Chapter 35 In the Darkness of the Night
Two days later, as Mulberry Castle drifted peacefully to sleep, Oscar and Abélie were scheming in the young lord’s study.
“Do we have rope?”
“We have rope.”
“Do we have provisions?”
“We have… provisions, yes, but why would we need provisions?” the young man asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before them, the young majordomo had prepared bags that seemed to weigh at least a few tonnes. Yet she was looking at him with a very serious expression.
“Because we don’t know what awaits us, my Lord! What if we fell into a cave? What if we came across a bear? We must be prepared for anything! Absolutely anything!”
Oscar crossed his arms, nodding his head as though he were listening.
“You seem a little tense, don’t you?”
On edge, she shot him such a dark look that he thought he might fall to the floor.
“Of course I’m scared!! You’re taking us into a forest that seems to be inhabited by villainous young-girl-eating scoundrels like me!” She recited a short prayer typical of Rivière and breathed in. “And before you say anything, yes, I’m still coming.”
A faint, amused smile appeared on Oscar’s lips. “I’ve already asked you eight times – what difference would a ninth make? Besides, I don’t truly believe that the forest is inhabited by brigands.”
“Then what? Something far worse? Divine Lords, this might be our last night on this earth.”
She took his hand very solemnly.
“Know that despite my mockery, it has been an honour to serve you as your personal majordomo, and I hope to stand by your side in another world should that befall us.”
Oscar granted her a softer smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, but the honour is shared. Now let’s remove the provisions.”
Reluctantly, she helped him lighten their load.
If Oscar wished to keep face, then, as only the full moon lit the study, he had to admit that the girl’s doubts were beginning to rub off on him. He breathed in.
“Right, let’s go.”
They managed to gather everything they needed into a single bag, which the girl offered to carry.
“You’ll risk breaking your back, you know,” the young lord retorted. But she shook her head.
“If something were to happen to us, I’d rather you be in a position to fight.”
She thought of everything.
Getting out of Mulberry Castle was no easy feat—its main gates remained guarded by soldiers standing watch, and some even patrolled the surroundings. They had taken the trouble to study the guard schedule, and as the watch rotation took place, Abélie and Oscar slipped along a tree that overlooked one of the enclosure walls. Oscar climbed up first, with great dexterity. He then sent a rope down to his companion, and up in the tree, they were able to catch their breath, concealed by the foliage. Abélie clung to her branch with white, taut knuckles for fear of falling.
“And so, we have to climb down the other side?” she muttered through gritted teeth.
Oscar simply nodded, already in action mode.
The young woman swallowed and watched her employer work as he fastened the rope to another branch on the other side of the enclosure’s wall. He went first, descending with ease, and waited for her below, ready to catch her.
Abélie offered a fresh prayer to whoever might be listening and began to descend. It was difficult, and before long her hands were burning. She tried not to think about the ground, barely a few metres below, but a rough patch on the rope broke her focus, causing her to lose her grip.
She heard herself fall, without even letting out a cry, and reopened her eyes—mouth agape like a dead fish—in Oscar’s arms. The young man, impassive, looked at her with fond exasperation.
She closed her mouth, sighed, and was briefly tempted to stay right there, in his arms, rather than begin whatever journey awaited them. Oscar set her back on her feet without asking her opinion, and they took the route they had already planned in advance.
The town was not difficult to cross — once again, it was unguarded — and when they reached the edge of the forest, all they had to do was pass through a crumbled section of the ramparts.
It was almost surprising that the guards were so lax, but what Oscar had theorised proved true: there was virtually no threat in Mulberry—at least not in the capital.
Before them, the forest was dark, its trees so dense they stood perfectly upright like an immense, dark, impenetrable mass. The branches arched into hooked curves, and the roots that broke through the earth undulated, ready to catch the feet of any unfortunate soul passing through. Abélie swallowed. Oscar did not hesitate for a single instant. Reluctantly, she followed.
Once past the crumbled section of rampart, darkness wrapped around them in its embrace; there was no question of lighting their torch for now, at the risk of being spotted by the guards. Besides, after all their misadventures getting this far, their eyes had grown somewhat accustomed to the dark.