Last Rank

Chapter 13

- Elly -

When Elly awoke, she was still lying on the floor in front of the furnace full of gleaming coal. Her neck hurt and she was sweaty all over, way too hot below that many blankets and furs. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked around the empty room.

Old woodwork, only necessary and most simple furniture, table, chairs, a kitchen, a few doors to other rooms that were closed.

And indeed empty.

Her heart skipped a beat and instantly she was wide awake.

It was empty.

She was alone.

"Anybody there?" she carefully called out. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was what she had feared, wasn't it. He wouldn't just leave her like that, would he?

After an endless second came a rude answer. "What is it?" a woman asked.

She wasn't too tall but clearly muscular built. Her dark hair were lots of tiny braids tied to a bun at the back of her head. She wore pants and a plain, brown shirt.

"What is it?" she repeated impatiently when Elly couldn't stop herself staring.

"Forgive me. I, ah, nothing really."

The woman said a few words in a language Elly didn't know, but in a tone that made it clear it was nothing nice.

"M-Maybe, you could show me to the washing room?" Elly dared.

"Hmpf," the woman made. "This way," she said then.

Unsure Elly followed the woman, let out the air unsteadily, that she had held from fear, after the door closed shut behind her. With stoic calm Elly wiped the sweat off with a wet cloth and brushed her messy hair straight with her fingers.

Then she just stood there staring ahead into nothing for a while, sorting through her noisy thoughts. One part of her wanted to run back to the convent as fast as she could. Another part remembered the warmth against her back and the tingling in her body that had kept her awake half the night. Only the smallest part was rational, telling her how stupid, impulsive and inappropriate her behaviour was.

Eventually Elly's stomach grumbled and pulled her from her thoughts. She found the way back to that rude woman.

"I-is there food?" she asked and rubbed a hand over her rebelling, empty stomach.

"In the kitchen maybe. Help yourself."

Elly nodded and searched her way through the few crooked shelves. There wasn't much to be had, only little essentials in both ingredients and cooking tools.

Somewhat in trance Elly began to cook. After all, it was what she had always done. What she had always been good at. It calmed her hands and her mind. The sense of familiarity of it. It let her feel closer to her mother and home she missed so much.

"Oh, what is that heavenly smell?" Nathaniel burst into the front door little later. Snow fell off his shoulders.

"Something entirely unreachable for you, for certain," the Not-Count said.

What had he said his name was? Jake?

Elly hadn't wanted to believe it. Had wanted to think him insane. But this place, this people, they certainly were not appropriate company for a Count.

He pushed into the room past Nathaniel and the tall man with the scar followed. His eyes fell on Elly and his lips thinned to a line.

Nathaniel went on to dance around Elly's back, looking at the pot on the stove over her shoulder. "You truly must be an angel," he said. His eery voice so close gave Elly goosebumps.