If everything worked out fine, he would get money for a new life. Revenge was a good thing, too. If not for that blonde bitch, he'd be living in Wellster as Baron Rois or maybe even a count...
She would pay him back for everything. That would only be fair.
***
Jerisson, Count Earton, was getting drunk, quiet and grim.
In truth, he was getting hammered the way a common coachman or a fisherman would get hammered. Nobody dared to disturb him, which is why Richard's visit was such a surprise.
And really, who could stop the king himself from making an appearance?
"Are you sitting down?"
"I am," Jess replied. "Will you drink with me?"
"Pour, then."
Richard personally produced a glass from a cupboard and pushed it toward the head of his royal guard.
Jess poured the wine, spilling a fair bit, and cursed.
"Don't waste the good stuff," Richard said, taking his bottle. "Let me pour it myself if you can't even aim at the glass."
"As if you don't know why!"
"I do," Richard replied, giving him such an intense glare that Jerisson noticed it even through his drunken haze. He really did know and understand. "I've lost the woman I loved, and you still have a chance to save Lilian."
"A chance? Richard, I couldn't even protect her!"
"You couldn't have foreseen that!"
"I saw that Avesterian goose plotting something! But we just laughed... As if Lily didn't have legions of fops trying to court her!"
"She did," Richard agreed. He couldn't argue with that. She had a lot of suitors. Lilian Earton's popularity was also caused by her complete and utter disregard of any men other than her husband.
Lily could easily hug Richard (although not in front of strangers) and was very friendly with her Virmans, but that was it.
It was clear that it was just friendship. Usually, men can feel if a woman is interested in them as if she's emanating a certain smell, like a flower opening its petals to a bee. But if she wasn't interested?
Lilian was like that. She was nice, charming, friendly, but she never saw any of the men around as, well, men. Friends?
Friends. Nothing more.
At first, Jerisson had been jealous, but with time, it started to amuse him. And really, with Lofrayne, Lily was clearly afraid of an international conflict. Ativerna was already at odds with Avester; there was no need to add more
"If only I ran my sword through him right away..."
"What if he did?"
Jess bumped his glass against the table.
"Lies! He'd never succeed!"
Richard shook his head.
"Lofrayne's a skilled duelist. He would have tried to cripple you."
"As if I'd let some brat maim me," Jerisson snapped.
Richard snorted.
"Do we want a war with Avester? If you ran him through..."
"There'd be no war!"
"Yes, we don't share a border with Avester, and Darkom and Ivernea are between us. But if they unleashed their pirates on us..."
"We have the Virmans now!"
"Yes, and Viriom is their ocean, but don't forget, our alliance isn't strong yet. I won't push Hardring. He still needs time to consolidate his position."
Jess sighed. He poured himself more wine and emptied the cup.
"Lofrayne, that bastard! I'll bury him alive!"
"Not yet."
"I'm sure he put Lilian on a ship..."
"Jess, you know that finding a ship in the sea is hard, even for Virmans. Letting them know, putting ships out...all of that takes time. You must realize that this scumbag is already far away. Still, we contacted Altver. They will try to intercept him. We know the name of the ship, its destination—they'll meet it halfway, I promise."
"And Ivernea?"
"I had a conversation with the ambassador. Still, after that failed attempt at engagement... It didn't even help that Lydia is happy with Count Lort now. After all, we took Maria from under their nose."
"Aren't the Iverneans trying to court Annabelle?"
"Yes, but Milia isn't sure she should marry her off to Ivernea. Maybe it will be better for her to stay home."
"At least we have friends in Wellster."
"For now, yes. It will be a while until they forget our heroics there."
Jess snickered, remembering how he saved Her Majesty and raced to the capital, worried about his wife and daughter.
"I wouldn't mind forgetting, but that's hardly possible."
"Iverneans won't help us. They won't put spokes in our wheels, but they won't do anything for us either."
"Bastards!"
"That, too. Pour some." Richard emptied the glass in one gulp. "Eww! It's pure acid!"
"At least it's strong," Jess replied, resentful.
“I see. Are you trying to get drunk?"
"I am! The worst thing is that I can't do anything, anything at all!"
“You can."
"Yes? Like what?"
"You know what Lilian was doing."
"I do."
"Let Miranda do her work while you help her and supervise."
"Are you crazy?"
"Why not?
"Lily's been giving lectures to doctoruses. Mirrie...well, she does know something about it, but it's not her thing."
"Let her prepare materials for din Dashar. He can read them and explain everything. What about Castle Taral? Mariella?"
Jess sighed.
"I'll talk to Mirrie. She knows what Lilian was doing. I'm afraid I didn't pay it as much attention..."
"You're the captain of my guard. You don't have to pay attention to that."
"I could have."
"Had I known where I would fall, I wouldn't have come to that place at all."
Jess snickered, remembering his wife's favorite saying.
"Fair enough. Pour me more, please."
Richard poured the wine into the glasses and raised his.
"To Lilian getting back home safe and sound."
“Yes!"
"Jess, you can't get hammered and drop everything off on me. I sent out a message. As soon as Lily turns up in Avester, they'll let me know."
“Oh, really?"
"Our entire network will look out for her. We have enough people in the harbor. Sooner or later, Lofrayne's ship will reach it, and Lily will come ashore. She's a woman of vibrant personality and conspicuous appearance..."
"Yes, she is!"
"And you'll have to go help her."
"Will you let me go?"
"Of course, I will! It's not like I can make you stay, anyway."
"That's right."
"But to do that, you must stay in shape. Prepare a ship to sail. The Virmans are eager to go with you, too. Gardren said that he'd write to Hardring personally. You'll be clearing Loris. I'll talk to Khangans, too."
"Amir Gulim won't mind either."
"Right. They're sick of pirates, anyway. Until now, those raiders were on Avesterian payroll, but if a scandal breaks out, we won't have a shortage of allies!"
Jess raised his glass.
"To that!"
"Bring it on!"
The men emptied their glasses, and Richard grabbed a slice of ham and quickly dealt with it.
"Nice! All right, so let's make a deal. You can drink tonight as much as you want, but from tomorrow, not a drop. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Pour some more. We'll find her, I promise."
Jess raised his glass in silence.
The men drank to Lilian Earton's luck. They believed in that woman, and she was going to need all the luck she could get.
***
The ship kept sailing forward, and Lily was angry.
The worst thing about being imprisoned was enforced idleness. She did have things to do—she was writing a book, she sewed herself a few more items, and the baron kept her busy, but... She was mad. She hated it.
And when a storm rolled in, she got another probl
em on top of the aforementioned one: nausea. Lily couldn't even look at the hardtack.
Thankfully, she wasn't squeamish and didn't mind experiments with food. She had never ever felt sick while watching certain videos about Chinese cuisine. It's not like she wanted to eat a worm or a centipede, but if her survival depended on that, she'd probably do that and more.
Weevils weren't something that could intimidate a medical student. She could remove the maggots and eat the hardtack, no problem. Just not when she was already puking her guts out all the time. It got so bad she was starting to fear for her baby. Muscle contractions might not end well; the womb was a muscle too. What if she got placental abruption?
Sometimes, being a medic was really hard. Ignorance is bliss; you could live in peace if you had no idea about what could go wrong early in the pregnancy. Knowing, however, made it so much scarier. Lily felt worried all the time.
Logically, she knew that everything was going to be all right, and the vast majority of women had survived it. But in her heart... She couldn't kill the coward in her.
One consolation was that Baron Lofrayne's visits had stopped. A woman with reversed peristalsis was a show not for the faint of heart. Lilian was grateful. Good riddance.
"Blecch!"
Ugh, to hell with this storm!
***
He felt cold, cold and disgusted. As the man watched the body lying at his feet, he couldn't feel anything else.
She was just another girl, the latest in a long line. For a second, his soul felt at ease, but it was only a second. What would come later?
Nothing, really. Just darkness and emptiness.
The deaths of the girls flashed like sparks, dispelling the darkness, but it never worked for long. Afterward, he would pick over the precious memories like shards of his shattered happiness.
But whose death could make him truly warm? Who was that woman?
He knew the answer. Could he really bring himself to do it, however? Could he actually get to Angelina Gardren? It seemed impossible...or was it?
That cold, that damnable cold. He craved heat, dreamed of warming his hands in hot blood.
But blood went cold so quickly and easily, becoming nasty and disgusting. Could her blood warm his icy hands once and forever?
He had to try.
***
The storm continued for four days and ended abruptly.
As Lily gazed out of the window, flecks of sunlight playing on the water, she felt sick—both physically and mentally. She was in no pain, but she didn't feel like living anyway. Such was the effect of captivity.
Someone knocked at the door, and Baron Lofrayne entered the cabin.
"Good morning, Your Grace."
"What do you want?"
"Lilian, would you mind taking a walk? It's really nice outside, and if I may escort you..."
Lilian didn't want anything from the baron, but going outside was a tempting idea.
The smell in the cabin wasn't exactly pleasant, especially compared to the sea and fresh air.
"Leave. I'll change."
Anthony bowed and disappeared behind the door. Lily clumsily braided her hair and started to dress. Thank God she could pull on her riding suit without anyone's help!
***
The sea. The sun. The wind...
Lily stood at the edge of the ship and absorbed those simple pleasures with every cell of her body. To the left, she could see a dim outline of land.
"What do we have there abeam?"
She didn't know nautical terms well, but it seemed to her that "abeam" meant ninety degrees to the ship's keel.
The baron shrugged.
"Ivernea."
"We're fast."
"We got lucky with the storm."
Lily bit her lip. The storm had carried them past Altver and the rest of Ativerna.
Her heart was heavy. What was going on back home? How was her family?
She turned around and headed to the cabin without saying a word. Tony tried to follow.
“Your Grace...”
"Baron," Lily snapped. "Go to Maldonaya!"
"I'll come by later to take you to dinner," Tony said, an innocent look in her green eyes. That did it.
All the things combined—the storm, her frustration, her vomiting, Ivernea...
"Baron," Her Grace said in an icy tone, "you're a scoundrel and a sleazebag."
Anthony opened his mouth and didn't close it back.
Once again, he was deceived by Lilian Earton's perceived calmness. A second ago, she was listening to him, never arguing or cursing, simply doing her work. What had happened all of a sudden? Lily still wasn't screaming; she was just standing in the doorway of the cabin. Her face, however...
Eyes like that could shoot lightning bolts.
"I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear you, and heed my words—if I find a way to destroy you, I won't even flinch. You tore me away from my family, my friends, my loved ones... I swear by Aldonai, even if I get just one chance to pay you back, you'll regret it for your entire life. Get away from me. You repulse me."
The door swung shut right in front of the baron's nose, and Anthony was left standing in the corridor like a fool. That venomous bitch!
For some reason, it wasn't hard for him to believe her threats or her promises. She was serious. If Lilian Earton got an opportunity, he wouldn't live long.
Any desire for conversation evaporated.
Fine. He would order the men to bring her food thrice a day. Let her stay in the cabin until Avester.
Anthony lowered the latch on the door. He couldn't even admit to himself that for a second, he felt scared. But women weren't to be feared, were they?
Still, fear stayed somewhere deep inside of him, touching his heart with its icy fingers.
Lilian wasn't joking. She wasn't joking even for a second. She would find a way to get hers. Could it be he was bringing his own death to Avester?
Ah, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Whatever he did, he risked a lot. But really, why was it so hard with women?
Tony sharply pulled at the latch and turned on his heel. Should he go stand on deck and watch the water? Or maybe just take a bottle and get drunk?
"Oh, bugger me!"
Anthony had an excuse—he was quite nervous. Still, he shouldn't have shouted so loudly.
Ellis Rois—it was he—bowed.
"Forgive me, Baron."
"Forgive you?" Anthony decided to let off his steam. "Forgive you?! You miserable wretch! Begone! Why are you loitering here, anyway? Are you snooping around?"
"I wasn't—"
"I'll tell the captain to lash you!" Tony snapped and rushed toward the deck.
Ellis clenched his fists.
Well, in that case...
Lofrayne had sealed his fate. Until that moment, Ellis had entertained killing Lilian Earton right in her cabin, but it was boring. Instead, he would bring the countess along, just as he had entertained before. Everything he wanted to do with her could be done ashore as well. Let Lofrayne know that he had lost. Let him suffer. Ellis would take Lilian Earton simply to spite the baron!
And really, what could be done with the countess aboard? Simply kill her? That wasn't enough. She deserved to know why she would die. She deserved to suffer. She deserved to suffer a very long time.
Why not? Ellis had been living a nightmare for so much time. Why should Lilian Earton, the one to blame for that, get away with seconds? That wouldn't do.
And so, Ellis went into the cargo hold, contemplating how to get Her Grace off the ship.
***
Of course, Anthony didn't go to the captain. A few minutes later, he completely forgot the annoying sailor.
As if he mattered! He was just some salted lowlife. Rabble. He wasn't worthy of Lofrayne’s thoughts! He dismissed the concern and stood on the deck to watch the sea and calm his nerves.
For some reason, he felt hurt, and he couldn't figure out why.
Who was Lilian Earton?
Nobody! An ordinary woman older than Lofrayne himself, not especially beautiful, not...
But lying to himself was pointless. He felt hurt because, for Lilian Earton, he was a nonentity. For women like Lady Seinel, Lofrayne was a miracle, a king, and Aldonai rolled into one. For Lilian Earton, though?
He was less than nothing. Worse than dirt.
It felt like an insult. He wasn’t sure why, but it did.
***
Lily was lying on the bed, barely holding back tears.
She still had a chance while the ship was going between Virma and the shore, still in the midst of Viriom's endless waters. That chance was slowly evaporating, with each minute and second, vanishing like water into sand. Almost nothing was left.
Her home, Jerisson, Miranda, Jyce, Roman, Jacob, her friends... Tears flooded her eyes.
Later, she would be strong. Later, she would put on a mask and never show her pain to anyone. But that would have to wait.
And so, Lilian Earton was sobbing her heart out, biting on her pillow, choking on a rag so nobody could hear her. She needed just half an hour to be weak...thank God the door was locked.
You will answer for this, Lofrayne! You will pay me back, I swear it!
Chapter 10
Hans Tremain was standing upright in front of His Majesty. He felt terrible, and no wonder about that.
"Your Majesty, at the moment, we have fourteen murders. Registered murders."
"And in theory?"
"There might be two or three times as many," Hans replied, lowering his eyes. "Those are the girls left in nice areas of the city. Those left in the slums...it's impossible to know."
Richard nodded. Each dead body was to be reported to a coroner, registered, and paid for to be examined and buried... That's what law-abiding citizens did. It made sense that if a person had been walking around a day before and was nowhere to be seen in the morning, their neighbors, at least, would take note.
But the slum-dwellers? Those rats, seemingly immune to every attempt to be eradicated, living outside the law, not caring about anything... The capital had catacombs; its foundation was ancient. It also had wells and the sea, where anything could be thrown...
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