The street was crowded, full of people walking left and right.  Some wore little more than rags.  An old man sat huddled a little farther down the street, ignoring everyone else but eyeing the food on a nearby cart.  The air smelled clear, considering it was the middle of the city.  Street vendors yelled all around to everyone who would listen and those who wouldn't about how theirs was the best.  The market did not just seem colorful, like it had in most of the cities that I had been to.  There was a different kind of life; a cleaner life.  Just as he had heard.

                Across the road from the market, leaning against the building in several layers of rags was a man.  No one seemed to notice him.  He carefully scanned up and down the street.  The carriage appeared right on time.  Hopefully, this was a good sign.  He freeze, watching the carriage draw closer out of the corner of his eye.  Suddenly, the carriage stops with the door directly in front of him.  The carriage only stopped for a second.  Then, the horse continued to trot down the road, with the man bundled in rags gone.

                Inside the carriage, there now sat three men.  Two men in fine cloths on one and a man in rags on the other.  The curtains were drawn so that there was little light in the coach.  The men stared at each other for a moment.  Finally, the man in rags lowered his hood.

                "Sophus," he acknowledged the one on the right.  "Celso," he said turning to the other.

                "Everard," Celso spit back.

                After a pause, Everard nodded.  He scanned the two men.  It was the first time he had met them face to face.  Both men were rather elderly with Sophus looking slightly older.  Both had a few wrinkles on the face and Everard could make out several silver hairs on Sophus.  Celso was rather small looking.  He sat shaking in his seat.  Whether that was due to the bumpy road, the man's nerves, or his seeming dislike for Everard, Everard was unsure.  To be honest, he would have been very disappointed in his client if it had been Celso alone, but luckily Sophus seemed like he would be much easier to deal with.

  He turned to Sophus.  Sophus seemed to be scanning as well.  Although, his face gave away nothing.

                "So," Everard finally said.  "What is the plan?"

                "Why are you wearing that?" Celso demanded, before Everard had a chance to finish.  "We gave you specific details that you were to wear a suit.  Last time I checked, rags are not-"

                "I am," Everard interupted.

                He was about to explain but Sophus continued for him, turning to his partner.  "A man walking downtown in a suit will be noticed by several people.  A man in rags will be practically invisible."

                Everard started lifting the rags he was wearing to show the black cloth underneath.  However, Celso still seemed uneasy and rather annoyed.  So, Everard turned to look at Sophus instead.  "So," he started, "I suppose by your request of attire that I'll be going in as a buttler."

                Sophus nodded.  "I do hope you know about the Eld family."

                Everard nodded.  They were the family in charge of the town they were currently traveling through.  It was their manor that the carriage was heading to.

                Celso growned loudly in annoyance.  "We do not need him," he told Sophus.  "You know that ever since the incident, the Eld family has been practically in ruin.  The only one left, that smug boy, isn't in the least bit capable.  We can take him - and the few servants he has managed to scavenge - out easily with both of our forces combined.  We don't need some underground, overpriced assassin for such an easy task," he finished, glaring at Everard.

                "You may be right about the boy and the servants," Sophus replied calmly.  "But there is something you seem to be forgetting about."

                " The head butler," Everard broke in.

                Sophus nodded.  However, Celso just snorted.  "You actually believe those stories?  They were made up but the Eld boy as an act of desperation to keep anyone from coming and taking what is left of his estate and that is all.

                "I am not risking my life on betting against these stories," Sophus told Celso.  Sophus turned to Everard.  "You will enter the household as my head butler.  That should let you get close enough to him to figure him out.  And when it starts, I want you to kill him immediately."

                Everard nodded.  He had grown up in a land a good distance from here.  Even so, he had heard several stories about the Eld family.  He hoped that they were true, and that the family would be just as strong as they had been before.  He enjoyed challenges.  But the truth was, even in his research after taking the job, he had found very little on the head butler of Eld.  Some whispers about how strange he was and one or two that said that he was powerful, but nothing concrete.  Everard hoped that he wouldn't be disappointed.

                "Look," Everard said, turning to Celso, "I'm not interested in sticking around if what you say is true.  So, how about you pay me half now and if we decide the stories are just stories and the Eld family is done, I'll leave and you don't have to pay me more.  Deal?"

                Celso and Sophus exchanged glances.  After a second, Celso nodded.

                Everard finished taking off the rags covering his suit and after a short glance at his clients, he opened the curtains of the coach.  Celso scrambled to rub his eyes at the sudden burst of light while Sophus simply blinked a few times.

                Everard leaned back in his seat taking in the view outside the coach.  They had made it outside downtown and were now making their way up the winding road that lead to the Eld manor.  The majority of the huge garden seemed overgrown.  Low branches scraped the roof of the carriage while grass that was easily knee high grew as far as the eye could see.  Here and there, patches of tamed flora grew with well clipped branches but those seemed far between.  It had been several months since the incident that destroyed the entire manor and the family with it but only a few months since the eldest son of the Eld family, Fintan, had resurfaced.  That was the reason Everard was able to find so little on the servants of the house.  He was sure that almost all if not all of them, if not all of them, had just come into the Eld family service within the last few months.  Everard wasn't even sure how many servants there were.  The one thing that he knew, was that it had been a long time since he had felt this excited and nervous.

2: Chapter 1: Eld Manor

                Inside of the carriage, silence hung in the air the entire rest of the way to the mansion.  At least it didn't take much longer to get to the mansion.  Before I knew it, it was sitting directly in front of us.  Once the driver had pulled to carriage to a stop, I quickly opened the door and helped the noblemen get out.  Behind me, I heard the mansion's door clicked.  Standing there was a butler.  A maid and another butler soon came out from behind him to help carry in their guest's things.  I couldn't see any more servants behind him.  I grabbed a bag that was in the carriage and followed the old men up to the door.

                For a second, the two noblemen stood outside the entrance, waiting for the butler to say something.  But he didn't.  He bowed, moved to the side, and motioned for the guests to enter.  Sophus entered without saying a word.  Celso, however, began grumbling to himself in annoyance.

                As I passed by the butler, I tried to watch him out of the corner of my eye.  His hair was long, covering his eyes.  It was impossible to see his eyes through his hair.  The rest of his face betrayed nothing.  No emotion.  For the first time in a long time, I felt slightly unnerved.  I was used to reading what a person was thinking.  But this butler.  There was no way I could tell where he was looking, let alone what he was thinking.  I suddenly understood why there were so many whispered stories about him, even if none of them were true.

                "Welcome!" a voice suddenly boomed.  I whirled my head to see the lord of the mansion: Fintan.  He stood before his guests at the top of a stairway.  Most of what he wore seemed a little too big and very unnecessary.  From the thick cloak dragging behind him, the scepter that he held in his hand, the crown which was so big it almost covered his eyes, to even the grin that beamed down to them.  I had to stop and wonder for a second if he was trying to gloat his prestige before his noble guests or if he really was just an idiot.

                "Welcome," he repeated, taking large steps down the stairs to welcome his guests.  "I hope the long trip out here was at least pleasant."

                He finally stopped in front of the noblemen who quickly bowed to him.

                "Any amount displeasure is worth it to see such an old friend in good health," Sophus told him, smiling back at him.

                "Yes, it has been too long, hasn't it?" he agreed.  "You visited my parents every chance you could.  And yet, when I came back home, you seemed to be delayed a few months."  For a second, his grin flickered as he stopped, leaving a couple steps between them so that his guests had to continue looking up to see him.

                "And we were also greatly depressed that events transpired as they did," Sophus quickly told, bowing deeply a second time.

                "Ah," Lord Eld exclaimed, turning and ignoring Sophus.  "Peter, there you are."  I turned and only then realized that the head butler was standing beside me.  I had not heard him walk up to me.  "I assume all of their belongings are being taken care of?"

                The head butler, Peter bowed but did not answer.

                "Great."  The lord looked at me and nodded toward Peter.  "He'll show you where to go."  And with that, he turned back and headed through one of the large doors on the first floor.  Celso followed quickly behind him.  Sophus however paused for a second to make eye contact with me, then followed Lord Eld and his companion.

                When I looked back at the head butler, he was already several paces away and I walked quickly to catch up with him.  As we walked down several hallways to the servant's quarters, I tried to figure out as much as I could about the head butler.

                He was unusually short, a full head shorter than I was.  He had bright blonde hair.  From the way he moved, he seemed like was used to a noble life style rather than one out on the streets.  Maybe he was the youngest son of a nearby lord that had been convinced to work for the Eld family.  I couldn't see much of his face due to the fact that he hid it behind his hair, but from what I could see, his features seemed soft.  He was rather thin with little muscle considering some of the stories that I heard about him.  He definitely was not a brute fighter.  Maybe he was skilled with some weapons or had some ability.

                I went through my head, thinking of what fighting styles nearby lands were known for and soon lost track of where I was going.  Before I knew it, Peter had stopped in front of me and I barely stopped myself from knocking into him.

                He opened a door which led into a bedroom and stepped back.  I looked in.  It was nice considering it was just for a butler.  There was one window and a large bed with a dresser and table and plenty of space to walk around.  I stepped in and placed my pack on the bed.

                I looked back at the doorway to see that Peter was still there.  "Thanks," I told him cautiously.  He didn'y respond.  "Don't talk much, do you?" I asked him.  This time he replied with a small smirk, then walked back up the hall in the direction we had come.  I looked back and my things before deciding to follow him.  "Do you ever talk?" I called after him as I closed the door to my temporary room.  Surprisingly, Peter did not respond.

                Suddenly, the door at the end of the hallway flew open and I heard laughter.  The next thing I knew, Peter was stumbling backwards as two people appeared at the end of the hallway.

                "Golba!" the second person, the butler I had seen when we first entered called out.  "Are you alright?  Sorry, Peter."  He went over and helped the first person, the maid from before.

                "Yeah, yeah," the maid who I assumed was Golba muttered.  She looked up and saw me and an evil grin suddenly spread on her face.  The two looked very similar and about the same age.  They seemed to be siblings or maybe even twins.  "Look, Kai, it looks like Peter finally brought a man back here to his room."

                "Well," Kai replied, "I guess it isn't too surprising."

                Peter didn't say anything but for the first time, I was pretty sure I saw annoyance cross his face.

                "Oh, it's ok," Golba told him, patting him on the back.  "We know, we won't tell Lord Eld about his little incident."

                "Um," I said, walking slowly up to the group, "I can hear you, you know. "

                "Yeah," Golba said, looking at me confused.  "So?  It's not my fault you look like a pitcher."

                "Wait, wait, wait," Kai told Golba.  "You think he's the pitcher?  Ok, I have to draw the line there, he is totally the catcher."

                Golba opened her mouth to respond but Peter interrupted her with a cough.  "Oh, right.  Yeah, all the other servants for the guests have brought in their stuff and seem settled.  They didn't bring too much stuff but they have quite a few servants with them.  Maybe they just like being really pampered.  Is that right, catcher?" she asked, looking at me.

                "Before I respond, my name is Everard," I told her.

                "Yeah," she sighed.  "You should probably know that while you are here, I will call you whatever the hell I want to."

                Peter put a hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him.  She groaned loudly.  "Ok, fine.  We'll get back to work."

                She turned, grabbing Kai's arm as she left.  "See ya later, Peter," he called as the two left.

                Peter sighed and turned to see if I was still nearby.  When he saw I was, without a word, he followed the two out the door.  I paused for a second, wondering if I should continue following Peter.  After a second, I figured I probably should.  It felt like I still knew too little about him.

                As we walked through the manor, this time looked to try to figure out how many servants lived here.  To my surprise, I didn't see anyone.  Were there really only three servants for the entire house?

                After making our way through a few hallways, I realized we were in the kitchen.  There was someone already there preparing food.  He was big and burly and seemed very good with a knife.  I wondered if he was just trained in how to be a chef.

                He glanced up at us as we walked in but didn't bother saying anything.  I figured it was probably a good idea to learn more about him to see if he was a threat.  "Hey," I told him.  "My name is Everard.  Nice to meet you."

                He ignored me.  He didn't even bother looking up when I spoke to him.  Great.

                "Don't bother," a voice behind me said, surprising me.  I whirled around to see a woman who was very obviously not just a maid.  She had on a very nice dress and her red hair went down to her elbows.  She smiled at me.  "What's wrong?" she asked.  "You look surprised, Everard."

                "I didn't see you in here," I explained, annoyed that she had realized that she had startled me.

                She pouted slightly.  "Oh, you didn't see me when you walked in?" she asked.  "Most people can't take their eyes off of me."  She sighed but smiled at me again and started stalking towards me.  "The twins have already started to warn me about you, Mr. Everard."

                "Um, I think there might be a misunderstanding," I told her, feeling slightly annoyed as I remembered my brief encounter with the twins.

                "I don't care," she told me bluntly and I suddenly realized how close she was to me.  She was surprisingly tall.  I was rather tall already and she was still almost as tall as I was.  "I just want to make one thing clear, Mr. Everard.  You see," she paused for a brief moment before she continued.  "Sweet Peter over here is taken.  OK?"

                "Ok," I told her quickly, realizing that I had somehow been cornered between this woman and the guy with a huge knife.  I began to side step to get out.

                I heard a cough from somewhere in the room and the woman turned around.  "Oh, Peter, do you need a hand with that?" she asked, walking over to Peter.  Peter actually smiled slightly at her but before she could grab the platter he was holding he took a step back.  "Well, if you are sure you don't need my help," the woman told him, slightly saddened.  But then, unfortunately, she turned back to glare at me.  "Get your lazy ass to work, Mr. 'catcher'," she snapped at me.  I glared back at her but did as she said.  Most likely the platters held food for Lord Eld and his guests and as a butler to the guests, I was supposed to help serve them.

                I lifted a second platter from the table, still feeling the woman's glare on me.  When I looked up, Peter had left the room and I quickly followed him.

                Sure enough, on the other side was a sitting room where the noblemen were all talking.  It amused me to see how annoyed both Sophus and Celso seemed to be after their conversation with Lord Eld.  Celso seemed like he was only a few inches away from exploding.  Even Sophus was having trouble remaining composed.

                Fintan, on the other hand, was relaxing in a chair, and seemed rather bored.  When we entered, he looked up relieved.  "There you are, Peter," he sighed.  "It seems to have taken you a while to make sure our guests are settled."

                Peter bowed as he placed the tray on a table in the center of the room.  Since he had entered, Sophus had not taken his eyes off of Peter.  "Your butler does not appear to be one of many words," he told Fintan.

                Fintan looked back at him, slightly confused.  "Oh, right," he said after a second.  "You see, when he was young he was caught in a fire.  The fire damaged his face and the smoke damaged his voice, you see.  So, don't mind if he does not speak to you during your stay here."

                Sophus nodded slowly, though his eyes did not leave Peter.

                As I placed the tray I was carrying next to the one Peter had set down, Celso waddled over to me.  "Tell me we can take down this house tonight," he growled at me.  I shot him a look to try to tell him to be quiet but he opened his mouth as if to say more.  Luckily, Sophus quickly appeared and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and he quieted down.

                I looked over but Lord Eld seemed to be distracted, talking to his butler.  "I'll meet you in your chambers after dinner tonight to discuss our plan," I told them quietly.  I walked away before Celso could say anything but I was pretty sure that I heard him start to grumble as I walked away.

                To be honest, I was very annoyed with myself.  I had been here for about an hour already but it felt like I hadn't learned anything about the head butler, Peter.  And, to make matters worse, I doubted I would be able to learn much about him.  It would seem strange for me to talk to Lord Eld.  The twins I had come across were far from what I had expected from servants of the Eld family.  I couldn't help but think that they were brought in simply because the family was short staffed from the streets of the nearby town.  Neither Peter or the family cook could give me any information.  The woman in the kitchen would most likely try to kill me if I tried to ask her about Peter.  And, worst of all, from what I could see, there were no other servants in the household.

                I stood in the corner of the room for a little while.  This was my first time going undercover as a head butler.  I wasn't exactly sure what to do.  After thinking it over for a little while, I figured it would probably be best to follow Peter's lead.  Since it seemed like it would be impossible for me to get any information about the butler by asking anyone, it seemed like my best option for learning about him would be to just follow him and watch what he does.  It was probably the best way for me to keep my cover anyways.

                It was about a minute before Fintan finished speaking with Peter.  Although I tried to hear what he had said, I hadn't been able to.  And when he had finished, Peter quickly walked away.  Luckily, he didn't walk back through the kitchen but instead went out through a different door.  I quickly walked out after him.

                I didn't recognize the hallway we walked through but I continued to follow Peter, keeping some distance between us because I suddenly got the feeling I wasn't supposed to be following him.  However, he didn't bother to turn around and check.

                He turned a corner and I followed.  But when I did, I didn't see him.  Surprised, I looked around for a door he might have gone through, but I didn't see one.  Then I checked the nearby wall.  It wouldn't surprise me if the house had hidden doorways and hallways.  But if there was one, I couldn't find it.

                "Shit," I mumbled to myself, checking again if I could find a door.  "What is he doing?" I wondered.  But there was no way I could find out.  At least, not right now.

                I sighed, giving up.  It was at this point that I remembered that I had no idea where I was.

3: Chapter 2: Fintan

                After wondering around the huge castle for about an hour, I was finally able to reach the servant's quarters where my room was.  I passed by a room where I could hear Eld, Sophus, and Celso's voices but I didn't bother going in.  Around the castle, I didn't see any Eld servants although I came across groups of Sophus's or Celso's servants.  I didn't bother saying anything to them as I passed.  Unfortunately, when I found the hallway where my room was, I found the two twins standing in the hallway.  They didn't notice me enter but there would be no way to get to my room without passing by them.

                I sighed and as I walked up to my room, they noticed me.  Before they could say anything, I asked them, "Shouldn't you be working?"

                Golba glared at me.  "Shouldn't you?" she asked.

                "I'm going to unpack before going back to serve dinner," I told her.

                "You talk weird," Kai said bluntly.

                "What?" I asked, confused.

                "You talk like us.  Not like Peter.  I thought you were supposed to be the head of the other family's services," Kai said.  There wasn't anything accusing in his voice but it still annoyed me that he had been able to tell.

                "I just don't bother talking like that," I told them after thinking for a second.  "At least, not in front of servants who are also obviously from the streets."

                There was a second of an awkward pause.  Maybe the twins weren't just there for extra hands around the house.  It was only then that I noticed that they were standing strangely close to my room's door.

                Golba's sigh startled me as she walked by.  "Oh well, whatever," she told her brother.  "I think this guy wants some alone time, Kai.  I don't really have any interest in sticking around to watch so I'm going to head out."

                Kai didn't say anything but followed her.  The second they were gone, I walked into my room and checked my stuff.  The lid was still closed and as I rummaged around, I didn't see anything important missing.  I still had an uneasy feeling as I pulled out my knives though.  I suddenly realized how stupid it was that I had just left them in my bag.  I knew that it would be a while before the attack started, but it was stupid that I had left them there for anyone to find.  I quickly placed several inside the inside pockets I had made in my jacket .  I wasn't going to leave them lying around for the twins to come across again.  I checked my stuff again for the locket I carried.  When I saw that it was still where I left it, I sighed in relief.

                I didn't bother unpacking anything but I decided it was best to keep my back pack under the bed.  This time, I also looked around the room to see if there was a key to lock the door before left.  If there was, no one had bothered to give it to me.  Finally, I headed out to the kitchen to help with dinner preparations, leaving my door unlocked.

                It was easier finding the kitchen and I was able to get there without having to wonder around too much.  When I entered Peter was there, standing by the chef.  Neither spoke but both seemed to know what they were doing.  Again, it took a second to see the woman but she was still there unfortunately.  She stood in a corner but wasn't saying anything.  I stood in the doorway for about a minute.  Finally, I entered.  However, no one spoke still and the air felt awkward.  I sighed, wondering how often people spoke when there were no guests in the house.

                But a gruff cough startled me and I turned to see the cook glaring at me.  He nodded toward a plate that looked finished.

                I walked over to it and picked it up.  "Should I take this out?" I asked.  He just stared at me.

                I decided that that meant yes so I started to head over to the door.

                "The other door," I heard the woman call behind me.  I turned.  "The other, other door, honey."  I sighed and turned again.  What was the point of having such a big house?

                Luckily when I headed out of the third door, it lead to a dining room where the three noble men were sitting.  Just like in the kitchen, there was silence filling the dining room too.  I placed the tray in the center of the dining table and a few other servants came up to serve it to the nobles.

                "Hey," I heard Fintan call but it took a second to realize that he was trying to get my attention.  I blinked n surprise.  "What is your name?" he asked.

                "Everard," I told him, bowing as I answered.

                "Where are you from?" he continued.  Then he smiled at my confused expression.  "Your master and his friend have gotten boring to listen to.  I figured you might be slightly more interesting."

                I nodded, trying to decide how to answer.  It was unusual for someone born on the streets to become the head butler of a household.  "I am the fifth son of a lord far north of here," I lied.  It was only after that I remembered that the twins would immediately know that was a lie, though.  I looked around the room, kicking myself in the butt, for the twins.  I saw the boy, Kai helping with the dinner but he wasn't looking at me.

                "What is it like there?" Eld asked.

                "It snows often," I told him quickly.  I wasn't expecting to need such a detailed alibi for this assignment.  "Almost all year round."

                Eld grimaced.  "It must be cold there.  I hate the cold.  I'm don't particularly like snow either so it's probably best that I live here.  What do you think Peter?  You like the cold."

                It was only then that I had noticed that Peter had entered carrying another tray.  He smiled at the idea of the cold.

                I looked back at lord Eld.  This was the first chance I had to get a good look at him.  If I remembered correctly, he and I were about the same age.  He was probably less than a year older than I was.  He had brown hair that tinted red.  Most of the Eld family was known for their red hair.  He had slightly sharp features but even though he had been through a lot the past couple of years, he still looked rather young.  His skin was a slightly more tanned than mine.  Still, even though he talked calmly and the same smile I had seen when I entered was glued to his face, I sensed that when he looked at me or any of the other guests, there was suspicion in his eyes.  For a second, I felt bad that on this mission, he would have to be killed some way or another.

                Finally, Fintan looked back at me.  "Do you have any sisters?" he asked, catching me off guard.

                I paused for a second, trying to calm myself.  "No," I told him.

                "I don't have any brothers," Eld continued.  "Let alone four of them.  But I do have one sister, Stella.  She's been living with a couple of our cousins for over a year now though to become a "lady"," Fintan said, sighing.

                He looked like he was about to keep talking but Sophus interrupted him, probably figuring I would have trouble answering any more questions about my past.  "Lord Eld, this is quite good," Sophus told him.  "What is this, I must ask."

                Eld looked down at his food, slightly confused.  "I'm not sure.  I never bothered to ask," he answered.

                I stayed around the edges of the table as dinner continued, trying to avoid any more questions from Eld.  Sophus desperately tried to keep up a conversation with Fintan but neither were very good at it.  Celso didn't even bother trying.  Finally, dinner was finished and Celso and Sophus excused themselves to their rooms.  After taking a few plates back into the kitchen with the other servants, I walked up to Peter.

                "Where is my master's room?" I asked.  It wouldn't be unusual for me to go see him I figured and I wasn't looking forward to wondering around the annoyingly big mansion again.  Peter turned and I followed him.  It wasn't too far before Peter stopped in front of a door, motioned towards it, and left back in the direction we had come.

                I knocked on the door.  I opened the door slowly.  "Lord Sophus?" I called in.

                "Yes, yes," I heard a voice reply and I gladly opened the door the rest of the way and let myself in.

                "It took you long enough," Celso growled as I closed the door.

                "Well, what is your report?" Sophus asked, ignoring his partner.

                I thought for a second.  "I can understand why there are so many rumors about the butler Peter," I told them.  The last thing I wanted to do was admit how little I knew about him.  "However, I haven't seen anything that would suggest they are true."

                "And yet you are still here," Sophus commented.

                "Yes," I admitted.

                "So, should we be worried about him?  Or is he not a threat?" Sophus demanded.

                I paused again, trying to think of an answer.

                Celso sighed loudly.  "We hired you because we were told you were one of the best," he told me.  "Surely you've learned all you need to know about him by now?  Otherwise, why are we even paying you?"

                I looked back and forth between Celso and Sophus.  "You don't have to worry about him," I told them finally.  "I'll take care of him.  First thing tomorrow."

                However, Celso still looked annoyed.  "Do you know anything about him?" he asked again.

                "Yes," I lied.

                "What?" Celso demanded.

                I paused, unable to answer.  I sighed, not bothering to look at Celso anymore.  However, before he had a chance to start yelling, Sophus interrupted him.  "We were assured by many people about this man's skills," Sophus told his partner.  "If he still doesn't know much about this butler, then I doubt anyone would be able to figure him out faster.  Besides," he continued, now looking in my direction, "the plan is now too far in motion to stop now.  We cannot go back and try again later.  We are stuck with whomever we have brought with us.  Hopefully, we all know what we are doing."

                The room was silent for a full minute after Sophus had finished.

                "I am the best in this business," I assured them, finally breaking the silence.  I looked straight a Sophus as I spoke.

                "Good," he said, nodding and turning back to his partner.  "So we can continue with our plan tomorrow morning."

                "I want to make that brat squeal for all the shit he put us through today!" Celso exclaimed.

                Before Celso had any more time to continue his rage, I interrupted him.  "What exactly is the plan for tomorrow?"

                Sophus leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath before beginning.  "We will send people to make sure that any attempts at outside communication will not go through first thing tomorrow.  After that, I believe it is better to strike all at once rather than trying to pick them off one at a time.  So, all three of us will meet the lord and, most likely, his butler for breakfast tomorrow.  Immediately after, some warriors that we have dressed as butlers and maids will take care of the few servants scattered around the house.  In the mean time, you  will take down the head butler Peter correct?"

                "Yes," I assured him again.

                "Good."  Sophus finished the explanation.  "After that, we will get the Eld boy to answer a few questions and then we will kill him.  But, needless to say, your job will be over the second we are assured that all of the servants in this household are dead.  Any questions?"

                I shook my head.  It seemed straight-forward enough.  All I really had to worry about was the few moments after breakfast.  But, just in case.  "Is there a plan B?" I asked.

                Sophus took a few moments before answering.  "Do we need one?" was his only response.

                After a few moments, I shrugged.  There was more silence.

                Finally, Celso broke the silence with his growling voice.  "Well, if you don't have anything else to say, then leave!  Leave us in peace."

                "We should all try to get rest for tomorrow," Sophus told his partner.

                I didn't have anything else to say so I decided to turn and head out.

                It was only after I had closed the door that I saw her out of the corner of my eye.  The woman from the kitchen.  My head snapped up to look at her.

                "What's wrong?" she asked.  "I hope I didn't startle you."

                She held a tray with a tea pot and some cups on it.  She had changed out of the dress she had been wearing before into a maid's outfit.

                "What are you doing here?" I demanded.

                She just tipped her head toward the tray she was carrying.  "I was asked to bring this and try to relax the lord guests.  However, when I walked up to the door, it sounded like you all were having a rather intense conversation.  Although, that one lord that yells all the time always sounds intense.  Anyways," she continued, "I figured it was best to wait for a more opportune moment to interrupt."  She smiled at me, although it seemed more like a cross between a smile and a sneer.

                "It's rude to eavesdrop," I told her, suddenly worried about how much she had heard.  "And besides, neither of the guests ordered any tea.  Or any kind of service."

                "Eavesdrop?" she gasped.  "I would never!  I just wanted to wait for a break in your conversation, that's all.  And this service is from my master Eld's orders."

                "They don't want any service," I assured her.

                "Well, they can tell me that when I get in there.  Now if you will excuse me, Mr. catcher," she told me, walking straight past me.

                I didn't like her.  To be honest, I didn't like any of the servants in this house.  They all seemed like they were hiding something.  In the end, I let her walk past me though, hoping that she wouldn't do too much damage to the two old noblemen.  As I made my way back to my room, I hoped that we wouldn't need a plan B tomorrow.

4: Chapter 3

                The next morning seemed to take forever to arrive.  I watched as the moon moved across the sky and was slowly replaced by the sun.  It would still be a good while after sunrise until the nobles would assemble for breakfast.  I kept running through the plan that Sophus had told me about yesterday.  From what I had seen, it would be easy enough to fulfill.  And yet, why was I still so nervous about it?  It had been a long time since I felt this nervous about my assignment.  Something told me that the servants in this house were not what they seemed.  Finally, I couldn't lie in bed anymore.  I got up and put on small pads of armor underneath my butler's suit.  I ended up checking that all of my knives were exactly where I had left them in the suit as well.  Several times.

                Finally, after waiting for the sun to fully rise, I left my room and headed for the kitchen.  Sure enough, the cook and Peter were already there.  After a quick glance around the room, I saw the woman sitting in the corner.  She either didn't notice me enter or didn't care.  She sat eating breakfast, wearing a dress rather than a maid's uniform again.

                A few other servants belonging to Sophus and Celso also were waiting in the room.  They were crowded around a small plate of food that was the servant's breakfast.  Only a couple were talking in somewhat quiet voices.  As if they were afraid to break the silence.  I didn't really blame them.  I felt the same way.  I wondered how many were the warriors Sophus had talked about and who was just a servant.

                I decided it would be normal to approach them as if I knew them.  So I headed over to them to join them for breakfast.  Although they didn't say anything, they stared at me.  Even the few talking went quiet as I approached.  After I grabbed a piece of bread, I simply nodded to them.  Slowly, they went back to 'normal'.

                The seconds seemed to be ticking by just as slowly as they had when I was in my room.  Waiting for the right moment.

                I watched Peter out of the corner of my eye.  He was pacing around the kitchen, helping the cook with some last minute details for breakfast.  He didn't seem to be acting any differently than he had yesterday.

                I turned so I could watch the woman out of the corner of my eye.  She was just sitting, finishing her breakfast.  As if everything was normal.  A part of me was relieved, but at the same time, I felt like I couldn't let myself relax at all.  My muscles still felt tight, wondering what would happen.

                I heard someone clear their throat behind me.  Peter was standing there, holding a tray.  He nodded toward several others lying on a table.  Then he left for the dining room.

                Somewhat awkwardly, the servants standing in the group I was in broke off.  Each taking a few trays or drinks through to the dining room.

                When I entered, Lord Eld's loud voice took  me by surprise after the silence of the kitchen.  I looked over at the table.  Fintan was talking on about something that quite frankly did not seem important.  He seemed to be talking mainly to fill the quiet.  Sophus and Celso seemed like they were paying as little attention to him.  Instead, they were staring at their servants as they filed into the room.

                I followed, placing the tray on the table and backing away to pour the drinks for the nobles.  After all of the movement of setting the table and serving the lord and his guests, everyone quieted down once again.  I stood by Celso and Sophus, Peter stood by Fintan, and all of the other servants stood by the wall.  Only moving occasionally if they saw that a lord wanted seconds.

                Fintan continued as the only person talking.  Occasionally he would ask someone else a question although no one gave him an answer and he continued.  He talked about the weather, his sleep, the useless things they had talked about yesterday, how no one was talking, and other useless things.

                I waited for the nobles to finish their breakfast.

                "Everard," Sophus suddenly murmured under his breath.  They were almost done with their breakfast.  "Follow him into the kitchen.  Do not let him come back out."

                I barely moved my head in a nod.

                Finally, it was over.

                Fintan groaned loudly.  "Well," he told his two guests, "if you two are done with your meals, perhaps we can continue?"

                "Yes," Celso agreed, pushing away his plate.  "I believe we are done.  It was a very good meal."

                "Finally awake?" Fintan asked.  "It took you old men long enough."

                Celso didn't respond.

                Peter took Fintan's plate and started heading into the kitchen.  I grabbed Sophus's plate and another servant quickly came over to take Celso's.  I followed Peter into the kitchen.

                As I walked past, I looked at Fintan out of the corner of my eye.  I hadn't really thought to, I just had.  But what I saw was different from anything I had seen before.  His amber eyed flared straight at me as I followed Peter into the kitchen.  They were cold, hateful.  I could practically hear him say "Fuck you."

                I blinked, and he looked away.  He was looking at the two nobles across the table from him.  Looking the same way he had before.

                I heard a loud cough behind me and I quickly remembered.  I walked quickly toward the kitchen again.

                Surprisingly, the cook was gone.  Or at least I didn't see him where I had seen him earlier today and yesterday.  I didn't bother looking around the kitchen in detail.  Celso's servant that had entered before me was already doing that.

                Instead, I turned to face Peter, placing the plate I had in my hand on the nearest counter.  His back was to me for the moment.  I moved as silently and as quickly as possible.

                Within a second, I had my first knife out.  And when I threw it, I aimed straight for his heart.  I saw it fly through the air.

                Then, it stopped dead.  Simply floating in the air, a foot from Peter.  Peter hadn't moved.  He still had his back to me.

                Then, the knife was gone.  Next to me I heard a small thud.  In the corner of my eye, I saw the figure of the servant slump to the ground.

                The servant had landed with a very loud thud.

                I turned instinctively to the servant.  My knife had hit him square on the forehead.  Blood oozing from the wound.  The next second, I heard crashes coming from the dining room.

                I turned, grabbing two more knives.  But I wasn't quick enough.  Peter was at least twice as fast.  He raced straight past me, knocking me aside.

                I fell over, hitting the table and knocking off plates.  But Peter didn't even wait.  He left straight through the dining room door.

                I scrambled up as fast as I could.  The sounds in the dining room intensified.

                Slightly dazed, I ran through the door.

                The table was on fire.   Through the blaze, I saw Celso and Sophus were wrestling with Fintan in the far corner.  He was fighting off both of them.  But they seemed to have taken him by surprise.  I thought I saw something on him glinting.

                Peter was a few passes in front of me, facing off against all of the servants who were in the room that were still standing.  A few servants were on the floor.  Most seemed to have at least part of their body ripped away.  But all of them were in a pool of blood.

                Suddenly, I felt a hot pain near my legs.  I staggered backwards.  It was only then that I saw the person on fire.  They only rolled on the floor for another second before they were completely motionless.

                I looked up just in time to see another guy get stabbed through the neck with his own sword.  Like a waterfall, blood poured down his shirt as he gasped for air.

                Peter pushed him aside, knocking him into several other servants.  He then headed straight for Celso and Sophus.

                I gripped the two knives in my hand tightly and raced after him.

                "Wait!"

                Both Peter and I stopped in our tracks.

                Sophus and Celso held up Peter.  He was still struggling but now I could see them clearly.  His hands were tied with some sort of metal behind his back.  Sophus picked up a knife that had been in a body near him and pointed it towards Fintan.

                "Stop," he told Peter, "or we kill your master right now."

                Fintan began yelling curses at Sophus and Celso but his hands were literally tied.  He looked back at Peter.  Although they only looked at each other for a second, it seemed like they had an entire conversation.

                Peter straightened.  He put his hands up as if in defeat.

                Sophus looked at me and I readied my knife again.

                It was only then that I heard the cracking.  Slowly growing louder.  I looked up confused.

                The fire consuming the table had only grown larger.  The fire was now tall enough to reach the ceiling.  And directly above the table was a large chandelier.  The metal was glowing red hot.  And the ceiling around it was already on fire.

                The next second, there was a snapping sound.  Then another.  Each louder than the last.

                Then, there was one final snap and the chandelier broke away from the ceiling.

                I watched, frozen, as the chandelier slowly fell.  And crashed on the table.

                I flew back as a hot wind hit me, feeling flames hit me.

                I stumbled up.  Even Peter had been taken off guard.  He was getting up as well.

                Fintan was the only one who seemed uneffected.  He ran through the nearby door.  Celso and Sophus raced after him.

                One of the servants near me quickly jumped up.  He was holding a short sword and ran straight for Peter who was taking his time getting up.

                He jumped up.  Like he was going to stab Peter in his back.  But then, he too froze.  Just like my knife.  The man looked around wildly, confused.

                Peter continued getting up just as slowly.  A portion of his jacket was on fire, but he smothered it with his hand.  Only then did he turn to look at the servants who were still alive.

                His face was still covered by his hair.  But he somehow still looked pissed.

                The man's scream only lasted a second.  Within a blink of an eye, he was suddenly coated in ice.  Peter lifted his hand.  And then swatted it away, like he was swatting a fly.  The man, now ice, was flung across the room.  When he hit the wall, he shattered.

                I didn't know what the hell to do.  But I knew I couldn't just stand there any longer.  If I did, I would die.

                I raised the knives in my hand again.

                There was nothing near me.  But I suddenly had the wind knocked out of me.  I went flying backwards again.  I dropped the knives I was holding.  I felt as I hit the wall, knocking the air out of me once more.  And I slunk to the ground.

                I heard at least two thuds.  And I was pretty sure that my knives had hit flesh again.

                When I looked up, Peter was standing above me.