"Your pet took her, and then you disappeared and now she is gone, Tristan too. The poor boy, he already had something happened to him yesterday." He wiped the nonexistent tear with his dirty fingers. The dramatics he was using was shocking but also amusing to watch. It could be why he was doing it as well, if he could make others like him even a little it would be good for him and bad for Nicola. Nina had to think if he was somehow involved in Tristan"s disappearance but dismissed it. The hunter"s son was stronger than he looked, Nina had seen him draw his father"s bow and that was no easy feat.Nicola hissed from her clenched teeth to reply, anger and pain clear on her visage. Almost pitiful to look at and Lepin was enjoying it quite a bit. She only manage to cough and spit.
"She was a Liaison of Sharak. Did you send her to the monster alone? If something happens to her who would they blame huh?" This time he did make some sense but still not enough. But it seemed to be working though as some in the shadows around them did appear restless. Sharak was a feared name, so far out here, they didn"t hear much of it but the rumors did reach and they were almost always worse than the truth.
And rumor was all they had of Nina"s guild. Sharak was a new guild, barely a decade old and was already hailed as the strongest one. Its four towers ruled by the four anchors of color. Red, Blue, Gold and Black. She was an Eye of Aristeros"s, of the Golden tower; and Olean and Ava were Pearl"s Blue. Pearl, it was a name that had been more famous than even Sharak itself. And having one of her Liaisons disappear in their village was not something they would want at all, not matter the truth of it.
But still, seeing her guild used by this man like that didn"t sit well with Nina. She needed to stop him more than ever now.
Suddenly as if shocked to see Lepin, she scrambled to his feet making him shriek back and said "M"da... aa ...nnn"
Everyone froze at that. Lepin was shocked, Nicola angry, she knew what Nina had meant and Kolte behind them looked furious.
"What is she saying?" Kolte growled in his gruff voice. Lepin winced and took a step back from Nina and spared her a suspicious eye.
"I don"t know what crazies think..." He dismissed her and turned to Nicola. "What had you said to her? What is she doing?" He shouted in anger but the panic settling in him make his voice tremble.
"It looks like she is bowing to you, Lepin..." Came from anew voice, smooth and cold from apathy. Nicola and Nina both snapped their head at the new speaker who had decided to step closer of the shadows. The man was tall, second only to Kolte, rail thin and mess of thin grey hair and beard on his face. Devon; of all the people, Nina hadn"t thought would be the one to speak up and use such a tone.
"...Yeah." Kolte agreed quickly swallowing his own surprise.He slowly circled around Lepin who winced back, and then stood in front of Nina and asked. "Did he tell you to do anything?" His voice was soft, almost kind. Not missing a beat, Nina nodded and forced her eyes wider as she blinked innocently.
"What?! She"s lying I-" A loud snap and Lepin was suddenly on the floor, holding his face and groaning. Kolte had punched him, too quick for the other to even ready himself.
"I... I am not-" he spat blood and licked his now b.l.o.o.d.y lips "-not lying. I told her nothing, I don"t even know how to talk to her." He huffed and sat up. "and didn"t even see her. I was with you the whole day." His smugness was gone and desperation oozed from him that would only increase as the time went by. The man was a coward, like all his kind. Where Nicola thrived in challenges, facing everything head on, Lepin cowered, licked boots for favor and went with the flow. Because of this, sometimes even begrudgingly, Nina felt admiration for the vile woman.
"So was Nicola. We all forage together." Devon said looking at the mentioned woman. He looked calm but the tension in his shoulder was not hidden from Nina. He wanted to run, to go to Nicola, the need to get to her and treat her wounds was ... Nina didn"t expect it at all.
Huh! Who would have guessed?
The woman had someone actually caring for her. And a decent man like Devon too. Or maybe it was the reason, his decency that wouldn"t let him harm a downed woman. Nina had met men like that before, chivalrous, always dying for stupid reason, in stupid ways and never learning.
Now the three of them were on the floor in that circle. Their situation was bad and a man was killed for less not even a week ago. Being there with them, though seemingly innocent and harmless, Nina might still share their fate in this. An excuse to lessen the mouths to feed as the they were even running out of sc.r.a.ps to eat.
Humanity was long gone here and all that was left was the facade and their selfish needs. Kolte would kill every single one here if it meant his daughter survived. So would the rest for their own reasons and without a thought too if the need ever came. Even the Elder would not have been safe without his guards sent from the city. But now that he had lost them an excuse would appear any day that would become his end. The guards themselves had bullied the villagers in his name for too long and their sudden disappearance didn"t bother anyone even a bit. The only thing they seemed to care about was that the guards didn"t return. And they won"t either, Nina had made sure of it.
The Guards, a day before had somehow found out some of Nina"s secrets. Hiding as she did, the conclusion they came to was far from the truth and much more d.a.m.ning. there had been the beatings and threats of a witch"s death for her. A month"s frustration and pain came out flooding out of her and it swept and buried them in the ground. She didn"t have a choice and the guards deserved no less and she whole heartedly believed it. But Tristan saw her and... Nina mentally shook her head out of those thoughts. Now was not the time.
The elders silhouette fell on her eyes and she slightly narrowed her eyes at him. She was sure he even knew what was happening around him anymore. His condition had gone much farther than anyone and it was surprise that he lived still. But it wouldn"t be for very long and the villagers also were probably waiting for that.
But till then, his words-that he sometimes managed to utter were the law here.
"Elder what-" Kolte turned only to find the Elder unmoving in his chair and and in deep sleep. Nina could see the fist that cracked in his hand as the large man controlled himself. His infamous anger had not diminished with his health.
Kolte looked around, all the eyes from the darkness were on him. Everyone would follow him without a protest. They feared and respected the large man, Elder"s dog he might have been but he had always been the first in any situation. Good or bad, he always took actions, and when everyone was so indecisive Kolte always gave them a path to follow.
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He looked at the three of them, Nina, Devin and Nicola. "Tie them." He said to no one in particular. "Wasted enough time today. We are going out." Then turned to point toward the Elder, "And someone take him to his chambers." He shout of annoyance wasn"t missed by anyone.