“Get off me, varmint!” Lord Oberon growled back at the dog. Another crash made me jump and a startled whimper escaped Bear. My heart twisted with anger, and I shook from all the pent-up fury inside of me.
He can’t do this! He can’t treat people like this! My fuming thoughts broke once more as a new voice entered the fray.
“Luke! What in the realms do you think you are doing?” Lady Jenna cried out in horror. I had never been so happy to hear that woman’s irritating voice. Maybe he would stop his rampage now that his wife was involved.
“Oh, hello there, dear,” the lord replied with an unhinged chuckle. “I’m simply enacting some discipline on our dear son. It would appear that he knows a little more about the missing files than we originally thought.” A sick laugh erupted from the man. “I’m just asking him some questions, but he doesn’t seem to be cooperating.”
I held my breath, desperately hoping that Lady Jenna would recognize her husband’s deranged manner and call for help. Even if she was in on the business, surely, she wouldn’t let things go this far.
She let out a long, exasperated sigh, “Oh, Elias... why can’t you just cooperate?”
I clapped a hand over my mouth in utter shock. Was she defending her husband!? After seeing what he was doing to Elias? I wanted to be sick, but my anger expressed more of a desire to wring throats.
“Mother?” Elias sounded dazed, and I worried about his condition. “What are you saying? Do you not see what he did?”
“Oh, I see, dear... he’s always had a bit of a temper,” she explained casually. “His ugly side comes out when our work is threatened. Now, darling, we don’t want things to get out of hand. Just tell us where the files are and we can talk over the rest at a more decent hour.”
I wanted to scream. They had approximately two more minutes before I blazed out of the bed with a gravestone prearranged for them both.
“I don’t have any files,” Elias declared bravely. I clutched the satchel tighter to my chest. He was right; they were in my possession at the moment, and there was no force in the world that would pry it away.
“That’s not a good answer, boy.” Lord Oberon raised his voice, and I began to wonder if any servants would hear the commotion. “This is your last warning, or we’ll find the girl ourselves. And when we do, she’ll be going back to her family inpieces.”
I held back a gasp. Would they really kill me just to cover up their secrets? If they were willing to murder, then what would they risk doing to Elias? I pressed my hands deep into the bed, preparing to jump out at any moment.
“Father! Do you hear what you’re saying?” Elias shouted. “You’re speaking of murder! Over what...? Some documents?”
“Elias, dear,” Lady Jenna spoke this time, “we only do what’s necessary. You’ll understand one day, I’m sure, but it doesn’t have to come to that. We only want to retrieve what’s ours, then your little friend can be on her way. If she keeps quiet, she can live happily ever after with her little betrothed. Everyone’s happy. Just tell us where she went. Did you help her out the window? That worthless bounty hunter hasn’t found her, so clearly, she must have had help.”
“You’re vile,” Elias spat. “Both of you. If I knew where Aurelia or the files were, I would rather die than give them up to you. The things you’ve done, the criminals you service... you both deserve to rot in a jail cell for the rest of your lives.” A horrid silence crossed the air until the subtle sounds of a door latching shut and a lock turning made my blood run cold.
“Suit yourself, dear,” Lady Jenna said coldly. “It’s truly unfortunate you couldn’t be more open-minded. This business could have made you the richest man in all of Isalla. Luke, darling, keep him alive for now. We’ll need him around in case the Lockly twit already made it off the property with the files. But he doesn’t need to be awake for awhile.”
A grotesque chuckle resounded from the lord, and I lost all control. I flung myself out from the bed, leaving the satchel behind. I threw my body onto Lord Oberon’s back. Lady Jenna screamed at my attack, but I focused on the man in front of me. He clawed at my small frame, trying to wrench me off his body, but I clamped my arms tight around his throat.
In the midst of his thrashing, I noticed the horrid state of the room. Broken pieces of furniture were scattered across the floor, along with a wooden chair leg that the lord had dropped to the floor from my attack. Elias lay next to Bear, who was now favoring his front paw. I squeezed his throat tighter as my fury for the creature funneled into my strength. Elias didn’t look much better. A trickle of blood ran from his forehead, indicating a head injury. The sight of his blood distracted me for a moment, and I lost my concentration. My grip eased for only a moment, which allowed the lord to take a breath. He used the new strength to grab my hair and yank me to the floor.
I screamed out in pain as he lifted me from the floor by my hair. Elias shot up from the ground, the wooden chair leg in his hands.
“Don’t touch her!” he shouted furiously. He brought the makeshift club down unto the arm that held my hair. The lord retracted the limb instantly, cursing from the pain. At some point during the conflict, Lady Jenna had unlocked the door and fled. Sounds of her yelling for help echoed on the lower floors. We didn’t have much time before she turned the whole house against us.
With my hair freed, I dashed for the satchel and threw it around my shoulder. Lord Oberon’s eyes grew wide at the bag as he cradled his injured arm. He made a lunge toward me, but Elias was faster. He threw the bench seat at his father which sent him straight to the floor. Elias turned back toward Bear, picking up the massive Great Pyrenees without even a hint of strain.
“Let’s go.” He shot me a determined look and I nodded. It was a race now. We had to get our story to the capital before the Oberons could spread their fabricated tales. We had the upper hand as long as we had the evidence, but first we needed to escape the manor.
Together we dashed through the halls, careful to avoid areas with heavy foot traffic. We made it down the stairs far faster than we anticipated, but when we touched the lower floor, Lawrence appeared out of the shadows.
“Hold it right there!” His clacking heels raced toward us, and I fled on instinct.
Elias followed me, only a few steps behind, and his breaths sounded labored from holding the massive dog. I dashed toward the kitchen, hoping for once that the rear servant’s entrance would be unlocked. As I swerved the corner, I was forced to skid to a stop before I crashed into an unexpected figure. Elias collided into me, unable to see as clearly around the fluffy black mound of fur. When he came to a stop, he peered around Bear to see what had prevented me from running.
“Madam Gillian?” he said aghast between labored breaths. The stoic woman stood directly in front of the servant’s entrance in a lavender nightgown and sleeping cap. Her cross-looking expression made me swallow nervously. She didn’t seem eager to let anyone pass.
I looked anxiously between Elias and her, listening with terror to Lawrence’s incoming heels. Madam Gillian eyed us both for a considerably long moment before finally letting out a huff. “You need to hurry,” she whispered in her gruff voice. Before either of us could question her motives, she produced a key from her nightgown pocket and placed it into the door’s lock. The click that followed sent the door swinging wide open, revealing the fresh night air. “I’ll hold off Lawrence as long as I can, but you need to get those files to the court.”
My mouth dropped open at her unexplained knowledge. “How did you know—”
“You’re not the only one who’s been spying around this house.” She rushed out the words while pushing us through the exit. “I would have reported them myself if I’d known where they kept the blasted paperwork. Now go!” She ushered us down the garden steps before returning to the doorway. Before shutting the door, she turned back one last time to shout into the night. “Send those devils to rot in jail!”