A MAZE OF GREED

Edwin felt the need to sit down after hearing what Elsie told him. Rees rushed to get him a glass of water which Edwin did not deny. Rees did not tell Edwin about the conversation between him and Lord Augustus for this very reason.

He did not want to upset Edwin.

Elsie sat in front of Edwin on the floor. She held his knees as she earnestly said, "Brother, I do not know what is wrong with father. I do not understand what has gotten into him. Dealing with it is not our priority.

Our priority is our people! I am going to be the Luna of the Bluemoon pack one day. Those are my people as much as Vincardine's. I have responsibilities towards them. And I do not want to ignore my responsibilities, like my father.

Please let me come with you brother Edwin. I do not know how I am going to help you or will I be of any help in the first place. Still, I want to come. I can not sit idly watching my people getting hurt."

Rees did not know what was going in Edwin's head as he stared back at Elsie with a passive face. But Rees was very impressed with her reasoning. The way she zealously cared for her people made him believe that the werewolf world was about to witness the rise of another great Luna.

Brother Edwin, if you think that my presence will cause any kind of distraction, then I promise to stay away from Lester. I can stay elsewhere if not at his home.

But please let me accompany you. I want to prove that I am not like my father. I am more like my brother Edwin. I want to follow my leader's steps!!"

Edwin was silent for the next minute. The horses of his mind were running faster and faster. After much contemplation, he finally reached the decision.

He had a fair idea of how he could find a solution. There was one possibility, and he decided to test it irrespective of the risks.

"We all are leaving in the afternoon." Edwin declared.

"We all?" Rees asked in confusion, and when his confusion got cleared, he was left speechless.

Hours later, when the Sun was shining brightly in the sky, two carriages stood ready, packed with the luggage of five people.

"Ida, I want you to be very very careful in our absence. I or Rees will always remain in contact with you. Keep your eyes and ears on alert. Do you understand" Edwin was speaking with Ida in the ground floor corridor of the nearby building while others prepared to leave?

"Yes, Master! Rest assured of things here." Ida replied confidently.

Edwin paused before continuing. "Ruth's absence is going to raise many questions. Beware of my uncle and aunt. They might try something when I am away."

"I am suspecting that they have already began putting two and two together."

Edwin turned his head to look at the people who were going with him to Bluemoon pack.

He then slowly nodded his head. "And take care of yourself!"

Edwin walked towards the carriages leaving a smiling Ida behind. As everyone got inside their respective carriages, Edwin paused for a second. He turned his back to see Augustus and Theodora watching him from a window.

Edwin matched their gazes that spoke many things. He wordlessly turned around and got into his carriage.

Elsie and Ruth shared one carriage along with Rees. Ruth was a little disappointed that she could not share the ride with Edwin. But then she understood that he could not do that in front of people... not yet.

Ruth had no idea why they were going to Bluemoon pack in such a rush when it had been only three days that Lester went there.

Ida waved at them from a distance and, they returned her goodbye with their own waves and smiles. They felt a jerk when the carriages began running out of the gates of 'the great manor'.

Ruth glanced at Elsie, who sat across her. She then observed Rees, who sat beside her. They both wore tensed lines on their faces. Rees sat stiffly. They both were silent and were gazing outside through the window.

Ruth cleared her throat. "Rees"

"Hmm?" He was startled by her sudden call.

Ruth gave him a weird look at his reaction. "Why are we going to Bluemoon town?" She asked.

Rees exchanged a fleeting glance with Elsie before answering, "Master has some work there and Lady Elsie was missing Lord Lester. And we are accompanying them if they needed us." Rees added a small smile in the end to ease her suspicion.

Ruth nodded her head in understanding. They all fell in silence after that. It was not awkward at all, and Ruth did not mind enjoying her first travel outside Vincardine after years.

The last time she crossed Vincardine's borders was when she went to visit her mother's grave. That reminded her that her plan of going there again was only postponing. She soon had to find some time and go there. She would ask Mrs Payne too if she wanted to come.

Living behind the town and its people, their carriages ran fast in the direction of the Blemoon pack.

The wind that flowed in the opposite direction of their carriage began lulling Ruth to sleep. She yawned, opening her mouth wide as her eyelids turned heavy.

Rees sensed that and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. She rested her head on the wooden wall of the carriage, but the bumpy road also made her head hit on the hard surface.

Giving up on it, she scooted near Rees to take support of his shoulder. Rees smiled down at her as she succumbed to sleep.

The sleep was good and more comfortable than she thought. Ruth's eyes slowly fluttered open after about two hours. She blinked twice before her vision cleared to see the empty space in front of her.

The way her body shook, she was sure that the carriage was still speeding towards the destination. She slowly turned her head, and a loud gasp mixed with a shriek came out of her mouth as tried getting up.

But before anyone's ears hurt by that loud sound, it was silenced by someone's palm on her mouth.

"Emmm?" She tried to speak, but her words came muffled.

"Yes, I missed you too!" Edwin said, grinning at her.

But she scowled at him as that was not what she was trying to say. She swatted his hand away.

"What are you doing in our carriage?" She asked, trying to mask her excitement.

"Actually, you are the one who is in My carriage." He corrected her.

Ruth's eyes widened as she looked around frantically. "Where is Thea?"

"With her husband."

"Then why am I here?"

"To be with your King!" Came his honest reply.

"Edwin!" Ruth glared at him.

And then she realised how close she was to him. She realised that she was sleeping on his lap. The shawl that Rees had put on her, still covered her.

She tried to get up and away from him. But he pulled her to his chest and hugged her. He hides his face in the side of her neck, sending bolts of thunder throughout her body.

"I missed you!" He mumbled against her skin.

Recovering from the shock, Ruth wrapped her hands around him. She leaned into his warm touch that brought a smile to her lips.

"I missed you too Edwin!"

They held onto each other for some more time, before Ruth managed to pull away from him. She straightened her dress and sat properly beside him.

Edwin's hand rested on her waist, with the sides of their bodies touching closely to each other.

"How are you now? What about your wounds?" She asked after a minute.

"I am as fine as before the attack!" He told.

Ruth noticed that he was not wearing a bandage on his right hand. She took his hand in hers and observed it keenly.

"You hand looks like it was harmed weeks ago. How is this possible? And do not give me that same lame answer that it is because of me." She warned.

Edwin forgot to cover his hand before leaving. "No. It is because of the medicine that Mrs Payne gave that day."

"Still... it is very strange Edwin. Only the supernatural creatures, especially werewolves and Vampires are able to do that."

Edwin suddenly stiffened in shock. He looked at Ruth with an unknown fear lingering behind his cerulean blue eyes.

"H-how do you know that?"

"I read about it in a book." Ruth shrugged.

"And why you read about those mythical creatures?" Edwin narrowed his eyes at her.

But Ruth's face sparked up. " You also think that they are only myths, right? I actually asked Mrs Payne about my dream and the evil smile that I saw in it. She then told me about a story that my mother used to tell me when I was little.

Do you know that Mrs Payne believes in the existence of these creatures!" Ruth shook her head unbelievingly.

"Did she said that to you?" Edwin asked dreadfully.

Ruth smiled. "You should know that she never speaks clearly. She always have these cryptic responses to everything that puzzles people. It depends on you how much you want to understand and believe."

Edwin nodded his head. He had already experienced that.

"But I do not believe in such myths. It is all just nonsense!" Ruth said dismissively.

Edwin did not reply.. The rest of their journey went while talking about random things.