The Toils (Book One)

VII. Go East

Heading back towards the house Randall heard them; protestors marching up the laneway toward the lawn headed by Alice.
Just as Eyan said, they held placards and swords. Shooting inside and up the staircase, Randall hand no time to catch what they said.
Drew and his fifty guards sprinted from the barracks down the hall and spilled out onto the lawn, blocking entrance into the house - driving the protestors back off the lawn and out onto the road.
Randall slinked into the throne room, but not before Ritty and Antonia caught sight of him
"RANDALL!", Ritty yelled hopping down the stairs and staggering into the room shirtless and half asleep. Antonia tottled in behind him, draped in her sheet.
"Master Ritty", Randall droned dryly, "Madam Antonia".
"What the fuck is happening down there?", Ritty vaguely gestured back down the staircase.
"Mayas sister and a band of merry citizens come to express their discontent", Randall sat behind the desk and attempted to look busy.
"And you're not down there addressing them because...?", Ritty trailed off, hoping Randall would take the hint and respond, but he didnt.
Ritty waited a few seconds, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.
"The guards are addressing them", Randall responded as if this fact should have been obvious.
"You need to go down there, and if not, send Gene down there - he's got a decent rapport with people", Ritty tried to hide the agitation in his voice but failed.
"Genes dead. He was caught aiding Thatcher and Magnus out of custody and was subsequently killed while being apprehended", Randall informed a disgusted Ritty.
"You killed him", Ritty accused, his voice thick.
"Drew, actually", Randall held his gaze firm.
Antonia wrapped her hands around her husband and tugged him from the room, before things could escalate further.
As they left, Damien entered.
"What was that?", Damien sat infront of Randall at the desk.
"Gene, caught aiding prisoners out of the house", Randall yada-yada'd, waving his hands about.
"That what happen to your nose there?", Damien half laughed, pointing to the lump on Randalls face.
"Mmm, that obvious?".
"Nah, just makes sense", Damien leaned back in his chair.
"Right...", Randall shuffled his hands across the desk aimlessly.
"What's the commotion on the lawn?".
"Bunch of idiots come to yell and shout, as if that's going to grow food", Randall laughed coldly.
"You want me to go down and give a couple of em a showing to?", Damien squared up, ready for a fight.
"No, let the guards do it, it's what they're there for".
"What do you want me to do then?", Damien relaxed his shoulders, settling back into his chair.
"Keep an eye on that nephew of yours, make sure he doesn't go acting stupid".
"Why would he act stupid?", Damien leaned forward, listening.
"He was closer to Gene than his own father, same with Maya. Without those two around to keep his behaviour under control... Well - If he wasn't offing people before he's certainly likely to now".
"I thought Maya was the one offing people", Damien half-asked half-stated.
"Yeah well, you never truly know, do you?", Randall gacve up trying to look busy, and locked his hands behind his head, "Besides, whose to say it wasnt more than one person offing people?".
Damien picked up the implication.

Not a single person in the house slept that night. Kept awake by the shouty protestors outside, Ritty found his mind wandering. Maya losing her head. The back of Conans skull. Geordies mangled neck. Now Gene...
He left Antonia sleeping and pulled a tattered robe over his body.
"Where ya going?", Agnes asked Ritty as he climbed off of the last stair on the spiral staircase into the main hall.
"Talking to Mayas sister", Ritty brushed her off and crossed outside.
Protestors held flaming torches in front of others, illuminating their placards.
Crossing through the line of Guardmen, Ritty stopped in front of Alice.
"Mayas sister?", he asked.
"Magnus's mother", she corrected.
"Come with me", he led her through the crowd, away from the noise, and out onto the roadway.
Far enough away from the protestors to talk, he began - "Magnus isn't here".
"What?!", Alices jaw dropped angrily, "Where the fuck is she then?".
"I don't know, no one does", Ritty sighed, "but if you see her, you need to send her away, somewhere far".
"Send her away?! What does she have to do with any of this?".
"Nothing, but Randall-".
"Randall?! What is going on in there?!", Alice stomped a foot aggressively against the ground.
"Maya was killed yesterday", Ritty told a shocked Alice, "Overnight last night Magnus, Councilwoman Thatcher and Gene attacked Randall and escaped the house, to go where; no one knows".
"Maya... Why did she-?", Alice couldn't finish the question, she was entirely overwhelmed.
The hollering of the protestors filled the air.
"She and Geordie were found together bloodied and beaten, Geordie was dead - it was apparent, at least to Randall, that they'd been engaged in a fight".
"We fought, earlier yesterday. That's why she was bloodied up - why didn't she say anything?", Alice pondered to Ritty, tears dropping from her face to the cobblestone path beneath their feet.
"She didn't have the opportunity... She knew it'd get Gene in trouble and she didn't want to do that", Ritty explained back, the glow from the torches lighting the tears on Alices cheeks.
He felt his own eyes prickling with tears but resisted.
"And Gene?", Alice wiped her nose on her robe sleeve.
Ritty stopped resisting as he thought about Gene... Taking a deep breath, he felt his body tremor with raw grief.
"He was apprehended, died in the struggle", Ritty said thickly, "Magnus and Thatcher got away in the struggle".
"But no one knows where she is?", Alice rounded back.
"No".
"We're not leaving until we get some answers, Master Ritty".
"I've told you everything I know", Ritty looked to Alice sadly, wishing he had more to give her.
"I appreciate that, Master Ritty, but we're not leaving until we get some answers", Alice held steadfast, leaving Ritty no other choice but to hug her and leave her behind the picket line.