The Sins of the Father

Chapter Twenty

Herobrine awoke in a patch of flowers.

He shifted, lifting his head, and immediately regretted the action as pain shot down his spine. He groaned softly, disoriented, searching his surroundings for any clue as to where he was. He was in some sort of dilapidated ruins, obviously long abandoned. The visible stonework was scorched, and a few tattered banners hung from the walls, ones-

-those were his banners.

His alarmed gaze flashed down to the ground, and he found himself lying on a soft carpet of grass and flowers. The cobblestones that had once made up the courtyard were overgrown, forced apart by the zealous plant life that sought the sun and the rain. What had happened here? This was his home, he recognized the layout, the banners, but how had this happened? Why was it in this state? Where was-?

His eyes fell upon the skeletal remains that laid beside him.

He knew in his heart that it was her even before he spied the proof- her wedding ring shining from one skeletal digit, the gemstones dulled from years of damage from sun and rain. A few tattered rags laid over her form, all that remained of the rich silks she had dressed in the morning before she... before...

Everything came back to him in an instant.

~~

"Time yet?" Alexis murmured, gazing out through the window down to the town below. Stephen glanced over, up at the sky.

"Not yet." He said. "Wait until the last traces of sunset are gone." Alexis nodded, falling silent again, and Stephen returned his gaze to the door as his stomach twisted with worry.

Stephen had spent the past few hours plotting, as much as possible with such limited knowledge of their situation. Beyond 'stay quiet and subtle', all he could really do was pray that Cafos was alive and fit to move. As Alexis had mentioned, Cafos had been convinced that Lucius would treat his failure to bring Stephen back as treason. How much more would he have been punished for joining him?

Alexis had been quite indignant at the suggestion that she stay behind and wait, but had grudgingly agreed when Stephen pointed out that he couldn't very well teleport both her and Cafos at the same time. She was obviously restless, and Stephen was just as anxious at the concept of leaving her alone - she was in potentially more danger than Cafos if she was caught - but he had no other choice. He had a responsibility to Cafos, too.

"Sky's dark." Alexis said softly. Stephen looked over again, and found that she was right.

"Alright." He got to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest. "I'll be back soon. And, if I'm not... if I'm not back by morning, try to slip out of the castle with the servants." He doubted she would have much luck, given her bright red hair and foreign clothes, but she couldn't stay in this room forever. She was smart, and resourceful, and...

Stephen took a deep breath, reaching down to pat her on the shoulder. He would just have to come back.

"Right." Alexis patted his hand, then shooed him away. "Go on." He nodded, then crossed the room and teleported through the door into the hallway.

The corridor was dark, evidently it saw little use after night fell. Stephen was content with this, it made him feel less exposed as he quietly made his way to the end and around the corner. Cafos would be held... where? If the castle had a dungeon, which wouldn't surprise him in a building of this size, Cafos would most likely be down there. If he was still alive. That meant that Stephen had a lot of ground to cover, and likely guards to get past, in order to reach him, and even then he might not be there if Lucius had simply taken him and left. But, it was the best idea he had, so Stephen began to make his way towards the stairs to the next level.