The Secret Prince: The Story of Galen Nightwater

Old Friends and More Revelations

Nick arrived in Fairdell after a rabbit chase in Audelia. There was no sign of Lord Barnes there but the people of the town said that a man dressed in fine garb was there just a week ago. Nick had inquired in depth as to what Lord Barnes did in Audelia, but no one rightly knew. They only reported the strange behavior that Barnes exhibited during his stay. The watching, the silence, the staring. They were all glad when he left. Nick was sure now that he was in Fairdell. Just the place he wanted to go. The excitement and nervousness threatened to swell in a crest that he wanted to let free, but he reigned it in. He did not know what he would find there. He could not afford to feel triumphant too soon.
The little town was just as he remembered it twenty-five years ago. It seemed that nothing had really changed, it had only aged. The same old face with a few more wrinkles.
He was not sure where he would find Lord Barnes, which was his first order of business. His second order of business was to find Sebastian and by extension, Marcus. And if you extended that connection further, he expected to find Galen as well.

Expectations. There were so many.

He rode into the center of the little town, for it was an extremely little town next to the grandeur of Eleamar, and dismounted in the square that was really just a little space in the midst of the rickety shops and services. He walked around for a bit hoping to spot a familiar face. He was not disappointed.
He spotted Lord Barnes lurking in a dark corner, doing what the villagers in Audelia described him doing, watching. Staring intensely at people as they walked by, and making the atmosphere tense for those who noticed. Lord Barnes had his back to Nick so he did not see him approach.

"One shouldn't lurk in dark corners, Barnes. It's terribly bad manners." Nick said casually in his ear.

Lord Barnes whirled around so quickly, a blur, and took Nick by the neck against the wall. It all happened in less than a second.
Recognition dawned on his face, but his hand did not loosen, if anything it tightened even more.
"What are you doing here, Nick? No one is supposed to know I'm here."
Nick's face didn't show a drop of fear, in fact, he looked positively bored.
"I'm afraid that is why I'm here, Barnes. As you stated so precisely, no one knows where you are. Not even the Steward. He was getting concerned for your well-being and sent me down here to make sure you were ok." But Nick said it in a way that sounded far more sinister than what he implied.
Barnes audibly swallowed. His hand was still around Nick's neck.
"Now there was a message I was sent to give you. What was it?" He pretended to think.
"Message from who?" Barnes asked impatiently.
Nick looked at him. "Why from our current master, of course. Oh yes! I remember now." He gave a small grin.
"The steward says that your silence is deafening and that he does not like being kept in silence or in darkness. And you have kept him in both." He tapped something against one of Barnes gold buttons.
Barnes looked down to find a gleaming dagger resting against his chest. He recoiled then. Nick was never taken off guard.
"So he has sent you to kill me then?" He asked worriedly.
"No no no. Not yet. This was a mere warning. Your orders are to write to the Steward and take him out of the silence and darkness you have been keeping him in. But I can only assume that there is a reason for your negligence." Nick said knowingly.
"When I tell him of what has happened here, you will end up killing me anyway. Just get it over with."
Nick raised his brows. How very interesting.
"I'm afraid, like you, I obey orders without question. Therefore, I cannot kill you yet. But rest assured, the second the command is given I will end your misery without hesitation." Nick said lightly.
Of course, it was a lie, but Barnes didn't have to know that. The fact was, Nick wouldn't kill Barnes even if he was ordered to do it on pain of his own death. He may be a ruthless man but he was not in the habit of killing needlessly.
Barnes hung his head.
"You were looking for someone. Weren't you?" Nick gleaned.
"Two people actually," Barnes replied in a low voice. "One is a child, my servant boy. It is vital that I get him back."
It took considerable effort to take in that piece of information with a straight, somewhat ignorant face. The boy was here. And he was lost. The Steward "heir" was lost. He wanted to smile. Oh, how he wanted to smile. That was why Barnes hadn't written to the Steward for so long.
"I don't see how that is a problem. You could easily afford a new servant. Probably a better one. One that won't run off." He said nonchalantly.
"No, I paid a lot of money for this one. You do not understand, he is very...I just need to find him." Barnes said desperately.
"Hmm. And who was the second person you were looking for?" Nick asked.