45. Fenric #3
But none of that mattered now. The treasure was back in his hands where it belonged, and his mother’s spirit could rest. All the years of yearning, frustration, and sorrow became an immoveable knot in the center of his chest, threatening to block his throat.
More than anything, he wanted his mother back so he could at last place this treasure box back into her hands.
He wanted to put all the jewelry he’d recovered into the box and give it to her, proving to her—to himself—that he hadn’t failed her.
But she was gone, and the reality was that finding the treasure didn’t mean he’d get the one thing he wanted most—to pull her back from death and erase all these years of pain.
A shudder rocked through Fenric, and as if he could withstand the tide no longer, his body bowed before the utter grief coursing through him.
He cradled the box to his chest as silent sobs shook him, and he grieved.
Grieved for the radiance that had been taken from the world when his mother died, for his own lost years, for the path that would never be.
And for a long while, he stayed that way.
Some time later, when the tears slowed, Fenric felt movement stirring beside him, a familiar presence.
“Fen?” a voice whispered, lips brushing a kiss to his temple.
He lifted his head, and for a moment his thoughts were disoriented. He felt so lost in swirling memories and old pains, but within that sorrow, there was the sweet smell and warm touch of Lirion right there to comfort him, to ease the pain so it wasn’t so all consuming.
Fenric sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed the tears from his cheeks with one fist. “I’m okay,” he mumbled before shoving to his feet, somewhat unsteady, then he shook himself into focus. He started for the door, but Lirion’s voice stopped him again.
“What about the rest of the contents of the safe? You don’t want it?”
He shook his head sharply, voice hoarse. “No. You can take it. Give it to your sister to start her business. Spend it on alcohol. Give it to the poor. I don’t care. This is all I want from in there.”
He walked down the hall, wanting to put this place behind him.
Maybe he’d even get Malfas to set the entire manor on fire and burn it to ashes.
But he hoped Lirion took everything out of the safe.
He hoped they all looted the fuck out of this place, as its owner was just another greedy bastard in a long line of them.
With his mother’s treasure safely tucked away in a bag, Fenric joined in the looting, grabbing some jewelry and other expensive items that were easy to stuff in a bag.
They confiscated a cart from the courtyard and loaded it up with various goods, the precious jewels and metals gleaming in the moonlight.
Fenric was readying the horses to leave when Maxie cried out, “Wait!” He jumped in front of the horses and held up his hands. “We’re just leaving?”
Rain cocked his head at the boy, his blood- and sweat-smeared face confused. “Why not? Fenric got the treasure he was looking for, and we’ve collected a fine booty for this endeavor. I say, let’s get out of here while the getting is good.”
Hapi grunted. “It’s never wise to overstay your welcome when you’re in the middle of a caper.”
“But the people! All the villagers! We can’t leave them. The finfolk still have this place flooded. They can’t grow crops or even safely escape. If we leave them, they’ll all die,” Maxie argued.
Fenric exchanged looks with Malfas, Rain, Hapi, and Belstrom as they stood around the wagon. Each of them shrugged and turned their attention back to Maxie.
“So?” Rain inquired.
“You knew he was going to do this,” Fenric muttered under his breath.
“We’re villains,” Malfas reminded Maxie for what had to be the hundredth time.
“Yes, I know, but we can’t leave them. This isn’t their fault. They’re innocent in all of this. And Fenric said you had a code not to hurt children and helpless women. There have to be women and children in the village who would be hurt by our not even trying to save them.”
As one, all his companions turned their heads to glare at Fenric, who attempted to dart behind Lirion and hide. Fuck him and his mouth.
“Pleeeeaaaassseeeee,” Maxie wheedled.
And then he pulled out his biggest, deadliest weapon. The eyes.
Somehow, his golden eyes doubled in size as he stared up at each one of them. Tears gathered and trembled, on the cusp of spilling down his cheeks. His bottom lip jutted out.
Fenric would have rather taken a knife to the gut than say no to those eyes.
Instead, he punched Lirion in the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“That is all your fault!” Fenric shouted and pointed at Maxie, refusing to look at him for another second. “You taught him how to do that. Now you have to tell him no.”
Lirion stared hard before ripping his eyes away again. “I can’t,” he whispered.
Hapi huffed loudly. “Look, dawn is but a few hours away. We’re all exhausted, and no one is thinking clearly.
Let’s just shut the gates and barricade ourselves in the manor.
We’ll get some sleep and eat some food. The servants have all run for the village and won’t bother us.
We can rest and then see if we can come up with a plan to deal with the finfolk that won’t get us killed. ”
Fenric nodded, and Maxie let out a whoop.
Yeah, Fenric agreed with Hapi on the food and the sleep. He was highly skeptical about the odds against the finfolk, but that was a tomorrow-him problem.