose.

"Since we are even, as you put it-- though you really owe me nothing-- can I leave now?"

"And go back to your mistress who would not care that you were executed? It's better you remain here. I'll give you work,"

Huh?

"I assume that you and Gladius are connected in some way. There is no way he could have survived that poison. And still, you saved him. I entrust him to you henceforth. Where he is, you will be."

***

For the next couple of days, Gladius did all he could to get my attention. I didn't even faintly pretend I knew what he meant. All that was on my mind, morning, afternoon and night, was Rudolph. However was he going to properly come of age with Iria's shenanigans in the way?

"You're thinking again," Gladius came to sit beside me in the kitchen, where I fled to most times to get out of everyone's way, "I know you're scared. Don't worry. My father won't change his mind about you,"

As if.

"But continue his campaign to kill the rest of my people," he already had.

"That's why he's surprised that you saved me. But, tell me, Nei, why did you save me?"

Quit bothering me, ask Iria!

"I don't know," I snapped, "perhaps I should not have,"

He looked nervous.

"Could you just snap your fingers and I would drop right now?"

"Yeah. But I won't,"

"Why?" and then, "is it because you like me?"

Oho?

I turned my head to look at him, curling up my lips in a sneer.

"No. Not because I like you. Promise me you won't tell your father this--"

He hit his heart with his fist.

"I promise,"

"Well-- I'm following orders. Anything I did pertaining you-- or everyone else for that matter-- was done under orders. I couldn't care less about you, or Araharn, or anybody. Left alone, I would just live a quiet peaceful life with my brother. But no."

Gladius mused on this.

"But who's giving you orders?"

Iria it is.

"My sister,"

.....

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