Bambi and the Duke

The head council came to lean forward, his hands on his elbows with his face blank as he looked at them. The girl seemed knowledgable like he thought the first time he had met. He still remembered that day when things had turned chaotic in the council and the lands. The escape of the black witches they had caught finally had been devasting before getting the news of them being killed.

It tingled his mind that how this girl knew about the case which had taken place before the time of her arrival here in the council.

Lord Nicholas and Leonard, on the other hand, kept their stance ready if anything were to happen in the court. Leo didn’t know how and when Vivian had gathered all the information to expose the man in broad day light. He would have guessed that she would first want to talk to him. When did she change her mind?

”What draught are you talking about?” Vivian asked louder so that every councilman could hear what they were speaking. Her eyes shone with unshed anger.

”You seem to behave that you know a lot,” Abel stated before twisting his words smartly, ”Like I said I went to speak about the draught that led to the feud between the two villages. The draught was before the heavy rain where the case was still ongoing,” he replied to her.

The case might have been true thought Vivian to herself as she had felt something in the storage room. During her time in the storage room, there some boxes when she touched from the outside that readily gave out memories which was the reason why it had taken her more than an hour just to go through the left side of the racks. She had gone to learn most of the cases and it had only come in handy.

”The case must have ended in less than four or five hours. Because the council says to complete the minimal tasks there and if it isn’t possible to bring the case to the court if the time exceeds more than that. I hope what I am saying is right,” she turned to her senior councilman Lionel who didn’t object to her words.

”So what about it? I was tired and I went home,” he answered her, ”Some times people can consume more energy.”

”You went to your sister’s home. Elaine Harlow I believe,” the name rang something between both Vivian as well as Abel as they were related to her. The man didn’t come to answer her, seeing this, Vivian continued with her facts and right before she could speak Abel said.

”I went to stay in the local inn,” he corrected her.

”You just said you went back home. Unless you own the inn which you want it to be called home, councilman Abel.”

”I don’t even know what you’re trying to get to. We are here talking about the switchers while you are trying to throw dirt on me. What are you angry about, councilwoman Vivian? Weren’t you able to get the credits for the help you came to me for? Cases can be tough to crack.”

This time it was Vivian to bluff. She gave him a confused look, ”What case?”

”The case you wanted your help for which elder councilman Lionel asked you to work alone,” Abel mocked.

”What case are you speaking of, councilman Abel?” Lionel came to interrupt them. The more time the people in here spent the only more curious they got like women in the village and town who waited for gossips, ”She wasn’t assigned any case by me. All the cases she had worked for has been handled under the Duke’s guidance,” the higher-ups had begun to feel their suspicions on him.

”She came to my chamber to ask for my help,” he accused her but Vivian continued to feign innocence.

”You shouldn’t make up things which aren’t true, councilman Abel,” and as she said this two guards came forward to stand beside him.

”This is ridiculous! I am being framed by this lady!”

”Why would I? I gain nothing from doing it,” she stepped away from him when he came towards her with one step to be held by the guards.

”I have worked for this council for so long. I would do nothing! Everyone knows how much I hate the black witches!” shouted Abel. The man looked pitiful as he started to lose it, ”It was my sister and her husband who did it!”

Vivian continued to speak to the man who was now made to sit on his knees on the floor. He looked utterly furious, his anger bubbling up in waves at her, ”But you went there that day after work. The witches were delivered to you at the time of the evening. Which means you were there when they released. You could have persuaded them but you rather watched them free the creatures who had brought in chaos in the four lands that we walk on. What about their children?”

”I don’t KNOW,” he shouted at her. The man right now cared about him and no one else. Even if Vivian would try to dig into the matter she doubted she would find anything at this moment. She wanted to know about her brother but there was nothing she could find here. Her heart told her that he was still alive, somewhere alone waiting for her. Only if she knew where he was, ”The court has already decided who the culprit was. It was her and her husband who taken the deal with one of the Duke’s of Wovile for money. I had no part in it. Elder councilman, Creed,” Abel suddenly pulled the man into the conversation.

”I didn’t expect this from you, Abel,” the eye-patched man gave him a look of disappointment. Turning his face away as if he were very shameful for what he found out, ”Please take him away and bind him,” the man said cooly without a single hint of remorse in his voice.

Abel looked at him in horror. The man was giving up on him while he was losing it slowly.

”I didn’t do it-”

SNAP!

The whole council in the room who were present turned dead silent. The eye-patched man had snapped the man’s head to turn him unconscious, ”Take him to the cell room and have his lips sealed too. Liars and betrayers in the council should not be encouraged in here. We all need to know who it means to give your blood and sweat to the work here. I apologize for my action,” he gave a deep bow.

”Councilwoman Vivian, we still haven’t come to the point you started at,” Lionel reminded her, he being strict as ever.

”I apologize. I was getting there,” Vivian bowed her head to the man, ”As the elders and the higher council are aware, the witchers who fled were killed but one still continued to live. She was the one to have befriended the company of the switchers.”

”How do you come to the conclusion?” asked Lionel.

”Senior Lionel and Lord Nicholas were part of the team on retrieving back the black witches alive or dead. A black witch might show the attachment with other creatures but their bond runs deeper to some of their fellow sisters. After the council killed them, the black witch started to avenge the death who was responsible for it. Leonard’s parents and some of his family members were killed. Our first thought was that the servant had done it. After all, it is always easier to blame the people who are below us as they are helpless,” she paused her thoughts going to Paul, ”The black witch sent the switcher to the Carmichael’s house and got the Duke to feel the loss she felt when he had killed her fellow sisters. It was only recently that we came to find out about it while solving the cases.”

”But this switcher here is not the one to have killed them but another one,” once she was done talking she didn’t know how to continue further with it.

Before anyone could ask for the facts, she heard Leonard speak, ”Councilman Lionel. I apologize for cutting in,” he said walking towards Vivian and standing beside her, ”She is right. We did come to walk past a few switchers in our recent cases. And this man in here didn’t kill anyone but Lancelot Knight.”

”Might you know who killed the other two?” asked Lionel in front of her everyone to Vivian and Leo. They shook their head in sync.

Lionel took in a deep breath and so did the others. Vivian waited for the higher man to give out decision which couldn’t be revered but the punishment would be given only for what the person deserved.

When the man cleared his throat, everyone came back to attention, ”Councilman Abel will be put under immediate execution after the head council will have some words. And with respect to the switcher, with what Councilwoman Vivian had to speak. Right now we shall not put the allegations on the switcher for the previous death but it cannot be overlooked that the man killed one of the person without any sole reason,” Vivian would have liked to cut in again but the reason why the switcher was here was something he didn’t want people to know. It was one of Sister Isabelle’s wishes to not let anyone know. She didn’t understand why she wanted to keep her death to be a secret and maybe that would be an unsolved mystery, ”He will be executed tomorrow first thing in the morning.”

Murmur again began and people after some time started to step out of the room. Lionel didn’t wait for them to speak but left with the other men which included Reuben as they had to go speak to Abel.

Before the guards could take the switcher away from her sight, she turned around to meet his eyes.

”I am sorry,” she apologized. The council would have thought her to be crazy to have her speak in the end to only have the number of deaths to be corrected. The switcher was taken away and Leo came to ask her once the room was empty except for Hueren, Nicholas and the couple.

Vivian was the first o break the silence, ”There’s a body in the storage room. It needs to be cleaned before someone notices while they enter to keep Abel’s belongings.”

Hueren added to her words, ”Senior, Dutan was killed this morning before Maximillian and the switcher took to replicate his body so that he could find out what we were up to. They knew we were on their tail.”

”How unfortunate,” Lord Nicholas shook his head listening to the death of another councilman, ”Let me go have it cleaned up. I will see you later,” excusing himself he left the room.

”Thank you,” she thanked him but he had already left. Her legs gave out after the heavy discussion and Leo had to catch her in his arms.

”Fetch some water,” Leo ordered his junior who ran out of the room. Holding her in his arms he pulled back to see her head that was thrown back with her eyes rolled behind, ”Vivi?” he called her as she fell slightly unconscious. She was exhausted after spending her time in the storage room.

”I feel tired. I-”

”It’s okay, Vivi. Everything will finally come to an end. The case will close in two days,” Leo assured her. She had killed the switcher by herself and it was more than what he would have expected from her and she had done well.

Nicholas had told he would take care of the body but what about the death of Dutan? The switcher had killed one of his men who had worked with him since the time in the council.

For now, he was happy to have her safe in his arms.