Manuel walked the streets of Malaga with no destination in mind. All he knew was a beer sounded good. Lucia had instructed him to stay in her masia stuck in his room, but he was tired of just following along with what everyone told him. Fernando, Yunara, now Lucia. He wasn't anyone's servant to just blindly follow what he was told. Besides, all that really mattered was that he stayed away from the party.
A bar with people laughing loudly inside caught his attention. This could be a good spot to get what he wanted. He walked inside and paid for the cup he was waiting for. As he raised the mug to his lips, he noticed an older man walk inside. He thought nothing of it and took in the bitter taste of his drink, feeling the warmness rising in his chest and his throat as he did. The older man sat himself next to Manuel, asking for a drink like he did.
"Do you happen to know where to find the masia of a Lady Lucia Fuentes?" the man asked.
"Lady Fuentes? You know her?" asked the bartender.
"Of course. We're old friends."
"And you don't know where she lives?" the bartender asked suspiciously.
"Yes, but I seem to have gotten lost. I don't know Malaga that well, you see."
The bartender nodded, still looking unconvinced, but said, "You want to go that way," he said pointing. "If you keep going down the road to the outskirts of the city, you won't be able to miss it."
"Thank you, sir." the mysterious old man thanked the bartender, tipping his hat and paying for his drink.
"What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't. My name is Carlos Ruiz."
Manuel almost spit out his drink The old man that had introduced himself as Carlos Ruiz said goodbye to the bartender and thanked him for his help before finishing his cup and walking out the door.
What the heck was that? How could that have been Carlos Ruiz? Wasn't Lucia investigating his death? Why would that man lie and pretend to be him? Manuel paid for his drink and hurried out the bar. He had to warn Lucia.
He got to where he left his horse and flicked the reigns. He had to arrive before "Carlos" did.
He charged down the roads of Malaga on his horse and arrived at the masia. After putting away his horse, he stopped before coming through the door. Lucia was right that he shouldn't be seen at the party. There would be too many faces that would recognize him.
An idea came to him, though he hated it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. He couldn't enter through the foyer. There was too much risk of being seen. He went around the house to the window of the kitchen.
Inside, things had calmed down from the bustle that was probably going on during dinner. There was only one servant left, and he was mopping the floor. Manuel waited for him to leave, then climbed through the window. He made his way down a few halls and up some stairs that lead to the bedrooms.
He went to his room and found some simpler clothes than the ones he had on. Then he went back into the kitchen and found a silver tray, the ones that the servants always carried. To finish, he grabbed a rag to pretend to clean with, and started for the ballroom. As long as he kept his head down, perhaps no one would notice him. But he didn't worry much. His color made him mistaken for a servant all the time. It made him mad, but this time he would be pretending to be a servant on purpose.
He entered the ballroom, hoping that he had arrived here before whoever that old man was. He scanned the room and looked for Lucia. Then he spotted her, talking with a tall gentleman and a few other people. He neared them, keeping his head down. As he did, he noticed Lucia seemed perturbed, like something was bothering her.
He approached her, and the look on her face was of surprise, though certainly not the good kind. Before she could say anything, he said, "Lady Fuentes, the chef said he wanted to see you in the kitchen. He says there's no more wine."
"No more wine?" Lucia said, feigning anger to help with the excuse Manuel presented. "I certainly will speak with him. How can there be no more wine? Who does he think he is, not buying enough wine for my party? Excuse me, Alberto, I'll be right back."
Manuel led her away, and once they had left the ballroom, Lucia pulled him aside and into a hallway. "What are you doing?" she hissed angrily. "You were supposed to stay in your room. Do you know what could happened if you put us all in jeopardy?"
"I'm sorry, but this is important. I know you told me to stay in my room, but I left and walked around the city a little. I went to a bar, and I heard an old man talking with the bartender, asking for directions to your masia. The old man said his name was Carlos Ruiz."
Lucia went pale. "What did he look like?" she said with urgency.
Manuel tried to think. He hadn't taken much note of what the man looked like. He seemed like an older man just like any other. He tried to remember details about him. "Like I said, he was an older man. His hair was white, and he walked with a bit of a hunch."
"Did he wear glasses? About this tall?" she said, placing her hand a little lower than her forehead.
The description fit the man he saw exactly. "Yes! Who was he?"
Lucia didn't pay him any mind. She looked like she had seen a ghost. She shook her head. "This is bad. Everything... this has been planned."
"What are you talking about? What's going on here?"
"The person you saw was an imposter. Carlos Ruiz is dead. But if you saw someone that looks like him, then it explains everything. I've been in a lot of dangerous situations working with your parents. I've seen this before. The man I was with before, Roberto, killed Carlos by summoning a Dark One. Fernando's hunch must have been right. They are creating the returning grounds in the Basque mountains again. The person you saw at the bar was the Dark One that killed him. It's a Dark One called Nevres. An assassin that can disguise itself as the people it kills to fabricate the true cause of death of its victims. It can disguise as the corpse so that the body buried is a fake, and the true cause of death is never known."
Suddenly Manuel had a sinking feeling in his gut. "It's on its way here."
"Then we have to hurry. This entire party has been a trap from the beginning. I thought my guests didn't know who I was, and that I could find Carlos' killer from amongst them. But Julio has disappeared, and I believe the two people that's disappeared from the party are to blame. I don't know how many of the people here know of my involvement with your parents. Possibly all. The only hope we have is to leave here as soon as possible. Let's get Yunara and Kailu and run."
Manuel nodded, and they went back into the ballroom.
As soon as they entered, Alberto was there to greet her. "So, what happened with the wine?"
Lucia tried to give the most pleasant face possible. "I have no idea. He doesn't know it, but that chef doesn't have a job here anymore. It's a complete disaster. If you'll excuse me, I have to talk with some of my servants."
"You've been talking with the servants all night. You must get out more, Lady Lucia. Please, why don't you dance with me?"
"I really must be leaving, I'm sorry," she said, walking away as she spoke and grabbing Manuel by the arm. She hissed in a tone barely notable, "Don't leave my side. He knows we're up to something."
They marched through the crowded ballroom in a hurry, parting through the crowd of people that seemed to hug them in tighter in a suffocating bustle rather than step aside as they tried to locate Yunara and Kailu. Violins sung in the background an eerie whine in a tune that undertoned the strange sudden change in the mood of the party. Then Manuel spotted them. "There they are," he told Lucia, pointing to Yunara and Kailu.
They started for them just as a woman grabbed Lucia by the arm. "Lucia, please, let's dance! We've been talking all evening long, and Lord Roberto wants to dance with you. Come on, I'll go with you even!"
"No, no thank you. I'm not feeling well, you see."
"Nonsense! It's just nerves."
"No, really, I must get away." Lucia released the hold the woman had on her and rushed over to Yunara and Kailu. "Yunara, Kailu, we have to leave. This entire party has been a trap. I'll explain on the way. We're going to find Youssef Khalid ourselves. We can't wait for a letter to arrive."
Without asking questions, Yunara and Kailu followed Manuel and Lucia as they led them away. They had almost reached the door when someone exclaimed, "Manuel? What are you doing here?"
They turned Manuel inwardly cursed when he saw a young woman he knew. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted like this! "Manuel, what are you doing here?" she frowned as she saw his clothing. "And why are you dressed like that?"
Lucia wouldn't allow him to be distracted. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him. "Manuel. We have to go."
Manuel shook himself and followed Lucia, ignoring the young lady as she called for them.
They made it out of the masia. Without having to say a word to each other, they started getting ready the carriage Manuel, Kailu and Yunara came in.
"What about Julio?" Kailu asked suddenly as they prepared to leave.
Lucia looked like she was fighting tears. "I'm going to have to come back for him when I finish helping you all. I have no idea where to look for him. My guests are from all over Spain. If they took him, he could be anywhere. But he's not an amateur. He knows how to fend for himself."
They climbed inside the carriage and Lucia led it to the front of the house, and Roberto was there waiting for them, standing next to the imposter of Carlos Ruiz. A blond woman and a short man with a beard came up behind him. "Where are you going so fast, Lucia?" asked the woman.
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So what do you think of the Dark One, Nevres? I know I made him up, but he even gives me chills D:
Let me hear your thoughts in the comments! And don't forget to rate and share with your friends if you really like it!