A Tale of Shadows - THE OUTDATED VERSION

Chapter 10 - Consequences

"If I got it right, Madam Grey, you became a warrior because you were obsessed with swords from the age of five? Is there no deeper motive for doing so?" Frank asked, staring blankly at her.

"Why would you need an overly complex motive for choosing your profession? Sometimes, it indeed is as simple as it seems. Besides, even though war is terrible, is there not a sense of glory in it? Many people die and their corpses rot with time, but their memory will live on in words of gratitude, especially after a war has been won." 

Once she was done with her response, she noticed that life had been drained from his face almost completely, and what little life had remained within it was supplied by his blood running much too quickly through his veins. She decided not to say anything for several moments to gather enough time to think of something she could talk about that wasn't as uncomfortable.

She couldn't finish the action thanks to a heavy breath she heard right behind the door. The sound behind the breath was sharp and delicate, thus she knew that it couldn't have belonged to their tormentor. All the personality and unfamiliarity behind it still managed to put her on edge. She never knew what to expect next inside of her prison. She also happened to remember the time when a woman whose name and appearance she didn't get to fully remember yet caught her while she was seeking the dictionary. Her words pierced through Melinda's mind again, taunting her like a reprimand of an exasperated mother would taunt a misbehaving child.

You haven't fallen into the clutches of doom so far, but if you keep acting this way, you shall soon meet such an abhorrent fate.

Aside from that sentence, there wasn't another one that she remembered. It opened up so many possibilities. The woman was a random servant of the enemy, and Melinda didn't know why she spoke so formally. If she had ties with the affluent, that would have been known. Perhaps she was a person interested in books of the most olden times, written by the brightest of minds. Perhaps she was interested in English poets and playwrights who wrote serious and heavy works that transcended the periods they lived in. Melinda was of similar interests, and she had to constantly remind herself that all people were still people, regardless of what they thought. 

The woman opened the door at last. There was no gleam in her eyes that would have revealed the truth behind her ponderings, yet Melinda found herself disliking that more than she would have disliked malice, anger, or even outright hatred. At least those emotions would have articulated something. This articulated nothing. Melinda buried herself within the depths of her soul, trying to find the meaning behind her blank facial expression. It was obviously pretend, but pretend for what reason? She had no clue. 

She walked over to Melinda, giving her a dead look. The speed she was going at indicated her impatience, which Melinda completely understood. She had to do her job efficiently. 

"Mr Hemmingway wants to talk with you as soon as possible," she notified her, staring into her soul. 

"Why does he want to do that?"

"Madam Grey, none of us have time for this. Just go with me," she informed her, grabbing her hand.

As they were strolling down the hallway, Melinda took the time to observe the woman's appearance. Her long red hair flowed down her back seamlessly, shining like a trail of stars. She wore a thick layer of black eyeshadow and lipstick, which matched her knee-length black dress. For some reason, her heels were white. Although white could go with any colour, Melinda wondered why she couldn't have picked black ones. However, there was a more important issue that she was bothering herself with. She could swear that she knew the woman from somewhere, for she remembered those sorrowful brown eyes as if the memory of them was carved into her brain. 

The woman opened the door to Patrick's study, waking her up from her thoughts. He was sitting in the chair with a scowl, in the chair which was in the same room in which Melinda was caught only a few days ago. She had a feeling in her heart that was telling her that what she did was so wrong that the man whom she was looking in the eyes couldn't even act as if he was the slightest bit amused. 

"Leave us alone," he said to the woman who led her there, making her slowly step out of the room, after which she neatly closed the door.

"Well, Madam Grey, I see what you attempted to do," he told her, glaring at her, "You attempted to rebel against me, showing off just how brave you are. You were too curious and nostalgic for freedom for your own good not to read my letter and search for my dictionary at this location where I set the rules. I can understand that, but your severe lack of planning I cannot. You overestimate your abilities, which you will come to regret sooner or later."

"Why am I here?" she asked quietly.

"I am going on a business trip. I have to make up for the losses of the last battle. There are people who claim that I have softened and weakened, for my forces haven't fought in a long time, thus I have to demonstrate to them why they're no smarter than a pig that revels in rolling in the mud like the simple-minded creature it is. Several people that are amongst my most loyal subordinates will be watching everything you and your companions do. If you ever do anything like this again, you will suffer immensely. I am one hundred per cent serious."

She noticed the tone he spoke in while talking about what happened after his last battle. He made no faces, yet she could sense all the grudge in his heart regarding that topic. She couldn't even dream of sensing the rest, for his resentment was like a well that, if she were to fall through it, it would have seemed neverending to her before the landing.

"I have said everything that I wished to say. You are dismissed. I will be returning in two weeks."

After she heard those words, she left the study immediately, not desiring to see him at all anymore, breathing a sigh of relief as she closed the door.