A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 55: The Village Elder - Part 5

A gloomy woman wearing hooded robes answered the door. "…Can I help you?" She asked quietly in a voice that was hardly above a whisper. It was the same woman that he'd seen before in the forest. He had to fight the urge to step back out of fear.

Judas was freaking out already, it seemed, for he stammered his reply. "T-the boy here's for the Elder. To uh, to help with firewood."

Beam looked at the woman again. She wasn't exactly pretty. Well, she wasn't ugly either. From her long dark hair and the perfect symmetry of her pale face, it seemed as though she should be a beauty, but there was an instinctual reaction to her gloominess that made the eyes not register her as such.

She nodded slowly at Judas' reply, as though understanding took a while. "…I will get the master, then," she said, before drifting back inside the house – a house which seemed to be pervaded by an unusual darkness.

"...This place is pretty creepy," Beam acknowledged quietly.

"Right? But it's more than just being creepy… Well, I guess you'll find out," Judas said.

"What was that?" A voice asked from behind them, making both of them jump.

Beam turned his head like an owl, only to see a crooked old man standing directly behind him, a terrible smile on his wrinkled face as he stood stooped over, clutching his staff.

Beam looked from the old man, back to the house again, squinting with one eye. 'The attendant said she was getting her master… right?' He thought to himself. From what she said, and the fact that she'd moved back inside the house, he'd assumed the Elder would indeed be inside the house. That was the most logical conclusion. And yet here he was, directly behind them, atop the narrow path that they had used to get here, with another attendant by his side.

In fact, upon closer inspection, Beam swore it was the exact same attendant as before. "…How the hell did she..?" He murmured, looking at the gloomy young woman, as she stared back at him with a puzzled expression on her face, as though not understanding his confusion.

"Ahhh. It would seem you must have met my other servant. Yesssss… They're twins, you see. It always gets everyone a little riled up at first," the Elder explained in an unusually animated voice, stroking his white beard as he looked at Beam with interest. "I've been wondering when I might finally get the chance to speak to you, youngling. Mmmm, yes, indeed. I've always found you to be quite the curiosity. And now here you are, sent by Greeves of all people. How strange is this wonderful little world of ours?"

"…Quite strange," Beam agreed, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Well, let us not stand on ceremony. One, tell your sister to get some tea prepared for our guests," the Elder said.

"Yes, master," the lady said, drifting on ahead with the bottom of her dark dress trailing along the floor behind her.

Again Beam squinted. He could have sworn the old man had called her One. He shared a glance with Judas, feeling a strange comradery with a man that he otherwise rather disliked.

"W-well, I've done my bit, I'll be going then," Judas said nervously. Instantly killing that friendly feeling Beam had begun to feel towards him. Beam twisted his face in annoyance and turned away from him.

"Yes, yes, your purpose has been served," the Elder said, without taking his eyes off Beam. It seemed to Beam, that what he said and what he meant were rather different. It was thoroughly unnerving being in his presence.

Judas didn't throw away his opportunity to escape. He immediately began striding away, without even looking back. As soon as he got out of sight, Beam wouldn't have been surprised had he started running.

The boy sighed, already disliking the situation he was finding himself in. First Goblins, and now ghoulish old men.

"Come," the Elder told him, motioning with a finger as he shuffled along towards his house, leaning heavily on his staff, tapping it against the hard ground with every step that he took.

The door was left wide open, revealing a darkness that seemed impenetrable. Beam let the Elder go ahead of him, then he marched slowly up the two stone steps of the door after him.

Once he was inside, the door swung shut behind him, seemingly with a mind of its own, and the room was drenched in darkness. There were a few awkward moments where Beam stood there frozen, unable to see a thing, as fear threatened to rise its way to the surface. And then there was a spark, as a candle was lit, and finally, he could see once more.

The two serving girls – now that Beam could see them together, he could tell that they were indeed twins – went around lighting the candles set along the walls of the main room, casting everything in a dim glow.

Beam still stood by the door, on guard, as he looked around. There were the ashes of a firepit in the centre of the room, and then, there were far too many tables. For a man with two servants, somehow the place still seemed to lack any order. Candles and melted wax were everywhere, as were sheets of dark paper, scrolls, and intimidating-looking leather-bound books.

"Come, do sit," the Elder gestured towards one of the only two seats in the entire room – a wooden chair with deer fur strung over it. Beam moved towards it, spying a deer's head fastened to the wall, wondering if both the fur of the chair and the head came from the same animal.