The midmorning air stung her face as she hovered over the shoreline, bamboo rod in her shaking hand. Irina had been there for hours – perched in the shadow of the narrow bridge at the backside of Castle Dimitrescu – trying calmly to catch her dinner.
The school of large fish that swam carelessly in the narrow ravine evaded the bait and hook; a troublesome action that cost her hours of light, setting her back in chores. Irina sighed, giving up; she desperately needed to water and feed the horses before the sun went down. The fish were not interested in the liver she brought, and she was far too annoyed to keep trying.
Her long tired legs ached once she stood. Perhaps the Duke had some leftovers he would share; she had a bear from the village she could turn into him if he required a trade. Irina packed her rod and unfilled basket, then walked briskly from the shallow pool, snow crunching beneath her worn boots as she put some distance between herself and the eerie archaic castle overlooking the village.
A strange and alarming sense caused the fine hair on her arms to stand; her fair skin crawled as if someone were standing behind her, watching her. Irina forced herself to turn, sweeping her eyes over the arid environment, but nothing besides an old house could be seen. She took a deep and uneasy breath, then continued.
Passing through a damp cavern and beyond a wooden door that she found open, Irina, at last, made it to the altar that sat between the winged gates leading to the four houses of the village Lords. She ignored the intricate altar – its strange symbols were unfamiliar to her – and wandered over to the large carriage parked near the gate leading back to the village.
The doors were closed, but she could hear movement from within.
"Duke? Are you there, sir?"
The movement ceased and seconds later the doors opened. A large plump man came out, sitting down; the carriage rocked in protest and a lovely smell came from within.
"Irina Adamescu ... welcome. It's always a pleasure to see you – my favorite customer. What can I do for you?"
She forced a smile. "A favor – regrettably."
"A favor? Of course, do ask."
The smell of food made her mouth water. "May I share a meal? The fish were not biting today, but if you require payment, I can retrieve a treasure from the village and bring it to you."
"You are in luck," he said with a grin.
Leaning back into his carriage, he retrieved some herbed fish on a plate, handing it to her. Irina accepted with a smile and began to eat. The homecooked meal was lukewarm – perhaps he ate and this was the leftovers – but she did not care.
"Once my chores are done, I will bring the treasure back to compensate you for the delicious meal."
The Duke hummed. "As I'm sure you will."
Irina ate in silence as the Duke smoked, and when her plate was clean, she handed it back to him.
"Again ... thank you."
He grinned. "My pleasure, dear. However, did you know I was parked here?"
"On my way to the cavern I saw your carriage," she explained. "As for the lock on the village gate, I picked it."
Irina had done this many times before, coming and going from the village to the castle outskirts. It was no issue to her.
The Duke coughed on the smoke from his cigar. Patting the ashes from his breast coat, he laughed. "Marvelous ... that skill of yours is fascinating."
"I hardly believe so," she admitted.
She learned to pick locks and doors from her brother; a strange interest of his that put bread on the table more often than not. He died some years back and left the house to her. Food was hard to come by without money, so Irina used her skill to leave the village in search of the better game – the fish outside Castle Dimitrescu were abundant, coming from the reservoir she dared not venture to.
The Duke hummed. "Then you doubt the power you have been given. Imagine the possibilities. You can get from one place to another without restraint. And this land holds many treasures."
Treasures?
The curious look on her face made him grin. She was interested.
"Come back in the morning, once your chores are done and I'll tell you more," the Duke ordered.
"But, if you are interested, there is a treasure inside a house in the village marked with a violin. Bring it to me."
A violin? Did he mean Luthier's house? The entire household went missing some time ago. No one from the village knew where they had gone, but the house was left abandoned.
To enter the house, a key was needed.
Irina understood what he was proposing. She could pick the lock and take the treasure. But she had some concerns.
"That would be considered stealing," she mentioned.
The Duke laughed, smoke pouring from his mouth. "You can't steal from the dead, my dear. Sleep on it, then return to me."
Irina nodded and picked up her rod and basket, heading towards the gate. Before she passed through, the Duke yelled something to her that made her stop.
"I will compensate you."
She turned to look at him, bright eyes wide.
"How much?"
He took a puff of his cigar. "Let's just say, money will never be a problem again ... should you choose to go after the treasures."
"And why offer this to me? Everyone in the village needs money."
She puckered a brow, not understanding.
"Consider it a gift for being such a loyal and consistent customer," he mentioned.
Irina stared at him a moment, then grinned and slipped past the iron gate, closing it behind her. She didn't have to sleep on it; she was going to take his offer.
