INDIGNANCE
Chapter one :The heist at Maldiere manor
Elizabeth
Dreadful, dreadful is all that can be said about my visit to the Maldieres uncouth party.
Father had me attend the gathering as a show of good faith, as I'm at my twenty first year of age it is customary to show me off at social events in hopes of a bidder.
He and the Maldieres have come into business together and to celebrate have invited the richest family's in the area.
Jacob Maldiere is fairly nouveau in terms of money and such is apparent in his garish taste and unbearable manners, but father doesn't care for such things, his mind is never far from business .
"Elizabeth?" I hear him call for me in a voice strained with decorum, I hurry over to him in a dress far to elaborate for hurrying.
"ah Elizabeth I would like you to meet Jacob Maldiere, he's the man thats funding our family's business endeavours", "how do you do" I say nonchalantly "I'm doing well now Ive had a few drinks in me and now that your here darling" he bellowed, with a bouquet of sherry seething from his arrogant grin followed by a wheezing laugh that seemed endless. "Elizabeth is becoming terribly complacent, she needs to hurry and get married before no man will have her" said father. This is true, I am complacent. I'm bored to death of the charade of being a wallflower, tucked away in father back pocket to be shown of at party's, I mean don't have me mistaken, my life before I became one again trapped within his walls were all a girl could want adventure, robbery and the occasional murder (with accompanying reasons) I am still a sensible lady who knows right from wrong but I become easily...complacent.
"father dear I feel terribly rude only speaking to you and Mr Maldiere I should mingle with the other guests, try and meet someone, I'd hate to die alone" I said In a light airy voice peppered with sarcasm.
"oh of course dear" said Jacob "do go, it would be quite selfish of me to keep such a beautiful lady from the festivities". Quite.
Sebastian
It’s a cold night.
I've taken out the guards at the garden entrance, only two men, no casualties as of yet.
The guards are always so lax at parties like these they assume everyone is there to bask in the company of there own snobbery so the security isn't a priority, regardless I have job to do.
I casually walk to the building from the side garden pretending to be in a drunken stupor and simply lost, it’s almost to easy for to get in. I enter into an empty parlour and check the map she gave me.
From what I can decipher the safe of the manor is located directly under the east wing.
I continue to walk through to a corridor where faint moaning can be heard from a room above "I guess even the rich get lonely" I sigh to myself cheerfully as I continue on I see the stairs leading to the safe room under the main hall and on such stairs I smell cigarette smoke and see my informant.
"I do declare lady Elizabeth how do you do" "I do as I have always done Bassie dear" she replies coldly exhaling smoke into my face.
"that dress seems rather impractical for our line or work" "hmm indeed, could you unzip me Sebastian"? She says sounding amused, "certainly lizzie dear" she hates it when I call her lizzie. I take out one of my knifes and cut off the lacings of her corset, her dress falls slightly revealing a tight black undergarment and an array of pistols leaving her in something more manageable.
"thats quite a few guns you've brought with you"I tell her. "its impolite to come to a party empty handed, now what to do with the men guarding the safe"she asks while gesturing to the guards. there are five men guarding the large metal safe on the other side of the basement "this calls for a distraction" "ooh" she says almost gleefully "I do love a good distraction" as we walk down the stairs.
Faust
"So hungry".
I feel my stomach gurgle in pain from lack of food, I haven't eaten since the morning and the sun as long since set.
I walk along the pier parallel to the ocean I can hear her tide lapping at the wooden planks etching her anger into them. "theres going to be storm tonight isn't there" she replies with a thunderous clap in the sky I continue to walk, searching for food relentlessly but to no avail. then she pushes a small sailboat against the pier to get my attention. I snap out of my daze and search the boat. I find a small bag full of food, I feverishly devour all of it, lie down into the boat and put one hand into the water "thank you" I tell her, I try to ease her pain by using my energy to calm the waters I can only manage the water around the boat but this is enough to stop the boat from rocking.
I come from a place where you talk to the sea, the trees, all things that are living and things that live no longer, I communicate with the flow of the world and can bend it accordingly, this is technique passed down through my family to which I am the last of. I left my homeland, a small island in the ocean when I was 14 years old on a piece of wood, that was 4 years ago I still remember my mother casting me off telling me I need to leave and to never return. as a child I didn't understand and I still don't to this day I knew the sea would take me to where I was meant to go but since then it seems like I've been drifting from place to place aimlessly without purpose and for that, I feel that my mother was wrong to send me away .
Elizabeth
"Guards? Guards?!" I call mournfully "something terrible has happened! I run at them from the stairs in a flood of tears and my dress in tatters. "Aww poor dear whats happened" said one of them grinning noticing my ever loosening clothing, I leap into his arms and sob uncontrollably.
"one of the men at the party attacked me, tore my dress and tried to have his way" I cried "I beg you to protect me!" I hold on to him tightly "thats alright miss don't worry, we'll take good care of you wont we men" they all laugh devilishly.
There he is now! I scream pointing at Sebastian walking down the stairs seemingly drunk carrying a large decanter of whisky.
"Lady Elizabeth" he calls "we have unfinished business"Sounding malevolent, "don't let him get me please!" I whimper "don't worry miss he swooned I wont let him take you, men? Arrest this man! Four of the guards run at Sebastian but before they get too close he asks "care for a drink lizzie? Sounding amused, I hate it when he calls me that "certainly" I reply.
I drop my dress and grab my gun, Sebastian hurls the bottle of whisky in the air above the guards, with one hand I shoot the bottle from behind the guard who saved me and with the other I throw my lighter.
The guards burn. Sebastian makes short work of the men decapitating them as they burn, cutting through them like butter.
I grab the guard and hold my gun to his head "thank you ever so much for saving me, now about this safe" "I'll never tell you, you fucking whore!" He shouts, I shoot him in the knee.
"Now please sir tell me the codes to the safe" I ask as I press the gun into his temple, he tells me without hesitation but I shoot him anyway, I simply cant stand rude men. We open the gargantuan safe to reveal thousands of objects, gold, diamonds, weapons, artefacts but I know what I came for.
I see a small box full of papers, after reading them aloud I confirm my suspicions that father has sold me into marriage to Jacob Maldiere "oh dear" I chuckle "we cant have that now can we Sebastian" he laughs and replies "I'm sure you'd make a lovely bride miss Maldiere" "I'm sure I would, but I simply have no interest to do so, but we should hurry Sebastian" I say pointing to burning corpses as they ignite the room "indeed" he says he grabs as much treasure as he can and fills a small trunk in the corner with it. I fashion my dress into a sack and begin piling jewellery into it.
Father would be so disappointed.
Sebastian
The room continued to burn, I hauled the trunk full of spoils to staircase leading to the upper levels Elizabeth gathered her belongings and we quickly hurried out of the room the smoke was becoming unbearable, as well as noticeable.
We fled through corridor and hallway, I glanced at the map to gather my sense of direction but we seemed to be lost. "you don't know where your going do you" Elizabeth said distastefully "do you?" I questioned "no, but we'd better leave soon before the guards..."Elizabeth!" it was her father.
"what the hell do you think your doing?!" I scanned the corridor there was a large window A meter to my left, but her father and his guards were too close and well armed.
"who is this man and what have you done to your dress!" he exclaimed she looked quite dishevelled to say the least "father I" before she could explain he slapped her so hard her lip bled I was shocked I've never seen anyone land a hit on her, " I don't want your excuses you insolent child, but I can only assume that this man used you to get into the safe so he will be dealt with but don't think you are getting off lightly young lady!" and at that exact moment a large explosion erupted from under the house, nows my chance. The explosion threw the guards of balance long enough for me to make a dash for the window, her father spots me. "men kill that man!"I leap for the window using the trunk to break the glass "I'll see ya when I see ya lizzie" I tell her as I'm half way out the window, she looks back at me worryingly as I hear gunshots.
The manor resides on quite a steep hill facing away from the pier, I hadn't forgotten this.
I hurtle out of the window landing on the trunk on the hill, it slides downward at alarming speed as I clutch it with one hand and try and balance on it, as I'm speeding down the hill I notice someone In my boat, the chest slams into a tree root and shatters the wood it splinters into pieces as I and hundreds of jewels hurtle towards the ground and hit it hard.
Everything goes dark, I try to keep going, I'm not far from the pier but I notice a excruciating pain in my thigh and I black out.
"I'm going to die" I think to myself as the world starts to slip away, I had a good run I guess, I cant “believe I was beaten by a tree, how pathetic”. but before I could leave this world I saw a figure walk towards me, a boy with long white hair and blue eyes I tried to get up but my strength had left me, I was done.
Faust
"Hey, Are you alright?" I ask the man laying among the shrubbery to which I received no answer.
He was an ordinary looking man with extraordinary features.
his hair was thick and dark and stopped at his chin, he had a stubbled face with a prominent scar on his cheek and a key held by a chain on his neck, he was dressed in a long coat and cravat in the style of a nobleman, although, he clearly wasn’t.
maybe he's dead? I saw him fall through that window after the loud bang from that house.
I sit down next to him and put one hand on his chest and one hand on mine.
"oh great earth, I call upon thee to deliver this life unto death, make his passing peaceful, ease him into eternal darkness and slumber, may he"before I can finish the incantation I see his hand twitch, I check his pulse, Its faint but I can still feel it. "Oh so you aren't dead after all, well then, lets bring you back from nothingness" I say with a smile.
I begin to reverse my incantation, I don't have much experience with reversals I only know deliverance to death because it is customarily said at funerals.
I've been to allot of those back on the island.
"ok ok don't panic" I try to calm myself "just perform deliverance from death instead" I say that as if it were easy myself its easy.
with all incantations comes difficulty, they require you to speak it with you heart, your mind and your voice all with harmony.
the power originates from the heart It is then directed to and filtered through the mind to make it more precise then spoken with the voice to become an action , reversals are, however much more difficult, they require you to think of the original incantation in your mind speak the opposite with your voice and leave your heart neutral without giving it any direction at all. I check my book to see which words I have to replace to reverse it "oh great earth I listen to thee to retain this life from death bring back his soul to the plane on the living, pull him from the void, wake him from his slumber and may he crawl from nothingness!” He sits bolt upright and inhales explosively which scares me more than It should "It worked! Aha It worked" I exclaim joyfully. "Who are you!" he barked "what did you do to me" He seemed confused and distrusting, people are always this way with me.
I explain to him that I brought him back from the edge of death, but I left out how I almost killed him for good. He didn't really understand my method, but he seemed glad regardless, his cold glare dispersed. "Forgive me boy he says, thank you for helping me but I need to go back and fetch someone, she's must be angry that I left so, abruptly" he laughed but I can tell he's allot more worried that he is making out to be.
"But you cant even walk" I tell him pointing to the bullet hole in his leg "I'll be fine" he tells himself as well as me.
I try to help him up but he refuses to let me "at least let fix your leg you'll bleed to death otherwise. He seems slightly alarmed as If he didn't realise he had been shot, and the pain started to show on his face.
I quickly undid his cravat and used it as a tourniquet to stop bleeding and got him a large branch to use as a crutch. we begin to walk along the pier "Leave me boy" he says sounding exhausted and angry I feel bad for him, so I ignore his words and put his arm on my shoulder, his anger seemed to fade and he seemed to lean on me slightly"ok boy don't say I didn't warn you" he says half smiling. I don't reply but I keep walking, I can tell that where were going to be dangerous.
Chapter two: fetching lady Elizabeth
Elizabeth
"I've gotten myself into a fairly inconvenient situation”.
both my arms are shackled, I look around the prison chamber, It’s where father puts me when I've misbehaved.
I stare at the four walls that were becoming only a memory, I then look up at the moon pouring light through my barred window,"this moon reminds me of the one we met under Sebastian" I’m sure he's thinking the same.
I should start off by saying that although I call him so, father isn't really my father.
He adopted me from an orphanage that I had lived in since I was a baby but it was in that very orphanage that I met Sebastian.
One night as a young girl I was skulking through the building we lived in looking for food, I wasn't allowed dinner because of an altercation with another older girl, which involved me punching her in the eye after she said I would never be homed because I was awkward and empty inside.
I got to the kitchen and walked up to the fridge, I ran my hand over cold shiny handle I was about to open it when I heard breathing behind me, it was one of the nuns.
I later found out the girl I punched saw me leaving my room and told on me, nevertheless I was marched to the outside detention box which was a small shallow pit dug into the ground (only just deep enough for a ten year old child to sit up in) with metal bars above attached on a wooden frame I was told that for my disobedience I would be sleeping in the pit tonight.
It was horrible.
My only solace was the full moon to gaze up at, and thats when I saw him, a scruffy thin little boy who didn't live in the orphanage as it was girls only, walking up to me "hello" he said "hello I replied "whats your name?" he asked "Elizabeth" "its a pleasure to meet you Elizabeth, my names Sebastian" he said smiling.
he seemed quite odd but friendly so I smiled back and said "the pleasures all yours", this made him laugh,” I can get you out of there if you want" he said teasingly.
before I could reply he began picking the lock and within moments the door unlocked with an audible click and swung open "taadaa" he exclaimed
he offered me a hand and pulled me out of the pit, I climbed out and thanked him. I asked him where he lived and he said not too far from here with his mother which struck me as odd considering how extremely unkempt he was but I didn't pry, then he asked me “how old are you?” “Im ten” “ oh I'm twelve” he said sounding proud "what do you like to do Elizabeth?" I told him "fighting climbing running exploring stuff like that" "me too! he said cheerfully and from then on out we became each others best and only friend.
We did everything together I'd meet him secretly when we where let out into the field to play, and sometimes in the pit.
I began purposely getting into trouble to get sent to it , then Sebastian would pick the lock and let me out and we would explore climb fight and make up great stories for ourselves.
One night we were walking through the field outside the orphanage that led to the forrest, I suggested we go to his house and he happily agreed, I was exited because Sebastian had mentioned his house and his mother plenty of times so I thought it would be fun.
"How much further Sebastian?" I whined we had been walking for ages, "not much further lizzie " he replied walking in front of me, "don't call me lizzie!" I shouted he laughed and began running ahead, he had the lamp so under the thick trees in the middle of the night I was surrounded by darkness.
"Sebastian? Sebastian! This isn't funny, come back! I heard rustling behind me, terrified I sprinted forward until I saw a dim yellow light. then I saw it, in the middle of nowhere stood a small dilapidated house with a lamp hanging from one of the trees nearby "boo" said Sebastian softy from behind me, I fell to the ground from fear and he began laughing.
I punched him in the arm "that wasn't funny! " " I'm sorry" he replied then he helped me up, "is this your house Sebastian? He ran up next to it and said "taadaa" still grinning I was confused It wasn't much how he described it, it was so run down, but It didn't bother me to much and I was still excited.
We walked up to the door and Sebastian unlocked It with the key he always wore around his neck, and then It hit me.
The smell was unbearable, like rotting meat and garbage, and the inside reflected this, the wooden floors were black and the walls were brown and peeling, everything was either broken or had long since rotted.
"mum I'm home!"
He said as he slammed the door closed, ”do you wanna see my room Elizabeth?" “Yeah sure" I said uneasily, as we walked up the stairs that creaked relentlessly.
his room was actually quite nice, not as bad as the rest of the house it had this big window with this huge padded windowsill that caught the glow from the lamp outside, that he said he sometimes sits in to watch the sunrise.
"Is your mother not in Sebastian? I didn't hear her reply" he looked sad for the briefest moment then smiled "yeah she's In her room she's probably sleeping" "doesn't she mind you being out all the time, especially during the night? "nah she knows I can take care of myself he said then his smile faded "Elizabeth?" "yes Sebastian?" "I think my mothers sick”, she's always sleepy and she never gets out of bed I try to feed her but she stopped eating."
I didn't know what to say, I didn't know anything about illness, but Sebastian was my best friend so I said I'd help him. he opened the door to his mothers room and I realised the source of the odour in this house was coming from here, and then I saw her.
She was dead and was beginning to rot in her bed.
I had never seen a dead body before but, From the smell of the room and the colour of her skin it seemed she had died quite a while ago I wanted to scream and run out of that house and never come back, It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen, but Sebastian seemed genuinely worried about his mothers health, I wouldn't dare leave him like this.
"I don't know whats wrong, she stopped talking to me, she stopped eating and she's always sleeping"I didn't know what to do, so I hugged him as tightly as I could and told him she was dead at first he said nothing, but then he slowly began to cry.
I think he knew deep down she was dead he just couldn't admit it to himself, he needed someone to tell him, I didn't let myself cry I needed to be strong for him.
after he had cried all he could, I grabbed him by the shoulders and said to him using his trademark grin, "right enough crying Bassie lets go watch the sunrise" It was all I could think to say, he agreed and wiped the tears away from his eyes.
we climbed on to windowsill In his bedroom, sat down, and looked outside.
it was twilight, the sun was just about to rise, he leaned on my shoulder and said "thank you for staying with me" "there is nowhere I would rather be" I said smiling then I turned back at the window to watch the sun as it rose, I could feel the sunlight warm the tears rolling down my face.
Sebastian
We fell asleep on that windowsill, it wasn't until midday when we woke up.
"I need to get back" she said worryingly, "the nuns are gonna beat me blue for staying out all night and breaking out of the cage" "oh gosh I'm sorry" I tell her "I'll take you back right away" It’s ok, you stay here and rest, you must be quite tired anyway the other girls are probably outside playing maybe I can slip in unnoticed” I say to reassure him.
"ok then" I smiled, "do you know the way back?" “yeah, just follow the path right?" "yeah, ok I'll see you again tomorrow night then? "Of course" she said still smiling then she walked out the room.
I didn't know It at the time but I wouldn't see her again for eleven years.
From what she told me since, when she went back, the nuns were furious, so angry In fact that they had her live with a bastard of a man named Gregory Croghton.
He partly funded the orphanage for good publicity and was looking for a daughter.
He sent her to the best schools In the country, she learned etiquette, archery,manners, ballroom dancing, but most of all she learned how to take a beating.
Elizabeth as a child was very stubborn and rebellious, her adoptive father saw this as defiance and tried to break her spirit, he never quite managed it, but she is far more contained now than she was as a child. I met her again two years ago at a party we were both attending I was pretending to be a waiter to collect a bounty on the head of the host of the party.
It was indescribable how I felt when I saw her but I'll save that story for another time.
"How much further is it?" asked the boy "I told you Its going to take at least two hours on foot at this pace, you can leave whenever you want kid”
"and I told you my name is faust, and I'm not leaving just yet, I want to find out whats happening" he said with this big grin, I couldn't help but smile, If only a little.
“ok, ok but I you need to know it's going to be really dangerous, probably too dangerous for a child like you I wont be able to protect you"
"ha you protect me? You can hardly walk and besides, I'm more than aware of the danger, Its part of the reason I'm coming.
"Don't underestimate me brat, even in this state I could easily take out dozens of men"
"whatever you say mister,now how much further?"
"ugh you should of let me die, your so unbearable"
"yeah I get that allot,so what happened up there in that house?" I fill him In on the plan we had and how we had, complications.
"so were going to save your friend Elizabeth from her father at his house because he is a bad person and is going to force her to marry the man who owns the house you and her were trying to rob?" he asks.
"pretty much" I reply he gave a short pause “good enough for me, but I'm gonna have to fix your leg better than that If we want to have any chance of getting there In time".
He lets me go and pulls a large black book from his bag, it’s mostly illegible to my eyes but he seems to be looking for something in particular.
"Ah here it is, affliction alteration" he says
"Whats that?" I ask "Essentially it’s a curse that moves a wound from one part of your body to another"
Cant you just heal the wound?
"Nope, thats a skill I've yet to learn"
"how odd, fine put it in my right hand"
"Ok now hold very still we don't want to accidentally hit your heart."
“Indeed".
He stands in front of me and begins to concentrate, he holds up both of his hand and says what sound like an incantation, then all of a sudden I hear a loud BANG, it feels like I've been shot point blank in the hand.
“AHH!, Holy fucking hell you didn't tell me it was going to be like that?!" I shouted, holding man hand reeling with pain.
"Well I told you it was a curse! It was all I could do, at least you can walk now "
This was true, the pain in my leg had gone, I removed the bandage from my leg and tied it on my hand.
I thought I was going to pass out from the pain, so I tried to focus my mind on other things,"ah ok... now, lets keep going" he smiled and we picked up the pace.
We continued to walk for another two hours, faust is a very strange boy, his long bushy white hair, tanned skin and dark tattoos made him almost impossible not to stare at although unbearably talkative, he is kind hearted and high spirited, he reminds me of how I was as a boy, I'm not sure of his motives yet but he seems genuinely interested in helping, so for now I will trust him.
"Were here faust" I say pointing to the large estate looming over us.
"finally" he exclaims "so what's the plan?"
"we search for her until we find her"
"sounds like a pretty flimsy plan to me"
"well by all means leave, I can do this alone"
"ok ok let's do this jeez”.
I have never been to Elizabeths house before, but she has told me before that when she is badly behaved her father locks her away in a prison cell to teach her a lesson
so thats where we are headed, the guards here all carry swords and seem to be better trained that the ones at the Maldiere manor, We watch for a while.
" ok, there are six men guarding the outside perimeter, have you got anything in that book that could help us out kid?"
"erm let me check" he reaches into his bag and checks his book, I see now that allot of the pages are blank.
"Why is it so empty?" I ask him "well you see this is a special book that fills itself accordingly to what I am capable of doing"
"so is there anything in there that is the slightest bit useful in this situation?"
He checks again, looks up, smiles “petrification, I can stop one of them moving for as long as the incantation takes to say which is about ten seconds, this spell is fairly dificult, I can probably only do it about four times in succession so you will have to take out two of the guards without me."
What is this child? I ask myself "I underestimated you boy, please, go right ahead.
Faust
So the plan is as follows, I perform petrification on the three guards closest to me and once more on the guard furthest away, meanwhile Sebastian will attack the one that I've immobilised and move on to the next one accordingly.
The guards are fairly spread out and are walking around the perimeter of the building, but he will still have to be quick enough to make sure none of them are left alive long enough to alert the house.
"You ready faust?" he whispers as we approach, I nod my head and aim my hand and look to the first guard, I begin reading the spell.
"Oh blessed body, still thy beating heart" the guard stops, I quickly glance at Sebastian to signal him to go.
" Immobilise thy step, pacify thy breath", he sprints towards him readying his knife in his left hand, "quell thy thought and halt thy spirit,he's impossibly quick, the guard can see him running towards him but is helpless to stop him.
"Become as thee would in death and submit to petrification" he almost takes his head off but the splatter is minimal.
We repeat this process 2 more times then he stops, he begins to casually walk up to the 2 guards that are unaware of whats been happening under the cover of darkness, leaving one guard left at the door.
They see him, "state your business" one of the shouts to him while the other draws his sword "my business is my own" he says with a smile "but if you could tell me where lady Elizabeth is being kept that would be terribly helpful."
"Its him sir! The man seen back at the Maldieres house with lady Elizabeth, suspected of killing guards, starting the fire and holding lady Elizabeth hostage"
"guilty" replied Sebastian, sounding proud then he drew his knife.
The guard calls back to the man still at the door and tells him to sound the alarm "yes sir" he replies, nows my chance, I focus on the guard at the door and begin the incantation "oh blessed body" Sebastian notices me and begins attacking the two guards viciously with tremendous speed, but with only one hand in use they hold there own."Still thy beating heart" he really is quite amazing, parrying there blows with his knife, but he knows he's running out of time, he knows that if the guard goes inside and sounds the alarm we are as good as dead.”Pacify thy step" he gets cut by one of the guards in the arm. "Immobilise thy breath" but continues on tying to get in a lethal blow, there must be something I can do I think to myself, I leave the cover of the bushes and begin walking to Sebastian, speaking louder to get the attention of the guards. "quell thy thought and halt thy spirit!" one of them spots me, because of this Sebastian is able to catch him of guard and stabs him in the heart, he falls to the ground. "become as thee would in death!" Sebastian continues to block and parry the guards large sword with only a single dagger, “AND SUBMIT TO PETRIFICATION!” Sebastian quickly ducks, stabs the guard in the stomach and once more through the chin, he pulls his knife from him and all at once sweep kicks him at the legs knocking him to ground and hurls his knife at the guard released from my spells embrace pinning him to door by his throat.
I fall to the ground exhausted "cut it a bit close there eh?" "we aren't dead at least" he says breathing heavily but come now faust the time for rest is later" he offers me his hand and pulls me up, "I guess I underestimated you" I said laughing" he grins and bows ostentatiously.
We walk up to door, Sebastian removes his knife from the guard and the guard from the wall,we open the door and go inside.
The manor was grand and amazing, marble stairs, towering chandeliers, and a vase on every table.
We walk around quietly looking for a staircase leading to the cellar, Sebastian said that in houses like these, the prison chambers were almost always underground.
We finally come to a small staircase at the back of manor leading downwards to a singular door with a small looking hatch, “that's got to be it" I whispered to him pointing at the door, he nodded and we walk down towards it.
"Elizabeth!" he whispers loudly through the looking hatch, a tired voice replies "oh Sebastian, what took you so long?" "Forgive my punctuality" he says smugly "I can get you out of there if you like" but before she could reply he began picking the lock and within moments opened the door.
" Tadaaa" he said cheerfully then I saw her, a lady blonde hair down to her shoulders with a stern look in her eyes shackled to the wall in nothing but her underwear.
"Who is this Sebastian?" she said, coldly glaring directly at me.
"My..my name is faust, I came here with Sebastian to rescue you" even chained to the wall this lady was terrifying, but still very beautiful.
Her and Sebastian exchanged a series of looks and seemed to communicate without words, then, her glare softened slightly "thank for accompanying Sebastian to rescue me now, get me down from here Sebastian" and as quickly as she had said it he cut her shackles with his blade.
She fell to the floor and massaged her wrists for a moment then got up and said "Im going to need some clothes, I cant just walk around like this, not to mention that boy hasn't stopped staring at my chest since you both entered" I looked away embarrassed "you cant blame the poor boy lizzie, are quite a handful" he said jokingly. "oh do shut up Sebastian, the guard will be coming down here soon to check on me, when he does I want you to knock him out so I can take his clothes.
"whatever you say"he replied.
We waited in the room until we finally heard the guard, Elizabeth pretended she was still shackled and Sebastian locked the door, we waited behind it, the door unlocked and bam! Sebastian clubbed him in the face with the back of his dagger and he fell to the ground.
She removed his clothes, put them on and took the guns from his holsters, "why didn't you want me to kill him?” asked Sebastian
“I didn't want to get blood on my new clothes" said Elizabeth dryly "of course” he replied.
We left the room and walked quickly up the stairs and out of building Elizabeth, said she has grown bored of living with her father and asked Sebastian what he planned on doing, he said that after the heist at the Maldiere’s he was planning to sail west from here to complete a bounty.
Elizabeth, sounding excited said "I have always wanted to see the western islands" Sebastian shrugged " I assume you'll be accompanying us as well faust? asked Elizabeth, then they both looked at me, "Sure" I said "this is most fun I've had in ages”
"west it is then" exclaimed Sebastian, they both smiled.
Sebastian said that his boat was back towards the pier, Elizabeth said that there are stables at the back of the house and if we were to get back there without being caught, we'd need to take a horse and cart.
"someones bound to realise I'm gone and alert father, and I’d rather not be here for that" said Elizabeth.
Elizabeth
"Oh whats this" I say noticing the bodies littering the courtyard.
"We had some resistance when we arrived" said Sebastian wearily, "but of course, fathers men are some of the best in the country, you did well to better them" I said sharply "and did you help too boy?" "yes mam" he replied timidly.
I still don't trust this boy yet but Sebastian seems to think he's a helpful companion, I cant see why, but his judgment is good enough for me.
"Here we are" I say as we reach the stables, there are 6 horses and 3 carts, we will have to be extremely quiet, as the stables are directly behind the house against the east wall, but the horses are restless, neighing and behaving terribly.
"it will be quicker to take two of the horses,then ride with the cart" I whisper to them as I begin to saddle one of the horses, "I cant get on the horse" says faust, "oh come now boy, you cant be that scared of horses can you?" I say impatiently.
"Oh no" he says "I'm not scared of them, they're scared of me, "nonsense"I say to him, but as he walks closer to the horses they react violently, clearly terrified "ok ok get in the cart boy, you too Sebastian" they do as instructed.
They sit in the back seat and I sit in the front to man the reigns, "yah!" I whip the reigns beckoning the horses to move and they start to walk briskly down the manor path towards the main road "why are horses so alarmed by you faust?" I hear Sebastian ask behind me,"well" faust replies “I was told its because to animals, I smell like death.
"How lovely" I say sarcastically although, I cant stand animals myself, beastly things.
We were just about to set off down the road when suddenly "Elizabeth?!" "oh no" I sigh, it was fathers dreaded voice, "Elizabeth come back here this instant!" I hear him shout from the stables behind us, his guards readying themselves and him climbing hastily into a carriage.
"We must hurry" I say without looking back I whip the horses reigns harder and they start to gallop at a tremendous pace.
"How far back are they Sebastian?" I call to him loudly as we race down the steep road, "not far!" he replies, I glance back for a moment to see that father and his men are catching up to us.
"Sebastian? Be a dear and take the reigns from me" he climes over the seat and I hand them to him, we were steadily approaching the pier I climbed over the back seat and readied my gun, faust was looking back at the carriage chasing us "get down boy" I tell him, he looks at my gun then quickly complies.
I begin laying cover fire, not aiming to kill, but enough to let father know I'm serious, his guards begin to shoot back aiming for the back wheels.
We are moments away from Sebastian boat,but then one of the wheels is shot by the guards, it shatters, splintering into fragments the cart begins to destabilise "out of the cart and head for the boat!" I order, Sebastian grabs faust and jumps from the still moving cart, I look back to see fathers carriage fairly close behind before I jump.
We hurry our way to the boat and hastily climb in, "Sebastian man the oars!" "aye aye captain" he replies almost comedically, faust unties the rope anchoring the boat to the pier.
Just as Sebastian's oars hits the water fathers carriage screeches to a halt, he and his men quickly run to the shore and draw there guns.
"Elizabeth, get out of that boat this instant!" Shouts father, "I am not coming back with you!" I reply, I could see an intense rage building behind his usually calm face. He withdraws his gun and takes aim, "impudent child, I shall count to five, either you leave that boat this instant and except your punishment as my daughter or, stay and die along with these assailants as a traitor by my hand.
I look back at Sebastian worryingly "faust?" he calls keeping his eyes on the guns, "ok ok one second" he replies hysterically, pulling a large black book from his bag, searching the pages feverishly.
"ONE!" counts father, faust looks up and smiles at Sebastian, Sebastian then winks at me, I don't know what there planning but whatever it is, I hope it works.
"TWO!" faust begins reading aloud calmly, "oh merciless ocean, grant me thy ferocity," "don't do this father!" I urge desperately "THREE!" shouts father pulling back the trigger, "lend me thou tide," the water around the boat begins to tremble, "I beckon your immeasurable power, "FOUR!" "cast us deep into your arms," "faust?!" says Sebastian worryingly, slowly drawing his blade "and bring us to your void" the water begins to swirl violently about the boat, I reach for my gun thinking that I’m going to have to shoot, him and say "actually father, I choose neither."
“FIVE!!” and almost all at once, father and his men shoot but the boat rushes backward at a tremendous speed almost knocking me over, we see them grow tiny as we sail off into the horizon, I hear father shout with rage and confusion in the distance, but he is no longer any of my concern.
"aha you did it boy!" says Sebastian patting him on the back almost knocking him over, "th..thanks" he replies breathing heavily "Im not sure what you did child, but well done" I tell him, he manages a smile.
What a peculiar boy, I had heard such abilities existed but didn't believe there reality until now, I see now why Sebastian thought that faust would be a useful companion.
I adjust my eyes to the landscape, only sea in every direction, Sebastian checks his compass "were heading east,we should reach the eastern islands within a day or two"he says, "all this commotion has made me famished,I assume you brought food with you Sebastian"I say sharply.
"of course" he replies reaching into the satchel that was left in the boat, "but we must ration it we can't be sure when we will next....." he pauses and begins searching the bag hysterically, but to no avail, he turns to faust quickly "it was you!, it was you I saw in my boat rummaging about the bags!” faust smiles uneasily but Sebastian is furious.
Two days without food, oh bother.