Chapter 20: Too Much
Me and Alice walked on in silence until I stopped and sighed, pondering over how badly Jenny took the news of my inheritance. Not to mention the fact that Kauspetnd's followers will be hunting me down now and my brothers weren't safely on a ride back home. Alice came over to me and locked her hand in mine.
"Do you think she'll understand, Alice?" I asked her, staring up at the sky and leaning on my staff. She looked up at me and smiled.
"Of corse, Tom. Jenny didn't know what to think at first, but she's had time to think about it. She'll understand, she will." Alice said reassuringly. I hugged her suddenly and she embraced me back. I missed her comfort and support, the kind that only she could give me. As we pulled apart I kissed her gently on the cheek. We smiled at each other and I took her hand and led her to my apprentice, a new confidence brewing inside me.
Jenny had told me she would be back at the tent so we looked there first. When I didn't see her I started to get worried, but I relaxed when I heard thuds on a tree down by a lake. Me and Alice made our way toward her. She didn't notice because she was not facing us. She was having a very heated combat session with the tree trunk with some of Grimalkin's blades. She was fast and hard, driving the blades deep into the wood. I watched her until she stopped, pulling the last few daggers from the tree.
"I see Grimalkin has been training you well." I called to her, wondering how she'd react to my presence. She was sweating and breathing hard. She turned around and I walked toward her. Her face looked like she was still deciding something.
"Jenny, I do apologize for not telling you about my mam. You should have known before you decided to be trained by me. I hope you'll understand and accept my-"
I stopped suddenly as Jenny had came forward and hugged me.
I was certainly surprised, I'd never hugged my master...
Before I could react she let go and dropped her gaze uncomfortably.
"No, I'm sorry for reacting like that. It just came to a big surprise to me, that's all. I judged you harshly too quickly, and I'm know I was wrong to do so, and..." Tears came to her eyes, I'd never seen her in this state before.
"I'm sorry for leaving you like that! I was being rude and ungrateful for everything you've done for me especially after you almost lost your life and I made that stupid comment about your scales which I shouldn't have done," she ranted, shaking her head at disapproval of herself. I put a hand lightly on her shoulder before she could continue.
"It's okay Jenny. It's a hard thing to accept but it has no turn on where I stand, and you know where that is."
She smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Alice smiled sweetly and turned to head back to my brothers inn when a look of horror and worrying flashed through her pretty face.
"Tom! Oh Tom I'm so sorry." She said tearing up as me and Jenny ran to her side.
"Oh no." Jenny gasped as I saw the scene before me. My heart skipped a beat before I dropped my staff to the ground.
My brothers were crowded around two bodies on the ground. Could I dare to hope? I ran forward and knelt beside them, examine the terribly injured figures.
The dead body's of Brian and William.
Blood was everywhere, and knives were protruding from each of their stomachs. Exactly what had been done to me had been done to them.
I felt their ice cold faces frantically as I tried to shake them as if they were still breathing. James squeezed my hand so hard I thought the bones inside would break along with my heart. Tears streamed down our faces. This wasn't right. Why... And how, had two of my brothers come to such a sudden death? What happened while I was away? Surely they weren't dead? They couldn't be, I'd left for a such a short time, everything calm. No, I needed an explanation before the worst came to worst... I stood up, turning to wipe away the last of my tears. I turned back to my brothers.
"What exactly happened to them?" I said, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.
Before James, Jack, Michael or Jonathon could bring themselves to answer, Grimalkin came rushing to my side.
"Read this." She said calmly as she handed me a note. I took it and read it quietly to myself as everything was silent but the sobs from my brothers.
You saw what we're capable of. You witnessed it as well.
We killed two of your brothers today, but you still have four more.
Unless more deaths are to follow, you must come to us on the lands where you fought Kauspetnd.
Call this what you will, revenge or rematch.
We'll call it a retribution.
My heart was beating out of my chest. Everyone looked at me, anticipating what the note said. Everyone except Grimalkin. But I wanted something from her before the matters of this note could be discussed.
Tears formed my eyes as I forced myself to voice out my thoughts.
"They killed them." Grimalkin nodded.
"They came soon after you left with Alice. I could deal with a few at a time but there were too many and some distracted me as others ran inside the inn to attack..." She didn't finish her sentence out of politeness. My brothers were gone.
"You should have left. I should have told you to leave before things got out of hand." I spoke to myself but turned to my confused brothers.
"You have to leave, quickly. I'm not loosing anymore of you," tears were streaming down my brothers faces, as well as my own.
"What happened to them, Tom." Michael said quietly. He looked me in the eyes before I responded.
"When someone kills the assassin, their followers seek revenge on the killer. And that would be me," I said more quietly. "This seems one way they go about the punishment." I said bitterly.
"What does the note say, Tom?" Alice asked softly. As I looked at her the only thing I wanted was to hold her in my arms. I needed her comfort now than ever. I had to clear my throat before I read it aloud. Once I finished I looked at my brothers.
"This is why all of you must leave, before I put you in anymore danger."
"Tom what if they kill you again? And what about them," Michael asked gesturing down to our brothers. I starred at James, Jack, Michael and Jonathon as they stood up. We starred at each other for what seemed like forever. There was only one thing we could do with Brian and William's dead bodies.
They had to be buried here.
Tears streamed down our faces even more. James came forward and hugged me, followed by the rest of my brothers. We stayed like that for a while. We were all that was left. Our family would never be the same again. Figuring that fact out was bad enough, but accepting it was another matter. Me and my brothers broke apart. James was the first to speak.
"If you think it's best, we'll leave now Tom." I nodded and followed them back inside. They packed up their belongings in silence. Nobody spoke. They must have been confused beyond belief, but maybe the reluctance to know the full truth of things held back their questions. By now it was getting dark outside. I needed to deal with my brothers bodies before I went to bed. It all was so sudden and very hard to bear.
Depression was in the air as I walked them to the bay. Their boat had arrived quite quickly, but as we sat and waited no one said a word. When the boat came in view we all stood up. Jack walked up to me first.
"You'll be home soon, right? I won't be able to bear anything before I know you back home safely. We're lucky word got around about you..." I tried to sound reassuring.
"I'll stop by the farm when I come back, Jack. Don't worry." We hugged tight as my heart ripped to pieces. He made his way to the boat and got aboard. Michael and Jonathon came forward together. Michael hugged me first, than Jonathon.
"It was great seeing you Tom," Jonathon said, "You've grown so much sense we last saw you." I smiled sadly at him as Michael ruffled my hair one last time.
"What ever your planning on doing here Tom, make it quick. Come back home safely, our youngest brother..." He looked at Jonathon and they both shook their heads.
"I couldn't do what your doing now, especially at such a young age. Be careful, please." Jonathon said quietly. I nodded and watched them aboard the boat. I had just turned my body when James came forward and hugged me tightly, driving all the breath from my body. When we finally broke apart he looked me in the eye.
"I didn't like the sound of that letter you read to us, Tom. Be careful, and come home as soon as you can. We'll be wishing you good luck back at home." Then he leaned forward and whispered in my ear something I'd never forget.
"Make them pay for the deaths they caused." I nodded one last time and watched as he headed to the boat I waited until they had sailed away before I let the tears run down my face once more.