VI

Wren found himself standing in Head Caretaker Ivara's office, with Sam nervously fidgeting next to him. The office was the nicest room Wren had seen so far. Dark hardwood cover the walls and celling, with a massive bookshelf lining one side. A large but simple desk stood in front of him, and seated in a deep red winged chair, was Head Caretaker Ivara. The older women had a sharp, pinchy face, with skin stretched across, giving her a skeletal look. Her grey hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her ice blue eyes pierced straight into Wrens soul. Simple wire frame spectacles sat upon her nose. This did not look like the sort of kind gentle caretaker he was hoping she'd be.

For several minutes she switched between reading the report on her desk, and staring at the two of them. In the long silence, Wrens stomach let out an embarrassed croak. They were missing lunch right now. Ivara finally removed her glasses, interlaced her fingers, and set her gaze on the pair.

"As you should know already, I do not tolerate fighting like this amongst those under my care. Obviously squabbles happen among children, but shattering the knee of an older boy with a horse shoeing hammer? That is beyond unacceptable." Her shrill voice filled the room, and just as fast, Wren wished for the silence again.

Sam gulped loudly. He had always tried his best to keep his head down, and this was the first time anything like this had happened. He had already pleaded his case to the Horsemaster when he escorted them here. But he did make the choice to pick up that hammer, and swing it as hard as he could at Masons knee, and for that he knew there would be trouble.

"Ma'am," Started Wren. "He was protecting me. I'm still weak and-"

Ivara raised her hand to silence him. "Yes I've read the report, thank you. Horsemaster Cale was quite detailed, and did in fact make a solid point as to WHY you decided to engage in this behavior. I have taken that into consideration, but I cannot simply let you two off with a warning. The other children might start getting ideas."

Wren felt a pit in his stomach form. He hadn't even been here a day and he had already made enemies, gotten in a fight, was about to receive some kind of punishment. What a great start.

Ivara lifted a sheet of paper from her desk, replacing the glasses on her face.

"Some from of menial labor is typically what I prefer. It looks like you two have lucked out somewhat, as the infirmary is requesting some hands for cleaning."

Wrens emotions went from despair to excitement. The infirmary! Maybe he'd actually get a chance to see his sister!

"Your shift," Continued Ivara. "Starts tonight, after the staff leave, and will go for the rest of the week. You will have access to the rooms as needed, and naturally there will be an escort with you."

Sam let out a breath and Wren nodded vigorously.

"Count yourselves lucky, and in the future, refrain from striking other students with hammers. I don't want to hear about anything like this again. You are dismissed."

Sam bowed his head, muttering his thanks, then retreated from the office, with Wren following closely. Outside the office, Sam stared straight up at the ceiling. Wren placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for getting you into trouble Sam."

The boy looked at him.

"I had to do something. Mason is cruel, and he's crippled kids in the past. Besides, I'm too fragile to do anything by myself. The hammer was my only option."

Wren remembered the older boy mocking Sam, calling him "twig". It was a fitting name, unfortunately. Sam looked just shy of being called sickly, with his slender build, small arms, and ghostly pale skin. If he had tried to help with his bare hands, it was almost certain he would have ended up in the infirmary.

Upon returning back to their room, they were greeted with a surprise. One of the other boys, maybe about a year older than Wren, handed him something wrapped in a small cloth. He unfolded it to reveal a block of cheese! Wren tried to recall his name. Tobar perhaps?

"We heard what happened at the stables, and why you missed lunch." The boy said, offering a faint smile. "Not very many people stand up to the bullies, so, thanks."

Wren didn't know what to say. After all, he only did what he thought was the right thing to do. Were the kids here that broken? The boy wandered away before Wren could properly thank him. He broke the cheese in half, and handed some to Sam.

"Have you worked in the infirmary before?"

Sam shook his head, his mouth full of cheese.

"I've helped sweep up messes during the day, but never at night. That's not something I'd ever want to do."

Wren cocked his head to one side questioningly. Sam finished his measly meal, then sat on his bed.

"Some kids say they've seen strange things in there, after dark. People walking the hallways, only to vanish. Voices that dont come from anyone. They say its haunted." His eyes got wide as he looked off in the distance.

"Ghosts?" Wren asked cynically. "People think there's ghosts haunting the infirmary? I stayed there and didn't notice anything."

Sam shrugged, clearly trying to brush it off. "That's just what they say. If there is, I don't want anything to do with it. You'll see for yourself, weird things happen around here. Its almost as if having the Silverbloods around actually attracts things."

Wren had never heard that before. The knights were always sent to were the trouble was. Although, now that he thought about it, he didn't think he ever heard about an area being cleared of monsters and the knights leaving. Bad things would happen, they would show up and usually set up a garrison like this one, and become permanent to the region. This thinking was starting to lead Wren down a very dark rabbit hole. Before he got too far in his thoughts, the door opened, and caretaker Edric stalked in. His scowl swept the room, causing the children to stop what they were doing and wait in silence. His eyes met Wren's, and he pointed.

"You two, come here now."

Sam and Wren scampered to the front. Edric handed them each a thin, shabby wad of cloth.

"Head Caretaker Ivara thinks you might need these, although I don't know why she cares. After we march to supper, you two will remain at the mess hall, and an escort will take you to your appointed place. Do not cause me any more trouble, or you'll regret it." he sneered at the boys before swiftly leaving the room. The wad of fabric turned out to be a sad excuse for a cloak. Stained and patched, Wren could almost see his hand through it. But it would be better than nothing, especially since the nights were becoming bitter cold.

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Caretaker Edric marched the children to the mess hall, through the mud and twisting alleyways. Sam and Wren carried their cloaks in their arms, rather than wearing them. Edric said it was "unfair" for the other kids to not get them, so they must match everyone else, as if at some half-hearted excuse to enforce uniformity. It was petty and made Wren resent the man even more. It's as if has doing everything in his power just to make them all miserable. The evening meal was arguably the best so far. A meat and vegetable stew, not-too-stale bread, and more cheese. Upon Sam's recommendation, Wren stuffed some extras in his pocket for later. There was no telling how late they'd be up tonight. After a thankfully uneventful supper, the two boys watched as their caretaker marched everyone away, back to the orphanage. Wren threw the cloak over himself, and it drooped limply across his shoulders. The wind cut right through it. The sun dipped below the hills, and dusk spread across the compound. Men hurried to and fro, carrying torches to light the lanterns that hung around the area.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

A cough from behind them caused them to turn, and a man in brown leather armor stood a short distance away. He carried a lantern of his own, and a short sword swung from his side. Between his basic clothing and this brown eyes, Wren was surprised to see this was not a Silverblood night. He appeared to be just a regular soldier.

"Evenin' boys." He said. "I'll be your escort for tonight. Takin' you over to the infirmary for some cleanin'. Please follow me, if you will."

He set off, and they quickly moved to follow. Back through the ever confusing paths between the buildings, Wren was surprised by the lack of night sounds. No insects chirped, no owls called. True winter was approaching, but there should still have been something. The only sound was the squelch of the mud beneath their shoes. The silence was unsettling. The infirmary loomed out of the darkness ahead of them. The empty dark windows stared back at Wren, and a shiver ran down his spine as he recalled what Sam had said. The soldier lit the lanterns beside the doors, then used a key get a door open. The boys followed him in. Cold dark stone greeted them. Through the eerie quiet, light could be seen from one of the wings.

"Now, you'll have this whole place mostly to yourselves." The soldier said. "There's a nurse here or there, lookin' after a few of the patience, but pay them no mind. There's a broom closet just down the hall, and I'll be in this room here. Don't be causin' any trouble, and lets have us a quite night. "With that, he opened a side door and disappeared. Obviously his escort duties for two young boys weren't that much of a concern to him. The silence seemed to push down on them as they made their way down the hall, their soft shoes making only the faintest of sounds. Sam opened the first door they came to, and found it was filled with brooms, mops, and other cleaning items. Grabbing a broom Wren said,

"Why don't you start down there, where we started? I'll head to the other end of the hallway. Then we can meet each other in the middle. "

Sam nodded. "Good idea. "

Wren planned to do as much snooping as he could. He didn't know where his sister was at, but just knowing she was in the same building as him got his heart racing. The took longer than he expected. He passed by several doors leading to wings full of beds, some of them lit faintly, but most totally dark. When he finally reached the wall at the end, He saw a staircase going up, the cold stones leading deeper into the darkness. He could just faintly see the doors they came through, lit by one sputtering torch, and the movements of Sam. Wren got to work, scraping the firm broom across the stones, dragging dirt around more than anything. Frustration grew in him as he Immediately realized this was going to take all night. He worked as quickly as he could, making little piles of dirt as he moved.

Halfway between the back wall and the last wing, a footstep sounded behind him. He froze. The sound was faint but unmistakable. Expecting to see a nurse descending the stairs, he whipped around. No one was there. He stared into the darkness as the hair raised on the back of his neck. After a few moments, he turned back to his work. He put any thoughts of the source out of his mind, but his eyes were wide, and he felt chills on his arms.

Reaching the first door he peeked inside. At the very end of the ward, a light gleamed. He opened the door as quietly as he could, and padded inside. Rows of vacant beds filled the room, identical to the place he stayed his first week. At the very end, a thin curtain blocked his view of the last bed, but the dim candle was coming from behind. He moved it aside to glance in, hoping to find his sister, but instead found a man. His face was wrapped in bandages, and he slept soundly. Disappointed, Wren stepped back. He turned to leave, as the ward was actually cleaner than the hallway, but stopped suddenly.

A face peered at him through the window of the door. His breath caught in his throat. Soft brown hair framed a delicate young face, and familiar deep blue eyes locked onto his.

Lira.

"Lira!" Wren shouted.

He sprinted down the ward and yanked the door into the hallway open. Nothing. Panting furiously, Wren whipped his head from side to side, but she was no where in sight. Sam was still far down at the end of the hallway, working his broom back and fourth. Wren turned and ran to the stairs.

That had to be her! He thought. That footsteps...that face!

Wren reached the stairs and hesitated slightly. The darkness was foreboding. He swallowed, then bound up the steps. He reached the second floor and found a hallway just like the first, only with doors on either side. Candlelight shone faintly through some of the windows and under the frames. Not a soul was present in the hallway.

Where was she?

Wren came to the first door he found with light spilling out from under it and opened it slightly. He found what appeared to be a private room. An empty bed sat in the corner beside a dresser. He closed the door and moved on. Finally, after checking two more doors, he found a ward with candlelight illuminating the far bed. He quietly hurried inside, anxiety welling up in his chest. Once again a curtain blocked his view of the occupant, and he carefully shifted it aside. A small girl lay in the bed, her eyes closed. It was her -- his sister!

"Lira!" He said, his voice breaking.

He ran to her side and clutched her hand. She appeared to be asleep, just like the last time he saw her. He brushed his fingers on her cheek, and gently called to her. Her eyelids fluttered. He called to her again, tears springing to his eyes, his heart swelling. Her head turned, and finally her eyes opened. The deep blue that reminded him so much of his mother stared back at him. Wren cried, and wrapped his arms around her. Lira slowly placed her arms around him, gently hugging him back. Wren broke the embrace.

"Lira I've missed you so much! I'm so happy I found you!" Tears ran on to his checks and all the emotion pent up can crashing out.

But Lira just stared at him. Wren sniffed and wiped his eyes, his joy faltering.

"Lira? what-what's wrong?"

She stared back at him unblinking, her eyes wide and her mouth a straight line, her face an unreadable expression. She didn't speak, just...stared.

Something was horribly wrong.