Vitkus Twins

Chapter Four

Aldona and Azuloas had been warned that the first year of the Academy would be dull for them, they had been warned by Karlis and then by the heir of the Ēnu. It was dull enough that they and Bednar Ēnu would nap in most of their classes, none of their teachers would bother them and the twins didn’t have parents for them to talk to.

None of their teachers hated them, but at the same time, Aldona knew most of them were conflicted. Azuloas knew the others were confused, they didn’t hate them, but they didn’t want to teach the demon children. The carriers for the Dragon of Wrath and the Fox of Greed, the same creatures that tore nearly half the village and killed off dozens of their closet friends and family.

Bednar was left to nap because the Ēnu Clan was known for their high IQ’s, and since it wasn’t war time, none of them could skip grades to finish the Academy early. So they would take their Kareivis exams at sixteen, and Bednar regularly embarrassed their teachers by correcting their answers, sitting back with a bored look on his face.

Like that time, he corrected Mrs Dziedātājs when she asked what the difference between the Kareivis, Apsauga and Sekti Units were. Mrs Dziedātājs told them that the difference was the level of missions they could take; Kareivis taking missions that were D – A rank; Apsauga took missions B – SS rank and finally people in Sekti took ranks A – SSS missions.

Whilst Bednar just looked at her before telling that was basic. That the real difference was the type missions each unit; Kareivis Unit took escort missions, protection detail and most missions that involved protecting clients. While the Apsauga Unit took missions about the village’s security and protection detail of high-ranking clients; such as member of the council or officials from the King’s council. The Sekti Unit did undercover and information missions, when in the village they oversaw getting information from anyone threatening the village’s safety. By any means necessary.

Instead of starting basic stances for their fighting styles, they ran laps and did basic physical exercises, never pushing them into improving their abilities. Aldona and Azuloas, along with most of the Clan children would usually finish early and watch the civilian children struggle with things they had been able to do since the age of four.

Dvesma could so most of it at three, since she had started training at that age. So, it showed that the Academy was more interested in getting civilian students onto the same level as Clan children without pushing them too hard.

The Academy was meant to be preparing them, but instead, they seemed more interested in pushing as many students through the doors as they could. A thought process that Aldona thought was only around during wars, not for normal missions.

Azuloas was glad that the Paslėpta liepsna and Clan half of the council would be charge of setting the Academy’s guidelines and lesson plans for the next group. Along with how they arranged who went into what lesson and class.

The system they had currently, didn’t prepare anyone who didn’t have clan training or had to fight to survive for most of their lives. Most new Kareivis members died within the first two years and a lot of them died on their first C-rank mission.

It was hard to be killed painting fences and pulling weeds out of farming fields.

Aldona and Azuloas continued to train with Dvesma and Bellerophon, once a week all four of them would train together. See how had made the most improvement in their weaker areas, then they’d then help each other improve them, as the year went Bednar started joining them and soon his best friend, Lodoiska Dzintara, had joined as well.

Even through Azuloas, Aldona and Bednar never paid attention in class. Mrs Nowak had been surprised that they continued to sit in the middle of the class, it might have been closer to the bottom half then the top half, but Mrs Nowak had told them that she thought they were going to be changing the dead last spot between the three.

Most of their pranks could be turned deadly by replacing a few things, paint for poison or acid or feathers for daggers and sharp needles. No one looked at them, barely anyone thought they were smart enough to pull any of the pranks.

That was their loss.

None of their friends or their parents understood the reason that Azuloas and Aldona wore bright colours. After explaining that ‘if they could get away with what they did wearing bright colours, then imagine what they could get away with wearing darker colours?’.

Azuloas wore a bright blue sleeveless jacket, with a long-sleeved black shirt. A pair of baggy black pants, with the same bright blue tapped at the end, leather bracelet’s around his wrists and a leather choker around his neck.

Aldona on the other hand brought her clothing from a traveling band of merchants, telling her that they never stayed in one place. That they didn’t belong to a country or village, went where they wanted and knew the laws of any country they wanted to trade with. The woman of the cavern had been happy to answer her and Azuloas’ questions.

And both had asked quite a few questions. Too the point that the woman just patted Aldona on the head, before letting her buy some of their books. Giving her some that weren’t available to the general public.

Aldona had fallen in love with their clothing and had planned to wear a darker version when she passed her Kareivis exam. Aldona even took a pack of cards and a book on how to read them, she had a feeling that she could use the idea for her seals, she had been thinking about it since she brought them.

That didn’t stop Aldona from adoring her bright red shirt, and the matching layered skirt. Over that she’d weak a black jacket, sometimes she wished she had her brother’s dark blond hair. Since her pale blonde locks made her skin paler than it really is. Neither wore shoes, no matter how many times Markuss asked them, Anyuta would just giggle at their antics before asking them to wash their feet before entering the building.

The two were making good process on the Vitkus scrolls, even though they were surprised to find information about the Kazlauskas and Gintaro Clans. Already their handwriting was better then most of their peers, even Aldona’s was a bit neater and Azuloas was a bit faster at completing a stack of seals.

Like in their fighting styles; Aldona was more flexible and Azuloas was stronger. Other than that, both their fighting styles relied on speed and accuracy, a mixture of stances taught and observed through the years. Aldona and Azuloas were always willing to get a new style to their mix-match fighting style.

Aldona and Azuloas had planned some pranks, harmless ones. But still, could be turned deadly if a few things were replaced. Replacing paints with poisons or acids; soft strings with sharp wires or trip wires attached to a bomb.

-Night, Full Moon-

Another full moon, another night that Aldona couldn’t sleep. Azuloas was with her this time, even if he didn’t know what happened to get them underneath the Spoku-Acs Clan. Markuss, Dvesma and Aldona decided it was better that Azuloas never found out, he would go into ‘protective brother’ mode and ignore his own health to make sure she was safe.

Aldona happened to like her freedom, even if she had gotten bored one night and painted the inside of a shop a bright, neon, yellow colour. The shop owner didn’t think it was funny, even if the passing by Apsauga and Kareivis did.

Even if it left them wondering who could have done it under their noses, and it was done without anyone catching them.

In fact, no one knew that Aldona had been the one who did it out of pure boredom. Azuloas did, but that was because she had paint on her clothing and skin when she arrived home that morning. She had paint on her nails for awhile afterwards.

“Azuloas; you don’t have to do this, you know,” Aldona told him, but Azuloas just looked at her with blank eyes. Azuloas didn’t care if he missed one night every month; sometimes two if they were lucky if there’s a blue moon.

He also didn’t want to miss out on any pranks she planned.

“I don’t mind missing a night’s sleep, we nap during most of our classes anyway,” Azuloas admitted pausing as he picked up a stone, putting it into his pants pocket.

“Until the middle of the day,” Aldona told him.

“Besides if you do something, I wanna help,” Azuloas told her, grinning as he pointed to her leather bracelet’s.

“Of course, you do,” Aldona agreed putting her hands behind her back, a smile on her face as she looked at the yellow moon. “I think Grandpa and Markuss wants you to keep me out of the trouble and help me get into trouble.”

“I know. That man had it happening.”

“He did, he truly did.”

“Hit you with a broom.”

“He threw a mask at your head. Free stuff, but still, I should have done more.”

‘Azu,’ Hyacintha said lifting her head from Azuloas’ shoulder, something waking her up from her sleep. Since the two had joined the twins, they were either sleeping their shoulders or were learning to make clones of themselves. Or hunting small prey as they trained; such as birds, rats or rabbits.

“Yes, Hyacintha?” Azuloas asked her, both Aldona and Azuloas paused to look Hyacintha as she picked up her head and looked to right.

‘Something’s not right,’ Hyacintha told him. She smelled something, and she knew that Melanthe would be able to smell it as well. It smelled like iron and salt, along with the strong, awful stench of human waste.

‘There’s a lot of blood,’ Melanthe told them as she raised her own head.

This made both Aldona and Azuloas worried, they were near the Atspoguļo Clan Compound and they had heard that the Atspoguļo members that had moved to Nestanha Village had been wiped out to just to members around two months ago.

Both twins knew the village pretty much inside and out, since they had needed to know escape routes and hiding spots from the days when they had to hide and run away for their own safety, so they were forced to memorize different pathways and short cuts.

“We need to write a note for the Paslėpta liepsna, tell him that Melanthe and Hyacintha smell blood from around the Atspoguļo Compound,” Azuloas told Aldona, who nodded her head and unsealed a blank notebook. If Melanthe and Hyacinthe could smell blood five meters away from the first corner of the Atspoguļo Compound.

Then it wasn’t a good sign and Azuloas didn’t think someone had hurt themselves while training, or almost ended up killing their training partner. Which Aldona and Azuloas would admit, happened more times than most people were willing to admit.

“Done,” Aldona told him while handing the note for Melanthe to take to the Paslėpta liepsna’s office, so that he can come look at the situation himself and bring some of his personal Apsauga protection detail. If he decided to act on that information was up to him, but the twins hoped that he did. “Melanthe, you have an important job, take this to the Paslėpta liepsna, stay with him until he leaves. Okay?”

‘Yes, Mistress,’ Melanthe told her, even if she didn’t look like she wanted to leave it all. Aldona understood that, she didn’t want to leave Azuloas to find out what happened. ‘Be safe.’

“You too,” Aldona told her.

‘I’ll look after them,’ Hyacintha promised.

‘I’ll be back soon,’ Melanthe promised.

After Melanthe left, Aldona and Azuloas bolted towards to the Atspoguļo Compound. The large wooden gates were open and there was daggers in the wood, and they weren’t happy with what they saw. Two men were lying in their own blood; someone had stabbed them from behind and allowed them to drop were they fall.

If someone thought they could kill one of Sashan’s major clans without someone coming after them, if they had thought they could kill one of the founding families. Then there was something wrong with their head, Aldona and Azuloas would just have to prove them wrong.

“Dona, what about Clarice and Launce?” Azuloas asked, they were two students in their class, both were the top of their class. From what they could recall, the two had been cousins and were serious in their studies.

Azuloas and Aldona ran towards the main family’s house, a wooden building that had been one of the few that survived the Sin’s attack six years ago. But it looked like someone had put a sword through the silk windows.

Azuloas ran over to Clarice and Launce from where they had been knocked out, both were still breathing. When Aldona opened the door to the living room, Page was standing over the body of her father and was going to stab her begging mother.

Without a word Aldona was standing in front of Julia grabbing Page’s wrist and tightened her grip till Page dropped her sword. Hyacintha knocked into Page’s body and bit her sword arm. Page just looked at them before walking backwards till her right foot hit her father’s body.

Aldona would have said that Page looked relieved, even as she grabbed her bleeding him.

“Thank you,” Page told her before leaving the building.

“Lady Atspoguļo? Are you okay?” Aldona asked as she turned around, the woman looked dazed and she was staring at her husband. Falling onto her knees, she pulled the older woman into a hug and allowed her to cry into her shoulder.

“Launce? Clarice? My sister?” Julia asked into her hair once she had calmed down some, she pulled Aldona into her lap. Hugging her tightly to her chest, like Julia was comforting her instead of the other way round. “My daughter killed my husband.”

“Launce and Clarice are okay, both of them were just knocked out,” Azuloas told them, he was going to have to slow Page down. Julia was starting to look pale, but she was looking at him with relief as she let Aldona go. “Dona?”

“We’ll see how many people are still alive in the compound,” Aldona told him, she wasn’t going to let him go off by himself. Pale skin gaining some colour back into her skin, as she went to her son and niece.

“Lady Atspoguļo, why don’t you go to the gate with Clarice and Launce?” Azuloas asked her, Aldona standing behind him as Melanthe returned to her side. Wrapping herself around her torso, soon Hyacinthe wrapped herself around Azuloas torso.

All their major organs were covered by their partners.

“I’ll carry Launce and Clarice to the gate,” Julia told them as she picked up her son and niece, her tears still going down her checks. “We can wait for the Paslėpta liepsna, only him and whoever he brings may enter the Atspoguļo Compound.”

“If anyone else enters, they may be killed as well,” Aldona agreed, even through she doubted it and she knew deep in her soul. That something didn’t add up, someone was trying to end the Atspoguļo Can, but why?

Why attack them in Nestanha? Why attack them here? Why killed the young and old? Grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren?

Aldona and Azuloas quickly found Page, as she leaned against the outer gates. But for some reason the fifteen-year-old was leaning against the lowest branch, her head was bowed, and her hair was pulled out of its braid.

Azuloas and Aldona knew something was wrong, Melanthe and Hyacintha tensed as Page lifted her head. There was a sadness in her eyes, tears going down her checks and there was a growing guilt in her eyes.

Aldona took a step as an older male appeared on the branch above Page, he had the same black hair and dark brown eyes. The same guilt and shame in his eyes, before going a bright crimson and a black ring in the middle of his iris. The final stage of the Atspoguļo bloodline, the third stage and it was rumoured that it would allow the user to create solid illusions, ones that they could be trapped in if they weren’t careful.

“Why did you kill your own family, your own clan,” Azuloas shouted at her, Aldona keeping her hand on his shoulder. “The Paslėpta liepsna would never order the murder of an innocent! More so of his own people!”

“He’s so naïve,” the male told him looking around before waving his hands. Looking at the two of them. “You’re like my little sister. The same pain, the same burden.”

“And you are?” Azuloas asked.

“Launcelot Atspoguļo, I come from the branch in Nestanha Village,” Launcelot told them. “And the Ombre cachée had been fine with the deaths of the innocent, remove the weeds before they ruined the garden.”

“Wasn’t there someone who lived?” Azuloas asked him.

“Etienne, my baby brother,” Launcelot told him.

“And what’s he going to do?” Aldona asked him.

“Viktorija Kazlauskas will look after him, my baby sister promised to do so,” Launcelot admitted as put a hand on Page’s head. “She’s the one who’s like you two, the hold of the Snake of Envy.”

“We have to leave,” Page told them, putting her hand on top of Launcelot’s, his hand still on top of her head. “Something is around the corner, Azuloas and Aldona, something none of you will understand when your older. A war is coming, and everyone is in danger.”

“Neither of us wanted it to come to this,” Launcelot told him.

“I see,” Azuloas told him, if they tired to get to his organs. They would have to go through Hyacintha’s scales, when she was older her scales would be harder, but as she’s so young, her scales would be easier to pierce.

“Azuloas, Viktorija and Aldona, you are going to be the biggest pieces of this plan,” Launcelot told them, while Page sighed and stood up and removed his hand from her head.

“We don’t know enough,” Page told them.

“Don’t tell anyone you saw us,” Launcelot told them, Aldona and Azuloas nodded their heads, while Page smiled. “Don’t tell them the reason behind this, now that one branch of the Atspoguļo Clan is still around. We’ll have to be careful; he’ll be watching us closer.”

“We were looking for survivors,” Aldona said and when she looked up, Page and Launcelot were gone. A baby’s wail brought the twins out of their daze, Aldona nodded before she went towards the baby’s cries and Azuloas went after the whimpering of a toddler.

Without a word to the each other, Azuloas and Aldona checked on children and made sure they were safe. Page and Launcelot was most likely out of the village, making their way to another country.

“Aldona, Azuloas,” Heikkinen said as he spotted the two, they were covered in blood. Aldona had wrapped more the one wound, while Azuloas had gotten wet rags to wash blood from crying children. “How many?”

“We’ve found twenty people so far,” Aldona reported, her gaze going down to the four-year-old that was tagging at her dead mother’s dress. “We haven’t looked through half the compound. I doubt more than half the adult population will still be alive.”

“Aldona, Azuloas leave the rest to the Sekti Unit,” Heikkinen told them, Aldona and Azuloas nodded their heads before following Heikkinen to the gate. Where Julia was talking to a Sekti member, a hood and face mask hiding their face from view.

“They’ll find Page, make her answer for her crimes,” Julia told them, before bending down and looking at them. “You two didn’t run into her, did you?”

“No Lady Atspoguļo, we didn’t,” Aldona told her.

“We’ll need to have a council meeting,” Julia told Heikkinen, a serious look on her face. This was an emergency; an entire founding clan had almost been killed off.

“I’ll call one,” Heikkinen told her. “An emergency council meeting.”

-Council Meeting-

The council was held was a few hours later, most of the council members were yawning into their hands. Julia talking her husband’s seat on the right side of the room, Launce would take over when he turned twenty-one. Giving him enough time to get some years of experience under his belt to be able to make decisions for the next generation.

The Paslėpta liepsna sat at the front of the giant table, his son; Taavetti Zemes, was staring at him with amusement. Aldona and Azuloas sitting next to him, even if Azuloas was slightly dozing at the table.

The emergency council meeting can start,” Heikkinen told them, making a woman with green eyes and brown hair stand up, looking at Azuloas and Aldona with narrowed eyes. Making it clear enough that she didn’t want either of them there.

“Why are we here?” the woman, Adalheida Meyer, asked.

“My daughter, Page Atspoguļo, has turned traitor,” Julia told them, taking a deep breath as she looked the woman in the eye. “She has attacked her own clan, through her own will or not, is not known at this point. After all, she could have been hypnotized by the person who killed the Atspoguļo Clan in Nestanha.”

“So, the great Atspoguļo Clan has almost been wiped off the map then? Your founder must be rolling around in his grave,” Adalheida asked, she was the head of Meyer’s Jewellery and Gemstones, a trading company that traded through most the land.

“Yes, Lady Meyer, my family has almost been completely killed off,” Julia told her, she had never liked Adalheida. She acted like she was the Queen of the Village; with her silk clothing and heavily ringed fingers. “Our Compound won’t liveable for a while, we were in luck, both Azuloas and Aldona Vitkus have offered to allow us to stay in their apartment complex.”

“So… what now?” Hamnet Schmidt asked, he was the head of the blacksmith guild. He didn’t know much about clan business; he just knew how to make weapons. Hamnet was one of the few that would refuse to vote on matters that he didn’t understand.

“Julia will be head of the Atspoguļo Clan until Launce is of age,” Heikkinen told them.

“Then why are they here?” Adalheida asked looking at Azuloas and Aldona like they were foaming at the mouth.

“Like Julia said, we have offered the Atspoguļo Clan a place to stay,” Azuloas coldly told her. “And besides we were there.”

“Azu and I were the first to the scene, so we know what happened. Unlike some people,” Aldona stiffly said. She knew that sometimes she and Azuloas crossed the line with some of their pranks, one of them laid to a woman finding out her husband was cheating on her.

But for some reason, Adalheida was uncaring about the fact that a founding clan had almost been massacred in their own homes. Azuloas and Aldona were glad that Hyacintha and Melanthe were being watched by Bellerophon and Bucky in another room, or else the woman would be missing several of her ringed fingers.

“And Azuloas will be head of the Vitkus Clan when he is of age,” Heikkinen told her. “And has said before, the Atspoguļo Clan will be staying in the Vitkus Apartment Complex.”

“Azuloas and Aldona Vitkus are now under the protection of the Atspoguļo Clan, as few as we may be,” Julia told them, Cassiopeia seemed to stare at Julia for a bit before looking towards the civilian side of the room. Adalheida looked pale, while the man next to her fainted and almost fall onto the floor. “We will protect those under our protecting with as much strength as those in our own family.”