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Which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing.
Tegan and Michael stayed to the rear of the company of Sentinels that Elite Sentinel Jasper led as they approached House Aubert cautiously. The main doors to the building were open. One dangled precariously on its hinges. There was no sound coming from within the building. Jasper raised his head to look back over his patrol.
With two sharp hand signals, he indicated that they split up. His eyes held and caught Tegan’s, and she nodded in return.
“We go with Jasper,” she whispered to Michael. Both had the hoods of their Sentinel uniforms pulled low to hide their features from their fellow Sentinels. Tegan was confident the ones who knew her well were aware that she and most certainly the Heir to House Holt were within their company, but no one had commented yet. Or acknowledged it. Plausible deniability, she thought, that’s what Cord would call it.
“Okay,” Michael whispered back. They followed Jasper’s lead as he took the stairs to the main entrance. Just before he reached the doors, he withdrew his short swords. He glanced once back at the Sentinels behind him, and then on silent feet, he slipped through the doors.
Tegan and Michael followed the other five Sentinels inside. Jasper signalled to the Elite, and breaking them into pairs, they began to search the house. Tegan led Michael up the stairs to the upper levels, behind Jasper and his partner. At the top of the staircase, they split up and each took a separate wing.
The utter quiet was eerie as they made their way down the hall. Signs of the recent carnage were evident as they walked, and with a quick glance to Michael, Tegan turned the handle on the first door they reached.
Her sword was in her hand, while her brother was armed with his and its accompanying short sword. Michael fought two-handed, whereas she preferred the long sword. She had two short swords strapped to her waist and several throwing knives on her arms and legs. Michael had the same amount holstered to his body. Both armed well and both more than capable of using every weapon.
The door opened to a bedroom, and Tegan immediately smelled the spilled blood. She snapped out her arm as Michael went to pass her, halting his progress. The large sitting room had two couches and a coffee table as well as a desk. Through a wide archway, the bedchamber lay, and from where they stood, the bedcurtains were drawn on the four-poster bed. A chair was overturned in the sitting area. The couches askew, shown by the indentations on the thick plush carpet. Heavy drapes, which looked to be embroidered silk, hung half open as if someone had started to pull them closed but was disturbed. One of the drapes fluttered slightly, and Tegan crossed the room quickly. Pulling back the lace netting on the window, she saw the window was half open.
Turning back, she looked again to her brother, who was waiting for her at the archway. With a nod, they both advanced through, hugging the walls of the bedchamber. The dimly lit room was in chaos. Even though the bedcurtains were closed, the covers were strewn over the floor, showing signs of blood amid the torn fabric. Four long scratches were gorged into the far wall above the dressing table, which lay on its side, the glass shattered.
The door to the walk-in closet was closed, but the same deep grooves were on the door. Michael reached out to the handle and looked at Tegan. She shook her head and pointed at the bed. Making her way to the four-poster bed, she reached out and, with a nod, drew the curtain back at the same time as Michael flung the door to the walk-in closet open.
The bed lay empty, but the amount of blood was shocking. Tegan stepped closer, her gloved finger dipping into the centre of the bed. The blood was still wet. Turning, she looked to the walk-in closet and saw Michael disappear amongst a rack of dresses.
“Tegan,” he hissed from where he was. She hurried over and joined him where he was crouched at the wall. A drop of blood lay on the wooden floor. “Hidden compartment, Zahra has one,” he whispered quietly.
“Open it,” Tegan told him as she sheathed her sword and pulled out her long daggers.
Michael pressed the panel in softly until he heard the low click. Backing away swiftly, he pushed the doorway open. A scream pierced the air, and Michael dived into the secret compartment, pulling out a young Akrhyn female of about eleven years of age.
“Shh, we’re Sentinels, you’re safe,” he told the terrified young female.
The young female looked up at both of them, her face full of terror, but as she whimpered in his arms, her fear cleared, and suddenly she was sobbing. Michael soothed her gently as he held her while she cried. Tegan drew herself up and looked back at the bed and then the young female.
“Whose room is this?” she asked quietly.
“My sister, Marigold,” the female hiccupped as she sobbed. Tegan exchanged a look with Michael and went back into the bedroom. Michael shielded the young one’s face as he carried her out of the bedroom into the sitting area. Jasper came through the door and regarded them both before he joined Tegan.
“Only the child?”
“So far,” Tegan agreed grimly. “This blood is wet; it is not long since it has been spilled.”
“The rest of the house is clear. Not even House Akrhyn can be found,” Jasper said as he sheathed his short swords. “They either fled, are dead or are taken.”
Tegan turned to look at the young Akrhyn, who was still crying in Michael’s arms, noting her clothing, her hair, her hands. “She is one of the family, not House Akrhyn. She would not be left without someone trying to get to her, to protect her.”
“There is no one else,” Jasper said again tersely. “This House is gone,” he added with an angry glare at the blood-soaked bed.
“Gone or hiding,” Tegan agreed. She crossed to the sobbing young female. “Hey,” she coaxed gently. “Where else can you hide in this house?” she asked with an encouraging smile. “You were so clever to get here, where else could you have gone?”
“Mamma’s room has hidden space under her bed.”
“Which room, sweetie?” Michael asked her as he rocked her.
“Two doors down, purple and teal room,” the female answered as she buried her head into Michael’s shoulder again.
Michael motioned for them to go, and Jasper and Tegan raced out the room. As they got to the room, Jasper made a noise of revulsion at the decor. “Was she blind?” he whispered to Tegan.
Tegan had to agree, the room was gaudy at best. Large teal flowers were against a backdrop of deep purple. The room looked gothic and old. As she dropped to the ground and looked under the bed, Tegan saw the catch. It was slightly ajar.
