“And Cicero is presumably going after them now to retrieve Liriel – well, if they have taken her, I can't think of anyone better placed to retrieve her than him, other than the King himself of course. We are sure she's not in the city?”
“She wasn't in the house,” Lucia whispered, wiping a tear away. “We searched but she wasn't there, just Uaile with her head bleeding and lying on the floor, and the circlet and the chest in her bedroom gone. Cicero thinks they took the chest with them and Mama was in it – they had three chests and the third looked like hers, it was heavy, Nepos, I want Mama!”
Lucia didn't cry, she'd learnt from her aunt and uncle that crying didn't do any good, it just got you a worse beating. But the tears were rolling down her cheeks anyway and then Eola was kneeling next to her, brushing them away and giving her a hug.
“We'll get her back, sweetie, I promise.”
“Yes we will,” said Nepos, not kneeling because at his age that was always a perilous undertaking, but patting Lucia on the back gently. “Come on, let us go find your father. I'm a bit concerned he's not out here rallying the entire ReachGuard. He wasn't tired enough to sleep, so he's either too depressed to care, has been ransacking his entire drinks cabinet or... we need to find him.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Borkul was standing guard outside Madanach's bedroom door as the three of them approached, and he stood up and barred the way.
“Boss said no disturbances. Not even you two.”
“Oh come on, Borkul, it's important!” Eola pleaded. “What's it worth, hmm? You let Liriel in for a shiv when you were inside, and she was a stranger to him back then.”
“Yeah, cause not only had he not ordered her kept out, he'd actually told me we'd likely be getting a new inmate and when she showed up, he wanted to meet her,” Borkul growled. “If I wanted a little toll off her first, that's no one else's business. You two were specifically told not to bother him.”
“Yes, and normally I'd respect the King's privacy completely,” Nepos sighed, although everyone knew Nepos respected absolutely no one's privacy and was the worst gossip-hound in a Keep full of them. “However, it's vitally important we speak with him immediately. The country's future is at stake.”
“When isn't it?” Borkul snorted. It was at that moment Lucia could take no more.
“Mama's missing!” Lucia cried, clutching the circlet. “We don't know where she is! Cicero thinks her parents abducted her and he's gone after them! I think he's going to kill them!”
“Good on him – wait, Liriel's missing? They took her?” Borkul looked over his shoulder, clearly torn between orders and necessity and then he looked down at Lucia. “Well, he never said anything about not letting you in. And his standing orders are that he's always available if you and Sissel need him. All right, Lucia can go in and tell him what happened.” He stood aside and opened the door, waving her in.
Inside it was quiet, a bit too quiet, the fire burning low, but enough light to see by. Madanach wasn't at the table, but Lucia could see a figure lying on the bed once she'd made her way round the corner.
“Da?” she whispered, foreboding trickling down her spine. “Daddy?” He was lying face down on the bed, dressed in his favourite blue and gold robes, but torc and circlet off, one hand hanging off the side of the bed.
No response. Lucia ran closer and yelped as she trod on something. It turned out to be a little glass bottle that had had some sweet, sticky substance in it once. Empty now though.
“Daddy?” Lucia whispered, crawling on the bed next to him, shaking his shoulder. “Daddy, wake up, please...”
Madanach groaned softly, eyes flicking open as he looked hazily up at her, and Lucia was shocked to see how pale he looked. Pale, covered in sweat, and his eyes... Lucia could barely see the irises, just the inky black of pupils dilated far far beyond what they should be, and the whites of his eyes were horribly bloodshot.
“Say wha...?” Madanach murmured, seeming to stare right through her. “You're a bit young to be in here, aren't you? Nords arresting kids now?”
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Thicker Than Blood 8.4
Date: 2014-02-23 08:58 pm (UTC)“She wasn't in the house,” Lucia whispered, wiping a tear away. “We searched but she wasn't there, just Uaile with her head bleeding and lying on the floor, and the circlet and the chest in her bedroom gone. Cicero thinks they took the chest with them and Mama was in it – they had three chests and the third looked like hers, it was heavy, Nepos, I want Mama!”
Lucia didn't cry, she'd learnt from her aunt and uncle that crying didn't do any good, it just got you a worse beating. But the tears were rolling down her cheeks anyway and then Eola was kneeling next to her, brushing them away and giving her a hug.
“We'll get her back, sweetie, I promise.”
“Yes we will,” said Nepos, not kneeling because at his age that was always a perilous undertaking, but patting Lucia on the back gently. “Come on, let us go find your father. I'm a bit concerned he's not out here rallying the entire ReachGuard. He wasn't tired enough to sleep, so he's either too depressed to care, has been ransacking his entire drinks cabinet or... we need to find him.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Borkul was standing guard outside Madanach's bedroom door as the three of them approached, and he stood up and barred the way.
“Boss said no disturbances. Not even you two.”
“Oh come on, Borkul, it's important!” Eola pleaded. “What's it worth, hmm? You let Liriel in for a shiv when you were inside, and she was a stranger to him back then.”
“Yeah, cause not only had he not ordered her kept out, he'd actually told me we'd likely be getting a new inmate and when she showed up, he wanted to meet her,” Borkul growled. “If I wanted a little toll off her first, that's no one else's business. You two were specifically told not to bother him.”
“Yes, and normally I'd respect the King's privacy completely,” Nepos sighed, although everyone knew Nepos respected absolutely no one's privacy and was the worst gossip-hound in a Keep full of them. “However, it's vitally important we speak with him immediately. The country's future is at stake.”
“When isn't it?” Borkul snorted. It was at that moment Lucia could take no more.
“Mama's missing!” Lucia cried, clutching the circlet. “We don't know where she is! Cicero thinks her parents abducted her and he's gone after them! I think he's going to kill them!”
“Good on him – wait, Liriel's missing? They took her?” Borkul looked over his shoulder, clearly torn between orders and necessity and then he looked down at Lucia. “Well, he never said anything about not letting you in. And his standing orders are that he's always available if you and Sissel need him. All right, Lucia can go in and tell him what happened.” He stood aside and opened the door, waving her in.
Inside it was quiet, a bit too quiet, the fire burning low, but enough light to see by. Madanach wasn't at the table, but Lucia could see a figure lying on the bed once she'd made her way round the corner.
“Da?” she whispered, foreboding trickling down her spine. “Daddy?” He was lying face down on the bed, dressed in his favourite blue and gold robes, but torc and circlet off, one hand hanging off the side of the bed.
No response. Lucia ran closer and yelped as she trod on something. It turned out to be a little glass bottle that had had some sweet, sticky substance in it once. Empty now though.
“Daddy?” Lucia whispered, crawling on the bed next to him, shaking his shoulder. “Daddy, wake up, please...”
Madanach groaned softly, eyes flicking open as he looked hazily up at her, and Lucia was shocked to see how pale he looked. Pale, covered in sweat, and his eyes... Lucia could barely see the irises, just the inky black of pupils dilated far far beyond what they should be, and the whites of his eyes were horribly bloodshot.
“Say wha...?” Madanach murmured, seeming to stare right through her. “You're a bit young to be in here, aren't you? Nords arresting kids now?”