The Hunt

Chapter 32- The Makings of a Plan

Cecily woke slowly for once. Her consciousness came first, followed by the feeling of her body resting against a plush material, and then her eyes peeling open to reveal the dimly lit room.

Instinct hit her next. The hunter's body reacted, reaching out to grasp the short sword that gently rested on her hip.

She gripped it for a moment, took in the former prince and future king laying on the second couch on the other side of the room and the blanket that had been gingerly thrown over her prone form, and relaxed.

She pushed the blanket away and threw her feet on the floor, scolding herself internally for not checking the perimeter of the obtuse mansion.

She stood, quiet and gentle, and walked to the hall on the far side of the room where a she found a hallway. Cecily through one last glance to Zeph, and then she was gone.

It was definitely not small, not by any standard, but it was strangely quaint - it was lived in. The paint on the walls was fading, and some of the furniture was chipped. It was a summer home for the royal family, at one point, but now it was her palace, and she was the king.

One the walls of her mansion, hung old pictures of the royal family. Some of the pictures were beautiful by design - a photo snapped from a high tower, showing the scenery of a forest Cecily didn't recognize, a painted portrait of the former king, queen, and Zephyr.

However, some of the pictures were beautiful by nature.

The hunter was gentle in removing the one that caught her eyes. It was a picture that captured a story. A young Zephyr sitting in a tree, looking up to a woman just a few branches above her who wore her age with a wild grace. It was the small, curved nose that gave her away as Zeph's mother, the former queen. That, and the way he looked at her.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Cecily tensed, one hand instinctually reaching towards her weapons.

She relaxed when she saw Reiko leaning against the wall, watching her with lazy eyes.

He huffed a laugh. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Didn't know I could."

Cecily shrugged, not feeling up to defending herself at the moment.

She gingerly hung the wooden frame back on the wall, before continuing her search of the mansion.

Reiko wasn't far behind.

"How long was I out?" She finally asked, peeking into the kitchen and taking stock of how much food they had to hold them over.

"Bout twelve hours, give or take. We ate, tried to anyways. Unsurprisingly, none of us actually know how to cook."

"We've lived in that shelter for long enough to know that."

"True. Orion and Alma took a power nap before they got too hungry and came up for food. They fell back asleep. Separate beds. I made sure."

"The first or second time?"

"Second. I didn't notice they were gone the first time. Zeph wanted to stay awake, but he was out pretty fast."

"Understandable."

Digging through the supplies, Cecily took out a red apple and started eating it while she continued the tour of the mansion.

"Have you slept?" She finally asked.

"A bit, when we first got here. I wanted someone to be awake at all times."

Cecily hummed in agreement.

She turned a corner and was finally faced with a set of stairs. The mansion's layout was easy enough to understand, it was practical.