ARC 7-Cursed Fates-115-Lucas (Patreon)
Content
At first, Lucas thought it was a gimmick and remained on his guard, ready to cast at a momentâs notice. But the longer Gordon remained on the ground, the harder it was for him to maintain his tension. It was the shouts of the hiding lord, questioning the silence, that got him moving. Still, he didnât approach. Instead, he used the same spell as before, targeting Gordon. Despite that, he still didnât hear a heartbeat or intake of breath.
It seemed he was dead.
Lucas was confused by the strange and sudden turn of events but now wasnât the time to contemplate such things. He had a mission and a time limit. The unknowing sacrifice of the hunters used as bait to secure their advantage couldnât be wasted.
His expression grim, Lucas stabbed Gordon in the chest. His victim didnât twitch. Despite the appearance of death, Lucas wasnât taking chances. The best hunters werenât the strongest, the fastest, or the most durable. They were the trickiest. The ones who had spells that had never been documented or had special effects. He wouldnât have been at all surprised to know there was a spell across multiple affinities to simulate death. It was just smart to make sure.
He pulled his blade free and cleaned it before sheathing it. Then he bent over and opened the cellar doors.
Four hands came up to shield four pairs of eyes as the brighter kitchen illuminated the gloom. Lucas was relieved to recognize all four members of the Teppin family reported to have been in the estate, in good health. âThe situation is secure, Lord Teppin. Please come out.â
The family wasted no time coming up, each with a different reaction. Lord Teppin glared at Lucas until he looked away from the nobleâs unusual dress. His wife sighed with relief as she cleared the ladder but remained cautious. The oldest daughter was grumpy, muttering to herself and the youngest was skittish, flinching away from the corpse in the kitchen.
âWhatâs the situation?â the lord demanded.
âWhereâs that purple-eyed bitch?â his daughter demanded with him.
âPlease.â Lucas held up a hand to forestall any more questions. âFirst, do you know of anyone else in the house?â
âNo,â the lord responded. âI believe they evacuated when they knew you were coming. Now, who are you? Whatâs going on?â
âI can explain as we move. Time is of the essence.â
âWeâre running?â the oldest daughter shouted, voice filled with indignation. âI thought you were here to handle that crazy woman.â
âWe are, but before that, we need to ensure your safety. I will explain more later.â Lucas walked away from them and headed for the estateâs side entrance. The family grumbled but they followed, as expected. Theyâd been thrust into a confusing and dangerous situation. He proposed to lead them out of it. Given heâd found them cowering in the dark, he figured they werenât brave enough to cause a fuss if he forced their hand.
He was surprised to find his comrades waiting for them. More surprising was that there was no sign of the thrall. âWhat happened?â
Tanner scoffed. âThe creature disappeared. Something like a null spell ripped the creature away. We didnât dare try to stop it.â
Lucas nodded. It was common sense not to recklessly intervene with an unknown spell. âI think I have an explanation. There was a man inside that suddenly killed himself.â
âThe summoner,â Korn grumbled, voice rough. âIf they are killed, their elemental is banished from the world.â
âHe killed himself to keep us from interrogating them. Almost admirable.â
Admirable? Lucas disagreed, both with the sentiment and their analysis of the circumstances. What he had witnessed wasnât valiant self-sacrifice. The man, Gordon, had been scared. Manic. He died with eyes full of fear and tears. It wasnât the picture of a man willing to throw himself on his sword. It almost looked as if he was forced to do what he did, but that made no sense.
Lucas didnât have time for sense. âEvery member of the Teppin family has been recovered safely.â
âSo I can see.â Tanner smirked at the lord until he looked away. âAnyone else in the house?â
âNo. The thrall must have sensed us approaching the estate. She ordered everyone else in the house to evacuate.â
âWho?â he asked while looking toward the Teppins.
After noticing her father was unable to raise his head in the presence of the other men in his embarrassing state, the oldest daughter answered. âThere was a woman who walked around with her eyes closed, a pretty woman, a boy they called a steward, a younger girl who I think was his sister, and the pretty womanâs brat. And a bunch of strong looking women.â
âThatâs the servants, Umphrieltalia, Yulia James, her son, and the knights spotted at the gate the other day.â Tanner scoffed. âIt would have been best if we captured both of the James daughters.â
The Shields didnât have any hope that the north would give three damns about the ducal daughters being kidnapped. However, their best minds were convinced that the presence of the James women were a negative influence on Lourianne Tome. Their attempt to remove her from the conflict would go much smoother without them whispering radical ideology in her ear. Plus, Alana James was her lover. A far more valuable hostage than a potential in-law.
âDid they flee on foot?â
âDoubt it,â Rey said. âThe dames arrived in a carriage pulled by some really hairy mounts.â
âWell, it doesnât matter. Weâll catch them. In the meantime, Lucas. Take our horses and escort the Teppin family to a safehouse. Donâtâ"
âDonât draw attention and donât contact anyone until tomorrow afternoon. I know.â He had helped come up with the plan. It grated being ordered about like another underling, but it couldnât be helped. He had a reputation for competence, but he was only an interim guildmaster. Something that had only happened because no one wanted to stick their next out in the volatile situation. Worse, he wasnât even a master caster.
He didnât have the qualifications to demand anything from a named hunter, especially not the one put in charge of their operation.
âWhat will you do?â The original plan was for them to detain the members of Louâs household in the estate while their forces converged on the property. It was also unexpected that they also had beasts to pull a carriage. Most mounts were rented. A ridiculous lack of detail that Lucas would normally never accept but it was impossible for them to do proper reconnaissance when anyone who stepped foot on the property was immediately discovered.
âThis complicates matters but its fine. Our people are spread wide and a fast-moving carriage is easily noticed. Weâll cover their tracks so our good lady doesnât have an easy time tracking them. Then weâll make ourselves. Hurry up, we donât have much time.â
âWait!â The lord finally found his voice. âI want to know whatâs going on!â
âWhatâs going on your lordship,â Tanner said snidely, âis that good men and women are risking their lives to do your job. Protect this city. Now, there is nothing you can do to help us so the least you can do is not hinder us. That means shutting up and doing whatever Lucas there says.â
âYouâ"
Tanner spoke over him. âKorn, you take care of the carriage tracks. Iâll go inside, search for any notes or what not. The longer we keep Lourianne Tome in the dark, the better.â
Lucas grabbed the arm of the lord before he could continue to waste their time, the rest of the family following as he dragged him through the house, ignoring demands to grab this or that. A whistle brought the horses to them as they stepped out the front door. Lucas raided their saddlebags and handed out four dark cloaks before donning a fifth himself. They mounted up, the youngest daughter sharing a mount with her mother while the oldest sat behind Lucas. Then they rode off, galloping away from the estate but slowing to a nondescript trot once they were deeper in the city.
Half an hour later, Lucas made the Teppin family wait in an alley as he stabled the horses at a place with no connection to the guilds, a precaution in case they were tracked, shouldering the saddlebags. From one of them, he grabbed a bag full of spice strong enough to make his nose itch. He led the Teppin family to a crossroads before dumping the heady spices all over.
From the night of guildmaster Emeritusâ death, the guilds knew that Lourianne Tome, or more likely her succubi, had a powerful tracking ability. Spice was a simple trick to confuse hunting dogs. They could only hope it would be enough to stymie their methods.
It took another hour to reach the safehouse, a simple one-story house in one of the poorer neighborhoods. The last place anyone would be expecting a lord to lie low. They got a few looks as they entered but mysterious figures moving about at night wasnât unusual for the area.
âMake yourselves at home,â Lucas said as he busied himself making things more hospitable, lighting candles and setting out blankets. âThereâs only two rooms and no beds so things might get a little cramped, but itâs only for a day.â
âThis is disgusting,â the lord growled. âTell me you have something else for me to wear.â
âThere are spare clothes in the other room.â He had been thorough in his preparations, not knowing what condition he would find the family in. âFood too, but only rations. Water as well.â
âExcuse me?â
Lucas stopped as a timid voice spoke up. He turned to the youngest Teppin daughter, who clung tightly to her mother. She looked at him with timid but hopeful eyes. âIs it over?â
His answer should have been yes. Or at least a reassurance that it would be over soon. They had painstakingly went over every scrap of information they had on Lourianne Tome and her family before deciding on their strategy. He wasnât happy with their dishonorable methods but, before the operation started, heâd been sure it would work.
Yet, when he recalled the desperation of Gordon Mason before the man suddenly killed himself, Lucas couldnât help but have doubts.