The Ghía

Chapter 5

"Sister."

Ghía Amíria Renosch raised her head to look up at him from the elaborate embroidery in her hands. "Oh, Chiséra, you're back at last!"

"Sorry that it took me longer than I thought." Chiséra kissed her offered cheek, then looked around. "Where's Gioréo?"

"In the garden, I believe," she said, gracefully stretching her arms. "I hope you're not all too hungry, it's still a while until dinner."

"No need to worry about me. I had some lunch in the city." He headed towards the door, fingers sweeping along the back of the large dog next to him. "I'll go to talk to him."

Walking in the corridor, Chiséra smiled to himself as he listened to the slap of Chestnut's huge paws on the bare floor. Such a lumbering beast he'd grown into, so far the finest specimen of what he'd been aiming for, and an intimidating sight to anyone to cross his path – as he'd again had the opportunity to observe on that very day, walking around in the city with the dog by his side.

On the back terrace he stopped to look around. "Gioréo?"

There was no reply, but that was hardly surprising. The garden was large and full of lovely nooks and corners where one could easily hide to enjoy the peace.

He was halfway down the stairs when a low, menacing rumble froze him mid-step. Chestnut was standing on the top of the stairs and growling.

"What is it, Chestnut?"

The dog sniffed the air for another few heartbeats, nostrils widening, then leaped down the stairs and dashed to the garden path to the left. His gait lengthened, soon he was galloping, and Chiséra had to run to keep up. His heart was beating so hard that his temples ached.

Chestnut barged on along the sandy path, head high, then jumped over a flower bed and cut across a stretch of lawn, Chiséra still on his heels. When they reached a carefully clipped hedge about seven feet high, the dog hesitated for a moment before pushing straight through the dense growth. There he stopped so abruptly that Chiséra, blinded by rubbish clinging to his hair and face from the bush, nearly fell over him.

Gioréo was sitting in a large wicker armchair, head resting against its high back. His eyes were open, blue as sapphires as they reflected the light from the sky, and there was a look of mild surprise in them. His lips were slightly parted, as if in a gasp or maybe a whisper, and a few tresses of hair still clung to his eyelashes. One hand had perhaps tried to grab the armrest but had fallen to his lap, the other arm hanging by his side, and large dark blotch colored the fine sand under the chair.

Chiséra tried to breathe, tried to swallow the scream about to force its way up from his chest, tried to move. Chestnut stood equally transfixed, nose trembling as it assessed the scene, then it took a few careful steps closer and nudged Gioréo's pale hand.

Chiséra walked the last few yards, blood howling inside his head, and knelt in front of his brother. He touched Gioréo's knee, gently took the limp hand and moved it to the man's lap as well, raised his fingers to Gioréo's face. It was slack, cool, bloodless. Gioréo had been taken completely by surprise, by someone who'd managed to sneak into the walled garden and lurk there until the chance offered itself. He hadn't seen or heard it coming, hadn't had more than a few moments to realize what was happening. Had he understood his own death when it came? There was so much blood, it must've been an almost perfect hit; the work of a professional hand.

Chiséra caressed the beloved face, swept aside the stray hairs, then put his arms around Gioréo and pulled his dead brother into a tight embrace. The blond head lolled against his shoulder and under his hand he felt the sticky wetness on Gioréo's back. There was just one ragged slit in the cloth. A single stab, that was all it had taken.

"I will find him," he whispered into Gioréo's hair. "It wasn't your time to go yet, and I swear I'll find the one who did this. I swear it."

When Chiséra finally walked back to the house once more to tell the news, his eyes were red and his throat hurt, but his face and heart were stone.