The Judgement Of Divinity (TMOE #2)

Chapter 5: Close to the bone

Odd of a thought as it was, Lucius was rather grateful that he had no more corpses to bury in the glade outside of town.

The path to Claudia and Mabel's grave had been neglected a few years prior and there was barely any of it left. As if pulling a cart with two dead bodies hadn't been bad enough, the current state of the trail would have made it near impossible.

Now Lucius chose to tread with caution, carefully listening for snakes or rats and trying to discern potential hornet nests in the ground.

"You may be overthinking things," Samueli finally said after watching Lucius scout the area in front of him by swinging an old branch through the grass. "I can walk ahead if that would make you feel better."

"No," Lucius hurried to reply. "It's fine."

"Didn't think living a comfier life for just a few years would make you this concerned about snakes and wasps," Samueli commented, but soon changed his mind. "But then again I do remember the first time you had lice."

"Well sorry for being a kid freaking out over his hair being infested with gross insects," Lucius muttered, still cringing at the memory. Perhaps the amount of panic had been unnecessary but in fairness the one time he'd heard about lice before that was when his mother had immediately dragged him home from school once she'd found out there was an infestation going on there. So he liked to think child-Lucius' reaction had been justified.

He received no further comments on his spoiled past, but Lucius could still sense Samueli's gaze burning his neck and he could guess what it was about.

And it was not lice infestations.

"Just ask." He turned his head to glare at the old man. "Get it over with."

Samueli raised his eyebrows as if Lucius' words came out of nowhere, yet there was no hesitation in what he was supposed to ask about.

"How did things go with Lord Hargreaves? I assume Eliza got you there with no problems?"

"Yes, she did." Lucius still felt bad for the woman. She'd been dragged into something so confusing and downright scary so quickly. "Very effectively."

"She knows her strength." Samueli nodded. "So? What did your best friend have to say for himself?"

"Just 'friend' seems debatable to begin with, not that I thought we were of the best kind, but..." Lucius' gaze sank to the ground. He felt so defeated. It wasn't just the condition of having stayed up all night that made his feet heavy.

"So... Not much I'm guessing?"

"Barely anything." Lucius was uncertain how much he should tell the man. On one hand he didn't have a lot of people to turn to in terms of conversation, but he'd promised Anthony not to tell anyone.

Not that words mean a lot anyway, it seems.

"Huh..." Samueli walked in silence, and Lucius glanced back at his troubled expression. "Well... I guess he's just the worst then."

"Sam, you don't need to go that far."

"You know how I feel about anglers, Lucius. The one thing that made me positive towards him was that you seem to like him, but if he's not treating you well? Then... Shame on him."

"It's all right to use a swear word once in a while, you know." Lucius had to smile. "Even for you."

"I prefer not to, even if that would be true."

"I guess he's not being cruel though," Lucius admitted, mindlessly sweeping the twig through grass again. "He's just withholding a lot of things. Like... Telling me what I should do and so, but not why."