Library of Rain

Side Stories 17 – 20

As for the last suspect, Raina Estom, we have confirmed suspicious behavior. Her room is painted with patterns that caused severe nausea in our agent. The true purpose of which is unknown. Other outlying aspects were a complete lack of clothes in the girl's dresser despite her being seen in different dresses and an inability to find where her wealth is stored or who is providing her money. Her ties to the Markson trading company cannot explain her powerful financial backing. 

I submit my findings and loyalty to The Tower’s greater understanding. 

S.T.

***

“Yessir!” Ariana said, Giving her father a joking salute. The stern man cracked at the sight just as Ariana knew he would. His reluctant smile filled her with joy. 

“So, uhh, what was it you wanted me to do again?”

Nis’s smile faded at that as he stared into his daughter's eyes. Ariana gave him her most innocent smile. She had a reputation to uphold, after all. 

In the face of his daughter's smile, all Nis could do was sigh and explain again.

“Now that the Lords have decided to allow younger children to attend the gathering I want you to go and practice gathering information. Think of it as training for when you take over the Watching Stars.”

Ariana nodded along with the much shorter explanation of her task, maintaining her ‘I'm pretending to understand’ face. 

“Got it! So you want me to go and make one hundred friends and gossip with them all.”

“...yes.”

“Okey Dokey!” Ariana gave another happy salute.

Nis waited a full twenty seconds for her to say she didn’t understand before daring to speak again.

“Good, you are dismissed, my daughter.”

Ariana ran forward and gave her papa a hug. The man stiffened at the sudden display of affection in front of the Council of Stars, but Ariana didn’t care. Her actions may be improper in front of the council but they knew her well enough to understand why she did it even if her dense father didn’t. 

That said, the others wouldn’t stop Nis from giving her a lecture once his shock wore off, so Ariana beat a hasty retreat before he could regroup. 

Skipping out of the boring meeting room and through the utilitarian manor that felt less like a home every day, Ariana started humming to herself as she made her way back towards her room to get ready. She only got sidetracked twice on the way there, which wasn’t bad for her. 

***

“Soon, we can escape this place soon,” Morten said as he hugged his love's thin frame. She had been losing weight rapidly since she had been brought into the berit under the manor.

“Morten, you need to stop this foolishness. Helping me escape would cost you your place in life. Even if we did find a way to leave without getting caught, you would have to live the rest of your life as a common farmer or sailor. I don’t want the man I love to give up so much. Please forget about me, and when you inherit your house, use that good heart of yours to make life better for those you rule.”

Morten could feel tears running down his cheeks at the thought of losing the woman he loved. He could tell from her voice that she could never be happy living at the cost of his happiness and the happiness of those he would someday lead.

“Fine, I’ll find another way, but you can't die until I do. Promise me that.”

“I promise, my love. I will endure until you can help me and the thousands you will lead.”

They stayed like that, holding each other in the dark for as long as they could before Morten let go.

“I need to leave before they realize I was down here. If they find out I fell in love with a slave, they would kill you on the spot.”

“Go and be the great man I know you can be.”

Morten straightened his shoulders before turning and marching up the stairs back into the manor above. He listened at the door before letting himself out into a deserted corridor. Or so he thought. Just as he was about to walk away, Morten caught a glimpse of his younger half-brother standing in the shadows. 

Well, ashes.

“What are you doing up this late Arvid?”

“Don’t worry, I won't tell anyone.”

That wasn’t comforting.

***

He wasn’t abandoned. It was only a test to see if he had what it took to free everyone from this dream. It would come back, and he would find the next piece. This was just a hidden part of the test. He hadn’t failed when he reached the bottom of his grave to find nothing. Yes, that's right. This was only a small test. The truth would return to him soon and continue to whisper its promises of freedom.

*

She lied! The truth abandoned him! After promising him freedom after making him do all those things the truth betrayed him. Him! HIM!

No, no, no, no. This would not do. He would make the truth give him freedom. He would hurt it until it told him more. He would find it and the little herald who lied to him. He was going to hurt her until she gave him what he wanted. 

*

He would do anything, so please truth, come back. Show the way. Were his tears not enough? Were the bloody gashes on his body not enough? If the truth only came back, he would do whatever it asked. He would kill everyone or never kill again. He would cut off his arms and gouge out his eyes. He just needed it to return. 

“I’ll do anything, anything! Please, anything…”

*

It was no use. He had done everything he could, yet the truth hid from him. It refused his prayers. It had turned down his offers and given him only silence. The truth had abandoned him. He was alone. 

*

He had no tears left. The truth was a lie, and his path to freedom was gone, so he would find a new path. 

Wobbling to his feet, he looked around the large bedroom he had spent the last few weeks in. He hadn’t found the truth here, but maybe there was another way. 

Peeling back a corner of the world, he peeked into the dream world. No, it wasn’t a dream world. That's what the truth had told him, and he refused to listen to someone who would abandon him like that. The other world was clear, and he stepped fully into it. There on the large bed in the center of the room was the herald sleeping fitfully with her black hair fanned out behind her. 

He stepped to the edge of the bed and reached with both hands for the herald’s throat. He would kill her. He would watch the despair fill her eyes. He would… He dropped his hands. Killing her is what the truth wanted him to do, and he never wanted to follow someone who abandoned him. The herald had told him what the truth wanted. Maybe she knew of another way for him to be free. Yes, that was a better option. She felt so powerful. Maybe if he watched her, he would find another way. And if he didn’t, he could kill her later for working with that horrible truth.