Aerhiel groaned. In the distance, Lord Sabrel was making a commotion. He was yelling with the labor attendant, shouting hysterically with his arms waving about in the air. Toddison, the labor attendant called out his boss, Toddison, who tried to calm the man down.

Aerhiel sighed and turned back to her work. She thrust the shovel into the ground again, and with it she buried all her anger and hatred for the time being. She dug and dug as the man’s cries grew louder, her blisters more exaggerated, and the hole deeper and deeper.

She could feel the Lord’s eyes at her back, but she worked furiously, pounding the ground forcefully, desperately trying to bury her feelings, trying to conceal her hidden will.

One of her blisters popped and pus slid down her hand, making the shovel slippery. She could hear the Lord’s heavy footfalls as he approached. She turned her head abruptly, the hair flying out of her face. She caught a worried glance from Toddison and his assistant. Lord Sabrel stared her down, daring her.

She dropped the shovel with a thud, and all the other workers paused, knowing the Lord was too preoccupied to notice. The air was still and silent, and the Lord, who was tall, muscular, and sinister, stood right in front of her.

"Yes?"

Lord Sabrel clenched his jaw and repositioned himself for the offensive.

"Sagalia, you piece of shit! I bet you didn’t even dig this thing right…"

He glanced down into her perfectly dug hole, which was flawless to the last grain of dirt. He pulled his gaze from the ditch and narrowed his eyes, so that even she could feel his ferocity and intensity.

The other workers, who were mending fences, weeding gardens, and doing other small tasks around the estate, held their breath. They knew what was coming. The calm before the storm, as it was described.

"You know what this ditch is for?"

"Yes, sir."

She held his glare, her intensity one to rival his.

"Well, just for the record- this is my eldest son’s grave. My oldest, most responsible, most eligible, young son that was supposed to take over this estate after my passing! And you know what? He’s DEAD. Now, I’ve heard that you were MISSING last night. Just WHERE WERE YOU, Miss Sagalia?? Out for a smoke? I don’t think so! In fact, I think it was YOU who MURDERED MY SON!"

Aerhiel stood her ground, not moving. She was not going to say anything, because the truth was her ticket out of here. She closed her eyes, knowing that after this moment, these moments, that she would be free, that she could touch freedom, that she could live… for once.

"Lord Sabrel. I was busy on an errand last night. I’m sure that Sir Jackson can vouch for me on that one. Ask him, you bloody git! Ask him! I think you knew it was me all along, Milord! Am I the first one you chose to blame it on? How long have you planned this? You never liked Michael, especially because he wanted to marry that servant girl! You thought it would disgrace the family name. You WANTED him out of the way! You WANTED Jackson to take on the responsibility because you believed him MORE CAPABLE. And even if YOU didn’t KILL MICHAEL… I’m sure you’re CELEBRATING."

Sabrel’s lip quivered, and his face was swelling tremendously. He seemed ready to burst, but instead, "Believe what you want, Sagalia." And he turned on his heel and stalked off in the other direction, with not so much as a second glance. Aerhiel picked up her shovel and turned back to her work.