Chapter 12: Murder Under The Moon

Dawn had not yet broken. Laurel flew back to Nettle on a private jet, then headed straight to the Yare Manor. Once he got the word, Taylor went directly to the gate to wait. When he saw Laurel step down from a black van, Taylor moved to meet her. "Laurel, thanks for going to all this trouble." Laurel teased him. "Why get formal with me? How's Jacqueline doing?" "She's doing okay, but when she saw herself in the mirror, she cried till midnight before finally falling asleep." Taylor let out a helpless sigh, then asked, "By the way, did you get the Ebon Herb?" Laurel nodded and took out a small wooden box. Inside lay the Ebon Herb itself. They went back to the room, and Taylor immediately prepared a scar-removal salve for Jacqueline and applied it to her face. After rinsing her face with clean water, the scar on Jacqueline's cheek faded right before their eyes, vanishing visibly by the second. "It's really gone. Mr. Jauncy is a miracle worker!" "Who would've thought? He's not just a powerhouse; he's one hell of a doctor." "Mr. Jauncy is incredible!" Members of the Yare family gasped in unison. Seeing her reflection, her features restored, Jacqueline, her eyes swollen from crying, finally smiled. "Taylor, the scar is really gone..." Taylor smiled gently. "I told you not to worry. Laurel brought this herb. Aren't you going to thank her?" "Thank you, Laurel!" Jacqueline ran over to Laurel, a sweet smile lighting up her face. Laurel's expression softened. "All right, all right, our Jacqueline is pretty again. Ready to go out now?" Jacqueline bobbed her head hard. "Mm! Hehe." At that, even Ariel, standing at the back of the crowd, let a rare smile touch her lips before slipping out quietly. No one else noticed, but Kayden did, and his face warmed with relief. When the others drifted away, Kayden stepped closer to Taylor. "Taylor, the Wokey family and the Duffus family have been wiped out, but Miles slipped away last night. We should stay on our guard." "Yes, Taylor, Kayden is right. If he catches us out and retaliates, it'll be trouble," Laurel added with a firm nod. "Miles Duffus? Hah. I never gave him a second thought." Taylor snorted, then narrowed his eyes a fraction. "Kayden, where's Keanu's body?" "As you asked, it's already been strung up out front," Kayden said. Taylor nodded, a light chuckle slipping out. "Good. Let's set up a celebration dinner for tonight." "A celebration dinner?" Kayden asked, baffled. "Taylor, danger is still close at hand. Isn't it a bit soon to relax?" Taylor slowly shook his head. "Everyone was terrified last night. They deserve something to calm their nerves. Besides, if we don't ease up a bit, how will we lure the enemy out?" Kayden thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. We'll do as you say. I'll see to it at once." ***** Roland's head and Keanu's body hung high on display outside the Yare Manor. About a hundred yards away, at a dark corner of the road, a pair of bloodshot eyes gleamed with tears. Staring at his son's corpse, Miles clenched his teeth until blood seeped from his gums. "Keanu, I will avenge you tonight." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Calvin? It's Miles. I want to put out a hit." A soft, derisive laugh rolled through the earpiece. "Mr. Duffus, hiring all five of us doesn't come cheap." "Money isn't the problem. The question is... do you dare kill this man?" Miles said, voice cold. "Haha, the Western Vanguard only cares about money. Name him," Calvin replied. Miles narrowed his eyes. "Taylor Jauncy of the Jauncy family in Nettle." On the other end, silence stretched for a couple of beats. "That... will be very expensive." "I'll pay twenty million dollars." At this point, Miles no longer cared about the cost. "Deal. Same meeting spot as always." Half an hour later, at a shabby, abandoned factory on the outskirts, Miles arrived at the prearranged spot. He didn't dare return to the Duffus Manor. To avoid attention, he had changed clothes and pulled on a baseball cap. Stepping through the front doors, he found five burly men already seated inside. "You're all here." Miles took off his cap and gave them a respectful nod. The leader, a broad-shouldered man with a full beard, stood. "We are always punctual." They were men from the borderlands west of Nettle, known as the Western Vanguard. They lived by running illicit trades and, at times, by taking assassination jobs. The fee was steep, but they had never failed. Individually, none of the five matched Hayden, but together they outclassed the likes of Hayden and Seth. The bearded leader was the "Calvin" Miles had spoken of, and the head of the five. Miles nodded, then handed each man a cigarette and lit one for himself. "I'll put you guys in charge of my family's blood feud." "Say no more. We'll gut him right now." The five started to move. "Wait." Miles lifted a hand. "If Taylor could kill Hayden, he won't be easy for you to handle. We shouldn't go in loud." "Hah. Hayden was strong, but compared to the five of us together, he still came up short. You worry too much," Calvin said with a curl of his lip. Miles shook his head. "My son Keanu's body is still hanging outside the Yare Manor. I want revenge as badly as anyone, but we can't afford mistakes. Better to strike when they let their guard down." At that, the five glanced at one another, then nodded. "You're paying; you call it. Tonight, when they're off guard, we kill Taylor and wipe out the Yare family." "Meet me tonight in the lane outside the Yare Manor. I want to see him die with my own eyes." Miles's face went dark with murderous intent. He pulled his cap back on and turned to leave. That night, outside the main courtyard of Yale Manor, several dark figures drifted closer, silent as cats. At their head walked Miles Duffus. From inside came the sounds of a celebration, glasses clinking, voices warm with drink. Rage boiled up in Miles until his vision swam. "My son is dead, and they're drinking? Kill them all. Leave no one alive." He glanced back at the five silhouettes behind him. "Brothers, slaughter everyone in the Yare family. No survivors." On his word, the Western Vanguard slipped from the shadows and sprinted for the front gate of the Yare Manor. Miles looked up at Keanu's body swaying high on its rope, his face hard with hate. "Keanu, I'll gut that Jauncy bastard for you right now." Just as they were about to rush in, a cold wind swept through. They all shivered at once. Whoosh! A black shape flickered across their vision. The air thickened with the metallic tang of blood. Miles's gut clenched. "What's going on?" At the same instant, several cold, white flashes lit up the darkness. White arcs cut the night, and a man hit the ground. Blood spattered, warm on cold stone. In the space of a few seconds, four black-clad men had their throats slit and collapsed where they stood, limbs stiffening in their own spreading pools. The Western Vanguard had been reduced to Calvin alone. Calvin turned. A black-robed man walked toward him at an unhurried pace. Moonlight washed over the newcomer's face, and Calvin's eyes went wide in shock. "You... are..." Swish! Before he could finish, an ice-cold dagger swept across his throat.