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Something Darker; Chapter 5

V--Violet

By Katarzyna CrevanPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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My head is pounding, and I feel sore all over. Groaning, I force myself to sit up.

Zanthus is sitting down by my feet, and he looks pissed. His tail twitches.

You should have listened, he growls.

I'm not in the mood to apologize. I push myself off the ground. "I needed answers."

A lot of good they'll do you if you're dead.

Choosing to ignore him, I whistle for Frowin. A few seconds later, Frowin plods between two trees. "Well, maybe you should have a chat with your ever so helpful Chaser, which has only led us to a dead end."

Zanthus doesn't respond. His way of telling me to elaborate.

"I saw my mother. She was writing some letter to a Lord Devon It was about some deal, protecting me, and the Courts." I notice Zanthus's tail twitch. It's such a small twitch, I almost miss it.

For getting superior tutoring, you can be rather dense, Zanthus states calmly.

I glare at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Who is the Lord of this town?

We were in the town of Havenwoods. I think for a second, sorting through all the names and places I had been forced to memorize.

"Lord Calus. Son of the late Lord and Lady Calus," I recite from memory. "How does that help?"

Zanthus's tail twitches. Continue.

I look at him incredulously. He doesn't say anything. Sighing, I start from the beginning. "The Lord of Havenwoods is Lord Calus, son of Lord and Lady Calus. The late Lord Calus inherited the title from his parents, Lord and Lady Calus, as his father had from his grandfather and his grandfather from his great grandfather the first Lord Calus of Havenwoods. The first Lord Calus of Havenwoods became the Lord of Havenwoods when he married Lord Devon's onl-." I freeze and look at Zanthus. "Lord Devon was the Lord of Havenwoods."

Zanthus nods. Precisely.

"But Lord Devon was Lord near," I pause to count silently to myself, "Four generations ago. Surely if he had lived long enough to meet my mother his name would be well known."

Tell me, what else do you know about the history of the Lords of Havenwoods.

I think for a second. "Not much else. I recall being told that Lord Devon had had two children, a son, and a daughter, but his son died, leaving him with only a daughter, which would account for the change in Lordship. There were some kind of mysterious circumstances around his son's death. Then something happened. I think he fell out of favor with the crown. The King chose the Calus's to be the next Lords of Havenwoods."

Hm. It appears I will have to pick up the slack of their teaching. Zanthus sits up straighter as if preparing to give a lesson. Yes, Lord Devon had two children, but his son didn't die. He went missing. Went out one night with a friend and they never came back. Lord Devon was determined to find his son. He more or less became a recluse. Spent most of his time in his study. Did very little of his job. So of course the king wasn't all too happy with him. Then one day, after a couple of months, Lord Devon left. Disappeared in the night. A few days later his son showed up. The following day, his son died. They say that during the time his son was back and alive he kept rambling on about shadows.

Zanthus blinks his eyes and waits for me to respond. "The Shadow World. They got mixed up in the Shadow world. How does that help?"

Well, some people want to join the Shadow World because sometimes, it leads to immortality.

"So. . .Lord Devon might still be alive. I need to go to the Calus's castle. They'll have records on what Lord Devon was looking into. I can get a new lead."

I spin towards Frowin.

Now? Zanthus inquires. It's evening.

I don't want to wait, but Zanthus has a point. I have no idea if my brother has decided to tell the nobles that I'm missing or what. An evening visit would be a bad idea. I've been out in the woods all day. I need to get some food and take care of any injuries I have from hitting the tree. If I don't, I'll be slow, giving Lord Calus more time to react to whatever orders Micah has put out.

"Fine," I say, placing my left foot in the stirrup and pushing off the ground with my right. "I'll go in the morning."

Zanthus blinks at me, his big green cat eyes empty of emotion, yet full of knowledge. He doesn't say anything, just sits there, watching me. I return his gaze from the top of Frowin. Finally, he stands and turns with a flick of his tail.

Your eyes are gold again, he comments as he gently plods away from me.

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About the Creator

Katarzyna Crevan

Hi! I enjoy writing and have been writing for some years now. I hope you enjoy my writing!

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