“I know. I am sorry. I just want to hold a little one in my arms again so much.”
“Then maybe you should be the one having them.” Laughing Abby missed Isis’ look. “Anyway, back to Ull. I was hoping you could use your influence and get him here.”
Isis looked at Abby silently for several moments. She hadn’t spoken to Ull since they had words when they first returned to Betelgeuse. Her first male was brooding and it was time for it to end. He would help his brother or he would have to deal with her.
“Ull will be there.” Isis promised.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Abby leaned back in her chair, smiling as she disconnected. She had no doubt that Isis would get Ull here. Not even the mightiest of Tornian Warriors stood a chance against a determined mother.
Knowing there was work for her to do on the third level Abby walked by the table holding the remnants of her midday meal. She needed to talk to Paganus, the kitchen kept sending up enough food for a Tornian Warrior. There was no way she could eat both of the large sandwiches they had sent. Grabbing the second half of the one she had started earlier she headed upstairs.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Paganus smiled as he looked down at his Lady’s empty tray. He liked that she enjoyed her food, even if he didn’t know how someone so small could put away so much. She ate like a Warrior.
“Oh Paganus! Could you help me here?”
Turning around Paganus found his Lady struggling with a large picture she was trying to get down the stairs. “My Lady! What are you doing?!! Let me take that! Why did you not call for assistance?!!” Paganus’ words were coming as fast as he movement to her side.
“Oh, thank you Paganus.” Abby said as he took the picture from her before she turned and closed the door leading to the third level. “And to answer your question I didn’t call because I thought I could handle it.”
“Call next time!” Paganus didn’t realize he had just given his Lady an order.
“Trust me, I will if I find anymore this size. Put it over there, please.” She pointed to a spot across the room. “I really can’t believe Risa had something this amazing.”
“She did have five males my Lady.” Paganus addressed her properly.
“Yes, but this is something that could only have come from this House.” Moving towards him she turned the portrait so he could see it.
Paganus felt his breath catch at what he saw. How had Risa been able to acquire something like this? Where had it been?
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Yes… it is King Varick’s family.” Paganus’ heart was racing. Where had this been stored for Bertos to be able to give it to Risa? It was more than just a piece of this House’s history, it was a piece of the Empire’s. For him to offer it to Risa… it was an insult to all that had come before him.
“This needs to be hanging in the main entrance of the House, Paganus. It is a part of its history and all should be able to see it.” Abby lets her eyes run over the people in the painting. Each one was so striking. The males were tall and broad like the male in the center, King Varick. While the females were actually smaller, like Queen Rawnie but each one beautiful. They all sat or stood around their parents each a reflection of some part of them either in how they stood or sat, in the slant of their eye or the tilt of their mouth yet the thing they all had in common was the combination of the King’s dark hair streaked with the Queen’s golden blonde.
“I agree my Lady.”
Paganus’ agreement pulled her eyes from the portrait. “Is there not a place where the past families, past Lords and Kings, are hung?”
“No my Lady, there might have been such a place in the past, but I have never heard of it.”
“Then we will start one… with this.” She gestured to the portrait.
“Yes, my Lady, I will begin to search the House for the perfect hall.”
“The entrance hall Paganus. It should be there so that all who enter know who they are dealing with. So they know where we came from and where we are going.”
“I… yes, my Lady. Would you like me to take this with me along with your empty dishes?”
“No. I want Ynyr to see it first and my plates aren’t empty.” She told him absently.
“Yes, they are my Lady. I am very happy to see that you so enjoy our food.”
“What?” Abby turned to look to the plates he had picked up.
“Paganus…” she said quietly, her eyes shooting around the room.
“Yes, my Lady?”
“I didn’t eat all that food.” She told him.
“If you say so my Lady.”
“No!” Abby grabbed his arm to make sure he saw she was serious. “I did not eat all that food. I ate one and left one, there was too much.”
“But if you didn’t…” Paganus suddenly understood what she was saying. Dropping the plates with a clatter, he drew his sword. “Get behind me.” He ordered and Abby instantly obeyed.
Paganus’ eyes scanned the room looking for the slightest of movements. Someone had been in here with his Lady and no one had known it. The entire wing needed to be searched. Lifting his comm he contacted Navon guarding the door and told him they had an intruder.
Within moments Navon was storming into the chamber his sword drawn. He had left Ja to guard the Wing’s entrance.
“Where?” Navon demanded quietly, his eyes searching.
“I don’t know.” Paganus told him, his eyes still searching the room. He had tucked Abby into a corner behind him. “When I first arrived the chamber doors were closed and Lady Abby was on the third level, that door open. I closed the chamber doors and when Lady Abby came down to this level, she closed that door.”
“Why do you think there is an intruder?” Navon demanded.
“Because of the food.”
“The food?” Before Navon could question further they heard the sound of running feet, turning towards the doors both males braced for attack.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“What?!!” Ynyr questioned in disbelief.
“My Lord, Master Paganus has reported there is an intruder in the Lord’s Resting Chamber. Warrior Navon has gone to assist him. I am guarding the entrance.” Ja informed him.
“Korin!” Ynyr roared causing every male on the training field to freeze. “Dai! Tocho! Morio! With me!” Ynyr took off running and the males unquestioningly followed.
Ynyr’s heart was racing faster than his mind. What had happened? How had a male managed to get to his Abby? Was she hurt? Was she scared? Males quickly moved to get out of their way as the males stormed through the halls of the House. Ynyr slowed down only slightly when Ja came into sight still standing before the Wing’s doors his sword drawn.
“Report.” Ynyr ordered.
“Navon went to assist Paganus and is still inside my Lord. No one else has entered or exited.” Ja quickly told him.
“Remain here.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Shoving open the doors Ynyr pleaded with the Goddess that he wasn’t too late.
“Morio, let Navon know we approach.”
Navon quickly glanced down at his comm when it beeped, then relaxed slightly. “It is Lord Ynyr.” He told Paganus as he quickly replied to Morio.
“Lady Abby is secure, my Lord.” Morio told him and Ynyr shoved the doors open. His eyes took in everything at once. Nothing seemed out of place except the broken plates on the floor and the two warriors in the far corner, their swords drawn.
“Abby!” He shouted uncaring what the others might think.
“Here!” Her muffled voice came from behind Paganus.
Quickly he moved to her. “Are you harmed? Did he hurt you? Where is he?” All this he demanded as he lifted her off her feet and crushed her to his chest, making it impossible for her to reply.
“We have yet to find anyone my Lord, but I have not yet done a thorough search.”
“What do you mean?” Ynyr demanded. “You said there was an intrude
r.”
“Yes, my Lord that is what Master Paganus reported.”
“Ynyr.” Abby pushed herself away from his chest. “Someone has been in here. The food.”
“What?” Turning Ynyr looked at the broken plates.
“My Lord,” Paganus spoke up. “When I entered to clear midday meal I commented on how much Lady Abby seemed to enjoy our food, that she had eaten all of it.”
“And your point?”
“Ynyr,” Abby voice brought his gaze back to her. “I didn’t eat it all, only half and then I went up to the third level.”
“When I entered my Lord the plates were empty.” Paganus told him.
“The chamber doors?” Ynyr demanded.
“Closed.” Paganus told him.
Ynyr slowly set Abby back on her feet before he turned his eyes scanning the room. “Abby?”
“I didn’t see anyone. After you changed your shirt I talked on the comm for a while to your mother, then went to the third level to work. I was coming back down and Paganus was clearing the meal. We talked for a few minutes and that's when I realized someone had been in here.”
“Because of the meal.” Ynyr said.
“Yes and it’s not the first time.” Abby told him.
“What do you mean?!!” Ynyr’s words were tense.
“I mean it’s not the first time food has gone missing. The first time I noticed it was our first night here. I had plates waiting for you, remember?”
“Yes.” Ynyr did, they had been filled with all of his favorites.
“I’d fallen asleep waiting. When you arrived you had already eaten, but when I looked at the plates there seemed to be some food was missing.”
“Why did you not say anything?” Ynyr demanded.
“Because I thought I might have been wrong.”
“When else?”
“The day the mattress arrived. Paganus brought me my midday meal, but I didn’t eat it right away. When I went back the plate was empty.”
“Yet you didn’t say anything!” Ynyr began to fume.
“I thought maybe I had just eaten it during the confusion and forgotten, that’s the only other time when ‘everything’ was eaten, until today. If some on the other plates were missing I never noticed, the portions sizes were large enough to feed a Tornian warrior.”
Ynyr’s mind was racing. Someone had been entering and leaving their chambers undetected for nearly a week! How! It had been sealed when they arrived. “I want this entire Wing searched! Starting with this chamber!”
“Yes, my Lord!”
“Abby…”
“I’m fine… a little shook up to think someone’s been coming and going as they please but since they have done no real harm…”
“Yes they have!”
“Ynyr it’s food! It’s not like I was attacked or anything.”
“You could have been.”
“But I wasn’t.”
“My Lord.” Navon’s quiet words had Ynyr spinning around to see him crouched down looking at something. Moving to his side Ynyr saw what Navon was seeing. Crumbs… bread crumbs from the sandwich and they led into the closet. Drawing his sword Ynyr silently followed the trail.
The closet was actually a small room and if it had still been filled with Bertos things it would have taken time to search but as Ynyr had yet to acquire the coverings of a Lord and instead had those of a Warrior, it was nearly empty.
Ynyr’s eyes carefully searched every open inch. Was there a secret passage here as there had been in Torino? Looking at the trail of crumbs he frowned. They led to his coverings. With warriors filing in behind him Ynyr moved closer to his belongings.
Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing was missing. About to turn away, he looked at the damaged shirt he had discarded it earlier. That’s not where he had placed it. Moving towards it he saw the slightest of movements. Reaching down he grabbed the shirt, jerking it away his sword was ready to strike. What he found froze him.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Brice stared up at the male about to end his life. He was bigger than his manno, bigger than any male Brice had ever seen, but his eyes were the same, cold, flat and deadly. He shouldn’t have stolen the food. He knew that, but he had been so hungry and it had just been sitting there.
He liked coming to these chambers now. They were warm. The female laughed, she smelled nice and there was always food. Food no one missed until today.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Ynyr had been ready to strike. Ready to kill whoever dared to endanger his Abby. What he hadn’t been ready for was the dirty, trembling child who was curled up, trying to be as small as possible with the last pieces of the sandwich still clutched in his hand.
Who was this? How had he gotten in here? Where had he come from? Looking to Dai, who had moved to Ynyr’s left, he saw him shake his head, letting him know he had no clue.
Slowly Ynyr lowered his sword. “Who are you?” He demanded, but the yellow skinned child just stared mutely at him. When he reached down the child shrunk away from Ynyr, his eyes frantically searching for an escape route but there were none. Not with five large warriors filling the room.
Ynyr gripped the child’s shoulder and was shocked to discover how thin he seemed to be. While he appeared young, he still should have been more developed than this. Being sure not to harm the child Ynyr led him out of the closet. He wanted some answers.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“Brice!” Paganus’ exclamation had everyone looking at him.
“Oh my God!” Abby cried out. “A child!” Quickly she moved around Paganus making a beeline for the child still in Ynyr’s grip.
“Abby…” Ynyr tried to stop her, but she dropped right in front of him her eyes locked on the child.
“Hello.” Abby’s voice, so soft and so full of caring for the filthy child before her, had every male pausing. “My name is Abby.” She slowly touched her chest. “What’s yours?” When he didn’t answer she wasn’t fazed at all. Her eyes quickly traveled over him taking in everything at once, his young age, his filthy condition, the way his clothes hung on him and the remnants of the sandwich in his hand.
“My… you really must have been hungry.” Abby gestured to the sandwich. “I can barely eat one of those Tornian size sandwiches.” To her surprise he slowly lifted his arm, offering her what remained.
“Oh no,” Abby told him softly. “You keep that. I’m full.” The child immediately shoved it in his mouth, chewing madly.
“They're good aren’t they?” He nodded at her. “Do you want some more? I can order more if you are still hungry.” His eyes widened in shock as he swallowed down the food. “Won’t you tell me your name?” She asked again.
“It is Brice, my Lady.” Paganus told her.
“I wasn’t speaking to you Paganus.” Abby told him and while her voice was hard and abrupt, shocking Paganus, her eyes remained gentle as they looked at Brice. “Is that your name?” Slowly he nodded. “Brice is a very nice name. How old are you Brice? One?” She held up one finger.
“Two?” She added another.
“Three?” A third joined them.
“Four?” To the shock of all of them, Brice reached out and stopped Abby from raising a fourth finger.
“So it’s three then.” Abby smiled and slowly turned her hand, giving him time to pull away if he wanted before she cupped his small hand. “That’s awfully young to be roaming the House by yourself don’t you think?”
Brice shook his head, his tangled mass of dirty hair moving slightly
“I bet someone is very worried about where you are.”
This time when Brice shook his head, his hair whipped around his face.
“Oh, I don’t believe that. You are such a handsome, resourceful young male. I bet someone is scouring the House for you right now.”
“They dead.” The two small words were spoken in a very small, young voice through lips that barely moved.
“Oh Brice. I’m so sorry.” Abby felt her ey
es fill with tears. “Mine died too.” She opened her arms to him and after only a moment’s hesitation, he dove into them.
Every male in the room watched the unfolding scene in shock. Why was she comforting this child? He was not hers and even if he had been, at this age a female would have turned her offspring over to his manno, done with her responsibility to him. Even Ynyr’s own mother had done this.
“Who is he Paganus?” Ynyr demanded, pulling his eyes from Abby.
“Brice Guttuso…. Bertos and Risa’s male.”
“What?!!” Ynyr’s eyes shot back to the child Abby was now rocking in her arms. “What is he still doing here?!!”
“I do not know my Lord.” Paganus told him.
“Korin!” Ynyr turned hard eyes to him.
“I am sorry my Lord, I never gave it a thought… his care was never a part of my duties.”
“Paganus!”
“My Lord?”
“Who was responsible for his care while Bertos was gone?” Ynyr demanded.
“My Lord… Warrior Wasaki was assigned to oversee the care of him from the time Risa gave up her responsibility.”
“What?”
“Bertos did not feel he needed to be bothered with the care of a second male. He had Luuken.”
“Wasaki left this House two days ago! Why did he not send him to Gehenna?!!”
“Yes, my Lord and I do not know. I can only assume that with the deaths of Risa and Bertos he considered his responsibility ended.”
“Gehenna!” Abby exclaimed, she remembered Ynyr telling her about that place, it was where Dai thought Korin should have sent Mabon. A place for the unfit and unwanted.
Suddenly Brice sprung from her arms and took off running for the chamber doors that no one had bothered to close.
“Get him!” Ynyr ordered.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Abby slowly rose to her feet as the room emptied, all those large Tornian males chasing after one small, scared boy. She was trying to get her mind to process everything that had just occurred. She knew it took her longer to figure things out, knew most of what the educator tried to force into her mind didn’t take but she also knew Ynyr couldn’t have just said what she thought he had.