Chapter 20: The Silent Madman

Oona ate quietly in the dinning hall, she often glanced at Sage warily but then face her meal.

"If you keep staring at me like that I might lose my appetite" Sage commented and turned to her with a lazy gaze.

Oona gave a nervous smile and sighed "there was a lady in the manor not quite long ago" she started off slowly. "I think she came to pay you a visit and got lost in the manor"

"Really?" Sage is still calm and collected as ever. "And where did you meet this lady"

"She was somewhere in the western parts of the manor this evening. I got lost on my way back from the library. I was trying find my way back when I met her" Oona replied.

"Did you by any chance see her face?" Sage asked as he sipped wine from the golden cup beside him.

"I wasn't able to" Oona looked down at her meal. "Gry found me and brought me back "

"And the lady?" Sage continued.

"She was gone by the time I turned around " Oona replied warily, her guts were in sinks and ditches. She just had a feeling that she might have encountered something more than a mere woman.

"Forget about it, you were possibly tired and was seeing things" Sage scoffed and ate his meal. Oona sighed, she didn't expect him to believe her anyway.

OONA'S POV

Just then a knight walked into the dinning hall, he bowed to us before walking towards Sage and whispered something into his ear. I watched them both for awhile and continued my meal.

"Hmm" Sage hummed and stood up, I turned to him with a questioning look, not that he was going to give me an answer anyway. "I'll be back by midnight" he said shortly and left. I could only stare at his retreating figure.

I lost all zeal to eat, it was already obvious that this wasn't working. I stood up shortly after he left. Bjorn looked a little bit sad, couldn't blame him. I wasn't in the mood to savor the taste of the meal he prepared. Bowing to him and Gry, I left the hall and walked back to our room. I was already tired as it is.

The hallway was kind of quiet the whole walk back but I continued anyway. Although I was completely alone, I still felt goosebumps rise on my skin, almost as if I was being watched. Not that I wasn't scared but I didn't care anymore, I had a heavy heart pulling me down.

I turned to the room I've spent a few weeks in. Somehow I wondered how I'll sleep. In just two weeks, I've gotten used to the feeling of someone being beside me when I sleep. Maybe sleeping alone for ten years made my body lonely and wanting.

I stepped in with a sigh and closed the door. I looked round the room with a feeling of emptiness, I should get used to the feeling though. It's only a matter of time Sage would do away with me.

Even if he decides to keep me, I'm sure I wouldn't bear any children just as I'm sure of the rising sun every day. God must have already sealed my womb for the countless souls I've murdered. That isn't enough punishment for the sins I've committed.

I got changed into a white nightgown. Even though I secretly despised this color, I never felt comfortable in any other color.

I sat on the bed and sniffed in the tears that waved at the tip of my eyes lashes. I turned to the closet beside me and brought out the bottle that contained his ashes.

"Good night Nohr"

I kissed the bottle and placed it back in the closet. I laid down and turned to the window, the empty spot on the bed sank into my memory. This was my not so distant future.

Pulling a huge portion of my hair away from my back, I covered my face and let the tears soak them instead.

"What a life I'm succumb to" I whispered under my breath.

Sage rode fast on his horse, they rode deep into the woods and made a few turns. He finally arrived at a tall brick tower that was surrounded by trees. The moon gently casted its shade on it. The tower was old and a little bit shabby. At the foot of the tower was a huge door made of large metal bars. There were a few guards standing at the door fully armed.

He dismounted his horse and walked in, a knight approached him and took the horse from him. " My brothers?" He asked the knight.

"Inside Milord" Sage walked into the building. The inside of the building was more shabby and mind cracking than the outside. There were huge cellar doors, the bars were as thick as his wrist and brightly lit torches beside every cell.

"Fucking Annikans" a man cursed angrily, he had a missing eye and a disfigured leg. "You guys are meant to be purged from this world" he continued yelling and shouting at the top of his voice. When he noticed Sage approaching he spat at his feet. Sage missed the mucor by an inch.

"That's what you all are, beast, monsters" while other prisoners glared at Sage, some laughed at him as they hailed the man who spat at him.

"Nice job!!" Sage's eyes had a murderous glint in it, his jaw twitched angrily but his face was still straight and passive. He turned to the man who stood behind the cell by his right. His eyes bore into the man.

"What are you going to do to him huh?!!" The prisoner by the left yelled angrily. "You vicious beast, you all aren't human. Just demons..."

The man couldn't finish his statement cause a large root had extended from the ground and was now passing through his head and out of his mouth. Blood splattered on the cold floor.

The entire cellar turned quiet. Sage turned to the man who spat on him. Horror was filled in his eyes, as he was gazed down by two domineering eyes.

Sage approached him with slowly yet loud echoing steps, there was a huge thud on the floor that echoed in the place. "Demons?" He asked calmly, his expression unwavering but his aura was deadly as his blood shot eyes. His green eyes had red pigment surrounding his pupils. "You seem to know one when you see them huh?"

The man fell to his feet, Sage sighed tiredly. He hated pathetic beings the most. The all words no actions.

"Clean the body" Sage ordered and the knights who were all dumbstruck snapped back to action and began to clear up the dead body.

Sage walked deeper into the building. The torches lit by each side of the wall grew dimmer and dimmer, but the screams of a tortured person grew louder and louder.

He finally arrived at the end of the hallway, there was a door at the end and his brothers stood by the door. He walked towards them and bowed to Niel.

"Who is it this time?" Sage sighed heavily.

"A spy, but that's a hunch for now. Manasseh is interrogating him" Niel replied.

"He tried to kill Niel, which I believe was stupid of the guy" Leander puffed, he looked displeased and annoyed. He wasn't fully dressed like his brothers. Erik on the other hand leaned on the wall and stared at the ceiling.

"It's no use torturing that brat" Manasseh walked out wearing a bloody glove "I've spilt more boulders in two than this man's mouth"

"Just wasting our time" Leander growled. Sage stared at the door blankly and turned to his brothers.

"Don't overdo it" Erik sighed. "I still haven't fixed the last one" Sage walked in and shut the door behind him. Thick dry roots began to grow around the walls, floor and ceiling.

A man sat on a chair by the end of the room. He was cuffed with heavy chains that sinked into the ground. His face was bruised and bathed with blood, his shirtless upper body had marks of whips and chain on it. "Ha!! Still haven't given up" the man spat out in disgust.

Sage didn't say a word, he walked to the chair in front of the man sat on it. He crossed his legs and tilted his head. "Huh? Are you here to beg me?"

There was another moment of silence between them.

"I can tell at a glance you're a foreigner" Sage started. The man arched his brow and smirked.

"So..."

"You have brown hair and brown eyes, if your nose was in one piece, I would have known your kingdom" Sage continued. The man scoffed and turned to the walls. His muscles flexed everytime he moves.

"Why the power? Are you trying to show off or what"

Sage looked round as well and then turned to the man. "I don't want my brothers to hear our conversation"

"Hmm, I know guys like you. The ones who think they know it all and are better than everyone else" the prisoner spat. He looked very toned, if it weren't for Sage's domineering statue, the man would be just as tall as him.

"You don't say" Sage smiled "Judging from your resilence. You're either a new recruit or a loyal servant"

The man smirked mischievously "you're good, what else do you know?"

"After this session you might never be the same again" Sage smiled darkly. "After all, whoever sent was prepared to cut you off"

The man raised his head high up in a stance. "Do I look scared? I know what I got myself into"

"Do you?" Sage continued "your name?"

"Why should I tell you?" He mocked.

"My unit makes the tombstones so I need it for your burial" Sage replied blankly

"Damn you Annikan" the man roared and tried to attack Sage. Sage smirked and a thorny root struck his arm, the root was so big, it almost tore of his hand.

A gruesome shriek filled the entire building, it could make one quiver. "What is it?" Sage asked oblivious to what he had just done.

"You shitty asshole, Annikans don't kill their suspect" he yelled out in agony.

"Was that your trump card?" Sage had deadpan eyes and a cold gaze that made the man sweat. "I'm really going to enjoy my time with you"

Another gruesome shriek filled the air, this time louder. Erik closed his eyes and sighed "I doubt I can fix this one"

Leander covered his ears, the sound was worst than he imagined. Niel on the other hand smiled "he barricaded the room yet I can still hear this much"

"He's a beast alright" Manasseh chuckled and turned to the door. A few minutes passed and the door was opened.

"Make it stop, make it stop" the prisoner's pleas escaped the door. Sage walked out all clean and spotless.

"How do you sleep?" Leander asked with a disgusted and angry look on his face. Sage wasn't bothered by his brother's gaze.

"He's from Folke" Sage turned to Niel "prepare for battle"

"Finally, something interesting" Manasseh slaps Sage's back and walks away. Leander sighed heavily and tailed Manasseh, all the while grumbling.

Erik rolled his eyes and turned to the prisoner in the room. He had so many roots and veins sticking in and out of him. "You over did it"

"Sorry, I got carried away" Sage replied and walked away, beside him was Niel who started a conversation with him. "You can leave him though, I think his dead" Sage called to Erik.

Erik sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "better than healing broken parts". He closed the door and left the dead man in there.

"How did he know about my location?" Niel asked.

"He was just given information, whoever sent him have a spy in our kingdom" Sage had hallow eyes. Niel nodded slowly and smiled.

"Tracking the spy already?" Niel turned to his competent junior brother.

"Have a lead" Sage replied, but that was just a falsified truth. He already knows the culprit but the annoying fact is he can't bring the culprit to his feet.

"Nice job" Niel's smile gradually turned to a frown when he found a dead body outside the prison tower. "Sage?" He glared at Sage intensely.

"I just finished what his friend started" Sage shrugged his shoulders and mounted his horse. "Goodnight brothers" he rode out without sparing a glance at them.

"He's such an anti socialist" Leander scoffed and mounted his horse. Manasseh rode to Leander and spanked his head.

"He's your elder, give him that which is due to him" Leander rubbed his head and glared at Manasseh.

"Yeah yeah"

Erik looked at the direction sage just rode in. His eyes narrowed and a slight fold formed on his forehead.