In Which Lucien Is Promised

May 5, 1177

Someone was nudging him.

"Hey, uh... you." It was the duke's voice, but he wasn't alone; Lucien could sense four other presences, one of which had his heart skipping for a second. But it wasn't Vera. It was just someone who felt sort of like her, perhaps a little closer to his own energy than she was. "I guess we can't really ask you where Remiel is, can we?"

Lucien shrugged. The last he'd heard from Remiel, the man was packing up some things, saying he had to move his experiment to some place a little safer. That had been two days ago. He'd been alone ever since and he wasn't sure how he felt about it; little though he liked Remiel, no one else ever thought to bring him food.

"I take it he's too cunning to leave any obvious clues," snarled the duke's nearest companion. Lucien recognized that voice too, a low Iberian mutter--Vera's brother-in-law. What was he doing here? And was Vera nearby after all? It had been so long since her last visit...

"From what I can see, you take it right." This one was not so familiar, but there was something in the intonation that reminded Lucien of the steward's wife, only older and male. They might have hailed from the same region or something--not that that told Lucien anything. "Just a bunch of old books and some herbs. And a skull."

A skull? Lucien shuddered. How long had he been sharing a room with a skull?

"Damn." Vera's brother-in-law stepped around the duke as he let the curse fall. His tread was heavy, though if Lucien was correct in pinpointing his mouth he was not a large man. "Here, kid--let me help you up." A calloused hand grabbed hold of Lucien's own and yanked him to his feet. He squirmed out of instinct before it occurred to him that he wasn't being drained.

"Jumpy little thing, aren't you?" The man dropped Lucien's hand and stepped back. "Look, we know what that bastard's been doing to you and no one here would do the same even if they could. Probably not the sort of thing you can believe right away at this point, but that's the truth of it."

They knew? Was that why Remiel had gone? He was on the run. He was on the run, and he'd left Lucien to starve because he'd only slow them down.

"Isidro, give the boy some space." The essence that felt like Vera's approached while the duke's withdrew. Lucien trembled. The man's voice was inviting, but he'd been fooled before. "Lorn, how long has he been down here on his own?"

The duke swallowed. "I suppose it has been a few days since I've seen him. It's... well, to be honest, it's not hard to forget that Remiel has a ward."

"He's my ward now." The man took a few more steps, stopping a few feet short of Lucien. "You don't have to worry about Remiel anymore, kiddo. I promise."

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