Arbelest Eldmich

Rennie was quickly taken aback as a wave of confusion overwhelmed her senses.

' What?' 

' It hasn't even been 5 minutes since I've discovered the mark and already it's gone?' 

Being a maid, Rennie had a basic grasp on knowledge of wounds. Slaps were impact wounds that, depending on the force used, could last up to a few minutes to a few hours. That fact that it disappeared so quickly meant only that the force used behind the blow was so pathetically weak that the motive behind such an action was almost inconceivable.

' What would they even get from it? Was it a prank? There is literally no..'

" Ahem."

Milord cleared his throat and fixed Rennie with a questioning gaze. He clicked his tongue, a faint smile tracing his lips as his cocked his head to one side.

" I supposed I should punish you."

Rennie's heart instantly shot back up in her throat, the boulder that she had let down once again bearing down on her shoulders.

" Milord?"

"I mean…..it just appears to me that you've woken me up for nothing if some sort of elaborate prank."

" Is this your idea of a joke Rennie?"

All Rennie could hear was the sound of her pounding heartbeat.

" No! No! Absolutely not milord! I would never dare!"

" Really? It sure looks that way to me."

The kindly looking man turned around, his white teeth still showing by dint of his seemingly chiseled jaw muscles but his now cold eyes completely betraying the rest of his face.

Rennie's nerves felt as if they had been electrocuted. 

' No! Why is this happening? What even if this? Please! Believe me!' Rennie thought, horrified but only able to watch helplessly as her master prowled slowly towards her like a predator.

" M-Milord…please….I meant no offence. Pl-Please believe me.." Rennie pleaded, her legs frozen tight on the spot. Her fingers were feebly interlaced and held above her tear-streaked face as if in prayer. 

Milord reached out, his palm outstretched, growing larger as it approached her face and in an instant, Rennie could no longer see anything beyond his fingers.

Only this thought occured through her mind.

' Death by spell cast.'

She closed her eyes, awaiting the end vision.

She waited. And waited.

 Rennie felt a rough and warm feeling move slowly across her cheek. 

She opened her eyes and through her swimming vision, she saw first, milord's arm and his loosely closed fist wiping her tears and second, his kindly visage that seemed so alien from his earlier look that made her wonder if this was even the same man. 

" It's alright, there's no need to cry." Came his deep voice.

Milord looked into the eyes of the girl in his arms and laid one palm on her head, stroking it gently as if comforting a pet. He offered a small smile, stood up and walked away towards the door. 

" I entrust my son to your care Rennie, I have faith in your abilities." 

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the door open, stepped out and was gone. 

Pin-drop silence fell upon the room once more and for those inside, it was like time had stopped.

Rennie didn't know what to say. 

What even just happened?

Wasn't she supposed to be dead? Did the Master just wipe her tears? 

Did he forgive her? 

Should she be honoured? Relieved? Both? 

For one incredulous moment, the thought even crossed Rennie's mind that, perhaps, she was already dead and this was simply a dream.

The silence lasted for quite awhile before, slowly, another maid anxiously approached her colleague and asked: 

" Hey, are you okay? " 

She never got an answer. The young woman's knees gave out and she slumped on the wooden floor, unconscious, her body thus hitting the floor with a dull 'thud'.

Another, shorter moment of silence followed before a hectic clamouring filled the room. 

" Hey! Hey! Are you okay? Somebody come help! Help! " screamed the maid beside Rennie as she shook her unconscious body as the other maids snapped from their daze and gathered around the unconscious young woman.

" Hey! Rennie? Oh by the Primarchs her hand is so cold!"

" Someone grab her legs!" said one of the maids.

" And what the blazes for?" Came another voice

" So we can get her to the infirmary you half-wit!"

With some bickering, the maids managed to organise themselves in their panic and eventually, carried Rennie out of the room by lifting her up by her arms and legs in the way that made her lower body assets sag downward towards the floor.

Eventually the door closed again and silence fell upon the room.