Uncovered

Chapter Seventeen - Finneas

Finn was pleased the recruitment was finally over and the introduction with Mav was done.

Disappointed some of the recruits had died from choking on their own bubbling blood, Finn made a mental note to check with his poison supplier to make sure he didn't get a bad batch for next year, it made him look like a fool in front of his Uncle, presenting him with only five victors.

He was surprised Mav didn't mention the fact that Loky was the only one bleeding and visibly exhausted, but he did notice that he looked at him far longer than any of the other four. Finn knew that word would get out eventually about what happened between them in the arena. He'd deal with it then.

Finn dismissed them all, their first test to navigate their way through the Manor to find the dining hall. The next challenge they would face is how they can handle themselves among the already inducted soldiers. He'd made sure Kolby would be there to report back any observations in his absence.

"I have an important task for you."

Mavric said though a puff of his pipe. Most times when he said that, someone ended up dead at Finn's hands.

"Word is someone who was stolen from me many years ago has been discovered making our dear friend Ivan an enormous pocket of wealth. Find her."

One of the guards must have been occupying his brothel again.

A common practice often frowned upon, but they were never punished for it. Mav believed his men would serve him better if they were allowed that small privilege. After all, a man is not a man if he has never been intimate with a woman, according to his Uncle. Although somehow, after all these years, who the men bedded was never important.

What made this girl so special? If she had been here previously, would he know what she looked like?

"And bring her back?"

"Kill her."

The command was something Finn was used to. It didn't rattle him.

He'd killed too many people to remember from that command but something about doing this just because of spite didn't seem right. Usually they couldn't pay back debts or had done the wrong thing by his Uncle.

But he wouldn't argue, and he would make himself not care, like he did every other time because this is what he was trained to do from a young age. Bad gut feeling or not. He knew other people he had killed most likely didn't deserve to die but at the end of the day it was all business.

"What does she look like?"

"She was only a child when she first came, her hair was as ebony as they come. But her most distinctive feature were her eyes. One each a different colour. An exotic beauty. I had always wondered where she went because I had intended to make my own fortune out of her."

Finn had no recollection of the girl. He spent all his days in the training arena. Only going inside as the sun went to sleep over the horizon, to his Mother's room.

"Why not just steal her back?"

"No. She would be nothing but an expired piece of meat by now. No good to me."

"I want you there tonight. I want you to make it as messy as possible so when Ivan finds her, there won't be any of her pretty face left for him to save for himself. She won't be a trophy on his wall."

Mav smiled wickedly and rubbed his hands together as he looked excited by the fact an innocent young girl would die tonight from a hateful feud between two men who should settle it on their own terms, not someone else's.