Chapter 16
W e approached large, iron gates. Beyond them lay a winding path and in the distance, a dark manor stood. Trees peppered the property near the gates.
"Now, I'll show you to your room and get you some new clothes. I bet Cook has something for us to eat if you're hungry." Vanya took a key from her cloak and shoved it into the metal structure. It groaned as she twisted it and pushed the gates open. Once we were inside, she engaged the lock once more. "Tomorrow you begin the real training, get some sleep, you're going to need it."
The manor's interior defied my expectations. Opulent patterns adorned the main receiving room, with pretty trinkets scattered across the mantle and table tops. A grand staircase could be seen from the doorway. She led me up the burgundy steps, the handrail golden like the many details that littered the town.
"Kitchens, weaponry, and common rooms are downstairs," she explained as we turned down a hall. Beautiful artwork hung from the walls in carved, golden frames. The walls themselves had been stained a dark color, almost matching the wooden flooring. Each door we passed was painted red. Blood red. "Most of the rooms on the second floor are bedrooms for guild members, you can find mine at the far end of the hall. Everyone has their own, even if they choose to live in their apartments in town." She stopped at the fifth door on the right, "This one's yours." She opened the door, moonlight spilled from a large window. The room mirrored the manor's interior, luxurious yet tasteful. A four-poster bed sat against the wall, while a desk and wardrobe were the only other pieces of furniture. All were made from rich oak with bronzed accents. I looked around, finding a door leading to a simple ensuite. Upon returning to the main room, Vanya pulled some clothes from the wardrobe and set them on the bed.
"Go ahead and have yourself a bath. Here's a nightshirt and some basics for tomorrow. With the payment from tonight, we'll go get you fitted with something more useful." She nodded as she strode back towards the doorway. "I'll have Cook bring you up something. Try not to let the others have your head before the morning." She laughed as she sauntered out, closing the door behind her.
I sat on the bed for a moment, its plush violet quilt soft to the touch. I'd never stayed in a room so nice. You could've easily fit two of my old bedrooms within it. As nice as luxury was, it made me miss home. My tiny little village with familiar warm faces. My grandmother's laugh rang through the air as she tended her garden. Ma?l's fingers entwined in mine. My heart ached, and I twisted the ring on my necklace thinking of him, of the life we could've shared. That life never included this, though, but he would've loved the bed. I pressed down on the mattress, feeling the cloud-like plush, softer than anything we had in our cottages.
I grabbed the nightshirt and retreated into the bathroom to draw a hot bath, finding some scented salts to add to the steaming water. After stripping myself bare, I eased into the water, the steam caressing me like my own shadows. Tomorrow was a new day, in my new life, one step closer to my goal. I let the stress from today release its hold on me. The deed was done, I took the life of a man I didn't know, and I didn't even know what he had done to deserve it. I shook the thought of killing an innocent man from my mind. I could beat myself up over being a murderer in the morning.
After getting out and finding a tray of food on the desk, I found no other signs of the person who had brought it. I took a few nibbles but ultimately resolved to sleep. Climbing under the thick covers, I laid my head on the pillows, looking out towards the window, hoping I hadn't condemned my soul for all eternity.
The moonlight cast long shadows across the room, their dance eerily reminiscent of the shadows I could now control. As I settled into the unfamiliar comfort of the bed, the scent of lavender from my bath mingled with a metallic undertone that clung to my skin, a reminder of the life I'd taken. The silence of the manor was oppressive, broken only by the occasional creak of ancient wood and the whisper of wind through the trees outside. I closed my eyes, but sleep eluded me, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions: guilt, fear, and a treacherous spark of exhilaration at the power I now possessed.