Pure Inheritance ~ Ominis Gaunt

Part 14

MC was able to relax when she saw Garreth walking out of the room. He kept looking over his shoulder, with his figure hunched to not draw attention.

- Is she there? – She whispered in a hurry.

- No – he removed his coat and put it around her shoulders-. I think she is still on the first floor with Byberg.

- Wh... I just came from the first floor!

- Well, aren't you lucky?

His arm surrounded her shoulders and brought her closer. Slowly, they got inside the room and kept their heads low.

- Now listen. You can look around but don't speak to anyone. I have to go back to work.

MC nodded at him and then tried to mingle. There were just as many people inside the room as there were on the first floor, only this time, their voices were hushed while they wrote reports, tended to the two survivors, and bagged the remains of a third victim. From her position next to the door, she was not able to tell how bad the damage was, but there was enough blood under his slinky bed to get a picture.

The room was similar to the rest, with worn-out wallpaper that, at some point, featured flowers on a vivid green landscape. Now, it was all covered in soot, with holes lining up the walls and an old four-posted bed covered with red curtains.

On the left side, and under a window, was a tiny table with a box of half-eaten truffles and a bottle of wine depleted from its content. As soon as she tried to come closer to take a look, a young man - not older than nineteen- bagged it as evidence. She saw him walk away, curious about where the items would end up and saw him place them inside one of those famous chests.

She scanned the content quickly, but the only thing that caught her eye was a pearl clutch that seemed as if it had been used to hit someone several times. The clasp was broken, and blood covered some of the decorations. She could not see anything else since the chest was secured with an angry thump.

Suddenly, she felt exposed, even though no one noticed her. Before she could retreat back into the shadows, she caught Garreth's eye. He was poised behind a table, mixing ingredients at a hazardous speed and flicking his eyes between MC and the two bodies that kept moaning in pain. However, he finally decided to avoid eye contact while he added the Dragon's Blood to the cauldron.

She wanted so badly to stop him, and the seconds ticked away and highlighted every move he made. Just as she thought about stopping him, the man on the bed started screaming, catching her attention. His body jerked from the bed, his eyes open wide and red tendrils of pain slithered around his body and coiled around his throat.

His sudden outburst rendered everyone motionless, and before MC could understand what was happening, Garreth was already beside him and had poured a vial into his mouth. Sighs of relief and grief were uttered in unison when the victim once again lay on the bed... motionless.

- How could you do that?

She walked closer, looking over his shoulder at the man who would now sleep forever.

- Don't start! – He bit every word, keeping his voice low – This was the only option.

She wanted to refute his words, but...

- Good job, Garreth – out of nowhere, a man came over and clapped his back softly.

When the witch looked up to watch the exchange, her breath caught in her throat, and Garreth had to place a hand on her lower back to keep her steady. He stood up and deferred to the man in front of him.

- Thank you, sir – he vowed his head briefly -. I hope this is appropriate.

- It is - Angus Greengrass was nodding his head, absent-minded. Once you take care of the woman, we'll be able to call it a night.