Daydreams And Nightshade (DaN #1)

Chapter 14: The mara

Neither of them dared to breathe. The glowing light passed by the painting they were hiding behind occasionally as Lord Clausson feverishly searched through the large room.

Luna turned her head to face Vincent who was ever so slowly reaching for his gun. It shouldn't have to come to it, she thought. They still hadn't confirmed whether Lord Clausson was armed or not, and regardless, they had no real interest in killing him.

At least she didn't.

Then again, there was the matter of what they'd just read in that book to consider. Could it be true? Luna drew a silent, shaky breath. Could Scourge pacts be a real thing people do? How?

"Father, what is—" Frey's voice soon entered the room but choked on his words.

"Get out of here, Frey," his father hissed but kept looking around the room. Luna would've thought he'd notice the torch Vincent had dropped while pulling her away, but it was as though the glow from his eyes almost blinded him. He clumsily made his way further into the room as Frey regained his ability to speak.

"This is... Even worse than I thought," he said, and his father turned his head towards him.

"I thought I told you to—"

"Father, your eyes." Frey's voice was aghast. "Look, I think we should get you out of—"

"Don't think you can fool me," his father snapped. "You just... You just want me out of here so you can have all—All, all this for yourself."

Frey looked offended.

"I don't even care—"

"Of course you do! You... You're a spoiled brat, who would never pass up an opportunity like this!"

Luna couldn't see what was going on but she had no trouble imagining Frey's face as he processed his father speaking to him like that.

"I... Wouldn't steal from you, Father. You know tha—"

"So what? You think the people should have it back, like everyone keeps saying? So they can waste it all?"

"They're barely living with the way things are."

"Enough! I won't hear any more of this." Lord Clausson turned his head, continuing his search for the intruder.

"There's clearly no one here," Frey insisted. "Let's just get you out of here... Please."

"I can feel them. Someone's close to my treasure."

"Feel—What? Isn't it just me though? I promise I'll go away, but I want you to come with me."

"So how would you explain this?" The light in the room shifted, and Luna guessed Claus had found the torch on the floor.

Frey said nothing at first, but then huffed nonchalantly.

"I guess you must've left it somewhere and it fell on the floor. Perhaps when that most likely unstable stack of money fell."

Lord Clausson muttered something under his breath and the light from the torch shifted again, causing Luna's heart to skip a beat as it passed by the painting. For a moment she thought they were in the clear as the light faded again, but as soon as she opened her mouth to dare take a breath the light returned and she heard heavy footsteps approaching.

Vincent held his gun visible now, and Luna winced. Couldn't he just knock him out instead, like the guard? Couldn't she knock him out? She hadn't gotten much fighting done the past day despite several opportunities, and her tendency to inflict an ankle kick or a backhand slap onto deserving people at home.