New year, new chapter!^^ Happy New Year! Happy Year of the Rabbit!
I intended to get this chapter done and up on the 31st/1st but things happened and well, it's here now^^
This chapter, as you will see, has a messy structure. I wanted to do it this way for years now; I thought about changing it up but I got attached to the idea and I wanted to try it out at least once! So here you go, a chaotic chapter. I hope it makes sense to you all and isn't too annoying/confusing to read. (Hopefully, the rest makes sense too!)
I hope you enjoy reading the chapter^^
Chapter Twenty-Six:
The Countess, Mimes
"There was (someone) a monster in the woods."
Countryside, England, United Kingdom – February 1846
~Cloudia~
Cloudia grasped Milton's arm, yanked him after her behind a tree, pressed him against it. The bullet flew past them. Cloudia quickly checked what she was carrying with her: She had lost the rifle and the bag with the darts alongside Domino but still had the emergency gun and her father's dagger. Taking the pistol from its holster, Cloudia peeked around the tree and saw a shadow vanishing into the forest. She was about to rush after the bandit when she remembered Milton.
Right, I was here with a civilian.
Damn, I was here with a civilian.
Cloudia turned back to Milton who was still standing against the tree. He was oddly quiet and mechanically clutched the strap of his satchel. Perhaps, he was in shock and not processing the situation properly? "Milton," Cloudia said gently. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I am," Milton replied and smiled a little, though the smile was a bit delayed and looked strained. "Thank you for pulling me behind the tree."
"You're welcome." She glanced into the forest but saw no movement. "Whoever shot at us ran away but might return soon. Do you still have darts?"
Milton nodded slowly.
"Can you give me a few? Even if the tranquiliser does nothing to humans, you can still injure people with the darts after all," said Cloudia and immediately realised how unusual this must sound. Hunt or not, disguise or not, which noble girl thought so readily of ways to hurt someone? "… I think," she quickly added and did her best to seem nervous and panicked. "It would ease my mind considering that someone attacked us and I only have so many bullets."
Thankfully, Milton handed her a few darts without any remark or question. "This would be good –just in case."
"Just in case," she repeated and eyed the colourful darts; this time, he hadn't taken any care about the colour of the fletching. Just when Cloudia pocketed the darts, Milton held out a small pouch to her. Surprised, she took it and opened it to find bullets inside.
"For emergencies," whispered Milton, averting his eyes.
Raising her eyebrows at him, Cloudia put the bag in her pocket as well and then surveyed the area again; still, no one was in sight.
The bandit must be getting his accomplices. What kind of idiot would shoot at someone, give away their location so openly, and not return to silence the witnesses? The question was when they would come after us, not if. And I did not like at all that it was taking so long. Falk, Geoffrey, and Cadell were somewhere here too after all. How spread out were those thieves?
When Cloudia reverted her attention to Milton, he was staring almost absentmindedly into the woods. "Milton," Cloudia said and tugged on his arm to make him face her. "We should hurry to get to Domino."
Milton blinked at her before he glanced back to the trees. "Milton," Cloudia repeated. "Have you heard what I said?"
He levelled his eyes at her without looking at her face directly. "Of course, I did," Milton replied. "Thankfully, we have to go the opposite way. Please follow me, Lady Phantomhive."
Nanteuil-la-Forêt, Marne, France – June 1848
~Cloudia~
June 23
About 1:30
Cloudia fought herself through to the hospital, her gun ready in her hands. With the gendarmes' arrival, the crowd had dissipated a bit, though not as significantly yet as Cloudia would have liked. Frightened, some people had let go of their pitchforks and kitchen knives and run to the safety of their homes. Others, however, had been ready and willing to face the gendarmes. Cloudia rammed the hilt of her gun into a man's stomach when he approached her. He groaned and she shoved him away before she swiftly vanished behind the next building.
The hospital was far away from the townhall, and the closer Cloudia got there, the fewer villagers she encountered. Less dodging, less fighting. She hadn't seen Cedric, Kamden, or Aurèle anywhere. As she unsheathed the dagger and sliced it along a woman's arm, she wondered how they were doing. The woman cried out in pain but held firmly onto her own knife. She swung it. Cloudia made a quick step back. With a roar, the woman charged at her. Cloudia swiftly stepped aside and kicked away the woman's legs under her. She fell yelling and yelled out again when Cloudia pressed her foot on her back. "Enough is enough," Cloudia said and ripped the knife from the woman's grip. "Go back home and stop bothering me. Tell the others too. You lost already."
Cloudia pressed down with her foot again before she pocketed the knife, a large and serrated thing, and continued towards the hospital. She sighed in relief upon finally spotting it and cursed under her breath when she saw that villagers were guarding the doors. Cloudia hid behind a little shop and switched the dagger for her gun. She glanced at the hospital, counted four men in front of the entrance. One had a gun, two had large knives, and the last one was gripping a shovel. None of them was looking in her direction.
Cloudia took aim and shot the man with the pistol in the leg. His scream tore through the air. One man tended to him while the other two looked around. She pointed at the door, fired. The bullet hit the metal and spooked the men. One of them stalked in her direction. Cloudia slipped around the shop and rushed straight to the remaining two. The one with the shovel swung it in a wide arc. Cloudia ducked and grabbed the stick. She pulled but was too weak to yank it from his hands. She still held on tight. It irritated the man that she didn't let go, and he wildly swung the shovel from side to side, not noticing that Cloudia fired at his foot. With a cry, he released the shovel and fell to his knees. The man who tended to the first victim halfheartedly lifted his knife. Cloudia slapped it out of his hand just when the last one reappeared from around the shop. He saw her standing there with her gun, saw the two men holding their leg and foot respectively, turned around and ran.
This was too easy.
Cloudia reloaded her gun and swiped the injured man's before she put her hand on the doorknob – but the door wouldn't open. It was locked. Sighing in annoyance, she glanced at the three men and fixed her eyes on the sole uninjured one. "Do you have a key?"
The man shook his head. Cloudia pinched the bridge of her nose. The door was not as thick as the one to the deadhouse but still strengthened with metal. Without sufficient help, she couldn't break it open and she didn't have her skeleton key with her to try to unlock the door that way.
"Don't worry, they'll live," Cloudia said to the unwounded man. "You should get them to a doctor as quickly as possible though." Without another word, Cloudia hurried around the hospital and to the back entrance which was also guarded. Three people this time; two with guns, one with an axe.
She pressed herself against the façade and readied her weapon. Before she walked into the open, Cloudia looked at the back entrance again – and her eyes widened when the door opened and Maxime and Yvette came out.
Quickly, Cloudia stepped forward and shot at Yvette. One of the guards noticed her and pushed Yvette aside. The bullet buried itself into his arm. The man cried out. Now alerted to her presence, the second gunman fired at Cloudia. Once, twice. He missed once, and Cloudia dodged the second time. Cloudia aimed at Yvette again but the axe man charged at her and the bullet ended up hitting the ground. Cloudia ducked when he swung the axe. With her entire weight, she crashed against him, huffing. He stumbled backwards and the other man shot again. This time it grazed her arm.
Good that none of those idiots knew how to aim.
Cloudia raised her weapon and fired at the gunman's leg. He went down right as the other man swung his axe again. She jumped back and pointed at his legs and arms, firing again and again. The man shielded himself with his axe. Barrel empty, Cloudia cursed and switched the pistol for the dagger. As she kept dodging attacks from the axe man and moved him steadily to the trees, she glimpsed Maxime and Yvette running off. Gritting her teeth together, Cloudia let herself fall when the man wielded his axe again. The blade got stuck in a thick trunk of the tree behind her. He pulled and before he could free his weapon, Cloudia jumped to her feet and stabbed the dagger into his hand, pulled it out, rammed it in again.
The man screamed and let go of the axe. Cloudia stabbed him in the thighs too. He fell to the ground crying out. Her breath laboured, Cloudia looked in the direction where Yvette and Maxime had escaped. They were nowhere to be seen anymore. Cursing, Cloudia wiped the dagger on her clothes and the sweat from her face. No sense chasing them now. She reloaded her gun and headed to the backdoor.
In the forest by Nanteuil-la-Forêt, Marne, France – June 1848
~Cedric~
June 23
About 2:00
"Milton?" called Cedric and hurried to him. They were separated by only a few metres, and in the minute he needed to reach him, numerous thoughts and memories assaulted his mind simultaneously.
The crates Enzo and Anastasie had seen. The guns the villagers had somehow acquired.
"He is a weapons smuggler."
"Surely, it is only a rumour, a very tiny ember which seems to be going around for a little while now, but still has not sparked a fire."
"However, I cannot help but notice how strange this is: Rumours catch fire quickly – they are not extinguished in seconds. People love rumours and gossip. There is no way that something like this can happen without interference."
"Coincidentally, he returned to England the day before he received my letter, and what is even more coincidental, he has business to do in Paris around the same time as we have to be in France to investigate."
"I have no idea if this means that Milton can open the Queen's box."
What if Milton could not open the box? What if he had never been in danger of being forced by Townsend to try because they were not potential enemies but allies?
Milton had not been in England for a year and a half – and he returned just when someone stole Queen Victoria's very secret and important puzzle box? He had to go to France just when the thief would be there with the box as well? Crates with guns in them had been delivered to a small village just when a rumour was going around that Milton was a weapons smuggler?
Milton had been with us at the château for days and had been charting the building. He had vanished that night in the kitchen. Could he have found a secret passageway through which he could leave and meet his accomplices?
The man with the gold-blond hair Gaspard had seen. The stranger had not killed any of the villagers, but there had been one. Cloudia had told me Townsend had brown hair; we had been unable to explain the discrepancy through evidence, though guessed it could be dye or a wig – but what if "the stranger" had never been Townsend at all?
And I had entrusted Milton I would explore the woods with Jacques. What if Yvette had lied about how she found out about Jacques?
Goddammit. This did not look good at all. How could we have overlooked all that?
When Cedric reached Milton, he grasped his shoulders. For a moment, he wanted to shake the answers out of him, yell at him for deceiving everyone. But from up close, Milton's hair wasn't as silver in the light, he looked solid and present, more normal, more human. His dark eyes were wide with innocent, genuine concern – and Cedric remembered the look on Cloudia's face when he had told her that Milton might be dying.
In whatever capacity, Milton was important to Cloudia. She trusted him, and I trusted her. If Cloudia thought Milton was an ally, not an enemy, I would stay put for now but be wary and watchful.
And if Milton did turn out to have been a bloody bastard all along, Cloudia would be the one to confront and punish him, and no one else.
"Milton, what are you doing here?" asked Cedric, still holding on tight to Milton's shoulders.
"I… The matter in Paris resolved quicker than I had anticipated," Milton replied. His eyes flitted around and widened even more when he noticed Cedric's arm. "Kristopher, what happened? How did you get hurt?"
Cedric squeezed his shoulders, forcing him to look at his face again. "Milton," he pressed out between gritted teeth. "Please answer my question first: What are you doing here?"
"I got the information I wanted earlier than I thought," Milton said, his voice steady. "That's why Bram and I could return early. We were on our way to the château when we had to leave our carriage behind and go our separate ways."
Cedric stared at him. "Wait? Wentworth's here too and you split up?"
"Yes." Milton met his eyes. The moon's strange recolouring drained nearly all warmth out of his features and looking into his eyes was like staring into darkness; Cedric shuddered. "Now you tell me: Why are you so tense, and how did you get hurt?"
Cedric glanced at Milton before he released him and took a step back. "I'm not tense. I'm simply surprised to see you because you said you might be away for a week, for a few days at least." Leaves rustled somewhere, and Cedric peered around. He had completely forgotten the mob for a moment. Damn, how close were they? "I'm on a little nightly forest wandering and scraped my arm on a branch. It's nothing serious."
Milton closed his eyes and exhaled. "Kristopher," he said. "I know a knife wound when I see one. I'm not that much of an idiot." He opened his eyes again. "What is going on?"
"Why have you and Wentworth gone separately?" asked Cedric. "He's an old man."
"He can handle himself." Milton ran a hand through his hair. "Kristopher, don't change the topic. Please, tell me, what is wrong?"
He suddenly stiffened, and Cedric craned his head and spotted a light in the distance. The mob was coming. "I can't explain," said Cedric rapidly. "But we need to go now." He was about to grab Milton's wrist when Milton pulled away with surprising quickness.
"Milton, we need to…" Cedric repeated and when his words came out too forceful, he swallowed them and began anew, struggling to keep his voice gentle. "Milton, please trust me when I say we need to leave now."
Milton held his arm against his chest, wrapped his fingers around his wrist. He exhaled slowly. "Very well. I trust you, Kristopher. Just…" He shook his head. "You don't need to drag me along." Milton gazed into Cedric's eyes, and although a shudder ran through his body, his gaze was unwavering. "I know where we are. Follow me."
~Cloudia~
June 23
About 1:50
Inside, the hospital was quiet except for a faint rapping sound. Cloudia was on high alert as she inspected the ground floor. The deeper she delved into the corridor, the louder the knocking became. There were marks of fighting here and there: broken furniture, thrown-around objects, dents and cuts and left-behind weapons. The noise led her to a room, its door locked and handle broken. Whoever was on the other side must have heard Cloudia's steps as they began to call out in French, frantically and chaotically talking over one another to ask her for help. She recognised the voices as Corinne's, Vivienne's, and Laurent's. Cloudia told them that help would come late before she turned around; their voices followed her upstairs.
On the first floor, all doors were wide open. She only glimpsed into them and walked straight to the room in the far back. The lock had been broken open and no one was inside. Knowing that Maxime and Yvette must have been livid when they came here comforted Cloudia.
But where were Lisa and Newman?
Cloudia left the first floor again and ventured to the basement. The hospital wasn't very large, and there were only a few places Lisa knew.
The air was a little cooler down by the deadhouse, and when Cloudia pulled on the door, it stayed locked in place. With all her strength, she pounded on the door five times in short succession. When nothing happened, Cloudia tried again, knocking five times with even more force to convey the message through the thick door. This time, she heard a soft click and the door was pushed open by Newman.
"Lady Cloudia," he said with a brief bow. He was not wearing his jacket anymore and his shirt and vest were torn; otherwise, he looked fine which relieved Cloudia.
"Took you long enough," remarked Lisa, appearing next to him. She looked a little worse than Newman but still well. "The hospital was swarmed by those pests earlier and they guarded the doors, so we were forced to come here. No one could get in, at least, but…" Newman fully opened the door, and Lisa gestured into the deadhouse. "… no one had bothered to move away the bodies and it's awfully tight in here."
"Well, except for the locked-up hospital staff, no one is here anymore," Cloudia informed them. "The air's clear."
"It better be." Lisa stepped out of the deadhouse, holding one of her long needles. They had agreed not to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary; thus, the needle was, for once, not laced with poison. Cloudia knew Lisa had a poisoned one though – for the "absolutely necessary" emergencies. "We might have managed to get out on our own if it hadn't been for her," said Lisa and glared at Marie-Claire Guilbert as Newman helped her out of the room. She looked sickly pale and was wearing a thin nightgown; Newman had given her his jacket and it looked as if its weight was pulling her down. "Absolute dead weight, that girl," Lisa continued.
"Her father and Yvette still tried to get her," Cloudia said, and Marie-Claire craned her head to her when she heard her "friend's" name.
Lisa smiled. "Good that we were quicker then. What's going on anyway? There was no talk about the hospital getting stormed by villagers with pitchforks."
"And where are Duke Kristopher, Mr Kamden, and Mr Aurèle, Lady Cloudia?" enquired Newman.
"Yvette has been manipulating the villagers," Cloudia explained as they climbed the stairs. "She anticipated everything and sent everyone against us. I got separated from the others at the townhall and have not seen them since. The entire situation has been a nightmare."
Lisa huffed. "Yvette turned out to be even more bothersome than I initially thought. What will we do now?"
"Find a way back to the château," said Cloudia. "Denis is waiting for us in the forest but with the villagers everywhere, we will be unable to make it to him with Marie-Claire in tow. And no, we won't abandon her here." Lisa's shoulders sagged. "The good news is that Batteux arrived with the gendarmes. They have been fending off and arresting a lot of the rogue residents."
"Perhaps one of the gendarmes could assist us with escorting Miss Guilbert to the château?" suggested Newman.
"If they even have the time." Cloudia guided them to the back door where two of the injured men were still lying and whining. The one she had shot in the arm and who had shielded Yvette was nowhere to be seen. He must have run off but Cloudia held her gun tight and ready in case he was still lurking around.
They were about to round the corner when Cloudia heard leaves and branches rustling. She raised her gun to the spot and lowered it again upon seeing who stepped out from between the trees: With hands held above his head, Marcel approached them. "I need your help."
~Cedric~
June 23
About 2:20
I trusted Milton – for now, for Cloudia's sake. But how wise was it to follow him through the woods? Only I had no idea at all where we were and the villagers were advancing.
I kept my eyes fixed on Milton who was walking ahead of me. Whatever he was, I was surely faster than him.
Cedric's nerves were taut as he wandered through the dark forest and split his attention between Milton and their surroundings. The light in the distance went on and out, came closer and reappeared farther away. The villagers were searching the forests for them; sooner than later they would find them.
Those people were unpredictable and came in masses. I had no idea where Kamden and Aurèle were. They were only two and only Aurèle had any sort of training. And who knew what was happening on Cloudia's end? On Miss Greene and Alfred's?
And that's why it wasn't a good idea to go to a place where I would not have my journal. If I had it, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone.
Just after Cedric inspected the area, he craned his head back to Milton – and nearly walked into him. "Woah!" Cedric exclaimed and took a step back. "Milton, why did you stop?"
Although Milton stood half in shadows, Cedric could still see the slight tremble in his hands. When Milton turned his face to him, anguish was written all over it. "I… I just needed a moment. I'm sorry, Kristopher," he said with a thin voice. "Let's continue." Swiftly, he vanished between a set of trees.
"Milton," Cedric called after him. The rest of the sentence died in his throat when he stepped through the row of trees and saw a cabin shrouded in darkness a few metres away.
Its windows were nailed shut with planks.
Where the moonlight hit the walls, it revealed old dark wood.
And Milton was walking straight to it.
~Cloudia~
June 23
About 2:05
Lisa was ready to charge at Marcel but Cloudia raised her hand, stopping her. The clergyman hadn't done anything to counter them and likely wasn't in cahoots with Yvette; still, Cloudia kept her hands firmly on her pistol as she said, "What do you need our help with? We're busy people."
Marcel let his hands sink and scrutinised her. It was the first time he looked at her while speaking to her, Cloudia realised. He usually gazed at anyone but his addressee. "Mon… Mademoiselle Gauthier, the church… Mlle Guilloux threatened me to go to the townhall. They have been holding my daughter and colleagues hostage at the church."
"Why should Yvette Guilloux threaten you to come?" asked Cloudia. "I requested your presence – yours and your daughter's, actually."
Marcel gulped and clutched his hands together. "They came to the church and got hold of Nicolette. Then they… they forced me to give up the church's secrets."
"Do you mean the roof? Yvette already knows about that; you demonstrated the mechanism to us all."
"No, not that. I…" Marcel wrung his hands.
Lisa rolled her eyes. "I have no idea what he is saying but can he please rapid up?"
"M l'Abbé," said Cloudia. "What did Yvette want to know from you?"
Marcel directed his eyes to the ground and let his hands fall to his sides. "There is a secret pathway that was installed with the roof. It's long been in disuse but the secret has been passed down from head priest to head priest. I myself don't even know where the path leads to; I only know where the church's entrance to it is."
"Lisa," Cloudia said in English. "Please check whether there is anything about a secret path in the church in the Maid's Manifesto."
"I think I've seen something like that," Lisa replied and procured the little handbook. "Al and I opened up all glued-together pages; I think there was something about the church somewhere."
Newman nodded. "I recall that as well."
While Lisa thumbed through the book, Cloudia turned to Marcel, switching back to French. "They forced you to give up where the entrance is?"
Marcel's shoulders sagged. "I know I shouldn't have but they have Nicolette! They tied her up alongside my colleagues and Officier Monteil and told me to go to the meeting at the townhall, pretending everything was well so that no one would figure out something was amiss."
"Hector is at the church too?" said Cloudia. "That's a relief. We asked him for help getting his colleagues back to Nanteuil-la-Forêt. Yvette's people caught him and we didn't know what happened to Hector afterwards. And don't worry; it's understandable why you told them about the secret. Lives were on the line after all."
Marcel raised his head and nodded slowly. "Thank you, M… Mlle Gauthier. I showed them the entrance. However, as I said, the path is very old and has not been used in decades. They were still trying to break the entrance open and clean it when I left for the townhall."
"It's about three hours later now; it couldn't have held them back for so long," mused Cloudia. "Lisa?"
"It's as I remembered." Lisa held up the Maid's Manifesto, pointing out a specific page. "There is a hidden emergency path in the church – and it leads directly to the château's basement."
"Good that the de Charbonneaus aren't there," said Marcel with a sigh.
"The de Charbonneaus might not be in the château, but others are," Cloudia told him, and he stared at her, aghast. "This doesn't interest us, however. Our mission is to rescue the hostages."
"But shouldn't we focus even a little on the people in the château?" Marcel asked, his voice shaky.
"Why? They will be fine, even the children."
"Children? I sent criminals to a place with children?"
Cloudia nodded. "With only a few though."
"Only?"
"Enough of that. M l'Abbé? Please lead the way."
~Cedric~
June 23
About 2:25
Cedric threw a glance over his shoulder – the light source was coming closer – before he dashed after Milton. "Milton," he called and reached out to Milton. This time, Milton wasn't quick enough and Cedric's fingers curled around his wrist. Milton stilled and craned his head to him, his eyes nearly black in the shadow of the cabin. "Let me go," he snapped at Cedric. In his shock, Cedric released him, and Milton stumbled sideways against the cabin's wall.
Milton slowly turned around, his back against the half-foul wood of the cabin. He was breathing heavily and trembling, his hands pressed against his chest. Milton stared at Cedric. Cedric stared back – and horror washed over him when he realised that what was written in Milton's darkened eyes was not anger.
It was panic.
Cedric tensed and tentatively held out a hand to Milton. He tried to be calm even though his head was spinning with questions: What was wrong? Why was he panicking? Was he hurt? Why had he and Wentworth had to leave their carriage? There might have been an accident. He could have got injured. Why hadn't he asked if he was hurt? "Milton, I'm…"
"No, I'm sorry," Milton blurted out. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I…" He took a deep, shuddering breath and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Seeing him like that made Cedric feel guilty about his distrustfulness.
But then…
"Why were you heading to this cabin?" Cedric wanted to know. "I've been in the woods close to the château and I've never seen this place before. You weren't leading us to the château; you led us here. Why?"
"I…" Milton took another deep breath and pushed himself away from the cabin. "I never said I was guiding us back to the château. I only said that I know where we are." He looked into the distance. "I'm not that stupid, Kristopher. You keep peering over your shoulders and scrutinising the area. Someone is following you, following us, isn't it? Maybe it's multiple people too. I knew this cabin was here and I brought us here to hide because it was closer than the château."
What?
Cedric stared at Milton who walked to the door and hovered in front of the lock. "Yes, people are coming for us," said Cedric ultimately. He heard a soft click. "But how did you know about the cabin, Mil…"
A tingle ran through him.
Someone was running towards them.
Cedric's head snapped in that direction. He set out, ready to attack, when Aurèle slammed Milton against the cabin.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Aurèle! What are you doing?" called Kamden and hurried to them. Apart from a few more scratches and tears on their clothes, Kamden and Aurèle seemed fine, and Cedric was relieved to see them – even if they had found them at an unfavourable time.
"Asking what the Baron is doing here!" Aurèle glared at Milton who was surprisingly calm despite being pinned against the shed. Kamden's eyes widened when he joined them and noticed Milton.
Milton glanced over Aurèle's shoulder. Cedric followed his gaze – and saw that the light had come close enough that he could discern the silhouettes of people.
"He returned early because he finished work early," Cedric rattled down and pried Aurèle off Milton to get to the door. "He had to leave the carriage and go on foot. I found him and now we need to hide, Aurèle."
Aurèle pulled away and Milton stepped aside. Cedric flung the door open, grabbed Aurèle and Kamden and shoved them into the dark room. "Inside, now," hissed Cedric and Milton followed him into the cabin.
~Cloudia~
June 23
About 2:20
Marcel led them to the church. With Cloudia, Lisa, and Newman – who was guarding Marie-Claire – being together, fending off any attacking villagers was delightfully swift and easy. Not that there were many left: The police had arrested even more villagers in the meantime and many had run off too; the streets were barely crowded now for which Cloudia was thankful. This nonsense had gone on for too long already.
Whenever they were simply running and hiding in-between skirmishes, Cloudia instinctively raised a hand to her pendant before she dropped it again. She wanted to find out how things were going on Cedric's end, wanted to know if he, Aurèle, and Kamden were fine, but she knew that speaking to him now would only be a distraction. And depending on what Cedric was currently doing, a distraction could be disastrous.
They were going to be fine. Of course, they would be. They wouldn't be them if they got overwhelmed in such a situation and by such amateurs.
A few houses away from the church, they stopped and hid. Cloudia scoped out the area: Indeed, a significant part of the mob was concentrated around the church. Five people were guarding the entrance: Two men with guns, one man with a shovel, a man with a makeshift "spear" made of a rod and a knife tied to one end, and a woman with a knife. Others were walking alongside the building.
Cloudia drew back and faced the others. "M l'Abbé," she said, and Marcel stood up straighter. "I want you to go and find some gendarmes to help. There's no third way to get inside the church, is there?"
He shook his head.
"Very well. You go ahead and get reinforcements then. Do you think you can make it on your own?"
Marcel nodded. "Yes. They haven't attacked me so far because I am one of them."
"Good luck then, M l'Abbé."
With another nod, Marcel hastened away, and Cloudia looked at Lisa. "You'll stay behind with Marie-Claire."
Lisa groaned. "Can't Al stay with her? I can't even talk to her."
"There are multiple people with guns, Lisa. You don't have a gun; Newman does."
Lisa held out her hand to Newman. "Al, could you please give me your revolver?"
"Lisa." Cloudia sighed. "This is important and you're not the best shot. After all, you don't like practising."
"Pistols are just so unhandy."
"See? Your needles are perfectly fine weapons and you can use them very well, but they are unfitting in this situation. You'll stay with Marie-Claire and run if you must. Speaking of Marie-Claire…" Cloudia took out the serrated knife she had swiped earlier and pressed it into Marie-Claire's hands. She stared at it with wide, anxious eyes. "For emergencies," Cloudia told her which didn't seem to comfort her at all.
"Okay, okay, I'll stay with the girl." Lisa crossed her arms. "But what will you do?"
"Newman and I will attempt to get into the church, of course," said Cloudia.
"Impossible. There are multiple people in front of the main entrance and who-knows-how-many more around the church. Even you and Al will have problems, Lady Cloudia."
"Lady Cloudia, Lisa is correct," Newman interjected. "Traversing through the masses of people to the door will not come without any difficulties. Perhaps, we should remain here and wait for M l'Abbé to return with some policemen?"
Cloudia shook her head. "It will be fine. We only need them to clear the front."
Lisa and Newman exchanged a look. "Our Countess has lost her mind," noted Lisa.
"Lisa, where is your imagination?" Cloudia grinned. "Newman and I won't go through the front door. There is a perfectly fine and open roof after all."
Cloudia had never been particularly religious. However, when she saw the open hatch, she couldn't help but think of it as a divine gift. She and Newman slipped into the woods and took the long route to round the church. Two people stood under the opening; none of them was carrying a gun and no one else was in sight. Cloudia and Newman exchanged a look before they separated and sneaked up on the men from different directions.
It had to go quickly. If one of them screamed and alerted the others, all would have been for nought.
Cloudia rushed behind one of the men, wrapped her arm around his neck, and applied enough pressure to knock him out. He fell to the ground. Newman mimicked her at the same time, and the second man swiftly tumbled beside the first one. Newman shackled and gagged them while Cloudia examined the façade. She saw the small landing Marcel had told them about and the parts where some of the stones protruded just a little. Cloudia signalled to Newman that she would go up now and started to scale the wall.
This was not something she did regularly – when she was back home, she certainly had to practice – and Cloudia slipped twice as she climbed up to the opening. Arrived, she reviewed the area. Nicolette, Hector, and two clergymen were tied-up and gagged on the other side of the room. No one else was there though; likely because this was the first floor and no one expected anyone to enter the church via the secret hatch. Idiots, thought Cloudia before she gestured Newman to follow her and jumped.
There was neither a chair nor a table under the opening and Cloudia fell considerably but it wasn't a height she couldn't survive. She rolled up on the ground and stood. Nicolette noticed her first and her eyes lit up at her sight. Cloudia took out the dagger and walked towards the hostages. She glimpsed at the stairs; no one was stationed there and no one seemed to have heard her either.
It wouldn't be so easy for Newman though. Cloudia held her breath and readied herself when he jumped and landed with an audible thud. He looked at her apologetically but she only waved it away. His physique wasn't his fault after all. Cloudia switched the dagger for the pistol when she heard steps and she shot at the villagers running up while Newman went to the hostages and freed them.
Cloudia aimed for the villagers' legs and watched them collapse. When the first wave was taken down, she ran downstairs. A man lunged at her with a shovel. Cloudia dodged and rammed her elbow into his gut. The shovel clattered to the ground, the man cried out –and the doors burst open. Officers filed into the room; Batteux was amongst them. Newman joined them and, together, they took down and apprehended the villagers. While the gendarmes shackled the mob, Lisa arrived with Marcel and Marie-Claire in tow. Upon seeing his daughter, Marcel ran to her. "Nicolette!" he called and embraced her.
"Thank you for your effort, M l'Abbé," said Cloudia and reloaded her gun with bullets Newman had given her. She couldn't believe that she had run out of her own; she had even made sure to pack extra.
This was such an ordeal and I was glad for it to be over soon.
This first part at least. After all, I still had to find Yvette, Maxime, and Townsend and get back Jacques – and the Clockmaker if they had got their hands on him already.
Cloudia checked her revolver one more time before she placed it back into its holster and turned to Marcel. "M l'Abbé, could you please tell me where the entrance to the secret path is?"
"In the basement. I will guide you there," Marcel responded and released his daughter from the embrace, though Nicolette stayed close by his side when they walked downstairs. At the same time, Hector timidly inched his way down to the ground floor.
"Officier Monteil," Cloudia said when he finally joined them. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. We will return to the château now. Do you want to accompany us?"
Hector blinked at her, baffled, for a few moments before he frowned and said, "M… uh, Gauthier?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I apologise; I didn't realise you were a woman."
"It's fine. I didn't intend for you to know. Now? Will you come with us or stay?"
Hector glanced between Cloudia and his colleagues who were still busy with the mob. "I… I'll stay. I'm a police officer after all."
"Good choice. And Officier Monteil? Michaux, Corinne, and Vivienne are locked up in the hospital; you and some others should go there." Cloudia looked at the two clergymen. "And you two?"
"We will remain here and see to the clean-up of the church while M l'Abbé helps you," replied one of the men.
Cloudia nodded. "Very well then. Best of luck to you." She turned to Newman, Lisa, and Marie-Claire and said first in French then in English: "Time to leave this damn place."
Countryside, England, United Kingdom – February 1846
~Cloudia~
I kept the gun ready in my hands as I followed Milton through the woods. He was quiet and it both comforted and distressed me. It comforted me because I could focus on our surroundings, make sure that we would not be ambushed. It distressed me because we had been shot at barely fifteen minutes ago and I had no idea if I could trust his word. Was Milton truly fine? What if he was silently on edge and would break into hysterics as soon as the bandits arrived? If he panicked, I didn't know whether I could protect him sufficiently.
I looked at the back of his head and held my gun tighter. What if I knocked him out and hid him somewhere until I was done with the bandits? No, Kamden had told me all about how delicate people were and how fatal head injuries could be. If I was lucky, I would only give Milton a concussion. If I was not, which was more likely, I could hurt him forever – or even kill him.
I had been lucky today already, having survived my fall with no injuries – how probable was it that I would be lucky twice?
Damn. Maybe I should not have joined the Disaster Trio and Milton on this hunt as Keegan and simply hidden myself as me in the forest, watching out for the thieves. Then, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone else.
Then, I wouldn't have to be so on edge.
Each sound seemed too loud in her ears: The crackling of leaves under her feet, their shoes scraping over the earth, the wind blowing through the trees, the distant noises of animals.
Still, when Milton suddenly halted and whirled to her, Cloudia spotted the silhouettes of men between the trees before she heard them.
She counted three, four, five men, shifted the pistol to her right hand, reached with her left for Milton. He let her grab his arm. Cloudia counted one, two shots when she hurled Milton into a fir tree and lifted her gun to shoot.
In the forest by Nanteuil-la-Forêt, Marne, France – June 1848
~Cedric~
June 23
About 2:35
Cedric drew the door closed and plunged the cabin into thick darkness. With the windows nailed tightly shut, not a single ray of moonlight reached them – and Cedric hadn't looked at anything inside the hut before closing the door. Whether there were any useable lamps, bear traps strewn all over the ground, or whether the wood was infested with mould and vermin.
He considered opening the door again when Cedric heard the sound of stone hitting metal and the room was illuminated with light: Milton was holding a tinderbox, the candle on its top burning bright. Its reach wasn't far but enough to see that the floor wasn't full of bear traps or holes and that there was a bed and a desk and a wardrobe.
"Kristopher," Milton suddenly said, snapping Cedric's attention back to him. "Can I entrust my tinderbox to you?" Dumbfounded, Cedric took the container. Its sides were surprisingly smooth, though there were engravings in the bottom; the dark metal glittered faintly blue even in the dim light. "Please hold onto it tight and don't lose it. It's very important. I'll look for a lamp," Milton continued in his impossibly soft voice, as if they were not running from a mob, were hiding in an old shed in the middle of the woods, as if he hadn't been slammed against the cabin walls only a moment ago.
"Salisbury, what are you doing here?" snarled Aurèle and glared at Milton who was calmly opening desk drawers and shuffling through the papers inside.
"Kristopher told you already. I've returned early because I got what I wanted in Paris early," Milton responded and went to look under the bed. "Kristopher, could please you bring the candle over here?"
Cedric knelt and shone under the bed. The light revealed a lantern and Milton retrieved it. "Emyr, could you hold this please?" asked Milton and handed him the lantern. Kamden took it with a nod, and Milton stepped to Cedric, lifting the top of the tinderbox with the burning candle. He grabbed the flint and the firesteel. Before he put the lid back on the box, Cedric glimpsed something blue gleam inside, though he hadn't been able to make out what it was.
Milton went to Kamden and lit the lantern. With its flame and the tinderbox's, the cabin was now sufficiently illuminated. Cedric could see that there was another door in the back, a pot by the bed, books stacked in a corner – and surprisingly little dust or dirt around. As if someone had been here not too long ago.
Cedric's hair stood on end but before Cedric could say anything, the door behind him burst open.
Then
The first bullet missed her by a metre. She barely dodged the second; it grazed her cheek and she felt blood well and drip down. Cloudia whirled around, fired thrice in the direction of the second shooter. She couldn't make sure if she had hit because someone approached her from behind. Turning around, she yanked out the dagger from its hiding place in her vest. Without looking, Cloudia rammed the blade into the assailant's side, pulled it out his flesh, kicked him away.
Cloudia did a half-turn to glance at Milton – he was still hidden within the branches of the evergreen tree. She was about to call out to him when a bullet flew just over her head. While she still processed this, a man threw himself against her side. The air was knocked out of her lungs. She stumbled away from Milton and nearly into another man. Cloudia regained her footing and jumped back before she was attacked from both sides. A bullet grazed her side. She bit the inside of her mouth not to yell out.
She aimed to bury the dagger in a man's throat, hesitated when remembering Milton, and was elbowed into the gut. Cloudia yelled out, pain shuddering through her body. The dagger nearly fell from her hands. Someone pushed her against a tree. Her back collided hard against the wood. The man pulled out a knife. When he reached out to stab her, Cloudia pulled her knee up and directly hit his groin. The thief screamed in pain and fell to the ground, holding his member and whimpering.
Cloudia glimpsed back to Milton – and was punched in the jaw. She faltered momentarily before she drove the dagger's handle into the attacker's stomach. He stumbled forward and she uppercut him with her pistol's grip. The man crumpled to the ground. Three down, two to go. Cloudia hurried back to the fir tree. Three more men emerged from the woods and she cursed. Someone pressed his hand over her mouth and tried to pull her back. She bit into his hand and drew blood, but he didn't let go. Blindly, she fired at his leg. The second bullet hit and he released her with a cry.
Another bullet scraped her cheek. Cloudia gritted her teeth and aimed for the man's arm. She hit and stuffed the pistol into her pocket. No bullets. No time to reload. She took the dagger into her right hand, pulled out a blue dart with her left, tried to cross the distance to Milton. To stay by his side. To protect him. To make sure he was still okay.
But someone yanked on her hair, ripped the wig from her head. Another came at her with a knife. Cloudia rammed the hilt of the dagger into someone's face, thrust the dart into the next person's arm, drew out a new one, kicked away the legs from underneath another man, finally got a good look at Milton.
Saw that he had stepped out of the tree.
Saw that the strap of his satchel was broken.
Saw a man lifting his gun.
"Milton," Cloudia wanted to yell but the word died on her lips when someone grabbed her jacket and tore her back. The dagger clattered to the ground. She scrambled to grab her gun, pulled the trigger once, twice – coldness washed over her when she remembered that the chambers were empty. A bandit slapped the pistol out of her hands, another dragged her back and back, away and away from Milton.
She saw the man aiming at Milton.
Saw him turn to the man.
Her vision blurred and she saw something else, someone else, heard someone else that wasn't here cry out her name when she shouted Milton's – and heard a gunshot ring through the air.
Now
A man entered the cabin, gun in hand, ready to shoot. Cedric froze. Time seemed to slow down for a moment.
Think, think.
I had Milton's tinderbox in my hands. I couldn't drop it. He had told me to be careful. The candle was burning. The cabin was made of wood.
One hand had to be full. What of the other? What did I have with me?
Interdimensional-stored Death Scythe. A knife. A gun. Oh, dear.
No killing. Just incapacitating.
Swiftly, Cedric took the tinderbox in one hand, reached for the gun on his belt with the other. His fingers could only brush against the metal and he had only turned around halfway when he heard a shot and his blood went cold.
Then
It was an unfamiliar voice that cried out.
Cloudia's eyes widened when she spotted the revolver in Milton's hand.
Now
A scream echoed through the cabin. Cedric did not recognise the voice.
He whirled around – and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the unknown man clutching his bloody hand.
And Milton holding a gun aimed at the man.
Then
Someone grabbed her arm, yanked her back, but Cloudia could only focus ahead. Could only see that Milton had dropped his bag, held a gun securely in both hands, and fired. Could only register a man scream as he let his pistol fall and clamped one hand over the other. Could only hear Geoffrey's and Falk's voices echo in her head:
"He is already the best shot amongst us."
"Milt never misses his mark."
Milton spun around, took aim, shot out a knife from someone's hands. He turned and their gazes met. His eyes were calm, and Milton nodded at her once, briefly, reassuringly, before he whirled around again to fire at someone in the distance.
Cloudia stared after him for a moment. Then, she fished out a dart and sunk it into the leg of the man pulling her back.
Now
Milton was perfectly calm, his eyes and expression focused and serious. With a few swift steps, Milton reached the man and hit his jaw from below with the gun's handle before the man could react. Cedric heard Milton say "Pardon" while he carefully laid the villager, now unconscious, on the ground.
Milton knelt next to the man, inspected him, sighed in relief.
Then, his head jolted up and he was back on his feet when the back door swung open.
Then
The dart dug into flesh and the man screamed as she drilled it deeper and deeper before rapidly pulling the dart out again. The man lost his grip on her, staggered back. Cloudia charged forward. Blood dripped from the tip and sprayed through the air as she sent the dart flying towards a man coming at her with a knife. The dart got stuck in his chest. It momentarily irritated him. Cloudia picked up the dagger from the ground while he ripped out the dart and threw it aside. The blade flashed and she thrust it into his leg, twisted until he screamed and lost his grip on the knife.
He toppled forward when Cloudia pulled the dagger out – and she was pushed to the side when someone collided with her. Her shoulder slammed against a tree. Pain vibrated through her body. Naked branches brushed and cut her skin. Cloudia bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming. Her mind went to Milton – where was he? was he fine? – until she shook her head, cleared it. Milton is fine, Cloudia thought as she blinked away stars and let herself fall when a bandit lunged at her. Milton will be fine, she thought when she wrapped her arms around the thief's legs and threw him to the ground. She jumped to her feet and kicked and kicked against his side. He yelled out.
He will be fine, he will be fine, he is fine.
Cloudia retrieved one of the darts and rammed it into his leg. She quickly produced another and hurled it at a man about to raise his gun at her. It buried itself in his arm and he cried out in anger and pain. Furious, he tore it out and discarded it to the side before rushing towards her again.
Cloudia dodged when he reached out with his long knife. Its blade grazed her arm and she bit on her lips. Her hair had come out of its tightly braided wreath. Cloudia smoothed a strand away from her face and grabbed another dart, wishing the tranquiliser would work on humans too. When the man attacked her with the knife, she blocked it with the dart but he was stronger and the dart flew from her hand and clattered to the ground. Quickly, she pulled out another with her left hand. She stabbed him in the side before he noticed and kicked him between the legs. His cry was muffled when he fell back.
She heard a gunshot. Her head snapped in the direction of the sound, but it was only Milton who had unarmed a bandit and then hit him with the handle under the chin, knocking him out.
Two more bandits arrived and some more staggered furiously back on their feet, bleeding, wounded but still full of fight. Cloudia glanced at Milton, saw him throwing a man to the ground. He will be fine, she thought as she pulled out another dart.
Now
A man stood in the doorway, pointed the gun at Aurèle, fired.
Right before the bullet hit flesh, Milton pushed Aurèle away and raised his own pistol. A shot, a cry.
An object soared through the air.
A thud, an interrupted scream, a body falling to the ground. Metal hitting bone, metal hitting wood.
And then it was over.
~Cedric~
June 23
About 2:40
What on earth just happened?
Cedric needed a moment to catch himself and scrutinise his surroundings: Aurèle was half-lying on the bed. Kamden stood wide-eyed in a corner, his lantern clutched tight. An unconscious man lay behind him, another in front of him. Two guns were discarded on the ground.
And Milton was by the desk.
Milton who now steadied himself on the chair and let his eyes wander from Cedric to Kamden and Aurèle. Whatever calmness had overcome him earlier was gone and his eyes were wide with concern. "Is everyone all right?"
Kamden was the only one to react and nodded. This seemed to be enough for Milton who slid to the ground beside the second man, the one at whom he had thrown his revolver. Cedric released his grip on his pistol – he hadn't even realised he had been holding it –, stashed it back in its holster, and rubbed his eyes one by one. When he was done, the scene had barely changed: Kamden was still in his corner and Milton was next to the man, saying something to him in French which was likely apologies. Aurèle, however, had got up from the bed and was now marching to Milton.
He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up a little. "What does this mean?"
Milton took a deep breath. Cedric thought for a moment he would sheepishly turn away but Milton kept his eyes fixed on Aurèle's. "I helped. That's what I did. Could you please let go of me, Aurèle?"
Aurèle mustered him before he released his grip and stepped back, crossing his arms. Milton swiped up the gun and stood up. He pocketed his own and turned the other one around in his hand.
"Milton," said Cedric, having finally found his voice again, "since when…?"
"It's… it's not that important," Milton replied and went to retrieve the first man's pistol which he inspected as well. "It's not very special anyway."
"What are you talking about?" blurted out Kamden and everyone's attention snapped to him. His ears turned a bit red. "If you hadn't reacted so quickly, Aurèle might have died – we all might have died."
Milton blushed. "That's very kind of you to say, Emyr," he said softly before a shadow hushed over his face. Ruefully, he glanced at the guns in his hands.
"The guns are yours," said Cedric before he could stop himself. "The rumour that Salisbury Trading is smuggling weapons is true, isn't it?"
Milton stared at Cedric, first wide-eyed and shocked before his expression saddened. Cedric had never seen him look so hurt before; seeing him like that made his stomach churn.
"I have a question for you, Kristopher," Milton said, sounding exhausted. "What have I done to make you distrust me?"
For a moment, nobody said anything, even Aurèle was silent.
"I see," Milton eventually said, a sad smile on his lips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
His eyes suddenly fluttered open again and he spun to the front door. From the corner of his eye, Cedric saw Aurèle taking out a knife but he halted when Milton said, "Are you smelling that too?"
Now, Cedric noticed it as well: the familiar smell of smoke. Tightening his grip on the tinderbox, he rushed to the open front door. His eyes widened when he saw flames in the distance, slowly eating their way through wood and grass and bushes. Cedric turned to the others. "We need to leave now. Those maniacs set fire to the forest."
Cedric blew out the candle's flame and pressed the tinderbox into Milton's hands while walking to the back door. He grabbed Kamden, who hastily sat the lantern on the desk, and dragged him out. Aurèle followed them. Cedric was already many paces away from the hut when Kamden suddenly tore himself free from his grip.
"What are you doing?" Cedric called after him when Kamden dashed back to the cabin. "We need to run before the fire reaches us!"
Kamden stopped for a moment to look at Cedric. "Milton's still in there," he said and immediately continued his run.
Milton was still in the cabin?
Aurèle came to a halt next to Cedric. "Why did Bonham just run back?" Aurèle enquired.
"To get Milton," said Cedric and sprinted after Kamden.
That idiot. The flames were advancing and he was trying to rescue…
Cedric clenched his teeth as he reached the doorsill. Kamden was trying to lift the man by the front door, and Milton was inspecting the head of the man by the back door. "Do you even know how quickly a fire like that can spread?" shouted Cedric. "We need to leave now!"
He tried to yank Milton up but he flinched away, and when Cedric looked at Milton, he stiffened a little. He had never seen such hardness in Milton's eyes, never seen him so serious, so imposing. Everything about him was suddenly sharp and steadfast; for once, he was taking up space with his presence, and something about how Milton met his gaze now unnerved Cedric in a way he could not quite pinpoint.
"No," said Milton insistently. "You can go. I will not leave anyone behind in this cabin."
"They tried to kill us, Milton!"
"And?" Milton retorted and got to his feet. "They are regular villagers. What reason could they have to kill us? They don't know us. They were given a task, I would guess. They aren't criminals; they might only have been desperate."
"This is insanity, Milton."
"I'm sorry, Kristopher, but while you may be able to live with that, I cannot. I will not." Milton's eyes glowed with fierceness. "If you do not want to help me, could you at least help Emyr?" He gestured to Kamden who had managed to stand up with the unconscious man in his arms.
"I can do this!" exclaimed Kamden.
Milton smiled a little and strode to the wardrobe. "Emyr, you might still need some assistance. I would provide it but I have something else to do." He shoved a key into the wardrobe and it clicked open. He opened the doors and revealed a man inside, bound and gagged and unconscious.
Cedric stared at him. "Who's that?"
"Part of the reason why I'm here," Milton replied and proceeded to remove the gag and cut through the rope.
Cedric stepped beside him and sucked in the air upon seeing the man's deathly pallor and blue lips. "He's dead, Milton."
"I know." Milton threw away the rope and pocketed his knife. When he was about to grab the dead man, Cedric took hold of his right wrist and drew him around, forcing him to face him. "He's dead! And you will be too if you stay here." Cedric anticipated Milton to thrash and yell as he had in front of the cabin and tightened his grip around his wrist, feeling something uneven under the wet sleeve – only Milton remained composed this time.
"I'm not afraid to die," he countered. "And I won't leave without Mr Heriot. I have a responsibility to fulfil, and nothing will stop me." Milton ripped his wrist free from Cedric's grip and lifted the corpse, Heriot, by his shoulders.
"You can't carry two people," Cedric remarked.
"I will manage."
Cedric stared at Milton.
Who was this person?
Cedric went to pick up the unconscious man by the back door. Milton's eyes widened in surprise. "I think it's idiotic but I will help to get you out of here in time," said Cedric, and Milton's expression softened, making him look like the Milton he knew again. "Thank you," he said, smiling.
They heaved the men out of the shed and hurried with them through the forest and the dark. Aurèle, despite being puzzled by the development, readily assisted Kamden.
Behind them, the flames crept closer. They were far gone when the fire claimed the cabin.
Countryside, England, United Kingdom – February 1846
~Cloudia~
Panting, Cloudia stood over a bandit's unconscious body. The dagger was slippery with blood, she had run out of darts, and all her muscles screamed from strain and exhaustion. Still, she tightened her grip on the weapon, ready for the next one.
But there was none.
Cloudia let her eyes wander over the area, saw the cut and bullet marks in the barks, the trampled down bushes, the earth and leaves that were stirred up – and she counted ten bodies, all unconscious and wounded.
It was over. It was finally over.
Cloudia looked up from the men on the ground and locked eyes with Milton who was standing a few metres away. He was still holding his gun; his hair was a dishevelled mess, and his clothes were a little dirty and torn.
She opened her mouth to say something and then gasped in surprise when he suddenly crossed the distance between them, pulled her into a hug, and immediately burst into tears.
Cloudia stiffened in the embrace and her hands hung loosely and awkwardly by her sides. "You're all right, you're all right," Milton repeated over and over again. He shook a little but held her firmly and tightly, unwilling to let her go in his immense relief that she was all right, all right, all right.
Being so close to him, feeling his heartbeat reassuringly against hers – each throb signalling her that Milton was safe and fine and unhurt, that this time no one had been hurt – relief welled within her too. Blinking away tears, Cloudia relaxed in his arms and reached out to hug him back.
In the forest by Nanteuil-la-Forêt, Marne, France – June 1848
~Cedric~
June 23
About 3:00
It turned out that Milton really did know the way to the main road and the château.
Cedric's hair clung to his head, his ribbon long gone. His lungs burned from strain and smoke when they finally arrived at the meeting point with Denis. He blinked at them in confusion before he jumped off the coachman's seat and helped to load Heriot's corpse and the villagers onto the wagon. After they had brought some distance between them and the cabin, Aurèle had taken out some rope and suggested tying up their attackers. It turned out to be a wise choice because when they had woken up, they had attempted to fight back and hurled insults at them. Aurèle had had to stuff their mouths with handkerchiefs.
The men glared at them when Denis lifted them onto the wagon. This time, they had taken a large wagon; Cloudia's foresight. Cedric's heart ached when he thought of her and he immediately reached for the skull pendant. He had no idea what time it was but enough time must have passed since the confrontation in the townhall that Cloudia would be on her way to the château and he would not distract her from anything.
Countess, Cedric thought and wondered if his exasperation travelled between the soul stones as well. Are you all right?
Yes, came the answer a moment later, and Cedric sighed in relief.
They set the forest on fire but we could escape on time. We are just getting on the wagon and heading back.
Good. Will meet you at the château.
Cedric sighed again and let the pendant go. He climbed onto the wagon and sat down next to Aurèle who was coughing and trying to catch his breath. Milton assisted Kamden, his face red either from embarrassment or shortness of breath, before he got on the wagon as well. As soon as everyone was secured, Denis dashed forward. He was still incredibly quick but, likely out of worry for the state of his "cargo," he thankfully didn't attempt to break any laws of physics this time.
After a while, Milton inched to Heriot and gently brushed leaves and ashes from his hair.
"I owe you all an explanation," he said and turned to look at Kamden, Aurèle, and Cedric. "I am not a weapons smuggler," Milton stated. "You wonder why I am here? Because there has been a company problem I had to fix.
"Because of my carelessness, while we were trying to expand the company's reach, our security was compromised. Someone took advantage of the organisational chaos and the small crack in Salisbury Trading's security it brought. I had to go to Paris to gain information on the culprit.
"A month ago, I employed a man named Josiah Heriot." Milton glanced at the body next to him, and his voice was pained as he continued, "Intelligent, hardworking, excellent résumé. He was meant to oversee a particular section of trading. The particulars are of no interest here and would only bore you; what is important is that Mr Heriot never began his work. The one who took advantage of the security hole assumed Josiah Heriot's identity and went to work in his stead. That man then gathered as much information as he could to formulate a plan on how to smuggle several weapons with my company without me noticing."
For once, proper anger flickered over Milton's face, and this brief moment was enough to make Cedric shudder. "I might have been late but I did notice. Faster than he anticipated. I restructured the sections on which he had gathered information. I changed all code words and cyphers. I managed to retrieve and dispose of most of the smuggled weaponry. However, because I didn't immediately notice, because I wasn't quick enough, three crates slipped through my fingers. The crates with the lowest amount of goods, yes, but three crates were still three too many. And those crates found their way here – to Nanteuil-la-Forêt.
"I've been trying to figure out the crates' whereabouts and the identity of the man masquerading as Mr Heriot; for that, I had to go to Paris. I knew both the culprit and the goods were in France but I had nothing definite. My informant is situated in the capital and needed a while to find out what I sought out. That's why I accompanied you to the château first."
Milton ran a hand through his hair. "An absolute embarrassment. Nothing would have happened if I had been attentive enough, if I had been quick enough," he said and a slight tremble crept into his voice. "But I never am and…
"Josiah Heriot," his voice dropped, "was under my protection the instant he signed his contract. And I failed him. I am the head of Salisbury Trading. I am responsible for the company and its employees – and now someone died because I couldn't do my job properly."
Tears glistened in his eyes. "I am sorry," Milton said, hastily wiping them away. "I cry so easily."
Kamden crawled to him and gingerly put a hand on his shoulder. "It-it is all… all right, Milton. You-you did your best."
"Thank you," Milton replied, a faint smile on his lips.
"It's not your fault that Heriot died, Milton," Cedric said. "The security problem you spoke about could have happened at any company under those circumstances. You're not all-knowing; you couldn't have known someone would take advantage of you and your company's situation. Emyr's right; you did your best. If it hadn't been for your fast damage control, the villagers would have been armed much better and all of us would be dead now."
Aurèle crossed his arms. "They are right. The man who killed Heriot and took his place is at fault."
Milton brushed his tears away. "Thank you, Kristopher, Aurèle. You three are all too kind. I'm glad we're working together now – and hope we will work together for what will come."
Milton straightened up. "After all, we have a common target: Nicodemus Townsend."
Cedric stared at Milton. Kamden let his hand fall down, gaping. Aurèle narrowed his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" demanded Aurèle.
Milton took a deep breath. "Nicodemus Townsend is the man who misused my company for arms smuggling, the one who kidnapped and killed Heriot – and the reason why all of you are here too. Do not even attempt to deny it." He met their gazes with steady eyes. "If not to chase after the Chartist currently on the run from the Crown, why else should Lady Cloudia, the Queen's Watchdog, be in France?"
The Oscar flashbacks aren't done yet! I simply decided to leave it out this time to end the chapter on that note :) We'll get back to him in the next chapter!
After a million years, the 1846 hunt is also almost over! One more flashback and then the Milton-Cloudia flashbacks will move away from that event.
I don't speak French (my knowledge of it is Lisa's (see Malady 2) plus a little bit more), so... no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information: When Aurèle says "What does this mean?" (Qu'est ce à dire que ceci?), he means something else according to Quora: "an "exceedingly formal to the point of being funny" way of saying "What the fuck?" (Putting the French phrase wouldn't do because it's Cedric's POV. He would just recognise it as some "French gibberish" and that takes away the little fun.)
ANYWAY. I hope you liked this chapter! Please let me know what you thought!
Until I-don't-know-when for the next one^^ (This could take a while because I need to read a book for it - and I need to read a gazillion other stuff first for various obligations and my own entertainment.)