Ch 5 : The Day of Escapade

Morning in Galum Viscounty began before the sun, with bells and shouting.

Heldia woke before the bells. She checked the hairpin hidden in her dress hem. She shook her sisters awake.

"Today," she whispered. "Today you do exactly as I say."

Irina sat up instantly. "What is happening? Is it today? The plan?"

"Yes," Heldia said. "When you hear shouting, you go to the kitchen yard. Not the front gate. The kitchen yard. There is a loose board by the compost heap. I showed you."

"I remember," Erina whispered. "The board by the heap."

"You go through it and go down the hill to the old mill and wait. Do not wait for me longer than until the sun is overhead. If I am not there by then, you go north. Do not ever mention the word Agilrach."

"And you?" Irina asked, grabbing her wrist hard. "You said we leave together."

"I will be behind you," Heldia said. It was a lie and Irina knew it was a lie.

"If you die, I will never forgive you," Irina hissed, red eyed from lack of sleep.

"If I die, you live," Heldia said, and cupped her sisters' face. "That is enough. Promise me you will run."

"I promise," Erina said, crying quietly.

"I promise," Irina said after a moment, jaw tight. "But you better run too, you idiot sister."

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The day crawled. She did chores with steady rhythm so no one noticed her hands shaking. She carried water. She scrubbed the great hall floor while Rooga walked over it with muddy boots deliberately.

"Oops," Rooga said, grinning down at her. "Looks like you missed a spot again, ghost eyes."

"I will clean it, young master Rooga," she said.

*squeezes*

*shakes*

"I'll see that you do," he said while groping her upper left squishy part, lifting her skirt and inserting his Curved Blade unto her tight Tomb of Intimacy. the other servants pretends not seeing his blatant act.

*thwack*

*thwack*

"Annggghh--" she lets out a restricted voice.

"There you go.. Aaaaaahh"

He managed to lunge it shallow enough, his tip of Curved Blade could wriggle.

She endured Alen's harassing as she mopped the corridor.

*Splurt*

"Faaahhh.. good girl" he said while pulling her hair.

*smooch*

*licks*

he kissed her and licked the insides of her mouth.

"Father wants you later, Heldia," Alen said, smiling in that clever cruel way. "Try to look pretty. He likes red eyes."

"I will try.. young master Alen," she said, not flinching.

At noon, Viscount Jerren sent a message for her. Alen delivered the message, grinning.

"Father wants the red eyed one," Alen said. "Do try to be entertaining. He is in a foul mood. The shipment from Talor was short."

She followed him to the private study. Heavy oak door, smell of leather and fire. Viscount Jerren di Galum sat in a great chair, brown haired, buffed body straining silk, runes on forearms. atop his lap, a black haired secretary is currently jumping fiercely, her red undie could be seen hanging on her left knee.

"Ah," he said when he saw her.

"The little northern ghost. You have grown."

"Wait a little, dear. i will end this quick"

Heldia looked at him.

He hold the secretary's fluffy lower parts, shaking her at an insane speed upwards and downwards.

*whack*

*whack*

*whack*

*whack*

it goes around for five minutes and then he shoved her aside, to the floor.

*thwack*

white translucent liquid splashed out at the secretary's Pit of Excitement on her upper thigh. and also from his Muscled Artifact, with much more volume compared to what already poured off.

Jerren continued her speech "Alen already told you?"

Heldia lowered her eyes. "My lord called for me?"

"I did," he said, gesturing with a crystal goblet of spiced wine. "Come here."

She came closer. Heart beating loud. Hairpin cold against scalp where she placed it in her braided cyan hair.

"You know, I bought you for almost nothing," Jerren said conversationally. "Bragin said you were half starved and feral. Look at you now. Still feral, perhaps, but useful. My sons seem to think so."

*squeezes*

He squeezed her Squishful Upper Pillow. Her clothes almost torn.

"Nngghhh!!"

Heldia lets out a weird sound but said nothing.

He reached out and took her wrist, pulling her onto his lap. His hand was hot, his fire affinity leaking.

"Tell me I am powerful," he whispered near her ear.

"You are powerful, my lord," she said, voice not shaking. Mana circulation holding steady.

He laughed, pleased. His other hand moved to her thigh.

"You Agilrach girls were always proud," he said. "Your father was proud too. I met him once, you know. At a tourney. He beat me. Did you know that?"

Heldia's blood went cold. "No, my lord."

"He beat me in front of the Empress's envoy," Jerren continued, edge creeping in. "A country duke with northern accent. He laughed about it after. Said I relied too much on my affinity and not enough on footwork. He was right. I hated him for being right."

His hand tightened, burn prickling her dress.

"And then demons did what I could not. Erased him. Fate is funny, is it not?" he said.

"It is not funny," Heldia said softly.

He blinked. "What did you say?"

"I said fate is not funny, my lord," she said, looking up with those bright red eyes. "It is just cruel. And sometimes cruel needs to be cut."

It was time.

She shifted, hand going to her hair as if to adjust braid.

"My lord," she said softly, "may I?"

She pulled bone hairpin free, long braided cyan hair with curly pony falling loose, and in one smooth motion she drove point toward side of his neck.

Jerren moved. Rune Knights do not become Rune Knights by being slow. Even surprised, drunk, his hand caught her wrist inches from throat. Wine goblet fell and shattered.

"What is this?" he snarled, his runes flaring bright orange, fire blooming along his skin, scorching her clothes until she almost exposed here and there. "You little bitch, what is this? You dare?"

Heldia screamed from effort and pushed with all strength built over ten years.

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

"You think you can kill me, slave?" he roared. "I am Jerren di Galum! I am a Rune Knight! You are nothing! You are a SLAVE!"

Then door banged open.

"Father?" It was Rooga, filling doorway. "What is going on? What is she doing?"

Half second distraction. Jerren's eyes flicked to son, grip loosened fraction, and Heldia twisted wrist and drove hairpin not into neck but into his Muscled Artifact that still on the loose.

*stab*

"Argh!" Jerren roared, but roar cut strangely. His arm went numb. Fire sputtered.

"What did you do?" he whispered, voice slurring. "What did you do to me?"

"The resin of the Erax tree," Heldia said, scrambling off lap, dress smoking. She grabbed letter opener from desk. "Known for its potent paralytic effects in medical field. You should read more, my lord."

Rooga lunged. "You whore! You poisoned him! I will kill you!"

He swung a fist. Heldia swung letter opener wildly and caught his cheek, opening red line from ear to mouth. Blood spilled onto fine rug.

"Do not come closer!" she shouted, blood on her hands now, breathing hard.

Alen entered behind Rooga, saw father slumped, paralyzed but eyes moving.

"Father?" Alen said, then looked at Heldia, at hairpin quivering in rune. "You, you did this. All of it."

"If I die, you die first," Heldia said, pointing opener at him, red eyes wet but blazing. "Do not touch bell rope or I swear I will drive this into his throat."

Outside, shouting started. Someone saw smoke from spilled brazier catching drapes. Someone screamed fire. Chaos she wanted.

Then from courtyard below came low howl that made hairs rise, not manor on fire sound, but howl of men who kill for coin.

Rooga clutched bleeding cheek, looked between father and doorway where death negotiated price. He made choice cruel boys make.

"Alen, get guards!" Rooga shouted and shoved past Alen, running, leaving father behind.

Alen did not run. He stared at Heldia.

"You think this will save you?" he said, voice shaking. "You think you can leave? The estate is surrounded. Do you hear that? That is not fire. That is The Cage. Bragin sold us out. You brought them here with your stupid stunt."

"I brought chaos," Heldia said. "Chaos does not ask permission."

The door to study shook as something heavy hit it from other side, not Rooga's shoulder but something larger.

"You are lying," Alen whispered.

"Am I?" Heldia said. "Listen."

Steel met steel in corridor. Someone screamed. Bell rang for true purpose now.

"If this is to be end of second daughter of Agilrach," she whispered to herself, "let it be on feet, with weapon in hand, and sisters beyond wall."

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around the same time..

*wham*

The door broke. Splinters rained inward and hallway beyond was full of shouting men not Galum guards. Their tabards dark, unmarked, colors of The Cage Guild when it did not want to be named. Bragin Gazmuth had sold them once, and perhaps he decided House that bought slaves cheap should be taught everything has interest.

Rooga's voice echoed down hall, panicked, "Guards! Guards! Intruders! The Cage is attacking!"

Alen looked at Heldia, then at father paralyzed in chair who could hear everything, resin ensuring mind stayed awake while lungs forgot.

"You," Alen said to Heldia, and for first time his clever cruel mask cracked. "You planned to kill him and run to old mill. Your sisters, they are at old mill, yes?"

Heldia's blood went cold. How did he know?

Alen smiled, terrible. "I heard you whisper this morning. I always listen, ghost eyes. I always listen."

Heldia tightened grip on letter opener, braided cyan hair half undone, fair skin smudged soot, red eyes reflecting flames licking drapes. She looked exactly like what old songs said Agilrach looked like when they went to war. Small, outnumbered, unwilling to kneel again.

"If you touch them," she said, voice low and deadly quiet, "I will not just kill your father. I will carve Galum from the maps the way demons carved Rachen. Do you understand me, Alen?"

The door exploded inward.

A man stepped through, not guard, not Galum, face scarred, lip split. Bragin Gazmuth himself, holding a short blade still wet.

"Well," Bragin said, looking at scene, at paralyzed Jerren, at bleeding Rooga down hall, at Heldia holding letter opener like sword, at Alen pale. "This is not how I left you, little northern mice. You grew claws"

"But I like claws. Makes the price higher."

"Bragin!" Alen shouted. "You traitor! Father paid you!"

"Father paid me ten years ago," Bragin said, shrugging. "Business changes. Someone paid more to see Galum burn tonight. And you, girl, you made my job easier. Where are your sisters? The twins? I have buyer who loves twins."

Heldia stepped between him and door, letter opener shaking but pointed.

"They are gone," she said. "You will not find them."

Bragin smiled. "We will see."

From below, she could hear a faint but clear voice through smoke and shouting. High, young, familiar.

"Kyaaakk..!!"

"IRINA!" Heldia shouted, and her voice broke for first time in ten years. "ERINA!"

She shoved past Bragin, past Alen, into hallway full of smoke and steel, running toward scream, toward kitchen yard, toward loose board by compost heap, toward old mill, toward only family left in a world that had tried for ten years to erase Agilrach Dukedom that governed six villages in north and was renowned for swordsmanship.

Behind her, Jerren di Galum sat paralyzed in chair, eyes moving, hearing everything, unable to do anything, while his house burned around him.

to be continued..

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