Calyanni's Heir, Part 2, by Josh
The transition from Luisa’s family estate had gone fairly smoothly. The doctors had objected at first, quickly brandishing the contract that Andre had signed. Ernesto reviewed the contract, which had actually been fairly good considering those same doctors had written it, but it was far from ironclad. Ernesto had had his scribe site several obscure points of law and the contract was declared invalid. Calyanni liquidated the remaining estate, intending to set the money aside for the Castillian. As soon as a bill of sale was produced, the amount would be converted into a bank account. Ernesto believed that the three would be back in a week, maybe less. Certainly, that was as long as the Castillian had said. And he had always been a fairly punctual individual. Then Luisa’s sister was taken to the farthest wing of the Calyanni estate where Ernesto’s personal physician had also been persuaded to take residence. Along with Lara’s freedom, Ernesto had acquired all the notes of the previous doctors. Upon examination of those notes, the physician had decided to let the laudanum, morphine, and other medicines pass through Lara’s system. He also contacted an associate with knowledge of herbal medicine to find an alternative pain-suppressing treatment. He had deduced that due to her longtime dependence on the treatment of morphine and laudanum, that only escalating amounts, concentrations, and combinations of the two would sate her current state of pain. But that doing so would ultimately kill her. The same physician found that his compatriots’ diagnosis was flawed. The scar along Lara’s back clued to a wound that had been unbearable to her initially. That had explained her first uses of the drugs. Her first doses had been enough to cover her pain, but for some reason, their potency had begun to wane extremely quickly. But instead of putting fault on the initial treatment, the doctors put forth another theory. It was that Lara was the victim of a debilitating nerve illness, and that her pain and her symptoms would only increase with time. That had justified the increased use of the laudanum and morphine. Ernesto’s physician had marveled at Lara’s constitution and resilience. Her blood when he first examined her was very close to poison. Although he couldn’t be certain, he theorized that that had been why they were bleeding her on the day of Ernesto and Arien’s visit. After the dissolution of the contract, the previous doctors had become tight-lipped. Lara slowly recovered from her drug induced state and was responding to the alternate treatment extremely well. The treatment involved several natural extracts that Ernesto’s chef could exquisitely craft into the three meals of the day. Weeks after Ernesto had retrieved his sister-in-law from her home, she was being led on his arm throughout the Calyanni gardens. In the passing time, another mystery had been bought up. The captain of the guard was missing. It had been discovered that he had been gone for several weeks. Ernesto contemplated that perhaps he had deserted from the estate. Perhaps he was dead. Ernesto had long known that his captain was not universally loved. But the captain had faithfully served him, helping with the undesirable tasks that Ernesto often performed in his business ventures. But no theory Ernesto would put forth seemed fully to explain his sudden disappearance. The lieutenant that he had left was competent, but did not possess the heartless devotion that the lord of the house needed. Arien never said whether she approved of Ernesto’s actions concerning Lara, and she left before he could have asked her about it. Ernesto suspected that her silence on the matter indicated her feelings on the matter. Both Elena and Arien seemed to come and go as they pleased, but the presence of one often meant the imminent arrival of the other. Their entrances were always subtle and composed. But they were always unexpected. Until one day, when Calyanni was reviewing an old ledger walking across the hallway to his study. A loud knocking reverberated through his home. It had come from the front door, in easy sight of Ernesto as he stood on the second floor hallway. He closed the ledger and put on a forbidding look for the visitor who was nearly murdering the plated knocker on the front door. A servant came from around the corner, looking nervously at his lord. Ernesto nodded, and the servant grasped the handle. The door swung wide open. To Ernesto’s disbelief it was Arien. Her hair was tossed and her eyes were wild. She was so winded; it was almost like she had run across the entire estate. Her body very nearly resonated with tenseness as she scanned the area around her. She paid no heed to the servant, who been knocked flat. “Arien…” He asked from atop the stairs hesitantly. Her head snapped around to the stairs. “Are you alright? Did someone steal your purse?” “Where is she, Ernesto?” Narrowing his eyes, his thoughts drifted to the last time that Arien had been with him. He then assumed that she was talking about his sister-in-law. “Lara’s in the kitchen, Arien, what’s…” “Wrong? Everything’s wrong, Ernesto,” she nearly flew to the top of the stairs, “I had no idea, Ernesto…. Had no idea she would go that far…” Setting the ledger aside, Ernesto took her by the arms, hoping to calm her down. Having Arien act in this manner was completely unnerving. As long as he had known her, he had never seen such urgency. Up to this point, she had been unflappable. ‘“Go that far?’ Lara? Who… Who are you talking about? Are you talking about Lara?” He asked tersely. Down below, Lara approached the polished banister. Her eyes glanced at the servant, who was slowly picking himself off the floor. “Who was knocking on the door? Was it Luisa? Or Talen? Andre?” Ernesto released his grip. “No, it was just…” A chilling thought just entered his mind as Lara spoke her sister’s name. Several chilling thoughts, coming so quickly that he couldn’t sort though them. “It was just…” he repeated mindlessly. “Just…” He looked into Arien’s eyes and saw it. “Just…” A reflection of his worst fears. Arien only glanced at the study door. The glance turned into a hard stare. Ernesto followed her line of sight. The ornate door to the study was always closed, no matter whether Ernesto was there or not. It was an unspoken rule among the servants that it was always to remain closed. And because of its massive weight, it could be heard when it was closed and usually when it was opened. It, however, was not closed. It was not completely open, it was open just enough to keep it from its stop. A quarter of an inch. Maybe. But it was open nonetheless. “The father and the son…together… And Luisa…. I thought that maybe she would directly do something…” Arien mumbled, but Ernesto wasn’t paying any attention. While Ernesto and Arien stood there contemplating the doorway, Lara climbed the stairs to the landing. “Ernesto, who is this?” She asked. He acknowledged her question with a gaze. He felt sick. “What is it?” “Something’s wrong…” he said cryptically. “Yes, I understand that, Ernesto… Why? What’s wrong?” “It’s about your sister…” He said with difficulty. “What about her, Ernesto? What’s wrong?” She asked with a note of concern. Ernesto leant on Arien’s slight frame for support. He wanted to do more than lean. He wanted to grab her, wrap her in his arms, and hold on… “What happened to Luisa, Ernesto? Answer me!!” Silence. “Is she in the study? Is that where she is?” It was Arien that spoke. “Yes. Yes, she is.” Uncertain, Lara opened the door. It swung soundlessly. Inside, it was dim. The curtains had been drawn, and the lanterns were covered. Somewhere a candle flickered. Ernesto hesitantly pushed both women aside and crossed the threshold. “I could never understand your obsession with the dark…..” He addressed the study. “Elena…”Return to Uncommon Valor