39 Chapter 4 (1/2)

The smell of fresh ink, the sound of Phobos' steady breathing as she ground the inkstone against the slab, the slight ache in my arm from holding the ink laden brush steady over the parchment, it all blended into a mass of sensations in my mind as I still pondered over the events of the morning.

Father was going to join the army and mother would follow in his footsteps.

As for me, I had yet to decide my future course of action. As a Hominum, I was exempt from the mandatory military conscription, but, if I so chose, I could follow father there.

Or, I could prepare to take over the position of Clan Head by staying back in the clan.

There was another course I could take. I could imitate the travelling Bards like Tamriel Hawthorne and travel the lands, subduing Ferals and reuniting them with their families.

But, more than my uncertain future, I was concerned about the safety of my parents at the border battlefield. Things were peaceful now, but the tensions were running high between us and the Shogunate. No one could predict when war would erupt.

The setting sun cast a ruddy tint on the piece of parchment in front of me. A drop of ink which had gathered at the tip of my brush wobbled and fell on the sheet, dripping down due to the slight slant of the table upon which it was placed.

Under the sanguine sunlight, it brought to mind the image of clotted blood.

Inspiration flashed and I touched brush to parchment, the words flowing out onto the thick sheet in elegant lettering.

…

Amongst blade and bone,

We fight,

......We bleed,

............We die.

Waiting for us at home,

They pray,

.......They fret,

..............They cry.

…

Phobos scattered some adsorbent sand upon the freshly gleaming letters and with a swirl of wind mana, I blew it off, revealing the completed work.

It would be my entry to the Calligraphy and Painting competition.

I set down my brush and relaxed my posture as I carefully rolled up the parchment and tied it with a string, sealing it shut with my wax seal.

Phobos squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. ”Don't worry, Husband. Father-in-law will be just fine. The war has yet to begin and my parents at the border fort write to me regularly of their boredom.”

I placed my hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. Gently tracing the contract marking on the back of her hand with a finger, my mood took a turn for the better. What would happen, would happen. As long I had her and Deimos by my side, it would be nothing I couldn't overcome.

A knock at the door interrupted the romantic mood and I frowned slightly before getting up to open it while Phobos tidied up my writing implements.

Gerard burst into the room as soon as I had unlatched the door with Fiona in tow.

”Steven's missing!” he exclaimed before I could get a word in.

I studied their faces. They looked quite worried and stressed from the situation. it seemed that the matter was quite serious.

I stood aside from the doorway, inviting them to enter. Speaking calmly, as I had seen my father do while he addressed distraught subordinates, I inquired the details of the situation.

Steadied by my calm façade and attentive questions, they narrated their experience when they had gone to visit Steven in his sickbed.

When they had asked to meet him, the hospital staff had informed them that Steven had sneaked out in the middle of the night one day ago and never returned.

They had tried to communicate with father but due to his recuperation, post-duel, they hadn't been able to get in touch.

I shared a glance with Phobos who had finished with the tidying up and had come over to listen to their story.

”Come on. I'll come with you to the hospital to investigate. Father and Mother are busy now and I don't want to disturb them. Since he sneaked out on his own, the chances of it being an abduction are pretty low. With Deimos' shadow affinity, she'll be able to track his mana signature if it's less than a day old. If we don't find any clues by the end of tonight, I'll pass the news to father.”

Gerard nodded and the four of us made our way to the hospital. Once there, Gerard brought us to the night watchman who had seen Steven last.

The guard was quite enthusiastic in his tale.

”Ah've seen that lad alright. Pastiest pair of buttocks Ah've ever seen. There Ah was, bored out of mah mind, keepin' mah eyes peeled for suspicious stuff and he goes streakin' across the alley, his hospital gown flapping all 'round. Burnt mah eyes is what he did.

”One second Ah saw him, the next, he was gone. Thought Ah'd dreamt it all up. Then the higher ups be askin' around for a lad like him the next day, so I realized ah wasn't just seeing things.”

The corners of my lips twitched. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, I'd feel like laughing my head off.

We went to the entrance of the alley that the guard had indicated and Phobos cast her senses around. According to the guard's description, he had suddenly disappeared at the edge of the alley, probably a result of Shadow Stealth. So, if we wanted to track his mana signature, the best place to start would be there.