His breathing was slow and steady, yet his heart rate seemed to climb by the second. He cracked the closet doors ever so slightly, just enough to see through. It was certainly a man inspecting the room. It was almost certain that he would first notice the exposed niche. Lucullus looked down at his hand, and tightened his grip on the brick. He took it with him into the closet, but everything was happening too fast for him to realize what he was even doing. He was barely aware of his own breathing before the man entered. But now he had a moment, one that almost felt like an eternity, to collect himself.

The man was short and bald; this much was obvious. Lucullus took another look at the brick in his hand. It might make some noise, but it’ll do the job. He drew a sharp breath, and prepared for an attack.

But at that moment, the man opened the closet doors, and slashed Lucullus across the side with his knife. “Hold still, pilfering worm!”

Lucullus jerked from one side to the other, narrowly dodging one fatal strike after the other. He eventually broke free from the closet when one of his dodges broke the side of the closet. He whirled around the man, and smashed him in the back of the head with the brick.

With a grunt that echoed through the halls, the man crashed into the closet. Lucullus dropped the brick, pulled out his sword, and cut the man’s head off. This is the proof Julia needed. As he looked at the head in his hand, the reality of what he had done began to set in. He had killed before, the bandit raids made such things a routine at times, but this made him feel ill, almost as if he was going to vomit. It will all be worth the sacrifice, he told himself, hoping this would settle his shot nerves. His hand quivered a little, but he tried to push the thoughts out of his mind.

He did a quick search through the body, and found a necklace tucked under the man’s tunic. It was the symbol of House Avarus. It was all the proof he needed. With that thought, he dashed out of the room. He tried to keep the head hidden as he navigated the halls, but it was a fool’s errand. When he arrived at the back door to the cellar, he beat on it a few times before it opened.

The barkeeper flinched when he saw the head. “I see you’ve brought the ale I needed.” He motioned for Lucullus to get inside. After closing the door, he let out a rather loud sigh. “Please tell me you did get the right one.”

Lucullus held up the head, despite his own disgust at what he had done. “I believe so.” He pulled out the emblems and letters. “I found these things as further proof.”

“That’s great news. I think it would be best to take these things straight to the boss. He’ll want to see it.”

Lucullus shook his head. “First, I must show these to Julia.”

“Why?”

“I promised her proof once the job is done, and I must make good on my word.”

“Surely the boss’s word would be enough.”

He returned the items, except the head, to his scrip. “Not quite. The only sure way is to bring these items directly to her. The boss shall see them when Julia sees fit.”

The barkeeper sighed. “If you’re going to sneak that head out of the Forum, you’ll need something to carry it in, preferably something that won’t draw the attention of the whole Forum to you.” He began looking around the cellar for something to put the head in. At last, he found a bag big enough to fit the head in. “This ought to be good enough. Everyone will think you’re just going on a plunder trip. A lot of new faces are always hoping to prove themselves, and they’ll just see it as that.”

With a slightly more subtle method of transporting his trophy, Lucullus navigated his way through the Forum. As he passed by people, he tried not to look them in the eyes. He feared that even such a brief acknowledgment could result in his mission being compromised. Just as he was reaching the final stretch of his journey out of the maze of halls in the Forum, a loud altercation sounded from off in the distance, in the direction of the bar. He could hear cries calling for vengeance against whoever killed Valerian. At least, he was fairly certain it was Valerian’s name they were calling out. Regardless, as the fighting intensified, he quickened his pace toward the exit.

As he was nearing the exit tunnel, a man grabbed his bag. He turned around, and drew his sword. The assailant charged him with a knife, but he dodged.

“You killed Valerian!”

Lucullus swung at him. “Nonsense!”

“I saw you come from Valerian’s room!”

Lucullus charged him, and slammed him against the wall. The assailant dropped his knife, and cried out in pain as he felt his ribs crack from the force. Before the man could utter another sound, Lucullus thrust his sword through the man’s chest, and darted off. He utilized the crowds of the busy streets to hide once he was back on the surface.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Sabina entered her eldest son’s chamber late in the night. All of the castle was quiet and still; only the night watch were awake. She woke him from his peaceful slumber, and waited for him to sit up.

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, slightly bewildered. “What is the meaning of a visit at this hour?”

“I must ask you to search your sister’s chamber.”

He took a moment to process the request as he oriented himself toward his mother. “I don’t much care for her unsavory attitude, but why her? What has she done to arouse suspicion?”

“My advisors have informed me of her secret letters. I’ve known of her habit for some time, but I needed to make sure she felt comfortable sending them, to let her believe she was safe. If I acted too quickly, her paranoia would have foiled my plans.”

He rubbed his eyes. “What exactly am I supposed to look for?”

“I know she’s been in contact with certain members of various noble houses. Find any letters which warn of some coming disaster, and bring them to me.”

He yawned. “Right now?”

She nodded.

Lucullus pounded on the door until someone answered. As it creaked open, he was greeted by that familiar old servant of the Duri Manor. “Is Julia around?”

He nodded, eyeing Lucullus’s new bag. “Come in.”

Lucullus followed him through the manor, eventually entering a bed chamber. Inside, Julia was sat at a desk, writing and contemplating in silence. As she heard them enter, she put down her quill and turned to face them.

The servant bowed. “Lady Julia, your mercenary is here.”

“Thank you. Dismissed.”

He bowed, and shuffled out of the room.

Lucullus walked over to the bed, and dropped the bag.

She eyed it as he dropped it. “I take it your mission is complete.”

He nodded. “You shouldn’t have a spy problem anymore.”

“Excellent!” She jumped up from her chair. “I must see it.”

He opened the bag, and stood aside. “Go ahead. Where’s my friend?”

A smile of pure satisfaction crept across her face as she recognized the head in the bag. “Don’t worry, he’ll be here in a minute.” She pulled out a letter from the bag. “What is this?”

“Evidence.” He tossed the Avarus emblem onto the bed. “Valerian also had this. There can be no doubt that he was the one.”

She read over the letter, and her eyes widened. “What you have done for House Duri shall never be forgotten.” She went back to her desk, and grabbed a coin purse that looked to have the head’s weight in gold in it. “As a token of my gratitude, and I’m sure my father’s as well, I also shall give you this, in addition to what was promised,” she proclaimed, handing him the purse.

“Thank you for your generous payment. I wasn’t expecting this deal to go so well.” He looked around for Tiberius. “Is my friend being escorted here by servants?”

“Far from it, lad,” Tiberius announced as he sauntered in through the doorway.

Lucullus’s eyes lit up. “Good to see you’re unharmed. How was your stay?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Quite a peaceful one. I dare say the most relaxing time I’ve had in many years. I think I’d forgotten what it was like to not worry about being ambushed by man or beast. Your investigation was quite swift. I must admit, I thought you might’ve needed at least three or perhaps four more days.”

“Julia’s associate was quite helpful. I don’t think I could’ve done it without him. Valerian is every bit as crafty and paranoid as I was told. But he wasn’t as capable of a fighter as I thought he’d be.”

“Now that you two are reunited, I guess this is where we’ll part ways.” She curtsied. “It has been a pleasure doing business with you two.”

Tiberius bowed, nudging Lucullus to do the same. “Likewise, Lady Julia. Perhaps we will meet again some day.”

“I hope so. If I or my father are ever in need, I shall pray unceasingly that you two are in the area, and I shall send my servants far and wide to find you. If only I could know your names…”

“I find you to be full of honor, Julia,” Lucullus declared. He turned to Tiberius, and the two exchanged looks for a moment.

Tiberius stepped toward Julia. “I think you have certainly proven to be very trustworthy.” He lowered his voice. “I am Tiberius. Find me, for wherever my friend is, I am. And wherever he is that I am not, I shall know where to look.” He stepped back and bowed once more before turning toward the door.

She escorted them to the front door, and waved as they departed. “I shall hope to see you two again some day.”

The journey to Castle Luctus was a cold and miserable one. Winter was still as alive as ever in the north province, and showed no sign of letting up. Lucullus marveled at how anyone could live in such a place. If his farm saw that much snowfall in the winter, he would never be able to leave his house, much less his village. The whole way, Lucullus’s thoughts were wholly focused on how close he was to returning home, to taking back his home. Tullius’s betrayal crept into his thoughts, and memories of his arrest flashed through his mind. Images in his mind of Decimus laying dead on the inn floor were almost as real as the wintry landscape he saw in front of him.

“I wonder if things will ever be simple like they once were after this is all over,” Lucullus wondered aloud, breaking the near perfect silence.

“Even when you do take your revenge against Tullius, I don’t think things will be like they were before. We’re uncovering something big; I can feel it. And I’m surprised you’ve not mentioned your supernatural encounters.”

He shrugged. “I’ve thought about them. I haven’t said that prayer the ghost taught me in a while. It just seems to me like he’d visit me more. Sometimes it makes me think I truly know nothing about the spirits.”

“If I were you, I’d spend a lot more time contemplating the words which that spirit spoke. Spirits, I don’t think, would care to waste words; each one counts. Their access to this world seems to be limited. I’ve only ever heard legends and rumors about people encountering them. You’re the only one who had such encounters that I’ve spoken to directly.”

“My mission comes first. Once Tullius has been shown justice, unlike what he showed me, and when my home is mine again, then I can spend time thinking about whatever this spirit is trying to tell me.”