Chương 353: 7.9

The City of Orad suffered only one last attack before Jewel departed, a sparse hundred of the hungry dead, by the final count. No one else among the city's defenders died in the dead's raid. Between Jewel, Erhard and the Halberdiers the blood drinkers were burnt to a last. Her entourage made to leave the city, continuing south to the General's Liege Lord Count Parabuch.

And if she had thought her comings-and-goings so far had a festival flavor to it, she was genuinely getting somewhat impaired by the profusion of welcome and exaltation that the 'city' of Orad saw her off with. The siege of the night creatures had left many homes and positions in the city empty. Although she'd heard around corners that her refugees might see a chance of a raised station to fill missing houses and roles in the freemen's trades and positions among Móric's men.

A morbid, if pragmatic arrangement to so many dead. This apparent fortune furthered the sentiment and thanks for her person, and by the time she finally was leaving Orad after four days without a vampire incident, it was to a truly uproarious celebration. Feasting in the streets, song and dance joyous in its character, even if foreign in the word or rhythm. The crowds bustling and dancing and singing, the cacophony cheering as if she was being welcomed home.

But they could not stay, despite the clear desire for her continued presence. Southward they went, with an updated itinerary and accompanying messengers from Móric, the general's own personal guard to present her to the Count Parabuch.

The road south was an amiable one, although it started to feel as if the Dacian vault's autumn winds were finally choosing to make themselves felt, changing what had felt to Gem's tolerance to be was at worst a cool grainturn's warmth since they crossed into the vault, to something ever so slightly more appropriate for the actual time of year. Still, it was absurd to be so consistently warm with the first dawn of Forest Turn! The lateness of the heat extended to the people in the Dacian Vault as well.

All the villages they passed lacked the bustling intensity of labor Jewel was accustomed to for the season. It all made the peasants look especially lazy by comparison to Valasect. Even here, amidst the shallow hills of tilled soil and fallow fields there was an easy meander to every peasant's movements that was completely wrong for being so late into the year! A village half the size of the teeming thousands in her entourage should be busier than this!

Jewel sat upon the turned earth of a field while waiting for the tents to be raised, looking to the east towards where the general had said lay the lands of Wallachia.

"It's time you met again." Jewel sighed heavily, and looked over at Adelyne.

"Really, Adelyne? Now? Why not sooner?" The guild mistress looked up at Jewel before speaking plainly and openly, with not a hint of the fear or awe that so many met her gaze with.

"Strangers are no longer watching you and yours like a thieving child looks on her next meal walking down the streets." Jewel took another heavy breath to sigh— Something was there! She continued, breathing ever more deeply, letting the air run through her nostrils and down her throat. The scent of a child was in the air, one Jewel had been smelling only the faintest whiffs of. One she had not seen or heard any sign of, but since they left Kaeketeh that subtle perfume had been slipping in and out of her perception.

A presence mostly beneath notice haunting her entourage. Easily forgotten until Adelyne had told her what it was. Here again and growing stronger. And then approaching up the road, walking with a step that made no sound was the dull gray cloak and cloth just dirty enough to slip into a crowd. A veil over their face beneath the shadow of the hood. A nondescript form of a diminutive figure. Adelyne continued speaking, as if she didn't notice the figure stepping lightly up to and then standing beside her.

"So in the brief time until someone else begins watching and looking for secrets again allow me to reintroduce you my Countess to Havel Nightman son. Former guard of the Countess Bathory and finest of my watchers." Jewel looked down at the figure, but like many of the now-named-waifs, the face was obscured. More than most, in fact! Not even the eyes were clearly visible behind the sheer cloth. A voice coarse and roughened by the strain to hit a lower pitch spoke. Did you know this story is from Royal Road?

Read the official version for free and support the author." Countess." But even through the way the voice growled, Jewel could practically taste the awe in that one word. Jewel could not stop the scowl from touching her lips.

"Adelyne, it is because of my shame that I agreed to you taking on what waifs wished to join your guild. But to have Bathory's men, one touched by my curse, serve me directly cannot stand! I publicly ordered them out of my service." Adelyne huffed.

"Havel will not even be publicly visible. But-" Adelyne's words hitched just a moment in the flow of sharply toned words, but Jewel could hear the tension of shifting muscles under the obscuring clothes." He is the finest user of my boon in the guild. Furthermore, I've vetted him and his past. He was among the least guilty of the crimes your curse punished. Not a hand laid on any of the Countess' prisoners—not a woman or child taken by his direct act!

By all counts, he's more than served any fair sentence for his crimes. And I trust his loyalty, his wife and children buy that, even if you cannot trust my word and his." Jewel leaned closer, huffed in a heavy breath, but just like every other waif the scent was as much a child and a young girl's at that as any other of them. A unique blend perhaps but a dull and forgettable muddle that each of them held. The mark even in their scent of her shame. Her curse.

Adelyne was still talking, but Havel stood silent, at attention, watching Jewel from behind that veil. Until suddenly she was struck in the nose by her former bonded servant.

"You've forgotten him! Stars and fortunes damn you Jewel! How do you do this?! You can remember the exact tonnage of grain harvested ten years ago, but forget Havel?!" Jewel blinked and tilted her head. That was really not fair! The waifs all practically smelled like the same identical medley of girls! and they almost always covered their faces! It wasn't fair to blame her for not being able to tell them apart!

"Of all of them, I'd have thought you might recognize Havel! We were both brought into court together when you met him!" Wait... It was that Havel?! Jewel could sometimes forget that her spymistress was once a thieving child on the streets of Kaeketeh. But every once in a while, Adelyn would find a way to come around and remind Jewel of what a thuggish thing she had been. It was easy to forget when the woman spent more time in courtly intrigue and applying her seal to papers then Jewel did!

"You took on the waif that fought with you against those dock workers?!" Adelyne threw up her hands and seemed almost about to yell to the heavens. Then paused, squinting at the dusk glow of the sky suspiciously. Jewel glanced and saw a few of the first stars of the night starting to shine through. Wisely, her spy mistress lowered her hands and fixed Jewel with a glare and a slowly growing smirk. Jewel sighed even heavier than before. This whole situation was just so astonishingly stupid.

"Adelyne, you shed blood as sisters-" there was another flinch from the waif "in arms with Havel, why didn't you say that in the first place?! Why didn't you simply say who it was! Seasons ago! Years ago, even! You fool woman! you've been talking around your best watchers for so long!" She ruffled her wings, and huffed hard, making Havel twitch, but to the waif's credit, she did not flee. Not even the smell of a hint of fear. Which either spoke to the poor waif's adoration of Jewel or a mastery of themselves.

"That's far too long to wait to tell me something plainly like this! That awful cat Fizzbunches and his sorcery! It's ruining your sense!" Jewel huffed and fixed the completely covered waif.

"Havel, I apologize for intimating a foul of your character. And again for my part in my curse. If the world allowed me to call it back—" At last the gruff, forcefully deepened voice spoke more than a single word.

"Isalright, missus likes me better looking like this. Just one thing, Countess." And then Havel reached under her collar and threw back the veil and hood. Revealing the face that only Jewel seemed to think looked anything like a child. She still could not see how she had gotten it so wrong. The eyes were surely not that over large right?

"Not a woman or a lady, ma'am. So if you must address me, call me like a man. I am Havel Nightmanson. I will be your watcher, Countess, your eyes and ears where even your senses cannot reach. And if you call on them hands, that will never be seen." Jewel stared down at the self proclaimed man which every sense in her body said was a little girl. But if she could accept that the waifs were not children? That a cow could speak and be dearest among her friends? That Gem was both herself and her child?

Then who was she to deny such a request.

"Very well, Havel Nightmanson, I would be honored to accept your service as my man in secret service. As my watcher unseen and if I need it, my hand in the darkness."