Seline’s hands applied the salve on little Hao’s face.
Her proficiency in the task amazed Kai. The news of Morgan’s death had pained him, though the mother had no time to notice it.
“Can you tell me more about it?” Kai asked. I have to have everything I need.
To Kai’s dismay, Seline shook her head. “It all happened too fast,” she said, looking perfunctorily at Kai. “All things seem to happen too fast these days.”
“All things?” Kai wondered. “Are there more things of this nature that have happened?”
Seline’s face became hard, then. “Yes,” she nodded. “But I couldn’t relate them to each other, to be honest. It had happened just after this mutiny. Baron Silvas died of a heart attack. His younger brother, also a top 3rd-floor Contestant, took over the Barony, convincing all three organizations overnight.
“You see. For Barony, one must have unanimous Votes from the heads of top organizations on the 3rd floor. One must also be the Leader of one of those organizations, though, after becoming a Baron, he or she must relegate that position to their Vice Leader.”
Seline was right. Even Kai couldn’t find any relation. At least, not until she said the following words.
“The late Baron Silvas was the Leader of Silver Hunters Guild before he became the Baron,” she continued. “But his younger brother was the leader of the Thunder Faction’s branch on the 3rd floor. It came quite a surprise to all how he convinced Silver Hunters Guild so soon. The delegates from the Empire had to grant him Nobility.”
Kai’s breathing quickened. His eyes shone like two bright stars, a smile creeping upon his face. He could feel it. The hidden politics throbbed at the tips of his fingers, tugging at his heart.
“Are you alright?” Seline asked, closing the medical kit. “You seem rather pale.”
Kai brushed off the excitement. “I am just tired,” he said. “Thank you. I must go now.”
“No, big brother,” little Hao jumped at Kai. “Stay. Today we will have a party.”
Party? Kai frowned at the word.
“Ignore him,” Seline said, tapping the boy at the back of his neck. “Whenever we eat fresh bread, he calls it a party.”
Kai observed a deep rosy blush coming to the woman’s cheek.
“Little Hao is right, though,” Seline said, looking at some cobwebs she found interesting. “It’s almost evening. Stay here for the night. The inns are costly near the Yellow-Sea Gate.”
Price wasn’t the issue for Kai. He should have refused the offer. But, even before he had given it a proper thought, Kai found himself nodding.
Seline smiled. “I am taking little Hao to a physician,” she said, standing up. “The salve will only lessen the swelling and pain. Who knows how much damage those brutes had done to my child? We will be back by late evening. You can rest here till then.”
“You are leaving me at your home?” Kai asked, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t you trusting me too much?”
Seline smiled ruefully. “It's not a matter of trust,” she said. “What is there to steal in this room?”
*
*
Kai was lying on the hard, cemented floor for over an hour now.
Then he sat up.
The mother was too good-natured in front of me, Kai reflected. She must have some grand ambition to ask me to stay here. Heh! She is a fool if she thinks she can take advantage of me.
It didn’t matter. All he wanted was some privacy. Kai reached out into his Inventory, taking out the Book. The runic title over it glistened silver under the dim candlelight.
“Come out, Petyr,” Kai commanded.
Petyr’s blurry figure came out of the body. He looked around before bowing. When he disappeared, Kai opened the page, having Cersei’s tale, The Lioness of Casterly Rock. After his last Blood Prophecy failed, Kai had no time to do it again. Its use would leave him powerless for some time, he was aware. But with his increased HP, Kai wanted to check if the Act would reveal something more to him.
“Primordial Theater.” Kai used the Skill, imbuing life into the tale.
The surroundings darkened as the smoky veil parted and the young Cersei walked out. Looking at her, Kai couldn’t help but remember the night with the older Cersei. He felt a tug in his lions, recalling the moistness of her tongue. This wasn't the time to indulge in those feelings, though.
As always, the girl looked lovely and cunning. She didn’t look at him, though. Her head bobbed around, inspecting her surroundings.
“It’s better,” she talked to herself, looking down at her naked feet.
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Kai hadn’t taken her out to listen to her mumblings. At least Petyr is more reserved than her, he thought. He just does as I told him to do, and answers what I ask of him.
“Blood…” Kai had but just said the word when Cersei’s sharp, sweet voice cut him off.
“We must talk,” she said, looking at him. She blushed slightly when her eyes descended on him, Kai noticed. And she had a finality in her tone that he didn’t like.
Minimum interaction, Kai reminded himself. I must not interact freely with these things when I have yet to understand their nature.
“What is it?” Kai asked flatly. “I am pressed for time if you don’t know.”
“I know enough,” Cersei said, looking all over the ground in search of something to sit on. But there was nothing. She pressed her mouth into a thin line and sat down in front of Kai, crossing her legs on the hard ground.
“Go on, then,” Kai said, impatiently. “The homeowner would come anytime now.”
“This is home? Heh!” Cersei sneered, running a finger on the dirty floor.
Kai was almost at his limit. One more useless word out of her mouth, and no matter how much he would dislike it, he would use the Blood Prophecy.
“It is about your Luck,” she finally said gravely. “I have been thinking…”
“My Luck?” Kai said, astonishingly, cutting her off. “And you can think? Even when you are not out?”
Cersei visibly fumed. There was anger in her eyes, her nostrils flaring at Kai’s demeaning questions. “Have you ever wondered why its value is so low?” she asked, ignoring Kai’s condemning gaze. “An average Contestant’s Luck is 10. Even if you were unlucky, your Luck should have been above 6 or 7. With the value of 2, it isn’t a stroke of luck anymore but misfortune.”
The answer was plain. Kai never wondered. He had always considered himself unlucky. No man, or a boy, would consider himself lucky after what had happened with his parents. A disappeared father, a murdered mother, and two years of running, hiding, and killing had made Kai forget about his luck, to begin with. It had become something that was there, but he just didn’t care about it.
That’s why when he saw his Luck Stat initially, Kai had cursed, but had blamed no one but himself. It was something he would manage like he always had. Only recently he had related it to something external, but even that was momentary. It is just running away from reality by blaming others for my luck, Kai had thought.
Cersei’s words were like a hammer, nailing a thought Kai had been trying to pull out of himself. “Why didn’t Petyr ask about my Luck in the White Room, then?” Kai asked, more to himself than Cersei.
She answered it, nonetheless.
“That’s how it is with ordinary people,” she said, contemptuously. “For many, talking about luck is nothing more than you whining over it. You mention luck once, they will ignore it. You mention it twice, they will reject you. And if you mention it often, they will hate you. But they wouldn’t truly hate you, but their own ordinary lives.”
As much as he didn’t like it, Kai found the words reasonable. Her edgy words made Kai think about everything from a fresh perspective.
“So,” Kai whispered, in a trance, “you think my Luck Stat isn’t natural?”
“I think there is more to it,” the young Cersei nodded, playing with her hair. “No person can be that unlucky from birth. Give a person enough bad luck, and he would think whatever bad happens is happening because of it.”
“The Temple of Hastur…” Kai uttered the words, his eyes narrowing into thin slits.
Through Petyr, Kai already knew that these characters from the Book could perceive what was going on around Kai. It didn’t come as a surprise to him that Cersei knew what had been troubling him.
Cersei stood up. “You know what you must do,” she declared.
Kai looked up at her. “There is only one way to find out,” he said. “I must visit the Temple and look for an answer myself. And there is only one way I can qualify to go there.”
Cersei giggled. To Kai’s amazement, she reached down, her thumb scratching the corner of his mouth. “Does the thought of slaughter excite you that much?” she asked, her face closing in on him. “Look, you are drooling.”
She was right. Kai felt the wetness. He swatted away her hand and cleared the rest, using his sleeves.
“If I’m right about all this, you must promise me one thing,” she blurted.
“I will promise you nothing,” Kai replied. “But speak. Let’s hear it out.”
“You must upgrade my tale as soon as possible when you can,” she said, her cheeks becoming almost hot pink.
Kai frowned. Where is this going? He asked himself. “I will think about it,” he said grumpily.
“Now, Blood Prophecy!”