sorrows and woes - klaus baudelaire

⮑ mortmain mountains

NATALIA AND SUNNY WERE SURROUNDED BY VILLIANS. Both of them were too scared to make a run for it or even move an inch. They were afraid of what this new pair of villains would do to them along with Count Olaf and his troupe. Natalia rubbed her arms with her hands as she shivered violently in the wind. She desperately wished that someone had given her a jacket.

"So this is Sunny Baudelaire and Natalia Lexington?" The man with a beard but no hair spoke as he pointed his long cane at the girls.

"I threw Sunny's siblings off a mountain and I'm keeping her and Ginger as my servant," Count Olaf explained in triumph. "Look who's not a total disappointment after all."

The duo glared at the Count, causing his wicked smile to fade. The woman with hair but no beard carried on, "An infant servant? I had one of those myself before the schism."

"The schism was a long time ago," The hook-handed man commented. "That baby must be all grown up."

"Not necessarily."

Natalia's eyes widened and she slowly slid closer to Sunny. She was ready to protect the toddler at all costs. Even if it was the last thing she did. Sunny babbled, 'Not scared.'

"She means that we're not afraid of you," Natalia translated.

"You've caused almost as many problems as both your parents did," The man narrowed his eyes at the two orphans. "But we know how to solve problems, don't we? Fire can solve any problem in the world."

"For example, we heard a nasty rumor that the survivor of a recent fire was hiding at VFD headquarters, so we paid it a visit," The woman informed.

The man's face twisted into an evil grin, "There aren't any survivors now."

Sunny sadly looked down with a frown planted on her face. Natalia felt her heart shatter as she looked at the youngest Baudelaire. She knew how much the Baudelaires wanted a miracle of one of their parents being the survivor, now Violet and Klaus might not even be alive. All Sunny Baudelaire had was Natalia. Natalia reached down and gently patted Sunny on the head.

"Sorry, just to be clear, when you say there aren't any survivors, do you mean you killed them or you didn't find them?" Count Olaf asked his mentors. "I'm a little confused on that part."

"The place was deserted. The rumors were obviously false," The man explained, causing Natalia and Sunny to let out a sigh of relief. There was still a sliver of hope that the survivor was still out there.

"We did run into one of your old associates, the Snicket girl," The woman told the Count, making his eyes widen and his ears perk up.

"What did you do with her?"

"She got away," The man answered.

"But she won't get far," The woman added on. "She's in the middle of the mountains."