Cassandra Pendragon
It hadn’t been overly difficult to get my hands on a keg, even though I had been forced to quickly wipe away a few blood stains before I had been willing to share it with my new acquaintances. When I finally left the taproom again, after I had made sure that the door to the lower levels was still sturdily barricaded, I found them staring daggers at each other. The four mercenaries were standing side by side, their eyes drilling holes into Will’s skull while the human in question was still smoking his pipe, his gaze travelling from one to the other, a faint smirk edged onto his face.
“…sucks to have me this close but yet, you can’t touch me. I feel you, lads, even though I can’t say that I’m sorry. Out of curiosity, what would you have done to me if I hadn’t found someone who can kick your asses seven ways to Sunday?” I watched through a window and saw Vanya’s hands twitch before Lorian quickly placed one of his own on her shoulder and replied.
“Beaten you green and blue until you told us what you did with our money and probably knocked you unconscious afterwards, maybe stripped you naked in the markets. There’s still some of it left, isn’t there? You can’t have spent it all in that brothel. It was close to 200 coins in gold. Incidentally, you wouldn’t want to tell us now, would you?” Will snorted. I had been on the verge of exiting the tavern but I decided to wait a bit longer. Their conversation was quite interesting.
“Sure. And afterwards I’m going to join your merry band of honourable knights again. You do know why I’ve taken it, don’t you?”
“Are you still pissed because we took work with the Captains? Don’t be such a child. Sooner or later you have to bend a knee or your going to end up in the gutter.” I could practically feel the air sizzle with the amount of contempt that radiated off Lorian. “Look at you, you’re the best example. A run down whoremonger who can’t even stay sober for more than a day. How did you ever manage to convince the girl to take you in? It can’t have been your charm, the way she looks, she’d have her choice in all of Free Land and you aren’t on top of that list. Any list.”
“I beg your pardon. I might not look my best, but the ladies still line up to be close to me. Case and point. You don’t really think I paid her, do you? As dumb as Vanya can be from time to time, she had that right. None of us could afford her, if she was indeed for sale.”
“Then how,” the girl asked. “I don’t know much about kitsune, actually, I’ve never heard the name before, but I do know that beast kin usually don’t take kindly to us. What did you promise her? Your first born? If you ever were to find a wench stupid enough to carry your spawn, that is.”
Will chuckled. “Nothing. Truth be told, I was already pretty panicked when I turned the corner and saw her sitting on the porch. She stared at the sky and I thought I saw her eyes glowing. Well, by now I’m quite sure I did. Didn’t take much to guess she’s a mage and I didn’t have much to lose, either way, with you ungrateful lot breathing down my neck. I gambled and it payed off.”
“So what,” the third man who had called me out in the beginning and who supposedly possessed a temper nearly as bad as Vanya’s inquired. “You just walked up to her and said: hello gal, I’m on the run from my former friends cuz I robbed them blind. Would you mind lending a hand?”
“Not quite,” I interrupted, pushing open the door. “He actually promised me a story or two.” I lowered the keg to the ground and filled the mugs I had placed on top of it. “Here you go. I didn’t know he’s a thief, though. Not that I particularly mind, but I’m quite curious why he’d steal from you. From what I’ve heard you didn’t agree with taking up work amongst the leaders of Free Land?” The newcomers gawked at me but Will took my appearance in stride.
“That’s an understatement,” he grumbled. “Bloodsuckers, the lot of them. We had a good thing going, Cassandra, a ship, a decent income… but then those fuckers became greedy and lazy. They sold out. No wonder I took what we had left and made a run for it. I’d rather throw the coin over the cliffs than watch them use it to strengthen the stranglehold the Captains hold our beautiful city in.”
“You’re a bloody idiot, that’s what you are,” Vanya spat. “You make it sound like we volunteered!”
“You bloody well did! We could have run, we could have fought, but no… where was your temper when Captain Dawn asked you to kneel? Are you warming his bed at night, by now?”
“That’s unlikely,” I quietly intervened. “Since there isn’t much left of him but a handful of ash.”
My words caught their attention, raptly, and again I found myself at the centre of their scrutinising stares. “Care to elaborate,” Lorian finally asked. I shrugged in response.
“He thought he could use me. Probably the same thing he did to you, on a slightly different scale. But, well, as your friend can attest, I don’t go down easily, nor quietly. We had a… I wouldn’t call it a fight. He stabbed me in the back and I survived. He didn’t, afterwards.”
“You fucking killed him,” Vanya exclaimed. “How…what…but he… I’ve seen him fight…”
“Breath,” I said. “You really don’t know where you are, do you? Or what secrets the tavern behind us holds?” Their looks of disbelief gradually transformed into ones of unease while their eyes darted across the broken windows, trying to pierce the darkness behind them.
“No, I guess not,” I continued. “Maybe it’s for the best…”
“I do,” the last of the quartet, a burly, black bearded fellow who hadn’t spoke before, except for his curse when he had heard my name, interjected in a raspy voice. “Not many are privy to this information but we are close to the Palace of the Night, are we not?” I cocked an eyebrow and studied him more attentively. I had already been wondering if it was the best idea to divulge anything, but Alassara would probably return while these five were still here and since one of them already knew about her home, it didn’t matter much, either way.
He was wearing the same getup as the others, a thick, dark cloak over chainmail and his hand and half sword was complimented by a large kite shield, strapped to his back. I imagined he was the one to protect his allies, if they ever found themselves in a situation where they had to hold out as long as possible. In a narrow gap, it would almost be impossible to get past him, even though he wouldn’t be able to wield his sword and shield at the same time. If one of them had been a caster, they would have been a truly formidable ensemble. Even without, if they knew how to fight together, they’d be a nightmare to deal with. Maybe not on an open battlefield, but within the confines of a city or a ship, the four of them could easily hold their own against a much larger force.
Stolen novel; please report.
“I’ve never heard that name before,” I finally said when he had already begun fidgeting under my stare. “But I imagine you aren’t far off. I don’t feel like sharing much, though, not when I don’t even know whom I’m talking to, or rather whose minions you are. At least as far as his view on the Captains goes, I’m very much inclined to agree with Will here. If you’ve truly entered their service, I don’t see us finding common ground. There are a couple of questions I’d like to ask, though, but that’s about it. Except for you,” I added in Vanya’s direction. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about our wager. I’m not going to let you off the hook that easily.”
“I wouldn’t want you to,” She replied evenly, “a debt is a debt. But I’m rather curious by now. Who are you? I’ve never seen you before, yet you seem to be more knowledgable when it comes to our own legends and the dark machinations in the shadows, than we are. What has brought you here?”
“Chance… or rather the past. I…” I had been on the verge of telling them the truth when I hesitated. If I were to openly admit that I had been after the Mask, they would easily figure out what I had done. His end hadn’t been inconspicuous, not by any stretch of the imagination. But…
“Oh, to hell with it. It might be easier to show you.” With a thought, my wings manifested and the gloomy alley was suddenly illuminated by silvery light. I only kept them visible for a few seconds, but it was still enough for the mercenaries to stumble backwards and for Will’s pipe to fall from his gaping mouth. A resounding silence followed the crackling of my energies.
“There,” I continued nonchalantly, “I guess that should be enough. I’ve come for the Mask… he took something dear to me and I wasn’t going to just let that slide. I imagine you already know how it ended. Suffice it to say that I was drawn into the local disputes afterwards and I’ve found quite a few friends here, since then. I’m going to try and help them along, for all that it’s worth.”
“You…you,” again it was Vanya who found her voice first. “You… what are you,” she stammered and for the first time I saw something akin to undiluted awe in her eyes.
“If you were to ask around in town, they’d tell you I’m a benevolent spirit. If you were to ask my friends, they’d probably call me an impulsive lunatic with a knack for getting into trouble. I’d say I’m a princess who’s trying to keep the remaining members of her people safe and sound. But that’s probably not what you want to hear. I’m a… rather powerful mage, even though that’s more of a metaphor than an actual description. Except for the powerful part. That’s pretty accurate.”
“You don’t say,” Will grunted, white like a sheet. “If I had known, I would have just kept running. Why on Gaya is it always me? Go on then, what have you got in store for us? Usually this kind of revelation is followed by a bunch of threats and I can already feel them coming.” I was baffled, to say the least, and then I laughed. For as astute as his observation was, he couldn’t have been further away from the truth. I didn’t plan on coercing them in any way, I didn’t even know if they could truly help me out, but I did understand where he was coming from. Considering what I had already learned about Free Land, power and blackmail usually went hand in hand around here.
“Do you think I would be sitting here with you, if I planned on using force,” I asked, still grinning. “You wanted to know who I am and I answered your question. I wouldn’t have revealed myself, otherwise. There’s not much for me to gain, is there? But I hope it might speed things along and quell any doubts you might have concerning my intentions. I… I don’t really care about the Captains or their ambitions. But I do have a problem with which you might be able to help.”
“And what’s that,” the bearded fellow asked, his words dripping sarcasm. “Founding a new religion? Assailing the nine hells? I don’t know what the likes of you do in their spare time, but I can hardly imagine we’d be of much use.”
“And I thought you were a bunch of self assured, badass mercenaries. Don’t sell yourselves short. I’m not talking about a fight. You’re quite right, you wouldn’t be much help in any confrontation I’m likely to stumble into, even though I’ve learned that an arrow to the head works just as well as any fancy spell. Maybe even better. But that’s not… anyways, before I start explaining myself more accurately than I already have, I’d like to know if you’ve sworn fealty to one of the Captains and if so, which one it is.” They shared a strange look I couldn’t quite place, but since they didn’t bolt, I assumed they had decided to at least hear me out. The cold mugs waiting for them might also have been a deciding factor, but I surely hoped they weren’t that easy to buy.
Shrugging, Vanya was the first to lean against a wall and reach for her beer. After she had taken a few sips, the others followed suite, their faces clearly showing their appreciation for the brew. Intrigued, I tasted mine as well and while it didn’t compare to dwarven mead, it was rich and yeasty. A bit bitter, but I still enjoyed the tingling beverage immensely. Its full scent also drowned out the unpleasant odours that had been assaulting me and for a while, the faint sounds of the bustling Main Street were the only noises to break the quiet.
It took a while before Vanya answered my question. Since she was going to spend a week running errands for me, she took it upon herself to converse with the strange, magical creature they had encountered. To her credit, she didn’t seem to care, much. I didn’t know humans very well, but if I had been forced to interpret her demeanour, I’d have said that she was actually looking forward to working with me, or at least didn’t dread the prospect. She didn’t have any problems meeting my gaze and she had picked a place to stand where I could easily reach her with my hand. She even seemed at ease, after the first moment of shock had passed.
“We haven’t sworn anything,” she finally explained, her voice rather steady despite the turbulent evening, “but we’ve signed a contract, which is pretty much the same thing around here. We work for the Nightshade Fleet. As you might have heard, we,” she included Will with a jerk of her head, “were lucky enough to get out hands on a ship, some months back. As it stands, if you want to fly around these parts, you’ve to either sail under a Captain’s flag or your going to be treated like a pirate. We weren’t keen on being shot at, every time we encountered a vessel from Free Land, so we signed on. With the Dawn fleet at first, but we quickly changed our minds. They were… strange, even by our standards, so we took the chance during the last gathering and asked for Nightshade’s protection. It wasn’t easy but he pulled through. We can still pretty much do whatever we want, but nominally we are a part of his fleet.”
“Nightshade… never heard of him. Say, he… or is it she? Doesn’t matter, what can you tell me about his organisation?” Before Vanya could answer, Lorian shot her a meaningful look.
“We aren’t at liberty to share any secrets. What would you even want to know,” he answered.
“Oh, nothing that shouldn’t become public knowledge. Basically, I’m wondering… I’ve seen a few priests and I was curious if there’s a connection between the Captains and religion. The churches seem rather influential, considering that there’s barely any form of organisation at all, aside from the fleets. Are they working together, by any chance?”
“That much, we can share, but the answer isn’t straight forward. It depends. Of the Seven, now six, if your claims are true, five are religious, worshipping different deities. Those are the ones who have some kind of influence, since they have the backing of a fleet.”
“You don’t happen to know which deities they serve, do you?”
“Let’s see,” Lorian replied slowly. “There’s our own patron, Captain Nightshade. He’s from the Southern Reaches and brought his faith along when he came to Free Land. He worships a god of Death and Silence, the Broken Wheel, he calls him. He has no real name, as far as I know, the believers fear they’d attract their gods attention if they were to call on him. Then there’s Captain Brightblaze. I don’t know much about her, but she’s from one of the larger human kingdoms to the north and prays to their highest god, an incarnation of the sun, authority and judgement. Captains Kirena and Blackthorne are from around here. One is a former courtesan, the other was a gladiator. They worship the local mistress of lust and fertility and the god of war, strength and bloodshed, respectively. Lastly, there’s Captain Asra, a trader who’s made enough coin to buy the world and serves the goddess of commerce. He isn’t very peckish. Whoever wants to bring an offering for good fortunes and fast coin is welcome to the shrines he erected, no matter their background and exact beliefs. That’s about it, as far as I’m aware.”
“Seems like my work is cut out for me,” I mumbled to myself. Out loud, I added: “and you’re working for Captain Nightshade? Do you know him personally? What’s he like? And do you, by any chance, know someone who’s associated with Captain Brightblaze?”