Vitkus Twins

Chapter Seventeen

Montgomery knew that they were only a few hours outside of Nestanha; Jakoba was chatting with Aldona and Azuloas, Launce looking around the forest while Justus walked behind them. Melanthe and Hyacintha were napping with their heads on their partners shoulder.

‘Viktorija,’ Hyacintha told Aldona and Azuloas. Montgomery watched as Hyacintha unwrapped herself from his torso before darting into the forest. Aldona and Jakoba giggling as Hyacintha did so, Azuloas just looked at them before following his partner.

Melanthe just looked at the direction that her sister had shot into but put her head back and went back to her nap.

“Where did Azuloas go to?” Justus asked Aldona.

“Hyacintha found Torija,” Aldona told them.

“And she’s family,” Jakoba agreed amused, Melanthe and Hyacintha would wrap themselves around Viktorija; they had once done that with Jakoba; afterwards she made sure to keep metal plating sewed onto her clothing. “Follow him.”

The random metal pieces came in handy while she was practicing swordplay, the pieces of metal that Aldona and Azuloas had given her had seals on them. Seals that would be useful in stopping her enemy’s sword from cutting her without them knowing it was there.

“That I will,” Aldona told her darting after Azuloas without another word. Jakoba and Montgomery explaining what Viktorija was to Aldona and Azuloas without giving away any of their secrets; or their prisoners.

“Azuloas followed Hyacintha, he had a feeling this was going happen every time they ran into Viktorija; as long as they stayed as rare as they certainly were. He just hoped that this time Hyacintha wouldn’t attach herself to Viktorija’s bare arm.

He didn’t want to watch his cousin bleed, nor did he want to hear Hyacintha in such distress because she forgot how fragile human skin could be. He didn’t think Hyacintha could stand watching someone she tried for bleed because of her actions.

“I get enough from my own team; that was my replacement,” Viktorija said, or what he heard when he got close enough for her to be in his hearing range. “So, I can show you lot a shortcut back to the village. If you’re willing to follow Sin, I mean.”

“What’s that?” a male asked as Hyacintha flew through the trees and wrapped herself around Viktorija’s torso. Azuloas was glad when he heard the faint clink of metal underneath Hyacintha claws.

He couldn’t see metal on her black dress; so that meant there an under layer with metal sewed onto it.

“A dragon,” Viktorija told them.

“Torija,” Azuloas greeted as he walked over to her side, putting his arm out for Hyacintha to climb up and Aldona wasn’t that far behind him. He knew Aldona wouldn’t allow him to hog Viktorija to himself, even if Melanthe was willing to allow Hyacintha to hog her.

Or Jakoba had told her to follow him.

“You’re here for the Tournament as well?” Viktorija asked them, Azuloas and Aldona didn’t tell her that they were coming. Jakoba didn’t tell her either, since all three of them wanted it to be a surprise.

“We are; Montgomery, Jakoba and Launce are waiting with Justus,” Azuloas admitted as he took his arm away; Hyacintha wasn’t going to leave. “Hyacintha just wanted to see her favourite girl.”

‘Mine,’ Hyacintha told him, not moving from her spot. She’d have to move at some point; since they weren’t staying with Viktorija. Viktorija had also offered to see a random team a short cut; a team from Losrusern Village, the same village that tried to kidnap Dvesma all those years ago.

“Your name is Torija?” one of them asked her, Aldona walking up next to stand next to Azuloas, with Melanthe looking up from her spot to glare at the person who was teasing one of her humans, along with Hyacintha.

“Only Aldona and Azuloas can call me that,” Viktorija told them crossing her arms as Aldona and Azuloas joined their partners in glaring at the team. Barely anyone from Losrusern Village was allowed in Sashan still. “Torija is a nickname; my name is Viktorija.”

“I have something about a shortcut?” Azuloas asked Viktorija, there was no way in Death’s name he was leaving Viktorija with people from Losrusern Village.

“Your team can join, my replacement arrived a bit ago; so, I’ll be heading towards the village anyway,” Viktorija told them. “And I want to meet this Jakoba, recovered fangirl.”

Aldona almost smiled at her words; Jakoba hadn’t left her or Azuloas alone since she found out what they were. Jakoba had given his sister more hugs then Aldona knew what do with; she had a feeling this was because she had been the one who had shown the most doubt.

“And Jakoba would like to meet our cousin,” Aldona told her, before nodding her head and heading backwards the team; Justus would like to know that their travel time was cut down by a few hours and that they arrived before dark. Azuloas and Hyacintha would stay with Viktorija; stop the Losrusern Village team from hurting her.

Like they had tried hurting Dvesma.

“Aldona, where’s Azuloas?” Justus asked her when she returned; Jakoba looked at her with a growing smile on her face.

“Torija said she’d show us a shortcut,” Aldona told him, Jakoba standing next to her, Montgomery standing on her other side.

“Cut down our travel time by hours,” Justus muttered keeping an eye on Aldona. “How do we know she’s trustworthy?”

“She’s Aldona and Azuloas’ cousin, and we’ve been talking to her for months now,” Jakoba bit out, well, she hadn’t been talking to Viktorija for months. But Justus didn’t need to know that, all Jakoba knew was that Viktorija was lonely; she was the Holder of the Snake of Envy and didn’t have Aldona and Azuloas luck with people accepting her as she was.

“Let’s go, I’ve met her before. She won’t do anything, unless your scared of a girl the size of an eight-year-old,” Montgomery told him, but then Aldona and Jakoba remembered that Justus thinks that Montgomery fled Nestanha when he was six years old, meaning he could have met Viktorija and had known her before he was forced to leave. “Not to someone she sees as an older brother, I helped her connect to Aldona and Azuloas.”

Aldona and Jakoba was going to have to tell Viktorija and Azuloas about what Montgomery told Justus and Launce. Since it wouldn’t do to be caught in their own lie; even if it was Montgomery’s lie per say, but that would mean that Justus would ask her and Azuloas how they met Viktorija in the first place.

Viktorija had seen Launcelot has an older brother; but Viktorija couldn’t tell that to anyone anymore, not after what he had been forced to do to his own clan.

Well, Aldona didn’t think Launcelot would mind having someone else watching over his baby sister, while he couldn’t. She would have to ask him about it.

“We’re going to go; you’ve been overruled Justus,” Jakoba told their teacher, while Launce just rolled his eyes before following Montgomery as he followed Aldona. “It’s five to one, the students win.”

“Fine,” Justus told her.

“Follow me then,” Viktorija said as they arrived back to where Viktorija and Azuloas were waiting for them in silence. Justus eyes landed on Hyacintha as she placed her head on Viktorija’s shoulder, slowly snoring as Viktorija slowly made her way towards the village.

The path she had walked them down the slightly overgrown, the flowers slowly making their way to the path.

Jakoba thought they were pretty; white flowers growing freely among the trees. Violets and poppies popping up here and there; along with a dark blue flower that Jakoba didn’t know the name for, even through the flowers were the same shade as the night sky.

Aldona and Azuloas kept an eye on Viktorija; Montgomery did the same, but he had told Justus that Viktorija had seen him as an older brother.

So; like any good older brother would. He’d keep on eye on her, make sure that the team from Losrusern didn’t have a chance to hurt her in his presence. Jakoba was glad that she had met Viktorija and she could see how Aldona, Azuloas and Montgomery said she was the size of a child, because she was.

The size of her eight-year-old cousin, Jakoba had a feeling that her seven-year-old cousin was taller than Viktorija was. Aldona smiled at her, even as Jakoba picked four of the flowers that would have been stepped on otherwise.

Jakoba was glad that she had agreed to going to the Tournament, even if she didn’t get that far into it. It brought her closer to Aldona and Azuloas, along with maybe giving her another friend in Viktorija.

-Nestanha Village Gate-

Justus just looked at Aldona and Azuloas; who just looked at him smugly as Viktorija walked over to the front gate without looking at any of them. The fact that no one mentioned Hyacintha still wrapped around her torso surprised him; not even the guards gave Hyacintha a second look.

He had to admit that Viktorija’s, as Jakoba had called her, shortcut had removed a few hours of walking from their travel time. Seeing as it took them ten minutes to get to the gate; instead of the three hours his path would have taken them. Even if it was slightly overgrown, shown by the fact that Aldona had sealed away the flowers that Jakoba wanted to keep and place in her apartment when they got back.

“Ahndray, Emilio,” Viktorija greeted as she walked over to desk, going over to a book and signing it, she must have been on patrol duty, Justus realised. It would explain why no one want near them while they were with her. “Is there anything for the Ombre cachée? I have two teams that need to sign in for the Tournament and you know that Xavierra would kill me if I didn’t help her favourite boy toys.”

Aldona and Azuloas looked at her; Jakoba looked half torn between laughing and crying at her words; even Montgomery and Launce looked at her with slightly wide eyes. Justus had heard worse, but from someone who young?

While the team from Losrusern Village blinked at her.

“You’re like eleven -”

“Ahndray, seriously, I’m fifteen,” Viktorija told Ahndray cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. Aldona laughed as Ahndray looked at her with narrowed eyes, not that Viktorija would have noticed since she was still looking at the book in front of her.

Azuloas grinned, while Jakoba rolled her eyes. Jakoba could understand Ahndray’s words; even if she was fifteen, it was still shocking to hear someone with such a baby face call two grown man boy toys without a single thought.

“Fifteen! How do you know about that!” the guy to his left finished as he held Ahndray’s hand underneath the table. Both Aldona, Azuloas and Jakoba guessed that the two were dating, had been for a while. “You look eight kiddo.”

“Ahndray, Emilio, seriously? Xavierra,” Viktorija told them.

“I want to meet this woman,” Aldona whispered next to Viktorija, Jakoba nodded agreeing with Aldona’s statement. Launce just looked at Jakoba before going back to talk with Justus and Montgomery about something.

Most likely his training and what he needed to do to improve. Launce wasn’t a hard person to figure out once you knew him and had talked to him for more then five minutes.

“And she’d want her little sister to know her trade,” Ahndray dryly stated.

“Pretty much,” Viktorija agreed.

“How long?” Emilio and Azuloas asked her, Azuloas because he was kind of curious about how young Viktorija was when this Xavierra started telling these things. He could only hope that she was at least fourteen, so a year at most and that Viktorija just happened to pick things up quickly. A fast learner, a quick study.

“A few years.” Viktorija was looking at Azuloas with a raised eyebrow, Aldona was looking at her twin with a raised eyebrow. They might have been close, lived together until they were thirteen, but that didn’t mean that Aldona could read his mind, so she didn’t know the reason behind all his questions.

Azuloas blinked, a few years? So not fourteen then, now he could only hope that she wasn’t underneath the age of ten. A child, no one would a child such things, right? He would have to talk to Aldona and Jakoba about it. Later, he didn’t want Viktorija knowing what he was thinking.

“When I’m older, apart from the odd obsession with snakes,” Viktorija told them sealing a card into one of her metal bracelets. Aldona and Azuloas were happy to see leather bracelets underneath them, so at least overheated metal wouldn’t be against her skin. “I want to be like her.”

Jakoba thought it understandable that the holder of the Snake of Envy; didn’t want to be obsessed with snakes. They would have been part of the reason she was treated horribly when she was younger, they couldn’t all be like Aldona and Azuloas, who had fallen in love with dragons and foxes despite people using those creatures to terminate them when they were younger.

Heck, Jakoba recalled not liking boars when she was a child. Since too many of her bullies kept comparing them to her, making her hate the animal just as much as she hated her bullies. It was silly, she knew that, but human emotions didn’t always make the most sense.

“Now we have to meet her,” Aldona muttered to herself, she had some questions for this Xavierra about what she was teaching her innocent looking cousin. Useful in the field, since she had heard, and read, about tribes and clans around the land that didn’t like fighting dressed.

She was pretty sure there was a tribe of people in the mountains of Laiba that didn’t like doing anything dressed. If they were still around or not, she didn’t know. No one knew, since they didn’t come down often.

“That’s just what this village needed,” Emilio told them patting the top of Viktorija’s head, Hyacintha looked at him; unimpressed.

“We need to talk to this Xavierra,” Azuloas whispered to Jakoba, Aldona was far too close to Viktorija to have anything she whispered missed. Even as Emilio continued to talk to Viktorija and Aldona.

“I agree,” Jakoba whispered back. “Some of this information might be useful, didn’t Aldona read about a clan that fought in nothing but battle paint.”

“In Bollin, yes, there’s a tribe that fights in nothing but war paint,” Azuloas agreed.

“We need to keep an eye on things,” Aldona whispered as she walked past them, going to sign the visitor’s book. Jakoba and Aldona following behind her, the other’s had already filled it out while they were talking to Emilio and Ahndray. If they didn’t sign it, Justus had warned them that they would be thrown out of the village for security reasons.

Because Nestanha thought spies were going to be stupid enough not to fill out a visitor’s book.

“I can show to the Ombre cachée’s office, then he will most likely want me to show you to your hotels,” Viktorija told them as she turned around from Ahndray and Emilio.

“Torija, we were going to ask you to do that anyway,” Aldona told her elbowing Montgomery as he looked at the gate slightly dazed. A pained expression on his face, Aldona knew that he would be remembering the last time he was in the village. She didn’t know what happened, but she wasn’t going to push him to tell them anything he didn’t want them knowing. “This place is a maze.”

And a half, Jakoba thought as she looked at the mismatched buildings.

“And to think, we thought Sashan was bad,” Jakoba joked, the attack sixteen years ago flattened a lot of Sashan. So more of the buildings matched and looked like they belonged together, apart from the Clan section. That was still a mess of mix-matched buildings, matching the era that said clan moved into the village. “Aldona and Azuloas are the only ones to work that maze out.”

“The benefits of running away from mobs,” Viktorija joked.

“Never come to Losrusern then,” Kosey joked, Kosey and his team had told them their names as they walked to Nestanha. Aldona and Azuloas noted them down, they doubted they would trust anyone from Losrusern.

Backstabbing bastards as they were.

“Major Wars will do that to any village,” Justus told them, Bakari nodding his head. Aldona guessed that was something any teacher would agree on. Free history lessons; along with the random states of their village’s buildings. “And being randomly attacked between them, doesn’t help. A lot of rebuilding happens during those times.”

“Explains the random buildings,” Viktorija commented before shaking her head and started walking in a random direction. Aldona, Jakoba and Azuloas walking behind her without a second thought, they were sure the others would be following them. “Come this way, it shouldn’t take long. You’re some of the first teams to arrive.”