Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 30: The Plan Begins

With only a few days passing, it is time to implement the plan. At that moment, Marlina sits in the sled with Natalia while Neterion steers. Again and again, Marlina reads through a small, hide-bound notebook of the story she intends to tell, aiming to memorize it.

Marlina finds it frustrating to constantly brush the hair of the wig she wears out of her face. Natalia's long hair is almost the same length as her purple locks, styled closely to it. However, her hair, metallic like her body, remains perfectly in place and isn't a hindrance.

Natalia observes her frustration as her hair whips about in the wind. She pulls out a leather string and reaches for the wig. "Here, to help keep it out of your face." While she ties back her hair, Marlina smiles at her.

"Thank you, Miss Natalia." 

Natalia's hair, now above her ears, gives her a somewhat boyish look. However, her feminine features still highlight her softer complexion in contrast to her rugged brother, whose hair is longer than hers now. "Are you doing okay?" she asks.

"I'm just... scared. I haven't served a Colonial home before. Do you think their standards will be vastly different from Urushian households?"

"I think you should be more worried about your script than how you're going to clean their floors," Neterion grumbles back at them.

"Ignore him, Marlina," Natalia says, dismissively waving her hand at him. "He can't even keep himself clean, let alone do anything else. I'm sure they'll pair you with another servant to learn the ropes. Or, you can watch them like a hawk."

"Yes, of course. Staying close to the staff will give me the information I need about the residence and what happens inside it."

Neterion turns to face them, leaning against the steering bars. "What are they going to tell you? Snobs like the Mage Families hardly know their staff, let alone share anything important with them."

"If I've learned anything during my time in Urush, it's that servants are the eyes and ears of the halls they maintain," Marlina states.

Natalia rests her fist on her lips. "When you think about it, information shared behind closed doors is probably more reliable than told through a rehearsed script. Just don't be too nosy, okay?"

Marlina nods, and then something catches her attention from the corner of her eye. A few miles away, a wall stretches across the horizon, forming an ominous silhouette against the impending light of the rising sun.

They stop the sled in a nearby cave and discover dried pools of blood on the ground, as well as a skeleton stripped of flesh, with the most blood pooled beneath it. This is the only cave near the gate to the NetherWake Badlands, so it must be where those men ambushed Mordecai. From the way the pools formed, the twins can determine which ones belonged to Mordecai and which ones belonged to the attackers. As they expected, the others bled more.

Neterion scoffs. "They certainly underestimated Mordecai. They only caught him off guard because his back was turned. Stupid cowards. We should have just left them in the wastes."  

Natalia crosses her arms. "Probably, but more would have come. There could have been more men to attack us if those two hadn't scouted and seen how small our group is, thinking it would be easy."

Marlina grimaces at the scene: a trail of blood leads to the nearest wall, where she could only guess was where Mordecai rested, with minor scorch marks indicating when he had cauterized his wound.

"Sir Mordecai would have bled out if he hadn't burned himself? He could have just as easily become one of the many remains out here if Miss Tessa hadn't found him. How frightening... Weren't you two worried?"

Natalia's eyes linger on the marks on the wall as she speaks. "Yes and no. It's like how he feels whenever we come out here. We know he can handle himself, but he usually travels alone. He always insists that Neterion and I go out together to help each other if something happens."

Neterion knocks on Marlina's body. "It's good that you are the way you are, or you probably would have died a while ago."

Natalia lets out a sigh. "Neterion."

Marlina shakes her head. "He's not wrong. I would have died years ago if my body were flesh. From the creatures that roam the wilderness of Urush, Latos' guard, even just setting foot into the desert. Though I'm not fond of the negative connotation associated with this body, it has protected me from my ignorance." Her gaze falls downward. "It's the only reason I have any confidence to rescue Sir Elek, despite my worries that my lack of knowledge could put all of you in greater peril."

Neterion's stern expression softens as he pats her back. "Look, all you have to do is do what you're told. You keep a run-down, broken-up outpost like Englias looking nice even with all the sand. Maintaining a fancy mansion will be a piece of cake. Doing good at that will keep you off the radar and practically make you invisible."

"And at that point, you just have to find a way out of the place with Elek. Once we know where to go, we'll make a plan from there. We'll stay in town as long as possible to wait for you, then gather the others when the time comes." Natalia puts a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember that you're not alone; we'll be nearby if things go wrong, and we'll be there."

Marlina smiles and bows to them. "Thank you both. It's reassuring to know I'll have help."

Natalia bows her head, wanting to reciprocate the gesture, while Neterion feels somewhat uncomfortable with her bowing. 

"You'll have to act like a construct when we get to the gate. We have visas that allow us to enter and exit the Colonies, but it took a long time, and we don't have a lot of money right now, with those goons stealing every coin we had. It's not ideal, but the gatekeepers will see you more as luggage. Once we pass the gate, no one can find out you're not human. If they do, they'll pick you apart to find out what makes you work."

Marlina nods slightly, nervously fidgeting with her hands. "I understand... I think I'm ready. Let's go."

Marlina had spent hours practicing how to shift her petals ever since the idea for the wig originated. It takes her a few moments to create a large enough gap in her torso to store Neterion's blades and Natalia's arm crossbow inside her body. Both are well-wrapped to prevent damage or noise as they shift while Marlina walks. With the blades resting within her legs, the small crossbow fits snugly in her chest alongside the handles of the swords.

Hiding their sled deep in the cave, they let the braxl go free to find food while they are away, with the twins carrying whistles to summon it back using its sensitive hearing. With the few-mile trek to the wall ahead, they waste no time and begin to walk.