Firelight flickered in the cold, dank cellar.
A coffin stood in the very center, its solid wood painted black and its lid not quite closed.
Inside lay the body of a boy: Aike, a twelve-year-old member of the Snow Oath.
Louis had arranged for the Winter Dawn Fief to send it back several days earlier. His reason was simple: there might be some disease involved, so they should send it back for examination.
He felt no particular attachment to the body itself. He had brought it back primarily because of its connection to the Brood Hive.
"Seriously," Louis said, sniffing idly twice before tilting his head toward his older brother. "Did you fall into a cesspit one day and forget to wash properly? That smell... how is it more complicated than a corpse?"
"Because there's a pile of shit standing beside me." Eduardo glanced at him, his voice level. "If this weren't such an inappropriate setting, I'd slam you into the wall right now."
"Tsk, you really have a way with words." Louis curled his lips. Far from getting angry, he turned and took another earnest sniff.
After meeting several times, the brothers had grown fairly comfortable with each other. Both liked joking around, so a little teasing was nothing unusual.
"I'm going to use my bloodline gift. Step outside for a moment," Eduardo said evenly.
Louis did not move, as though he had completely failed to grasp the meaning of "please leave." Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Is your gift too embarrassing to show anyone? You have to use it alone?"
"Louis." Eduardo's tone grew firmer. "I'm serious. Get out."
"The more serious you are, the more suspicious you seem." Louis spread his hands, looking as though he truly did not know what to do with him. "Do