The carriage stopped in front of the Voss residence.
Kael observed from the window. A two-story house. Well-built but with subtle signs of neglect. Paint that was once white now had grey stains. The front garden with herbs growing more than appropriate.
The main door opened before anyone could step down.
Two figures rushed out.
A middle-aged man. Mid-forties. Gray, disheveled hair. Good quality merchant clothes but worn. A face marked by lines of stress that shouldn't be there.
A woman. Similar age. Brown hair hastily pulled back. Simple dress. Hands visibly trembling even from a distance.
"Elara! Nia!"
The mother's voice came out broken. Desperate.
They ran towards the carriage.
Elara and Nia quickly descended. They barely touched the ground when their parents enveloped them in an embrace.
The mother openly sobbed. Her face buried in Elara's hair. Her hands clutching as if she feared they would vanish if she let go.
The father hugged both daughters simultaneously. Eyes tightly closed. Breath catching.
"We thought... we thought Daemon had..." The mother couldn't finish.
"A message arrived from the Kladis two days ago." The father spoke. His voice rough.
"They said they had 'recovered' Elara. That they would bring her back. They didn't answer our questions. They didn't say anything about you, Nia."
"I almost died of fright." The mother added between sobs.
"We didn't know if they were alive, if they were hurt..."
"We're fine, Mom." Elara whispered. Hugging her mother tightly.
"We're fine."
Nia was crying too.
"But Marcus is hurt! Daemon hit him! He almost killed him!"
The father slightly pulled away. He looked towards the carriage. Looking for his guard.
His eyes stopped on the embroidered emblem on the side of the vehicle.
Black shield. Silver lightning bolt.
His face paled.
"What...?"
Elara rushed to explain. Her voice quick.
"This young noble saved us. Daemon attacked us on the road and he intervened. He helped us. He brought Marcus back."
She pointed towards Kael, who was stepping down from the carriage.
Calm step. Hands behind his back. Aldric descending behind him with an imposing presence.
"He is Kael Drayvar." Elara introduced.
"Young Kael, these are my parents."
Kael slightly inclined his head. A courteous gesture but not submissive.
"Good evening."
Donal instantly recognized the surname. His posture automatically straightened. Instinctive merchant respect before greater nobility.
He bowed. Deeply. Almost a reverence.
His wife did the same. A clumsier movement. Less practiced.
"Young Lord Drayvar..." Donal spoke with a voice that slightly trembled.
"We don't know how to thank you. If our daughters... if you hadn't been there..."
He didn't finish. Emotion blocking words.
"Please." The mother added. Fresh tears in her eyes.
"Please, come in. It's not proper for you to be in the street."
Donal looked around nervously. As if he feared someone was watching them. That someone would notice the Drayvar emblem in front of their house.
He gestured towards the door.
"Please."
Kael nodded. He walked towards the entrance.
Aldric followed him. Then the sisters. Finally the parents.
The door closed behind them.
The interior was simple. The main room with quality furniture but clearly aged. Comfortable sofas with visible patches on the fabric. A central rug worn at the edges.
There were no servants. There were no guards. Only family.
Uncomfortable silence filled the space as everyone found seats.
Donal and his wife on one sofa. Elara and Nia on another. Kael in an individual chair. Aldric remaining standing near the door.
The mother quickly stood up.
"Forgive... forgive the state of our house, young lord. I'll prepare some tea."
She left before anyone could answer.
Donal cleared his throat. Not knowing exactly what to say. How to act before a noble of a Great House sitting in his dilapidated living room.
Elara took a deep breath. She decided to break the silence.
She told the story. A condensed version. The deliberate crash. Daemon trying to take her by force. Marcus being beaten. Kael appearing and confronting Daemon. The threat. The escape.
And Kael's decision to accompany them to Arven.
The mother returned with tea halfway through the story. She sat down slowly. Listening with horror growing on her face.
When Elara finished, both parents had tears in their eyes.
Donal leaned forward. Hands clasped together. Clenched until his knuckles turned white.
"Young Lord Drayvar..." His voice came out broken.
"There are no words. There is no way to express how we feel. You saved our daughters. You brought them back when we thought..."
He stopped. He took a deep breath.
"We are indebted to you. A debt we can never repay."
His wife sobbed again.
"If Daemon had... if you hadn't been..."
She couldn't continue.
Kael observed both parents. Neutral expression.
"So much gratitude is not necessary."
A brief silence.
Donal grew more serious. His expression shifting from gratitude to concern.
"But young lord... this is a problem of our family." He spoke slowly. Measuring his words.
"A complicated and dangerous problem. We don't want... we can't involve you in our affairs."
He looked towards the window. As if expecting to see someone watching.
"The Kladis are dangerous. Nikolas has connections all over the city. Guards in his pocket. Officials who turn a blind eye. If they find out that a Drayvar is here, in our house, helping us..."
He shook his head.
"The complications could be... devastating. For you. For your family. For us."
Kael stared at him.
"I'm already involved."
"Yes, and we are grateful. More than we can express." Donal insisted.
"But this is different. Confronting Daemon on the road is one thing. But staying here, in the city where the Kladis have real power..."
His wife added. Her voice soft but firm.
"You are very young, young lord. And you only have one knight with you. If something were to happen to you here, your family would blame us. They would come for us. It would be our complete ruin."
A pause.
"And even if your family didn't come... the Kladis would. Nikolas doesn't tolerate interference. Daemon even less. If you stand between him and what he wants..."
She didn't finish. Leaving the implication hanging in the air.
Kael let the silence stretch for a moment.
Then he spoke. His voice flat. Without emotion.
"I am not asking for permission."
Donal blinked.
"I am saying that I will help. The question is not whether I will do it. It's whether you will cooperate with me or if I will have to do it without your participation."
The parents looked at each other. Silent communication.
Worry. Fear. But also... 'hope?'
Finally, Donal slowly nodded. Defeated.
"If you insist, young lord... we have no authority to stop you. Just... just be careful. Please."
His wife stood up. Forcing normalcy into an abnormal situation.
"Then you must be tired from the journey. I will prepare a room for you and your knight."
Elara offered.
"I'll show them the way, Mom."
She stood up. Kael and Aldric followed her.
They went up the stairs in silence. Second floor hallway. A room at the end.
Elara opened the door.
"It was a relative's room. Before they left to find work in another city."
She didn't elaborate.
A simple room. A large bed. A smaller bed for the escort. A window with a street view. Clean but undecorated.
"It's fine. Thank you." Kael replied.
Elara lingered at the door. Wanting to say something. Hesitating.
"Young Kael... why are you really doing this?"
Kael looked at her. Inscrutable expression.
"Rest. Tomorrow will be long."
He didn't answer the question.
Elara waited one more moment. Then she withdrew. Closing the door.
Downstairs, in the now guest-empty living room, Donal and his wife remained seated.
Nia and Elara had gone up to their rooms. Exhausted from the day.
The silence stretched.
Finally, the mother spoke. Her voice low. Tired.
"What are we going to do with that boy, Donal?"
Donal rubbed his face with both hands. A gesture of deep exhaustion.
"I don't know. Honestly, I don't know."
He sighed heavily.
"His family... the Drayvars are a Great House. One of the most powerful in the south. If something happens to him here, in our city, while trying to help us..."
He left the sentence unfinished. He didn't need to complete it.
His wife nodded. Understanding perfectly.
"But he saved our daughters." She said softly.
"Elara would be with Daemon right now if it weren't for him. Nia... I don't even want to think what Daemon would have done with Nia."
Fresh tears appeared in her eyes.
"I'm grateful. More than I can express. But..."
"But he's too young." Donal completed.
"A boy. With a single guard. Facing Nikolas Kladis who has dozens of men. Daemon who has no scruples. The Torrens who control half the city's trade."
He leaned back on the sofa. Staring at the ceiling.
"It's not a fair fight. It's not a fight he can win."
"Are you suggesting we send him back?" His wife asked. But she didn't sound convinced of the idea.
"It would be the safest thing. For him. For us." Donal replied. Also not sounding convinced.
"We would explain the real situation. The dangers. We would thank him again and..."
"And what?" His wife interrupted. Her voice slightly rising.
"Do we hand Elara over to Daemon? Do we lose our house? Do we end up in the street?"
Donal closed his eyes.
"We don't have many options, my love. We've been cornered for months. Every move we make only sinks us further."
"Then maybe..." The mother paused. Searching for words.
"Maybe this boy is... I don't know. An opportunity. A way out we didn't see."
"Or it's a worse trap." Donal responded bitterly.
"Getting involved with a Great House. Owe them a favor. Having a debt to them instead of the Kladis."
"At least the Drayvars don't want to marry our daughter to a violent drunkard."
Donal couldn't argue against that.
Silence fell again.
Longer this time.
Finally, Donal sighed.
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll talk to him with a clearer head. We'll explain everything. The Torrens. The Kladis. The connections. The real dangers."
He looked at his wife.
"If after knowing everything he still insists on helping... well, we can't stop him. He's a noble of a Great House. He has authority that we do not."
"But at least he will know what he's getting into." His wife completed.
"Exactly."
They slowly stood up. Their bodies tired from weeks of stress.
They turned off the lamps one by one.
They went up the stairs.
"Do you think he can really help?" The mother asked in a whisper as they walked down the hallway.
"I don't know." Donal replied honestly.
"But at this point... we don't have many alternatives."
They entered their room. They closed the door.
The house fell silent.
In the guest room, Kael was sitting on the bed. Relaxed posture. Looking out the window at the night city.
Aldric checked the door. The window. Security habits he never abandoned.
He finally sat down on the smaller bed. Looking at Kael.
"What is the plan?"
His voice low. Direct.
Kael didn't answer immediately, 'he was processing the information.'
"For tomorrow," he finally spoke,
"it would be better if you put on different clothing."
He looked at Aldric's armor with the visible Drayvar emblem.
"That armor draws too much attention."
Aldric frowned.
"You want me to go disguised?"
"I want you not to look like a knight of a Great House. Simple clothes. A common mercenary. Something that won't raise suspicion when we walk through the city."
Aldric processed that.
"And what exactly are we going to do that requires so much... secrecy?"
Kael leaned back slightly. Crossing his arms.
"The first thing is to help the sisters. But for that we need information."
"What kind of information?"
"I need to know what the rival business's real goal is. The Torrens. Why so much effort destroying the Vosses? What do they gain beyond eliminating competition?"
A pause.
"And I need to understand Nikolas Kladis's plans. What he gains with all this beyond money. The real connection between the Kladis and the Torrens."
Aldric slowly nodded. Understanding the logic.
"And how will we find that out? We can't just knock on their door and ask."
Kael smiled slightly. Without humor.
"No. We can't."
Silence.
Aldric waited. Kael didn't elaborate.
"Then?" Aldric insisted.
"Relax. I already have a plan." Kael replied. Closing his eyes.
"Rest. You'll find out early tomorrow."
Aldric let out a sound of exasperation.
"Of course you won't tell me now."
He muttered lower.
'Why did I expect anything different?'
"Because you're optimistic." Kael replied without opening his eyes.
Aldric snorted. Without humor. He lay down on his bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
'This brat is going to kill me someday.'
Silence fell over the room.
Darkness. Only distant sounds of the night city.
Both resting for what was to come.
The morning arrived too quickly.
Kael went downstairs early. He found Nia in the kitchen. The girl eating bread with jam.
They spoke in low voices. No one else was awake yet.
Kael explained something. Nia listened with growing attention. Her eyes widening. A smile forming.
"That's brilliant!" She whispered excitedly.
"The bad guys will never see it coming!"
"Exactly. But don't tell your sister yet."
"Why not?"
"Because she'll try to stop me."
Nia nodded. Understanding. Sealing her lips in a gesture of silence.
The rest of the day passed in preparations. Aldric finding simple clothes. Kael observing the city from the windows. Asking Nia occasional questions about routes, locations, habits.
Elara noticed the private conversations but didn't ask. Too busy caring for Marcus, who remained stable but weak.
The parents tried to talk to Kael several times. Explaining dangers. Offering alternatives.
Kael listened politely. Then continued with his plans.
The afternoon arrived. The sun setting. Shadows lengthening.
Kael, Aldric, Nia, and Elara left the house.
They walked through the streets of Arven. A medium-sized commercial city. Two and three-story buildings. Cobblestone streets. The market closing for the day.
Aldric wore simple clothes now. A dark shirt. Common pants. A sword on his belt but nothing that screamed "knight of a Great House." He looked like any mercenary.
Almost dark. Golden light of the sunset painting the buildings.
Elara walked beside Kael. Nervous. Looking around constantly.
"Young Kael... are you sure about this?"
"Yes." Kael replied with absolute confidence.
"It's a foolproof plan."
Nia skipped ahead. Turning to walk backward as she spoke.
"Yes, sister! We were planning everything in the morning."
Too enthusiastic.
"With this plan we can fight against the bad guys!"
Elara and Aldric exchanged glances. Identical expressions of concern.
'If a twelve-year-old girl helped plan this...'
Elara opened her mouth.
"Nia... what exactly did you plan?"
Nia began to answer.
Kael raised his hand. A gesture of silence.
"We're almost there. You'll see."
They turned a corner. A darker street. Less traveled. More... questionable buildings.
Elara stopped abruptly.
She recognized the area. Her face paling.
"No... don't tell me that..."
In front of them stood a large building. Three stories. Warm lights in the windows. Visible red curtains. Soft music escaping through the doors.
Women on the second-floor balconies. Dressed in silks that left little to the imagination. Laughing. Calling out to occasional passersby.
An elegant sign above the main entrance: "The Scarlet Lounge"
Elara immediately recognized the place. Everyone in Arven knew it.
The city's most exclusive entertainment establishment. Where nobles and rich merchants went to... relax.
"Is this your plan?!" Elara hissed. Her voice low but furious.
"Bring us to a place like this?!"
"Entertainment lounge." Kael corrected. Technically.
"And we're not going in."
Aldric looked equally unconvinced.
"So, what the hell are we doing here?"
Kael explained calmly. "It's said that Daemon visits this place almost every night around this time."
He looked towards the building.
"He's probably already inside."
Nia added with too much knowledge for her age.
"He comes here every night! Everyone knows it! He spends fortunes impressing his friends!"
Elara closed her eyes. Embarrassment that her little sister knew these things.
"We just have to wait for him to leave." Kael continued.
"And then what?" Aldric asked.
"Do we confront him?"
"No." Kael shook his head. A slight smile.
"He's not our target."
A dramatic pause.
"His companions are."
Everyone waited for an explanation.
"The friends he wants to impress. Lesser nobles. Heirs of merchant families. The kind of people who talk too much when they're drunk and want to seem important."
Slow understanding crossed Aldric's face.
"You're going to interrogate one of them."
"Exactly."
They positioned themselves in an alley with a clear view of the Scarlet Lounge entrance. Dark but with a perfect angle.
Kael observing patiently. Aldric shifting his weight from foot to foot. Elara doubting this whole situation. Nia trying to stop herself from asking constant questions.
Time passed.
An hour. People entering and leaving the establishment. None were Daemon.
"How much longer?" Nia whispered.
"Patience." Kael replied without taking his eyes off the building.
Another hour. Legs getting tired. Aldric restless.
"Maybe he didn't come today..." Elara suggested hopefully.
And then the main door opened.
Music and laughter spilling out. A group of men leaving.
Daemon in the center. His arm over the shoulders of a voluptuous woman who was saying goodbye with an exaggerated kiss. Laughing loudly. His voice slurring. Clearly drunk.
With him, four friends. Young nobles. All staggering. Two guards behind them. The same mercenaries from the road.
The group said their goodbyes in the street. Daemon going in one direction with his guards. Three friends taking another route together.
One split off alone.
Young. Around twenty years old. Staggering more than the others. Very drunk. Taking a less traveled side street.
"That one." Kael discreetly pointed.
"Are you sure?" Aldric asked.
"He looks barely conscious."
"Better." Kael replied.
"He'll talk easier."
They followed the target. A safe distance. The drunkard noticing nothing. Staggering down a darker alley. Fewer people here.
Kael gave a signal. A hand gesture.
Aldric moved.
Silent. Quick.
He grabbed the young man from behind. Hand over his mouth. Arm around his torso. Dragging him towards a desolate corner between buildings.
The young man shouted. Muffled by Aldric's hand.
"Mmmph! What the hell!"
He kicked ineffectively. Too drunk to resist properly.
Aldric pushed him against a wall. His hand still over his mouth.
"Be still."
Kael, Elara, and Nia emerged from the shadows.
Kael ahead. Calm step. As if he were walking in a garden.
The young man saw Kael. Eyes narrowed. Confusion.
"A boy...?"
Kael stopped in front of him. Looking up. Cold expression.
"Let the interrogation begin."
The young man tried to focus. He looked at Aldric. A large man. Armed. Then at Kael. A boy with predator's eyes.
Paleness crossed his face even in the darkness.
"What... what do you want?" His voice came out trembling. Fear overcoming the alcohol.
Kael stepped forward.
"Information."