Ready To Punish All Errants

Blaire's Pov

It was with great relief that I welcomed the arrival of dusk. I had taken great care to avoid running into Ulo and Jamil which was rather easy considering that none of them had returned to our quarters after breakfast. Watching the huge ball sink in a golden blaze of colours, I was filled with an equal measure of dread and anticipation. Using the cover of darkness, I found my way to the kitchen where I slipped some food that I was pretty sure wasn't going to be missed.

With the ease that is gotten from having done the same thing for the past three days, I meandered my way to the dungeon. I had hardly gotten in when the prisoners started their protest which was even more intense now given that I had more or less dashed their hopes the other day. Well, we would have to live with that because there was no way I was stepping an inch away from the center of the path. They raised their voices but I was not going to give them the satisfaction of looking at them.

I could see that Indrik was surprised that I would come again with the way he froze for a second when he saw me. "You...you came." He whispered and the look in his eyes made it all worth it. It took all I had to not go rushing to him. I didn't have to really because he rushed over as soon as I opened the door and ran his eyes over me, trying to see if I had any bruises left. "Are you okay?" His voice was heavy with worry.

"I'm fine, Indrik. I had to come make sure I did not get you into trouble with the way I left yesterday."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me. I was so worried. I am glad you are okay."

I wanted to smile but that quickly tapered out when I took in his features. The red light did not really allow me a clear view but it was enough to see that he was not in a good shape at all. His face was starting to break out with boils that must be so painful. I hoped that had not spread to the rest of his body. His usually dull eyes had grown even duller and his eyebags almost nearly reached his jaw. His robe was barely managing to hold together now and the stench... And that was what I could see. I wondered how much worse things might actually be and this was only his third day. I really wished I could get him out of here before he would crumble but sadly, there was little I could do. This further served to deepen my determination to continue to help him.

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

Taking care of him, I realized that he was going more and more weak. More like he was falling apart. He continued to stare blankly ahead not uttering a single sound. My attempts to draw conversation either drew an absent minded reply or none at all.

Leaving left me even more miserable but I had no choice. I was still bemoaning his sad fate, completely ignoring the outraged cries of the other prisoners when I exited the flight of stairs which was why I did not see the person that was awaiting me there before I ran into her.

"Looking for something?" Her cold voice sent shivers riding down my spine. Recovering from the shock of the fall, I was startled to find my mother standing before me. I swore under my breath suddenly realizing the reason why she had had her eyes fixed on me all morning. The reason why I had chosen to take her keys was not limited to the fact that I could go into her room without much restrictions although that played a part as well. The keys to strategic places in the palace are divided among the three main stakeholders which includes in the absence of the Alpha, the Beta, the Zeta and the Gamma. Of the three, my mother's set are the least used so I had figured she wouldn't notice it till Indrik was freed but apparently, I had been wrong about that.

"I asked you a question." The Gamma repeated, her eyes almost as bright as the torch I was holding.

"Yeah, I thought this place would lead to the stables. Silly me. I will just go use the good old paths." I replied, making to slip past her but her eyes froze me on a spot.

"I thought we had already spoken about this." She sighed.

"No, mother. You said what you thought was right and I did what I thought was right." I replied, my initial shock fading and a simmering anger taking its place.

My mother glared at me for so long that I thought I was definitely in trouble this time, expecting her to have me thrown into the dungeon till I was ready to be more well behaved. Instead, she exhaled slowly as her eyes softened. "Walk with me, will you?" She turned and started to walk away, implying that it wasn't a question. I locked the door as silently as I could before hurrying after her.

We walked in silence till we got out of the white doors which was when she cleared her throat. "What do you know about Peak Druid Pack?"

I blinked, wondering what this was about. "I know that we are one of the most powerful packs. We..."

"Good, child." She cut me off mid-sentence. "I am glad you mentioned that. You see, a lot of work goes into making a Pack. Even more work into making a Pack that can hold up its head among its peers. It is sad though that it doesn't take a quarter of that work to topple it and the higher you are, the more easier it is to fall on your face." She stopped in her tracks so suddenly, I almost ran into her but luckily, I managed to catch myself in time.

"I hate seeing Indrik in there as much as you do. Maybe more. But we have to ensure the safety of the Pack. For that, we must be ready to punish all errants, even if they are frail."