The Mother

Chapter 10

"How was it? Did you learn anything?" The Duke asked once they got back to the man, Ethan pulled out the newly formed key and Scarlett followed him as he went closer to the other man.

  "We found these feathers. Now tell me how to fix this like you said you would." Ethan demanded lowly as Scarlett crossed her arms over her chest after pulling the hood of the cloak down so she could fix the updo Alcina's daughters had put her hair in. She found it was secured by beautiful ruby encrusted pins, in all there were about six of them and they had curled her medium length hair, she needed to cut it again. She combed through the thick silver tipped black locks before setting to pinning it back up in a tighter bun and left her bangs down this time and it was slightly messy but that's all she had to work with.

  "Settle down. First you must use that key and collect all of your little Rose's flasks." The Duke said as he watched Scarlett for a moment before he turned back to look at Ethan.

  "Where are the rest of them?" Ethan asked, his tone desperate and Scarlett understood this feeling. She'd do anything to help her four-year-old son, she smiled when she thought about little Ada and wondered how he and Leon were doing. She hoped her husband hadn't gotten worried enough to track her down yet, she didn't want him involved in this mess.

  "There are four in total. You have the one, and the other lords have the rest." The Duke said as he pulled out a folded paper and handed it to Scarlett who had gotten closer to the man so she could use the small mirror to make sure her bun would hold.

  "Lords?" Ethan questioned as Scarlett thought of what the hag had said in the cave with the large etching.

  "Mother Miranda is the cold, calculating ruler of this village. Four lords sever under her. The first you've already met, the Lady Dimitrescu. The second lives deep in a valley of mist, the doll maker Donna Beneviento. None of her playmates have ever come back from that dank, old estate. The third is Moreau, a being of twisted flesh that lives in the reservoir past the windmills. It is said that he is not the only monster that lives in those waters. The fourth and most dangerous is Heisenberg. He works in his factory on the village outskirts. And the project? Let's just say parts of the human imagination are better left alone." The Duke explained as Scarlett opened the folded paper to find a map of the village and each of the Lords homes. He had marked them with their crests, each in a separate corner, as well ass what looked to be valuable treasure places in each domain and parts of the village.

   "If you truly wish to save your daughter, you must first gather the four flasks. I'll do you a personal favor. I've marked the lords locations on the map. Some treasures still lurk in this village. I'm sure each one will prove of great use to you." The Duke said as he watched Scarlett fold up the map and slip it into the bag, she kept treasures they found inside.

  "Why are you doing all this?" Ethan asked, he couldn't really understand why the man was helping them.

  "Why it's all part of our first-class customer service. Please do come again soon..." The Duke finished and Ethan stepped back but Scarlett frowned.

  "How do you know all of this?" She asked the large man who was looking down intently at her and he smiled.

  "Information is a powerful thing for a merchant to have, the more you know the better profit you can gain." He told her before his eyes went back to Ethan and he had an odd expression before he smiled warmly again.

  "The Lords are fearsome, lucky for you, you have the one thing they can never defeat. Good luck Mr. Winters, keep Lady Midnight-uh- Lady Kennedy close." The Duke said as his eyes found her again making the pair frown.