Chapter 46 Chapter 44

Chapter 46 Chapter 44
“Watch and wait. Listen, don’t be late.”

Marina.

“I would like to drop my sister at home first.” I requested as I stepped forward and away from her. She was chuckling slightly because she knew exactly what she had done.

“Definitely. We would all go together. Just to be sure she’s safe.” He replied and stretched a hand to Lanthernia, which she took and he began leading her out of the woods. 

Saliel appeared from behind me and walked by my side till we were close to the market center once again. The carriage was parked just by the stump we were seated on a moment ago.

“Saliel, see to it that Miss Lanthernia gets home safely.” The king said. Aiding my sister into the carriage and making room for Saliel to join her. “Marina?” and stretched out a hand to me.

I took note of the fact that he added no title while addressing me but accepted his hand regardless. It was not like I had an option of rejecting him. 

“My carriage is the other way.”

“Why did you come?” After the words left my mouth, I heard how wrong they sounded.

“You were being followed.” There was no sign in his voice that he was only trying to make a light of the situation.

“Me?”

“Yes. Saliel noticed strange movements and sent a word.”

“Sent a word how? Who did he send?”

The king pulled me closer to his side and leaned into my ear. “Look around you. Closely. My men may be hidden but they are present.” His minty breath brushed my ear softly.

“You had me followed?” Stalked ought to be a better term.

“Yes. Why else would I have agreed to such a public outing?”

Now that I thought about it, it made sense why he would permit me only under surveillance. 

“When we get to the carriage, may I ask you some questions?” I needed to clarify some things.

“We are already at the carriage.” He started. Pointing his free hand at the horse and rider just a few feet away. “And you have not been one to seek permission to ask or request, why do you suddenly feel the need?”

He led me to the door of the cart and helped me up. Then got in next to me and shut the door behind him. I wondered if no guards would be joining us for the ride.

“You seem to perceive me as a rude individual.” The cart rolled forward. So no guards with us then.

“Are you not?” His reply slipped out so casually. Like it had been sitting at the tip of his tongue for centuries and waiting for a moment to spill.

“Oh?” I wished I could say more. Or even address the fact that he’s also not the most welcoming host and asides from Saliel, Quala, Duchin and Hilra, who were occasional company, I was lonely most of the time. And Hilra acted like she had better places to be, like the toilet, than to be in my presence.

Keeping quiet felt like the best option for now.

“Your questions?” 

“I have forgotten what I wished to ask. Some other day.” I felt a bit angered at his opinion of me. If he were in my shoes, how else would he have acted?

He switched seats so that he was directly opposite me now and he stared me in the eye. An action that I matched back.

“This is the second time I would mention to you about lying to me. Do not make it a habit. I ask again, what are your questions? Do not anger me.”

I gave in immediately, but it did not dissipate my anger. “Did you kill Segei?”

He lifted a brow, maybe he was expecting something else. “Not by hand. Why?”

“Let me rephrase. Did you have a hand in the killing of Sergei?”

“Yes, I did. Why do you ask?”

“Why did you kill him?”

“He had plans to kill me first. It was only fair I eliminated him.”

“When did you order his murder?”

“The night we got back from the pub.”

“Then you had no idea he had plans to kill you first before you killed him. I had not informed you of the outcome of our conversation by then.” For someone who hated lying, being caught in a lie so quickly felt like hypocrisy.

When he said nothing, I continued. “You should not have killed him.”

“If I was a second late, you may not even be alive to tell me this. Now you’re saying I should not have killed him? He had no problems bestowing that act upon you.”

The thought of the knife pressed against my skin flashed behind my eyes. “You still should not have killed him.”

“You should not be considering mercy at the thought of him.” He almost sounded like he could not believe I was saying such.

“Not everything requires the blood of someone to be spilled.”

“I am an immortal. Spilling of blood is the reason I exist.”

His words made me realize that life probably meant little to nothing to him. He had lived from decades to centuries and seen thousands come and go. Segei was just another dust in the wind.

I was arguing mercy with a man who had known most of life to be death.

“I told you I used to work at the pub. They knew I came to see Segei that night. It’s only a matter of time before they trace me to his death and believe I am responsible.” And that was the truth. Connecting the dots was not difficult.

“It wouldn’t happen.” He was almost too sure of that.

On to the next question.

“What about Caraven?”

“What about him?”

“Is he alive?”

“Why do you ask?”

His indulgence in ‘why?’ rather than the question I asked looked aversive.

“Someone told me he’s dead.”

“Who is that someone? Your sister?” 

I did not answer his question because I was still waiting for him to respond to mine.

“Your sister knows Caraven?”

“No. She was not the one who told me.”

“Who did?”

“Your highness, I don’t think ‘who’ matters, but what was said.”

“No. He is not.”

“He is not dead? Or he is not alive?” The smell of pine cones filled my nostrils. A clear sign we were out of the village path and closer to the castle.

“He is not alive.”

“Who killed him?”

“I do not know, nor do I have any hand in his death.”

I absorbed the information. Garla was correct. That meant she was in touch with my reality. She existed in the real world.

But how?

The King may have taken my silence after his words as my doubt in him, because he explained further. “He was killed the same night the castle was attacked. I did not order it.”

“Who would have wanted him dead?”

“Everyone.” The reply was a blunt blow.

“Your highness?”

“He was not a friendly person, neither was he on the best terms with anyone. It is quite hard to know if his murder was just the nemesis of his ancestors catching up with him or a political link to what happened at the castle.”

I remembered his speech about inherited squabbles. That was true.

“You are yet to answer my question Marina. Who informed you of his death? I am certain Caraven had no friends that would bother to check on him and find him dead.”

“I dreamt about it.”

“Another coded dream?”

“No. This one had no code. It was just, a dream.”

We pulled into the castle courtyard and parked in front of the main entrance. A second carriage, the one I had taken initially, followed behind. 

The door was opened for us and the King descended first. He offered me a hand to assist my descent, which I willfully ignored. I was still angered.

“I would also like to ask if the food was taken to my family.”

He lifted a brow at me, “Yes. They would be receiving meals daily from the kitchen.”

“Daily?” All I wanted was for the evening.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” With a curtsy, “I would retire to bed now. Thank you once again for granting my sister and I the opportunity to experience a night like this. I will forever be indebted to your kind gestures.”

“You are speaking weirdly again.” 

“Again?”

“Yes. Again. What has happened? Think twice before you lie to me.”

“Nothing. Goodnight your highness.” I had turned on my heels when he called out.

“We would leave for Famur by sunrise. Your bag has already been packed. Try to eat something and get enough rest.”

“I would.” Then I walked into the castle. Where the High Adviser stood with his arms crossed and looked at me strangely.

“Good evening Master Anthonier.” I greeted as I walked past him.

Further along my climbing of the staircase, I heard he and the King speaking in hushed tones.

“What happened today?”

“I do not know.” The king replied.