Chapter 12; Onwards
Chapter 12; Onwards
/Isolde’s House
/Unith
Strung upon the hook of the wall. Bloodied bandages. One leg missing.
Darkness. Darkness everywhere he looked. Izaak was a lost man. Strung as a prisoner by the cruelest of men. He gave away his men’s position to his enemies.
Fool! Chronisc storm him!
But his life was at risk, he would do it again if he had to. Yet it was moments like these that reminded him of the truly worthless shit of a slave he was.
‘Oh Firion, our lord, save us all…’ He muttered under his breath.
***
‘I can’t fekhin believe it!’ Hvit said, chewing casually on a piece of hard meat.
‘Eh! Worthless he is. Fekhin traitor.’ Woura said, in disbelief.
They were all sitting in Isolde’s chamber, in a circle, Muriel in the centre, with a look of major stress on his face. He was still wearing a weirdly elongated robe, drooping like a dress from behind.
The only spy absent was Shen. Hvit turned to Isolde, who was sharply dressed in a simple, green uniform with no emblem emblazoned on it. He raised his hand to silence them all.
‘Pardon me, sir, for my disrespect earlier.’ Isolde said, with a tone of monotony.
‘You have been pardoned.’ Muriel said, soft and stumbling.
‘I want to know why! Why did you do it? How could you betray us?’
Isolde said, his voice echoing in his large and empty chamber.
‘I DID NOT BETRAY YOU!’ He screamed, almost in tears.
Hvit looked back at Muriel, wondering—how the hell did this whimpering man become a Knight?
Of course, he was a very conniving and intelligent man. He would get his way as and when he wanted—
Would he get his way this time around as well?
Was this all just an act?
Krilin’s fooled us all! I can’t tell with this man! Hvit thought. He eyeballed Muriel. It really did seem like an act to him.
Would he voice his words? Would he tell everyone that Muriel is going to—in some way or the other—trick the spies into some sort of trap he may have precisely set up?
Hvit had another look at the man. No. He was not lying. Muriel truly did not expect to find Isolde and Theren at Altheas’ hut.
He was going to spare Muriel on this one.
But why?
Maybe it was because he believed that although what Muriel did was very sly, it was for the betterment of the kingdom. It worked in consideration of the kingdom, and so Hvit believed him to be a truthful and honest man. His parents back in Etathes always taught him to put faith in people when he believed in them for himself.
Muriel swallowed once more, winced his eyes and started blinking nervously. Isolde stared intently at the robed man, as if waiting for another reply. Pires looked away in disgust, raising a hand in a rant, right after whispering something into Dek’s ear. Connor stood silently in the far end of the room; as an apprentice, he still wasn’t ready to participate in the actual group discussions. Rob and Evan kept silent in the circle, nothing to say, letting their superiors decide.
Hvit, on the other hand was a far more expressive man, with a loud mouth and a large attitude. He acknowledged himself to be such a man, and he loved being one as well. He chewed on his hard meat, showing nonchalance from the outside, but wondering about the truth, about the whole situation’s actual proceedings thoroughly in his brain. His habit of chewing hard meats helped him think.
‘I swear it to you by Krilins above and his grave, I have not betrayed you!’
‘Then why were you standing at Altheas’ hut with the Crocs?’ Isolde said, stern and calm. Where had he gained such an aura of commandment? He was man of nothingness like the rest of them before Theren rescued them, so how did Isolde have such a commanding prospect to him?
Focus, y’dumb bastard! Hvit thought to himself.
‘M'ro, I swear it to you, even if I was there, there is a very simple explanation! Everything we do together, I go to Lord Rolan and tell him it is the work of the official spy group of the kingdom, but is actually yours.’
‘So that is betraying us! For years you have been openly reporting to someone else, working as a double agent. You don’t serve Theren, you serve her drunk pig of a father!’
***
‘You don’t serve Theren, you serve her drunk pig of a father!’
Words that Muriel will never forget.
***
Hvit widened his eyes as Isolde casually passed off remarks on one of the most important coverlords in all of Loazer.
Still, even as Isolde hatefully flung insults at Muriel, he managed to look his sharpest while doing so. A keen, but stern, eye watched over Muriel. An expressionless face showed his will to interrogate. Truly, Isolde was a master at his art.
Why am I letting myself ponder on such unnecessary things right now? Hvit thought, chewing on his jerky and continuing to intently listen to the conversation, which seemed to take long for all the straying thoughts he had in between their exchanging of words.
Muriel took a deep breath and shook his head.
‘Isolde, I have worked four long, hard, yet productive years with you. I am not going to take this stupid falling out and allow this to be an excuse for all of you to relieve me of my duties! I…you know what? Do it! I am a traitor am I not? I did report to the others did I not? But know that you are only doing this out of spite, and jealousy, you loathsome bastard!’ Muriel screamed.
‘You are no longer commissioned to the duties of Rean.’ Isolde said.
‘He didn’t do anything anyways.’ He could hear Pires whisper to Dek judgementally in the faint distance.
‘Very well.’ Muriel said, in a very monotone fashion.
‘Untie me.’ Muriel said. Isolde let him free.
Something felt awfully wrong about it to Hvit, as if they were all somehow being manipulated by this child of Chronisc, The short Knight.
***
Oh! Finally, my arms are free. Muriel began descending the stairs of Isolde’s house. The last time he would ever. He grinned slightly.
He looked down, as if he were expected somebody.
No one was there, down all four flights, and so he whistled.
A small, scrawny paige came running up.
‘Yes, sir?’
‘Tell Shen I am ready to meet him.’ Muriel said, looking onwards