The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 34: Jonah?

"There you are, dear. Supper is ready," Detti says when I join her for dinner.

After a few bites of meatloaf, she asks, "Did you enjoy your stroll?" The tone doesn't match the grin.

I want to tell her that after she inadvertently destroyed my entire belief system, and whatever remaining faith I have in the people I thought were my family, yes, I enjoyed my walk. But sarcasm was never my thing. Plus, I'm being unfair. It's not her fault the curra are liars, so I say yes and end our conversation.

We eat in silence as my mind sorts through all its new information. I want to know why Detti speaks English, but I don't know how to ask. She's so touchy. I don't care if I upset her, I just don't want to deal with her while I'm eating. "You have a distinct Southern accent." That should be safe. "Did you live on Earth, or are there others here with the same accent?"

Detti smiles genuinely for the first time. I'm proud of myself for overshooting my goal. "It's your grandmother's accent. She was from South Carolina."

She didn't answer my question, again. "So, did you grow up here or in South Carolina?"

How did she end up in Rhomstead? This is my parents' home. It belonged to my mother's family. I guess she could've inherited the house, but it seems weird that it would go to an in-law rather than some distant cousin somewhere. And where is any evidence of my mother or the family that lived in this house for generations?

A flash of anger crosses her face, cracking her false demeanor for a second. Hopefully, the fake accent will go with it. "We grew up in Moteverdii, a good distance away from here."

"So this home belongs to the Stones. You don't live here?" I ask.

If I decide to stay here, I don't want to have to live with her. Not that I'd want to throw the woman out in the street, but I have limited options, and living with Detti is not one of them.

Her facade falls and shows the full force of her resentment. "This is my home. I've earned it. The Stones may have built it, but they haven't owned it in a long time!" She dramatically jumps out of her chair and stomps out.

Her little show gave me a lot of information. One, Detti doesn't like me, but I'd already guessed that. Two, she earned—not inherited—the house, which means that Jonah told the truth about one thing: this is my house, and she's trespassing on Stone property. It makes sense; for all her convoluted fake accents and smiley faces, there is an undeniable bitterness in her. And three, there's some resentment between my mother's and father's families. But how far does it go? Is it just between my mother and Detti, or is it deeper? I'm not sure how to find out more. Everything about my parents is always clouded in mystery.

I put the dishes in the sink and clean the kitchen. It's the least I can do since Detti cooked. I'm tired. The trip here was long, and the events once I arrived added to my fatigue. I need to lie down, but Detti didn't show me to my room. I have no idea where to go.

I head upstairs and hope I'll discover a guest room ready. The house is empty except for Detti, so I assume any space that's ready to sleep in has to be the one she was planning to use for me.

A set of closed double doors on the second-floor landing must lead to the master suite because there's no other door in the vicinity. I round the staircase and walk down the hall. Her moving into this house and taking ownership doesn't sit right with me. Worse, she removed all signs that the Stones had ever lived here. This is my parents' home, and she defiled their memory.

"There you are!" Detti says from behind me.

I jump, more from feeling like I've been caught snooping than being startled. 

"Come, follow me, dear." She says as she painfully grabs my arm and leads me up the stairs to the third floor. She let me wander the first floor, but not the second. Why? I'm overthinking. She's tired and mad and just wants to show me to my room before she goes to bed. I need to stop thinking people are out to get me. I met the enemy; he's a decent guy. Detti is just...weird.

Up here is another set of double doors that lead to a room that's large enough to be the master suite. I hope it's not. I want to see my parents' personal space and find out more about them. This room is a cold, empty room with no essence of my parents.

"Does anyone else live here?" I ask.

"No, just me," she says and then remembers to make a sad face. "The groundskeeper used to use the room you were in, but he left years ago."

I almost tell her I didn't go in any rooms but decide to keep that to myself. The house has to have at least ten bedrooms. It's hard to accept that she'd have the gardener use the bedroom right next to hers. 

I wish I didn't live so long feeling like I was in danger. Detti has secrets but she's not dangerous. Maybe she and some guy had a thing. It doesn't affect me. Unless I need to throw him out too. "Thanks for showing me to my room. Good night," I say as I close the door before she can enter.

I want to take a bath, but I left the packs in the stable. A deep sigh escapes without my consent. I have to check on Lenox anyway. I'm tired and irritable, and having to trek down to the stables makes me grumpier. However, my mood improves as soon as I see Lenox. He's standing in the aisle with his back to me. I pat his rump.

"How you doing, buddy? Did you get some rest?"

He ignores me.

My body tenses. "What's up?"

He's watching something on the other side of the stable. Even though it's sunny outside, the stable is dim. I wish I had my sword. I give Lenox a few pets on the neck and wait for whatever he's looking at to show itself.

After a few uneasy minutes, Lenox turns his attention to me.

"All better?"

He goes back to his stall and lies down. I relax and follow. He obviously went hunting because the remains of something furry is in the corner of his stall. I'm leaving it there because I'm too tired to deal with it. I check his water and retrieve my stuff.

When I bend down to dig through the packs, the stable is briefly illuminated in red light. I look up, but it's gone. Did I imagine it?

"Jonah?" I whisper.