Cassandra Pendragon

“Why those two,” Will asked. “Call me paranoid but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re nearing a crossroads, here. And not just for us… Cassandra, what is this all about? I know, I, or rather we, are in no position to ask you for an explanation, but you’ve already revealed quite a bit. Why not try for the whole truth?”

“Because it isn’t mine to divulge. Honestly, I would most likely tell you in a heartbeat, but I can’t share what isn’t mine to give. If you want, I’ll gladly tell you what my goal is, though.”

“Let me guess, once you do, you either have to kill us or we have to play along,” Vanya asked, even though she didn’t seem as perturbed as I would have been, if I had been in her shoes.

I slowly shook my head. “No. For one, I don’t mind beating you up, as I’ve already shown, but I’m not going to hurt you without a reason and two, whether you run around town, screaming my name and pointing fingers, or try to support what I’m doing, makes little difference to me. I’m not belittling you, but the four, or five, of you don’t matter in a war.”

“Come again,” the bearded fellow, whose name I still didn’t know, interrupted. “War? What war?”

I sighed. “Have you had any contact with pirate ships lately?”

“No, we mostly try to stay well away from them,” Lorian explained. “There isn’t much to gain and an awful lot to lose. Why do you ask?”

“That’s a pretty long story, but I’ll try my best to make it quick. I told you before that I came here to deal with the Mask and it’s the truth, but the reason why I’m even in these parts is more… personal. I wasn’t just fooling around, I truly am a member of the last royal family of my people. But I’m a princess without a kingdom, my home has been consumed by fire and flame, most of my people have died a gruesome death… even their souls weren’t spared.” I added quietly, wrestling with the surfacing memories, but it was getting easier every time I managed to push them away. My thoughts must still have shown on my face, since the way they looked at me changed, subtly. They were still confused, afraid and curious but I saw a spark of pity ignite in their eyes. I quickly pressed on, unwilling to deal with the emotional baggage.

“We weren’t just a handful of savages either, we had a city, a government, a future… and it all turned to ashes in a single night. We aren’t easy to kill, all of us have magic in their blood and if push comes to shove, we’re decent fighters. You’ve seen what I can do. But it didn’t matter. I’m telling you this, so you might understand how much power and preparation was necessary to utterly annihilate our home. And the being responsible, he wasn’t even there. He’s known under many names, one of them is the Pirate King. Which should make it plenty clear what I actually want. His head on a pike and whether I have to deal with the Captains or the people of Free Land, the humans from the north or the Elven Tribes, I’ll see it done. This is about as far as my interest in Free Land goes. I need… soldiers, people, willing to fight, to oppose the rising power in the East until I’ve had a chance to find more allies.” Pity and confusion were gradually replaced by fear. At least they took me seriously, but I could still practically see the unspoken question, fluttering through their minds. “What the hell has it got to do with us?”

“As for why it should matter to you: what happened to us was only the beginning. Pirate King… that’s not the end of his ambition. If he isn’t stopped, he’ll build an empire of slaves and ruins, until our world, Free Land as much as the greater states to north, is nothing but a twisted version of his desires, forged in the blood of our people.” I paused and caught each of their gazes. “Not quite the kind of story I wanted to share in the beginning, but I’m not going to waste an opportunity. I won’t be able to stay here for much longer and when I’m gone, I need as many people as possible to know what’s happening. The storm will come, whether you’re prepared, or not.” I downed the remainder of my beer and added:

“I’ll give you a minute to think about what I’ve said, and to decide if I’m a raving lunatic, but please, don’t try to clobber William while I’m gone. I’d rather not fight again, tonight.” That said, leaving behind a deafening silence, I rose and made my way into the tavern. Which wasn’t the best idea, considering the state of the place. An armada of flies had made good use of the past hours and taken to the blood and bodies with gusto. Even the corpse of the barkeep hadn’t been spared, the cloth I had used to cover him was moving slightly and from time to time, an ugly, chitinous leg appeared, only to be withdrawn just as quickly. The disgusting mixture of sweet, rotten smells and the constant buzzing was almost too much to cope with for any extended period of time, but I really wanted to give them some privacy to make up their minds. If they were still there when I returned, I’d have my answer. And if they weren’t… well, another urban legend might be born, but I didn’t expect my honesty to bite me in the tails, further down the road. Come tomorrow, I’d be making some house calls that would shatter my anonymity, anyways.

Steeling my resolve, I approached the counter and tried to ignore the plethora of feasting insects, determined to find the hidden bottle, most barkeeps kept out of view. It wouldn’t do much to me, but I was quite confident that it’d help me shake off the memories, my story had evoked.

Speaking of which, it was probably a good idea to inform Ahri whom I had met and what I had told them, even though I could already imagine her reaction. She wasn’t one to take too many risks, except where my well-being was concerned, and I was convinced she’d berate me for being too forthcoming. No point in crying over spilled milk. All I could do now, was face the music.

My tenacity was rewarded, just when I was about to give up and flee from the army of necrophilic, multi legged horrors, did my wandering fingers encounter the smooth surface of a bottle, stored in a small niche behind the counter.

I fumbled for a moment before I managed to extract an ancient looking whiskey. Only a third had been drunk and when I removed the cork, a strong smell of berries, saddle leather and gasoline drowned out the far less pleasant stench in the taproom. Content with the yields of my excavation, I took a seat, as far away from the mutilated body and the soldiers we had slaughtered as possible, and took a swig, directly from the bottle. The drink burned like fire in my throat and I had to suppress a cough, my eyes watering. The second mouthful went down much more smoothly, though. A damned pity I couldn’t make proper use it.

Sighing, I ignored the scene of destruction and violence around me and checked in on the two maids I had saved. They were still fast asleep and I lingered for a moment, envious that they’d probably wake up in the morning, their nightmares a thing of the past while mine were still alive and kicking. I chuckled quietly, the absurdity of a seven year old girl, sitting in the middle of a massacre, largely of her own making, with a bottle of booze in her hand and lamenting the cruelty of life wasn’t lost on me. The only thing missing was a slow, sad soundtrack, raindrops splashing against the windows or something similar.

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I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on the harsh, burning taste in my mouth. The murmurs of a quiet conversation faintly reached me through the door but I ignored them. In the end, it was their decision and I wasn’t going to pry. Depending on what they had to say, I might even lose my temper if I were to listen in and I didn’t want to give them another reason to fear me. Once they had talked it over, they’d come to realise that there were already plenty of those going around.

“Ahri,” I finally sent. “Do you have a moment, love?”

“Sure, I just settled Viyara and Aurelia in the cargo hold. That was quiet the chore without your help. How are you holding up? Did something happen or were you lonely?”

“Definitely lonely, I miss you… I know it’s pathetic but I can’t help it.”

“Actually, it’s kind of sweet, but also not the reason why you wanted to talk, is it?”

“No, I also met a bunch of mercenaries. It went surprisingly well, I think, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. So, here it goes…” I didn’t waste much more time and simply shared the memories with her. She remained quiet, her mind flitting through my thoughts like a warm, fresh breeze until she had thoroughly inspected every detail, from the moment I had met Will to the present.

“Did you truly feel flattered because they called you an absurdly expensive hooker,” was the first question she uttered, which took me, admittedly, by surprise.

“A bit. I mean, considering what a few gold coins can buy around here, it’s quite the compliment, is it not? And you’re usually not exactly frivolous with your praise.” I hadn’t meant to send the last part, but it was much more difficult to discipline one’s thoughts than it was to keep one’s mouth shut. And I wasn’t a virtuoso with the latter, either. Luckily, she took it in stride.

“Cassy… you’re close to almighty, probably the most beautiful creature in the galaxy, at least to me, and I’d willingly follow you into hell and back. I already have. Do I really have to spell it out for you, every single day?” Blood rushed to my cheeks, even though I didn’t feel embarrassed.

“Not every day. But once or twice would be nice,” I replied jokingly, but with real warmth. She just kept me… grounded. “So… you’re not mad? I was a bit worried, truth be told… I thought you’d crucify me for blabbering when there wasn’t anything substantial to gain.”

“I’m not so sure… they have to know, sooner or later. It’s just… from what you’ve seen, they’re working for one of the Captains, the very same one who’s probably responsible for the attack we’re still reeling from, you do realise that, don’t you?”

“Sure, that’s why I wanted to question them about him, before I got sidetracked. And one even knew my name, beforehand, another thing that puzzles me. Unless… I don’t even know, is my family famous, in any way? Outside of Boseiju, I mean?”

“I’m not sure. We’re not a very well known people, but I imagine the mithril mines granted you some sort of renown. It’s not impossible that he’s heard the name Pendragon before.”

“Hmm, I’d have expected a trader, maybe, or a gifted mage to know, but a mercenary… if I get the chance, I’ll ask him.”

“You should. Incidentally, aside from showing off, why did you tell them? What exactly did you hope to accomplish? Or did you really just follow one of your impulses?”

“They aren’t that bad. My instincts, I mean. Admittedly, I’m as often wrong as I’m right, but in the end it has always worked out.”

“Right… if you’re willing to ignore the corpses and the sea of your blood you’ve left behind…”

I winced. “Yeah, except for those… this time though, I really have an idea. Information is quite obvious, but… you do remember what I said about the slaves? That I’m going to free and use them? Those five might just make a splendid addition. With the sailors… pirates we… liberated, they should make for a formidable foundation. How many slaves do you think there are? 200, 300, maybe?”

“Probably closer to 500. And that’s only in the markets, without the ones already sold. You won’t be able to get them all. Unless… is one of the Captains controlling the trade?”

“I don’t know, but if there is, I’m going to find out and I’m convinced we’ll be able to strike a deal.”

“And how do you imagine that’ll work? Ask nicely?”

“We’ve got money to offer, even some artefacts and I’m not above threatening them.”

“Great, so, basically, you’re already set on making enemies of the two that have been involved in the most recent debacle and you’re probably going to piss off a third one as well. That’s nearly half and knowing you, you’ll find a way to butt heads with the remaining ones, as well.”

“That’s hardly fair. We don’t even know if they’ve been involved. Just because they support the church, doesn’t mean they’re privy to everything they do.”

“Don’t be naive. The very same evening Alassara revealed herself to the Captains, she’s attacked. It could be a coincidence, but that’s unlikely. No, the two of them, Nightshade and Brightblaze, was it? They decided to act. Which… you didn’t listen to Tharos and Silas, when they told us about their meeting, did you?”

“Not exactly. In the beginning, but… you know me. What are you getting at?”

“They claimed they managed to convince them to pull back their fleets, but they also insisted that the Captains are just as likely to fight for the scraps that remain of Dawn’s influence as they are to actually work together. To me, it seems like two of them took the chance while the others put a bit more store in the threat Amon poses. Or they’re just afraid of vampires. What I’m getting at is, that we most likely have two of them gunning for us, or rather Alassara, already. And it so happens that you’ve revealed yourself to mercenaries, paid by one of them. If you really start threatening a third, this might very well end in a bloody civil war. And when the dust settles, the Emperor can easily mop up what’s left.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. We simply have to convince them that it’d be a colossally stupid idea to start a fight. Once they know that it’d be a fight they cannot win, they’ll come around.”

“So… basically, you want to show them that tangling with Alassara isn’t worth it? Cassy… you’re talking about people who’ve fought tooth and nail to get where they are. Do you really expect them to back down, just because you say so? Your stunt with the Mask was impressive, but I hardly think that’s going to be enough.”

“I’m not so sure, but I’m not willing to do it again, either way… we already wanted to spend tomorrow in town. Why don’t we visit each one of them, in turn?”

“And do what? Indiscriminately kill their servants until they see reason? You know as well as I, that you’re not cut out for this and that it won’t be sustainable. As soon as we leave, and we have to leave in less than a week, they’ll just turn around and finish what they started.”

“I didn’t intend to slaughter them. Coercion never works in the long run. No… we need to convince them that their petty squabbles must wait until we’ve dealt with the Pirate King.”

“And how do you want to accomplish that?”

“Memories. Yours, mine, my families… the elves can create the crystals and we can fill them. If they won’t budge afterwards… I think my… our voices… I don’t know if you’ve already tried but I’m quite sure we can make our orders last for quite a bit longer. Maybe even indefinitely.”

“That’s just plain nasty. I thought you were all for letting people make their own decisions?”

“I am,” I replied heatedly, “but I’m neither powerful enough to snap my fingers and make my problems go away, nor am I stupid enough to not use what I’ve got. Besides, I don’t want to enslave them, even thought it’d be a form of poetic justice, I just want to ensure that they won’t tear themselves to pieces before the Emperor had a chance. And as you pointed out, we don’t have that much time. If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears.”

“Unfortunately I don’t… fine, another compromise. Maybe you can wheedle some information out of your friends. They should know if we have a chance at convincing their patron, shouldn’t they?”