Vow Of Silence

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

1st PERSON: Pelomina Lorenzo-Capiz

Klaus combed his fingers through his head with a deep sigh, Seth just stopped moving altogether. Just stunned on the spot, his legs crossed and his elbows resting on his knees, slumped over in full defeat, it was hard to say which part of this whole ordeal had wrecked him. My guess would be the part where we’d have no choice but to meet with Lykus either way, only unlike before, none of us were really down on doing that.

At least earlier I was trying to do all means just to make sure they survive. I was ready to turn myself in for their sake, and now despite looking at a rather merciful outcome, we’ve come to the inevitable meeting. Earlier it could’ve been rather noble for me to turn myself in. Now it's just pathetic if Lykus sees me in this cage.

“Can’t we just get locked up in the dungeons under the castle?” Klaus suggested with a nervous chuckle and both knights laughed along, thinking that we were just kidding around.

One of them waved us off, “I’m telling you, the lord could let off with a slap on the wrist for today, it’s Lita-ah,” he trailed off with a shrug, “A proper one at that, so he’ll let you off the hook, that is saying you didn’t steal anything while in here,” he added and Klaus only looked back at me with a grin that was so empty and hopeless it looked like even his usually pearly white teeth dulled out.

The next thing I truly managed to process was our arrival in Temog once again. Just then did I remember the horse that I stole to get to Okuzal, only to return in a jail carriage.

It pained me that I had to miss out on a whole day of Lita-ah despite being just a few miles away from it. Still, it didn't look like the party was ending.

It actually looks like things are still in full swing. For the adults that is, while I still see some kids running around, I could see more of the adult having toasts with pint-fulls of beer, since night has fallen I was expecting the party to quiet down, I was expecting what I saw when I first came here at dawn, a deserted city, but it was far from that.

This time, Temog looked like how it was supposed to, or at least Pa-Hyake did. And you can tell with the loud cheers, laughter, and singing. Every alley, every street, was lined with beautiful lanterns, gleaming in a bright yellow-orange light from the flames. It felt like even as the night fell and came with darkness, everything still glimmered with light.

“What’s Lita-ah?” Klaus asked, inching closer to me in a whisper,

I leaned closer to him, “it’s like a spring festival, I actually helped decorate the plaza earlier, before I went to meet you,” I answered and he looked at me with a begrudging grimace,

His chin crinkled as he looked at me under his eyelids, “So while Seth and I were running for our lives…” he trailed off, squinting at me as he spoke, “You were having the time of your life in a festival?” he hissed and I gulped, loosening my collar which was already loose, to begin with,

I shrugged nervously, “I… I-I didn’t mean to, but they fed me and needed my help—It was hard to refuse,” I said in my defense but it was futile he was getting more and more upset as I spoke,

“We were starving as we ran, it felt like my guts were shaking around in my stomach the whole time we ran and you were feasting all that while?!” scolded, inching closer to me as I shifted backward, his brows furrowed in rage,

I pushed myself back with my palms, remaining seating on the wooden pellet of this cage, “K–Klaus—that hunger’s getting to ya’—it’s the hunger—p-pull it together–” I stammered as he towered over me, now on his knees as he loomed over with that frightening hunched back of his,

“Hey, don't kill each other back there, just wait for a few more and we’ll be right at the castle,” the knight yelled over his shoulder and it felt like both of us were doused with cold water at the thought. Right, I am facing worse things compared to a hungry Klaus at the moment. This would’ve been easier if we were just thrown into the dungeons. Maybe we could still escape from there.

But if Lykus recognizes me… Wait.

I gulped and pulled Klaus down by the collar, getting over the fear that he instilled in me just a minute ago. We have to deal with more pressing matters to deal with,

“Now what?!” He hissed sharply, clearly still mad at me for having my fun while they were dealing with the consequences, and while I am sorry, I could be as resourceful as they want me to be once we got out of here.

“Do you think Lykus would recognize me?” I whispered, and he was about to groan and roll his eyes, but his face froze midway.

He slowly fell back on his knees and placed a hand on his mouth that he rubbed all the way down to his chin. “I… Could he? Well, I guess if you act completely differently maybe?” he began, and I nodded along. He tilted his head as he looked at me intently, “I mean you’re not as pretty as you used to, so maybe—”

“Do you really have to add that in?” I interrupted, and he blew me off with a wave,

“Oh please, like being less pretty is any of an issue right now, again—” he cut off, raising both index fingers for emphasis, “But, if he catches you even under you acting like a different person…” he trailed off, cringing at me,

“That’d be pathetically embarrassing,” he finished, and I groaned,

“Really? That’s your issue?” I argued,

He frowned “You’re not picturing this clearly, imagine,” he paused, raising his hands up, both index fingers parallel to each other, making it clear that he’s here to make a point. I squinted in fake interest. He breathed in, “You go do your act, pretend like you’re another person, do whatever you can, fake mannerisms—heavens forbid, you fake an accent, and he catches you…” he trailed off, from that point on, I understood what he meant,

“Could you imagine that shameful minute you have to revert back to your real accent and behavior after being caught acting like a fool,” he finished and I just had to stop him right there,

“I get the picture, Klaus, you don’t have to—oh crap…” I paused, losing my enthusiasm for this plan once we passed the gates of the castle, “We’re here—Klaus, what do I do? What do I do?'' I asked, whispering in complete panic, as the metal clanged once the gates were shut right after we entered.

Klaus and I were holding each other's hands like high school girls looking for our names from a cheerleader’s tryout result board. We were at the front entrance of the castle, boy did I not expect to see this again, not at this time, not like this, but so far, nothing changed about the castle, which was concerning by itself…

It was like time froze around it.

I looked over to Seth who was still frozen in his shock and disappointment, and now we’re stuck with two options: I grovel and surrender myself to receive a punishment for running away from my supposed husband, or I pretend I’m someone else and… try not to fake an accent. I gulped.

“Alright, then… the lord will see you any second now, so if you’re rehearsing your begging. Finalize it now and make it worthwhile,” one of the knights jeered, and I just rolled my eyes at him.

That is so stupid… ‘That's exactly what we were planning to do,’

Klaus looked at me and I looked at him, both of us mirroring the same petrified expression, and as if we weren't already as nervous as we were, the front doors opened with a loud swing, the metal hinges creaking loudly as Lykus’s towering finger emerged from the inside, all I noticed was that the castle floors are empty. He couldn't have at least invited the town and held a ball in honor of the festival? This man, really—

“What are their offenses?” Lykus asked sternly, now dressed in his usual attire of black pants, and a sleeveless turtleneck top, his bearskin cape draped over him making his build bigger than he already is, while he adjusted his armguards to his comfort, said arm guards matched those on his shin over the boots that thudded with every step he took down the steps of the entrance.

“He’s a beast—” Klaus whispered in fright, and I shushed him as the knights answered,

He took off his helmet before speaking, “Two men, one woman, accomplices, two men were acting upon suspicious behavior which led to an interrogation, and we have the right to suspect they are thieves—”

“Ah–ah, they are thieves, they told me themselves,” the other knight interrupted as he too, also, took off his helmet,

Lykus frowned at them under his eyelids before walking closer to our cage, all while I did the best I could to hide my face, luckily it was nighttime so it’s harder to make out my features, still, he squinted looking over us, and paused at Seth who's still remained motionless, he’s not dead is he?

Lykus hummed, “What have you stolen from us?” he asked. Klaus and I exchanged glances.

I gulped, nodding at him, gesturing for him to do the talking for us. He refused with a vigorous shake of his head, eventually; we took a long time trying to answer Lykus’s question that he just grunted as he walked away,

“They talk too slowly, burn them,” he ordered, and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

“N-NO! DON’ DO THET! WE DIN’ STEAL ANYTHANG!” I yelled. In an accent... I don’t even know what to make of.

Klaus facepalmed and shoved himself to a corner, “We’re going to die,” he muttered to himself, and now that I turned to Seth, my heartbeat almost made a flatline when I saw him slumped over, unconscious.

”Crap—Seth!” I yelled amidst the chaos of our predicament, rushing over to his fallen figure, checking his pulse first and foremost, the pulse was there, which meant he passed out from… ugh, there’s so many reasons for his to pass out, stress, hunger, anger, fatigue—

“You,” I herald Lykus bellowed as he walked back to our cage, now standing closer and beckoning over a servant holding a lamp to bring more light into our humble prison. I froze in my spot and exchanged glances with Klaus, who was subtly shaking his head at me with bloodshot eyes,

“Woman… come closer and state your name,” Lykus ordered.

In utter fear, I slowly crept up to approach a tad bit, now on my knees, and kept my head down, “I-I’m… I’m Mey-na, I’m thet man’s sister…” I trailed off, pointing at Klaus as I said the last part, for some reason I couldn't drop the accent and now I felt the grave I was digging for myself go deeper by a foot or two.