Solo Gone Astray

[Verena Lorak]

Gone Astray
67th of Fall, 514 A.V.

“It’s past sundown already, Lady Verena,” Taloe said, not entirely looking up from her task of making tea for some their patients. “Bella still hasn’t come back. I do not think she should be gone this long.”

For the first time, the Lorak realized that her youngest slave had indeed failed to return after she sent her out to buy some herbs and food. Her mind had been occupied by the feverish Ackina boy that had come with a few bells ago. He had started rambling and nothing she gave him had any effects. She had flipped through her notes and her family’s books, trying to figure what it was. Oddly enough, as the sky darkened, his temperature started going down too. He became much more stable. Only now she could afford to think about something else.

Verena stood from her seat and put down the book in her hands. She supposed a short trip for fresh air could clear her mind and help her figure this sickness out. “I will look for her. You and Hallan take care of the clinic while I’m gone.”

“Lady Verena,” Hallan suddenly interrupted. “You shouldn’t go out alone. It is not safe. You know the rebels are targeting Dynasts.”

There was no need to remind her of that. Verena had been summoned to inspect the Dynasts’ bodies when they were found. She knew full well how they horribly died from various stabs and whip marks and then left to bleed out. But she could understand the reason for his worries.

“I will get Cas to accompany me. I will be alright,” the healer replied as she pulled on her cloak and headed outside. As soon as Verena exited the building, the chilly autumn wind sent her shivering. This was not a good night to be wandering around – as proved by the minimal pedestrians present.

Verena would rather get this over with quickly. Something probably caught the slave’s attention and distracting her from the task. It didn’t happen often, but Bella had done something like that before. As she grew up in a slave’s barrack, something in the city would always fascinate her.

The first thing she needed to do was to find Cas. Though Verena looked disinterested in the rumors, it did not mean that she was not worried and having someone to accompany her would ease her nerves. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find the Paille since she was familiar enough with his patrol schedule. Conveniently enough, her betrothed was supposed to be around the Dry Island Plaza around this time.

It didn’t take long to spot a familiar-looking Paille riding his strider, unfortunately it was not Cassius. It was his younger brother, Caedmon, instead. Verena cursed under her breath. She always seemed to meet him when she least expected it. Once he spotted her, Caedmon climbed down his steed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you doing out late, Ren?”

“I’m looking for your brother. Where is he? He is supposed to be on patrol.”

The Paille ran his fingers through his dark hair, a gesture she knew as his way of showing discomfort. He glanced briefly into her eyes, then away, and then back at her again. He sighed deeply. “He asked me to switch with him.”

Verena found herself getting impatient. “I am asking where he is.”

It took a few more ticks for him to answer. “He’s at the Den.”

Unsurprising. Ever since their betrothal, Cas had made an effort not to frequent the brothels, but everyone knew he didn’t stop entirely. People expected her to be upset about it, but Verena couldn’t tell why. It was not as if she didn’t know it and that he lied to her. Cas told her about it and about his will to change, but it made sense that he couldn’t shake off his habit entirely. It was completely understandable, nothing to be upset over.

The Den was located at the other end of the island and it might take a few chimes for her to get there. Without bothering to thank him, Verena turned around, considering if she should just look for Bella directly instead.

“Wait! I’ll take you there. You shouldn’t wander around alone at night. I promise, I’ll leave you alone once we got in front of the building.” With his strider by his head, Caedmon broke into a small run to catch her up.

Verena paused, wondering if she should ask Caedmon to accompany instead. Probably not. Spending time with him nowadays always made her feel conflicted and she rather not trouble herself with emotions right now. Once they were standing side by side, the horse bumped its head to her, making her smile a bit. “He missed you,” the Paille said gently as he urged the strider to move. Gavant was perhaps one of the few animals that actually liked her. Despite her reluctance of riding, she missed the handsome steed too. She ran her hand through his thick coat, wondering what he was thinking.

“Come on then,” Caedmon said. “We better find Cas.”

[Verena Lorak]

They walked in silence, at first, stealing glances as they walked on different sides of the strider. Silence was commonly comforting for Verena. It allowed her to think, to carefully craft words and plan how she should act in front of other people. But this silence was the opposite of comforting because Caedmon could barely stand it. If he was keeping quiet, something was probably one his mind.

As if he could read her mind, the Paille finally decided to start a conversation. “So, how are things these days?”

“What things?” she replied blandly. Though she could feel his eyes on her, Verena kept her gaze on the street. “You have to be specific.”

His laugh was quickly caught by the wind, ringing around her. But it died down just as quickly. “Of course, my mistake. I meant, how are the wedding plans? I heard it will be in winter.”

It was true. Her mother, Yvenna, and Lorana had been discussing the date lately, asking about her opinion. Truthfully, all Verena wanted was to push the date back, anything so that she could avoid the marriage a little longer. It was not the bond of matrimony itself that scared her – she had known that as a Dynast, marriages were used for politics and rarely based on love – it was what expected from her after that terrified the Lorak.

They would want her to stay at home and act like a proper lady, like most Dynasty women her age did. She would be expected to conceive a child soon after the wedding and raise the child. All of them, the Lorak was not ready to do. There were still things she needed to learn, places she needed to go. The last things she needed to do was sit around with a child on her lap.

“Probably. They still haven’t decided.” She looked straight into him and spotted the sadness that was clouding his gray eyes. Sometimes she wished Caedmon was as difficult to read as everyone else was. “It is not my decision. You know that.”

The young man clenched his jaw and looked away. “Sometimes, I wonder if we truly have freedom as a Dynast or we are all just slaves to someone.”

Before they knew it, the pair was already standing in front of the stark building that was Kenash’s brothel. Verena was grateful they didn’t have the chance to discuss the wedding even further. It was the last thing she would want to talk about with her betrothed’s brother.

“Are you sure you will be alright? Going inside all by yourself?” asked Caedmon. The light from the lanterns cast shadows on his face, making it even harder for her to to guess what he was thinking of. “Maybe you can wait and I’ll ask for my brother.”

“Yes, I will be alright. It isn’t a difficult task,” she pointed out. “Besides, didn’t you say you’ll leave me alone once we get here?”

He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and shook his head. Whatever it was Caedmon was planning to say, he kept it to himself. Instead, he gave her a half-smile and said, “Well, I wish you good luck, then. Tell Cas not to kill me for telling you where he was.” Then he walked away.

“He won’t kill you,” Verena replied to his back.

“You never know!” he called out with a dark chuckle. The Lorak watched him until he climbed atop his steed and disappeared into a corner, never looking back.

As she pushed the faded red door open, Verena sighed. This whole ordeal was already taking longer than she expected it to.

[Verena Lorak]

The interior of the Den was starkly different than how it presented itself outside. Verena was immediately introduced into a quiet hallway. She had always wondered why this particular hallway was entirely soundless. Quickening her steps, Verena walked on and pushed through the silk curtains on the other end.

She was immediately overwhelmed by the colors and the scents and the noises. Everything was just so demandingly red that the Lorak nearly staggered back. There were a lot of people milling about the room, most of them scantily dressed. By Rak’keli’s grace, she really hated this place. She wondered how anyone could stand staying here for long periods of time.

Soon, handsome man clad in only in his undergarment approached her. His raven eyes glinted as he slid an arm around her waist, bringing their bodies together. “Can I help you, milady? What sort pleasure do you wish to experience tonight?”

“I am not interested in pleasures,” she replied, slipping away from his grasp. He smelled just like the rest of the room did - lustful. “I am looking for Cassius Paille.”

“Is he a pleasurer?”

“No, he’s a customer.”

In reply, the man frowned apologetically. “I am afraid you cannot interrupt a session once it started, my lady. Are you would not like to be entertained as you wait for Master Paille?”

This was a waste of time. She should have left to look for Bellara all by herself, but too late now. She was already in the brothel and she might as well get something from it. “I am Verena Lorak and his betrothed. I need to speak to him. It’s an emergency.”

At the word betrothed, the male prostitute seemed to recoil. With his dark eyes twinkling, he bowed to her before leaving – perhaps to ask his mistress about it. “I will do what I can, my lady.”

As Verena waited, she took a seat on one of the velvet couches and watched the room closely. An establishment preying on the basic needs of a living being that is sex. No wonder it was filled with Dynasts and freeborns alike. People came in and out of rooms, usually with someone on their side. Slowly, the Lorak noticed odd glances as more and more people noticed her presence or outright recognized her.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the man from earlier to return to her and offered to guide her to find her betrothed. Once they stopped in front of entrance, the prostitute left Verena by herself. She swore she could hear noises from behind the wooden door. She only hesitated briefly before rapping her knuckles against the surface.

It took a while, but finally a beautiful woman with dark hair and blue eyes opened the door the slightest bit, only revealing a sliver of the room. Even from the small space, Verena could tell that the woman was bare skinned. “What?”

“I am looking for Cassius Paille.” The healer had barely finished her sentence when she heard a flurry of motions from behind the prostitute. It must be Cas then, probably recognizing her voice. At least she didn’t bother the wrong room.

“Verena,” Cas said with a sigh. He glanced back at the prostitute briefly with an unreadable expression. “Caedmon told you I was here, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” She shifted her weight to her other feet as she waited. “He told me to tell you not to kill him.”

The Paille laughed darkly as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I am afraid I can’t promise you that.” Once again, he turned back to face the woman who had started to put on her clothing – if she could even call it that. It seemed she already knew what Cas going to say even before he said it. “Giselle, leave and tell your mistress I will still pay the full fee.”

A part of her wanted to protest, but something in Cas’s look told her not to. Verena relented and walked inside, noting the female undergarment left in the room with a passing glance. “My slave is missing. Help me find her since I don’t want to wander around alone at night. Let’s go.”

He stayed quiet as she took her place in front of him. The silence stretched for a few chimes, but she was not the one to break it. “I’m sorry, Verena,” Cas said suddenly, taking a step away from her. He still wasn’t looking at her, his eyes always flicking away.

“For what?”

His jaw clenched tightly and in the darkness, she could still the color rising on his face. “For everything. For sleeping with another woman. For being your betrothed.”

Times like this, Verena loathed the fact that lacked the understanding of how to interact properly. “You don’t need to apologize. I refuse to give you what you need and it is only logical you seek it somewhere else.”

The dark-haired man shook his head, his eyes wide. Then he whirled, slamming his fist against “Why aren’t you angry? You are not supposed to be understanding, Verena!”

“But this was your reason for agreeing to a betrothal to me, isn’t it? So that you can have a wife that won’t mind your visits to the brothel?” Verena asked, confused. Slowly, she walked over to where she spotted a pile of clothes. In a swift move, she tossed the Paille his shirt. “I do not have time for this. I need to look for Bella. We can continue this discussion some other time.”