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When Mairi woke from his sleep, the house was silent.
That wasn’t too unusual. Though their house was small, Laufein was often quiet in the morning hours, spending his time praying or studying before the day truly began. No, what was unusual was the hour. The sun was streaming through the closed curtains, casting a line of gold onto the wooden floor. It was late enough that the light nearly touched the edge of his bed. Mairi sat up quickly, his heart beating fast and his shorn hair sticking up every which way. Laufein had never allowed him to sleep this late, not once in the months since he’d taken him in. He sprang up and across the room, ignoring the chill, and nearly threw open the door to the common area, so quickly his vision was blocked by spots of darkness.
As his vision cleared, apology on his lips, he expected to see an old drow sitting at the table, fixing him with that silent stormy look he always has when Mairi has done something to upset him. Instead, the room was empty.
Mairi looked around in confusion. There was no sign of anyone having been in the kitchen, no food on the counter, no ingredients out, the fire had even faded to nearly nothing. That explained the chill. Spring had arrived, but this far north it was slow in doing it's work. He took a fire log from against the wall to remedy that problem, and looked toward the door to Laufein’s room/study, which was always closed.
He walked toward the door, avoiding the planks he knew would squeak, and put his ear to the crack where the hinges held the door to the frame. Nothing. He rapped on the door. Nothing. He rapped again. Nothing. He reached for the knob and very slowly opened the door, peaking his head inside. Empty. He closed the door again.
…. Where is he?
After standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen, unsure what to do, Mairi decided that he was probably running an errand and that he should prepare himself for the day. He tried to ignore the cold gnawing feeling in his chest.
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Hours had passed. Mairi stared at the pantry with a rumbling stomach. A bag of flour. Butter. Eggs. A raw onion. A bag of dried beans. A single carrot. A bucket of mushrooms. He takes the butter and an egg to fry. Laufein often complained that cooking was beneath him, but he had to do it to teach Mairi, just until they could get servants, of course. All he’s got down is the eggs, but it’s useful for times like this. Besides, he’s ten now. He’s big enough to contribute to the work they must do. Even if it’s cooking.
He manages to do it without burning the house down. Appeasing his stomach does nothing to ease that feeling that has been steadily growing all day.
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The only thing that stood between Mairi and full-blown panic was his prayers. The basic drow language book lay discarded on the table, no longer able to keep the boy’s attention. Besides, the sun had set an hour ago, and dusk was the time for prayers to the Lord of Shadows. He had been praying since then for Laufein to come home and had begun growing desperate, even throwing a few words to Mielikki out of old habit, though he knew it would have made Laufein very upset. He tried to focus on the ache in his knees and the words he dedicated to Vhaeraun to ward off the images that came to his mind. His father’s boots sticking out of the shed. His mother’s blood spilled down the porch steps. Laufein lying dead in an alley somewhere, his throat slit by hidden servants of Lolth. He saw them through his closed eyes whenever his thoughts wandered too far. He kept praying. It was all he could do.
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That’s not all he could do, actually, Mairi decided as he tried to figure out how to hide this large kitchen knife beneath his coat. It had no sheath, he could not tie it to his belt without risking cutting himself. He tested holding it up his coat sleeve, dull side against his skin.
Laufein had not yet begun teaching him how to fight, though after an incident with some others around his age looking to take a few coins (during which Mairi had managed to hold his own, he would not let anyone forget) he had promised to start soon. But surely this couldn’t be that difficult. Besides, Vhaeraun would be on his side.
The sun had set several hours ago, and despite the panic raging in his chest Mairi had resolved to go out looking for Laufein and help with whatever trouble he’d found himself in. Or at least find what had become of him.
Satisfied with the hidden knife, he turned toward the door, working up the courage to actually go turn the knob and step into the streets of Luskan in the middle of the night. Just then, the knob began to turn on its own.
Mairi gasped and quickly backed up toward his room. There was a window in there, if they’d come for him now he could still escape into the streets. He had closed the door to just a crack when the front door opened, and Laufein stepped into the house.
Relief flooded through him as he opened his door and let the knife up his sleeve fall to the floor. Laufein stared at him for a moment before muttering Mairi’s name, almost absentmindedly.
Before Mairi could think to stop himself, he ran forward and threw his arms around the old man, who barely reacted. Mairi’s thoughts caught up to him, and he quickly stepped back and got a good look at the priest, whose expression had remained nearly blank.
“… I was coming to find you, I swear,” he said, after a moment of silence between them. What he got in response was a hum, and Laufein walked past him, toward the kitchen table.
Was he upset? Irritated? At whatever kept him so long or that Mairi had not come to look for him til now? Or was this his normal neutral expression? These thoughts raced through Mairi’s head as Laufein sat down at the table with a sigh, letting his head fall back for a moment.
Oh. No, he’s just tired. No, he’s exhausted .
After a moment, Laufein lifted his head and reached up to grasp the silver mask pendant with red ruby eyes that hung around his neck, his holy symbol. “Lord Vhaeraun has returned from the dead,” he said, his eyes staring forward as he told Mairi something that changed the trajectory of both their lives. The weight of that information sent pricks down his skin and held him in his place.
“Oh,” Mairi thought to himself, his heart pounding. “He heard me.”