Audric rubbed his eyelids with his fingertips, much in the same way Calent had at this very desk in years past. His head pounded as he went through the figures again. No matter which way he calculated the sums, it didn't seem like it was enough. For the first time in at least fifty years, money was flowing backwards out of the Allarrian palace and back into the capital, funding the rebuilding of first the harbor walls, then the palace, and finally to the people themselves. The harbor walls had had to be rushed; if winter set in before repairs were made, they might have the same problem come spring... The palace still had a long way to go before it could, truly, be returned to the marvelous state in which Audric had inherited it...but at least it was functional now. And the city... The city remained a mess. He had only agreed to the repairs to the palace, because Nera had suggested it might provide additional shelter to some of the homeless women and children...and that meant there was an entire wing now dedicated to that, as well!
Audric, with his wife's blessing, had spent most of his own fortune on the repairs and humanitarian relief. Many of the nobles and wealthier citizens were doing their part as well, but, with winter approaching, it wasn't enough. The city's funds had been used for the wall -- that was what they were there for, wasn't it? -- and would be used to fix the streets and public buildings...but it was primarily private money that had to pay for the citizens. And that was only part of the problem... Some had lost everything -- they couldn't afford food or winter clothes to replace what was lost, but taxing the winter stores too much could starve them all.
Damn Calent for putting him in this position!
Strangely, it never crossed his mind to curse Leif or Attie as he looked over the papers one final time.
Calent had been late- as it seemed he always was for conventions outside of kissing ass with Hellvion in the north. That duchy had been trying, but in order to keep all duchies unified, he had to keep making peace with the easily irritable Duchess Melora. Part of him had to wonder if her husband was keeping her in check, but stilled his tongue over such suggestions. He did not want the ire of the north upon him, and Hellvion was a nice asset to have with this war. Though they offered little military support, the money coming in was more than substantial to help float some of the excessive costs of war. For unlike most wars, this was not meant for conquering new lands, but to keep the peace among Connlaoth's own citizens, and to hear what had happened on the other Northern end of his country, in his birth place of Allar, no less, had him more than irate.
He was home for barely a few days before preparing himself to address this matter personally with Duke Molneux, and though his wife was heavy with child, he could only prey to Ansgar for hers and the baby's safety when the babe was born. For now, Allar was his concern, and with that duchy hit heavily financially before the warning of a gravely long winter, he was more than on edge to see what could be done of it, and he wasted no time in seeing his own self in,- for there was no need for grand introductions at a time like this-
So it was not long when Calent appeared at his door and stepped inside without so much as a knock.
"Busy at my old desk, I see."
Audric had not been expecting him -- at least, he had not been expecting him any time soon. This was a grave matter, but he never would have expected him to leave his pregnant wife at home alone... Especially not given the health problems their first child had suffered...
So when he appeared in the doorway, Audric jerked to his feet with a murmur of surprise. "Calent..." He smiled, in spite of the circumstances, and he stepped around the edge of the desk to greet his friend properly. "What in Angsar's name are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here? I might be the Grand DUke, but when I hear my own home duchy has been submerged in ocean waters, what did you expect my reaction would be?" The agitation was obvious in his voice, and it was nearly barked out across the room as Calent stood before him, no amusement clear on his face. He had been traveling endlessly this year, and it was paying a high toll on the man, from dark circles becoming ever more prominent beneath his eyes, and a sharpness to his face carved from the wind and simpler, sparser meals during travel.
"Tell me everything in conclusive detail, starting from the beginning, and while we go over the particulars, let me take a look around. I want to see what damage this, this.. catastrophe has caused to the city."
Oh, would not his own father turn in his grave now? His grave...
and it was only then he wondered..
would the waters have washed away the dead? He made a mental note to be sure to visit the family crypt.
"I only meant," Audric answered, reflexively holding his hands out in front of him to ward off the anger, "That I had expected you to wait until the baby is born." Rising on his order, he reflexively picked up the small bundle of papers -- then immediately set it back down again. He knew the numbers, knew where it all had happened... He had been there, after all.
"I'll show you around, but I can tell you what happened, Calent." Not that this was going to put him in any better of a mood. Rather than lead him outside, however, he stepped by to close the door heavily. "A mage."
Calent's expression showed no ounce of surprise. He had suspected as much and pursed his lips in thought. The remark on his child, for now, was ignored, as he nodded, "Then show me, and tell me what you know."
The city tour could come later. This was information Audric didn't want leaking out to the public... They were in enough of a stir as it was at the mere rumor of a mage; if they found out it really had been a mage, regardless of her innocence, they would go crazy!
And the details, well... He wouldn't have believed it himself if he hadn't been there.
"When I'm done explaining what happened -- what really happened -- I'll show you. But the fact it was a mage..." He paused a moment, then added pointedly, "I don't want to panic the city, Calent. Or anyone else."
"The flooding started here at the palace..." He paused again, furrowing his brow slightly. "That isn't exactly right. The flooding started all over the city, and the water was drawn to the palace by the mage. And when the harbor wall broke..." Well... One could imagine...
"But it wasn't an attack -- not by the mage, anyway. She was locked in that tower, Calent, and when we got to her, she begged to be killed, because she couldn't stop the water. She was brought to Allar, locked in that tower, and made to cause that flood."
(OOC: Audric thinks if he doesn't just spew it all out in one breath, Calent will leave before he can get it out!)
Calent made a face. He had suspected as much, that a mage was up to no good as he nodded.
"And was she killed? This mage menace?"
The question made Audric's eyes narrow slightly, in thought more than in anger. Rather than answer the question, he asked, "And you aren't curious to know who would commit such an act? Calent, they're turning mages into weapons and turning them against our people. A sword can be broken, but a man can always forge another." Really! What the hell was he thinking?
Calent's eyes hardened.
"And what do you think we fight this war over?" He said, voicing raising dangerously in it's tone. "Mages house natural weapons in their blood. Of course they'd rally together and use their own kind as a weapon. What do you think our soldiers are battling with everyday?"
Yes, he saw, Calent was determined to be blind to all this...
Audric deliberately took a deep breath, lest his own temper get carried away. "Do you remember when I told you about the rumors I heard about the Church experimenting on mages? The ones you dismissed without a second thought? I have reason to believe it was they -- not the mages themselves -- that orchestrated this attack. I'm not saying the mages aren't a threat, Calent, but I want you to realize that they aren't the only enemy we're facing."
Calent made a face.
"The church?" He could have laughed. "Why on earth would the church attack the capital in Allar?" It made absolutely no sense!
"I think," he said slowly, "The capital's importance was only coincidental. They had a water mage -- a water mage they had altered through torture..." The thought made him frown deeply; he remembered all-too keenly that foray. "...And made more powerful. She said she had been forced to do this before -- to flood a city."
"And naturally, she lied," Calent went on, brows dipping sharply as he looked at Audric. "The church has no reason to go against our own God, Audric. And to make mages stronger? That feat is laughable."
If anything... the church, he knew, was seeking out a cure. But what if....? The hackles on the back of his neck stood on end and he inwardly shook that thought away. To think if the church had accidently been able to make a mage stronger rather than 'cure' them was just a blasphemous thought in itself!
"What sorts of leads do you have? You said it was a woman?" ANd here, his face hardened. "Who?" The words were a command.
"If she had lied," Audric answered softly, "I do not think she would have begged to be killed or stood by passively as I raised my weapon against her. She wanted to be released of it, Calent. There would have been nothing to gain through such a lie."
And it had been heart-wrenching...
The question of who the mage had been was answered only with the lifting of Audric's eyebrows. "I don't know many mages, Calent, and there was hardly time for a tea party."
"So you spared the guilty parties life and did not even get a name? Audric," Calent was fuming. "I appointed you Duke of Allar for a reason. And this certainly wasn't it!"
"Who said I spared her?" Audric asked quietly, his own gaze hard as he stared down the Grand Duke. "I pitied her, yes, and I believed what she told me. But the harbor wall had broken, and she, herself, said death would be the only end to the flooding." More roughly, he added, "I did what I had to, and I make no apologies for it."
Calent kept his gaze stern.
"So that means the guilty mage is dead?"
"If it had been possible, I would have liked to learn more from her about who is truly responsible, but..." Audric's gaze met Calent's, unflinching and hard. "...I couldn't risk the entire city."
"You didn't answer my question, Audric," Calent's voice was growing dangerous.
"Is or is not the guilty mage dead?"
A subtle shift rippled through his expression, and he frowned slightly even as he regarded his old friend with a neutral expression of vague alarm and curiosity...as if realizing there was something off but unable to put his finger on what.
"I killed the girl and set her body to the torch myself."
Calent released a sigh.
"Very good. Now shall we be starting this tour? I'd like to see the damages here myself."
The pair moved through the city, much of it still in disrepair. Audric had thrown all of his energy into first rebuilding the harbor wall, which was now well under way. He thought they would make it before it began to snow -- if their luck held out.
The tour was given with a chilly tone, very unlike Audric's usual attitude towards his friend. It seemed directly almost exclusively in Calent's direction; Audric often paused to chat with workers, guards, and citizens, to make inquiries and to pass out some coin where needed.
Angsar take Calent and his willing blindness! Audric himself was as against mages as any Allaran -- but there came a time when one had to examine more pressing threats...instead of continuing to chase something that might not even come to pass.
Calent tried to be ignorant of Audric's coldness towards him. After all, the two had a lot on their plates, though as the day stretched onward, the blatant lack of respect was wearing him thin.
"So it seems most of the valley lands are ruined," Calent mused, sighing tiredly as the pair remained upon the crest of hill, looking outward towards the roaring ocean. His eyes went distant as he became lost in thought before murmuring.
"A lot of crops were lost." He pursed his lips. This did not bode well for winter time, and the crops elsewhere could not be spared, not even for the Grand Duke's own duchy. Sighing, he turned back towards Audric.
"I suppose you've contacted Serendipity?" he inquired. "We'll want to establish some extra trade with them to help ensure the people here do not starve to death."
Be it now.. or in the on coming winter.
Again he turned away, eyes lost back to the sea.
"I received a letter yesterday from my sister promising supplies. She's in Serendipity now with several of her ships laden with commodities for market. It's a high price to pay, but she's been generous." Besides, her business was tied to the economy of Allar; should it falter, she would lose as much as anyone.
Audric sighed softly as he peered out as well, reflecting heavily on the toll of life and supply the flood -- their secret -- had cost them all. But he was dedicated to this course of action now and could no more take those actions back than he could change the weather...
"Good," Calent said with a brief nod. "I'll draw up some tax documents and we figure out the numbers and see how much additional aid I can send in financially, from the capital. It'll be another tax increase, but it is necessary for times like this."
"You should try to put it out of your mind, as much as you can. You have other things to think of." Leaning forward on his elbows, he asked, finally, "How is Kathryn?"
The woman was heavily pregnant, after all... He'd heard her little misadventures earlier in the year had not had a lasting affect on her health -- or that of the child's -- but one never knew with these things. Having a child -- a healthy child -- would do her a world of good, or so he imagined. It might even make Calent less dour, who knew?
"If I am lucky, she'll have the child when I return. She is doing well, healthy as ever, perhaps a bit short, but that is to be expected," he replied simply. "Do you have your ledgers I can see on the damages?"
Audric gave a slight nod. His eye had caught something a while ago....and that something needing to be addressed.
"In my office. You know where to find it, I trust? I'll just be a moment... I've got to go tuck my son into bed." He offered his old friend a smile even as he lied through his teeth.
But Leif had been waiting patiently all this time...and if he didn't send Calent away soon, he'd blurt out something he'd probably regret.
The second Audric came around the corner, Leif was glaring at him, arms folded across his chest as he scowled.
"Tucking your son into bed?"
Did he look like his bloody son?
Audric's grin was immediate as he regarded his friend. "What? You've come all this way to visit, and you aren't staying the night?"
All teasing aside, though, he added, "How is she?"
Leif just cut him a look. He was as serious as ever, and still agitated as all hell.
"I.... took her to the church." And before Audric could comment, Leif made a knowing, soured face.
"She has a friend there. A good friend."
A lover.
"I knew she couldn't be any more safe than right under their noses."
And he turned away from him, still scowling.
"Still doesn't make it any less difficult to have done it."
Audric's face, rather comically, mirrored Leif's. He trusted the Church about as far as he could toss a cathedral...
"I'm glad she's alright. I...tried not to hurt her." He had, after all, hit her over the head. That probably didn't sit well with Leif...
Exhaling, he clapped Leif on the shoulder and turned away to lean against the balcony railing. "I told Calent she's dead -- and that I didn't know the mage who did this. That's the first lie I've ever told him." And it hurt -- stung like hell, in fact. "But he doesn't believe me. I didn't have a choice."
"How long is he staying?" Leif asked, quickly changing the subject.
Audric glanced questioningly at Leif for his sudden change of subject, but he didn't comment. Instead, he said, "With any luck, not long. His wife is due to give birth any day now, and I imagine he'll want to hurry back to her. How long are you staying?"
Leif released a long, hot sigh.
"I should be getting back to my wife, too. But I couldn't go back. Not yet. Not when I knew what had become of this place."
He went quiet a moment then asked, "Does he believe you? About Attie, I mean. Being dead. And does he know her identity?" He presumed not. Attie was technically dead already. And had a grave to prove it.
"He seems to," Audric answered softly. "As I said, I've never lied to him before. I've never had cause." Strange how all that was changing... "And, as far as he knows, I didn't know who she was. She's safe, Arrant. No one knows but the two of us." And...the Church, apparently. He still felt uncomfortable with that information...
Leif breathed a sigh of relief, buy he still stood there, anxiously keeping his hands into fists.
"So how is the city? It seems most of the waters have subsided."
"Healing," Audric answered honestly. "The work on the harbor wall is almost done, as long as they don't encounter any problems. And I'm doing what I can for the people..." He sighed softly, then turned to Leif with a joking smile. "I don't suppose you have a few thousand gold you're willing to lend the State. Or some food. It's going to be a tough winter."
"Sure, just let me steal my father's coin purse." Leif shook his head, but afforded the sort of smile a man like he could muster. "But I'll see what I can do." And he paused a moment before frowning. "I'm going to have a lot to explain to my wife."
"It's always good to have another Duke owe you, isn't it?" Audric prompted with a chuckle. Look at him go with all his politicking! "Give your family my best wishes, Leif. And my thanks. Sometimes, I'm glad Nera doesn't know what's going on. She'd give me hell -- worse than I got for disappearing during the flood."
It was simpler, sometimes, even if lying did hurt... He did love her, after all, but some truths were best kept hidden.
"And you're just lucky you found such a comfy chair because of the ass you call a friend who sits pretty on the Grand Duke's throne." He shook his head. "How did you ever become friends with that thing?" A repulsive thought indeed.
Audric's gaze momentarily darkened, but, after counting to ten, he decided it would be wiser not to pick a fight with his only ally over whether or not Calent was an ass. Leif had good reason to believe as much, anyway...
Instead, he said, "I was a ward of his father's." More softly, sadly, he added, "He wasn't always like this. He was a good man, once. Until his hatred got the better of him."
Leif gave a snort.
"Good men do not start wars."
And as far as Leif saw it, the Grand Duke was every bit of the enemy; just as Leif's father was. Bastard. The lot of them, and he turned away angrily from his friend. He always believed it was him against the world, for it seemed, so far.... Well, That was really how life truly was. And embracing the masked persona only helped to amplify that sensation, or to prove it, or embellish it, or whatever else the mask could mean....
Leif was hardly any better with his one-man war against all of Connlaoth... It was true that Calent had done more harm than Leif ever could alone, but that was of little comfort to the wives, to the children, and to the parents of those who crossed the Masked Mordecai; Audric had watched Leif fight, after all, and he knew an impressive number of men had been killed by Leif's hand.
And at his own.
Instead of share his thoughts, Audric's hand settled on Leif's shoulder. "We all do what we feel we must. I, for instance, must go say goodnight to my family and get back to entertaining my guest. You're welcome to stay the night, Leif. As always."
Leif let out an irritable sigh.
"I should really get back to Castavar..."
His wife, certainly, would be furious with him.
"You know, you should really let your wife know where you're going, in the very least, so that she doesn't worry. Nera doesn't know what I'm doing, but I always let her know I'll be gone." It was only polite, after all -- but he certainly wasn't going to step between those two. Keep out of others' marriages -- sound advice from Rosie.
"It's getting late to travel, anyway, and we should, I think, have a chat about the Church." A very frank chat... "I won't find the time to leave Allar anytime soon, I'm afraid. But you're always welcome to visit. We can let our wives and children run amuck while we catch up."
Because the Molneuxs -- Duke, Duchess, and children all -- tended to run amuck anyway.
Leif gave an irritably sigh.
"I had to leave quickly. There was no time to explain," he cut. "And if I were to leave now, I could arrive come evening tomorrow, back in Castavar." ANd that was assuming he rode hard all night. But once he went on the topic of the church, he frowned.
"Do you have more news?" he asked, voice lowering.
Audric gave his head a slight shake. "No. But I think it's time we talked strategy."
Because what they had done to his home -- to Attie -- was unforgivable.
...And, besides, if Leif had given her over to the Church, for the sake of his family more than anything, Audric needed to know how much they knew.
"The church is going to fall," Leif growled. "It's as simple as that. And be fully exposed for what they have done to her."
"Strategy," Audric reminded him with a soft tut-tut. "But that's a conversation, I think for another night." His smile was warm and genuine, yet tired, as he offered, "Come back and visit, Leif. We'll talk then. In the meantime, I'll ask around. Covertly."
With a nod, Leif exited, not even with so much as a goodbye. He had to get back home, and during that journey he intended to figure out a plan to explain this all to his wife. She still had no idea Attie was still alive....
But he wouldn't make it out of the city. The men had been waiting patiently, like shadows. He hadn't even been looking for the tell tale signs he might have been followed. But those that had done this knew they had not fully succeeded- for both Leif Arrant was alive, and so was the Duke of Allar. And if they had survived that entire catastrophe...
Who's to say their little mage hadn't, too? Rumors implied the flood had been something else, but they knew better. So when Leif Arrant was spotted approaching the castle, they watched him closely. And the second he was alone (for he was a fool,a nd seemed to always be alone...) It was the they decided to strike.
It couldn't have been more perfect. Lord Arrant was dressed more commonly, and sticking to the alley ways and the less populated roads. Which was exactly where they had been perched. So when the men struck out-
It was a complete surprise.
The mace came down hard, knocking him clean off the horse and he was eating cobblestone as his horse freaked out as a series of men came out from the shadows. He barely had a chance to recover when he heard the sounds of swords being drawn. And that's when a fist full of his hair was grabbed, and the man was yanked off the floor. But where as the men believed the'yd have time to draw back their swords and incapacitate the man, Leif flung himself bodily at the attackers and knocked one to the ground, while the others fought to get a hold of him, but what tey werne't prepared for was when his horse was helping in the fight, for when Leif gave a whistle, the horse reared up and kicked one f the men over, and he was down for the fight, leaving at least two still on their feet while the first was still picking himself up from the ground.
Now able to access the situation, Leif swore between his teeth and spat out blood and reached for his own blade.
"Come on, just try to come at me."
~~~~
Calent had just about seen all there was to be seen in the paper work, but found himself sitting there by candle light, lamenting over what had come to pass. ANd like the dancing flame that could not sit still, neither could his restless mind.
"That took a little longer than I had expected," Audric apologized as he returned to the office. His eyes swept over Calent and pile of papers splayed out before him. He already knew what was written on each and every one, and little of it was good news.
"Did you find a way to move those numbers around so that they actually work?"
Calent had a better head for numbers than he did...though his sister had helped him a bit with some of it.
Calent frowned deeply at the paper work before sighing.
"If my numbers are correct, and I'm sure they are, I'll need a tax increase effective immediately to fix this catastrophe."
And wouldn't that just raise his approval among the masses? He peered over at Audric.
"Is your family well?" he asked, tiredly, and in the dim lighting, Calent appeared so old, worn and grey.
~~~
While elsewhere, another man was fighting for his life. Ducking here, and dodging there, Leif was practically dancing as the men came at him. He slashed his sword swiftly, cutting one man away while another parried his sword. The noise run throughout the ally way, startling the nesting birds upon a roof top and dropping grey feathers upon the chaos and fighting below.
Audric leaned against the doorframe, looking much more lively than his counterpart. Becoming the Grand Duke had not agreed with his health, it seemed -- and little wonder, with danger, accusations, and unrest at every turn.
"Well. Nera's a wonderful mother. I'm not sure I could have done this without her. And my sisters..." He grinned broadly. "The oldest is finally remarried. Too old now for any more children, but the gentleman in question doesn't seem to mind. He's a retired navigator off a ship that's sailed around the world. The kids adore him. And my oldest niece is look at marriage already herself -- next spring, in fact, if what I hear is true."
Calent gave a slow, tired nod, his eyes seemingly elsewhere, as was his mind.
"At least there's some bit of good news," he went on, sighing. "I am exhausted. Perhaps I should retire for the night."
~~~
Which should have been the course of action Lord Arrant should have taken, instead of finding himself, beating sword off of sword, and acquiring a few sharp slashes to his shoulder. Growling through his teeth, he rammed his sword forward and shoved his fist across one man's face, only to feel a bad cut at his back as he stumbled forward. He was out numbered, and the place was dark...
But hopefully he could use the darkness to his advantage as he turned around sharply on his heal and slashed the nearest man across his face, then made another quick swipe to smack back the advancing blade of another assailant.
Yes... if he had only not been so stubborn....
Leif Arrant might not have found himself backed up into the corner of that ally way...
and angered men swiftly approaching him- the promise of death in their eyes.
"Indeed," he answered with a smile. Yes, his family had always meant a great deal to him... They were doing well, even in the midst of such chaos.
"I'll show you to your room," he offered politely, stepping away from the doorframe with an expectant air. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Calent. As always."
And Audric was blissfully unaware of the dramatic showdown happening elsewhere...
So while the Grand Duke was being escorted safely to his room (that of which felt quite odd to Calent, considering this was his childhood home...), Leif was still sharing a most dangerous dance.
Cornered and terribly out numbered, Leif growled as he watched the men's iron blades glisten in the darkness. They were quick to approach, but cautious; as was Leif, and when they came at him, the nobleman swung out his blade, catching two of them while a third struck at his side. He ignored it and managed to push the blades forward, steel grating, sparking as he tried to desperately think of a way out.
"It seems you've kept the place well," Calent went on, observing the halls and rooms as he went.
"My wife," Audric agreed with a warm smile for the absent lady. "Nera deserves all the credit. If it were up to me, I'm sure the palace would stand in ruins. I still don't have the patience for this administrative mumbo-jumbo." Because, really, that's all it was: mumbo-jumbo.
There was an absent fondness in the way he spoke of her -- there always was. He adored his wife unashamedly, after all!
"Do you need anything before you retire?"
Calent draped a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose before rubbing at the sleep in his eyes.
"No... I think just to retire. I'll be sure to make leave in the morning at first light." Thinking of his own wife left him a bit pensive. She hadn't been happy he left..
But he had obligations after all.
And while he was worrying about obligations, the heir of Castavar was still dancing and parrying the swinging swords coming his way. He let out a grunt and side stepped and pushed through, only to have a sword come down in a flash of white,a nd cut sharply at his cheek.
Audric nodded slightly, making a mental note to have one of the servants prepare an early, abbreviated breakfast for their guest. Though, in truth, he would be as happy to have Calent gone as anyone; he was not, by nature, a liar -- although, when the occasion called for it (as it did too often these days) he could manage a few lines... Nevertheless, it made him uncomfortable.
Without further adieu, he bade his guest a good night and retired to his own room. Nera was already fast asleep beneath the covers, so Audric was careful not to wake her as he settled in beside her. His lovely wife -- what would she say if she knew the secrets he was keeping...even from her?
The night rolled on, dark shadows creeping across the way while the side of the Allarrrian castle was glazed over in the silver glint of moonlight. He wasn't sure how he had managed to get there, but some one would find the dead bodies, that was for sure, come morning. But by the time he had crawled his way there, he was thoroughly exhausted, and remained in a heap upon the balcony just outside Duke Molneux's window. And his body was soaked in bloodand sweat, both glistening darkly in the moonlight, even as nighttime clouds rolled over head and snuffed the world out of it's light.
It was a pleasant dream -- a family outing in the Allarrian forest. The kids were running amuck -- as usual -- with his lovely wife on their heels. Her jewels winked in the sunlight -- but it was not the jewelry Audric found so alluring...
A strange scrape caught his ear from out among the trees. His family played on, oblivious, but Audric himself rose to cautiously peer in that direction...and as he heard it again, he realized it didn't fit: the sound of metal against metal, then metal on stone, but muffled somehow...
...Like it might sound, if someone were crawling onto his balcony... His eyes flew open, then scanned the darkness of their bedroom. His wife was breathing steadily, as oblivious to the danger as she had been in the dream. He could only find the regular shadows in his room, highlighted by the moonbeams drifting in lazily through the windows...and the sound, itself, had stopped now...
But he wasn't a man to take chances.
Picking his dagger up from its place beside the bed (a long-standing habit Nera didn't necessarily approve of), he moved stealthily towards the double doors leading out onto the windswept balcony. There was a man-shaped lump laying there, he noticed -- but its features were lost to shadow. Carefully, he pulled open the door and stepped forward...only to realize, suddenly, that he knew this man...and that the dark splotches on his clothes were, no doubt, blood.
"Arrant? Angsar's sword, what the hell happened to you?" His eyes swept over the balcony and railing, but there was no sign of Leif's attackers anywhere... Cautiously, he knelt down beside him, worry in his face. "Are you alright?"
Leif's breath was shallow and sharp, the blood still fresh and glistening from his wounds. And when he went to speak, it elicited a few coughs from his throat as he groaned and closed his eyes.
"Well, I'm still alive," he snapped sharply. "They... caught me off guard." he said, pausing to swallow the dry lump in his throat. "There were a lot of them too. I wager the same one after Attie."
"Where?" It was a simple question -- but Leif didn't look like he could fend off pursuers in his present state. Instead of helping him up, he made a circle of the balcony, peering over the edge into the darkness below in search of an ambush. Finding none, he at last stowed his weapon away and, carefully, pulled Leif to his feet. Once up, he slipped beneath the man's arm and began to slowly move him inside. "My wife is sleeping in the next room," he murmured softly in warning as he moved the man into the antechamber outside their sleeping quarters.
"I'm assuming you wish your presence here to remain a secret?"
It would be tricky getting him into a guest room...
Leif tried to keep back a pained, choked cry.
"N-not here. In town," he said, trying to steel off any shakes of pain. And at his assumption, he simply nodded.
"It.. would be wise not to alarm anyone..."
"Sure," Audric answered with a soft chuckle. "The bloodstains won't alarm anyone without a trace of a person to go with them." Silly Leif and his silly assumptions!
Nevertheless, Audric would heed his wishes. In silence, the pair moved down the hallway. Audric deliberately steered them away from Calent's room, which was bound to be the more heavily guarded area of the castle, and he moved instead towards one of the unoccupied rooms set up for guests.
Once Leif was settled on the bed, Audric lit first a few candles in order to better see what he was dealing with and just how wounded his friend was...
Leif had been holding back any grunts or wheezes of pain, but the moment he was in the room, he just about had a coughing fit of it and winced, being able to better feel the slash to his cheek, that reopened as fresh blood seeped down his cheek. The rest of him faired the same, he was cut up pretty good; though nothing deep enough to kill.
Audric's eyes swept over Leif, and, having made a decision, he momentarily vanished to retrieve some bandages and fresh clothes for the man.
"I do entirely too much of this for you," Audric complained as he began dab at the wounds with a turpentine-soaked cloth. "You need to be more careful. How the hell did you manage to get up onto my balcony, anyway? You're half-dead. Again."
Leif hissed as the man addressed his wounds.
"I was only a quarter dead when I started," he growled, and snatched the cloth from him and held it to his cheek. "Damn these wounds burn." And after dabbing the obvious wounds down, he set the cloth aside and began to work at unbuttoning his clothes. They were a mess of blood and cuts anyway, and once he was able to painfully shrug that aside, he laid there for a moment, eyes closed; and allowed himself to rest.
"Do you have anything to drink? Water or bourbon. Either will do."
"I didn't take you for a bourbon man," Audric replied with some surprise. Certainly, there would be some somewhere -- but that would require a request of the servants...and a request would bring some questions. Instead, he vanished again and returned with a pair of glasses. "Best I can do on short notice," he apologized as he measured out a bit of amaretto into a tumbler.
Settling down into the armchair beside the bed, he lifted his own glass to sip at the liquor as he frowned over the younger man. "So, it was the Church, you presume?"
Leif only released a haughty sigh before plucking up the offered drink and downed it in a few great gulps. He made a face as the liquor burned on the way down, then paused a moment as the alcohol washed through him in a rush. Then those green eyes opened, sweat glistening off of his face, as he peered at Audric.
"It was the church I know," he told him with a deadpan stare. "They all wore marks of the church. It was no secret."
"Did they say anything, or did they just try to kill you?" the Duke questioned with a frown. So the Church was stalking the streets of Allar -- it wasn't exactly good news, was it? What else were they doing in his ruined city but causing trouble -- for citizen and mage alike? Not to mention for Connlaoth's nobility -- apparently...
Leif wrinkled his nose and bared his teeth.
"I didn't think it was appropriate to hold a conversation with men who sought to spill my blood. But no," his lips twisted into a frown. "It was eerie, but they said nothing, except gestures and commands among themselves. I don't think they would have guessed I would be able to handle myself against their ambush- but I think I even surprised myself."
He gave a dry, almost spitting laugh at that.
"But I thought about Valentina... and our future and all I saw was red. I thought I'd die for sure there." Which was an odd thing, considering he and his partner in crime had defeated the ocean.
OOC: THE OCEAN FOR JUSTICE
Audric sighed softly and gave his chin a rub as he considered the implications. He had no doubt in his mind the Church knew he was involved in rescuing Leif's sister -- and that meant things were about to become more dangerous, for himself, and, more importantly, for his family.
And it meant he, in turn, had to become more dangerous as well.
Rather than share his grim thoughts, he asked cautiously, "Have you given any thought to what we discussed some time ago? When you came to tell me about Valentina's pregnancy?"
Leif bit his tongue. After a long moment of silence, he asked through a forced smile, "Which part?"
Audric, on the other hand, didn't bother to try to hide his emotions. This was a serious question -- a serious moment. Leif had been badly wounded and specifically targeted besides... The whole game was changing around them...and it was nothing to smile about, because things were getting dangerous indeed.
"About whether you intend to keep wearing the mask."
Leif felt his heart beating inside his ears, and he turned away from Audric to stare at nothing, nothing at all. But his stare was stern and hard- and endless.
What was he to say? To do?
He felt his hands clench into fists.
Could he truly give this all up?
"I have thought about it, yes," came his reply, dry and scratchy as he still kept his eyes away.
"But it torments me like an illness, and festers and boils inside."
"You'll make the right decision. No matter which it is."
Because there wasn't a wrong one -- except to pick both or neither. That could get someone killed.
"Do you need anything?"
Leif gave a sigh and shook his head.
"No, you've done enough already..."
And he looked around with a frown. "I suppose I should rest, but my mind is ill at ease." His frown deepened. "I knew there was a reason I hated this place. Damn Connlaoth. Damn Grand Duke. We're all going to burn, or bathe in a pool of our own blood."
And here he raked a hand through his hair and looked at his now empty glass and tapped a single finger against it then peered over at Audric.
"There is one thing you can do." And he held out the glass. "I need another drink."