Finding Contentus

Chapter 131: Swear

Imcke of Independence clawed at her meaty brain, independently. She read the words over and over again, walking in a straight line while the falling snow grouped together on her leather jacket, reaching the silver ends of her black hair.

"Goed," she said, seemingly satisfied as she walked into V's gable roofed greenhouse. She was greeted by the powdery perfumes of violets, brushing through the mini forest of vines, basking in the mellowness of flavoured vapours and gratified by the flourish of hardy vegetables that were protected from the merciless cold.

She picked up a salty potato from a pot filled with boiling water and other vegetables. She bit into it, chewing for any signs of decontamination. There were none. Her excuse was that she just wanted to try a potato. Not bad. As usual. She ate the whole thing and moved further inwards.

The ensemble of violins played by themselves, thanks to the spell V put on them to usher all that entered to be entranced by the musical notes of a vintage lounge that she utilized in her bar.

"En nou?" V asked, sliding to Imcke's side, materializing out of the comfortable air that was dense with vapour.

Imcke held the parchment in her hand in front of V's face. A scroll, personally handwritten and cosigned by Prime Pharaoh Ramela and Oba Genesia, detailing the status of their amended alliance due to the deaths of former Captain Koobus and Vice Captain Johannes.

It was all in Eifri, perfect Eifri, as though it was their native tongue. V grabbed it and read their impeccable vocabulary. "An official seal of approval from the top hey?"

"The very top, as top as it gets." Imcke tapped the royal seal and signatures at the bottom. "Thought I was being fooled at first by forgery." Imcke looked pensive.

"Thenius and Mathius?" V glanced at her sideways.

"Yah, they'd prank me every year. I'd reek of fish for the entire day. They wouldn't let me bath to get rid of the stink either until the day was done. Pa too! He'd turn a blind eye to it as well, saying I smelled like fish when I was born." Imcke shook her head, chuckling briefly. "I don't know if that was me from Ma's poes or just Ma's poes during labour."

"Both probably. Some women shit themselves when they push, apparently," V supplied.

"Thank fokk that wasn't me. I bet it happened to my broers. Would explain why they were so..." A glazed look appeared in her eyes at the trivial memories she took for granted that swarmed for attention.

A part of her was half expecting her older brothers to surprise her out of nowhere, doing gods knows what to show their foolish appreciation. Until the origin of their untimely demise shoved itself into the front seat of Imcke's dismembered mind, where she watched it all frizzle like ripped strips of squealing bacon.

What would her parents say? What would Kaili say?

Nee, it's about you have to say. Pa told me to be my own boss when Ma would boss me around. That brought a warm smile to her face, as warm as the trapped heat inside the well lit greenhouse. How odd. That cold fury that pummeled her chest in the form of brass knuckles didn't hurt as much. Or rather, it hurt less than before when the hurt would never fade.

She felt an arm being wrapped around her waist, V's arm. Imcke looked into her eyes. That was why it hurt less. When she lost her parents and brothers, she gained V. On that note.

"Scope here. Captain Brehnt and Captain Haanah are mentioned, but vaguely, extremely vaguely, all coded and cryptic."

Above their names, Oba Genesia simply wrote:

"Wag vir die GoeieNag."

Wait for the GoodNight. There was something there, something he was telling them without divulging much. "You talk about them frequently. Suggestions?" There was a glint of intrigue in Imcke's eyes.