Beyond The Lost

6

I was taken to to the palace headquarters. A woman I didn't recognize bandaged my knees and gave me dry clothes to change into. The clothes I was given didn't cover my arms like my usual clothing, so I wasn't very happy about it.

"You must be Eve." Finally someone I knew entered the room I was told to wait in. He's one of the nobles that live in the palace, but he doesn't seem to be in a bad mood. "I heard you've found a rat of mine."

"A rat?" I winced, tightening my fist around the strap my dampened bag.

"Your hair is wet." He smiles, adjusting his gloves. "I should close the windows."

I anxiously watched as he stepped over to close and latch the windows shut. They hadn't been open enough to let the rain in, but definitely had been open enough to make me shiver. He then slithered back in front of me and pulled a chair from the coffee table between us. He faced it toward him and straddled the chair backwards, resting his arms on the back. "Now, where were we?"

"I don't exactly understand why I'm here."

"Something in your eyes tells me otherwise. You wouldn't be so worried if you didn't know valuable information." He sighs softly and glances to the floor. "But I assume your fear also indicates that you don't plan to tell me anything."

"What did he do?"

"Pardon?"

"Victor. The man you're looking for. What did he do?" My breath is shaking but my voice leaves my lips fearlessly.

"He stole something that belongs to my family and has yet to give it back."

"Just get it back. Why send so many people after him?"

He locks eyes with me, confused. "Do you expect me to let thieves roam my city? Not to mention, he destroyed it. That item was very important to me."

"What was it?"

"Where is my rat?" His brows sunk low in frustration. He clearly wasn't in the mood to explain himself.

"I don't know where he is."

"But you know where to find him. I hear you've been at his side for the past week, sneaking around town like stray dogs!" His voice rose as his feet hit the floor and he shoved his chair to the ground. It slid to the wall, the smashing noise making me flinch. "Do you have any idea the trouble he's caused for me? Tell me, now! Where is my rat?!"

I swallowed. "With all due respect, my lord, I told you the truth when you first asked. I don't know where to find him."

"You're a witch, you can do anything with the right mindset."

"There are things I'm incapable of."

"Like what?"

"Finding your rat." I stood up and pulled my hair over one shoulder. "Have my clothes sent back to me, please." I headed toward the door but as soon as I attempted to open it, I made the brilliant discovery that it was locked. Shit.

I felt a cool breeze on my back, turning to find one of the windows wide open. The noble from before, named Daniel, had disappeared from sight. Victor took his place, towering over every piece of furniture in the room. "I leave you for a few hours and you rat on me too?"

"Where did-"

"I came here to take care of business but now I've come to kill you." He glared at me.

"Relax, I didn't tell him anything. I didn't even know you were a criminal." I walked past him and climbed out the window, finding myself on a roof ten feet from the ground. I leaned back through the window, seeing Daniel sat up against a bookshelf behind the coffee table. His mouth was bleeding, clearly unconscious. "How did you get up here, Victor?"

When silence answered me, I looked back toward him. The door to the room was left open but Victor was gone.
—-
Once in the protection of my home, I did nothing but lay in bed and close my eyes. I was cold, shivering beneath my sheets.

"About earlier-"

"Stop doing that!" I sat up, glaring at Victor as he climbed through my bedroom window. He slowly closed it behind him.

"I'm sorry, okay? It was unlocked."

"My windows don't lock!"

"You have something of mine." He sat at the end of my bed and let his shoulders relax. "And I wanted to apologize for my outburst at the bar. I was afraid you'd end up in trouble because of me, and you did, but that's no excuse. I appreciate your help."

I sighed. "Okay. I accept your apology."

"Can you return my things, please?"

"What did you steal from him?" I asked, gently rubbing my eyes. "I don't see why he's making such a fuss."

"I stole a necklace that he received from a mage. It was said to swallow spirits and transport them elsewhere. You know, to protect him from evil."

"No wonder you stole it." I pulled his strained papers front he bag beside my bed and handed them to him. "He said you destroyed it though."

"I didn't destroy it. I put it somewhere safe."

"Why not keep it on you?"

"It doesn't just transport spirits elsewhere. I discovered it's safer to keep it put away."

"Just give it back if you don't want it."

"It's not that easy. He already wants my head, if I gave it back and he found out it wasn't destroyed then he'd raise my genitals on a stick."

"I don't get it."

"If it's destroyed, nobody else can use it. If he knows I've still had it all this time, he'll be even angrier." He laid back, draped across the end of my bed like a lanky moose. His feet and head were both touching the floor on either side of the twin sized bed, which I'm sure was very uncomfortable. "No matter what I do, he won't be happy."

"Will you stay here tonight?"

"Why? There's no reason I should. It's not like you're completely alone. Your mother is still here."

"You've made me worry for you. It's one night."

"Do you think Daniel will not come here? He will. He'll find you and lock you up for running away from him."

"Unlike you, I don't have anywhere else to go." I laid back down and hid under my blankets. "Just give it back. Maybe he'll actually be happy to see it's still intact."

I felt him shift in the bed. Once he stopped, I pulled the blankets off of my head to find him laying next to me. He faced the ceiling, his feet hanging off the end of the bed.

"Victor."

"Yes?" He glanced to me.

"What're you doing?"

"You asked me to stay tonight. I'm not going to lay on the floor."

"There's a couch."

"It's too small." He looked down at his feet. "So is your bed, but this I can manage."

"I'm going to fall off."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest. "No you're not. Just sleep. We can talk more about this tomorrow."