Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

As soon as I arrived at the Henrietta Family mansion, several guards saw me and one ran off to tell them about me and what I was dragging behind me. I didn't bother trying to approach the house, since I was pretty sure I wouldn't be allowed to drag them inside.

“By the Son's Light!” Helena exclaimed as she came out the front door.

“I'm very sorry about the suit, dearest.” I said and tried to wipe off some of the dirt.

“Oh, David.” Helena said and her hand touched the side of my face. She wiped off a spot and kissed it.

“Explain this.” Grand Mage Henrietta said as he, his wife Mona, his heir Marcus, and his daughter Selena came out of the house.

“I was walking here to come to dinner...” I started to say.

“Excuse me?” Mona interrupted. “Why were you walking?”

“We haven't stocked the stable yet.”

“I know that part. I ordered the coach to be sent back and it was supposed to wait for you.” Mona said, then she, Helena, and Selena turned their heads to glare at Marcus.

“I sent my maid to town for my new suit.” Marcus said and rubbed the ash grey cloth of his arms. “I ordered it last week, so you can't be angry that the tailor finished it today and I sent her for it.”

“You sent her after the coach was supposed to go back for David!” Helena said.

“He wasn't going to come here until supper anyway. Why have the coach sit there for hours and not be useful?” Marcus asked and then shrugged. “It's not my fault if the driver forgot or was too tired to go and get him after performing his proper duty for an actual family member.”

Helena lot out a low growl.

“Continue.” Grand Mage Henrietta said to me.

I described what happened with the darkness, with the attack from multiple opponents, and how the fight ended. Without touching the bodies, the Grand Mage rolled them over with a bit of magic and held his hand above the pocket I indicated. A still smouldering wooden box floated out of the pocket and landed on the ground.

“By the Son's Light.” Mona whispered. “It can't be.”

Grand Mage Henrietta took out a handkerchief and picked up the box and wrapped it up.

“What is it?” Helena asked.

“You don't need to know that.” The Grand Mage said as he stood and looked at me. “Did you question them before they died?”

“Hey! I'm not dead!” The still alive tied up man said.

“No, I didn't.” I said and ignored him.

“Why not?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you what happened and had killed them all.” I said and Mona took in a sharp breath, because she knew I hadn't lied. “I needed a witness, so here he is. Question him and find out who sent him.”

The Grand Mage stared at me and didn't speak or move.

Mona stepped forward and touched his arm. “Dearest? Ask him. He can't lie to you.”

The Grand Mage stood there and didn't respond. His hand glowed for a second, then the tied up man made a gasping sound and stopped breathing.

“Father!” Helena exclaimed and knelt by the man. She felt for a pulse and couldn't find one. “You killed him!”

“He was dying from his wounds.” Grand Mage Henrietta said without taking his eyes from mine. “You keep bringing trouble to this family.”

“I brought David into this family, father.” Helena said and stood up to glare at him. “If you are going to blame anyone...”

“He needs to blame me to cover it up.” I said and the women around us caught their breath. “Otherwise, everyone will start asking why someone hired assassins to kill someone near the Henrietta properties and not on it.”

“David, you're my fiance.” Helena said. “Everyone knows...”

“It doesn't matter. It won't be associated with you or your family, because it's part of my life before our agreement.”

“No, that... he can't really...” Helena looked at her father. “Tell me you're not going to blame it on David.”

“I was attacked by random street thugs on my way here and I dealt with them.” I said. “Isn't that right, Grand Mage?”

Grand Mage Henrietta squinted his eyes and slowly nodded.

“Father!” Helena gasped. “You can't just...”

“It's done.” The Grand Mage said and waved a hand. Two guards came over and tried to haul the three bodies away. They couldn't move them and had to go and get a hand cart. We all stood there and watched them struggle with putting the three of them into the cart, then they disappeared down the road with them.

“I can't believe that just happened.” Selena said, her voice full of disbelief as she stared at the Grand Mage. “My father... my loving father... is a murderer and covered up a crime my brother committed.”

“I didn't do that.” Marcus said. “I don't know why father did what he did.”

“Are you really going to stand there and deny it?” Helena asked. “I can tell when you're lying!”

Marcus took a step towards her and my knife was suddenly at his throat. “I. Did. Not. Hire. Them.” He said and Helena reached out to touch my hand.

“He didn't hire them.” Helena said and I didn't move my hand away. “Do you know who did?”

“Not really.” Marcus hedged and Helena let out another growl. “I suspect, that's all. I don't have any proof.”

“Stop speaking, Marcus. You aren't helping with speculation.” Grand Mage Henrietta said. “Remove the knife from my innocent son.”

Helena glared at her father for the blatant lie.

Grand Mage Henrietta sighed. “Innocent of this.” He corrected and Helena nodded to me as she let my hand go.

I charged my knife, flicked it to get the blood off, and tucked it away into the sheath inside my coat.

“Father, I have to report this.” Selena said, her voice sad.

“It's already being reported.” The Grand Mage said. “I only put that poor man out of his misery. His hands and feet were smashed and he was bleeding profusely from his foot. I doubt he would have lived for another ten minutes, if that.”

“We could have found out so much from him by then!” Helena spat.

“He wouldn't have given you any useful information.” The Grand Mage said and looked at my suit. “You are not attending supper dressed like that.”

“Father, you can't just...”

“Helena, I need to borrow your personal maid for twenty minutes.” I said. “I need a bath and one of my other suits that hasn't been brought over from the guest room yet.” I looked at her mother, Mona. “Lady Henrietta, please forgive my tardiness in attending the family meal. Circumstances prevent me from giving you the appropriate respect by showing up on time.”

Mona glanced at her husband briefly. “You are forgiven and won't be a disruption when you do attend.”

“Thank you.” I said and bowed slightly.

Helena couldn't take my hand, since it was both dirty and blood covered, so she kissed my cheek in the partially cleaned spot and waved for me to enter the house. I quickly left them there and ran to her room.

“David!” Jill gasped when I darted into the room. “You're filthy and bloody!”

“I'll explain as you give me a quick bath.” I said and pulled off the damaged suit. It was a lost cause, if the scrapes and tears in the fabric were any indication, so I tossed it onto the floor by the door to keep the dirt in the room to a minimum. Jill ran the bath as I put my sheathed knife beside the tub and climbed in.

“My lord, you should wait for...”

“No time.” I said and we both lathered cloths, then started scrubbing. I was dirtier than I thought I was, because the water turned brown as the tub filled up. I wasn't used to fighting with loose dirt around and it really made a mess, especially after doing several rolls through it during a fight. I told Jill all about it and what happened afterwards with the Grand Mage. She had a grim look on her face as she rinsed me off and then helped me dry off.

“I'll come right back with...”

“No time.” I said and wrapped the towel around my waist and grabbed my knife. I picked Jill up in a princess carry, with my arms under her back and her knees, and darted out of the bathroom, ran across Helena's room, down the hallway, and into the guest room.

Jill's face was full of surprise as I put her down. “M-m-my l-lord.”

“Dress me for supper.” I said and pointed to the closet.

“Right away, my lord.” Jill said and she picked out a good black suit. It wasn't as nice as the grey suit that had been ruined and the accents had to be changed to match it appropriately. She was done in record time and had me check the mirror to prove that I looked like a proper gentleman.

“Thank you.” I said as I kissed her cheek, then I ran from the room. I slowed down as I approached the formal dining room and I didn't knock on the door, because I needed to lessen the disruption I was going to cause. I carefully opened the door and slipped into the room, then I saw something that I hadn't expected.

Grand Mage Henrietta was not there and Marcus was.

No one spoke as I walked over to Helena and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I walked around the table and did the same to her mother, whispered another apology, and sat down on the other side of Selena. She gave me a forlorn look for a moment, I assumed because I didn't kiss her cheek as well. She sighed when I didn't move closer and she continued to eat.

I used proper table etiquette and ate much faster than them to catch up. Everyone stayed silent as we ate and the main meal part ended. The maids took our plates and brought out dessert for the five of us. We ate and they took it away and came back out with glasses of wine. Mona's eyes were a little wide as she stared at the red liquid.

Marcus picked up his glass and stood up. “I'd like to make an announcement.”

“By the Son's Light, if it has anything to do with tonight...” Helena said, clearly angry.

“It doesn't... and it does.” Marcus said and looked at me. “I give you my word that I won't ever have you killed or try to kill you myself. Such things are beneath me.”

Selena snorted a laugh and clamped her mouth shut.

“Also, you are not deserving of a quick death. You need to suffer for what you're doing to my family.”

“MARCUS!” Helena yelled.

“Yes, dear sister. Thanks to father's investigations, I know exactly what he went through. I also know that it wasn't enough to show him his place in the world.”

“So help me god, if you don't shut up right now...” Helena's hands started to glow as she chanted under her breath.

“He should be licking your feet, not putting his seed in your belly.” Marcus said and saw Helena's face redden. “I see that you agree.”

Helena couldn't take it anymore and stood up. “SHUT UP, YOU IMBECILE!” She yelled into his face. “I'm not blushing because I agree! I'm blushing because he DOES lick my feet! All over!”

Marcus looked surprised and both Mona and Selena blushed.

“Only a real man would ever lower himself enough to lick a woman's feet, fully give himself over to her, then make love to her so well that it's all she can think about!” Helena said loudly and the house maids blushed as well.

“Helena, calm down.” Mona said.

“I would have come home already married to him if father didn't have his stupid official mage restriction!” Helena said to her and held her glowing hands out to her brother. “Go ahead, Marcus. Finish what you were going to say. Father's not here to save you now.” She smiled wickedly. “I want to see if your mage shield can last for more than a few seconds against my strongest spell.”

Marcus gave her a stern look for several moments. He glanced at his mother and saw that she also had a stern face as she stared at him. It took him nearly ten seconds before he decided to speak.

“The Henrietta Family.” Marcus said and took a sip of wine.

Helena's hands stopped glowing and we all picked up our glasses and took a sip.

“Thank you all for attending this meal.” Mona said before anyone else could speak. She stood up and kept staring at her son. “Marcus. You need to leave. Right now.”

Marcus didn't say anything as he put his glass down and strode from the room.