Chapter 14

“What happened? Where is Scarlet?” Cain crossed his arms and glared down to the human sitting in the plush library chair. He had come that morning ready for their lesson, only to find Renee staring out of the window. “I don’t know. I told you, we got into a fight and she ran away. I didn’t-” Renee huffed, and ran a hand over her face. “I said some mean things, and I wish I hadn’t but I did. I didn’t mean them though. If I knew where Scarlet was, I would have gone to her and apologized by now.” Renee buried her face into her hands. “Well, she can’t have gone too far. She’s not allowed off the grounds. And Renee,” Cain stopped in the doorway of the library. “This is the second warning, control your temper. Being friends is not about always agreeing, but rather respecting each other’s differences.”

Cain slammed the door behind, pausing in the shadow of the building. His eyes scanned the land. There were a few gardeners scattered about the greens and flowers. The figure of three men standing knee deep in the lake gently swished nets through the water. Two women kneeled at the bottom of a statue, shining rags held tight in hand. Cain saw no dainty human, with long hair that swished. Taking a deep breath, something he rarely did, Cain entered out into the sun light. He followed the path, every worker stopped and acknowledged him as he did. Asking each one about Scarlet, he ended up getting pointed down a lesser used path by one of the lake cleaners.

The path was made of pale, miniature pebbles, and lined with looming trees to the right. The lake was to the left, the water stretching out for miles. If it hadn’t been a scene that Cain had viewed thousands of times; he would have been mildly impressed. Something caught the corner of his eye, and Cain turned his head back to the path in front of him. A small figure sat hunched over at a small dock on the lake. Her dressed was hiked up, and her bare feet dangled in the water. Nearing, as he came up to the deck, Cain heard small sniffles. “I was told what happened.” Scarlet jumped, he hands grabbing the dock to prevent herself from falling into the water. Glancing up, she quickly wiped away the tear stains. “Mind if I join you?” He was already removing his shoes when he asked, and was sitting when she shrugged. “Here, this might help you.” He handed her a small journal with a built in stylus and ink well. She thanked him, and placed it off to the side. Rolling up his pant legs, he stuck his feet into the water.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Cain broke the silence that had settled over them, cast his eyes out to the water. Scarlet nodded, glancing at the journal sitting between them. Cain took notice, “You can trust me Scarlet, if you want to talk.” Taking another glance towards the journal, Cain saw her grab it. She wrote quicker than anyone Cain had ever seen, and in just a few blinks he held the journal. All my life I’ve been scared. I no longer wish to be scared. You want me to become a fighter, so a fighter is who I’ll be. I refuse to speak to her. Looking up, Cain watched Scarlet step back onto the pebble path. He could not help himself but to smile.

“You must be kidding me- you can’t do this.” Claudia stormed around Cain’s office, walking the path of an invisible eight. “I am King, I do what I please.” A swish filled the air, and a knife was plunged into a stack of papers beside Cain. He casted his eyes to the stack, before moving them up. Claudia released the knife, leaning back. “You’re wasting a perfectly good day- do you realize how busy I am? I take my afternoons off, afternoons I could use training the horrible excuses of reserved soldiers, to train Scarlet and Renee. For you to just cancel it in the blink of an eye is rude to not only me but Pals!”

“Do not bring me into your argument.” Cain looked past Claudia, to where Pals sat on his couch. She had her eyes casted down into the latest issue of her favorite fashion magazine. “Pals doesn’t seemed too bothered by it.” The werewolf flipped a page. “Oh, I am greatly annoyed, sire. Missing even one day is a risk I would prefer not to take. But you are the King and I respect your command.” She lazily flipped another page. Of all the things Cain admired about Pals, it would have to be her monotone voice and face. She had learned how to fully control them both, thus giving the enemy one less thing to work upon. The only time he ever saw her express any true emotion, was when her arguments with Theo escalated to a boiling point. But even in those moments, she was clearly in control of herself. That was, in Cain’s belief, was what made her so deadly. “Thank you for the support Pals.” Claudia’s words were laced with a mixture of sarcasm and actual gratitude. “Of course.” Pals dog eared a page, and then flipped to the next.

Cain pulled the knife from his desk, holding it out to Claudia. “They are fighting like children right now, you would not get anything productive done with them.” Claudia took her knife back, place it back on it’s place on her belt. “So what are you doing to fix it?” Cain, who had been dipping his stylus into some ink, paused. “I’m supposed to fix it?” Claudia looked at him as if he claimed the sky was orange. Even Pals looked up from her magazine. Claudia mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes. “Of course you’re supposed to fix it! Looking though, as if you will not, I guess I am forced to step up to the plate.” Cain shook his head, but Claudia cut him off before he could even protest. “Pals, I’ll need your help. Cain, send dinner down to the training room. These girls shall be friends once more by two and then it’s extra practice.” Locking the knife in, Claudia left the room. Cain still sat dumbfounded. “Pals?” The werewolf had risen, magazine stuff under her arm. “I’m not just doing this because of our friendship, I’m doing it because I agree with her. Good day sire.” Once Pals was gone, Cain shook his head. Picking his stylus up from the ink, he went back to his business.

He was responding to a letter sent from one of his Captains stationed in the trader’s base at the bottom of the Blue Mountains. While raids were common, they had become more frequent in occurrence. Normally it would not be a call for alarm, raiders and bandits could always be tamed. There was belief, by multiple trusted sources, that Muis was behind it all. Cain was writing to instruct his captain and his men to take no drastic course, yet. Muis was preparing for a war and so a war Cain would give him.

“I need you both to take a seat please.” Claudia looked at the two humans standing in front of her, “Now.” Her hands gripped the desk she leaned against. Renee frowned, and Scarlet paled but they both sat down. Claudia nodded, “Good, Pals, care to take over?” Standing straight the Claudia moved to give Pals the space in front of desk that she had been occupying. Moving to the back of the room, she took a seat next to Cain. “Normally I only bother myself to deal with fights of those with my own sister. I have injected myself into yours because our current situation requires us all to work as one team.” Pals lifted herself onto Claudia’s desk, her spine remaining straight. “So you,” she looked to Renee, “are going apologize to Scarlet and Scarlet” she turned her eyes to Scarlet, “will listen.” Renee’s eyes glanced over to Scarlet, who sat with her arms crossed.

“Scar, look,” Renee turned in her chair, resting a foot in it as she did. “I’m sorry, okay? I said a lot rude and mean things. It was wrong, and I know it. I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t adjusting as well as I thought I was. That’s no excuse for my behavior over the past few days, I just hope you will forgive me. Please forgive me.” Scarlet responded, and Renee nodded her head. “I understand, thank you.” Cain stood, moving to the corner of the room where the desk sat. “I take it that all is well between you two once more?” Cain took a stance to the side of Pals. “In some ways yes, in other ways no, but it’s okay. We’re still a team.” Cain nodded, crossing his arms. “That’s all we ask of you.” The door to the office opened, and everyone turned.

“Hey Claud, have you-cousin.” Klaus stood at the threshold, a few papers gripped tightly in his hands. “I was not expecting to see you all here, but never the less you are the people I was looking for.” He glanced to Scarlet and Renee. “More or less.” Cain meet his cousin, glancing down to the papers in his hands. “What is it?” Klaus held the papers out to his cousin. “These just came over our military’s secured telegraph line. It’s not good.” Cain snatched the papers from his cousin, pulling him into the room as he did. Claudia and Pals both rose and moved towards Cain and Klaus. “What’s happened?” Klaus looked to his sister, giving her a frown. He shook his head in a way to tell his sister to speak no more. “Damn it Muis.” Cain shoved the papers into Klaus’s chest. Claudia ripped the pages from her brother’s grip, holding them so that she and Pals could read them. Stopping mid-page, Claudia looked up to her brother. Cain had moved to her desk, her desk phone in his hand. “Klaus, how have we responded?”

“We haven’t.” The sound of the phone slamming down filled the air. “We have now.” Cain stood straight. “There were a few of Muis’s men, older and worthless to him in the big picture. Kept in one of the prisons. Down south, near the sea. They’re going to be executed by sun down. He dares kills my men, then I shall kill his.” Pals lowered the paper in her hand, “Yes but is it enough?”

“It’s enough to get the message across. I shall not be the one to swing the sword first, but if he dares swings it at me then we are prepared to defend.” Pals did not agree with him, Cain could see it in her eyes. But she dare not speak out against him. He would have commented, but the sudden movement of hands pulled his eyes away from the werewolf. During the whole dispute, Cain had forgotten that Scarlet and Renee were still in the office with them. While he and his group were caught up in their discussion; Renee and Scarlet had started their own. All with their hands. “Can I interrupt you two?” Both of the humans tensed, dropping their hands as they turned to face Cain. “May I asked what you were both speaking about?” Scarlet looked to Renee, as her stare moved between them. “Scarlet, was just reminding me to, um, mind my own business.” Cain nodded his head, “That’s very kind of your Scarlet, but unfortunately this is your business now too.”

“Cousin.” Both Klaus and Claudia took a step towards Cain, but he went on despite their protest. “I had hope that there would be more time. That I could continue the charade and keep you both in the blissfulness of being naïve.”

“Cousin, do you really believe this is the best time?” Cain held a hand up, both silencing and stopping Klaus in his tracks. Klaus retracted his steps. “Renee you asked me once, weeks ago, why I was preparing you for a war. My answer to you was truthful, I prefer to always be prepared. What I did not tell you, was that Voirol was near war with Drale.” The two humans looked at each other. “Was? So you fixed the problem?” Cain shook his head. “No, I’ve tried to avoid war at all cost but Muis… Today he had a small troop of my men captured. They were on his land, but were there on permission. Raids through the Blue Mountain pass have increased. Instead of warning them and allowing them a chance to fight; his men shot three of the four straight in the back. I shall return the favor by killing some of his own.” Scarlet frowned, sinking back in her seat. Cain felt a ping of something deep within him. He didn’t like to see her frown, especially at him. “So what does that mean, for Scarlet and I?” Renee stood, yet remain rooted in the spot. “At sunset, Voirol will officially be at war with Drale. The battles will not come swift or sudden. It might take weeks, or months, but Muis is coming. And when he does, Scarlet must be ready.”

“You plan to put her on the battle front?”

“I plan to save the world.”

“What are you doing?” Cain entered into his wife’s private room, only to enter into a war zone. Clothing, shoes, hats and other accessories were scattered among every piece of furniture and the floor. A few hand maids walked about, folding things. Dolra came out from her closet, a dress draped over her arms. “Hello darling, I’m packing. What else does it look like?” Cain stepped over a pile of boots. “Perhaps a war? What are you packing for that causes this much of a disarray?” Dolra handed the dress in her arms off to one of the maids who packed it away in one of the open trunks. “My yearly trip to the coast of Illi, and then the southern island paradise of Janja. I’m also thinking about maybe detouring to Onomi, apparently my cousin Flower has not been well these past weeks.” Dolra glanced down, pulling a scarf from the trunk by her feet. She scolded one of the hand maids. “Ah, yes, of course. About that my dear, I don’t think you should go on your trip this year. Or to visit your family.” Cain rested a hand on her shoulder as she chose between two pairs of boots a maid held up. “What? Why not?” She turned to face him. He glanced around to the maids moving about the room. “Leave us, all of you. Now.” Whatever each maid had been doing, they all stopped and shuffled out the door. Once alone, Cain locked the bedroom door. “It’s Muis. A troop of his men killed a troop of ours. I plan to return the favor and by sunset…” Dolra, who had been unfolding a new gown from it’s paper, lowered it. “We’ll be at undeclared war.” Cain nodded his head. Dolra frowned, looking down to the gown in her hands. Hoisting it up, the marron lace pooled out. “Look, I just ordered this gown made. Isn’t it beautiful?” Bringing it back down she begun to refold it. “You’re still packing.” She placed the dress in a trunk, pushing on it. “Yes. Darling, I’ll be fine. Both Illi and Janja are thousands of miles from Drale, and are protected by the Endless Mountains. Janja is a volcanic island in the middle of the Orange Sea! Then there’s Flower, she’s the nearest friend I’ve had for nearly my whole life. I would never forgive myself if something was to happen to her and I was not there.” Dolra packed away another gown, glancing up to her husband. Cain frowned, his arms crossed. “It’s only a few months, I promise I’ll be careful.” She made her way through the mess to him, planting a light kiss on his lips. “When does your air ship leave?” Resting a hand on his chest, her smile fell from her face. “Tonight. I’ll be in Illi by the end of the week, if the wind allows.”

“Where else is your air ship going, for refueling.”

“Kuko first, and after we pass the Endless Mountains, Onomi. Then it’s Illi.” Cain nodded, glancing about the mess. “I wish you a safe trip my dear.”

“Thank you darling.”