Daughter of Azeroth

29 | THE AFTERMATH

'Oh you poor lamb!' Lanira exclaimed. Her hands fluttered to her chest as she turned around, surveying the damage in Idira's room. A faint tinkling broke the quiet. Lanira glanced at Unambi, who crouched by the broken glass from the window. He picked up a piece and set it into a bucket, careful of the other pieces protruding out of it, jagged and sharp. He met Lanira's look, expressionless, before returning to his work.

'Don't you worry,' Lanira said, nodding, brusque, making up her mind. 'The master will make sure you won't do without. Toys and books can be replaced. What's important is you are safe.' Lanira smiled at Idira, seeking to encourage her, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She surveyed the wreckage scattered across the room, a shred of doubt flitting across her face.

Idira said nothing. She understood. The house was badly damaged, and now VanCleef was not only in a fight with Stormwind but with Papa, too. There wasn't going to be any time for books and toys. Not anymore.

Lanira sighed, muttering to Unambi she had heard most of the staff had fled after the attack, so it would only be the two of them. Unambi grunted and nodded, shifting his position a little to reach out for a long, thin shard of glass.

'I'll start with the bedding,' Lanira remarked to no one in particular as she glanced out the shattered window at the sky. 'There's still a good breeze up, and it's looking to be a warm day, too. Best to get these things dried out before they start to stink of damp, at least until a washerwoman can be found.' She unbuttoned the cuffs of her sleeves and rolled them up to her elbows, her movements quick and efficient. She leaned over and began to strip the bed, grunting with the effort.

'Ah! It's soaked right the way through!' she huffed, annoyed. She gathered up the cover, holding it dripping at arm's length so it wouldn't wet her dress and moved to the door, skirting the glass Unambi had not yet collected. She called to him over her shoulder. 'When you are done with the glass, I'll need you to carry the mattress down to the laundry yard.' She didn't wait for him to answer. She hurried down the stairs, her feet swift, filled with purpose and industriousness. Idira wondered if Lanira somehow enjoyed the sudden changes in the house, the lack of staff, of having to be self-sufficient, and everyone being the same. Even VanCleef was working to clear away the dead, she'd told them when she arrived, flustered and a little excitable.

When Idira asked, Lanira told her Myra and the baby were safe, hidden in a secret chamber in the cellar, filled with provisions for just such an emergency, and would be staying there for at least the day. Idira had tried to think where it could be. She thought she had explored every part of the house, but it seemed it still held secrets, even from her. She asked if she could go and see them, but Unambi shook his head. Ya be lettin' dem clean up da dead first, he'd said.

Idira didn't argue. She didn't really want to see any more blood, anyway. Myra and the baby were safe. One less thing to think about.

'I'm going to go and get Blackie,' she said. Unambi nodded and carried on working. He hadn't said much after he'd found Idira weeping in the hallway, her ruined books scattered every which way. Idira knew enough to know he was mad. He always went quiet like that when he was angry. But just like her, there was nothing he could do about it. Papa and VanCleef had all the power, and Idira, Unambi, Lanira, Nin, Arinna, Myra, and baby Vanessa were just leaves drifting along in their current.

She hurried down the hall, disturbing the plaster dust settled on the carpet, making it rise up in little puffs. She turned the corner and stopped. She had forgotten about the dead men outside the room. She dithered, thinking about going back to get Unambi. What if they weren't really dead and one of them jumped up and grabbed her? She eyed their chests, watching to see if they moved, even a little. They lay perfectly still. She decided to count to sixty. She took her time. She heard Blackie meowing and lost count halfway though and had to start again. This time she made it to sixty. They hadn't moved.