Present day, Alms
With the white powdery snow fluttering through the sky and covering the town like icing sugar on cake, the district resembled an array of gingerbread houses amid a sea of sugar and candy. Indeed, Christmas was around the corner once again, but due to the war's crippling effects on the people, nobody seemed to be in a festive mood, at least, nobody in sight. Every window was firmly shut and the curtains folded as if doing so would block out misfortune from entering their homes.
Sigerson exhaled, his frost breath swirling around in the air, he looked up to see their temporary residence for the next few weeks.
It was grey but not so gloomy as the other cottages, while thick pillars of smoke danced out from the towering chimney merrily.
They were meant to meet up an hour before midnight, so Sigerson found it slightly odd that nobody was here yet. Evelyn didn't usually fall behind schedule—could something have happened?
Creak.
The rusty door widened by a fraction of an inch, allowing just enough light to escape and illuminate the two fugitives' feet. Sigerson and Harvey froze.
A hunched woman, who looked as if she'd lived long enough to see the dinosaurs, waddled out, glaring at both of them through tiny, practically nonexistent, eyes. Those puckered lips then somehow twisted into a gnarled grin and croaked in an ancient voice, "Masters Sigerson and Ramorez?"
"That would be us," replied Sigerson with a small bow, his grey scarf drooping down. Harvey, not exactly understanding the situation, hurried to do the same. The elderly guardian nodded sagaciously and motioned for them to follow her.
A dark hallway loomed before their eyes. However, as soon as the candles lit their paths forwards, when they looked back, the old lady had disappeared, replaced by a particularly cheerful young woman.
"Did I fool you this time?" she asked, grinning widely while picking up the extra clothing for the disguise and picking off the last specks of the heavy make up. Sigerson stared at his cousin with weary eyes.
"Don't tell me that this is the reason why you were ten minutes late."
"So what if it was?" pouted Evelyn without much concern. "I thought it might've brightened up your gloomy face but obviously, I was wrong."
She sighed emphatically, gazing up at him wistfully. She suddenly smiled at Harvey and asked warmly, "Is this the little guy you mentioned, Will?"
She beamed at Harvey, who was half a head shorter than her.
"He's got a name, you know, and he's not as little as you think. He's only two years younger than you."
"Is he?"
She stopped ruffling Harvey's head as if he was a puppy; her sparkling emerald eyes widened in surprise.
"Are they here yet, Eve?" called a flowery voice.
"Oh shoot, I promised Rose I'd help her clean the pantry right after I picked you guys up. Anyways, welcome to our new home, Harvey! Make yourselves at home; I think dinner will be ready in a minute."
And she disappeared around the corner faster than their eyes could see.
Sigerson took off his coat, hung it on the rung next to him and walked into the room, instantly collapsing onto the couch.
Everything was spinning uncontrollably in his mind…
I'm losing… consciousness…
—
A familiar smell wafted up his nose.
This scent… Why is it so familiar?
Opening his eyes slowly, his vision gradually returned, providing him with a clear view of the blonde hair dangling in front of his eyes.
"Hi."
Elena, her delicate face only a few inches away from his own, radiated a warming smile.
Instantly regaining his composure, Sigerson jumped up, alarming both himself and her.
Why is she here? Blight must've let her go after defecting to Sardis… Is she still of any use to me?
Her lip trembling slightly, Elena put a soft hand on his forehead and whispered, "You alright? You don't look too well, Liam…"
There was a sort of plea in her voice as if she was wordlessly begging to herself for Sigerson to be perfectly fine. His expression softened.
What am I even thinking about… I've made sacrifices in order to keep them safe, haven't I? For now, I should be grateful I even have a moment of rest.
And closing his eyes, he laid back serenely like a frail patient. The blonde strands moved closer to him…Warmth embraced him from the front but spread through rapidly. It was rather comfortable actually—
"It's time for dinner!" exclaimed Evelyn enthusiastically, causing SIgerson to jump and Elena fly off to her duties. Evelyn approached her cousin with a smirk and said, "Don't worry, Will; you'll have all night to have a long chat with your—"
He got up and gently pushed her out of the way with minimal effort.
"I think I'll have my meal first, thanks."
With a fatigued chuckle, he left for the dining table, patted Evelyn on the head, and hurried to help set up their meal in case she decided to return the gesture with a slap.
—
Although the food was scarcer these days, that didn't stop the household from having an all out banquet. The festive season had arrived again and that meant roast turkey on the table, thick gravy on the sides, and steaming vegetables to top it all up.
Having been restricted to boiled potatoes for the past week, Sigerson gladly filled his plate with everything he could get a hand on. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, he felt at ease. Not the airheaded sensation of having nothing to worry about, but rather just the tranquil sense of peace where he could simply rest from all his troubles.
Seated right across the table was Rose Mansell, Evelyn's friend, chattering away while casting vibrant beams of energy to the rest of the room.
"By the way, Rose, when's your father returning home?"
She tossed to him what seemed to be a letter and said, "He's probably not going to be able to join us for dinner since there's a lot of stuff going on at the moment, you know? What kind of stuff? Well, just a lot of legal documents and stuff like that ; it's pretty rough being a mayor during times like these, but he likes it, so yeah."
Shrugging her shoulders, Rose returned to her conversation, while Harvey, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing, sat there next to him, staring at his food blankly.
"Where's your usual energy?" asked Sigerson, casting him a sideways glance.
"Tired…" was the mumbled response.
A sudden thought rushed into his mind; there was something that had just made itself known to the detective. How could he have forgotten?
"There's something I want to ask you, Harvey, if you're strong enough to answer."
"Hmph?"
Harvey's mouth was stuffed with turkey, so he swallowed and nodded. Sigerson took this as an invitation to ask.
"I've been wondering about this from the moment I spoke with Dexter Eiter, but are there ranks in the underworld like some sort of hierarchy system?"
"Ranks? I'm not quite sure but there definitely are a few criminals that stand out. Everyone in the underworld refers to them as the lords of crime."
"The lords of crime?"
Sigerson blinked rapidly as if he was checking whether he heard right nor not.
"Lords of crime? Who in the world gave them those titles?"
"Dunno. They're referred to as 'lords' cos they're so powerful ya see? Let me think… You've already met Dexter Eiter, so there are about five more… Oh yeah, another one is Markus Hoffman, the leader of the rebels—in fact, he's probably the most infamous for directly challenging the government. As for the others… I kinda forgot. The most important thing to know though, is that they should never—and I mean never—be approached. They all have huge influences over their own territories, so if you manage to anger one of them…"
Harvey left his sentence hanging with a shudder. A tiny speck of regret stirred in Sigerson.
That might be a pain. If Eiter is really as powerful asHarvey makes him out to be… Oh well, it's a bit too late to change my plans now. Better watch my back from now on…
As the last few plates and remains were being cleaned away, Evelyn suddenly shot a question at her cousin, making him cough up his coffee in surprise.
"So when are you gettin' married?"
"What?"
Evelyn stared out into nothingness dreamily.
"Rose and I have already gotten the wedding planned out; there's a nice cozy church just beyond the—"
"Evie," said Sigerson, shooting her a don't-bother-me look.
"I appreciate the effort, but we're not going to do anything until our situation looks better."
Elena, who had just brought in a massive tub of ruby-red currant jelly, nodded in confirmation.
"We've decided to postpone the wedding for now," she said to Evelyn, as if she didn't believe her cousin's words.
Evelyn turned away disappointedly, then struck up a conversation with Harvey as sudden as lightning. Sigerson couldn't help but grin reluctantly. This scene was what he was persevering for to protect—everything from the light-hearted chattering to the pleasant meals they were able to share in safety. Though it was inevitable that some kind of misfortune should strike, Sigerson decided he would enjoy their moments to the fullest.
Twisting around in his seat to face Elena, he asked, "Are you working for the Mansells now, Elena?"
"Oh yes," she replied, tugging at her apron while she set down the last few bowls. "After Blight dismissed the entire staff, I came here straightaway by the paper you gave me. Mr Mansell welcomed me the moment I explained the situation to him, so here I am now."
"I see."
Sigerson hesitated slightly, unsure if Elena was the right person to ask the question that had been burrowing in his mind for some time.
"Did you, uh… Did you see the news concerning Blight in the newspapers?"
She sighed, laying a soft hand on him.
"You're still worried about that? I'm sure there's been some kind of mistake."
As expected. She's still unaware of Blight's true nature… I suppose even if he did manage to escape Grock's grasp, he would never expose his personality to anyone.
Bang.
The door flew open, making everyone in the vicinity jump. A rugged but studious-looking man strode in, unaware that his arrival had been a shocking one. He took off his tailcoat, dropped off his bowler hat, and laid down his shiny cane.
Straightaway, after spotting Sigerson and Harvey on the table, he asked, "Liam and…"
He mustered his worn-out brain to recover the name.
"Harvey? Am I right?"
The boy nodded dazedly.
"Excellent, excellent. Welcome to our humble abode," he said, giving them an inviting smile.