Chapter 52

Shadow in the Light (I)

“It was inconceivable, the way she spun me and bewitched me; I had lost myself in those words, and lost my Crown to those lips.”

My Kingdom, Vol. I

Noah took a deep breath and snuggled closer to the four, reaching out toward Myrell and squeezing her trapezius muscle in the shoulder while at the same time quickly covering her mouth with his other hand. She snapped awake immediately, her eyes widening in the shock of pain, only to be met by his face, and the index finger on his lips hushing her. She managed to calm down quickly as he let go, sitting down beside her for a moment.

“… w-what happened, Master?” she asked, confused, looking up at the beautifully-lit sky, growing mesmerized for a moment.

“When the others wake up,” he explained. “You’ll wait until I grab Sylene’s attention and then have Claire take you guys to the tunnel.”

“W-what—”

“Try to move north,” he interrupted her calmly. “There are some hillsides and small patches of forests on the way over to the Weepwoods. Every day of your journey, leave a mark on the ground, something identifiable, yet inconspicuous enough – like a spiral dent in the dirt or on the tree’s trunk. Once you reach the Weepwoods, settle on the edge if you have provisions and wait for me for two days; if I don’t come, leave for Elucido and try to retrieve some of my wealth and use it to find your ways.”

“…” Myrell sat frozen, tongue-tied, staring at her Master’s shaded face. She saw no trace of fear or anxiety in there, but something far worse – loneliness. Her heart belted momentarily, its anxiousness bleeding over into her eyes and through her tears. He didn’t have to do this – he could have left them here to die. He should have left them here.

“Don’t give me that look,” he smiled as he patted her head. “It’s my fault for letting you weasel your way in. Now, I need to pay my dues.”

“… no. No, Master. Just run. Please. Just run. We—we will distract whoever comes. You need to get out.”

“Shut it,” he flicked her forehead as he got up, stretching. “Have a little faith in your Master.”

“Then why…”

“It never hurts to have a contingency plan,” he chuckled. “A lesson I should have applied tonight. Well, either way… good luck. You better escape, you hear me?”

“… y-yes…” she lowered her head in shame and replied meekly.

“…” a single sound of the wind ruffled her as she looked up, her Master gone, nowhere to be found. He was already gone, leaving her behind in silence, restless. Worried. Heartbroken.

Noah sped through the alleyways, maintaining his form hidden in the shadows, racing toward the mansion. His heart was as calm as his mind; naturally, he didn’t give up. He may have made a subpar choice, but it was not one of surrender – he will fight. Perhaps, he mused, he wouldn’t even need to fight so long as he bought some time with his tongue. He knew very well, however, that Sylene would not practice patience for long. She was not in the right state of mind for it.

He nimbly avoided the rush of guards that slowly began swarming the streets, bypassing them as though they weren’t even there, group after group remaining entirely unaware of the thinly-veiled shadow speeding past them.

Sylene had vanished from the sky, further calming him; it appeared that the power of ‘flight’ wasn’t in the code, or at least not the permanent type. Otherwise, fighting would really be entirely futile. At least now, a few tricks he’d come up with in the short frame could potentially work if they go as he predicted they would.

He found himself back in front of the mansion in a few more minutes, staring at the tall and brilliantly-lit, now, walls. The guards were countless, spread out and about, and hoarding the walls. There was no way for him to sneak in – it was a dream. But, he didn’t need to sneak in. He reached his destination already; it was time he began distracting her.

He stepped out of the thick shadows casually, withdrawing the Dark from encapsulating him. Immediately after he felt hundreds of pairs of eyes shuffle over to him, their piercing gazes digging holes in his skin. Yet, he took them all on squarely, cloaked and hooded from head to toe, only his blue eyes peering past the mask. Both to his left and to his right, a ring of guards quickly formed as they circled him, in front of him the mansion’s gate suddenly opening.

Leading the charge was her, though, now, she was not an old, worn-out woman, but a maiden clad in the light of gold – it was not that her appearance had changed much, but that the streaks of her white hair had turned liquid-gold, and that her entire body gave off the sheen of light. She was surrounded on all ends by exceptionally well-armed and clad guards whose hands never left the blades’ handles.

She had a dark expression hidden underneath the linen of light, the pair of gem-like eyes boring into his. He didn’t flinch, however, welcoming them wholly. All the attention was on him now; they should have started moving once again.

“… I was in the middle of a very nice dream,” he spoke up first, maintaining a calm tone. “Where a hundred women served wine and grapes to me. That was quite a rude awakening, Lady Sylene.”

“Where is she?” Sylene ignored him entirely, asking the question directly, stopping merely ten feet away from him, clearly not afraid.

“Who?” Noah asked back.

“I have no time for tongue-games, scum,” she said. “Tell me what happened to her, so I can end your pathetic life and get to burying my son.”

“… I feel there is a bit of a misunderstanding developing here,” he said, purposefully curling up his eyes into a smile. At least in his madness, there was a method. “I thought I was being invited over for some fine dining, and not a military parade.”

“… three seconds.” She said, lifting her index finger up, a speck of light curling up above it, shimmering and flickering like a bulb.

“… that’s not a smart idea, Lady Sylene.” Noah said, exaggerating his smile slightly.

“… you are threatening me again?” the look in her eyes darkened as the flicker of light above her fingers grew to twice its original size.

“… think on it for a moment,” he continued. “I came here, voluntarily at that, despite knowing well-enough what I was walking into.”

“…”

“Why? It’s the most precious question, isn’t it? Why?”

“… you want to strike a trade with me?” she asked, her frown deepening.

“Oh, god no,” Noah chuckled, shaking his head. “I was wholly mistaken about your intellect. Quite frankly, I’d rather trade with some brothel’s whores than with you now. Guess again. Why?”

“…” an array of light shot past Noah’s ear so quickly he nearly missed it; were it not for the Dark, he most certainly would have not even realized something shot past him. It was much faster than a bullet, and judging by the explosive sound it created coming from behind him, it was also more destructive. He still didn’t flinch, however, maintaining a calm and indifferent appearance.

"That's one," he said, raising his index finger, his eyes losing their smile. "You don't get two, Lady Sylene. Nobody does.”

“… she is dead as well, isn’t she?” Sylene asked, lowering her finger and looking at him hollowly.

“Why do you even care?” he said.

“Of course I care! She is my daughter!”

“… you don’t care because she’s your daughter,” Noah said. “You care because tonight’s events will become another one of your House’s shames. If you had truly cared, Lady Sylene, your son wouldn’t be lying dead in the pool of his own liquids, and your daughter wouldn’t have been gone.” By the look in her eyes, Noah saw that she understood his implications; he couldn’t exactly come outright and claim she was almost raped, as she would deny it vehemently, but it wasn’t as though this would buy him much goodwill. After all, everything would still be pinned on him as it was far easier and less shameful. “You didn’t answer my question, however. Why did I come here?”

“… to buy time.” Sylene said, lowering her eyes.

“… look at that. You’re not half as idiotic as I thought you were. Good on you.”

“… I’ll find her.”

“… will you?” I’m running out of time… he knew that. One didn’t need to be an expert in reading the atmosphere to understand that it was changing. I guess I can try it now… he stealthily applied the Dark to both his right hand and the dagger inside his inner pocket. He didn’t know whether it would be seen or not, but he had to bet on it.

“… you are still foolishly confident,” Noah had stopped focusing on reading her expressions, and instead focused on sensing any change over the course of almost fifty faces close to her as he reached into his inner pocket and took out the dagger. Nobody reacted just yet, causing him to sigh in relief inwardly. “It’s time you learned the price for it.” Now!

Noah flicked his wrist as violently as he could, nearly dislodging some bones, and sent the dagger flying; the sheer speed surprised him as it almost matched the array of Light Sylene shot not too long ago and made him realize that he underestimated the Dark’s applications. Before she could even lift a finger toward him, her eyes flinched – but it was too late.

Right then, from the seeming membrane of space itself, a shimmering, silver blade cruised out and lodged itself into her left eye, entirely up to the handle, blood immediately cascading out. A scream akin to a thousand wailing voices erupted into the night and signaled the beginning of something that this fort would never allow itself to forget.