199- The Price of Mercy
POV Aldren Valmorin:
“I did not mean to be rude, I apologize, Nerin.” She nodded. “I would rather not continue taking care of her. I can’t.”
“And if she gets worse?”
“Teneris was instructed to inform me.”
“As you wish.”
“Prepare one of the guest rooms for me.” There was no condition to sleep in that place, impregnated with her scent.
“Wouldn’t it be better to inv—”
“Switch? No, Nerin, my bedroom is the safest place.”
My patience was hanging by a thread, even with the person who mattered most to me.
The bitch’s fault. All her fault.
Nerin left, the cup rattling on the saucer, without saying another word. Thinking strategically, the safest place for the prisoner was my bedroom. Given the positioning of my guards and the distance from the common areas, any possible escape became impossible.
In addition to everything that tormented me, there was still one urgent matter left unresolved: Kehin. He needed to be cooperative and calm, because if he wasn’t, it was very likely I would tear his throat out right there.
I went down to the sublevel, but before going to him, I met with Victor and Serpentino in my library. I needed to clarify a few points about my upcoming decisions. In that situation, my only chance was to trust—even while distrusting—both of them.
From their reactions, I could also gauge whether either of them fit into the supposed group of traitors. I stood in front of the opening between the bookshelves, the two brothers facing me with relaxed postures.
“Starting today, you are not allowed to leave the house grounds without prior permission. Inform your people that visits will also not be permitted.” Respectfully, they simply agreed without asking further questions. They did not appear startled or anxious either. “I believe it won’t be for long, but until further notice, this is how it will be; third floor.”
“In the same positions, sir?”
“Yes. The two of you will rotate nights with Kehin and, during the day, one of you will remain in the common areas.” They nodded. “Depending on my conversation with the prisoner today, he may be relocated to the prison in Noctheria. Let it be clear that there is no forgiveness for the crime committed; I am merely waiting to learn whether there are more traitors in order to decide his fate—whether it will be life imprisonment or death.”
“Traitors?” Victor asked, but both appeared extremely surprised.
“According to Kehin, I should not execute him, because for a long time he has been protecting me from traitors who plot behind my back.” Serpentino pressed his lips into a thin line, holding back laughter, and Victor frowned in disdain. “Well, in any case, I need a name from him today.”
“That piece of shit will invent any name just to save himself,” Serpentino said, letting a smile slip at the corner of his lips.
“That’s true,” his brother agreed.
“If he gives me a name and is useful to me, he will remain imprisoned in Noctheria. If he tries to deceive me, he is a dead man. Believe me, gentlemen, I am not pleased to punish a friend, but for those who betray my trust, there has never been and never will be mercy,” I reinforced deliberately what they already knew.
I waited for them to leave before burying myself among one of my five shelves of theoretical books. Made of agarwood and standing vertically, each was spaced two meters apart and measured six meters wide by three meters tall. On the wall behind the piano, two were built in from floor to ceiling.
In one of the wide niches of the central shelf, I took my second copy of clinical allergology, the most up-to-date one. I was certain it was not an allergic reaction, but my paranoid mind was not a reliable source at that moment.
Skimming dynamically through the pages, I found the passage that interested me:
“Acute allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, may present symptoms that mimic poisoning, such as respiratory difficulty, urticaria, edema, and nausea. However, they differ by their rapid onset after exposure to the allergen and the possible response to antihistamines and corticosteroids.”
More confident in my judgment, I returned the book to the shelf and went to meet the man who used to be my best friend. A friend who chose to betray me, and that alone was enough for him to cease being one.
I was surprised when I entered the fetid cubicle once again. His appearance was deplorable. Elowen had remained there longer than he had and had not deteriorated even by a third.
“A name.” I was direct.
Kehin, sitting on the floor, merely raised his pale face slowly, staring at me with eyes and expressions emptied of any feeling beyond exhaustion.
“Swear, on your honor, that you will set me free if I speak,” he demanded apathetically.
“Do you think I’m an idiot, Kehin?”
“I will give you a name and wait for you to investigate. Free me only after you find confirmation.” He seemed certain I would find something.
“I promise you nothing, traitor.”
“Then kill me, Aldren. I wish you good luck on your hunt.” He feigned calm as he offered his own neck.
Threatening to torture people he cared about would be pointless, because that snake knew me like the back of his hand and knew I would not punish someone without guilt just to hurt him.
I thought quickly and found a solution. I intended to promise him something I was already doing, and that might work.
“For now, your freedom is off the table. Give me the name, and I will grant your beloved Elowen more dignified conditions. She will know that I made you this offer and what your choice was.”
Kehin rose from the floor and leaned against the bars, exasperated, running his hands through the greasy strands of his hair.
“Elowen asked about me?” I wondered how it was possible for a man over two hundred years old to be acting so foolishly over a female he barely knew. “Just tell me that, please.”
Promising something I did not intend to fulfill would weigh too heavily on my sense of loyalty, but lying about something trivial, in the name of my people’s safety, seemed acceptable to me.
“Yes, more than once.” His red, tired eyes widened, lighting up again. Pathetic. “From me, that will be the only answer you will have for now.”