Chapter 514: Rats and Nightmares
"Let"s split and take a look around the mansion," the witch suggested. They were standing in the landing of a staircase, which led to the private rooms on the first floor. "If you are in a dire situation, just leave."
The spy nodded and they went in opposite directions. While the spy headed towards the rooms on the ground floor, the witch rushed to the private rooms. They both knew that the living room was occupied by the friends. Servants had almost finished their jobs and were leaving the mansion slowly. Only a few remained who served the Master of the mansion.
The witch walked as quietly as possible in the alley that led to an antechamber of the main bedchamber of Darla and Aidan. She clicked open the door and closed it behind her softly. The chamber was empty and chilly as expected. Still, she walked like a cat on her pads. The only source of light was a small night lamp that was on the bedside table. The servants had placed the logs in the fireplace and hadn"t lit it as yet, which meant that they might be coming soon to light it, for the room needed to be warm for the Master and his wife. She moved with urgency inside the bedchamber to find Aed Ruad. It was likely that he was abducted because she had looked for him in the kitchen, in the backyard and also in the bas.e.m.e.nt, but he wasn"t there. And she suspected the Master must have put him in his room because this would be the most secure place.
She scanned around and even looked under the bed, but Aed Ruad wasn"t there. Panic rose in her chest and even in this chill, a thin coat of sweat appeared on her forehead. When she saw that Aed Ruad wasn"t in the bedroom, she went to the bathroom to check, but he wasn"t there either. Muttering curses under her breath, she exited the place. She searched other rooms thoroughly, but he wasn"t anywhere. Dread added to the panic that p.r.i.c.ked like thorns. Why the h.e.l.l did she help them? What if the stupid winged man revealed about her too? She gritted her teeth as the thought put her to the edge. She didn"t want any more trouble after her stint with Lila. She was living a low life and didn"t want to stir more trouble. This was going to be her last. She climbed down the stairs that were covered in darkness, for the mansion was now pretty dark. She could hear laughter from the living room. It was only better to flee—and that is what the witch did.
On her way to the kitchen where her belongings and the silver was, she b.u.mped into the spy. He hissed at her, curling his lips. "He is not on the ground floor," he said with a pinched face. Anxiety had made his body tense and a vein throbbed in his temple. "Was he upstairs?"
The witch shook her head. "No, he wasn"t there."
"Let us find him in the room in the backyard," he said.
"I have checked it. He isn"t there either."
"Then what do we do?" He sounded nervous as h.e.l.l.
In a whisper she said, "We get out of here. Because if you linger a little more, you will catch attention. There is no point in risking ourselves. If the winged man is intelligent, he will find his way out!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her towards the exit.
"Are you mad?" he hissed. "How can I leave my Master? What if he is waiting for the right time to strike?"
"Strike whom, you fool!" the witch hissed as irritation spiked. "The target, Princess Iona, didn"t only come. And now I am wondering if this was also a ploy. Don"t you know by now that Prince Ileus and the fae Princess Anastasia are way too shrewd for all this?" She shot him a pointed glare. "If you want to live, then you better leave right now. Go and live peacefully and don"t even think of coming back here. Go and get lost in the Lore!"
The spy"s eyes widened at her words. They made sense. He was confused between his loyalty to the deposed crown prince and a chance to live a peaceful life. After a moment"s pause, he said, "Would you join me if I choose to leave all this? Would you join me if we lose ourselves in the Lore?" The words tumbled out impulsively. But he realized at that instant that the two of them were alike. And they would both benefit from this union.
The witch was stunned to hear the spy. She had never thought that a woman like her would ever get a chance to make her home. The back of her throat burned. She said, "I will… join you." She grabbed the only opportunity that was sane, that came her way like a beacon of light. Her throat bobbed as she waited for his affirmation.
A grin came on his lips and he gave her his hand. She held it firmly. He squeezed it and the two walked out of the mansion. Soon they had walked into the darkness of the night, down the winding streets of the kingdom of Draoidh and towards the bridge that would lead them out of this place. Suddenly they both felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off their shoulders, and the feeling added extra bounce to their feet. Two hours later, the spy and the witch were on the bridge. Along with the witch, he disappeared, abandoning the man whom he had served for so long.
When the ship is sinking, the rats flee first. Why would the rats allow themselves to be burned in the wrath of the t.i.tans when they knew that heroism would only lead them to death?
Back in the mansion, on a cold stone floor, Aed Ruad groaned. His b.u.t.tocks pained and had swollen as if they were beaten by a baton. His mind felt groggy and heavy. He couldn"t remember what exactly happened or what was happening. Throat dry as a desert, he swallowed his saliva and then groaned again. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt glued. He couldn"t move a finger, he couldn"t feel his toes, he didn"t have energy to even breathe. Where was he? He slipped into the blackness all over again, his mind too weary of deciphering anything.
After what seemed like eternity, he heard m.u.f.fled voices.
"What should be done with him?" a female spoke. Was she the witch? He licked his lips.
"He is coming back to his senses," said a man. Was he the spy?
"Water…" he said, his voice a whisper and so hoa.r.s.e that he wondered if they heard him. Where was he? "Water…" he repeated his request.
Someone poured a mug of chilled water on his face. Shocked as h.e.l.l, he wanted to shout at the spy for treating him so roughly. But… he didn"t even have the energy to move. His lips became wet and a few drops of water trickled into his mouth. The glue from his eyes washed away.. When he fluttered open them, he found his worst nightmares come true.