Soft recessed lights flickered on an underground basement. Mixture of blue, pale and yellow.
The air was heavy with questions, anger. Caedmon sat down, his legs crossed, cradling a tiny glass of champagne.
He pulled closer towards the pale faced woman before him, his scar terrifyingly obvious.
" Tell me Eleanor, did you free the painter?" He asked, cold and indifferent.
Eleanor's eyes snapped towards him. Specks of dust clung to her face. Her heart was hammering against her chest.
" No" she whispered, her eyes turning blurry as the next whip landed on her back. She moaned in pain, biting back the urge to burst in tears.
For the love of friendship, she would do anything.
Caedmon leaned farther away, his eyes holding a dark glint. He stood up, his hands curled into a blow. He walked towards her …
A step …
Two….then three, he stopped, glanced down at her.
Eleanor's heart caught in her throat, the bitter taste of fear curling onto her tongue. She dipped her head, waiting for a jaw shattering blow …but none came.
Instead, his shoes grinded onto the basement's floor, crunching sound echoing throughout the basement as he walked away.
Her heart crept back in place…then, he stopped.
" Keep flogging her," Caedmon said. " Don't stop.. until she confesses" he said with raw cruelty..
Eleanor's heart sank, her gaze falling onto the guard she had once disciplined.
He had a smirk laced onto his face, amusement and disdain plastered on his face.
Her palms burned, the pain spreading to her chest.
Caedmon left the basement, his thoughts trailing to what had happened in ten Aufrigad. The only bargaining chip he had, Lila, had disappeared.
He gritted his teeth and exhaled sharply. He didn't know how but Kieran and Alistair had managed to escape the porcelain door.
A smirk crept to his face, " Kieran" he whispered, " you really live up to your name as the dark one" he said, his hands clenched on the side.
He felt someone's presence behind him. He turned around and saw his guard, lowering his head.
" Did you find her ?" He asked.
The guard dropped to the floor, his head still dipped to the floor, " we searched everywhere…but we couldn't find her"
His hands clenched.
Incompetent bastards! They let a girl slip through their hands and they couldn't even do anything!
" We believe she has returned to her father" the guard added and his anger boiled over.
Believe?
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, " tell me, where were you when she escaped?"
The guard stiffened, " Lord Caedmon….I was on duty" he trembled.
Caedmon reached out to him and helped the guard up. " It's fine …stand and talk" he said, his eyes glinting with malice.
The guard bowed and continued, " I swear I didn't see her…I was on my post the entire time" he said as if aware of what might happen to him soon.
Caedmon smacked his tongue and exhaled. " It's fine. You were just doing your job" he said and the guard seemed to exhale.
He smirked. How dare him exhale? He wasn't done yet.
" Except you didn't do it well" he added and gripped onto his dagger and choked it onto the guards throat.
The guard's hands flew to his throat, his eyes wide as he choked. Tears slid down his cheeks –but, he didn't feel a thing, not even sympathy.
" Take his body away" he said and a few men came to drag the body away.
One of his men brought a white handkerchief and a bowl of water to wash off the blood.
" Prepare the car–let's meet friends" he said and smirked.
****
Back at Allistair's house, Allistair's gaze was fixed on Kieran, he appeared annoyed. Annoyed that he didn't get the answer he wanted.
"I don't care how much my uncle paid you but stay away from me" Allistair said, his hands clenched.
Kieran smirked, his gaze flickering with a tinge of annoyance " hm…I would consider that a thank you for saving your sorry ass. You are much welcome" he said, words dripping with sarcasm.
Allistair's hand clenched beside him. He was supposed to thank him? He wouldn't be in this mess if he had never met him!
Kieran exhaled, rolled his eyes and made for the door. He paused and turned to look at Alistair, " it's not safe here, come with me" he said.
Allistair sneered, "fine, I will come with you. Only if you tell me, who you are and why you are doing all of this"
Kieran's hand tightened on the door handle. Not too noticeable but it did.
" I'm Kieran Stone, a merchant and I'm doing this because your uncle paid me" he answered, word for word.
" Oh fuck shit, my uncle paid to give me the locket not to show up and protect me"
Kieran smiled, " oh, you do admit I protected you ?"
" Don't change the topic, what do you want?"
Kieran exhaled sharply, he turned towards Allistair, his jaws tight. " Like I said, just repaying debts. Yours and your uncle's" he said and opened the door to leave, " waiting for you"
Allistair inhaled deeply, then exhaled.
He was done with the damned locket. But he had forgotten the only reason he had agreed to go with Caedmon.
Lila !
Where was she?
He followed after Kieran and they got into the Ashton Martin DB5, a recent car model. Expensive and luxurious.
" Those weren't Caedmon's men" Alistair said and Kieran nodded.
" I told you. You are not being hunted by one"
" You never did" Alistair dropped, his face darkening.
" Oh, thought I did" Kieran said and shut his eyes, leaning against the car's door.
Alistair's gaze fell on the driver. The bar man was now a driver? Was the bar meeting planned too?
The car arrived at a tall mansion. The streets were lively, lights flickering throughout the city. Its air and environment was slightly gothic yet calming.
It was not the same place. It wasn't Kieran's house. Where was he ?
" What's this place?" He asked, looking around.
" You didn't think we would return to my previous house ?" Kieran asked.
" That's suicide" he added almost immediately and left the car.
Allistair was jaw slacked. Previous house ? How many houses did he have ?
He followed.
The entire mansion was dark. Tell dark for his comfort.
He heard Kieran sigh and then heard the door click close.
The darkness overlapped with that day ….the day his uncle had kicked him out. The same day he was attacked by men who wanted to have their way with him. The light snapped on and he exhaled, steadying his breathing a bit.
" You both se
em very close" a cold, eerily familiar voice rang out, taunting and deliberate.
Allistair froze…
Caedmon ? What was he doing here ?