Chapter 31: The Seedy Avenues Of The Uncharted

The Acquired Lands, Vermont, The New World (1762).....

  Lord Alfred Remington had been doing quite a bit of work before finally electing to take a break for the evening, but he had been shocked to find that the lads had returned from New Orleans without his son Alain. Given to question, he approached them curious as to why his son had not come back. One of the ladies had known what to say aside from getting separated awaiting for him as long as they could, but he never showed up. A few of the others said he had taken a walk to do some sightseeing, a foolish thing as he had not been aware of much about New Orleans nor the many dangers that lurked beneath the elegant buildings and behind the seedy dirt roads. Filled with panic Alfred attempted to keep his cool not once losing his temper with the lads who had allowed his son to travel alone with no sense of direction. He rounded up a few men and took the carriage back toward Louisiana worried that Alain might have gotten himself into a bit of trouble due to his natural curious nature.

Alfred had not known what to make of this turn of events, his son was his responsibility and he'd been so caught up in the project he wished to leave as his legacy that he had forgotten to look after the one person who had been able to make that legacy a reality. His mind traveled back to Lady Alana and how furious she'd be if she ever found out that he had lost her son on this voyage only a week after they touched land.

The men went to every shop and address within reason and asked them all if they'd seen anyone that matched the description of thy missing Alain Remington. Alfred combed the streets as time passed and night fell in search of his son. He had even taken to renting a room for the night as he searched when dusk came. There was no sign of Alain and no one had seen him.

Finally, a week had passed and Alfred began to truly worry as it wasn't like his boy to not inform him of his whereabouts let alone for him to disappear for a whole week and not know where he'd gone. A few of the local street urchins seemed to have an idea, as they were eager to assist with the right amount of shiny coins deposited into their grubby little hands.

One boy who had been well aware of the shady side of life in this place smirked revealing a partial toothless mouth as he accepted his coin. He wore dirty rags so discolored they began to look like filth hanging off his thin-looking body. He was barefoot of course and given to all sorts of cuts and scrapes at the bottom of his foot.

"The witches got him," he replied with a smile. "They like to take fancy men."

Alfred wasn't sure he had heard the boy correctly.

"I beg your pardon?" he said with an arched brow.

"You heard, me mister, the witches took him...he was a fancy man like you so they took him." replied the boy again.

Alfred sighed unsure if he'd been relieved his son wasn't lying dead in a ditch somewhere or terrified of what someone deemed a "witch" would do to him.

"Where can I find these witches?" asked Alfred. "You see I must reclaim my missing son and I've got important business to attend to."

"The witches took him to their manor like they do all the fancy men they like....most don't come back...others come back but they are not like they were before..." added another of the urchins, a redhead with visible freckles.

"They must have liked him so they kept him, the other men were not so lucky...they came out crazed and scared all the time." added another brown-haired boy with a tattered blue scarf around his neck.

Alfred sighed.

"Do you or any of you know where I can find this witches' manor?" he asked unsure if he truly wanted to know the answer but he'd been determined to retrieve Alain.

The children pointed to a strange-looking old house at the far end of the seedy side of town perched upon an eerie hillside seemingly overlooking half of the poorer districts of the city. Never had he seen such a grandiose monstrosity nor had he felt fear creep into him for the first time in a long time.

Alfred tossed a few more coins to the street urchins and made his way toward the manor alone unsure of what he'd find or how he'd be able to get the attention of the owners but he knew he needed to find his son and bring him back to their lands before these strange people did him harm or warped his mind.

It was a long trek to get to the manor, one lace with Alligators and snakes like one wouldn't believe. Alfred had not had this much danger around him since he'd gone through a jungle during his war days and then he at least had a machete to do away with the unwanted grasses and animals alike.

He'd only been armed with his longsword, but it had to do as he moved aboard ut attempted to reach the place where his son was being held. Suffice it to say, he had not started very well prepared and the darkness of nightfall seemed to make it all the more difficult to travel. Having been left with no choice as he couldn't rightly do a thing for his son had he been held captive in that manor and he'd been killed on the route to retrieving him. Alfred turned and walked back toward the seedy place he'd ventured from finding his attempts at navigation far better than his son's must have been as the women appeared to have been responsible for impeding his efforts to make his way back for the sole purpose of entrapping him themselves.

Alfred returned to his rented room above a local tavern and awaited daybreak as he attempted to figure out a means of making it to the manor and bringing Alain back from the clutches of the apparent "Witches" that held him captive.