Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 73: Unmasking Deception - Part 1

One day remains:

Things in Povari have calmed down since all the chaos the other day.

Since the twins' window faces the Sullivan mansion, they couldn't use the spyglass to get a better view unless they barged into someone else's room. By the time Natalia managed to go outside and find out why everyone was in such a stir, whatever was happening at the Wall was already over.

Neterion saw Ervin's luxurious carriage returning to the mansion, and him bursting out of it. The many guards that accompanied Ervin earlier didn't return, only the horses.

But after that, there was nothing.

Neither one of them slept all night, their eyes never leaving the mansion in case Marlina used the flare they gave her. Once morning came, they took turns for a couple of hours to rest before Natalia went out to learn more about what had happened, while Neterion kept watch.

From what Natalia gathered, ordinary citizens believed that Ervin tried to challenge the God of Fire with the flying machines they saw heading toward the Wall. The twins swore they had heard something strange earlier that day, but they weren't able to spot anything from their room.

Soldiers and mercenaries from the guilds didn't quite agree. Or if they did, they expressed how stupid it would have been to take on the God of Fire with only himself and a handful of men, and they would have dropped everything to join the fight, knowing they would earn some hefty Coin for going to battle.

But the twins knew better. Ervin was trying to bring them back to lock them up with Elek.

All they can guess is that Mordecai and others have been talking to the God of Fire and are now working together. If they were involved in that attack, they wouldn't know for sure. They at least know Mordecai understands not to reveal his hand when playing the long game. He still wants a way into the Colonies to reach the Urushian Prince, so he probably convinced the others to stay low-profile. Taking on a Mage Head would get their faces on wanted posters all across the Colonies if being Urushian wasn't enough.

Regardless, the twins can feel that something is growing. It's almost screaming through their bodies.

This sense of lingering unease only becomes dread when there is a pounding knock on their door.

Natalia secures her crossbow to her arm, grabs the blanket from the bed, and drapes it over herself before messing up her hair to make it look like she just got out of bed. Neterion scoops up his and Mordecai's weapons, quietly drawing one of his swords as he presses himself against the wall behind the door.

With another series of pounds, Natalia opens the door, revealing two officers with Reuben. As soon as Neterion sees Natalia raise her crossbow arm, he lifts his sword. In an instant, a dart pierces one officer's eye, while Neterion's sword is driven through the other's throat as he slides the blade between the door and the frame.

The moment Reuben registers what's happened, he turns to run, but he doesn't run far as he is shot through the back of the neck with Mordecai's crossbow.

"Let's get out of here!" Neterion calls to Natalia as he is about to climb out the window.

"What about Marlina?!"

"We'll have to come back for her, but we have to go!"

A rifle shot rings, hitting Neterion in the shoulder, and he lets out a shout of pain and gets out of the window, taking cover at the sill.

"Shit!" Neterion curses, placing his hand on the wound, feeling the bullet still inside as blood soaks his sleeve.

"This way!" Natalia grabs his other arm to pull him away from the window, about to try and escape through the hall, when they hear more footsteps from the other end of it. She shuts the door and locks it, then they go to the bed, fling off the mattress, take the metal frame, and prop it against the door.

"I got the door! Clear a path outside!" Neterion tells her as he uses his good shoulder to hold the door shut, with one of his swords backwards in his grip so he can reach around and stab anyone who tries to break through the door.

Natalia rushes to the stove for matches, ducks down, and looks out the window. Shots continue being fired at them from the ground as she loads one of the explosive bolts, trying to figure out where most of the shots are coming from based on their trajectories. When she hears less gunfire from them reloading, she lights the fuse and quickly aims before the explosion blasts a few soldiers.

While she loads another, the door is slammed against to be broken down, with Neterion doing all he can to keep it shut. When the officers start pushing against it, he begins swinging blindly, hearing shouts of pain from the other side as he manages to stab whoever is closest to the opening. The more men who come to push, the more Neterion's stance begins to slip.

"I'm losing it over here! Hurry up!"

Taking one more quick shot when the opportunity came, she can no longer hear any more shots. "I think we're clear!"

The door is shoved open, and Neterion stumbles back, causing the bed frame to fall over and land on top of him, forcing him onto the floor.

"Neterion!"

"Go! Go now!" he screams at her.

She takes a step toward him when three soldiers storm into the room with halberds in hand. One heads for her, but Neterion switches his grip, swings, and cuts into the soldier's ankle through the boot, causing him to stumble to the floor.

One of the men grabs Neterion's ankles, while the other drives the tip of his halberd into his side, causing him to scream out in pain.

Natalia climbs onto the window to get away from the man on the floor, but looks back, not wanting to leave him.

"Get out of here, you idiot!" Neterion shouts through the pain, trying to kick the man at his feet.

When the soldier on the floor clumsily tries to stab Natalia, she leaps out the window without time to prepare. Unable to perform a proper roll, her ankle cracks upon landing, and her scream echoes through the air before falling back onto the ground.

With two more soldiers approaching her, she quickly loads one dart and hits one through his visor before the other reaches for her. She grabs his arm and pulls him over her while turning to her side. Since she can't grip his armor to lift and fling him with her leg, she rolls onto his back and locks him in a tight choke hold.

A hand from behind with a cloth is pulled against her face, covered with something that quickly makes her drowsy as she breathes it in, and soon slips into unconsciousness.