Lily only lost her temper once—when the baron tried standing behind her back. He even put his hand on the table.
Lily decided to avoid actual bodily harm. Instead, she drove her scissors into the table with enough force to bend the soft metal. She aimed right between the baron's fingers.
"I won't miss next time," Lily warned him.
The baron heeded her words and stopped breathing down her neck. That didn't prevent him from talking, though.
Still, those were words, but the braying of an ass does not reach heaven. Actually, any self-respecting college student was used to ignoring up to six lectures a day, and Lily was no exception.
Well, she had paid attention to everything that had to do with medicine, but political studies? Philosophy? Literature?
She genuinely didn't think that any of that had any bearing on a person's ability to be a doctor, and if so, she could turn her brain off and do something else. Philosophy 101, for instance, was a great time to copy down lecture notes, and she could brush up on anatomy during political science classes.
The baron quickly realized that she wasn't listening to him but decided to grin and bear it. What if she changed her mind?
After all, with time, a river could cut through rock.
And so, the baron kept cutting as much as he could.
***
The captive's daily routine was far from diverse. After several days, Ellis Rois had learned it by heart.
In the morning, she was escorted to breakfast. Then the baron came to visit her and stayed there until noon, also accompanying her to lunch. At three bells, they returned to the countess' cabin. Ellis managed to eavesdrop on them once, but it didn't look like they were shagging. The baron kept talking, and Lilian Earton never said a word, instead opting to keep silent. After dinner, the baron led her back to her cabin and left her alone.
Ellis had no idea what she was doing there. The door was locked on both sides, although there was only a latch outside. There was always a sentry there—and sooner or later, one of Rois' debtors would take that shift. Maybe it would even be Ellis himself. He would have to calculate what was better for him.
By the way, the emeralds on the captive's neck were the real deal, top quality—in her bracelet, her earrings, her rings... The count had spared no expense for his wife. If Ellis took them and a boat, he could reach the shore.
After that, he would be as good as gone. They might as well go on a wild-goose chase. They'd never find him. He had a real chance to take revenge and make a fortune along the way.
But how was he to persuade Lilian Earton to unlock the door from the inside? He couldn't break it; it would make too much noise.
Ellis spent a few days thinking and finally came up with a solution. It wasn't hard for him to get a piece of parchment and scribble a few words with a piece of coal, signing it as "Count Altres Lort." All that remained to do was plant the note in her room—and find an occasion to talk to the countess.
***
Lilian was angry.
She had spent several days making herself a pair of pants, which she took to wearing under her skirt, and a couple of shirts, even trimming the cloak given to her by the generous Lofrayne. A question emerged: what was she to do next? Continue sewing? Offer to mend the wardrobe of the entire crew? Go help the doctorus?
Please. Lilian was never in danger of becoming a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. Actually, her captors stood a higher chance of becoming victims. Why would she help those who abducted her? Not even out of necessity or conviction, but simply because they were paid to do so?
Don't count on it.
Should she just sit tight and listen to the baron's blabbering? That risked giving her another bout of seasickness. That wouldn't do.
But soon enough, Lily found herself a pursuit. She decided to write.
There were a couple of notebooks and an ink pot lying around, and if someone had actually put them in her cabin—who knows for what reason—she would avail herself of the opportunity.
So what have we here? Math! She had never gotten enough time to write a basic math textbook for children, interesting and engaging, with funny stories about numbers and their properties. Never divide by zero, integers and fractions, imaginary and rational numbers...
Fine, the latter part was too much; children didn't need that. Still, they could at least learn about positives and negatives.
She had her own offspring, as did the Virmans in her employ. Soon, her friends would have their own children.
Why not give them something interesting and useful to read? Thankfully, Lily remembered a lot from her own childhood. But at home, she was always busy in Taral, with her father, or at the palace, not to mention taking care of her family.
All of that was a serious time sink.
Locked in a cabin on a ship in the middle of nowhere, however, she had time aplenty. What else was there to do, really?
At that moment, Lily was busy drawing an energetic zero wearing shorts and side bangs. She thought a bit and added riding boots, a small rapier, and a plumed hat. All it all, it looked rather good. Why not? A nobleman Zero.
But how was she supposed to explain what zero meant and what was its point? The decimal system was a useful thing, but the best way of teaching children science, any science, was via playing, or they simply wouldn't care.
The baron kept asking what Her Grace was writing, but Lily wasn't going to share. She wrote in her native script, too. If anything happened, she would take the notebook with her; nobody would understand a word, anyway. And if she had to leave it... She'd feel bad about her work, of course, but at least her memory was good enough to rewrite it from scratch.
She had read so many interesting things in her childhood—well-written and funny stories about math, physics, everything. If a person wanted to learn, there were no bounds. Just read.
Sewing, however, was easier. It didn't require much thinking; the hands could do everything automatically. Trying to recall math problems to the baron's constant droning was a challenge. Lily was so sick of him! Still, she managed to catch some of the things he told her, even writing them down in the very same notebook.
As he described the wonders and the beauty of the Avesterian court, Anthony let many secrets slip. Who slept with whom, who loved whom, the feuds, the intrigues... How could she not record all of that?
Lily was going to get home, so she would use any information she might come across. She would never let the Avesterians off the hook. She'd find a way to pay them back. But to do this, she needed to learn all that she could about her enemies.
Keep talking, Milord. Keep talking. In the end, I'll use every crumb of your information, I promise.
***
Ellis Rois didn't act immediately. He considered every detail, formulated a plan, and started carefully executing it.
Was it hard, getting the note to the countess?
Why would it be? He just had to wait until he was assigned to guarding the cabin and slip it inside. He had to wait almost five days for his shift, but it didn't matter. It allowed him to think everything over a few more times.
The countess' jewelry would last him a few years. All he had to do was to wait until the ship sailed past Ivernea. Then he would act.
At first, he had wanted to enter the cabin, quietly strangle the countess, take off her trinkets, get into a rowboat, and sail away. He might even throw a burning torch inside as he left to buy himself time while they were putting out the fire. The countess wouldn't care anyway, seeing as she would be dead, heh.
But nature had a sense of humor, and the coast of Ivernea didn't favor ships. Its shoreline was broken and irregular, studded with reefs and shallows. One day, you might pass through unperturbed, and on another, run aground. There were also spongy marshes. No, he better not disembark in Ivernea. Local ports were few and far between, and a ship needed a pilot to navigate the dangerous waters around them.
Avester, however, had more potential. Its coastline was covere
d with thick woods up to the Perilous Pass itself. What if he waited for the ship to approach the strait and get out right there? He would have to travel through the woods before reaching civilization, but it didn't seem that scary. He was no girl. He would make it. Nobody would look for him—nobody could.
As for the countess, he could even bring her along. Tell her that he was Lort's man and have his way with her on shore. First, get some fun and then kill her.
Ellis nodded to his own thoughts. Really, it was a good thing he changed his mind. What was the point in killing the countess right away? Killing was a simple thing but quite wasteful. At least that way, he would get a toy on top of her jewels and revenge. After all, he hadn't been with a woman for a month...
When left on watch outside the cabin door, Ellis waited for the hour before dawn, making sure that everyone was asleep, and scratched at the door, first quietly and then a little bit louder.
Lily didn't respond immediately. She preferred to spend her nights sleeping, and she was a sound sleeper, too. Her body knew that after giving birth, sleep would be hard to come by, and stocked up on it in advance. Lilian never woke up easily.
Still, someone was knocking. Of course, she didn't unlock the door. Instead, she came up to it and asked, quiet but firm, "What the hell do you want?"
"Your Grace, have you been abducted?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Lily was angry. So they woke her up to tell her something she already knew? Great. Such a surprise. She wasn't thrilled.
"No. I'm from Wellster. Greetings from Count Lort."
That was a real wake-up call. Lily felt a wave of adrenaline roll across her body as if she were hit with a stun gun.
"From whom?"
"Altres Lort, Your Grace. You really helped him out back then with Alcine...I have a note from him."
Lily's breath stopped in her throat. Could it be she wasn't alone among enemies? Could it be she had an ally?
"What does it matter what happened five years ago?"
"Not five, Your Grace, two and a half... Time flies."
Lily swallowed the lump in her throat and somehow pulled herself together. Her voice wasn't shaking—well, maybe only a little—and she wasn't really trembling out of worry. She was simply cold from standing barefooted on the floor.
"All right. So what do you want, Wellsterian?"
"I'm offering you a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"I'll help you escape, and you'll pay me for that a good sum of money. I do know about Mariella."
Lilian felt better. Him mentioning profit let her breathe easier. Now, if the man behind the door started bringing up his noble motives, that would have scared her. However, wanting something in exchange for freeing her seemed normal. The whole world worked on the quid pro quo basis.
"Won't the count rip off your head for such a proposal?" Lily asked.
"I'd rather serve you. Will you have me?"
Lily considered the question. On the other hand, what did she have to lose? Nothing prevented her from saying yes. She wasn't going to lie about accepting him. There was always the option of finding a place for a loyal man—maybe with Hans or August. He'd never want for money.
"I will. How will we escape?"
She still hadn't opened the door, however. You never know. Better just talk through the door, whispering. Throwing her arms around the savior's neck would wait until he took action.
"I'll find a way to talk to you later. For now, prepare yourself. When we get closer to Avester, I'll be watching the door. There are guards here every night. You must know that."
"I do."
True, Anthony didn't think that a latch on the door would be enough, which is why every night, one of the sailors played the part of a sentry. Lily, in turn, locked the cabin from the inside, just in case. Of course, they could simply break down the door, but it would make a lot of noise and take enough time for her to prepare a retaliation and for Anthony to come running.
"When I take watch, open the door. We'll get into a rowboat and sail away. However, we'll have to spend a while traveling through the woods. Can you do it?"
Lily paused for a few minutes, "I can, but I'll have to take a few things with me. Supplies, a tinderbox..."
"I'll take care of that."
"Then, I can. Just try to get me some footwear, any kind. My boots might not survive long."
"I'll try, although it won't be easy."
"If you help me, I promise you a good life till the end of your days," Lilian said.
“I will. All right, go to bed. Talking is dangerous; someone might overhear us," Ellis snapped.
For a second, he hesitated. Maybe he should really help the countess? Not assault her right away but bide his time? Or even try to lead her out of the forest to people and get a reward? There were many rumors about Lilian Earton, but one thing was certain: she always kept her word. If she promised something, she would do it, which is why getting her promise was almost impossible.
No, that was bollocks. She was a woman! All of them were stupid and hysterical, unable to travel through the woods and only good for one thing. The countess couldn't be much better.
No, he better not take her with him. Her trinkets were enough. And really, what did a promise matter? Everyone was sweet when in trouble, but as soon as it was over, they would turn on you in an instant.
No, he wouldn't bring Lilian Earton along. He would kill her in her cabin, leave the body, burn the ship, and get away to live off the jewelry for a few years. The rest didn't matter.
Still, even if she was a woman, she had a good point about preparations. What would he need in the woods? Not a lot of things, but quite a few—something to sleep on, something to start a fire with, something to cook with, a weapon...
Well, and rations. That was the biggest issue, actually. On the other hand, it was the middle of summer. Unlike spring, by this time, there was plenty of food in the forest, as long as you were smart enough to obtain it. Ellis thought himself smart. Hunting, gathering mushrooms, picking berries...Well, and take some hardtack, too. He wouldn't starve.
Yes, it was time to get ready to say goodbye to the ship.
If only Ellis knew what Countess Earton was thinking about, he wouldn't be so self-assured. Or would he? After all, she was a woman. Just some bitch.
***
Lily was lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling of the cabin. It was low and dark, just like her thoughts, all uneasy and stirred up. Still, she had to think. She didn't know her rescuer's name or his face. She knew nothing.
Could Lofrayne be setting her up? Absolutely. Could it be a ploy to get into the cabin? Easily. She would unlock the door only to be attacked by a dozen sailors, unable to protect herself. Actually, even three would be enough.
She had no weapons. Nobody would provide her any guarantee. Lort's name didn't necessarily mean much; the count himself might have no idea that someone was using it. That ship seemed quite small for his agents, anyway.
So what was left for her to do? Only one thing: to go for it.
She wasn't sure if she had a chance of escaping there but in Avester... In Avester, she would have none.
The question was how to protect herself in case of an emergency? What kind of weapon did she have?
A knife? Nobody would let her have one. Scissors? Those defective ones barely fit for cutting a strand of hair? They wouldn't do either, and a needle was no weapon at all. What else could she think of?
Lily smiled and pulled out her hair clip. It was large and elegant, made of gilded silver: two combs tied to each other via pearl strings. Inside, however, they were simply iron rather than silver. Metal like that was usually used to forge weapons.
Two combs, and each comb had prongs that could be sharpened. She could also sharpen the edge of each comb.
Time to get to work.
Slowly, an hour or two every night, she would sharpen her hair clip until she got a weapon of sorts. You could say it was nonsense,
but it was still protection. The best weapon was an unexpected one. As long as her hands were free, Lily would find a way to make use of the opportunity. Her hand would be steady.
She looked at the combs and chuckled. She remembered that thieves and robbers had once used coins with sharpened edges as a weapon. If caught, they would simply claim they got them as change and didn't know the source.
It was the same with a comb: a common item that could be pulled out of your hair and fiddled with. She could simply say she had a neurosis, and picking over the beads of pearls helped her calm down. That shouldn't raise any suspicion.
As for sharpened coins, they could be used for more than cutting pockets. You could use one to slash someone's hand or eye.
Lily wasn't sure why she'd need such combs, but it was better to play it safe. She didn't want to be completely unarmed. A scalpel would be perfect, but alas, it was quite beyond her reach.
That settled it. She'd take a risk, and whatever happened, happened. Whether good or bad, she couldn't lose a single opportunity. In a month or two, her pregnancy would become obvious; she couldn't allow that. If they started threatening her baby, she might break. She had to flee, and flee before reaching Entor.
Until then, breathe in, breathe out...and relax. First, she had to slacken her facial muscles, then the ones in her neck and shoulders... And then, sleep.
A new day was coming. Time for her to start her game.
As for Lofrayne, she hoped that His Majesty would eat him for lunch. It would serve the bastard right.
Lily focused on relaxing and quickly zoned out, while Ellis kept standing watch outside her door and smiling, calculating his future gains. An emerald choker, a bracelet, rings, a few other small trinkets... It would last him a while. Maybe he wouldn't squander the money, instead buying himself a tavern or marrying well, investing them.
Was that a good career for a leir? Much better than being a sailor, in any case, or a mercenary. He had no money, and everybody and their dog kept trying to kill him. He had to take a gamble.
A New World Page 27
