Eva's Sins.

LXXIII

„Men also cry when their heart bleeds"

  „It's only your fault for what happened to Bardain," Stan furiously shouted, throwing himself over Colby when the man descended from the driving box and wanted to approach the carriage's door to open it. But he didn't even take 5-6 steps when he felt Stan over him and the two rolled on the ground, a few meters away from the carriage.

  „Colby, what's going on?" Shelby's voice was heard from inside of the carriage. But nobody answered him, for his helper was too busy to defend himself from Stan's punches and kicks. And those hits were somehow deserved by Colby, who Stan got to hate practically overnight and he hated him as he had never hated someone in his life. And how not to hate Colby when, one night ago, he sneaked inside of the castle, behind Keen and Brian, and he heard everything they talked about with the old count?! However, he hadn't time at that moment to show Colby what he can do, for since he was a beggar, Stan learned to defend himself and those who he loved, and Stan really got to care about Bardain in that short time they lived together.

  That's why, right after spotting the unknown carriage entering Stonebridge's property and, recognizing Colby in that teamster, Stan decided that it was the moment to at least punch him several times to cool his soul thus.

  „You made him vanish! It's only your fault!" Stan's shouts were heard while inveterately fighting with Colby.

  But Colby, having more experience in fighting and knowing how to defend himself, managed eventually to throw the boy off him, and, from one jump, he was back to his feet.

  Stan instead didn't calm down: not even after he hit hard the carriage's wheel when he rolled on the ground after being thrown by Colby off him. So, when he felt that he was again able to stand up, he looked at his rival with the eyes of a crazy bull.

  „Stop it!" Colby shouted at Stan when he understood that the boy won't give up. „If you want to get even with me, we can do it later. First, we have to..."

  But Stan wasn't listening to him and, from one jerk, he jumped again on Colby. But he went head over heels, passing by Colby, who jumped to the side and avoided thus the boy's attack. This, however, didn't cool Stan, who, at the moment he stopped rolling again, for after passing by Colby he fell on his knees and, because of the inertia, he rolled a few meters further, he stood up and slowly turned toward Colby, throwing poisoned arrows from his eyes: „you're a dead body!" Stan hissed through his teeth. „Only because of you a good man like Bardain disappeared eventually. Only because..."

  „Stop this, Stan!" the boy heard Brian's demanding voice, for he, hearing Colby, Stan, and Shelby's shouts through the open window of his office, for he opened that window feeling the necessity of breathing fresh air, hurried to get out of the house, convinced that if he doesn't intervene, something bad will happened. And he has been right, for, once outside, he saw the fight of Stan and Colby, and that Shelby was desperately trying to get out of his carriage. That's why he decided to get closer to them and to stop that madness, for even if he has been the one threatening Shelby one evening ago, yet, he still considered him an invalid person and he couldn't let him open that door and injure himself after falling from it, for if Shelby had managed to open it, he would have fallen like a sack of potatoes, for the carriage was high and difficult to descend even for a normal person, but it could be deadly for a man like Shelby Storm who wasn't able to move without help.

  „But, mister Beneath... this man...," said Stan through tears, „this idiot is guilty of Bardain... only this rat..."

  „Watch your tongue!" Colby shouted, furious that Stan named him rat and idiot.