Chapter 6
1385 Words
Asper Reign's POV
“How did you know?” tanong ni Azure sa akin nang makaalis ang mga kasama namin. “Hindi ka na-involve sa kahit anong imbestigasyon tungkol sa grupong kinabibilangan ng lalaking nagtangka sa buhay mo kaya paano mo nalaman kung saan ang posibleng hideout nila?”
Ngumiti ako at itinuro ang logo ng farmhouse na itinuro ko. “This is the reason.”
Kumunot ang noo niya. “What about that logo?”
“Nakita ko ang logo na ito sa damit ng taong nagtangka sa buhay ko,” sabi ko. “Ito ang nag-iisang bagay na malinaw sa paningin ko nang gabing iyon.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Nagkibit-balikat ako. “Wala akong ideya noon tungkol sa mga mafia.” Inilipat ko ang mapa ng Hexoria sa board na ipinalagay ko dito. “Kaya hindi ko naisip na importante pala ang logo na ito bilang ebidensya kung saan maaaring naglalagi ang leader ng grupong kinabibilangan ng taong iyon.”
Isang taon na din mahigit ang nakalipas nang mangyari ang gabing pinagtangkaan ang buhay ko.
Maayos na naman ako. Hindi na ako basta sinusumpong ng takot kahit pa mag-isa akong natutulog sa kwarto ko nang walang ilaw. At kaya ko na ding balikan ang gabing iyon nang hindi binabalot ng takot kaya wala nang problema sa akin ang ikwento kung ano ba ang mga napansin ko noon.
“Then, I guess studying everything about the mafia will help this cause.”
Tumango ako. “Hindi lang naman ang tungkol sa Rioghail ang pinag-aaralan ko,” sabi ko. “Maging ang ibang mafia at ang mga kalakaran nila ay itinuturo na din sa akin ni Lucky. Binibigyan din niya ako ng mga listahan ng mga grupong hindi dapat banggain at iyong mga ka-alyansa ng Rioghail.”
“What about your self-defense session?” tanong niya. “Did Histy teach you well?”
Since si Histy lang ang nag-iisang babae sa mga naka-assign na bodyguard ko ay siya na din ang itinalaga ni Azure na mag-train sa akin para sa self-defense.
“She was holding back,” I said. “Takot siyang hawakan ako sa pag-iisip na baka masaktan ako at malaman ni Jyn.”
Bumuntong hininga siya. “Yeah, I expect that much,” I said. “Things are not really easy when it comes to you but I will talk to her.”
“Anyway…” Inilabas ko ang isang black card may mayroong stamp ng chess board at ipinakita iyon sa kanya. “I received it the other day.”
Kinuha niya iyon at nanlaki ang mga mata niya nang makita. “What the hell?”
Kumunot ang noo ko. “Kilala mo ang nagpadala nyan?”
“Where did you get it?”
Nagkibit balikat ako. “Manang Judith just gave it to me when she got home from the grocery,” sagot ko. “Now, answer my question. You know who sent that?”
He sighed again and nodded. “It came from Avenir.”
“Eh?”
“There was a private group that directly worked with the palace of Avenir and they were called Chess,” he stated. “Aside from handling every criminal activity, gangster, and mafia around their region, they also accept different tasks directly from the royal family of Avenir.”
“What does it have to do with that envelope?”
“It is from one of them.” He started at the stamp and showed it to me. “One of their officers, to be exact.”
Tinitigan ko ang stamp at mayroong maliit na dot sa E2 block ng chess board.
“It is directly came from Heil Nemesis Henderson.” Ibinalik niya ang envelop sa akin. “Bakit hindi mo pa binubuksan iyan?”
“Hindi ko alam kung kanino galing,” sabi ko. “But who the hell is that guy?”
“He is the right hand of one of the leaders of Chess, the group that directly takes tasks from the Avenir’s King,” he said. “Though, I am pretty sure that he is only here to observe the situation before reporting to his boss, the White Queen of Chess, Zaire Emerald Xermin.”
Doon nanlaki ang mga mata ko. “What the hell?” I asked. “A Xermin?”
Tumango siya.
Agad kong binuksan ang envelop at isang maliit na card ang bumungad sa akin.
“No need to read that letter, Miss Dahlia.”
Mabilis akong lumingon sa likuran ko nang marinig ang hindi pamilyar na boses.
Akma pang ilalabas ni Azure ang kanyang baril ngunit agad ding natigilan nang makita ito. “Zaire…” Dahan-dahan niyang ibinaba ang baril niya ngunit ramdam ko pa din ang tensyon sa katawan niya. “Or should I call you, Chess White Queen?”
Hindi nito pinansin si Azure at ngumiti lang sa akin pagkuwa’y kumaway. “I sent that to inform you that I would be visiting your house,” aniya. “But it looks like you didn’t even dare to open it.”
A woman, with delicate and sweet feminine features, smiling at me.
Yet, I can feel the dangerous aura that surrounds her. And my gut is telling me that she is far scarier than Jyn and his underbosses so I can’t let myself be deceived by her smile.
“Well, I didn’t know who sent it so I chose to show it to Azure first,” I said, trying my best to hide my shaky voice due to the fear that I slightly felt as I stared into her eyes. “So, I assumed that you are Zaire Xermin.”
He nodded. “Just call me Zhey.”
“What are you doing here, Zaire?” Azure asked. “Why did you make contact with her?”
“Because the king is worried about his nephew,” she answered. Tuluyan siyang pumasok at tiningnan ang bawat file na mayroon sa mesa at board ko. “The king tasked me to check on him when he learned that he called you here.”
“What does it have to do with it?”
Tumingin sa akin si Zaire at itinuro si Azure. “Let’s just say that this man is the most skilled man that Rioghail has. And he was only called for duty whenever Jyn was having a little problem that could pose a threat to his life.”
Tumingin ako kay Azure.
I know that he is strong. Aba’y halata naman iyon sa kilos at awra na bumabalot sa kanya. Pero hindi ko inaasahan na siya pa ang pinakamalakas sa grupo nila.
“He was like the secret weapon of Rioghail,” dagdag ni Zaire. “Kaya naman kapag ginamit niya ito, siguradong nasa malaking problema siya.”
“You flew all the way from Avenir just to check on Jyn?” May paghihinala sa boses ni Azure kaya mataman niyang tinitigan ang babae. “You used Phoenix to send your letter, yet it was you who was here. Really, Zaire? Why are you here?”
“I heard some news in the underground,” she said while intently looking at me. “A certain woman was the reason why an Avenir-Jyn bent his knee just to save her.”
“What?” Nilapitan ko siya. “Cee bent his knee to save me?”
“You tell me…”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Cee has been trying to keep me in the dark when it comes to everything related to the mafia and the incident that happened to me a year ago,” I said. “So, I don’t know anything about that.”
“Hmm.” Tumangu-tango siya. “Well, I didn’t know the details but based on the rumor that I got, Jyn begged for your life. To buy some time for his men to do something to save you because when they arrived at your house, the man that stabbed you pointed his knife to your brain.”
Shit! I didn’t know he had to do that just to save me from that man.
And now, words of it are scattered around the underground making him look weak because of me.
Oh god! I need to do something about it!
- Writer
