Chapter 196: Fracture III
What happened?
The question hung heavy in my mind as my regiment escorted Gunther back to the castle. There wasnt really a chance to talk to him. As much as I would have liked it to be a happy reunion, it was more of an arrest than anything else. Hed run from the first soldiers that approached himrun more of a juddering walk on account of his injured legand when theyd caught up to him easily, he fought with the ferocity of a feral animal backed into a corner.
It took three full-grown men to bring him down, spitting and swearing, cursing their mothers in language more colorful than anything Id heard from the kindly man.
I would have preferred to take him back to the palace, but there were drawbacks to that approach. Thaddeus had eyes everywhere, and while Gunther didnt have any secrets theyd care about, that didnt mean they wouldnt try to ferret something out. Failing that, the risk of someone potentially alerting my father that I was housing unwashed topside degenerates in our midst was too great. Now that Id found him, the last thing I wanted was for him to be harassed by would-be spies.
In something of a compromise, I placed him in the residential section of the Grand Laboratory Id reserved for Eckor. While the rooms werent as opulent as the palace proper, they were still luxurious, and when Gunther realized he wasnt being thrown into the dungeon on trumped-up charges, hed reportedly calmed some, though there was still a wildness to his demeanor that made the servants nervous. Even so, they attended to his every need, feeding him until he was full, then bathing and clothing him.
While I waited, I used the grand laboratorys facilities to pass the time and brewed myself several potions of iron-lung. There was nothing better for underwater traversal, but I was more interested in the lowered heart rate and sensation of calmness that accompanied the dose. The process was laborious and required complete attention, and the work distracted me from the turbulence that plagued my mind.
Id just finished the first batch and sampled it, savoring the feeling of calmness that washed over me when a servant brought word that Gunther was ready.
I knocked once and entered with a tray of tea.
Gunther pulled his legs up to his chest immediately, taking up a small amount of space on the bed, his eyes narrow and distrusting. I could see more of him now that my servants had cut down on the muck and grime, but despite their efforts, he still carried a hard edge that hadnt been there in my memories of the man.
Who are you? He growled.
I placed the tray on his bedside table and pulled up a chair. A friend.
Oh? I find that hard to believe. Gunther snapped.
Why?
What sort of friend has you tackled to the ground and dragged somewhere against your will?
Fair point.
The kind that feeds and clothes you after? I tried.
Gunther grunted. He panned the room suspiciously before his gaze landed on the tray of tea. All this luxury supposed to distract me from the fact that Im a prisoner?
Youre not a prisoner.
Then I can go?
Yes.
The old manit was strange to think of him that way, but that was how he lookedstood and limped from the bed. Then pardon, but Ill be skipping the tea.
It took all the self-control I had to let him go, standing from my chair and trailing after him as he threw open the door. Alten was posted outside, and the two looked each other up and down in an awkward standoff.
Gonna try to claw my eyes out again? Alten asked. There were dark bags under his eyes from the drinking and lack of sleep, and he was sporting three vivid scratch marks high on his right cheek from their previous encounter.
Planning on throwing a hood over my head and tossing me in the back of another wagon? Gunther challenged.
Alten shook his head. Not today.
Gunther stared him down, skirting around him towards the door he was brought in through and trying the handle, finding the door locked.
Alten shot me a look before he returned his attention to Gunther, mouth quirked. Servants entrance. Gotta go through the front if youre leaving.
With an irritated huff, Gunther picked up the pace, crossing the residential common room and throwing open the door Alten had indicated.
Gods. He whispered, awestruck.
I took a place beside him. The room was lined with glassware and equipment, a mix of alchemy and apothecary equipment of the highest quality. There were lines of worktables with several robed practitioners hard at work, giving us little more than a momentary glance.
Gunther stumbled forward, looking everywhere at once, his expression dreamlike. What is this place?
Youre not alone in that. Gunther rolled his eyes.
I nodded. My family is well-positioned. Highly enough that I was afforded a shocking degree of autonomy in my studies, which naturally was used to shirk them at every turn. Instead of applying myself, I ventured out into the city every chance I could. Explored. Ended up in Topside more often than not because I found it interesting. Different.
Gunthers mouth tightened. Lacking context, the picture I was painting for him wasnt benevolent. Folk in Topside were beset by nobles on all sides. Some were simply prospecting and window-shopping, while others got a thrill out of leaving their manors and mansions in common garb for more questionable delights. But I wanted to be as honest with him as the nature of my resets would allow.
Lucky you didnt get yourself killed. Gunther said.
It was foolish. And stubborn. I could have been mugged and beaten within a span of my life and I still wouldnt have stopped.
Is this leading somewhere? Gunther asked. It wasnt unkind, or rude, though I wouldnt have held either against him. Just blunt. Same as he always was.
I laughed. The sound was harsh, and brittle. It is. I have questions only you can answer. Was just working my way up to it, I guess.
For the first time since wed reunited, Gunther seemed to sense my pain. Id done my best to hide it from him. But the facade was slipping.
What sort of questions? He asked.
The version of events Id composed and recited in my head to prepare for this was abridged, with the timing adjusted so it made sense. But it was as close to the truth as I could give him.
One day, I ventured out to the edge of the Everwood. Found a girl there, gathering plants. Ingredients for apothecary work, or so I discovered. She had this smile that just made you want to know everything about her. Compared to noble children my age, she was riveting. She was trusting and kind, and seemed to enjoy my company, and I hers. In almost no time we became close. She had no idea I was a noble. Who my family was. Yet she offered her friendship freely, just the same. The first person to ever do so. I was so grateful to her for that. And being grateful, Id help her with her work, and in turn, she would teach me. We spent a year that way before I had to leave.
All at once, Gunthers legs gave out. He sat down hard on one of the pullout stools beside the worktable, his head bowed, his mouth tight. How long were you gone?
Five years. I answered.
Gods. Gunther buried his face in his hands. Youre him.
What do you mean? Slowly, I reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, then let it drop. At first it made little sense. While I derived the story I told him from truth, it was a truth that hadnt happened in this timeline. And even in my first life, I hadnt met Lillian until after my mother died.
Let it go. Gunthers voice was forceful, raw. He supported himself with one hand as he staggered to his feet. Slowly, he limped away, his shoulders slumped.
Wait. Why? I called after him, frustrated with the sudden turn. He didnt stop, didnt so much as look back.
She was my daughter. Its no business of yours.
I chased after him and raised my voice, a hair away from shouting. I loved her.
Gunther turned with a sneer, a cutting remark likely at the ready. But when he saw me, he stopped. Grew somber. Aye. Maybe you did. He looked down and bit his lip. If Lillian taught you our craft, Im guessing at some point she gave you a lecture. Something about the line between poison and palliative being difficult to distinguish.
If memory served, she had. One of our first lessons. I nodded slowly, wincing as her face swirled to the forefront of my mind.
This is the one that kills you.
Gunther pressed a shaking hand to his forehead. What did my daughter say on the matter?
A good thing can be a bad thing in high quantities. How the reverse can also be true, though more rarely. And that the only real key to discerning the difference is research and experience.
Gunther chuckled. She was always good at that. Boiling down complex concepts and yawning texts into something more digestible. He grew somber again. When everything went to hell. I wanted to know why. Because it seemed so senseless. Wed only ever tried to help people. Sure, we made some gold, but not much. And I had some debt, of course, but my payments were always on time. There was no reason for it. No justification that came remotely close to making sense. So I asked. Fully expecting it to be the end of me. Gunthers face grew pale. I was told that the reason for myfor my daughters misfortune had nothing to do with us at all. That everything that happened that horrible night was thanks to one person, and one person alone.
The warmth Id felt working side by side with Gunther retreated, leaving me numb, cold.
What was the message? I asked.
Poison. Gunther watched me sympathetically for a moment, before he looked away. Pure and vile poison in the guise of spoken word. And she coated me with it, to one purpose. If youd found me a few years earlier, I might have still been angry enough to pass it along. But that fire has faded. And look at you. Youre no villain. Barely a man now. Half a decade ago you must have been little more than a child. I wont lower myself to forwarding her agenda. Just let it go.
He was right, of course. Given his state, and the way he talked around it, it was simple enough to divine what happened from context. Lillian was gone. Whatever message Thoth left me was little more than salt in the wound.
I wanted to listen. But ignoring this, letting it fester, would make it even more potent when Thoth threw it in my face later. I needed to know.
Tell me what happened.
