The Day of Reckoning

Chapter 2: The Pillar of Spirituality (Part 1)

Renata peeked around her blankets. Laurel's bed was empty. The young girl figured she would have to get used to Laurel leaving the room before dawn, almost as if Laurel felt intensely uncomfortable with the number of people (no, operatives; some were not human) in the house.

Indeed, even though Renata of all people (having grown up in a small cottage which she shared with her parents, two younger siblings, three Respertian pygmies and an Elf) should have had little problem sharing a mansion with only seven other people, they all seemed to invade each other's spaces at every given moment, whether directly or indirectly.

"Atis!" she heard Carsius shout above the ferocious yowlings of the Kytarr, Gorrmunsa, "I will not repeat myself a third time: you must not set your traps in the house! It is difficult enough to find useful things in this ramshackle dump without having to watch for tripwires and triggers as well!"

Renata shuddered. Atis had only been in the house three days (two since they raided the schools), yet she was kept on a veritable knife's edge of paranoia with his evident penchant for pulling pranks and setting harmless but uncomfortable traps for his fellow occupants.

"A good operative must ever be developing his skills," Atis retorted. "Besides, a little extra motivation toward vigilance is good for everyone!"

"Vigilance, my hat!" Augustus grumbled as he passed Renata's bedroom door. "If we were any more vigilant we'd be too scared to move altogether!"

Renata certainly fit that category! As her habit had become, she leaned her head down over the bed to make sure Atis had not planted anything to grab her feet when she slipped out of bed.

Two days, and all they could manage to do was annoy each other and argue. Carsius had tried to capitalize on the victory of the schools by holding a war council the next day, but Atis would not cooperate, Augustus would not stop talking, and Laurel refused to speak unless everyone was silent and listening to her.

At least Barmier was not so obtrusive; his only fault was the way he could move so silently that he could sneak into the room behind anyone and watch them for several minutes before he was detected—and this was something he did out of habit.

Gorrmunsa seemed to think Kytarr infinitely superior to Elves or humans, and thus he believed he had a right to demand his space. It did not help that the heat in Eillumaeia was making him shed all over the house. Renata had tried sweeping the hair out of the house and off the furniture, but the amount of work was too much for her, between cooking the meals and helping Deej prepare analthraxine, which process irrevocably soiled nearly every dish in the kitchen beyond repair.

Gorrmunsa reserved the gigantic pillars in the great hall for sharpening his claws, he slept—undisturbed—in the upstairs left-corner guest room, and when he desired to groom himself, one had to be extra-cautious not to burst in upon him unawares. Augustus did so once and almost could not retreat fast enough.

Renata threw on her clothes—checking the pockets for more booby traps—and ran downstairs. Atis and Augustus were arguing again. It was going to be a long day.

Carsius stopped her on the way to the kitchen.

"Good morning, fair maid," he saluted her, "Where is Laurel?"

"I have not seen her this morning," Renata hedged. She dropped an awkward curtsey and dashed away.

Carsius soon found Laurel on the gable below her window, staring toward the Temple University dominating the landscape.

"I take it you find the house too crowded now?"

Laurel flinched at his voice, but did not turn. "Does the Black Hand employ any female operatives? Surely then the headquarters would at least be clean, if not silent!"