Manleigh Cheese Part 3 #41
Murra looked up at the man who had been her mentor and teacher for nearly a century, aghast at the words that had come out of his mouth. She responded the only way her conscience would allow.
“No, sir. I will not.”
Three Ravens rounded on her, and crouched down until his long nose was touching hers.
“What?” He screamed in her face.
She rolled backwards, away from him, and bounded to her feet in one smooth motion. Rage wasn’t becoming on anyone, but on her mentor it was even less appealing. He was known for quick, and brutal, responses. On a few memorable occasions, she’d been the recipient of his vexation, and had no desire to be in that position ever again.
“I will not tell my parents to murder my brother-in-law, and I will not accept the order to do it myself. He’s a good man, and we have accepted him into our family. Don’t you think the ring is more important and a poorly planned wedding?”
“The. Ring? Incidental! Breaking? Laws? Untenable!” Three Ravens was having trouble holding himself together, and each word came out in a different vocal register.
“Then you’re out of your mind!” Murra screamed at him. “Etty is First Born, and she knows that now! Do you remotely understand? She knows what she can do, too!”
“Law! Vital! The. Mortal. Must! Die!”
“Etty can break rules. That’s her power and her purpose. She’s more powerful than any of the Enhusa, and now she’s got the Rose Thorn Ring! All you care about is my brother-in-law? Are you mad?”
“Do! Not! Defy! Me!” Three Ravens screeched. His fingers narrowed into sharp, black, talons.
“Defy? That’s where you’re wrong, Sir! This is complete refusal, not defiance.”
“Get! Out! No. Longer. Student. Do. This. Myself.”
Three Ravens split apart into the set of birds that gave him his name, and then disappeared.
Murra shook her head, and whispered, “Shit,” before vanishing herself. She needed to talk to her family immediately, and then they needed to tell Etty and John what was coming for them.
(Author’s note: this is what happens when a plot twist writes itself. I wasn’t planning on this particular plot fork, but it is too good to pass up. There are now three “threats”, and none of them are to be trifled with. I’m curious to see what happens now, since this new addition was not part of the original story… but it does give me a significant plot for a second Manleigh Cheese book, and I’m grateful for that. I really like these characters and the world I’m building. It will be a bitch, though, editing parts 1-4 {yes, there will be a part 4} into an actual manuscript.)