The Secrets of Lore Seymour

91. Draven's Truths

I wake long before Lore does. If he notices my departure, he makes no mention of it. I drift through the halls, unsure of where I'm going. Opening the doors to the yard, my toes curl in the cool grass covered in dew. The early morning sun filters through the trees, warming my chilled cheeks.

I heave an unsteady breath, wondering if what we had done last night has been found. Who found Aja's body? Will another paladin investigate his death? Will they ever find us? Lore has succeeded this long without getting caught. The church merely wanted to frame him because he's open about his distaste towards them, so even while suspected it wasn't for leaving behind clues. I wasn't capable of finding proof, that's for damn sure. He had to hand every piece over for me to barely comprehend. Still, these nerves won't leave me be.

I sit on the edge of the fountain, running my fingers over the cool water. My reflection stares back at me; a confused man sitting on the cusp of something horrifying or something grand.

Sighing, I look away towards the estate where I notice a familiar head of red moving through the halls; Draven. He hasn't noticed me or he might have ran for the hills once realizing I'm hurrying to him at such an early hour. Draven's the only other person who knows of this. I can speak to him with a more level head. Around Lore, I think of us and maybe that clouds my judgment. Maybe I'm so caught up in him that I'm incapable of seeing the truth, so I rush to find the butler. He's heading towards the kitchens when I catch up to him. My hand grasps his wrist. Pivoting on his heel, Draven doesn't look surprised to see me.

"Can we talk in private?" I whisper, a little puzzled when he nods. I expected that he would at least feign a fight, but Draven walks towards the school house claiming there won't be anyone there this early in the morning. I follow after him in silence, sitting in one of the classrooms while he closes the door behind us.

"Do you know what happened last night?" I ask, wringing my hands together.

"I do," he answers, leaning against a nearby desk.

"Are you alright with discussing this with me?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." He gives me an almost apologetic stare that makes me squirm in place.

"How long have you been working with Lore on--on all this?"

"Since I was eighteen, although I've known of what he was doing since I was thirteen." Draven sighs upon seeing my wide eyes. "I witnessed His Grace killing my step mother."

My mouth runs dry. Trying to respond results in sputtered words that even I can't comprehend.

"My mother died before I was old enough to remember her," he declares. "My father was well off, so there were quite a few interested parties. Unfortunately, he married a woman with the illest of intentions. After he died under mysterious circumstances, I suspected her, but I was only a kid and I was in her way of a hefty inheritance. The night she tried to take my life, His Grace revealed himself to save me. He had only planned to take her life as she had killed her previous husband and her own child went missing years earlier."

Draven takes a seat at the desk across from me. He rests his elbows on his legs, twiddling his fingers as if he's that kid again, nervous and unsure of what to do. "I was grateful that he sought revenge in my stead, even more so when he offered to give me a home. I knew that anyone who adopted me would do so to get my father's money and, frankly, I felt connected with him after that night. I agreed with what he was doing; seeking justice against those who get away with their crimes. While I continue to feel that way, you must be careful, Seren."

"Careful?" I echoe, once again left puzzled in the face of reality. Last night, and now this, it's as if my entire life has been ripped out from under me. I'm drifting through nothing, reaching out for anything to hold me steady. When I think I've grasped on to safety, it breaks and I fall faster expecting to hit a bottom that never comes.