The Blood that Binds (storyline)/Thanela (vignette)

The Blood that Binds, Chapter 1 Vignette: Thanela

He thumbed through the fliers once more, taking count and marking it down in his journal. They had really done a good job of recreating her likeness, he thought to himself as he jotted down ‘It looks quite a bit like Thanela, I’m hopeful this will result in some good leads.’ and then closed the small book where he journaled his thoughts from time to time. A servant appeared in the arch of the study, stepping near to him and saying, “Mister Saxe, will there be anything else before the staff leaves for the night?” in a kind voice, noticing the stack of fliers he held in his hand with his sister’s likeness upon each one. “We’re so sorry about Thanela, Mister Saxe. We’re all praying that Koar brings her back to your family.”, she adds with a gentle smile. “Thank you.” Ladicius responds, then says, “There’s nothing more for today, please feel free to go and I’ll see everyone on the morrow. Big day, with the search and all starting.” As the servant leaves, he stands and places the fliers into the drawer of his desk, then extinguishes the lamp and makes his way to his quarters. The Saxe family home was well-staffed, but there were minimal staff overnights. The security at the Saxe home was renown and he slept soundly without a troop of guards at the perimeter. The few they retained in the evenings were mainly a perfunctory thing, and not of any true need. Magical wards glowed to the intelligent, trained eye and were replenished and reinforced at regular intervals by Ladicius. After disrobing, he climbed wearily into his comfortable bed, gazing up at the ceiling as he considered tomorrow’s events. A moment later he was sleeping undisturbed.

Cracking open the door, the butler looked quietly in on the sleeping Lord of the Saxe family home and gave a quick glance about the room to ensure all was secure. His trained eyes picked out the glowing wards and symbols across each threshold and along the lines of the walls, each one meticulously created with skill beyond his own. Silently closing the door to the bedroom, he stepped away and made his way back to the kitchens where a few of the remaining staff were preparing to go home for the evening. The two of them waved as he entered, bundling up their bags and wrapping coats around their shoulders. “Grabbing a late snack before you head to bed, eh?” teased a cook’s assistant, a crooked grin on her face as she teased the butler. A dismissive wave and a grin was his response as he grabbed a sandwich from the leftovers packaged on the counter. “Just saw Ladicius to bed, so I figured I’d grab something and head up, yeah.” He exhaled with pleasure after chewing a mouthful of his sandwich. “He must be a mess, what with Thanela and all.” said the assistant, to which the cook said, “Well of course he is! You know what it means if something happened to her.” Both the assistant and the butler gave the older woman a sharp, quick glance as if to admonish her silently and she quickly blushed, murmuring, “Osh, don’t pay me no mind. It’s late and I’m tired. Let’s go.” The younger girl murmured in agreement and hastily glanced over at the butler before making her way to the door with the cook. Both women hurried into the night with a quiet close of the door behind them. Gathering his food, the butler latched the door and glanced at the wards around the framework, then made his way back to his room for the night.