The Raven's Source

Chapter 53 - A New Battle

"That was quite the scene to show up to," Rosalie stated after Twyn told them about most of the fight, grabbing a mug and filling it with fresh coffee that had just finished brewing. The smell of the roast was too tempting for her to resist. "Kurt put the hurt on them to keep them subdued, that's for sure. What happened to the big guy though?" she asked.

"Sheja happened," Twyn smirked. "Man, you do not even think about kissing that girl without her permission. I mean, shit, I know that myself from one particularly unwanted experience."

"He kissed her and she shocked him?"

"Yeah. He went out like a light."

"She must have hit him hard. He was still completely unresponsive as the other three were carted off."

"I know she shocked at least one other because I got some strong static out of that one as she was getting him off me. Was he unresponsive too?" Twyn asked curiously.

"No, just the one."

All four of them turned and looked up the stairs as something clamored loudly. Something heavy had hit the floor and voices were suddenly raised. Twyn was quick to his feet and ran up to the room to make sure everything was okay but just as he opened the door, Cerno's and Sheja's gazes were almost the equivalent of having run into a wall.

"Out," Cerno barked, pointing at him.

"Geez. Just making sure everything was okay with all the yelling that was going on," Twyn assured.

"Out!" he repeated, louder.

Twyn was quick to shut the door again and stood silent in the hallway. His heart pounded from how intense the Angevin twins glared at him and from their arguing. After a few seconds and everything was still silent, the door suddenly swung open and Twyn jumped, Cerno staring hard at him. "I'm going!" he yelped as he made his way quickly down the stairs again.

"You look like a dog who just got whacked with a newspaper," Ily stated, leaning back in her chair by the fireplace and crossing one knee over the other.

"That death glare I just got from Cerno? Feels like it."

"What was that all about?" Madeleine asked.

"I have no idea. I couldn't understand what they were even arguing about because they were yelling over each other."

Rose stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Well, they're back to a hushed tone, whatever it is."

"What's even taking them so long?" Twyn asked as he flopped into the corner of the couch and sprawled out in every direction he could. "And why can't I be part of that discussion?"

"Do you have to be up in everyone's business?" Ily asked.

"Yes. Yes, I do," he pouted.

"Grow up," she scolded.

Another twenty minutes passed and Twyn sat up straight as they heard the bedroom door upstairs open, a single set of footfalls starting to come down the steps. He watched Cerno come into view and the hostility he was victim to before was completely gone. Cerno seemed calm.

"I've got bad news and good news," Cerno said quietly as he hit the ground floor and leaned back against the nearby wall. "Sheja's been poisoned," he advised, getting straight to the bad news. He watched as Twyn's face filled with both fear and anger at the same time.

"Poisoned? Poisoned how?" Twyn asked, scooting to the edge of his seat.

"I found out today that our father has had people all over the city, mostly frequents of the brewery, under a strong control that he set well before he was detained. These people have been under orders to subdue Sheja if they saw her and bring her to him, even though they are all unaware Jhonnis has been imprisoned." He held his hand out, motioning at Madeleine, "Maddie here even recognized one of the men on the hillside from images she saw inside Jhonnis' head."