When he fell, he fell into a dream, one that was an old memory.
"Navi," he, as a child of ten years, called out, "Navi! Where did you go?"
"Over here, Vandal!" Ladnavia called, "you're so slow."
"Am not," pouted Van as he caught his breath after catching up to Navi, "and we're not supposed to be out here this far anyway. We'll get in trouble!"
"Don't be craven," Ladnavia teased, "c'mon, love, let us hunt!"
Navi went ahead with her bow and arrow, both made the size to fit a child. She had fallen in love with archery and a craftsman made it for her as a gift for her birthday. Being born on the same day, as expected by the stargazers, Vandal was given a wooden long gun. He named it Ladnavia.
"Blow the horn," Navi commanded.
Vandal raised the hunting horn to his lips and blew.
The hounds, Navi had released from the kennels when the master wasn't looking, raced ahead of them. On their horses, Navi and Van followed them.
The stag they cornered was a small one. As Navi cursed and tried to ready her bow, the stag kicked one of the smaller hounds in the belly and bolted off into the woods.
"Curses," Navi shouted furiously as she got off her saddle and approached the wounded hound, "Stupid dog! You let it get away!"
Navi began to kick him, yelping in pain, not having the strength to run or fight back.
"Useless! Stupid!" Navi screamed, her assault unrelenting.
"Navi, stop it," Vandal begged, "you're hurting him more!"
Words did not stop her wrath.
"You're going to kill him!" Vandal screamed his eyes hot with tears.
He shoved her so hard she fell on her back into a puddle of mud.
"Gods! Vandal, what is wrong with you?" Navi chastised, "it's just a hound."
Vandal picked up the wounded dog, wrapped him in his cloak, got on his horse, and rode off, tears streaming down his cheeks. Where he would go, he didn't care. Anywhere where the nobles didn't mock him for being the son of a lowborn king. Anywhere he wasn't a prince. Anywhere this cruel girl wasn't, who he was expected to love, marry, and become his queen when they grew into adulthood.
That was the first time I ran away, thought Vandal, whatever childish love I had for Ladnavia, any hope for a prosperous life in the future, shattered then and there. But they found me and dragged me back. Had I never left that day ... Leonette would still be ...
The dream ended with Nu calling out to him. "My dear Van, what happened to you?"
After each talked about what happened to them after the tremor and separation, the wounded bunch set off to find shelter. It felt as if though it was by chance they came upon the luxury suite in the hotel, but, of course, it was compromised by Umbras or something worse.
Though he still had some aches and pains, carrying Nu wasn't so bad. I did tell myself I would carry her throughout this whole mess if need be, Van thought with a small smile.
Magpie's injury made them hesitant to go far. How far can she go with her leg like that? thought Van. The closest building, one that wasn't too damaged or altered by the shift, was an odd place. "LYNN & PANFAR'S FUNERAL HOME," the marble sign said.
Gods, thought Vandal, a bloody burial ground. How delightful.
"Is the best place we've got?" asked Magpie.
"If it's all we have, I guess," said Senshi.
"We'll have to take shifts, looking out for Cordis or any of the others," said Jayden, "if this doesn't turn out to be a safe house, that is."
"Odd place for a safe house," added Van, as he headed in.
It did not seem to be one, though it looked like it retained some glow from its useful days. The flowers in the vases were dead and brown and the pews dusty and unaligned. A few windows were shattered, boards of plywood nailed to the walls to cover them. On the purple marble chancel, sat a bier with an open, empty coffin on it.
Vandal, carrying Nu, went up to the casket and laid her in it. The lining was soft and there was a satin pillow in it. Though may give Nu some comfort, there was something off-setting about seeing one of their companions like this.
"Van ... uhm," said Jayden as walked up to him.
"Yes," agreed Vandal without letting him finish, "this is quite bizarre."
It's even more strange considering we've all died anyway, having a taste of death itself, Van mused.
Senshi went off to search the rest of the home. Magpie and the rest settled around the chancel, close to Nu. As Vandal reloaded Leonette, Senshi came in, with several tools she found in the mortician's room, tools that may be useful in fixing wounds. She also found a first aid kit in an ambulance that crashed through the back gate. Strange luck, thought Van, maybe this is a safe house after all.
The sun went down and Van volunteered to keep watch for the night. Magpie, her leg patched up, slept on a couch they found in the entrance hall that they dragged to the chancel. Senshi slept on one of the pews, and Jayden on another. They all slept close together, so if someone or something meant them harm, they would be in one place.
"Van ... " Nu said quietly as she woke up, "where are we? What am I laying in?"
"Nu," said Van, " You're alright?"
"Yes, don't worry about me. How about the others?" she asked.
Van told her the details of the day. He also told her about what happened in the bank.
"Ladnavia," Nu said sadly, remembering he had another, "she saved you?"
"Yes, she thought that Umbra had something. Something that would take her home, I suppose," said Van.
"You don't think she did it out of love?" she asked.
"Love? " Van smirked, "I doubt that any kind of warmth grows in her heart."
That's to say is she has one, Vandal thought with a grimace.
"Then," asked Nu, confused, "why did you marry her? If not for love ... "
"I had no choice," explained Van, "Ladnavia would have Leonette killed if I didn't marry her. Our families had to unite, so said the stargazers."
"stargazers?" wondered Nu.
"Wisemen who thought the stars held secrets. Everything, everything, had to follow those bastards' predictions! Our marriage would yield good fortune and powerful rule, they said. To hell with them." Vandal's anger showed through his exhaustion. "Everyone agreed," Vandal clenched his fist, "even my own father."
One of the candles died out, so Van got up to light it. He stuck a fresh one on an empty stand at lit that to give the hall more light, too dark from the boards blocking out the moon and star light.
"What happened to Leonette?" asked Nu softly.
"Ladnavia did away with her, anyway. I suppose they wanted to teach me a lesson." And deny me anything to run away to, he realized. "That's what her brother told me, before he ..." Van looked under his tunic and saw the large scar over his heart where Ren pierced him. "Anyway, it was the morning after our wedding night I escaped and ran away from that damn castle again."
"Oh, Van ... " Nu said coming closer, "Why must you suffer so ..."
She was close enough for Van to feel her breath on his neck. They looked into each other's eyes: her brown eyes to his only grey one. He felt embarrassed, afraid the ruins of his right eye scared Nu, but she only raised a hand to caress his cheek. Her hand was soft and gentle.
He embraced her, and she embraced him in return.
In the darkness before the sunrise, their lips met.
VANDAL'S INVENTORY:
Bullets 8/12: ⚪⚪⚪⚪⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
Banfrow: 50% (he produced some while on his watch)
*10% used per shot
ns 15.158.61.51da2
