Chapter 46:
Asarus’s Study
Most city lights are out. Midnight passed a few hours ago. Trevus and I watch Lady Norah’s mansion from a low roof tucked behind two walls. The dark streets are empty, with the only noise being a cricket’s chirping.
“Let us begin.” Trevus slides off the roof and climbs over the short decorative wall that marks the enclave.
I follow him. His black shirt and pants are near invisible in the alley’s shadows. My figure is hidden too, with a dark dress supplemented by his leather jacket.
The circular mansion looks even taller when approaching from the side. It’s four stories high, excluding the spires and towers that sprout out the roof. We trace the outer city wall, staying out of sight of the soldiers patrolling its ramparts. The wall skirts the eastern side of the grand home, leading us straight to it.
We reach a wooden back door – a small servant entrance that’s deliberately obscured. Trevus jabs his knife into the door’s seam. Using the handle for leverage, he forces the little latch apart and pops open the lock.
The door creaks open. I follow Trevus inside, closing it behind us to hide our intrusion. We’re in a long pantry that’s so dark it makes discerning Trevus’s figure nearly impossible.
I take the lead, running my hand along a shelf for guidance. We enter a kitchen illuminated by moonlight – I remember this one. The grand staircase is to the left and so are Coranius’s quarters. We stay clear of his room and head up the thin servant staircase that leads to the second story.
Both the study and Lady Norah’s bedroom are on this floor. I take slow steps, gently placing my boots toe to heel as quietly as possible. Trevus is so silent that I have to look back to make sure he’s still there.
I approach the study, deliberately avoiding looking at Asarus’s giant portrait. Now isn’t the time to invite emotions in.
I test the study door – still locked. Trevus steps forward with his knife. The latch snaps as it breaks, the noise making me wince.
The door opens. We step inside, closing it behind us.
The small study consists of a wooden desk, bookshelves and a large, curtained window. Another painting hangs on the wall – a younger Asarus in a purple oban. I take it for a closer look, angling it under the moonlight. His age in this portrait is closer to when he took me. My muscles are tense, but I don’t know if it’s from the memory or because we’ve snuck in here.
A gold stripe adorns his shoulders, different to the noble uniforms in Lystra. An older design maybe? He wasn’t wearing a uniform on the day of the attack. A Versillian military would find that unacceptable. His invasion wasn’t sanctioned by King Tytius.
Trevus lights a lamp, brightening the room. An open book rests beside a map on the desk. A series of chalk lines cross the map, each emanate from Zaybeth and lead to a different settlement.
“Route planning,” Trevus whispers. “Each line is a possible path for his journey. They pass through a series of villages, but all terminate at either Joran, Novayar or Tarsis.”
“What’s significant about those cities?” I ask.
“The only trait they share is their region – north west, approaching the Mephian border.” Does that mean he’s going to Mephia?
I follow the lines on the map. Each pass through a few villages before ending. “So, he prefers spending nights in comfortable beds?”
“These routes are too indirect for mere shelter. They are deliberate detours. He’s either trading or recruiting.”
Recruiting men from local villages would mean he’s building another militia, like the one brought to my home.
I look over the map. There are still so many paths he could have taken. We’d don’t even know if his destination is Joran, Novayar or Tarsis. We need more information.
A book lays splayed open beside the map. A handful of pages have been torn out. Asarus must have taken them before locking the door, not spending the time to clean it up. He left in a hurry.
My eyes trace the words – ‘Aklha nomansh vro thentha sha moras’. I can’t read it.
“‘Tis old tongue,” Trevus says. “I recognize the script but cannot interpret the meaning.”
Why does Asarus, an exiled Versillian lord, have so much interest in a book full of old tongue?
The study door opens, and there’s a feminine gasp. Lady Norah is at the door. “Jade!?”
I still, my gaze locked on hers. Trevus is already in the shadows, the lamp blown out.
Norah’s eyes narrow. “I invite you into my home, and you return in the evening as a burglar?”
Trevus moves to the edge of the door, out of sight but ready to pounce on anyone who enters.
“I am not a burglar,” I say. “I wouldn’t be in this room if I was.” Her jewelry collection isn’t even on this floor.
“You’re going straight to a cell.” She takes in a breath to shout, “Cor-”
“Coranius will fall,” I interrupt her. “My partner is here too, and I guarantee he’ll fare better in a confrontation.”
Trevus snaps a wooden leg of the thin table in the corner, the noise echoing loud enough for her to hear. The torn piece of wood will serve as his makeshift weapon. A residential guard won’t stand a chance against a trained captain.
She folds her arms. “
What
are you doing in my husband’s study?” Her voice spits venom. Though I was hoping to avoid her, she still Asarus’s wife. She may have answers.
Norah stands at the study threshold. I step around the desk so it’s no longer between us. “Did Lord Asarus ever share about his expedition into Mephia?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Norah says. “Asarus is Versillian. They don’t get along with Mephians.”
“The expedition is the reason he fled Versillia.”
“Fled!?” Her nose crinkles up. “He left to gain better control of his land. Troublemakers were sabotaging his rule.”
That’s true in the sense that it would be difficult to control land after death. “Asarus is lying to you. King Tytius would have his head if he caught sight of him. Tell me, where has Asarus gone?”
“So you can harass him in the middle of the night too? Forget it.”
“Do you even know why he has left?” I ask.
“Of course. It was a cursed poster he found on the hall doors. A girl from his past is out causing trouble, and for some reason he’s convicted to put her in her place. I saw the…” her voice trails off.
The angry lines on her face disappear, and her eyes widen at the realization. She takes a small step back. For the first time tonight, she appears frightened.
She raises her finger in my direction. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the reason he left. You’re the sorceress.”
I step closer. “Where has he gone?” I watch her expression closely, pausing between each town I list. “Joran? Novayar? Tarsis?” She averted her eyes on Tarsis.
I take the map and the old tongue book from the desk. “Tarsis.”
Norah’s hostile look erases any further doubt. Asarus is heading to Tarsis.
I step past her. Trevus reveals himself from the shadow and approaches Norah. “I shall warn you,” he says. “If you share what you have surmised this evening, we are bound to be returned to the King of Versillia, Tytius of Cerillis. We shall inform him of your husband’s residence. He is not a king known for respecting the boundaries of foreign soil.”
She remains where she stands with her arms crossed, her sharp expression blaring disapproval.
Trevus and I head down the servant staircase.
“You belong in the ground, Jade,” Norah calls after us.
I don’t look back.
“My husband will look death in the eye without flinching, but whatever horrible thing you did has him frightened like I’ve never seen,” she says.
How could I be more frightening than death? I’ve never done a thing to him. He can’t say the same.
We head through the kitchen and back out the servant’s door. Soon we’re out of the enclave and deep into the city.
Is Mehlia’s death at my touch what has Asarus so frightened, or was it the extent of my connection at the battle of Nepolis? No, it couldn’t have been either. He’s been after me since before any of that happened.
Whatever motivated Asarus to rip my life in such a vicious direction has been around for a long time, and the news that I was roaming free has awoken it again.
this is what I suspected since the last chapter
Now, their new life is ruined 😑. I also wonder why this man was looking for a little girl back then…
Maybe he knew her parents before they died or whatever happened to them.
Bonnie and Clyde
what if… just what if… she’s not a orphan and that man is her father? Maybe being born did something to her mother for him to hate/ look for her.
Like a darth vader punchline I am your father 😱
he frightened her too
@Princess162224 wasn’t she an orphan before she was taken?
Maybe he had beef with her family and knew about her powers. So he decided to get his revenge by capturing their daughter
Nu uh, your husband does for ruining her life
@rileysing nope, they failed one mission in haha
@rileysing he’s such a brutal person…
He’s scared of her? Why?
Just casually threatening to have another nation’s army sent to your come city… oof that rough Trevus
Still love ya dude!
Okay now I’m curious what Ceramayians think of sorcerors. Like of course the posters says she’s dangerous but how do they feel about that kind of thing in general
She has no idea
He lied to her!
So she is going to tell her about her past
@rileysing yeah no… it really has failed
Oh no, that relationship is ruined. And so is any rep in this town…
Yeah it really does look bad… even if they aren’t there to steal they have still damaged her home
Oh no, she’s been caught… now her career as a seamstress is likely ruined since she both knew not go in there and also had to break in
Might want to reread this paragraph 🙂
I imagine having multiple paths is in case someone wants to follow him. Doing this makes it harder to catch up to him or wait at his final destination
Is this an old Versillain script?
Recruiting people for a hunt to find Jade?
If only he knew she’s in his very own town and even in his home
To look for Jade?
caused the death of the king’s beloved lmao
So it was a decision he made himself… but why?
Yeah just damage this couples home… that’s not going to be obvious you’ve been there
Should be really, unless some staff or a visitor stole it…
ooof time to move, travel to the next country and try settling in once more as a tailor there
It’s good she memorized the layout, even if it wasn’t for this purpose lol
I know there’s smart reasons to why, but I find it funny to think he just chose those places because the taverns have his favourite foods and cook them best lmao
wonder if the equipment is still in there
I don’t think a dress is practical for something like this lmao
and now they become super secret spies :p