The son of the devil

Secrets

The same evening, Vlad was sitting in his room. He just returned from dinner and was full. His chest pain was back, but he ignored it while he watched the puppy running around the room, tumbling and chewing things.

Tanase told him everything he found up about the event that would take place the next day. Apparently, the boyar’s son died while drunk. He tried to ride a horse who wasn’t broken in yet. His ride ended with him flying from the horse’s back and breaking his neck when he fell to the ground. He died instantly. But him being still unmarried, his father decided to get him a bride at his grave. A girl was chosen and her family received tax redemption to the lord for five years. The dog was just a free mutt that the father most probably found on his way back home from the boyar’s manor.

Vlad smiled looking at the puppy. He thought what name could he give it. Lately he heard everyone call it a mutt, so he decided to adopt the idea. The name was appropriate after all.

It was currently chewing on his left boot, dragging it from time to time and shaking it from left to right, trying to tear it apart with a low and constant growl.

“Mutt, let go! Drop it!”

The puppy simply raised his head to look at him for a moment, then returned to the previous activity.

He stood and pulled the boot out from between the puppy’s teeth. It barked at him unhappy his toy was taken away.

He looked at the puppy until it grew silent. Then suddenly, it barked and ran to the door shaking its tail in sync with the barking. He barely heard the knocking through the barking.

He opened the door and Dan walked in. Whatever he had to say, it was forgotten as soon as the puppy rushed to him, toadying up to him, passing between his legs and leaning against his boots.

Dan lost all control and a couple of seconds later, he was sitting down on the ground while playing with Mutt. Vlad thought the name was appropriate by the way it acted without any trace of shame begging for attention.

Vlad waited for a time for Dan to bring up the reason why he came to see him, but gave up seeing him and Mutt lost in their own world of giggles, barking and crawling around the room.

He sat back down on his bed looking up at the ceiling, and soon he was lost in his own world. He wondered if the dream would return during the night. He was starting to get obsessed with that girl. He began playing with the little pendant hanging around his neck.

His fingers passed over the edges and went over a twisted line passing through the middle of it. He stopped, realizing he hadn’t felt that line over the round pendant until now. He lifted his head from the pillow and tried to gawk at it. Seeing it was barely a scratch over the surface, he shook his head and went back to his inner world, neglecting what was happening around him.

He wasn’t hearing the ruckus winding down while the puppy twisted around and fell asleep on Dan’s crossed feet. Neither did he see Dan’s eyes turning to him, nor heard his soft sigh.

Dan lifted the puppy with care and put it on a rug lying on the floor close by. Then he stood and walked out the door without making a sound.

Once back to his own room, he sat down in front of a small mirror that was on top of a small table. He bend over looking at the face in the mirror. He touched the skin around the eyes and the skin on her cheeks and around the mouth. He sighed again as he lost the earlier vibrant persona. The joy from earlier was gone. The knock at the door woke him from his reverie.

Opening the door, he felt relieved seeing who was standing in front of him.

“Tanase, Dan come in! And close the door behind you.”

Tanase’s scar that ended across his neck was glowing red again. While kneeling, he kissed the hand reaching for him.

“Milady, have you made any progress in your pursuits?”

At the negative shake of her head, he let himself fall while lowering his head to the ground. Dan put his hand on her head in a comforting move.

“Sis, what are you going to do? You don’t have a long time until it takes effect. We all agreed to help you in getting close to him. But maybe it was a mistake for you to pretend to be your own brother. What were you thinking when you got the idea of pretending to be a man? Maybe if you kept being you, it would have been easier for you.”

“Yes, I know that now, but all I wanted was to see his true face, not what he would show someone he tried to impress.”

“Damn it, Diana! Sometimes it is hard to figure out what women think with all that twist and turn way of thinking. You are a good fighter with a blade in your hand, but still have the thinking a woman has. On the battlefield you are quick and decisive going for the kill, yet outside you go around your target in a ghost chase when it would be a lot easier to just go to the heart of the trouble and go for the kill as usual. After what you sacrificed for him and still knowing you don’t have much time left, you still decide to spend your time on a goose chase. And why after all that happened that night between you, he still doesn’t remember you?”

He stopped when he saw tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head, wiping them.

“What could I expect when he didn’t even recognize Tanase, who has been close to him for years? From what I heard, since he woke up, he seems to forget everything that happened before. So, forgive me if I don’t go and say to his face what happened then. It’s good that father doesn’t know, otherwise he would kill all of us and be damned with the consequences.”

The real Dan started pacing through the room like a caged beast rummaging through his thoughts. He stopped suddenly in front of Tanase and bowed so that their faces were on the same level.

“Scarred one, now is the time for you to get to action. Make whatever it takes to get my sister out of this mess your damned master created.”

Tanase lifted his head, his veins starting to bulge at the neck and his scarred face was alight with the red lines crisscrossing.

“Listen here you little piece of s**t! In this world only a couple of persons can give me orders and you’re not one of them. I answer only to my master’s orders and my heart goes to milady here and her plight. But that doesn’t mean I have to stay here and listen to you denigrating my master. Yes, it happened what happened and I have no way to deny it, witnessing first hand their earlier passion for each other. But since he came back from the brink of death, he’s changed. He forgot everything. But I think he’ll return to his earlier feelings once he gets to know milady once again. So, if you’ll just be a little patient everything will be fine.”

“Everything will be fine? Tell that to the bastard taking form in my sister! If word gets out, our family’s name will be dragged through mud and everyone would spit at our sight. Worst of all, your damned master doesn’t even know he sired a bastard!”

“Now listen here piece of s**t! I passed it the first time you cursed my master as a foresight and heat of the moment. This is the second time. You not only spewed nonsense at him, but even threw with muck at your own sister and their unborn heir. Don’t forget my master and your sister are engaged to be married, so I don’t know what bastard are you talking about. And remember this final warning! If I get to hear you speak ill of him, it doesn’t matter what you’ll do or where you’ll go for protection, I’ll collect your life. Now if you’ll excuse me milady, I’ll be back to my room to prepare for tomorrow. I have a feeling it will be an eventful one.”

Tanase stood, bowed in front of Diana and walked out the door, ignoring the baleful gaze Dan was throwing at his back. Once out the door, Diana stood and headed for the door and opening it, waved for Dan to leave.

“I think you should let it go, Dan. I don’t need more worries than I already have. Watch what you say and what you do. Next time you spew nonsense might be your last. I thought we understood each other last night. It seems I was wrong. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare myself for sleep.”

Dan gazed at her for a moment and when he stepped outside the door seething with anger, the door closed with a bang behind them. He walked fast to his own room while gesturing his unhappiness through the air.

Once the silence returned, a silhouette appeared from beyond the corner. It stopped for a moment in front of her door, then walked slowly back to his room, relieved the puppy didn’t make a noise while he was listening to what was said inside. He had a lot to think about. It will be a long night for him.

And an even longer day awaited him.