BANE: avenge

Chapter 8

Later that day, we were all sitting in the parlour & several conversations were happening while I lay languidly on the couch.

I felt the warm breeze waft making in through the open window & smiled, tak making in a deep breath & closing my eyes & listened.

Elle & Hermes' parents were in deep conversation concerning my engagement to Hermes, something about the wed date, I believed. Hermes was read making a codice concern-making something about his lineage. Pippin was hav making a chat with her father, & Aunt Ana was read making a recent fashion codice. Everyone was attend making to their own interests in a perfectly normal way.

Then, an awful creak making & clank making sound started gradually near making the window. Out the window was a slowly approach making, antiquated messenger dove. It came in through the window, scanned Elle's shocked face, & let out a whistle. If I recalled correctly, that particular pitch of whistle meant it had found the correct message receiver.

It released a rolled little slip of parchment through its beak & dropped it on my sister's lap, the clank making getting slightly louder at this. Whistle-making, it landed on the chair my sister was using.

My sister carefully grasped the little slip of rolled parchment & slid off the ring of bronze that held the roll together. It crinkled softly as Elle unrolled it & started scanning it.

" It is years old." she whispered.

Her eyes widened as she scanned it, & her face contorted into one of horror.

" Oh, Ara! What shall we do? What can we possibly do?"

I rushed over & leaned over her shoulder, reading it aloud.

Here is how the letter went.

To: Duchess Ellektra Eberneus, heir apparent of the Duchess of Westminster.

Official Certificate naming Duchess Ellektra Eberneus as heir apparent to the Duchess of Westminster.

Then, there was a lot of official fine-print, & a hand-written note at the bottom.

At this, Hermes' parents looked overjoyed, because that would mean I, would be the Duchess of Westminster if my sister & my mother happened to be deceased.

Then I read the note aloud.

Here is the note:

Dear Elle,

This is your tutor writing. I can-not specify more, for I fear for my life. perchance you shall think this is a note of congratulation to you of becoming heir apparent to the title of Duchess of Westminster, but I am afraid that it is not so, though I wish to Zeus that it were. I hope you will understand my fear & horror at this whole affair when you finish reading this letter.

You will recall that your sister went missing about a year before you left with Gadaranine. hence is the whole truth of the matter. Your father sent for poor Adelaide, saying that he had found an excellent & advantageous match for her, & was to marry her off. Your mother insisted upon accompanying them, you will recall. When they arrived, your mother found out it was not a wedding ceremony they were headed to at all, but a sacrifice. Your father insisted that they must because Athena's priest had said that the Aether would only favour him & his men's airship if they sacrificed Adelaide to the goddess. Your mother was unable to stop the sacrifice, & had to watch as Adelaide walked through the doors of the temple & never returned. Adelaide was pronounced successfully sacrificed by the priest, & she was, no longer.

Thus, when your mother returned, in her wrath, she took a lover, this you know. The Earl, Hamish Thyson. The Earl has slowly fed his thoughts into her head, & she became more & more vengeful as the years passed. If there was any chance of reconciliation with your father, they were completely obliterated by his whisperings to Clementine.

Thus, when your father returned to the Palace a few days ago, he returned triumphantly, & completely unknowing to the hatred & his wife's lover living in his own home. However, he returned with a Princess of the land he had been off warring in as spoils of war. Apparently, during the time he had been gone, he had also taken a mistress, & it had been the Princess he returned with. He had no intention of splitting with Clementine, merely welcoming the Princess Alexandra into their home & keeping them both. The Princess went into ravings about how the house was cursed, how the blood dripped from the walls, & how she was to die there. She was completely insane. Clementine was enraged at all of this. She acted demurely & welcomed him home, though. While your father was sleeping, she took a dagger, murdered Alexandra, & murdered your father in his defencelessness. She gladly took the title of Duchess, & has also married Duke Thyson, making him her consort.

Thus, in this manner, you have indeed become Heir Apparent to the title of Duchess of Westminster. I hope this letter will reach you quickly, & you will take action as necessary.

Sincerely yours,

Tutor

As I finished reading, I saw the same horrified expression mirrored on everyone's faces.

How news of this had not reached us formerly, I can-not imagine.

" Dear Zeus!" exclaimed Hermes' mother, completely unlike her.

Elle lifted her head & stood.

" I am dreadfully sorry for this awful interruption to all of our activities. This is all my fault for not having checked in on my family affairs more often. I have been careless, & I will do my best to remedy it. I hope this will not affect the relations between us?" she addressed Hermes' family.

Hermes' father rose.

" I am afraid it will, Duchess Eberneus. You have overlooked one major detail. Our relations were completely built upon the arrangement between my son & your sister. This arrangement must be dissolved. The laws state that when a man is murdered, his second eldest living child must avenge him. As such, the Gadaranine Olesya Eberneus must take upon the task of avenging her father. This, in itself, would not be so terrible, were it not for the fact that the murderer was her own mother. She must kill her own mother, or be disgraced by not avenging her father. I trust this will make your positions clear, & as such, my family will be removing ourselves from this disgraceful matter & leave immediately."

They all strode out of the room, leaving me in shock.

The engagement dissolved?

Even worse... I now had the knowledge that I must kill my mother to avenge my father!

Hey guys! I actually updated on time! Yeah, sorry. Just started college and things are kind of busy. Also, I'm not feeling well. Not sure what's going on with my body. I'm always tired and kind of cloudy in my head. It's almost like I'm drugged or something. It's hard to think without my brain running away from me like a steam engine. Sometimes I'm feverish, too. It's kind of like an eternal cold, but without the cold. I don't know. It's weird. Anyways, what did you think of the chapter? You expect that? Am I doing a good job as a writer? 😈 Relieved? Speak to me! 😂

How are you guys doing?
Legolass+