Chapter Twenty One

Four days later…

Sayge laid curled up in the bed as the shutters opened. It seemed to be snowing more than usual considering February was almost over. But then again, the snow continued to fall ever since Ahnger left. No one knew where he was or where to start looking. All they knew was that he ran into the forest and disappeared. While the Brotherhood patrolled the streets for both lessers and the male, Victoria and Mehrcy searched the forest. Sohrrow couldn't join his father since they still didn't know what caused his headaches. So while the two went through the forest, the male stayed with his brothers who went to the city. As for Sayge, there was nothing she could do since she was still recovering.

Her body had been plagued by emotions that weren't hers. They all came crashing down on her when she felt her seals act up. That night, something happened which she hadn't been prepared for. Something caused her seals to react in not burning Ahnger but connected the two together. It was for only a few seconds but Sayge felt like the whole world was crashing down on her. When she heard Ahnger jump from the window and watched him run away, the connection broke instantly. But the damage was done. The Brothers no longer trusted the male even though they already showed little faith in him and Sayge couldn't track him.

Knowing her seals were active but not being able to feel Ahnger was what was killing her. She had always been able to feel Ahnger through her seals that she had gotten used to his presence without her knowing. No longer being able to feel him was like losing half of herself. And what opened that hole were all those emotions which continued to hang over her.

Sayge curled in on herself. Right now she was feeling whatever emotions remained inside her. They weren't hers of course but Ahnger's. When the seals reacted to whatever happened to the male, all of his emotions came crashing down on him and Sayge through the seal's connections. She felt every single emotion he had hidden away flood over and none of them had been kind. There were hardly any traces of kindness or happiness. They were so faint they nearly got washed over by the others. It was these dark emotions that overpowered Sayge into a state of depression. Then there was Ahnger she had to think about. Realizing how powerful these emotions were, she couldn't even imagine how hurt the male was or how he could possible survive with this much to bear on his shoulders.

Today was the fourth day and Sayge knew her own emotion was worry. She worried about Ahnger. Of course she would reach out to find her seals only to feel they were still active. Knowing they were working was the only comfort she had in knowing the male was alive somewhere. However, her own fear mixed with Ahnger's when she thought of the possibility of no longer feeling them.

The thought of losing her last connection to Ahnger made her feel like she would lose everything.

V was about to leave the Pit when his phone went off. Taking it out and checking the caller I.D., he saw it was Havers who was calling him. The male didn't think much of the call and canceled it. Looking up to seeing Butch getting ready to head out, his phone started ringing and it was Havers again. Because the two were already late for a meeting, V took the call as he and Butch made their way to the mansion.

"What the hell do you want?" V growled.

"I'm sorry to call out of the blue but there was so little time," rambled the male. "I just got a call from a hysterical doggen about their master and need me over as soon as possible."

"And why would you call me?" When V asked the question, they were already in the mansion and heading to the study. Some of the Brothers were already in the study while the others were finding their way over. Tonight would be like the last three. Wrath would ask about the enemy and see if anyone had anything on Ahnger. There really wasn't any point in talking about the male since no one had a bead on Ahnger. It was like he vanished which didn't rest well for the others.

Havers told him why and the male stopped in his tracks. Butch asked Vishous if he was alright. V didn't answer. Instead, he pushed past Butch and stormed into the study. Majority of the males were accounted for. The only ones missing was John, Qhuinn and Blay so the others would have to tell the three what they were missing. When everyone looked at V, he told Havers to wait as he put his phone on speaker for the male to speak.

"I want you to repeat everything," V ordered.

"Um, I just got a call from a doggen a few minutes ago about their master."

"And why is this important?" asked Wrath.

"I don't know if this is a coincidence but the doggen said their master's name is Ahnger."

It was Mehrcy who jumped to questions before the others had a chance. "What do you mean? Why did these doggen contact you?"

"All they told me is that they found their master in the forest barely an hour ago. They think he was in the forest for some time because he was nearly covered in snow. When the sun went down, they began to move him and that's when they said he started coughing up blood. I don't know what his condition is so I'm heading over to the estate right now. You told me to look out for a male named Ahnger so that's why I called you."

Wrath ordered the male to give him the location of this estate and wait since the Brothers were heading there right now. When Havers told him the location, Nightmahre asked if they were getting the right coordinates. No one missed how Nightmahre and his family seemed on edge when Havers confirmed the location. Once he hung up to head over, Wrath asked why the group sounded trouble.

"It's because—"

"That's Behnjamin's estate."

Everyone turned to see who interrupted Nightmahre. Standing in the doorway was Sayge.

"Uh, yeah," answered Nightmahre. "It's also the same estate where Rhoslyn and I got mated. It's only eight hours north east from here."

Since Havers would be waiting for the Brothers to arrive, Wrath ordered some of the Brothers to head over to the estate. He even told V to get Jane ready to head over. It was only in case something serious was wrong with the male and if Havers needed any help. When Sohrrow asked to go with his family, the king told the male it would be best if he stayed behind. They still didn't know what happened but got the idea that the twins being together would only cause trouble.

While the males began preparing, Sayge stayed in the doorway. No one knew she had walked down in an attempt of joining them for First Meal when she heard Ahnger's name. Even though it might've been false hope, she had found herself standing outside the doors with her ear pressed against it.

This was no coincidence. The past four days Sayge figured Ahnger wouldn't return to the cabin. He ran in the opposite direction and it was too easy. Besides, Adam would've contacted someone if the male was in trouble just like from what she heard. Hearing he was at one of her father's estates was the last place she would've thought of. Then there was what Havers said. He told the males the doggen called Ahnger their master. They were claiming Ahnger was the master of the same estate where Nightmahre and Rhoslyn got mated.

It was also the same estate where Sayge challenged her father for the first and last time.

Tohr looked up since he was the only one still in the study with Wrath. Even though the king couldn't see, it was like he knew she was still around because he tilted his head up in her direction. When Sayge was about to speak, Wrath held up his hand.

"It's pretty cold outside," he said. "You might want to pack warm if you want to go."

Sayge didn't waste time. Thinking her king, she ran with this newfound hope in her. They were finally going to find Ahnger and learn what happened. As Sayge quickly dressed and threw on her fur coat, the only thought was that Ahnger sounded hurt. This dark information only pushed Sayge to move faster and she found herself downstairs first while the males were still getting ready.

Never in her life would she dare step foot on that estate. Now she couldn't wait to go.

Havers hadn't been kidding about the doggens. Once the Brotherhood materialized in the mansion on the estate with Jane and Sayge by their side, they turned from the vampire and started asking the Brothers if their master was going to be alright. As the males tried to get the doggens to calm down, they asked Havers if he knew where Ahnger was. He told them he was waiting for them to arrive so he could checkup on the male. Jane made her way through the mass to join the vampire. One doggen who seemed calmer than the rest was about to show them the way to Ahnger when Sayge joined them. The two didn't object to her presence.

The doggen quickly led the group from the mansion to the backyard. At the edge of a maze-like garden was a guest house. Plastic covered all of the plants so they wouldn't freeze. It had been barely two centuries since Sayge was here but she still remembered the flowers which were hidden under the plastic. What caught her attention was that in the center of the maze was a gazebo. Held together by white wood, each shard of glass were different colors that they casted a rainbow shadow over the plastic surrounding it. Since there wasn't any snow on the plastic, Sayge could make out the faint colors of white, green and purple.

Sage flowers.

When the group reached the front door, it swung wide open to reveal another doggen with a bundle in her arms. Blood stained the bundle. The doggen stepped aside for the three to enter as she raced back to the mansion. The inside of house was warm. There was a fireplace in the tiny living room where the fire burned. Across the room was a kitchen one could easily access since it was part of the living room. Wooden beans stood on both sides of the room as if they alone were holding the second floor up. Besides the couches facing the fire and drapes to the windows pulled open, the first floor felt homey.

A door opening and closing drew Sayge to look up when an older doggen came down with a bowel in her hand. When she saw them down below, she rushed down and placed the bowel on the counter. Sayge looked over to see the bowel was swimming with blood and a damp towel drooped over the side

"Thank the Scribe Virgin you're here," she greeted. "Our master needs your help dearly. He's getting worse by the second."

Havers and Jane were already up the stairs with the doggen right behind them. Sayge wasn't too far behind. She listened as the doggen told them their master continued to cough up blood and had a temperature which refused to go down. Then the doggen mentioned some strange tattoos which always glowed red every time Ahnger coughed up the blood.

When they made it upstairs and opened the door, Sayge stopped short from what she was seeing.

Lying on a bed with a blanket draped over his waist, Ahnger laid on his stomach and close to the edge. His body was covered in sweat and he clenched the sheets like he was hurting. The seals were now a mix between gold and red which glowed like a fading light over his skin. When the seals glowed more red than gold, Ahnger's hold on the sheets tightened the same time he leaned over to start coughing. The doggen raced over to fetch a bowel which rested on a nightstand and placed it under Ahnger so the blood wouldn't fall on the floor. He continued to cough for what seemed like three minutes until he finally stopped.

Jane and Havers went to work immediately. As the two began checking Ahnger's vitals, Sayge stood by the door. All she could do was watch as Ahnger once again leaned over and poured more blood into the bowel. Eventually the doggen had to leave to empty this one and collect another bowel. As Sayge stepped aside to let her through, she watched as the seals flickered. They were right there and yet she still couldn't feel them. She couldn't feel the pain Ahnger was going through.

The seals flared again and Ahnger didn't have a bowel waiting for him. He coughed blood all over the floor. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Sayge rushed over to the male and stayed out of the way. Smoothing his hair from his forehead, she felt how hot he was. Touching his neck and shoulders, Ahnger was burning up to where a human would've died.

"Sayge," called Jane.

She looked up at the human.

"I know you placed these seals on to keep the darkness at bay but I need you to remove them. I think they're causing more harm to Ahnger."

When Jane seemed as if she was going to explain why, Sayge ignored the human as she willed the seals to vanish. She would take her chances with the goddess later. Right now Sayge had to remove every trace of her seals from Ahnger. And as she watched them fade away until they were completely gone, the burning under her touched felt like it went down a degree.

Sayge stayed by Ahnger's side as Jane and Havers began to look for whatever was happening to Ahnger. Taking his hand, Sayge kept a firm grip as she watched the two go to work.

After reassuring the doggens that Jane and Havers would do their best, the Brothers managed to get them to calm down. Since no one knew what was happening, Mehrcy decided to pull the same older doggen aside. He had seen her come in and told the others to listen to the males. She told them that Jane and Havers were attending to their master and they seemed to listen to her. It was this sign of respect that Mehrcy figured he should get some answers.

The two stepped outside and faced the maze garden. Besides the gazebo, everything looked the same. The male must've been looking at the gazebo too long because the doggen told him Ahnger had built it a long time ago.

"You called my son master. Why?"

"Because he is the master of this estate," explained the doggen. "He has been for nearly a century." Pulling her jacket around her, she closed her eyes and blew a tired sigh. Mist formed over her breath as she buried her chin deep into her jacket. "We began to worry when our master didn't call. He always checked in on us once a month and two days ago was his usual day. At first we thought nothing of it. Perhaps he was too busy to make the call. Then he didn't call yesterday. The best I can explain is that it didn't feel right. Now I know why."

"How is Ahnger the master? Isn't supposed to be Behnjamin's or his line?" asked Mehrcy.

"No. Our former master sold this estate to lord Ahnger. I believe it was the August ninth of nineteen twenty-two when our lord purchased this place."

August ninth. Nineteen twenty-two. Two days after Ahnger nearly killed Mehrcy.

"The older staff had said lord Ahnger came in one day and demanded for the estate. Lord Behnjamin disagreed at first but gave in. Gave this estate for free. He never came back afterwards. Lord Ahnger would come by once a month and leave the next day. It was until thirty years ago he started calling in. But it was the first summer here he stayed the longest."

Mehrcy listened as the doggen spoke of his son. "Our master stayed here close to a month. Each night we would find him in the garden working on that very gazebo. We had told him we could've done it but he did not listen. He cut the wood and sanded it with his own two hands. It took him days to go through each glass before breaking them into pieces and melting them together. He worked very hard on the gazebo and seemed proud when it was complete. After that, he left and began his monthly visits."

"It sounds like you were there."

"My mother was. She was very young. Out of all the doggen, lord Ahnger treated her like an equal. She was the one left in charge until he came back for his day. He trusted her so much he had her sign as the witness."

"Witness?"

"That's right. The young female. Her name is Sayge, right?"

The only thing Mehrcy could do was nod his head. No one had said Sayge's name since they arrived. How would this doggen know who the female was?"

"Lord Ahnger had a will written up after his first year. He stated that if he should die, everything was to go to the female."

"Wait. You're saying my son knew Sayge?"

"Well, I'm not so sure. My mother gave me the picture of the female before she retired. She said Ahnger drew it himself. The will stated that we were to find the female named Sayge since she is the sole inheritor if our master ever passed. If you want, I can go get the picture but trust me when I say lord Ahnger drew ever single detail perfectly to match the female who just arrived."

Nothing was making sense. Ahnger knew Sayge long before she ever met him. He had a will written up just for her. There was a gazebo in the garden that his son had built in the center of the sage flowers. He owned the very estate where his son got mated which perhaps held some connection to Sayge. Ahnger was willing to fight the Brotherhood that night at the warehouse like he thought Sayge was in danger. He used his own body to protect Sayge from the stray bullet. He would only listen to let alone talk to or argue with Sayge.

Nearly a century gap with his family and Ahnger seemed to have only thought of Sayge.

In the distance the sound of a door closing brought Mehrcy's attention to the guest house. Jane was walking out with dried blood on her pants and part of her shirt. From this distance, Mehrcy could tell it wasn't the human's. It would be beyond impossible for her to bleed since she was practically a ghost. This knowledge made the male uneasy.

Jane saw Mehrcy standing with the doggen. Her eyes looked grave when she walked up to the both of them. Folding her arms across her chest like she was cold, she thanked the doggen for taking care of Ahnger and looked up at Mehrcy.

"Havers and I couldn't find anything wrong with him," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked the doggen. "I have been by his side ever since we found him. How can you not find anything wrong? He's got a fever and is coughing up blood for Pete's sakes."

Mehrcy flinched from this news. Was his son really in bad shape?

"We know. Sayge removed the seals from Ahnger. It seemed the removal helped lessen the strain on his body. Havers and I agree it would be in the best interest if he stayed here. Taking him back to the mansion might worsen his condition. We'll have to bring in some equipment to monitor his vitals but that's all we can do. Just make him comfortable."

Something cold ran down Mehrcy's body. Jane had just said make him comfortable. It was the way how she said it that sent this cold chill down the male. No one ever said that unless it was the only option. Mehrcy prayed to the Scribe Virgin that he was only hearing things and misinterpreting the words.

"Until he gets better, right? There's nothing serious?"

Jane lowered her gaze like she couldn't look the male in the eyes when she spoke.

"Ahnger's dying."