Eric Linnaeus | Book 3 | Chapter 27 - At Last, the Orphan Gets What He Deserves (Patreon)

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𝔸𝕥 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕆𝕣𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝔾𝕖𝕥𝕤 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 ℍ𝕖 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕖𝕤ᴍᴏʟʟʏ: ᴍᴀʏ - ᴊᴜɴᴇ, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟶. ʀᴇᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴏғ 𝟷𝟿𝟺𝟻.

─── .✦········· ───

From then on, I worked with Lazarus when it pleased me. It was my own idea that he should take me from my master to force his hand in luring Nathaniel to Leúchtend during the war. The way Achaicus cared for my well-being was so pathetic it was almost embarrassing, but I understood what I was getting myself into.

Lazarus would have to torture me to make it believable, and that was a pain I accepted. Still, I was glad when Achaicus relented, and more grateful when Nathaniel was captured. It was exhausting to be a hostage; Lazarus took pleasure in the game, and I found I came to rather dislike him. He wasn’t as easily controlled as his son, and I decided between the darts piercing my flesh, and being suspended cruelly, that something would need to be done about that.

When I was returned, I collapsed into Achaicus’s arms, and he carried me. It was disgraceful perhaps, but I knew full well he liked to be the one to save things, to help. That is why I told him how his father knew they had switched.

“Achaicus… I’m sorry… I told your father…” I confessed with tears in my eyes.

It was difficult to manufacture such emotion, but I had practiced, and Achaicus would never be one to punish me for it. When I told him, he was caught between disbelief and agony, which gave way to grief.

“Why? Molly, why would you do that?” he pleaded with me so quietly I could hardly hear him. The strain of heartbreak in his voice was unmistakable.

“I never meant to betray you… I swear it, he forced me… tortured me. I was too afraid to tell you… I’m so sorry.”

“…It’s okay, I know… I understand what he’s like…” my master assured, anguished. He pulled me into a close hug and petted my hair as if it were a comfort. At least when he couldn’t see my face, I didn’t need to pretend any longer. “I should never have told you. Giving you that kind of information only meant you could be hurt for it… I’m sorry…”

If I could have laughed without giving myself away, I would have. The confession worked better than I had ever imagined for him to be the one apologizing to me. That was the moment I knew I could get away with anything.

I convinced Achaicus to seek out Eric for help. I wanted to make sure they were all together and alerted Lazarus to their plans immediately. During the battle, I made myself elusive. It was better to stay out of the way, just in case, and I hoped they would all die; Achaicus, Nathaniel, Markos, Eric, Calla- I had never imagined they would win. They should never have been capable. Lazarus had every advantage and he still lost.

It was by grace that no suspicion had fallen on me, but it meant my plans were somewhat unstable. I was in no worse position, certainly, but also not in any better one. The night I saw Eric leaving Lazarus’s imprisonment was another piece of unexpected luck.

I had been on my way to speak with Lazarus and release him myself. If I had been quicker I would have made a deal with him, but it would seem the Orphan beat me to it, and I needed a new strategy. That is when I encountered Radomir.

He was creeping away in the darkness with his pet, and he froze when he spotted me. “𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒, 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟!” he ordered quickly.

The teenage Pet was no match against me. I slit her throat just as I had Achaicus’s second Pet, and waited without any remorse as the girl convulsed. Come to think of it, she did look alike to the last one. Still, her death provided me with my next opportunity.

For you see, if something were to happen to the twins, the next in line was, in fact, Radomir. He was Lazarus’s only grandson, and with his Pet now deceased, the boy would need a new one. A task I was more than willing to do. Everything I wanted was still in reach if I played well.

Achaicus sent me out to look for his father, an activity I was delighted in, but I was regrettably unable to find him. The Orphan must have helped him get further away. I should have followed them the moment I saw them leave. Perhaps if Radomir hadn’t gotten in the way, I would have.

Instead, I was forced to rely on Radomir. Not an easy task when the young fae is simultaneously alike to Lazarus, and significantly less capable. He has no patience. I left him under the supervision of an unexpected ally at Leúchtend and prayed he would not do anything foolish.

It was my job to ensure the twins were weakened enough so that Radomir could face them when they returned to Leúchtend. To do this, I needed to prevent Nathaniel from recovering and place Achaicus into the same state. An easy enough task if not for the Orphan being increasingly irritating and the nonsense at the borders. If he weren’t here I’m certain I would own the fae by now.

Still, the most recent turn of events has been rather fortunate for me. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. All the work I had done was nothing compared to what the Orphan had done to himself. Achaicus told me everything, as his brother told him, and it was delightful. It only took a few small nudges on my part to seal his fate.

It was almost too easy. Afterall, with everything he had done, who could separate what he had not been responsible for? Moreover, who would believe him now? Between the lies he had told his friends, disappearing from the castle routinely and his relatives revealing what he was, I almost didn’t have to do anything.

─── .✦········· ───

All of this and more was what the council discussed, although Nathaniel remained silent throughout. I couldn’t discern what he may have been thinking, his expression was neutral, and Achaicus spoke up for him when necessary.

“It’s clear he’s a danger,” Baltzar muttered, continuing their conversation, “The only question remaining is how best to subdue the threat.”

“I still think you should hand him over. There’s no reason to believe the Vanir mean any further harm if they get what they want. You handed over the last one without issue,” Yura insisted.

“The last one didn’t know as much, and wasn’t half as useful,” Markos reiterated.

“I would have thought you would be more nervous, given the threats he’s made against you.”

“Claire is perfectly safe. Nothing will touch her; I’ve made sure of that.”

“How can you be sure? We don’t even understand the extent of their capabilities.”

“Only one way to find out-”

“Preparing to fight them is the better option-”

“Killing him would-”

“That only works if we know how-”

Several spoke over the top of one another so that it was difficult to determine who said what.

“I’m going…” Charles murmured quietly to himself as the others argued, I’m not sure that any other noticed him leave.

I can’t say how long the discussions continued, but they ended abruptly when Nathaniel stood. “I’m going to talk to Eric,” he announced, momentarily stunning the room.

Achaicus was the first to recover and the closest to Nathaniel. “You’re not going in there alone,” he told his brother sternly, taking a hold of his arm.

“I’ll be fine,” Nathaniel replied, brushing him off.

“You know what he is, what he’s done. You can’t-”

“I need to get the truth from him. If I need you, I’ll call for you, relax brother.”

“You’re not well after the battle and he could hurt you.”

“Why would he? Right now he doesn’t realize we know. I can play pretend just as well as he can.”

“Brother…”

“Achaicus is right, it’s not wise-” Baltzar began but stopped as Nathaniel glared at him.

“I don’t remember asking permission. It was a statement, not a question. If I need assistance, I will say so.”

Nathaniel left without entertaining any further complaints while Achaicus, Markos and I followed after him. I wondered what he could be thinking, if it hurt him to know Eric was not what he thought? I hoped so, for it was endlessly entertaining to witness.

When we reached the room, the temporary isolation seal was still in place, and Achaicus tried once more, “Please, allow me to come with you at least.”

“I will be fine.”

He opened the door to enter his room, and with a nervous glance from Achaicus, I followed silently after him. Slipping past the door as it closed, I activated my gift immediately to avoid detection.

His room was dimmer than the last time I had seen it with the day sheers pulled closed to soften the harsh daylight. Ornaments sparkled as if recently cleaned, and Eric was waiting. He paced back and forth tensely until he saw Nathaniel, then he hesitated, as if determining something before relaxing somewhat.

“You left without saying anything,” he scolded his master in a disrespectful tone of voice.

“I had other urgent matters to attend to,” Nathaniel replied sedately.

“Well, next time, tell me so I don’t spend my time worrying…”

“Is there something in particular you’re concerned about when I leave?”

“Who knows? Maybe?” Eric answered dismissively as Nathaniel approached him.

“I didn’t mean to alarm you. Everything is fine,” he assured more softly, but Eric’s expression held concern.

“Is that blood in your hair..?” he asked, moving to loosen the dried flakes of crimson with his nails.

Nathaniel ignored the question and placed his hands on Eric’s waist to gently walk him back toward the wall. His actions were subtle and raised no suspicion from the orphan as he allowed himself to be relocated.

“What was it that you needed to go do in the middle of the night?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“You’re being oddly cryptic today?”

“Hardly.”

As they reached the wall, Nathaniel took both of Eric’s wrists in one hand and held them above his head. That was the first instance in which the orphan seemed to sense something had changed.

“Ahh, I don’t really like being restrained,” he complained, half-heartedly trying to wriggle out of Nathaniel’s grasp.

“Be quiet for a moment.”

Eric frowned with mild confusion, and he fidgeted, swallowing his anxieties. He was uncomfortable, but not yet alarmed until his master began to unbutton the front of his shirt.

“Nathaniel, I said I don’t like this. Let me go,” he stated more forcefully.

His master ignored him, although stopped once the necklace he wore was exposed. The fae took hold of the delicate charm, twisting it in his fingertips as he examined it. “Where did you get this?” he asked at last.

The pendant was an elongated, asymmetrical shape; upon first glance, it seemed nothing unusual; it was simple and elegant. But when turned to the side, it took shape, and the inscription runes ávöxturinn lindutrénu on the interior arch glinted in the light as it was turned back and forth. “You’ve had it since you were a child, I assumed it was a harmless decoration. Perhaps something given to you by one of the nuns.”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in it?”

“Who gave it to you?”

“…No one, I stole it.”

“Stole it from whom?”

Eric delayed answering as he tried to think of an excuse, and Nathaniel pulled the chain from his neck, breaking the latch in the process.

“Nathaniel!” Eric protested as the chain snapped.

“Who did you steal this from?” he repeated the question firmly, holding the charm up to Eric’s face as he did.

“My cousin,” he spat back, clenching his teeth in irritation, “Why? What does it matter.”

“Is there any particular reason your cousin would be in possession of a Vanir family crest?”

Nathaniel’s expression was cold, and Eric froze in place. An unspoken understanding settled between them, it was like watching a taut thread break, and a weighted silence fell over them. I’m so lucky to have witnessed two of these moments, first in the slaughterhouse, and now again.

“How did you..?” Eric began quietly, but the fae spoke over him.

“Did you know what I was when we met?” he demanded.

Eric refused to answer, so Nathaniel continued in a low tone, “You did, didn’t you? This whole time, you’ve been deceiving me.”

“Let go of me.”

“Answer my questions!”

“Of course I knew what you were! Energy radiates off you like a beacon!” he snapped back, struggling against his hold in earnest for a moment before he understood: the fae was unmovable. “…You’re hurting me,” he complained more quietly, realizing he was trapped.

Nathaniel didn’t respond, but energy stirred the air around him as he processed. He glanced at the necklace in his hand and scrunched his nose in disgust before tossing it aside.

“Nathaniel I-…” Eric flinched when the necklace landed with a clatter somewhere across the room.

“Shut up. The contract between us, does it even bind something like you? Does it work at all? Have you been lying to me this entire time as well? Pretending it worked?”

“It-”

“Never mind, I don’t care,” Nathaniel cut him off bluntly. “Tell me how. How did you accomplish this? I saw you grow. I would have noticed an aura.”

“…I hid it; we don’t have a big aura unless we’ve revenanted.”

Nathaniel smiled bitterly, “You were never afraid to die; you were only afraid of being exposed.”

“Something like that…” he agreed, averting his gaze to the floor.

“And your aging?”

“Vanir age very similarly to humans in the beginning, and you’re Fae… I didn’t do anything; you just didn’t notice because you’re somewhat time blind. You don’t know the difference between months and days, or years and weeks… then you contracted me to age as Fae do, I didn’t even have to suggest it, it was your own idea…”

“When you said I didn’t understand what I saw, between the witch and you. What you were saying is that you needed it to kill you to revenant, isn’t that right?”

Eric nodded very slightly, and Nathaniel grit his teeth, “The pneumonia?”

“…Yes.”

“And the fire?”

“Yes…”

“My father did kill you.”

“You weren’t supposed to still be there.”

“When else?”

“A few other times…”

“Why,” Nathaniel demanded, “Why uphold this facade?”

“Please let go.”

“What did you intend? What was your mission? To spy on my family? To gain my trust and kill me while I slept? Is this the real reason you came back? Not because you needed my help, but because you wanted to regain access to the castle? You plan on tearing it apart from the inside?”

“No—I… Nathaniel, please…” he was still withholding something, which only agitated the fae more.

“I know everything now, Eric. You poisoned my brother..-”

“I didn’t do that!”

Nathaniel scoffed, “You fed him candy intended for livestock!”

“…Yes.”

“Why.”

“Does it matter why to you right now?”

“No,” he agreed bluntly. “I don’t know why I’m asking you anything. Who knows what’s the truth from you now. You threatened Markos and Molly; you lied to your own friends. You lied to me. You’re treasonous, and I was too idiotic to listen when everyone else warned me.”

Eric said nothing, and Nathaniel took the moment to think, “I also know that you let my father go. Although I can’t imagine what kind of game you’re playing there, surely murdering me yourself would be much easier than helping my father do it?” he asked flatly.

Again Eric refused to answer, and Nathaniel continued, “I should end your life and pray you remain dead. Be rid of you and your treachery. Tell me where my father is hiding.”

The little vanir took in a small breath and held it as he looked away. “Where is he, Eric!? …Answer me!” Nathaniel shouted at last, and his energy rattled the room.

“It doesn’t matter where he is! He’s gone!” he shouted in response as Achaicus and Markos entered the room in a rush. They must have felt Nathaniel’s energy flare and assumed the worst.

“Are you alright, Brother?” Achaicus asked, with a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it with a moment’s notice.

“I’m fine,” Nathaniel responded coldly. He at last stepped back, taking the Fae knife and sword from Eric’s belt as he did so, effectively disarming him. “Take the vanir to his room. We will bind him there.”

Markos nodded, motioning for guards to collect their new prisoner, and Eric went without all that much fuss. I suppose he knew it was pointless to try anything with Nathaniel, Achaicus, and Markos guiding the way.

─── .✦········· ───

True to his nature Nathaniel spared no expense on the binding spells; they were nothing short of sealing curses. Meanwhile, the room itself was stripped of anything a Vanir might revenant themselves with. When the door closed, it was so laced with magic that it sparked as the sigils aligned.

“No one is permitted in this room. I want guards down every hall leading to this area and outside watching the window. Am I clear?”

“I will make sure Alvíss knows,” Markos assured.

“Good.”

“…Nathaniel-”

“I’m going to my office. No one is to disturb me.”

Markos and Achaicus glanced at one another as Nathaniel turned to go, and my master followed after him.

“Brother… wait,” he set a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder only to be brushed off.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“…I’m not- I wasn’t going to say-”

“Oh? Why not? Since when have either of you ever missed an opportunity to tell me I’m wrong? Or how I’m making a mistake? Right now, I don’t want to hear it. I see you were right, and I don’t want to talk about it. Now leave me. I wish to be alone.”

“Brother…” Achaicus murmured, his voice was oddly strained, and my attention drifted to Nathaniel.

His posture was tense with his jaw set firm and eyes that glistened with grief. “No,” he hissed through his teeth.

Nathaniel left without saying a word more, and Achaicus swallowed hard.

“Leave him be,” Markos spoke up.

“He shouldn’t be alone right now…”

“Give him time. We need to prepare for whatever decision he makes.”

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