Ashfall: City of Shade (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 6 | Tantrums

CEPHINE

A soft sound echoes across the courtyard. My dear holds our lantern out in front of us as we stroll about these distinguished gardens.

"Adler, did you hear that?" I ask while stepping back and listening for it again.

"Hear what, Cephine?"

His face hardens as the sound comes again.

"...oh," comes the moan but louder.

A glint forms in his dusty grey eyes. "One of my advisors must be playing with a street whore."

"Brommy was his name? Did he not leave with Greta and have yet to return to your temple?"

His jaw tenses. The lantern leaves his hand as he drops it completely and turns on his heels carrying his own internal flame.

In a rush, I pick the lantern up and run after him.

My heart thuds loudly in my ears. I run so hard until I meet his side. We remain hidden behind the bulk of a bush near the fountain.

I set the lantern down, watching my husband's friend straddling the little child trapped beneath him. Her tunic is only open, thankfully, across her chest.

She should be wearing a proper chest wrapping being a woman but she appears to be without one and perfectly fine with Brommy rubbing the salve over it. The little girl must not know it is only meant for her belly where such worms are known to live.

"Brommy...oh," Greta giggles loudly when his hands cup her chest to fondle the very things she should have covered. "It tickles. When are you going to be done rubbing it in?"

"I'm done now," the sly man tells her.

How dare he touch her in such a sneaky way. Not that she has much to show for now but being a child makes it more appalling for a man of his age...

My dear's fingers fidget as he folds his arms looking shaken by the disturbing scene. A moment later, he's walking right over to Brommy with his barbed whip coiled around his wrist.

"Adler?" Greta gasps while sitting up on the fountain's edge.

She tumbles off of it hearing a terrifying snarl resound from my dear. He yanks her up from the slate floor by the back of her tunic with his teeth and the fearsome rapid jerk of his head.

Brommy stands his ground as my husband stands up straight with the little girl. Greta must be still in fear for her body hangs limp as his jaw unclamps from the back of her tunic to hold her in arm.

"What?" Brommy draws out as if annoyed and not afraid. "She asked me if I could help her put it on. We've all had a lot of wine tonight...you are not thinking straight."

Adler watches him silently for a long moment. Greta peers at me from over his shoulder like a little baby oblivious to the danger stirring between the two grown men. My dear starts yelling. Greta's face twists up like an ugly raisin as she turns toward his head to address him.

I bite my lip watching the little girl yank his hair.

"It's none of your business if h-he wants to help me with my salve or not, Adler. Leave him alone and put me down...please."

"Greta, he is an adult."

"So am-" she begins to say but he muffles her voice by wrapping his tunic around her.

My breath catches, I step back quickly hearing her cry out when my dear hits the perverted advisor anyway with his whip.

"Brommy! Brommy...no! Stop it!"