Chapter 12
1920 Words
12
It was early afternoon by the time we returned to the manor house. We found the baron in his trophy room tucked in his chair. A warm fire burned in the hearth and there was a cigar in one hand.
His perceptive eye studied us with bemusement. “Well? What did you find?”
Marcus hung his head. “Nothing, My Lord.”
The baron’s eyebrows raised. “Nothing at all?”
“Well, not the treasure,” Marcus admitted. “But we did find the tomb.”
The baron chuckled. “That sounds like the end of a story. Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me everything?”
The bright, warm fire crackled in the hearth, and I found myself gravitating toward its heat. I turned to warm my butt and found the baron’s constant companion staring at Caius. Her usual stoic manner had such a coldness that the look squashed the heat I felt from the fire. Caius caught her staring at him and looked to her, but she bowed her head and stared down at the baron.
Marcus finished the tale and the baron stroked his beard. “Well, well, a tomb after all. How very interesting. And there’s nothing left of the treasure? Or where it could have gone?”
Marcus shook his head. “Not a thing, My Lord.”
“The journal may be hiding more answers that I have yet to uncover,” Sage suggested.
The baron waved his hand at the door. “Then go up and read that thing, and tell me what you find.”
“I think we need to be getting back to Trava and Father Ferrero,” Caius spoke up.
The baron gestured with his cigar to Marcus. “With your brother looking half dead? I think not!”
We all looked to the young lad. His face was indeed pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes. “I’m fine,” he insisted.
Caius studied him and pursed his lips. He slapped his hand over Marcus’ forehead. The boy wiggled beneath such nursing, but Caius grabbed his shoulder. “You feel warm.”
“It’s probably just the sun,” Marcus insisted as he waved away his brother’s hand.
“The sun brings a fever only to a weak body,” the baron mused as he pulled at his beard. “And it is a great waste to have such youth be drained by illness. Therefore, I insist you remain here, at least for the evening.”
Marcus’ eyes widened. “You mean if I’m sick I could-” He whipped his head up and nodded at Caius. “I’m really sick! Practically dying!” Caius studied his brother for a moment before he nodded. Marcus’ face beamed with glee. “So we can stay?”
“Just for tonight,” Caius reminded him.
Marcus wrapped him in a tight though short hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Caius rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips twitched up. “Don’t thank me, thank your fever.”
“If that is settled then I will instruct your rooms to be aired and supper to be served for such a crowd,” the baron spoke up. He nodded at Fenla and she wheel him out.
“And you’re going to bed,” Caius argued as he pulled Marcus in front of him and marched him toward the door.
“But it’s not even mid afternoon!” Marcus argued.
“Illness doesn’t care,” Caius countered as they left the room.
Sage turned to us with a smile. “And what shall we do?”
“I want to see the gardens in the daylight,” Bee requested.
Sage offered her his arm and bowed his head. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”
Bee curtsied and accepted his arm. “Thank you, my good sir.” She paused and looked to me. “And what will you do, Jane?”
I looked around the room with its collection of skins and heads, and a shudder passed through me. “I think I’ll go outside, too, but first I’ll see how those boys are doing.”
“Then we’ll see you in a few minutes,” Sage returned, and they left.
I walked upstairs and reached the door of the room, but paused. Voices blared out from inside. “I feel fine! There’s nothing wrong with me!” Marcus insisted.
“You wanted to stay here then you have to stay in here,” Caius insisted.
“Come on, Caius! Please can’t we go outside for just a little while?” his little brother pleaded.
“No.”
I heard a small fist pound the wall. “You never come see me, and when you do you never want to do anything with me! Can I even call you my brother?”
“Settle down and we’ll talk about this later,” Caius commanded him.
“I won’t calm down! If you don’t want to see me then get out! Just get out!” Marcus shouted.
“Fine!”
Footsteps marched up to the door and the portal was flung open. I started back before the fury of my dragon shifter. Through all our wonderful and terrible adventures I’d never seen him so hurt and angry. He, too, started back at finding someone there. His face softened and he bowed his head a little. He shut the door behind him and turned his face away from me.
“You heard.”
It wasn’t a question, but it needed an answer. “I heard.”
He cast his lidded eyes to the floor and sighed. “I think the worst part of it is he’s probably right. I don’t come here for him.”
I tilted my head to one side and furrowed my brow. “Then why do you?”
“For my parents. They gave everything to save us, and I don’t want to lose that.” He closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists. “I. . .I don’t want to lose him.”
I set a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and I gave him my brightest smile. “You’re afraid your reputation will find him, aren’t you?” He nodded. “Always the hero, but you’ll only lose him if you keep pushing him away.” I leaned forward and pecked a kiss on his lips. “You’re his hero. All you need to do is be your cute self and you’ll be his hero.”
A smile appeared on his lips and he wrapped his arms around me. He pressed our lips together for a long, passionate kiss. We parted because of the necessity for air and to stop my red cheeks from burning up.
“Ew.”
The voice came from behind us. We spun around to find Marcus peering through a crack in the ajar door. His eyes widened at our discovering him and he slammed the portal.
“Marcus!” Caius shouted, but with more boom than bull. He flung open the door and stomped over to the young lad who stood on the other side of the chair near the bed.
“I-I didn’t mean anything by it! Honest!” Marcus pleaded.
A sly smile slipped onto Caius’ lips and his eyes glistened with mischievous. “Time to play catch.”
Marcus paused and blinked at him. “Really?”
“Catch!” Caius shouted.
He leapt at Marcus. Marcus squealed in delight and tossed the chair at his brother before he dashed around the room. Caius gave chase and the two tore around the area. I stumbled back and just avoided being ran over by both brothers. They leapt over the chairs, bounced off the bed, and were like wild cats, all the while laughing and hooting at each other.
“I think I’ll just get some fresh air,” I called to them. They didn’t pay me no mind which gave me the perfect opportunity to escape.
I stepped out into the hall and gently closed the door behind me. A crash of some priceless glass object made me wince, and I hurried away as fast as I could. I slipped down the stairs and down the hall that led to the rear porch.
Something made me stop halfway down the corridor. I don’t know if it was intuition or dread, but I had stopped before that tell-tale door from the previous night. I glanced to my left and saw that the door was tightly shut. A quick check of the knob told me it was also locked.
I leaned my hands against the door along with my ear, and listened. No sound came to me, but that didn’t ease the growing fear within me. I hurried away to the sunlight and was glad when its dimming warmth draped itself over my body.
I looked around for my grandparents, but they were nowhere to be seen. A solitary stroll sounded just as fun, so I walked down the stairs and onto the lawn. The sun washed away the dread, but I found myself wandering as far from the house as the gardens would allow until I eventually hit the fence that surrounded the entire estate.
“You’re very far from home,” a voice spoke up.
I spun around to find myself face-to-face with the under-gardener from the previous night. He was dressed in the same outfit and leaned on the same shovel.
I looked past him at the distant manor. “Not too far.”
He closed his eyes and smiled. “Yes, the manor house is close at hand, isn’t it?”
“So do you work days now?” I asked him.
He opened his eyes and shrugged. “I work at a whim. Perhaps not my own, but whim, nonetheless. You, however-” He paused and looked me up and down. “You appear to have come from a rather different place.”
I looked down at myself and frowned. “These clothes aren’t that strange.”
He nodded at my hands. “You have a rather unusual substance on your hands.”
I lifted my hands to my face and noticed a few bits of the tomb dust stuck in the ridges of my prints. I looked up at him and smiled. “You’ve got good eyes.”
His fingers danced up and down the shovel handle. “I’ve had a lot of practice. But perchance where did you find that unique dust?”
I pondered my choices for a moment before I shrugged. “Just some old caves.”
“The ones north of here?” he guessed.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How’d you know?”
He chuckled. “You needn’t give me that look. I’ve been here long enough to know quite a few secrets.”
“Jane!” I heard my grandmother call out. “Jane?”
The man pushed off from his shovel and tossed it over his shoulder. “I believe you’re wanted, but I have some advice for you before I leave. Perhaps taking a second look wouldn’t hurt.”
“At the caves?” I asked him.
He nodded and tapped the side of his nose. “A second look.” He turned and walked in the opposite direction of the shouts.
“Wait!” I shouted at him. He paused and looked over his shoulder. “What’s your name?”
A bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. “It’s Ezra.”
“Thanks for the advice, Ezra,” I returned. He bowed his head and walked off into the trees.
“There you are!” Bee called out as my grandparents emerged from the bushes to my right. She had a wonderful bouquet of flowers in her hand and a few in her hair. “Aren’t these beautiful? And your grandfather was kind enough to put some in my hair.”
Sage smiled. “They suit you.”
She blushed and waved her hand at him. “You flatterer, you.”
Sage looked to me and some of his humor fled as he arched an eyebrow. “You appear to have some heavy thoughts on your mind, Jane. What is it?”
I folded my arms and stared hard at the ground. “It’s just. . .maybe we should go back and take a look around that crypt again. You know, to follow that second clue from the journal.”
“Have you had some epiphany?” he wondered.
I looked at where Ezra had gone and shook my head. “No, but I just have this haunch that there’s something there we missed.”
“We have time to go there before sunset,” Bee pointed out before she patted my grandfather’s stomach. “And you could use the exercise, dear.”
Sage sighed. “Then I suppose we must, and we need to close the tomb, as well. However, first let us see to the wayward brothers.”
- Writer
