Vow Of Silence

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

1st PERSON: Pelomina Lorenzo-Capiz

At the c***k of dawn, greeted by the sound of twittering birds singing their morning symphonies. I stretched lightly, that is, I’m not in this tent on my own. I share this with a set of triplet sisters that’s been in the group for longer than I am, yet they’re younger than me…

They were abandoned children, so that would make sense. At the same time, that’s one sad reason to join this group. I've been in the group long enough to know everyone, including how they got here. Everyone except Klaus and Seth would relive the moment they were picked up by this group, one of their happiest memories.

And as people who were at the bottom of the food chain from the very start, having to hold on to that rope Klaus threw at them was more than meaningful. To some, it appeared therapeutic.

I could already hear Klaus yelling outside our thin tent, I sat up with a groan and patted the triplets awake, they also woke up with a groan, just because we had to wake up early for the rest of our lives in the near future, doesn’t mean we’ll take it any easier or better. I crawled out of the sheet doors and breathed in the fresh nature air.

Nothing beats this.

Klaus clapped as he yelled, “Come on, move it, quickly! Quickly! Get off the bed and listen to what I have to say or you’ll regret it!” went on, which was ominous and I could already feel the brewing storm he’s about to give the group, from the looks of it, he won’t be able to bring the proposition to them easy and if worse comes to worst, we won’t be making any visits to Temog in the near future.

One by one, the other members also emerged from their tents and yawned as they looked at Klaus with a sleepy gaze. I'm not exactly sure I look forward to the moment those expressions change to a face of outrage. Seth also sprung up from his tent, swishing the linen cover to the side as he did, looking around in a daze.

Until he realized what Klaus was trying to do, and at that, he stormed up to Klaus and pulled him to the side, which then became a subject of suspicion from the other members as they exchanged glances, disinterest now slowly disappearing from their faces along with that groggy morning haze.

The two of them huddled in a corner made me suck in a sharp breath. Lydia caught wind of this and took it upon himself to speak up, “Is there something you would like to announce, Klaus?” he asked in a gentle inquiry, like usual, his voice was cool and collected, deeper than usual because it is morning but still smooth like butter. He would’ve been an amazing ballad singer.

What can I say, I’m bound to notice these things—That could've been my career if I wasn’t mysteriously transported into another magical world.

And in that aspect, I already gave up on getting back. I’ve tried so many things. Heck—We raided libraries to see if I could find anything about getting back into my world. Nothing. And that goes for every other library in every other town I’ve been in for the past four years.

There’s no returning home for me and I’ve already found a home here.

Klaus chuckled nervously and smiled at Lydia as Seth smacked him at the back of his head, “No-Nothing major, don’t worry, I just have a tiny little announcement to make,” he said, glaring at Seth with inner rage. Regardless, his poor attempt to put everyone at ease was, obviously, a failure, and everyone started fretting.

“What is this about?”

“Sounds like some bad news,”

“Are we having troubles?”

“Things were alright yesterday,”

“Did something bad happen to Klaus?”

“Is anyone gone?”

“Now that you mention it—”

“Keep it down! You’re doing the exact opposite of not worrying,” Klaus interrupted. Cutting everyone off with a swipe of his arms, his wide, distressed smile was long gone and no longer effective in easing the overwrought reaction from the rest of the crew.

“For f*ck’s sake just spit it out Klaus—” one of the members chimed and Klaus' chin wrinkled as he gathered himself with a breath,

He smiled, one that doesn’t reach his eyes, “Alright, alright… I’m planning to do some scouting on Viellyen,” he answered.

I facepalmed. Temog is in Viellyen, Temog is basically just south Viellyen.

To say that everyone was opposed to the idea wasn’t an overreaction. No one took that news positively and while there were those who openly yelled out their displeasure, the test scowled to themselves. I feel stupid thinking this would actually go well. The other members then turned to Lydia, who hummed as he placed a curious thumb on his chin.

“For whatever reason, Klaus?” he asked.

Klaus shrugged with a wide-eyed, blithe expression, as if broadcasting to the team that he couldn‘t lie to save his life from being mobbed by forty-plus people. It was funny, but not in a hilarious way, funny in a ‘what the hell is wrong with him’ way, the way the villagers in beauty in the beat would call Belle ‘funny’.

“I-I just… oh, come on, actually—what business do all of you have if I chose to go somewhere, I have a life too!” he yelled, and that was painful. If it pained me, I wonder what the other older members felt, and I didn’t have to guess because I could see the heartbreak on their faces.

Lydia, however, wasn't as shaken. He’s mastered a poker face and I’m not sure I’d want to know just how exactly he’s come to do that, “My… Klaus, I did not expect you to—”

Klaus scoffed, a crease forming in between his brows as he waved his hands around to acknowledge everyone, “Oh don’t start that—would you all honestly want to know if I wanted to go out and rest in a brothel on my lonely nights?!” he yelled.

‘... what did he say?’

We all stared at him in utter bafflement.

“I’m sorry?” Lydia paused, his poker face somewhat askew after he heard Klaus’ outburst.

Klaus squinted at him with a mocking frown, “Oh, you heard me,” he sneered, his head tilting with every word, Lydia just twitched his head as if he shivered and just had a stroke over what he heard before blinking at Klaus for a whole awkward five seconds.

“K-Klaus… what?” he sighed again, simply astounded, not as much as the rest of us though, and by now that surprise is becoming shame because why would he choose that lie out of everything?

Given that it’s the most effective, I’ll hand him that, but really? We have youngins in the group! What if—oh… I see. I get it now. I bit my cheek as I watch how he'd pull this through, now starting to get a gist of his play.

Klaus gave Lydia a clandestine look, “Ah, well if you insist, shall I narrate to you what I plan to do once I arrive at one of those raunchy brothels?” he said, growling to put emphasis on the right words, he then went on after a haughty laugh, “Oh, I’ll tell you, Lydia, first I’ll talk to the bawds and ask for THREE of their most experienced—”

“Yes… yes, I-I see the picture, Klaus,” Lydia interrupted, "I see it far too clearly against my liking," he pressed, raising his hand to further make it known that he wants Klaus to stop, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at everyone else who is shifting about in their discomfort with the topic, the elder members have their hands on the sides of the youngsters head, ineffectively trying to muffle out Klaus’ disgustingly provocative ranting.

Klaus nodded with a pant, seemingly tiring himself out with such a passionate declaration, and before anyone else could say anything, Seth stepped up.

“I’ll come with him,” he announced,

Lydia’s brows knitted with contempt, “For the same reason?” he asked,

“Yes,” Seth confirmed, with a shrug, “I’ll be honest… I’ve been pent up after—”

“No, no, You’ve answered my question, Seth,” Lydia cut in, “You needn’t tell me more,” he followed before running his eyes to everyone in the group, an empty smile on his face while his eyes looked as dead as that of a fish, “anyone else who'd make the same announcement?” he asked.

Klaus intoned in indignant opposition, “No! how am I supposed to enjoy my time there knowing that I’ll be bumping into one of you’se, eh?” he complained,

Lydia threw his hands up and pointed at Seth, “But you’re fine with Seth coming along?” he charged,

Klaus nodded as if it’s the most obvious answer, “Of course, he and I have a different taste in women, I’ll sleep peacefully knowing I won’t be bedding what he had—”

“Enough, I never learn, I shouldn't have asked,” Lydia, for the umpteenth time, cut off, dragging his hands across his face. He sighed, “I concede, I can’t do anything about your libido,” he began, cringing away from the pair as he turned his back to them, “however, I couldn’t help but feel guilty since you’ve focused more on us than to deal with your… needs, which is still utterly horrendous,” he finished, grimacing at the mere thought.

The others seem to finally warm up to the idea, and I felt a glimmer of hope, but here’s a question.

“How do I tag along with them?’ I’m not certain if Klaus had developed a sixth sense in sniffing out those in a pinch, because as soon as I thought that, he hummed,

“We’ll be taking Mina with us,” he announced, and now the group was struck with dead silence as all eyes turned to me. He just couldn't have worded it out better, could he? Upon realizing what he did, all too late, he gasped.

“No! Not like that!” he corrected it the thought was already in there and I feel filthy, he sighed, “I meant as a safety precaution,” he followed, resting his hands on his hips, “Mina’s lived in Temog, right? Because of her husband, but that's irrelevant,” he ranted off, waving the factors irrelevant to his strategically webbed lies,

True, I have lived in Temog, but it's not like I ever left the town of Pa-Hyake.

“It just so happens that Khanliwa is close to Temog and if we ever get in trouble, we have Mina to help around with the place,” he explained.

Not true. I barely know anything about Temog. Much less Khanliwa. The West region is untrenched waters for me.

At this, Lydia frowned, “Klaus, Mina is a wanted person near those regions,” he reminded, looking at me with concern. He’s such a gentle soul.

Klaus shrugged him off, “Oh, please they have likely given up years ago looking for her,” he began, which affected me in a way I didn’t think I would be, “and guess what, no one knows her in Khanliwa, and she could just coddle up in one of those libraries she likes so much, they have plenty of those there,” he reasoned, still some of the other members were more perturbed.

The fact that I became a member of this group because I was hunted by a tyrannic, cheating husband was a well-known fact. Klaus gave everyone a loopy smile, “Please… all I’m asking for is a couple of days, you could head onto Fih-Tsu, then to Saligaw, we’ll meet you there,” he pleaded. Fih-Tsu and Saligaw are towns in the country called Hildaga, somewhere along the northern region. Regardless, I’m torn between remorse and warmth. I’m touched that he's doing this for me, but guilty that he had to go through this trouble.

Unless he's actually going to enjoy some of his days in a brothel.

Lydia turned to me once more, “Are you alright with that, Mina?” he asked,

I nodded with a hum, “Yes… he’s right, I could spend my days in a library,” I agreed and I gave a nod to Klaus and Seth, whose grins were unmatched. While I still can’t believe they pulled this off.

Lydia nodded and looked at everyone, “Let’s pack up then, Fih-Tsu is a long ways to go and we should keep moving,” he announced and the others begrudgingly followed as they lazily disassemble their tents for traveling.

Klaus approached me and lightly nudged my arm, “Not bad, huh?” he whispered.

“You are embarrassing,” I whispered back, making him snort before he left to pack his own stuff for our separate journey. I’m really looking forward to this.