Ch.1
Ravus’parents died in an accident when he was 28. As a matter of course, Ravus Nox Fleuret, the firstborn son, inherited most of the family fortune. He came from a long noble house and had lived abroad since the age of 12, merely returning to his native country.
It took him months of paperwork, dozens of deeds in his name almost drove him mad. As he sorted through the documents of all the Fleurets’ estates, he found one of them called Firwood park, which was remote in the north, far from city, and he had never been there, nor had he heard his parents mention it, Ravus had taken an interest in this estate.
Two years later, after a long period of hustle and bustle, Ravus decided to take a break from business. He got on a train and arrived in a village nearby Firwood. This trip was kind of incognito, without informing anyone, he got into a hackney coach and headed to his estate alone.
Free from the crowds and noises in the city, there was only a quiet wilderness. Smoke was rising from the cook chimneys in some distant villages, breeze rustled through the fir trees, bringing the fragrance of summer. The rumbling of wheels sometimes punctured the silence, Ravus closed his eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air in the growing increasingly expecting about his country life in the coming months. In the carriage, he asked the coachman about Firwood park, and was told that the manor had been deserted for nearly twenty years. The coachman, who was also a young man, barely knew about the history of the estate, except that he had heard it spoken of in tavern. Firwood park was described as gloomy and ghastly, spreading many horror stories, and said to be haunted, according to some local lore.
Ravus sniffed at the rumours. He was highly educated and did not believe in ghosts or wraiths,or any thing like that. But there was no doubt that the coachman’s words had deepened his interest in Firwood park.
The road to the manor was rough, the carriage jolted all afternoon, and by the time Ravus reached Firwood, it was already dusk.
This was a vary aged, eerie place. The manor house in the distance was outlined in darkness. Firwood was, as the coachman said, indeed a deserted place, with rusty gates and a vast lawn that looked as if it had not been mowed for many years.
Ravus rang the bell on the iron gate. In fact, he didn’t expect anyone to answer it. He had heard that there was an old caretaker living in the park, but the desolation of the estate made him think that perhaps no one could live here at all. Minutes later, just as Ravus was about to lose his patience, an old man in a gardener’s coat opened the door for him. He was Firwood’s caretaker.
Figuring out who Ravus was, the old man opened the door for him and carried his luggage to the house. As they walked across the meadow, Ravus stared at the landscape and understood why the place had so many haunted legends. Firwood wasn’t just desolate, it was filled with a somber mood. The hedges were overgrown with vines, in the twilight, they looked like some demons baring fangs and claws. The fountains were drained, left only dried sludge. All the statues or stone benches were covered with Moss. The manor house was old, with its walls cracked opened, and covered in dark green ivy.
By the time the night was falling, they reached the manor house. It was the year of 1905, but the manor house did not even have a lantern or a gas lamp. The caretaker lit a candle and apologized to Ravus for the mess of his estate.
It was not the caretaker’s fault, Ravus knew, to run such a large estate would require at least a few dozens servants. The furniture in the house was covered with white cloth. Some of the wallpaper had been tore off. Some of the places exposed the mottled wall which were probably where some paintings had been hung and removed.
The caretaker arranged a bedroom for Ravus. After sweeping up the dust and cobwebs, driving away the bats and rats, and replacing the bedding, the bedroom was at least livable.
That night, Ravus lay in bed, frustrated to find that his dreamed idyllic life in the country was over. He decided that he must send a telegram to Lunafrena tomorrow, asking her to send some servants to Firwood.
Ravus did not sleep well that night. He kept hearing a noise from upstairs, like some footsteps of something strolling around. At first Ravus tried to put himself to sleep, telling himself it might have been some animals such like a raccoon or something that had gotten into house. Yet at two o’clock in the morning, he was awakened by a loud noise. Ravus lost his temper. He lit the candle, picked up his shotgun, and climbed up to the attic.
The Manor House had a basement and three floors, the hosts and guests’ bedrooms were on the second floor, and the third floor appeared supposing to be high-ranking servants’ place. With a candle in his hand, Ravus creaked up the stairs to the top floor. The stairs and hallways were covered with cobwebs and a thick layer of dust that looked as if no one had set foot on this place for years.
Although Ravus believed no ghosts and such, the eerie atmosphere of the mansion still gave him the creeps. The caretaker lived in a small cabin which was far from mansion, Ravus was pretty much left in solitude in this gruesome, desolated house.
Ravus opened door after door and found nothing but a bunch of fat moths and mice. Just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, he heard a noise behind a door.
He took a deep breath, emboldened himself, and then kicked it open.
A trill of terror ran through Ravus’ limb as the door creaked open. Light of the candle shone brightly into the room, and a face emerged from the darkness. At that moment, he felt his throat was choked and his heart barely beating. He was too frightened to scream.
But then, he heard a piercing cry.
The one Ravus found seemed even more afraid than Ravus himself. It was a child, in a dirty summer suit, staring at Ravus with big, cat-like golden brown eyes. He pointed at Ravus with a shocked look on his face. Series of terrified screams rose from his throat.
Ravus was relieved when the child began to scream, at least the fear of seeing him had proof that this child was not some kind of wraith.
Screaming, the child got up and ran to the window. Ravus jumped on him, grabbed him by the collar and pulled the child back. Yes, he could touch him, and the child was warm, all signs of a human being.
Ravus felt more assured.
The child was still struggling to get out of the strong arm of Ravus, and he even bit him with his teeth, trying to break free.
“Hey, calm down, I’m not a ghost and I won’t hurt you,” said Ravus, trying to calm the terrified boy.
The boy finally stopped screaming.
He stared at him warily for a moment, he cast his eyes across Ravus’ face and hands, then smiled apologetically after he saw clearly of the man in front of him.
“Who are you? ” The boy asked.
“I am Ravus Nox Fleuret, owner of this house. And you? “
“You may call me Izunia, ” said the boy, looking at Ravus, pausing for a moment. “I may be a tenant of the house, uninvited. “
Then Izunia grinned and blushed, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
Ravus laughed.
“How long have you lived here? “
“It’s probably been a while. “
Ravus looked around and saw that the room was just a broom closet and that there was almost nothing in it.
“Are you from the village? ” Ravus surmised that the child might be an orphan from nearby.
“No. No. Not from the village. One winter a few years ago, I was so cold in the woods that I took refuge in this house. I thought it was nice, so I settled down. You’re pretty much the only person I’ve seen in a while,”said Izunia, he bowed to Ravus and made a presentable tip-off. “I am honored to meet you, my landlord, ” he said.
“My pleasure, ” smiled Ravus, who returned the salute. “Does the caretaker know you live here? “
The child tensed and shivered at the mention of the caretaker, then shrugged his shoulders in contempt.
“Of course he doesn’t, and please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to be expelled, “Izunia said, winking mischievously, “Don’t worry about me. I won’t give you much trouble. I can hunt and eat rabbits in the woods. I live here and it won’t cost you a penny. “
This answer reinforced Ravus’conviction that the boy in front of him was most likely to be an outcast.
Izunia was at most 13 or 14 years old. His skin was not so white as the other children’s, but light brown. He had a mess of red curly hair. His Golden Brown eyes shone in the candlelight. Ravus speculated that Izunia might be a gypsy child, a nomadic people who used to sneak into empty houses in the winter.
Finally, Ravus shrugged and acquiesced in Izunia’s presence.
“You can stay as long as you like, but promise me three things: First, don’t take anything from the house; Second, eating rabbits no more, it’s unsanitary, you can have dinner with me; third, don’t sleep in the attic any more, you can sleep in my room tonight, and we’ll talk about where you’ll be staying tomorrow. “said Ravus.
“Deal, ” Izunia said, holding out one hand to high-five Ravus, but was ignored.
Back in the bedroom, Ravus tucked Izunia into his quilt. The boy was too dirty for Ravus to share a bed with.
The clock struck three and Ravus’first stay in Firwood was doomed to be ruined, so he decided to sit at his desk and read.
Izunia apparently didn’t mean to go to sleep either, after a moment’s silence the child put his head under the covers and giggled.
“What now? ” Asked Ravus impatiently.
“Nothing, ” Izunia replied. “I just never thought I’d be sleeping in such a big bed again with such a clean, soft quilt. Ravus, what are you reading? “
Ravus closed his book in exasperation.
“It’s just a stupid novel, and don’t call me Ravus. I’m much older than you. Please show some respect. “
“All right, all right. ” Izunia raised her hand in a gesture of surrender. “As you wish, Mr. Ravus-much-older-than-me. Seriously, how old are you? “
“Thirty, ” replied Ravus.
“Oh, you’re really old then, ” Izunia said with a pretended surprised look in his eyes.
“It is not old, it is called grown-up! ” Cried Ravus, losing all patience at last.
“Don’t be angry, Mr. Ravus-grown-up, ” Izunia said with a laugh.
Ravus has an intolerance for all the nicknames that Izunia had given him. “You win, ” he said, covered his forehead in frustration. “you can call me Ravus. “
“Hooray! ” Izunia shouted.
After winning first round of the game, the annoying gypsy kid finally slipped under the covers and decided to go to sleep, Ravus sighed, such a relief for a 30-year-old who is not good with children!
Ravus reopened the book and continued his reading.
There was only one candlestick in the bedroom. In the dim light, Ravus, with sore eyes, tried to put his mind in reading. Except around the desk, there was only darkness. After a while, he heard someone in the gloom called softly: “Ravus? “
It was Izunia’s voice. However, this time, instead of the playful, mischievous vivacity of the boy’s voice, there was a lump in his throat.
“What’s the matter? ” Ravus asked tenderly, thinking that perhaps the child was having a bad dream.
“Ha! GOTCHA! ” Izunia laughed, tucking his head in, this time for real.
Ch.2
In the morning, when Ravus woke up on the couch beside his desk, he found a blanket covering him and Izunia had disappeared. Had it not been for those muddy footprints on his white sheets, he would have thought that the Gypsy boy of last night was only a dream.
He searched every corner of the house and found no sign of Izunia. Perhaps the child had left and gone on his vagrant life.
Ravus kept his words and made no mention of Izunia to the caretaker. He hid his purpose and implicitly asked whether there had been occasional some intruders in Firwood park during his absence.
The question led to a stream of complaints from the caretaker. “Well, my Lord, ” the old man said, as he tidied up the room,”there were always some tramps or folks who came into your manor when I was not looking. What choice do I have? I am the sole caretaker of such a vast estate, even some Gypsies have wintered in the house before, and of course I had driven them all out, and I did not let them steal half your penny.”
The following week was quiet, and Izunia was never seen again.
Two weeks later, dozens of servants finally arrived. The yard and mansion got cleaned up, life had returned to the place, Firwood park was brightened up.
One evening, just three weeks after Ravus arrived in Firwood, he heard a knock on his window, which led to the balcony. He pulled back the curtain and saw Izunia standing there, cradling a pile of berries and giving him a sly smile.
“where have you been? ” Ravus opened the balcony door and dragged the child in. Three weeks, and the little gypsy was still sloppy.
“Nothing, just hanging around, as usual, ” the boy replied, handing a dusty fruit to Ravus. “It’s my present for you, dear landlord. “
The fruit was stained with sludge and leaves and even had a fleshy caterpillar lying on it. Ravus took the fruit, put it on the table with a look of disgusting, then wiped his hands.
Meanwhile, Izunia was casually wandering around the bedroom, admiring the new furnishings. He touched and played with all sorts of novelty with a unbridled manner, trampling his muddy bare feet on the brand-new wool carpet.
He poked at a clock and gave his compliment, “you’ve got a lot of Nice things, so you’re really going to settle down here? “
“No, just for a summer.”
“Such a pity! ” Izunia shrugged, with an affected regret on her face. “I’ll be lonely without you. “
“I don’t see how much you need me, ” retorted Ravus, with a sneer. “The day after I found you, you ran like hell. “
“Did you miss me? ” Izunia teased,a little eager to please.
“No, not at all. I pray to God you don’t come back, ” replied Ravus coldly, putting his arms around him. “It’s just that God doesn’t seem to care for me. “
“Oh, you just missed me, ” Izunia shouted with a laugh.
He took off his dirty hat and made a comical bow as an apology.
Ravus frowned at Izunia’s glib words, “seriously, you can’t just wander around all the time, ” he said in a serious tone. “It’s not a real life, especially for a kid at your age. It’s dangerous. “
However, it was clear that Izunia did not care for Ravus’admonition at all. He even started humming a wandering tune.
“I’m so used to this life, you don’t know how many years I’ve been living it, I don’t care. My good landlord, you just have to give me a place to stay, don’t worry about me, ” said Izunia, winking at Ravus.
Ravus had given up trying to convince Izunia, but he still hadn’t given up trying to get the boy’s life back on track.
After some time together, he could say for sure that Izunia was an extremely smart child, and that there was a sophistication in this precocious boy, perhaps the result of a life on the road. Ravus felt it was his duty to send him to school and help him start a decent life. If possible, he may adopt Izunia, in fact, he had already started consulting his lawyer on the matter.
Soon Ravus found that Izunia seemed to be well educated. The boy often rummaged through his bookshelves, reading whatever he could find, whether it was in French, German or Latin.
Ravus had hired several secretaries to look after his business. One of them, a seminarian who had dropped out of school, was a snob. In the reports he sent, he always liked to quote from somewhere, or to show off his half-understood Latin.
Izunia was a prankster by nature, with a sharp tongue and a penchant for taunting. Once, when Ravus was reviewing some documents sent by his secretary, he was surprised that Izunia, the stray boy, had correctly pointed out every phrasing error in the paper.
“You know, cosmopolitan people like me have to get some speciality, ” Izunia explained with a shrug. “I don’t have any other skills, only a nice thinking head and some clever fingers which are good at cracking a lock. “
“I can see that, ” thought Ravus. Every once in a while, the boy would disappear for couples of days, and every time he returned to Firwood, he would never use the front door, either going through the window, or sneaking into Ravus’bedroom to surprise him.
Izunia was obviously good at hiding. There were dozens of servants in the House now, and the boy did not want anyone to find him. Given the reputation of the gypsies among ordinary people, his concern was understandable. No one had ever seen Izunia except Ravus.
However, the boy would occasionally play tricks on the maids, sometimes coming out of nowhere and tugging at their skirts, or outstretching a leg from the corner and tripping them over. Over time, the lore about Firwood became more and more bizarre. In the nearby villages, there were already tales of elves and goblins, and those folks even began to believe that there were mischievous spirits living in Firwood park.
During this period, something inexplicable happened. The legend of the haunting began spreading around Firwood, some servants said that every Friday night at two o’clock they would hear someone wandering in the corridor of the first floor. They opened the door but no one seemed to be there.
Given Izunia’s usual pattern, Ravus had no doubt that it was nothing but another one of his endless pranks. On a Friday night, he waited in a room on the first floor to catch the mischievous boy.
By the time the clock struck two, Ravus had already fallen into drowsiness. Suddenly, he felt a pat on the back which woke him up. He looked back and saw Izunia standing behind him, candle in hand, making a face.
“Ravus, what are you doing here? ” The boy asked, laughing.
“Shash!” Ravus put a finger to his lips, ”Listen!”
Just then they heard a slow, low step at the end of the corridor. It seemed that it was the tread of a strong man, and that he was walking very softly. Ravus froze, turning his pale face to Izunia, and it couldn’t be more clear that the gypsy boy had nothing to do with the sound of footfall.
“Follow me, and do not leave my side, ” ordered Ravus. He snatched the candle from Izunia’s hand, grabbed a shotgun and, in a protective gesture, covered the boy behind him.
“Wow! Are we hunting ghosts? Or Thieves? ” The gypsy boy lowered his voice. There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes. He popped his head out from Ravus’ back,looked around cheerfully .
Then they rushed into the dark corridor. Ravus saw a light of the candle flicker at the end of the hallway and disappear down a stairway leading to the basement.
The cellar was behind the basement door. There’s no way out.
Ravus took the shotgun, loaded it, and kicked open the door. He searched every corner of the cellar, but there was no one to be seen.
When he finally finished his searching, he saw Izunia standing at the door of cellar. There was an agony of worry on the boy’s face.
“It’s all right, Izunia, ” said Ravus with a smile. “It’s safe here. Come over. “
“No, I’m fine here.”said the boy, slowly shook his head,”It’s dark and cold in the cellar and there are rats and bats and things like that. I’m not going there. “
The anxiety in Izunia’s eyes increased, it was like that fear came upon him as he was standing on the door of cellar.
Ravus knew, of course, that Izunia was just looking for an excuse. How could a street boy who had lived in the attic for many years be afraid of mice and bats? Izunia’s timidity was fleeting, and soon he was back to his usual playful ways. The footsteps never came again on Friday nights and Ravus was so bustling about that he never thought about it again.
Ch.3
Though Izunia often came and went like a shadow, whenever Ravus needed to see him, he had never kept him waiting for long.
During the first two months, the estate was still under renovation. Sometimes Ravus could not bear the noise of construction and went to read in a greenhouse far away from the manor house, which was the only well maintained part of the estate.
The caretaker appeared to be quite keen on gardening. All plants and trees in the greenhouse were well tended, and the glass and floor were unspoiled. Even the tea table and the carpet were kept clean and tidy.
Of all the plants, Ravus’s favorite was a small, lush bed of Larkspur, their pale blue flowers blooming in the sunlight, fluttered feebly in the breeze that blowing into the greenhouse from time to time. Izunia also seemed to like the garden, watering or weeding the Larkspur while Ravus reading.
The annoying thing was that the caretaker didn’t seem too comfortable with leaving Ravus, a literally layman on gardening, alone in his well tended greenhouse. And every now and then, he found some excuses to break in and see if the owner of the house has disturbed the plants. When he came in, Izunia was always hiding as fast as she could.
Sometimes Ravus went hunting in the woods. Except for his hounds, Izunia was the only one with him. The boy seemed to know the forest very well. He knew every path and where every animal nested.
When it came to hunting, Izunia was always excited. At first, Ravus’s hounds didn’t like Izunia much, barking at the boy or making threatening sounds of fear. Generally speaking, neither hounds nor watchdogs were fond of Gypsies. After a while, the dogs seemed to have been tamed by Izunia, they showed a kind of absolutely obedient submission to the boy, even more compliant than which to their owner.
There was one time, Ravus chased a wild duck to a pond. For the first time he knew that there was a lake in the forest. Beams of sunlight peeked through the trees, shining upon the tranquil and smooth lake, sparkling. The water was flowing gently, making beautiful sound.
Attracted by the beauty of the lake, Ravus approached the shore. At this point, Izunia suddenly grabbed him.
Very rarely, the boy put away his smirk and shook his head at Ravus with a stern straight face.
“Ravus, don’t go near the lake, it’s dangerous, you’ll drown, ” Izunia made command in an emphatic tone.
“Why? It’s just a shallow pool, besides, I can swim, ” said Ravus, somewhat felt uncomfortable about Izunia’s sudden solemnity.
The boy still refused to let go of him.
“I knew a boy who fell into this lake when he was around my age. “
“And then? ” Suddenly Ravus tensed, foreboding that Izunia was about to tell a sad story.
“I saved him, but when I found him in the water, he was drowning, ” Izunia said, smiling. “Of course, my friend’s now alive and well. “
Once again, Ravus felt he was being manipulated by Izunia. He rubbed his child’s hair and said, “what amazes me most is that anyone would want to be friend with you. “
“Hey, don’t look down on me, ” the boy talked back, curled his lips into a sneer, “before I decided to live a solitary life, I was a people magnet! “
“But now, you’re just a tick magnet.” With a look of disgust on his face, Ravus pulled his hand out of Izunia’s red hair and found it covered in cinder-like dust.
A few weeks later, with the estate completely renovated, Ravus had officially begun to receive guests. Firwood park hosted a diner every Wednesday, all the noble families and bourgeoisie nearby were invited to the Fleuret banquet.
Some of the noble families, with their unmarried daughters, came to visit Ravus, a wealthy bachelor, in the hope of a good match. Ravus, of course, knew clearly about their little plans. Though he was tired of them, he would still have to welcome everyone with open arms, for the sake of courtesy.
Apparently Izunia hated to see those well-dressed, coquettish girls flirting with his friend either. Sometimes, when the guests had left, the Gypsy boy emerged from under the table and began to laugh at gold-digging families in a mean way.
“The girls were winking at you, Ravus. Some of them blinked so hard, I’m afraid their eyes are going to pop out! How ridiculous they are! Their faces painted red and white, ” laughed Izunia, imitating the girls who had just left with a funny look, “they looked too fake, as if they were made of ribbons and powder. “
Ravus was often embarrassed by Izunia’s taunts. Although he did not like those girls, when the words came out of this little gypsy boy’s mouth, it was as if Izunia was exposing to his face the sham of high society, which was also the society Ravus lived in. It made him feel like that he was one of those hypocrites.
Despite what Izunia felt, guests continued to visit Firwood. Once, when the guests had left, Ravus returned to the drawing-room and found Izunia sitting at the piano, playing and imitating in a strange voice of a love song that had just been sung by one of the girls.
“Did you see that she was flirting with you, Ravus? ” Izunia said, winking at the young man. “Don’t tell me you are going to find such a hostess for Firwood. There is nothing but flirtation and netting a well-appointed husband in their mind. I’d say they are all unworthy of you. “
Ravus, who had just been harried by his restless guests, was now being ridiculed by a self-invited street boy.
“It’s none of your business whether I marry someone or not! ” He warned, impatiently and coldly. “Step away from grown-ups’ affairs! “
“Fuck the grown-ups! ” Out of the blue, Izunia snapped. He banged on the piano, a loud noise followed.
Then the boy slammed the door and ran out. Long after he left, the hum of the piano still echoed through the drawing room.
After the quarrel, Izunia did not show up for several days.
It wasn’t until a week later that Izunia returned, as usual, with some grubby presents. He tucked a bunch of wild flowers into Ravus’s arms and scratched his ragged hair in embarrassment, “Ravus, don’t be mad at me. I won’t make fun of you and those girls any more. It’s like you said, sooner or later, man gets to have a family, marry and settle down, establish his own social circle, live a real life. These are important for a decent man, and someone like me is not in a position to make fun of those things.”
Somehow, Ravus felt that there was a bitter taste in Izunia’s apologies. He crouched down, staring at the boy into his cat-like golden eyes. He rubbed the little romani’s head, “Izunia, ” he said in a tender voice, “you don’t have to live like this forever. If you like, I will raise you until you finish your education. I asked my lawyer, the process for adoption is not a hassle. “
Yet Izunia’s sour streak returned again and ruined this sentimental tender moment.
“Hmph!” He murmured sarcastically, rolled his eyes, with his lips twisted into disapproving frowns,”YOU! TO BE MY FOSTER FATHER? It’s kind of gross calling you dad. I don’t think so. I’d rather we stay friends. When you want to see me, just put a bunch of Larkspur in the window and I’ll come over. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a light-hearted friendship? Why does it have to change?”
That was the end of the conversation, and Ravus never spoke to Izunia about adoption again.
One day in late August, Ravus received a letter. It was from Lunafrena, in which she said that a relative of her husband Noctis would be visiting Firwood for a few weeks and asked Ravus to act as host.
Izunia also saw the letter, and he badgered Ravus with questions.
“Wow! You have a sister? Is she a beautiful woman? She’s married! What a shame! Who’s that Lucky guy? Noctis Lucis Caelum? Hmph, a strange name. I think I’ve heard of that name. Isn’t he a great celebrity? You don’t seem to like your poor brother-in-law very much? Why?”
As the mess of questions dashed to Ravus, he felt his head was spinning.
CH.4
A week later, Noctis relative arrived at Firwood park. Ravus did not need a letter of introduction or identification to recognize his guest, as the strange young man looked almost exactly like Noctis,only a bit elder than Lunafrena’s husband.
Just as Izunia surmised, Ravus really didn’t like his brother-in-law. He cursed the Caelum family in his heart, smiled politely and, in a graceful gesture, reached out to the stranger.
For a long while, the Stranger gaze at Ravus in silence, and then shook his hand with a cold courtesy.
“Somnus Lucis Caelum. ” He said. “Glad to meet you. “
Having said that, the man, Somnus, didn’t have a trace of glad on his face.
During the handshake, Somnus looked at Ravus’hand in a weird way.
“You still kept it, ” said Somnus.
“Keep what? ” Ravus raised his hand and looked at it in the sunlight.
There was nothing on his hand except a ring around his little finger. The ring looked very old, beautifully carved, with a brilliant diamond shining on it. Ravus had it since he was a child, and his mother told him that Lunafrena gave it to him. As a teenager, he wore the ring on his thumb, and when he reached adulthood, only his pinkie finger could fit into it.
Ravus had no idea what Somnus was talking about, and his guest was not going to explain.
“Never mind, ” said the young Caelum, smiling cynically. “It’s probably just the heat. My mind’s a little foggy and I’ve confused you with someone else. “
The new guest was making Ravus uncomfortable. Somnus clearly wasn’t a charming and conversational guest. Out of courtesy, Ravus took Somnus on a tour of the estate, and throughout the afternoon the guest said almost nothing.
He was either walking and smoking, or staring into the distance and meditating. To Ravus’surprise, his guest was even more familiar with the estate than himself. Somnus was able to find his way precisely through the hedge maze and knew the layout of every room in the house.
“because I’ve been here before, ” Somnus explained.
Given that Ravus had been living abroad since he was 12, he probably missed out on some gatherings of family friends.
When Ravus showed Somnus around the manor house, he saw Izunia out a window, looking curiously at his guest. He tried to call the little gypsy over, but the boy rushed into the woods and disappeared.
“Izunia? Who’s that? ” Somnus asked, frowning. The boy ran away so fast that he saw nothing.
“Never mind, just a street kid who lives nearby. He often sneaks into the house. “
Izunia did not return for the first three days after Somnus moved into Firwood.
On the night of the fourth day, as Ravus was about to fall asleep, the gypsy boy slipped into his bedroom and woke him up.
“Hey, Ravus, I’ve met your new guest. Do you like him? “
“What’s that got to do with you? ” Asked Ravus impatiently. After a few days with Somnus, he felt almost fainted at the smell of his guest’s tobacco. No exaggerations, Somnus smoked like a chimney, it was rare in a day to put down his pipe.
“Talk to me, I haven’t seen you for a few days, I miss you so much. You’ve gotten a new friend, and you’re neglecting your old tenant. ” Izunia grumbled, putting on a grimace.
Ravus sighed and replied: “To tell you the truth, if I had to choose between the two of you, I’d rather keep you company. My guest is not very pleasant. “
“Ha ha! I knew I was a delightful companion! ” Izunia laughed, then he turned to Ravus and said with a soft tone. “But I think you might be more hospitable to your guest. He seems a bit gloomy in the mood. Please treat him nice. “
“I am trying to give him what he wants, ” sighed Ravus again, “but he has gone too far by asking me to let him have a seance in my house. “
“Wow, that’s not a request you hear every day, I’m impressed,” Izunia said, astonished. “And did you say yes? The Seance. “
“Of course I said yes. As much as I detest such superstitions, I can not be rude. “
“When will be the Seance? ” Izunia asked cheerfully.
“Next Friday, 2 o’clock at morning. Why? Are you interested? ” Ravus frowned.
“Of course, I can’t miss this, and it’s funny to watch a bunch of frauds pretending to be psychics. Well, see you next Friday then! ” said the romani boy, as he climbed out of the window.
A week later, on Friday night, the weather was overcast and thunder storm was in the air.
Several of Somnus’s friends arrived at Firwood that morning, there were 4 women and 5 men, including two suspicious men who claimed to be psychics.
To avoid disturbing the so-called spirits, at Somnus’s request, Ravus had sent all the servants away from the house, leaving only a few people to attend the seance at night.
when the clock struck midnight, the seance was ready. Ravus, who had always regarded such superstitions as a crooks’ sideshow, had no interest in seances, but Somnus insisted he must attend.
In order to refresh the guests, servants had made several pots of coffee beforehand. Before the seance, Ravus, Somnus, and his psychic friends were sitting in the drawing room, smoking, talking, and drinking coffee to pass time.
At two o’clock, everyone put down their cups, put out candles and sat around the table. The house was quiet and dark except for beams of pale light of the moon, which shone through the thick clouds.
Guided by a psychic, the people around the table held hands and formed a circle. On the left side of Ravus sat Somnus, and on his right side sat a so-called psychic. Ravus could feel the sweat on Somnus’s trembling hand. The young Caelum had a look of trepidation on his face. The sweat stood on the tip of his nose, and his lips worked, as if he were saying something, but there was no sound. Compared to Somnus’s nervousness, Ravus felt at ease. Staring at the group of people who sat solemnly at the table, waiting for some non-existed spirits to come, he even found them a little ridiculous.
The ceremony began, Psychics chanted to call the spirits home.
A dull, flat chant echoed around the room. The swaying branches outside the window cast dark, twisted shadows, the wind whistled through the wilderness, and the dark rain clouds were gathering.
“Although these psychics are obviously a bunch of frauds, I have to admit, this is a hell of a day for a seance, ” thought Ravus, with a sneer on his face.
For a while, nothing happened. The medium is still chanting. While Ravus yawned and was about to fall asleep, the chant stopped.
“We have connected to the dark room. which spirit would you like to speak to, my child? ” Asked the medium to Somnus.
“My brother. Is my brother there? His name is Ardyn Lucis Caelum, ” Somnus said with eager.
As Somnus asked, Ravus heard the young Caelum’s throat tightened, and he clutched Ravus’hand in fear.
There was a silence.
Then the psychic shook his head and said, “No, there is no Ardyn Lucis Caelum in the spirit world. “
Somnus was visibly relieved on this answer. “I knew he was alive, ” Ravus heard young Caelum murmured.
Then Somnus raised his voice and asked the psychic, “dear mentor, could you please tell me where Ardyn is now? “
After a moment’s silence, the psychic replied, “I can’t see him. There’s mist between me and his soul. But I can feel him not far away. He’ll be back before the next full moon.He- “
Just then, a bright lash of lightning flapped over the scene, lit up the sky, and thunder rumbled over the manor house. Suddenly there was a loud noise from upstairs, as if something had tumbled to the ground, and it interrupted the medium’s next words.
Somnus stood up with a rush, even tipped over his chair. “This is him, this must be Ardyn, ” he shouted and rushed out of the drawing room, ran upstairs.
The loud thud came from Ravus’bedroom. Without thinking, he raced in and saw the chess board lying on the floor, pieces scattered everywhere. At this moment, Somnus forgot his manners and his respect for his host, and rummaged about the room.
“Ardyn, is that you? ” Cried Somnus, opening every door of Ravus’ wardrobes or cabinets, lifting the curtains and bedclothes, searching the lavatory, he searched all the corners, and found nothing.
“I don’t think it was your brother, ” said Ravus, as he followed Somnus upstairs, he leaned against the door and looked nonchalantly at the chaos in his bedroom. “I mentioned that there was a street boy on the park, who often broke into my room, and I think he may have done it. “
Somnus had been about to argue with Ravus, but at that moment they heard a shrill noise in the drawing room below, like the sound of broken glass, and screams of terrified female guests followed.
They dashed downstairs and saw the ground was covered with glass, wild wind was howling and rushing in, whipping the curtains in snapping folds, raindrops slanted in.
“What happened? ” Asked Ravus, who was the first to calm down.
“There, there’s a silhouette outside the window, ” stammered a pale-faced woman, pointing to the yard. “The one broke the glass and ran away toward the hedge. “
Ravus and Somnus chased out, after running into the hedge maze, they parted.
Ravus saw a figure flashed around a corner of the maze and disappeared. By the time he and Somnus rejoined themselves at the mansion, they were drenched with rain. Young Caelum, looking furious, grabbed Ravus by the collar and growled, “I was about to hear from Ardyn! It was you! It was you and your Fucking, Nasty Street Urchin who interrupted our conversation with the spirits! “
It had been a rough night. Upon hearing Somnus talk disparagingly about Izunia, Ravus finally lost all patience with this neurotic young man, not to mention that he was never a man with good temper. Ravus shoved Somnus aside and adjusted his untidy collar.
“Mr. Caelum, please show some respect and be aware that you are standing on my property. I don’t think there is any impolite of me as a host, and you’re trying my patience again and again. Although I know that courtesy has always been a luxury for you Caelums, you have gone too far.”said Ravus with a severe, indifference tone, he put a grim smile on his face,then continued, “To prevent you from blaming the innocent, I feel it my duty to inform you that it was not my street urchin who broke the window. I met the man who did this in the hedge maze and nearly caught him. He was wearing a cloak and a hood concealed his face, but it was not difficult to recognize from his figure that this man was no doubt a strong adult. I just knew you a week ago and I have no clue about what had happened between you and your brother, but I can see it hasn’t been an easy night for you, so please put an end to this nonsense and get some rest. We’ll talk later.”
Somnus became speechless because of astonishment and embarrassment.
“Is that really an adult? ” He asked suddenly, just as Ravus was leaving.
“Of course, I have no reason to deceive you, ” said Ravus, walking toward the stairs and leaving Somnus in the corridor. In the gloom, he heard the young Caelum muttered to himself: “Yes, this must be Ardyn, thank God he’s alive and grown up. “
Ch5.
“A bunch of Lunatics, ” Ravus grumbled, returning to his bedroom. He knew that the seance downstairs would probably go on, but he was not interested in watching any more of this nonsense.
He heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the mess in his bedroom. By this time, Izunia was already in his bed, the boy pulled a face out of the covers and whistled at him.
“Where have you been? ” Ravus asked, picking up the chess pieces which were lying allover the floor.
“Me? I’m always here, ” the child shrugged, “I said I’d come to the seance, but those frauds were so clumsy that I yawned. I ran into your room, looking for something really interesting, then accidentally knocked the board over. I hid when I saw your guest charging in like a ton of bricks, I thought I was going to be chided.”
Frowning, Ravus went to the bed, sat down, stroked the child’s messy hair and said, “Izunia, you’re under my protection here, no one can reprimand you or hurt you. “
“Well, thank you very much, my landlord, ” said the gypsy boy, smiling, bending and bowing, “but it is a pity that you won’t be here forever. Why don’t you just stay?”
“Well, why don’t you just let me adopt you? “
Izunia rolled his eyes and made a face of disgust. “Forget it, then. “
“I’m going to be in Firwood for another month and you are welcome to change your mind at anytime, ” said Ravus, who had determined to do whatever it takes to persuade Izunia. After three months with the gypsy boy, he had made it his duty to take care of him.
“We can talk about it later, ” said the boy, slipping drowsily under the covers, he yawned and stretched his arms over his head, “can I stay here tonight? “
“Sure. I’ll prepare your a room. “
“No, I mean here, in your bedroom. Your bed is pretty big, and I think we can share it, ” Izunia said, patting the huge mattress.
Ravus stared at the Gypsy boy’s dirty face and dusty hair, fell silence. He had no problem with Izunia, but he was a bit fastidious in cleanness. The thought of lying in bed with such a sloppy child made his hair standing on end.
“Please, ” Izunia begged, clutching Ravus’ sleeve, putting on a pitiable,sad face.
With a sigh, Ravus gave up the fight, and Izunia took advantage of his weakness. The young Fleuret was a warm-hearted man hallmarked with cold aspect, his Achilles’ heel was his kindness. He just couldn’t bring himself to throw the boy out on a stormy night.
“All right, ” said Ravus, holding a hand to his forehead frustratingly, “but promise me two things: First, I’m tired, don’t bother me; and second, stay away from me, and if you dare to lay a finger on me, I’ll throw you out on the balcony. “
As Ravus raised a finger and threatened Izunia, the boy’s face lit up with delight, he nodded without hesitation.
That night, around four in the morning, Ravus was awakened by a sound of weeping. He remembered the first night Izunia spent in his room and assumed it was just another prank by this little troublemaker.
He opened his eyes and said impatiently, “what now? Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me? “
After a moment of silence, he heard Izunia answered in a timid voice in the dark: “sorry for waking you. I won’t make any more noise. Please don’t kick me out. “
Ravus was alarmed by the way the Izunia spoke.
Usually, at 4 a.m, the sky should had been bright, yet, in this stormy night, gloomy darkness still enveloped the landscape, the dawn came particularly late. It was dim outside, with heavy rain splattered on the windows and thunder rolling across the sky from time to time.
Ravus lit the candle on the nightstand. In the dim light, he saw Izunia cowering under the covers, biting his lip badly, pale and trembling. The boy’s golden-brown eyes clouded with tears, filled with fear, he shivered at every time when the lightning tore the sky. Out of his throat came a sobbing, muffled and broken.
“What happened to you? Did you have a nightmare? ” Ravus asked in a worried tone as he stroked Izunia’s quivering back.
“Nothing. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, “said Izunia. The boy turned his glance away from Ravus and covered his head with a pillow, as if he was ashamed of his fears.
“Is it the storm? Don’t let the voice scare you, it’s just thunder and raindrops, it can’t hurt you. “Ravus smiled, he remembered that Lunafrena was also afraid of storms when they were both children. Izunia had always been precocious. For the first time, Ravus felt that the little Gypsy in front of him was literally just a 13-year-old.
“Nonsense! I’M NOT AFRAID OF A STORM! ” Izunia retorted. However, after Ravus blew out the candle, the boy was silent for a moment and said: “I am not afraid of any stupid storm, but it has obviously frightened you. I can lend you a hand to hold if you like, you know, to boost your courage. “
The boy finished his sentence then reached out.
Ravus laughed. “That would be a great help, ” he said. He put aside his fastidiousness to neatness, instead of minding the untidy state of the urchin, he put out and held that sweaty, muddy, cold palm tightly.
“At your service, ” Izunia winked at him.
That night, Ravus had a dream.
In the dream, trees were flourishing, a luscious greenery surrounded him. He was still a child, running and playing freely in Firwood park. There were two other children, one of whom he recognized as Somnus. In the dream, Somnus was not yet ten years old, a chubby boy, far from the thin, sullen man he was now. As for the other boy, Ravus couldn’t see him clearly, his face was under the shroud of thick mist. The shadowy boy took him by his hand, told him stories, led him up a tree. They played tirelessly among the lush garden and the dense forest.
The next morning, when Ravus woke up from his dream, Izunia was long gone. As usual, the boy had left a few dusty berries and wild flowers on his pillow as a thank-you gift for letting him stay.
Ravus rubbed his eyes and thought of his strange dream last night. He shook his head. He searched his memory. Though He could not recall all of his childhood, he was sure he had never visited Firwood before, not to mention playing with young Somnus as a child. He chuckled quietly to himself, making sure it must have been the seance and Somnus’ neurosis that had affected him.
That afternoon, Somnus found Ravus in his study.
Young Caelum squeezed his crooked stick, his fingers fumbled around the carved handle restlessly, looking a little disturbed and a little awkward.
“I’m sorry I abused your generosity, ” said Somnus, as an opening statement.
“It’s all right, I said some harsh words yesterday, and I hope you’ll forgive me, ” said Ravus, putting down his book, raising his eyes, and motioned for Somnus to take his seat.
He rang for some tea, and then, sat opposite Somnus,”I hope you had a good sleep last night. Honestly, you really need some rest. ” he said.
Somnus rubbed his face. The young man’s eyes were bloodshot, sunken, indicated that him, looking extremely tired, has not been able to sleep well for a long time “I can’t rest until I find Ardyn, ” he said with a forced smile.
Tea was served at last, and the two young men said nothing as the servants setting the table for them.
“So. What happened between you and your brother? ” Said Ravus, inviting Somnus to have some tea, after all servants bowed and left.
“You really don’t know? ” Asked Somnus, flicked his eyes to Ravus in a look of reproach and surprise.
“Should I? ” Ravus frowned. “please forgive my ignorance, I’ve been living abroad since I was 12. I turned almost blind and deaf to what was happening here. “
After a long silence, Somnus began to talk.
“I’ve heard some things about you. They said you were ill for a long time and had been recuperating abroad ever since. “
“You heard it right. It was not until the year before last, when my parents passed away, that I returned home to take care of their business. That’s when I heard about Firwood Park. It seems that my parents have owned this place for a long time, and it is strange that they’ve never mentioned such a vast property.”
“It was understandable they didn’t want to tell you. The things happened here was definitely not something you would like to talk about it at your leisure.” said Somnus, with a wry smile. He looked around with kind of nostalgia, as if he was cherishing some faded memories. “This place used to belong to our family . “
Ch.6
Ravus was stunned. He could not expected this answer for all the world. He felt a knot tightened his throat, after a long time of astonishment, he finally found his voice again.
“I see, that explains why you know Firwood so well. Why didn’t you tell me before? “
“Forgive me if I don’t want to talk about it, especially since my parents told me it was best not to mention the history of Firwood park to the Fleurets, ” Somnus replied, with a sad smile on his face, “Once upon a time, almost every year, we, I mean me and Ardyn, used to spend our summers in Firwood park. Ardyn was five years older than me, he was smart, he spoke several languages, he had already won a few awards for playing the piano by the age of 10, and even an adult would have a hard time beating him at chess. Besides, he was a mischief maker, always playing pranks on me and on his friend. His little games sometimes made me break down in tears, my parents were at their wits end with him, but even so, in my eyes, my brother was the most reliable, funny, tender-hearted angel in the world. “
Just as Somnus speaking, Ravus couldn’t help thinking of Izunia, the Gypsy boy who was just as clever and naughty as Ardyn. He wondered where his little vagabond was now, somehow, he felt an longing to see his face.
“So, what happened? ” asked Ravus. He hoped, with all his heart, that Somnus’s brother was still alive and well.
Somnus sat on the couch, covered his face with his shivering hands, like he was gnawed by acuteness of remorse.
“I don’t know what happened exactly. Ardyn simply vanished. It was a Friday, our parents went to visit friends in the next town, since the mudslides destroyed the road, they could not return. Ardyn and I, together with dozens of servants, were the only ones left in Firwood. At night, I laid in my bed, unable to sleep because of the storm. So I slipped into my brother’s bedroom. Ardyn told me a few bedtime stories, and at about one o’clock in the morning, I got hungry. At first, Ardyn suggested that we could ring for some cookies and drinks, but I was a little miffed with him for some silly trifles during those days, then I asked for Ardyn’s hand-cooked hot chocolate just to make it hard for him. I kept bothering my brother until he could bear it no more. Ardyn put on his clothes and went downstairs for the kitchen, he never came back.”
“I don’t understand, ” murmured Ravus. “You said it was a stormy night and the road was destroyed by mudslides. So whether someone took him or he just got lost, he couldn’t have left Firwood that night. “
Somnus, with his face covered by his hands, curled up on the couch, gave vent to the tears which he could no longer to repress.
“Yes, ” he said in a choking voice, “The next morning, Ardyn was found missing, there was a robbery at estate and some silver was lost. The servants informed my parents and the sheriff. Later, the entire park and nearby villages were searched, but there was no sign of him. Ardyn must have stayed at Firwood until 4 in the morning when the road had been cleared. If I hadn’t been too frightened of the storm that I had no dare to get out of bed and inform the servants, or if I hadn’t thrown a tantrum to Ardyn and made him to make me some stupid hot chocolate, my brother would still be here. Though my parents constantly told me that it wasn’t my fault, that day’s events still left me nothing but a painful regret. By last night, Ardyn had been missing for two bloody decades, and for the first time in 20 years, I was able to talk about it from the beginning to the ending.”
At this point Somnus paused, took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, and looked at Ravus with an apologetic bitter smile. “Do you mind if I smoke? ” He asked.
In fact, this Caelum chimney had been fumigating Ravus with his tobacco for 10 days. To ask this question now was obviously a bit late and a bit ridiculous. But Ravus did not want to be cynical about Somnus at all. He suddenly understood the young man in front of him, he had a sister, he couldn’t imagine what he would do if it was Lunafrena who had gone missing.
He knew that a human’s will was often not strong enough, people who was near the bottomless dark abyss had to rely on something, some one became an alcoholic, some one became a chain-smoker, and some one turned their heads to brothels or worse. For Somnus, tobacco and occultism were his painkillers.
“It’s alright. Make yourself home,” said Ravus,”then you believe your brother is alive. “
Somnus nodded, he took a deeply smoke of his pipe, held it, then breathed out.
“After months of fruitless searching, both my parents and the sheriff deemed Ardyn would be dead. My parents didn’t want to keep Firwood, a heartbreaking place, despite of my cries, they sold it to Fleurets. Your parents helped us a lot in search for my brother. Even though everyone has given Ardyn up as dead, I still believe he must be alive. There are many old legends in the villages nearby. The old people believe that there are Nymphs living in the forest and that they sometimes hid human children as prank. A hundred years ago, they told me, a child was lost in the woods. Twenty years later, he came back and became a strong youth. He said he was playing with Nymphs by the lake, he thought it had only been one night. Besides, a year after Ardyn disappeared, I heard someone said he had seen my brother around. It made me even more certain that Ardyn was still alive. ” As Somnus said these words, his eyes were glittering with a feverish brilliance.
The young Caelum sounded crazy, Ravus almost fell speechless for those nonsense. He couldn’t decide whether he should persuade Somnus that there were no fairies in the world. He looked at the 28-year-old who seat opposite him, hesitated for a while, then said nothing. He knew that Somnus did not really believe in fairies or spirits, he was just trying to find a less cruel way to explain his brother’s disappearance, in other words, he was forcing himself to believe those tales.
After the conversation with young Caelum, Ravus had been terribly lost in somber mood for a long time. The bizarre story, and the dark manner in which Somnus told it, affected him badly. He noticed that Somnus kept casting glances at him during the conversation, with a strange look of reproach and jealousy, all of which made him uncomfortable.
He left a Larkspur on the window, which he had picked from caretaker, and the old man kept an eye on him as he cut the stem, for fear that he disturbing the garden. Ravus put the flower on window, as a code between him and Izunia. After the constant strikes of eerie things, he felt extremely eager to see this jolly creature and let the gypsy boy bring him out of dark haze.
However, till the Larkspur withered and dry up, Izunia didn’t show his face.
“You little Liar,” murmured Ravus, with a bitter smile, picking up the shriveled flower on the window.
Ten days after that conversation, Somnus came to bid farewell to Ravus, he was leaving Firwood.
When Somnus found Ravus, the host of Firwood park was reading in greenhouse. The caretaker, also a keen gardener, was taking care of his garden from a distance, trying to plant more larkspurs.
In these days, lot of Larkspurs had been snipped off by Ravus. He kept leaving flowers on the window, but, not as usual, Izunia no longer kept his promise to show up. The story of Somnus’ brother brought Ravus nothing but ominous sense, he couldn’t help worrying about his little Romani friend.
After a few conventional remarks, Somnus sat in front of Ravus.
Lush palm trees and flowers surrounded them, they were sitting by a small table, with a thick carpet at their feet.
The sky was gloomy. Though it was early September, Firwood, in the north, was already beginning to reveal the scenes of deep autumn. From early morning, all fireplaces in the mansion had been lit. The greenhouse maintained a tropical atmosphere throughout the year, which made it warmer than the rest of the park.
After a moment’s silence, Somnus spoke at last.
He glanced uneasily at Ravus and said, “although my parents had an agreement with your mother, I think you deserve to know the truth. “
His prologue made Ravus feeling quite bewildered.
Somnus took a deep breath and went on. “You know, I never liked you very much. “
“I can see that, and, frankly, I also have some prejudge against Caelums. Please accept my sincere apologies,” said Ravus, reaching out and shaking hands with Somnus, showing that he did not mind young Caelum’s strange bias against him.
“When I say I don’t like you, it doesn’t mean I’ve loathed you since a few weeks ago, it’s that I haven’t liked you for more than 20 years, ” said Somnus.
“How could it be? Twenty years ago we didn’t even know each other, ” laughed Ravus, who thought Somnus was talking nonsense again.
“No, we did. You, me and Ardyn, we used to spend summers together, ” Somnus said, rubbing his face. “Do you remember when I said Ardyn had played pranks on his friend? That was you. “
“This is impossible. ” Ravus murmured.
He stared Somnus in disbelief, dumbfounded. At that moment he felt that either the young Caelum was mad or himself was.
Despite of Ravus’ shock, Somnus continued: “For the first few years, it was just Ardyn and me at Firwood for the summer, but from the year I was five everything changed. Ardyn returned from boarding school with his friend, you. The Fleurets have been Caelum family’s friends for hundreds of years. For that reason, Ardyn was in charge of your care at school. You were a fresh student, two grades behind him. After a semester, you two became the closest friends. Since then, every summer, the three of us had spent all of our time together. Back then, I was jealous of you, Ardyn was always hanging out with you, and I couldn’t understand what you two were talking about. You and Ardyn seemed to have formed a small circle of your own and locked me out. I felt like I had been abandoned by my brother. Therefore, since then, I became a fussy child, always showed ill temper to Ardyn, but he just patiently put up with my nonsense.
You left Firwood the morning before Ardyn missing. When you came to bid farewell, I was very rude to you, which angered Ardyn. As I remember, it was the only time he ever yelled at me. I felt wronged, and after that, for most of the day, I didn’t speak to him.
After Ardyn disappeared, my parents sold Firwood to Fleurets. The next summer, you and your sister came here for summer holidays. Months later, from what I heard, Lunafrena said that you had spoken to her about Ardyn, that he was hiding in the park, that he was not missing or dead, but had simply run away from home. You told Lunafrena everything and asked her to keep it a secret, but she let it slip. The news rekindled our hopes, and we searched Firwood again, but found nothing.
After then, your words were laughed off as a child’s illusion, and they even suggested that you might be suffering from paranoia, which worried your parents.
Next year, when you were in Firwood, an accident happened to you. You fell into a lake in the woods. Later that day, your parents found you lying by the shore, with your feet wrapped with water weeds, dumped and had not a dry thread on your skin, you could not swim at all, so they had no idea about how you were rescued. After the drowning, you was sick for a long time. When you woke up, you lost some of your memories, including everything about Ardyn. Doctor said it might be the fever does some damage to your brain.
After that, your mother and my parents decided it was best not to remind you of Ardyn. They sent you aboard. Firwood park became desolated.
That’s the whole story. In fact, all this time, I’ve been wandering, had you actually met Ardyn? Or was it just your imagination? Instead, you hid into oblivion. No one can answer those questions any more.”
Ch.7
During Somnus speaking, Ravus felt his mind was whirl with all these words, he heard everything clearly, but he just couldn’t understand it. Chaos had controlled him. He was totally lost, even began to doubt his own mental, he felt as if he was floating through an ocean which was made of dense fog.
“I can’t believe what you said, ” he stammered, then raised his hand and wiped the perspiration from his brow, forced his face and voice to be calm, and repeated his words, “I can’t believe it, it doesn’t make any sense.”
To be honest, it didn’t look like Somnus was lying at all, and besides, he had no reason to. Ravus’ instinct told him that the young Caelum was telling the truth, yet he was still struggling not to believe it.
Ravus dug into Somnus’s words, and doubts began to emerge, which were something went against common sense, against the science and reason he had always believed in. He Remembered Izunia telling him a story of a boy who got almost drowned but saved, a story that echoed Somnus’ words. Was that Izunia saved him? But, according to Somnus, it was 18 years ago, before Izunia was even born.
A smile came to Somnus’ face when he heard Ravus’ rejoinder.
“As a matter of fact, you’re wearing a memento of the friendship between you and Ardyn, ” said Somnus, raising one hand and pointing to his little finger.
Ravus looked down and saw a ring there.
“I know you think your sister gave you this ring, but it’s just a lie your mother told to cover the truth up. This ring was once a Caelum family heirloom. Ardyn stole it from the vault and gave it to you when he was 12. He was beaten up by our father for it. You’ve been wearing it since then. Its real name is ‘The Ring of Lucii’ . ” Somnus paused, pointed to the lush of larkspur, and continued,” 20 years ago, Ardyn planted those flowers for you. He had just sowed the seedlings shortly before he disappeared. The larkspur garden had withered after he was gone. I see you’ve made a lot of changes to the garden, here, where planted the palms, used to grow bromeliads, but the Larkspur beds have never changed. You’ve even replanted them. Maybe your gut told you to do so. Please take good care of his mementos. I think Ardyn will be glad to know you still remember him when he come back.”
With these words, Somnus rose, put on his hat, took his crook stick, and bowed to Ravus.
“I know it may require for some time to digest those information, but I can ensure you that I’m telling you the truth. If you have any questions, you can find me at the Caelum Mansion. “
Just as he was about to leave the greenhouse, Ravus called to him: “Do you have a picture of your brother? ” A terrible thought crept into his mind and struck him.
“Of course, ” said Somnus, pulling a photo from his notebook and handing it to Ravus.
The old photo seemed faded away, in which there were three boys sat in Firwood’s courtyard, one of whom was Somnus. At the time, he was a chubby little boy, just as Ravus had dreamed. The child on the far left, looked apparently to be Ravus himself in his teens. Sitting in the middle was a boy with a thatch of curly hair, olive-skinned, smiling and messing with Ravus. What was most astounding was that the boy looked exactly like Izunia.
This old faded photo held Ravus very still. His face went pale, his hand trembling violently as he held the picture. And for the moment he was chilled to the heart. He felt shivers down to his spine and his shirt drenched in sweat. He was absolutely certain that the child in the middle was Izunia, they were not only similar in face and manner, but also identical in the lachrymal mole under their left eye.
Apparently, Somnus understood the shock of Ravus in a wrong way. He said, with a wry smile,” you see, I’m telling you the truth. I guess it won’t be difficult for you to pick yourself up in this photo. The boy sitting next to you is Ardyn, our grandmother was half Romani, so Ardyn doesn’t look much like me. Our parents used to call him ‘little gypsy’ at home. He has a dark complexion, red hair like wine, and his golden brown eyes looks like a cat. You can take this photo, keep it well, and don’t leave my brother behind in forgotten any more.”
Then, he tipped his hat, made a bow, and went out of the greenhouse, leaving Ravus alone in his astonishment.
After Somnus left, Ravus took the photo, sat there for a long time, his head was dizzy, he felt himself trapped in a state of mental vagueness or bewilderment. At this moment, he recalled many of Izunia’s questionable points. Although the boy had told Ravus not to tell anyone in the estate about him, it was strange that in nearly four months no a single person had ever claimed to have seen the suspicious gypsy boy. The child appeared and disappeared mysteriously, and whenever Ravus wanted to see him, he could always emerge from some unexpected place as if he had appeared out of thin air. Besides, Izunia often brought Ravus wild fruits as gifts, but he never once saw the boy eating anything.
There was no doubt that Izunia was Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the elder brother of Somnus, who had been missing for 20 years. And Ravus was almost certain that the boy was not human.
This eerie conclusion went against all of Ravus’ sense and made his hair standing on end. He ran his vacant eyes over the greenhouse, gazing absently at the trees and flowers, subconsciously trying to find an anchor which could help him fixing his sanity to the reality, or, at least find something to distract himself.
At last his eyes stopped on the lush Larkspur.
By this time the caretaker had finished his gardening and bowed to Ravus, then respectfully asked his master if he had any other needs.
“Mr.……,” at this point, Ravus was stuck and must admit that he had no interest in knowing the name of every one of his servants.
“Moton, Tom Moton. At your service, sir. ” The old caretaker came to the rescue.
“Mr. Moton, how long have you been working at Firwood? ” Asked Ravus.
“Eighteen and a half years so far, ” replied the caretaker, reverently.
“That’s quite a time. Are you sure your memory is accurate? “
“Of course, sir,” said the caretaker with a sigh. “The year I came to Firwood happened to be the year after my son died. I can’t be wrong. “
“I’m sorry for your loss. How did your son die? If the question doesn’t offend you. “
“No, not at all. My angel died of tuberculosis when he was only 10 years old, the doctor had advised me to take him to a warmer place for recuperating, but you know, how could poor people like us afford it? He was sick for two years, and didn’t make it through the winter 19 years ago.”
“Then, after that, you came to Firwood, ” Ravus stated, meditatively, in an absent voice.
“That’s right. Thank your family for hiring me, ” said the caretaker, bowing again.
“You’re welcome. On the other hand, I want to thank you for keeping the greenhouse in good condition all these years. When I arrived at Firwood, I found that it seemed to be the only place where need no to be retrofitted. You saved me a lot of time. It must be difficult to take care of such a large greenhouse,”said Ravus with a kind smile.
“Yes, sir. When I started working here, the greenhouse was pretty much a ruin. The lazy gardeners said to wait until spring to start planting again. I said, ‘no need, I can fix it now. ‘ You See, I’m quite good at gardening. “ The caretaker looked around with some little pride, puffed out his chest.
“I appreciate your work. Firwood park was closed for 18 years, and many of the facilities here are destructed and beyond recognition. In the days when Firwood belonged to the Caelums, this magnificent park was perhaps famous in the villages nearby? Have you ever seen the two Caelum Boys? ” Ravus lit a cigarette, his fingers quivering. He didn’t have a smoking habit, but now he felt he needed some stimulation to calm his nerves.
Through the blue haze of cigarette smoke, Ravus saw the caretaker’s face turn Pale.
Moton wiped the cold sweat from his brow, faltered a moment, then began to speak.
“Yes, but only a few times, ” he replied. “The Caelums rarely came to the village. Only on Sundays did the boys’parents take them to church for mass. They were two beautiful children, like angels in religious paintings. The younger one was about the same age as my son. Once, after the mass, the red-haired boy heard of my son’s illness from the bishop, and he donated three pounds to me at the fund-raiser. I still remember it, and I always prayed to god that he would be all right.”
“Yes, I see. Thank you for praying for this poor child. ” Ravus took a deep drag from his cigarette, clenched his fists and tried not to tremble. “Did you ever come to Firwood before you started working for my family? “
“No, not at all! Not once, ” replied the caretaker quickly, his voice sounding tense.
Ravus stood up in silence. With the cigarette between his fingers, he paced aimlessly up and down in the greenhouse, meditating. A while later, he stopped in front of the Larkspur beds and gazed at the blossoms with an air of grief and compassion. He bent over, caressed a tiny little flower, and kissed it.
He controlled his voice, trying not to choked with emotion, trying to squeeze the words through his throat.
“Then, Mr. Moton, ” Ravus asked in a low, grim voice, “tell me, if you have never been in Firwood park before, how did you know that Larkspur seedlings once grew exactly here? “
As soon as Ravus turned around, he saw something like a shovel or a garden hoe hit him in the head, and a coma enveloped his mind.
Ch.8
When Ravus woke up, he found himself lying in the dark, bound hands and feet. He struggled furiously, tried to rake his restraints against the ground, but it was not seemed to be loosened at all. Ravus yelled for help, but no one had heard his screaming.
Once his eyes got used to the dim, he gazed around and found that he was in the cellar, of which he knew that the door was thick enough to shut out all sounds.
He sighed and lay down again on the cold ground. His head was still dizzy, his face and hair wet and sticky, he guessed it might be his blood.
He closed his eyes, laying in the dark, and gradually, the memory of Ardyn came back to him.
Ravus remembered when he was first sent to boarding school, being frightened by the strange situation and the noise of the children around him. His mother led him to the headmaster, who was a stern old man kept a straight face, then left. The headmaster asked him many questions, but he stood there as wooden as a withered tree, unable to answer a single word. The headmaster shook his head with an unhappy look and handed him over to his teacher. Ravus started late, by the time he was sent to school, a half of the semester had passed, and the class had formed its own clique. They locked this new kid out, teased him, hid his stationery case, heckled him when he answered questions.
It was around this time that he met Ardyn.
Ardyn was two grades above Ravus. He was a strong child, much taller than his peers. Because of his dark skin, he was often called a “half-breed bustard” at school. Apparently, this title was his biggest pet peeves on earth, when Ravus met Ardyn, he was beating the offending child to the stone ground.
Another student jumped behind the red-haired boy and tried to sneak up on him. Just at the moment, Ravus recognized the attacker as one of his classmates.
“look out! “Ravus yelled. He smashed the Bible over his classmate. The thick, hardcover book hit so fiercely on the sneak attacker’s head that blood flowed.
Generally speaking, Ravus was not a boy who admire gratuitous violence. He was quiet, even a little disgusted with those reckless wild children. But in that moment, he felt a satisfaction of revenge. He stood back to back with the red-haired boy, surrounded by a menacing crowd of students.
The battle, which was fought in minority, ended in their defeat. Ravus, with a swollen face, and the red-haired boy, with a bloody nose, laid on the floor, lost in daze for a while.
“Are we losing? ” Ravus asked, his face aching as he spoke.
The strange red-haired boy turned and winked at him, a lachrymal mole on the left made his golden brown eyes even more witty.
“Not really. We got them too. Well done, mate. What’s your name? “
“Ravus Nox Fleuret.”
“Oh, I see. You fought like a Fleuret, ” laughed the elder boy.
“You’ve heard of us? “
“Of course, technically, our families are still related, ” said the redheaded, reaching out a hand to the younger boy. “Ardyn Lucis Caelum. It’s been an honor to fight alongside with you. “
That’s how he met Ardyn.
After that, he and Ardyn became best friends, they were sometimes up to amusing tricks, fought with other children, and were punished together. More often, of course, Ravus was simply dragged down by Ardyn to clean up his mess.
He reminded of his whole childhood with Ardyn, the fishing scenes, the camping scenes, also the day Ardyn gave him the ring.
After a short holiday, Ardyn called Ravus out of the classroom. He dragged him to a corner, smiling cryptically, said to give him something good.
The alarm bell was raised in Ravus’ mind, he had learned from Ardyn’s endless pranks. As a rule, when this red-haired brat said he wanted to give him something “good” , the so-called “good” was not always pleasant, either a toad, a dead snake or a dead bat. Once, Ardyn handed him a rattan on which was a knot in the shape of a wart. Ravus kept the rattan in his locker, soon, the two kids had forgotten about this thing. And five days later, from the knot which he assumed as a tree wart climbed out numerous of baby mantis.
Looking at the locker which was covered with mantis, Ravus freaked out in screaming, and Ardyn was laughing.
Therefore, apparently, after all the hoaxes he’d been through, only a fool would take this red-headed boy lightly.
“What have you to give me? ” Asked Ravus, taking a step back.
At this moment, Ardyn suddenly looked at the corridor behind Ravus and called out, “good morning, headmaster. “
Ravus turned around and saw no one behind him.
While he was doing so, Ardyn took his hand and put something over his finger.
Ravus quickly withdrew his hand and saw a ring on his thumb. It was an antique ring, looked quite valuable.
Ardyn gave a whistle and said, “sure enough, I thought you’d look good with this ring on your finger. It may be a little big for you, but you’ll grow. “
In the summer of the year Ardyn disappeared, the normally indolent redheaded boy suddenly took up gardening. On the morning of Ravus’s departure from Firwood, Ardyn led him to the greenhouse with a crooked smile. The redheaded boy, his face smeared with dirt, pointed to the Larkspur seedlings he had planted overnight, then said to Ravus, “when you come back next year, it will be a lush field of flowers. “
As usual, Ardyn’s promises were rarely kept.
By the time they met again, Ardyn had been missing for a year.
In Firwood’s forest, he caught the redheaded boy, and Ardyn looked astonished when Ravus called out to him.
“You can see me! ” Cried Ardyn, and threw his arms around Ravus. He said he had run away and was hiding in the manor house. Somehow Ravus always felt Ardyn’s smile looked lonely and his eyes flashed a desolate from time to time.
Since then, Ravus got a secret friend. Sometimes they spent some hours of bliss in the attic, but more often they scampered around hedges and forest.
Yet from the second year, the summer when Ravus was 12, Ardyn stopped showing up. Concerned about his friend, Ravus waited in Firwood for two weeks then decided to seek out his friend.
He headed into the forest calling Ardyn’s name. After lingering in the woods for several hours, he was at last exhausted. When he was sitting by the lake to rest his feet, someone pushed him into water from behind.
He choked and struggled, but soon sank to the bottom. In a daze, he felt that someone hauled him to the shore, holding him, calling his name. He couldn’t hear or see, for some reason he was sure it was Ardyn.
All those memories were so close to him, so vivid, like it was yesterday. Ravus could hardly believe he had forgotten Ardyn. He did not recall him even once for eighteen bloody years, until at last the past unveiled itself, he remembered the face clearly again.
Tears blurred his eyes, he wanted to cry, even to roar, but there was only a hoarse lump in his throat.
Ch.9
Ravus had not been left alone in the darkness for long.
Soon a secret door raised in a corner of the cellar and the caretaker climbed out of the tunnel. He was carrying an axe. That did not bode well for Ravus, a man who was trussed up tightly and felt himself like a piece of meat on the hoof.
The caretaker sat down on the floor, gasping for breath. He turned his head and saw that Ravus was glaring at him with rage.
Moton brushed off his dusty shirt, stood up, and said, “again and again, you restless nasty brats kept making me trouble. “
“You kill Ardyn! You Sick Bustard! You did kill him! For what? He was so kind to you, he had even given you money to cure your son! ” Ravus hissed in execration.
“He gave me money, that’s right, three fucking pounds! So I had to figure it out myself, ” said Moton , lit a torch on the cellar wall, rubbed his face, his eyes flashed with mad hatred, “You know what? Every Sunday, I watched those Caelum children, all dressed up, neat and tidy, resplendent, coming to mass in their coach. Even their horses were cleaner than dirty rednecks. They pranced around as if they were born to be superior. Bah! At the same time, my son, a small boy of about their age, laid coughing in bed, suffering from high fever, burrowed within a nightgown made from my old shirt. I didn’t even know if he could last a week.”
“Your son was a pity indeed, but it was never Ardyn’s fault. You are taking your anger out on the innocent! ” Cried Ravus.
Moton put on a sneer.
“Oh, your lordship. You think I don’t know that? It was not Caelum’s fault, it was mine! I was never a good father. I left my son at hometown, working alone in city. In the old days, I picked up a lot of bad habits. I smoked, I drank, I gambled. But after my son fell ill, I sincerely repented my errors, giving up all my sins. I prayed to God that I would trade my life for the health of my kid. But it seems that even God favors only the rich.”
Ravus did spit on Moton’s crimes, yet meanwhile, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Lunafrena, who ran a small charity, sometimes asked him for help. Ravus had visited those crack buildings in cities. Most of the poor workers lived on the sixth or seventh floor. Ravus could still recall the musty odor he smelt while he was walking through those cramped, dim corridor. From time to time, from door to door, came a moan of pain or a violent cough. The children were small, rawboned and sallow, out at heels and elbows, almost naked in rags. Both children and adults, their eyes were dim, as if by poverty and fatigue had worn out all of their vitality.
Whenever Ravus thought of them, he could not help feeling guilty about his comfortable life.
“But you didn’t have to commit a crime, did you? “resorted Ravus, with a sigh, “Now I recalled, I was there when Ardyn donated to you, and I remembered perfectly him telling you to come to Firwood. He gave you three pounds because that was all he had in his pocket at the time. If you had ever come to him, he would definitely reach out to you.”
“Yes, I had been. The next Monday afternoon, I came to Firwood and asked to see their young master, but the doorman kicked me out. He even threatened to call the police if I ever messed up again. I had no choice but to wait outside Firwood’s front door almost every fucking day, waiting for the Caelum childe to come out and talk to him. On Friday morning, his coach finally pulled out of the gate. I leaned forward, anxious to stop him, but the coachman cracked a whip on me. I fell into the dust, and the carriage raced by, splashing mud in my face. See? This was how he kept his promises! I had heard of this little childe. He was a troublemaker. He was pretending to be generous just to make fun of a desperate poor father like me!”
Moton hissed, throwing his axe at a barrel, Brandy flowing from the cracks, filled the cellar with harsh smell of liquor.
“Good Heavens! ” murmured Ravus, tears gathering in his vacant eyes, he remembered it was the day he left Firwood. He cried out in a choking voice, “It wasn’t him at all! It was me in that coach. And I didn’t know what was going on, the coachman told me it was just a drunkard nearby. You killed Ardyn because of a misunderstanding! “
“Oh, really? ” Stammered Moton, rubbing his face with a trembling hand, he turned his eyes away from Ravus, as if he did not want to face the young man’s angry, reproachful gaze any longer. He tossed his head as to shake off some kind of unnecessary scruples, and then he said, “What’s done is done, anyway. I didn’t mean to kill him. I came into the park just to get something value. I hid in the greenhouse all day. My grandfather used to work as a gardener in Firwood, he knew that there was a tunnel that led from the greenhouse to the cellar. After dark, I sneaked into the manor house. As I was rummaging around the sideboard for silver, the red-haired boy came in and found me. I knocked him out and dragged him into cellar. To tell you the truth, at the time, I didn’t know what to do. The storm outside trapped me in the park, and it wasn’t seemed to stop shortly. Just as I hesitated, the child woke up and opened his mouth as if to call for help. I was scared. For a moment I even forgot that the walls and door of the cellar were completely soundproof and that no one could hear him. I tried to stop him from screaming, but I accidentally strangled him to death. Looking at the body, I panicked. He tore off one of my buttons in struggle. I huddled in the dark, shivering and overwhelmed, I cried for a moment, and soon his body became rigid. His face was covered with dust, mottled with tears. His eyes wide opened, as dull as misty glass, in there was only a blank stare. A look of shock and agony froze on his face, as if accusing me for my crime. His little hand was clenched into a fist, so tightly that I was unable get my buttons out of his palm. I couldn’t get caught even for my son’s sake. I had to find a way to deal with the body.”
“So you buried him under the Larkspur bed. You had been hiding in the greenhouse all day, and you knew he planted those flowers himself. You made a big bet that his parents wouldn’t let anyone ruin Ardyn’s garden,”said Ravus, listening to Moton tell about Ardyn’s death, which was so young, so violently, so meaninglessly and so suddenly, he felt as if his heart had been ripped open, wrenched out of his throat, grief, fury and lament exploded, “after that, you managed to get into Firwood. For 18 years you maintained that garden in its original state, just in case anyone found out about your crime. It was also you, wandering around the manor house every Friday night, revisiting the place where you committed your crimes, afraid someone would find the secret passage. Besides, you’re the one who broke the window at the seance. Like anyone who had ever committed murder, you’re afraid of ghosts, you’re afraid of retribution, you’re afraid of the mediums would actually bring Ardyn’s spirit back, and that’s why you ruined the seance.”
“Yes, you got it all right. You’ve always been a clever bone. Haven’t you? You recognized me in your teens when you first saw me in Firwood. You remembered me talking to that Caelum kid in church. And from that moment on, I knew I probably was not able to hide it much longer. I had heard rumors about you, the servants said you may be delusional that you said you had seen the red-haired boy around. I was freaked out by all this. 18 years ago, seeing you ran into the woods, hearing you called that boy’s name, I was finally crushed…”
“Certainly, it was you… ” Ravus muttered.
“Yes! I pushed you into the water. I watched you drown. God only knows why you’re not dead! After that, for months, I worried about being arrested. Fortunately, you forgot all this,”said Moton , he took a step forward and stood in front of Ravus, axe and torch in hands, “Honestly, sir, I don’t want to hurt you at all. I’m just a lonely, pathetic old man who wants nothing but to live out my last years. But why did you have to find out? Believe me, I am not evil, I will make your suffering as short as possible.”
With that, he sighed and raised his axe.
Ravus closed his eyes, and for a moment, he felt a sense of relief. Death was painful, but the thought that he might see Ardyn in the other side made him feel that maybe death wasn’t so bad after all.
However, the expected sharp pang of pain did not struck on him. Ravus opened his eyes and saw a figure of a child standing between him and Moton, with his back to him. That was Izunia, or, more exactly, Ardyn Lucis Caelum.
Moton was petrified. He stared at the child stunningly, with his eyes widened, mouth slightly opened, his facial muscles were contorted in fear.
The old man let out a shrill and piercing scream of terror. He kept flinging his axe and torch back and forth, trying to drive away what he saw, but to no avail.
As the red-haired boy advanced upon him, Moton stumbled backward, with a frightened cry.
“No! STAY AWAY! YOU’RE NOT REAL! YOU DON’T EXIST! You’re already dead, forgive me, Oh, God! Forgive me! I didn’t mean to kill you! “
Moton staggered into the corner and suddenly sprawled on a puddle of liquor.
Ardyn paused for a few seconds, then out a slight grim laughter, he snapped his fingers.
As if unable to control his own muscles, Moton slowly streched his hand and let go of the torch despite his futile resistance.
The torch fell on the liquor. Almost in an instant, the old man was surrounded by flames. Moton was screaming, apparently, he wanted to roll and struggle, but he couldn’t move even a finger. His figure twisted as the fire engulfed it. Gradually his wails became groans, lowering and fading.
Smoke filled the cellar.
” Ardyn, we’ve got to get out of here!” shouted Ravus, coughing.
The redheaded boy’s shoulders trembled a little at Ravus’voice. He stood with his back to his childhood friend, in the midst of the inferno, staring at the charred body, motionlessly.
Ch.10
“ARDYN! Can you hear me? ” Cried Ravus. His eyes were sore from the smoke, and he could hardly keep them open.
Ardyn didn’t answer, he just simply turned into a cloud of black smoke, disappeared like shadow, it was the first time Ravus had ever seen him actually do something apparitional.
At this point, the door of cellar burst open and Somnus rushed in with several servants.
Young Caelum was stunned as he saw the fire, but his stupor did not last long as he ordered servants to put out the fire and dragged Ravus out of the cellar.
“What the Hell is going on? ” Somnus asked.
He untied Ravus and then handed him a handkerchief, with it Ravus dabbed his wound.
“Didn’t you leave? ”
Somnus smiled in a triumphant manner and said, “yes, I did. But I was feeling agitated on the way, so I turned back. You see, believe it or not, the telepathy, which you have long sniffed at, seems to be of some avail. But it’s still kind of gross to have this connection with you. Don’t move, I’ll get you a doctor right away. “
With that, Somnus stood up.
Ravus took hold of the young Caelum, gazed at him gravely, and said, “please send for the sheriff at once. I think I know where Ardyn is. “
Upon this, Somnus rejoiced, he turned his head in exciting, but at the sight of Ravus’eyes he felt his insides tightened and a pain stung him through the heart.
The sheriff arrived at Firwood shortly after. The police dug into the Larkspur bed, three feet below, laid a tiny skeleton. Ardyn, in his summer clothes, was curled up in a foetal position, lying motionlessly in his shallow grave. The lost silver was left beside his bones. Because of the murder, perhaps, Moton was afraid to take any further risks to preserve those evidences, so he buried it with Ardyn. In the end, the murderer also failed to save his son, he committed this mortal sin, but got naught.
Somnus was kneeling at his brother’s grave, staring at policemen coming an going, staring at the mess in the Larkspur garden, unseeing, stayed silently, as still as a corpse. It seemed that all the life of the young man’s body was drained away at the moment Ardyn’s bones were exhumed. He gripped hard at his breast, gasping, tears streaming down his cheeks and dropping into the dirt beneath him. At last, an animal-like growl came out of the back of his throat, he collapsed, clutching the earth in his hand, and crying his heart out.
When everything was all over, it was late afternoon.
Ravus went back to his bedroom and saw Ardyn standing by the window with his back to him. The boy watched in silence as the black carriage, in which carried his own bones, drove out of the gate of Firwood park.
“At that moment, I had never attempted to shriek for help. I recognized him, and I just wanted to tell him to take the silver and go home to save his son, ” Ardyn said. He sounded a little forlorn.
Ravus didn’t answer. He just sighed. He turned away, sniffled and dried his eyes, and then, put on a forced calm.
“I thought you left with your brother. ” Ravus said, like always, he greeted, as if he had no idea about what the boy in front of him was.
“Nah! It’s just a pile of stupid bones. You thought I would only loiter round my dead body? Don’t be silly. Besides, Somnus is not a child any more. He may grief for a while, ” the redheaded boy shrugged and said in a faux-sprightly voice, “but he will forget me and live his life. “
“I don’t know if I did it wrong. Maybe it would have been a mercy to let him live with false hope, ” said Ravus as he approached Ardyn. He lifted up the sheer curtain, glanced at the leaving carriages.
“You did it right. I don’t want to be a story without an ending. Even if it’s not a happy one, at least it will enable everyone to close this shit once and for all. “Ardyn said, turning to Ravus.
All the gorgeousness had forsaken Ardyn’s face, the boy’s complexion, which once looked healthy in light-brown, was no longer, it had turned gloomy cadaverous. Numerous black veins appeared on his skin, the whites of his eyes discolored to dyed black, and sludge-like tears were streaming down his cheeks.
In the dusky twilight, suddenly faced with such a ghastly face, Ravus froze, and then, he reached out with trembling hand. Yet the boy took a step back and dodged.
“I look a little scary, don’t I? ” Ardyn said, trying to force a smile, but the twisted smile made his face look even weirder, “Long time I didn’t know how I died. All I could recall was that one summer night, I went downstairs to get Somnus some drink, then I lost all memories afterwards. When I woke up, I found it was already winter and Firwood empty. I was just unconsciously afraid of storm, of the dark cellar, of the old caretaker. I thought it was all ghosts nature. Until ten days ago, on that stormy night, everything came back to my mind. Ever since then, I’ve been like this, I would never have let you see the creature I’ve become if it wasn’t for the desperate situation.”
“Why didn’t you tell me in the first place? ” Ravus asked in a choking voice, fighting back tears.
“Tell You I’m a ghost? ” Ardyn chuckled, but there was a bitterness in his laughter, “Don’t be stupid. Either you wouldn’t believe it or you would be frightened by me. I don’t want to start by scaring the pants off my old friend. “
“My pants are fine, ” said Ravus with a resigned smile that even during such a solemn conversation, Ardyn still kept his frivolous manner. He cleared his throat and continued, “I mean, tell me who you are and that we used to know each other. “
Ardyn shrugged. “It’s easy to explain, ” he replied. “because I made you forget. “
“I don’t understand. ” Ravus was stunned.
“When I woke up 20 years ago in the empty park, I thought I was just abandoned here. After a while, I realized that I was neither hungry nor sleepy, and that only animals seemed to see me. At that moment, I suddenly figured out that I was dead. Later, in early spring, some servants moved in, removing the Caelum emblem from the house and replacing it with the Fleuret’s coat of arms. A few months later, you showed up with Lunafrena. You could never imagine how happy I was when you stopped me in the woods. You know I loved riots, I endured 6 lonely months, with only a few animals to keep me company, and then, finally, my best friend found me. I didn’t want to scare you, so I made up a story about running away from home. By the way, funny you actually accepted those crap, you were so naive back then. You left Firwood when summer was over, soon I heard of some gossips. They said that you were appeared to be delusional, and that your parents were considering putting you in a mental institution. I couldn’t have my best friend locked up with a bunch of crazies. So when you came back the next year, I decided to avoid you. Not long after, you fell into the lake, when I found you, you were almost drowned. In order to prevent such dangers again, I thought it was best that you forget me.”
Then Ardyn paused for a moment and smiled at his friend.
“Ravus, it’s good to see you again, ” he gave a long breath, stretching and lounging about the room, “Gosh! It’s such a relief to finally be able to say it. Well, let’s stop wallowing in the valley of sadness and whining about it. Sentiment is not for us. “
He turned and stared at Ravus. “there is only one thing left to do. Ravus, give me that ring. “
“I refuse, ” said Ravus, hiding his hands behind his back. He didn’t know what Ardyn was about to do, for some reason, an ominous sense of foreboding hung over his mind.
“Don’t be childish, ” Ardyn said, smiling, his tone was a little sullen. “Give me that ring. You know what I’m capable of, I could get you to give it to me whether you like it or not. “
At this, Ravus took two steps back, alert.
Ardyn sighed and gazed at Ravus darkly, then snapped his fingers.
It was like being in the cellar when Moton suddenly lost control of his body. Ravus felt a chill in his bones. As if spell were on him, he shivered and found his limb powerless and his mind blurred. In desperation, he saw himself reach out and take the ring off his little finger, he saw himself hand it to Ardyn.
“Good boy, ” Ardyn said, taking the ring from Ravus’ palm.
At the moment the spell was broken, Ravus collapsed to the ground, gasping and sweating. For a moment, like a man exhausted, he could not move even a finger.
“This ring is a Caelum family heirloom, ” Ardyn said, pacing the room as he fiddled with the ring of Lucii, “In family lore, the ring was said to have some magical power. I guess the reason you can see me is because of this ring, and… my power comes from it. But now it’s time to say goodbye.”
With that, Ardyn tossed the ring into the fireplace. From a distance, Ravus watched hopelessly as the ring was consumed by the fiery flames that were melting it away.
“Why do you have to do this! ” Cried Ravus, tears welling up in his eyes.
“Because I AM DEAD! ” Ardyn yelled back, his gold-brown eyes red with wild despair. “I have been dead for 20 years. You can’t keep a wraith around forever. “
“What’s wrong with that? ” retorted Ravus, with a lump in his throat, “You’re harmless, and you’re not in anyone’s way! “
There was a moment of silence, then Ardyn shook his head.
“No, not any more. Ravus, you must understand that I died violently, that I was never the good angel you thought I was, that I am nothing but a vengeful spirit. After remembering the truth of my death, I never stopped cursing the world, cursing all the living. Grudge and malice had consumed me. Back in the cellar, a thousand wicked voices were whispering in my head, urging me to leave you there to die in the fire, so that we could be together forever. Even now, I am not free from these vicious thoughts.”Ardyn tossed his head, sniffed at himself, “I’m now out of control. So, the best way is to let dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the dead go back to hell, and the living go on with their lives. “
Ardyn paused, he looked at Ravus for a long while, then sat by him. The young Fleuret collapsed on the floor, covered his face with hands, so choked with desperation that he could no longer speak.
They both remembered the day Ardyn put the ring on Ravus’finger.
What Ravus didn’t know, however, was that the ring of Lucii was only supposed to be used at the Caelum wedding. The eldest son of the family put the ring on his bride’s finger, made a vow to stay together until the white wings of death scatter their days.
After finding out that Ardyn had given the ring to Ravus without permission, his father beat him up and growled angrily, “what are you going to give your wife then, a fucking Straw ring?”
“Then I will marry Ravus, ” Ardyn, a stubborn 12-year-old, talked back. After that, his father didn’t speak to him for a long time.
Back then, they were both ignorant teenagers, Ardyn just felt like being with Ravus forever. Out of friendship? Or something else? Like a child taxidermy a butterfly, death pinned Ardyn in his age of innocence forever. And those questions can no longer be answered.
The fire was still burning and crackling in the grate. Ring of Lucii was melted and out of its shape. Ardyn stroked Ravus gently on his back, in a calm, tender voice, he said, “I wish I could stay, but I have no other choice. I tried. I just could never found the way back to my goodness, despite of all efforts. In the blink of an eye, I could have killed everyone on this estate. The only thing that I can celebrate right now is that I didn’t hurt you.”
“You thought you could hurt me? I’m not as weak as you thought, ” said Ravus, with a forced smile, trying to ignore the lump in his throat .
“Yes, you’ve always been strong, you had always been able to beat kids a few years older than you in a fight, ” Ardyn laughed, “Now, promise me you’ll be patient and tough. You may be upset for a while, but the sorrow will not last forever, and the joy of life will soon erase your pain. You’re going to meet new people, and also meet someone you love. After long years, perhaps you, white haired and wrinkled skinned, maybe even bald, will take your wife and children to my grave, smile and say, ‘here lies Ardyn Lucis Caelum, once my best friend. May he rest in peace.’ Trust me, this is the best ending for us.”
“Nonsense! I’M NOT GOING BALD! ” Resorted Ravus with his sobbing voice, irritated. For some reason, when he was with Ardyn, he always seemed to lose his composure and bickered with him like a child.
At this moment, Ardyn suddenly looked in the direction of the door and called out, “SOMNUS! “
Ravus turned in surprise, thinking that Somnus had turned back again, but there was no one at the door.
Then he felt something cold and soft touch his cheek. Ardyn kissed him and whispered in his ear, “Farewell. “
Ravus never left Firwood again. As Ardyn had hoped, he settled down at the estate. All Firwood’s servants knew that their master was an eccentric, who rarely smiled and always kept a stern and gloomy face. And he had a peculiarity of keeping his bedroom window open, no matter deep winter or midsummer nights, as if he were waiting for someone to pay a visit from there.
Many years later, as Ardyn ever wished, Ravus got married, married a good woman, and had several good children.
The children grew up and moved to the city.
When Ravus was 60, he died of a stoke. According to his will, he was not buried in the cemetery, but in a corner of Firwood’s garden, which was once a greenhouse. After the renovation, it was now a magnificent Larkspur field.
After that, Firwood park was closed forever.
There were always rumors in the nearby villages. Some said they had seen two kids playing in Firwood garden, one with a dark complexion and matted red curls, the other was fair-skinned and blonde. In the bright light of full moon, the two boys were laughing and scampering among the Larkspur field, then disappearing into the luxuriant garden. It might be a dream, or an illusion. No one could say for sure what they saw.
But now it’s time to close Firwood’s door and bring the curtain down. Shh, let’s tiptoe out quietly, without disturbing those boys, let them enjoy the bliss in their everlasting Neverland.
极地带鱼 