Tolerance Toward Interference Terminated

Chapter 3 - Tolerance Toward Interference Terminated

After some very noisy movements, Andre located the letter. "Got it." It was secreted in a tiny box, wedged into a secret compartment that was no longer functional even before they'd found it.

Mirabel studied it with a frown and tilted her head with a sigh. "Looks like someone destroyed this before we came along." She stood up and dusted her hands off on a pair of patched pants. "A pity too because it was a beautiful piece of furniture."

They winced when a sarcastic voice drawled. "So glad you found the letter."

It was Tallow, staring at them with contemptuous disdain. He was the oldest of them all. Strangely enough, he had dark gold hair and dark blue eyes. He has immaculately dressed for the day already.

Right behind him, Rafael rumbled. "Now, d'you think you can complete your mission without disturbing anyone else's sleep?" He had long black hair, piercing grey eyes, and dark skin.

Now that Mirabel thought about it, neither of them resembled her or Andre. Maybe they were one of the adopted offspring she'd heard rumored? Whatever, it didn't matter to her. As far as she was concerned, they had nothing to do with her success or failure in the mission she was honor-bound to carry out later.

Andre glared in silence. He refused to even bother responding to either right then. Who knew what he'd say?

Aware of his rising ire and not too pleased with their interference and clear intent to cause trouble for all people involved, she wasn't in a forgiving mood for their attitudes. So, when Mirabel growled. "If it wasn't for the two of you sabotaging this piece of furniture," She snapped a board in half that she'd held in her hand. "All that racket wouldn't have been necessary in the first place!" She pointed at the door. "GO AWAY!" Her loud screech made all three men flinch.

Tallow and Rafael retreated in offended silence.

Andre glanced at Mirabel warily. "Thanks." He rose to his feet. "I also will get a move on."

Oh, good grief. Now Mirabel's temper managed to scare off Andre as well? She didn't remember him being such a damned coward. Mirabel sighed. "You're not the one I'm pissed at, Andre. I didn't mean to include you in that statement."

Andre exhaled in relief. "Well, now we found the letter." He glanced at his appearance and winced. "We look like a pair of vagabonds. We should wash, get properly dressed and see if there's something either of us can do in the kitchen."

The kitchen, oh right, Duran was usually put in charge of cooking. They blanched at the notion of letting him make anything but coffee. "Er right, we'd better hurry up with getting dressed."

First, Mirabel took care of what she needed to do to become a presentable lady. Then she slowly walked down to the corridor while Andre got to work on his appearance. She frowned when encountering Tallow and Rafael. It was apparent they'd waited for her to arrive. "What do you two want?" She grumbled in acute displeasure.

They winced at her growl. "We're sorry for making the search difficult."

*

When Andre hurried to get dressed and followed Mirabel's footsteps, he paused before turning the corner. His eyebrows rose when hearing what Rafael said. He'd apologized? Did an apocalypse happen?

"Please join us, Andre," Rafael called. "We need to straighten out the misunderstandings from the past if we want to salvage the present and future."

Andre hesitated but reluctantly joined them. "This better be worth our while." He regarded Tallow and Rafael with extreme wariness.

The two older brothers looked them over and shook their heads. "Stay still." Tallow muttered as he put a hand on each of their heads.

Andre was startled, but he recognized what had happened. Tallow was fast-healing them. Otherwise, they would be in no shape for a fight.

"First of all, I didn't know that the chest of drawers was sabotaged." Tallow informed them. "The last time I'd seen it, it was fine."

"Second," Rafael sighed. "We didn't mean to cause such a bad fight. We knew that all of us were sent here with assassination commissions on either Matilda or Dougal." His mouth tightened. "Some of the boys in this house have been very badly behaving. they were doing things and blaming their actions on Duran."

Oh ho, so that is why none of them would be spared. Maribel tapped her jaw. "Can the executions occur after Duran's departure, or did some of them already occur?"

Rafael and Tallow grunted. They exchanged glances and nodded tersely. "Yes, the executions can wait. We realized that was the only option after seeing what happened to you two earlier." They shook their heads in disgust. "Those people are beyond redemption as well."

Rafael's face darkened. "I saw that evil orb." He shook his head. "I dare not approach it. I can disable some of the lines that are attached to it."

Mirabel was relieved upon hearing that.

Andre was equally pleased. "Good. That means we have a shot at getting this done in at least one day."

It would be one hell of a battle, though, against their parents. Would Rafael and Tallow be able to go against them in the end? Only the final battle would answer that pressing question.

As for the other children, Andre sighed. "Are there none of the youngsters still redeemable?" He frowned. "I could've sworn there were at least three that had some decency in them.

Tallow and Rafael exchanged glances and nodded after a few seconds of contemplation. Evidently, they'd received some specific orders regarding the Stronghold's occupants.

At last, Tallow finally answered for the boys. "There will only be a few boys spared." Tallow rubbed his jaw. "Sylvester, Karl, and Leonard are the only ones allowed to live." He shrugged when Andre nodded in resignation. He was glad for that much leniency, at least.

Rafael added with a grimace. "The rest are too badly corrupted and irredeemable." He folded his arms. "I know nothing about any other orders."

Hmm, well, that was better than what Andre and Mirabel could've asked for at this point. Now, they needed to get to the kitchen. "We have to stop Duran from making food. None of us need food poisoning." Andre informed them hastily.

Mirabel smiled wearily at Tallow and Rafael, who eyed them in confusion. At last, Rafael shrugged. "I'll find out if there was anything about salvaging the females."

Andre and Mirabel bowed to them politely. "Thank you." Then they ran off to the kitchen, stumbling inside with relief. Well, some part of the morning was okay.

*

Maurice, wandering through the corridors, felt his blood chill when he heard the words, 'terminate, irredeemable, assassinate, and children.' He swallowed hard and sighed. "Good morning, Tallow, Rafael."

The two men stiffened and turned to face him warily. All three of them stood with arms folded across their chests. "This is awkward." Maurice exhaled. "Well, I think we need to have a little chat before going into the dining room." The later they arrived, the better. It would still give Maribel, Andre, and Duran the breathing space they needed to ensure that edible food and drink were available.

"Who else has arrived beside us?" Tallow frowned.

Maurice shrugged. "Ex-business, present, and future business partners." He was utterly disgusted at Matilda and Dougal's disregard for general manners.

His brother and sister-in-law would think about money, power, and influence in the higher realms. They were obsessed with the means and how to get more of it.

Tallow and Rafael grimaced. "Most of those people have bounties on their heads."

Maurice nodded. "Please have the decency to collect it once Duran and I have exited this loathsome place." He rubbed his temples. "I had a hell of a time just getting through the outer gates."

Rafael and Tallow grimaced. "Ah yes, the gauntlet of council members." They shook their heads. "They're desperate to marry off their children." Their blatant disgusted contempt merged with Maurice's when thinking about the despicability of the council members.

"Unfortunately, I can do nothing about them." Maurice shrugged in dismissal of the greedy individuals. "I assume that you've made some progress with other issues?" His eyebrows rose at the two men.

Rafael and Tallow grunted. Neither of them confirmed or denied anything, much to Maurice's resignation. Well, he wasn't counting on miracles either. "Fine, just keep Matilda and Dougal occupied and out of the kitchen." He requested. "I need to talk to the daughters while I have some freedom to walk about as I please."

At his statement, the men perked up. "Please tell me some of them are salvageable?" Rafael muttered. "I was beginning to despair while observing the boys."

Tallow's shoulders hunched. "I'm not certain, but I think Matilda and Dougal already killed a few of them during the witching hours." He met Maurice's gaze. "I'm sure I heard screams and frantic cries from a clearing in that corner." He gestured to their north.

Oh right, that area, Maurice shuddered. "Anyone who goes there never reappears again." He recalled. "They're dead or worse than such, and I don't recommend going near that place. It is where they dispose of the bodies before cremation if they deem them worthy of such a service." He shrugged. "If they don't, the corpses rot in that part of the land."

Maurice preferred not talking about how he knew what to expect there. Though he could tell from their expressions that they dearly wanted to know. "It is a rite of passage into a gruesome cult. I declined the dishonor." He shrugged. "That is why I'm not on good terms with either Matilda or Dougal." He sighed. "It is how I regained my independence and ability to control them to a certain extent."

Tallow and Rafael frowned. "So is that why we never heard about that particular induction ceremony."

Maurice shrugged. "As I said, those who enter that area don't return." His mouth tightened. "If someone were ever to come back, they're not the same. You could say a demon has possessed them."

It was a horrible situation, to say the least. Neither Tallow nor Rafael had ever seen their parents before entering that particular clearing. It was a pity, but now as Maurice reflected on the situation, it was probably better.

Rafael and Tallow sighed. They swallowed their curiosity and grimaced. "Yes, we'll go distract the disgusting duo that is our parents for as long as you need."

"Thank you," Maurice inclined his head to them politely. "It should only take me a half-hour to find and talk with the girls." After all, there were only three specific ones he wished to speak with. If it turned out that they only used Duran for his abilities, well, Maurice's face darkened. He wasn't going to save them from what was to come later.

After all, he'd initially only come to the Stronghold to permanently take Duran away. Maurice hadn't intended to become involved in the bloody affairs of Matilda and Dougal. Sadly, they'd royally overstepped their boundaries. Clearly, something would be done one way or another.

Maurice preferred that he and Duran were long gone before the assassination and clean-up. He glanced at the two brothers. "Oh right, did Duran ever receive the letter from Abalone Academy?"

When they winced, Maurice sighed. He didn't explode at them either. Obviously, that was the reason for the early-morning chaotic bumping and thumping earlier. He merely shook his head at them. "You two need to start being more considerate of others' situations."

now very irritated, Maurice growled rather sternly. "Hiding the letter as you did almost make me believe you were in cahoots with Matilda and Dougal to prevent him from attending Abalone Academy."

Tallow sighed. "That academy isn't as great as we once believed, Uncle Maurice."

Rafael nodded. "It too has become a hotbed of politics." He glanced around warily. "It is dangerous for someone like him."

Maurice sighed in aggravation. "That might be so, but we'll still need to get him to Anemone Seaport."

When they nodded in agreement to the last part, Maurice was relieved. "Well, I'll be off then." He wasn't in the mood to let them delay him any longer.

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