The Seahorse and the Spice 🪼🎩✔

22: Backlash Waves

Salem
I woke up and looked over, frowning at seeing my father instead of Bastion. I thought I told that bastard to get out of here... As if he could read my mind, Father opened his eyes and looked at me as I stared at him.
"Why are you still here?" I grumbled.
"To make sure you are well."
"I'm fine. Where is Bastion?"
"I told him to leave because I could take care of you."
I coughed while trying to scoff and turned away from him.
"You can't take care of anything. If you could, Mother would still be alive."
I heard Father sigh. "Salem, you throw me too far under the wagon in regards to your mother. You don't know what I did for her. I had to fight to keep her here inside the manor. Do you know how many times the duchess wanted me to throw her out because she was always ill? How many times I fought and begged and pleaded for her not to do anything to her? Son, you don't know half the things I had to do to make sure that she even stayed inside the house so that she could try and get better. I worked more and acted more than I ever could have imagined in the months your mother was ill. While you were sleeping at night, I took care of her. I sent you to bed when you couldn't remember in your half dazed sleep. I had to watch the woman I love die of a broken heart that I couldn't fix... I had to watch you slip farther and farther away..."
"You could have dropped the dukedom anytime, Father. You chose to keep it because it was convenient for you." I spat.
"You are making your own conclusions about things. I loved and still love your mother very much. The duchess is nothing but a woman to have beside me at parties and official business. I wish I could have done something for your mother but I couldn't... she was too far gone before I was free to go to her. You were and still are completely out of my reach. I do not deny that I caused your mother pain but on purpose or for joy? No... I would have rather killed myself than to see her in so much pain on purpose."
I tried to believe him as I did when I was younger but I knew that there was a twinge of greed in my father and that that greed drove him on to become the duke of this house and leave my mother to rot. I coughed hard and coughed again, putting the sheets over my mouth. When I pulled away, blood had stained them and I leaned back, exhausted from the wracking of my body.
"You're dying, you know?"
"Yeah."
"And you're alright with that?"
"I know what's wrong with me and I know that it's for the best. I've done everything to be kind..."
"Kind? Son, I think you're mistaking something else for kindness."
"No one but me will know the kindness I've performed."
"Then what use is the kindness?"
"It is for God to decide." I snapped.
The door opened and Uma brought me my food. I looked at it and smiled a little.
"Who would make me stew?"
"Lady Cavensold, milord." She said, giving a slight curtsy.
I smiled. "Ah, so it would be..."
I was just about to dig into it when the door opened abruptly and Minerva stood in my doorway with a heavy expression.
"What in the world?"
"My child... my child has been kidnapped!"
"Are you certain? Just out of the blue like that?" Father said.
"That's what kidnappings do." I growled. I looked back at Minerva. "Who was kidnapped?"
"Bastion. Eadric said that Xerxes had been playing in the stables and heard a voice he didn't recognize. He hid himself and saw a woman take Bastion away. My lord!" She fell to her knees, clasping her hands in the air like a nun. "Please! Please, I beg of you! Please help me find my son!"
"Get up." I grumbled. "You don't have to ask me to help find your son for you... Give me a moment to eat and I will get a horse myself and find him."
"You're going to eat while that boy is being taken farther and farther away?" Father asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I'm eating because I need strength to go after him, don't I?" I hissed. "This is the first time in a while that I've been well enough to even want to eat. In order to keep focused and strong, I need to eat something."
"Duke Barma is right. I do apologize. Please, eat your meal..." she said, seeming dejected as she began to leave the room.
"Minerva." She turned to me and I smiled at her. "Please do not think me as passing this matter out of the way. I truly will be going after your son once I am finished. If I were not so weak as of now, I would jump up and go at this moment."
She smiled a little. "I understand your plight, Duke Barma. I thank you kindly for even wanting to try and help."
"Where is Andrew then?"
"He went to get the town doctor to help you..."
"Ah..."
Minerva gave a small curtsy and walked out of the room.
Father looked at me.
"You have feelings for Lady Cavensold?"
I looked at him and put my spoon into the bowl of stew.
"What of it?"
"She is your friend's lady, Salem..."
"She was mine first. You'd never understand..."
Father just watched me as I tried to eat the delicious soup without thinking of the last time I ate it and the horrible scene I came upon in the kitchen.