The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

C19 - Disquiet

Chapter 19 – Disquiet.

The crescent moon hung amidst a sea of stars and beamed a soft, gentle light down upon the foothills overlooking the darkened farmland. In the distance, past the sea of crop carpeting the rolling hills of the Pearloats Pasture, the lights of the walled capital glowed with a quiet vibrance; at odds with the lonely solitude of the foothills.

Men and women disembarking from their horse-drawn carriages chattered with lively tones in front of the well-lit manor standing in the distance, detached from the calm and tranquility of the shadowed gardens below. Chirping accompanied the noise of the distant chatter, sung by crickets scattered about the vast expanse of well-groomed hedges and flowerbeds of the estate gardens, cordoned off by meandering stone pathways that cut through the dark.

"...ACHOO!"

A loud and raucous sneeze echoed loudly throughout the grounds, rudely interrupting the calm of the darkened estate gardens and echoing off the surrounding foothills. The man who had sneezed sniffed disdainfully, roughly wiping his nose with the back of his leather gauntlet.

"Damnit." he grumbled, his breath misting into the cold air. "Perimeter duty, tonight! Of all nights!" He let out a moan of anguish, running his gauntlet through his hair. "While the rest of the guys are inside, living it up with the guests and probably sampling those hor-whatevers, we're out here freezing our butts off in the cold!"

His companion, a taller, similarly armored man walking alongside him, didn't react to his loud complaints. "They're called Hors d'oeuvres." he pointed out offhandedly.

"Whatever." the guard who had sneezed replied shortly, readjusting the flickering lantern in his hand. "I'm too cold to even think proper."

"Better get used to it." His companion swept the dim beam of his own lantern around before the two of them as they rounded a corner, passing a life-sized marble statue in the process. "We're out here until the party ends, whenever that might be. Cap's orders."

"...Meaning we'll be here until the sun rises." the shorter of the two clicked his tongue sourly, turning his gaze towards the distant figures of undoubtedly well-dressed people hurriedly walking through the cold air into the wide-open entrance of the four-story manor at the end of the gardens. It was more like a castle than anything – a monument to the wealth and prestige of the owner. The guard sighed irritably once more, shaking his head as he resigned himself to his patrol duties.

"What the..." Suddenly, the taller of the two came to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he raised his lantern above his head. "Halt!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the surrounding foothills. "Who goes there?!"

"Ack...! I Uh... H-hey there!"

To their joint surprise, a young man in a strange-looking white cloak stumbled out of the shadows and into the light of their lanterns, holding the palms of his hands out disarmingly. "H-hey, guys." He smiled meekly in the face of their joint scrutiny. "Sorry if I startled you."

The short guard crossed his arms gruffly. "The hell you doin' out here, kid? This here's private property, and I highly doubt you're on the guest list."

The young man waved his hands hurriedly in denial. "I... was trying to get to the capital! I must've gone the wrong way or... something." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, shifting restlessly on his feet. "The gate was open... so I thought I'd just ask for directions... You know?" he finished weakly.

The short guard sighed, waving a hand in the air. "...Good grief." he muttered. "You're a special sort of stupid, aren't ya? You must've missed the dozens of signs pointing to Pendrago on the way up."