----------------------------------------
Chapter 10
..several days ago.
“Sounds like it was quite the party.”, Leland snickered.
“I don’t think this is anything to joke about.”
Leonora had no interest in his quips. That much was clear on her face, which grew increasingly impatient with every passing second. The fact that his legs were up and crossed atop an empty chair between them did not help either. Barely a soul had made its way down the pavement they sat beside. Though, it was worth noting that this was not by design. Even though their conversation bore significant concern in the eyes of Leonora. Concern that she believed warranted a small level of discretion.
Leland chose this place for another reason. Gracewind’s skyline sat neatly in the distance, where the stone towers of the Citadel shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun. They had come north, outside of the city walls. It was a district that consisted largely of homes. More importantly, it was where Ghett’s Bakery had set up shop. Written on a dangling sign behind them were the words ‘Ardyn’s Finest Pies’. And, it was exactly that which sat cold on the table between them.
Of its eight pieces, two remained. Cinnamon apple; it was good, but Leland had better. As for Leonora, it was difficult to say as her plate had yet to be dirtied. The last bit of Leland’s piece had gone through his lips, which he finished quickly. When his fork clinked against his plate, he stretched a sigh out of his throat.
“Are you okay?”
His voice took on a drastically different tone, one far more serious. His eyes casted a similar gaze across the table.
“I’m fine, thanks to her.”, Leonora replied.
“Good.”
“So, will you help?”
“You’re putting me in a tough spot, Leonora”
“Tough spot? I’m just asking you to sponsor her!”
“Right after Atalanta commanded you to fail her. I’d be sponsoring her in spite of the woman overseeing the selection trials.”
“Please, Leland.”
“Why are you so adamant about this? You barely know her.”
“L-like I said. She saved me. She saved Auguste too.”
Leland raised a brow in suspicion. A smirk even curled his lips.
“Are you sure this isn’t about the fact that she is Xavier’s sister?”
Almost instantly, Leonora’s cheeks flushed pink. Yet, it was much too slow a feeling in comparison to the irritation he coaxed out of her. Her head turned immediately to the street where there was clearly nothing of note. No matter what her reaction was, she simply could not hide herself. She had been caught, expertly hooked and reeled. But, there was merit to Leland’s assumption, whether she liked it or not.
“It might be..”, she murmured.
“Sorry? I can’t hear you.”
He replied with a smug grin. To which, Leonora answered with a deep glare. If only she could flip the table on him. Too bad she needed a favor.
“Look”, she sighed. ”Xavier doesn’t talk about it a lot, but ever since we joined the Order, he’s been searching for someone named the One-armed Knight.”
“The One-armed Knight? Who is that?”
“I don’t know. But, what I do know is that he hasn’t stopped. When he became the captain of our brigade, he started spending hours of his own time looking into leads. It’s only been getting worse. I can see the stress in his eyes.”
“And, you think reuniting him with his sister would help ease some of that burden?”
“At the very least, it would lift his spirits. She appears to be looking for this person as well.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Then, I’m guessing you intend on recruiting her on behalf of your brigade.”
“If she’s able to make a name for herself during these trials, yes.”
“Speaking of which, why are you here in the capital and not Xavier? Shouldn’t a captain of the order be present for such an important event?”
“He’s been tied up with an assignment from the Citadel. Auguste and I were sent in his stead.”
“I see.”, he shrugged. “Well then, it seems Xavier is one lucky guy. A captain’s life is hard work. It must be so nice to have such a caring subordinate to help out, such as yourself. I certainly wish I had someone like that!”
Again, he beamed a smug grin across the table.
“I’m going to put this fork in your arm.”
“Okay, okay. Relax.”, he shrugged. There was a moment of silence in which he contemplated the request. His fingers moved to tap against the edge of his plate. “You realize that this is going to be one huge headache for me, right?”
“I’m counting on it.”, Leonora stated outright.
“How mean. I can’t imagine why Xavier hasn’t given you a second look yet.”
“Hey--!”
“I just have one condition.”
“What is it?”, she asked with a tone of displeasure.
“I forgot my money.”, he chuckled nervously while his eyes fell onto the pie between them.
“Fine.”, she hesitated. “T-thank you.”
It took a second, but Leonora eventually mustered the resolve to offer her gratitude. Though, no matter how reluctant it may have seemed, Leland found it reasonable. She was, after all, a very stubborn individual.
“Don’t thank me. Consider us even now.”, he nodded. “Anyway, little miss Grover is now a sponsored candidate. She’s about to be thrown to the wolves because of you. You sure you’re okay with doing that to your captain’s sister?”
“If she’s anything like her brothers, she’ll be more than capable of handling it.”
°°
She was bored. More than bored, her eyelids even began to feel heavy. The only thing that kept her somewhat present was the risk of falling off her stool. To Ezabel’s credit, there was genuine interest on her part when Dani began etching the beginnings of a new spell circle across Benny’s stove. That is, until she realized that her new friend had only done this once before. Every line seemed to take an eternity to complete. Worse, Dani spent every other moment referencing her spellbook, as if it somehow changed within the past five seconds.
“How long does this usually take?”, Ezabel muttered indifferently.
“Well, the first time I did this, I finished in about…three hours? But, don’t worry! I know exactly what I’m doing!”
It was strange to think that time was of the essence. Not in that their stomachs were at the whim of the stove, but rather, Ezabel’s opportunity to become an Attendant had waned with each passing moment. Leland had given her a new chance, only to say that he would follow through with it once he took care of a ‘small errand’. Urgency was wholly absent from the situation, which made her feel exceedingly anxious. How much longer could she afford to sit around? Was he even serious about being her sponsor?
That was when she remembered that Dani’s opportunity had also gone awry. Guilt festered in her gut, for Ezabel knew then and there that her actions had potentially caused that loss for her friend. A loss that she herself became recently familiar with.
“Dani, what happened after?”
“After? Well, the runes worked out, luckily!”
“No, I mean after the assessment.”
The tool between Dani’s fingers paused mid stroke. Her gaze fell and a smile was reluctantly forced out.
“After the Attendants had things cleaned up, they resumed the test. Only a few of us were left, so they rushed it. It was hard for me to prepare myself, especially after having gone through that night.”, she shrugged in defeat. “I failed again.”
It was all Ezabel needed to hear. It was enough for the guilt to hold true. This was the result of her misconduct. A stupid byproduct of reacting without thought. It was not fair for someone else to pay.
“I’m sorry, Dani.”, Ezabel shook her head. “It’s my fault.”
“Your fault? Not at all!”, Dani took a step towards the bar. “The knightstone revealed my flaws, not yours. I’m the one that failed.”
Though her words made their way, Ezabel had been too busy raking her mind for a solution. As if, she had assumed the responsibility of seeing Dani’s chances renewed. Was it realistic to try? She was not sure. But, she simply could not sit idle while her friend dealt with consequences she never deserved.
“Besides, even if I can’t cast spells on my own, I can still practice writing them!”, Dani added. “So, don’t worry about it too much.”
It was not long before she returned to the stove and Ezabel was left staring at a blank bartop. Was there really nothing she could do? - The thought lingered for a second when the entrance to Benny’s pub sounded with the slow strides of three individuals. Before anything else, Ezabel’s attention fell on their swords. They were neither brandished nor extraordinary. Yet, each remained sheathed against their respective belts and plain for all to see.
At first glance, there was a similar grizzled facade upon each of the three men. A look of weariness that was hard to place, though it certainly was not from a day’s work in the field. Two had bore heads of disheveled hair; wavy and unwashed, down to their chin. The third had been shaved in a way that seemed all too sloppy, as if it was done purely for the sake of being rid of the same mane his companions had. It was he that took a seat first. And, it was he that Ezabel looked at through the corner of her eye, for a cast was wrapped tightly around his right arm.
“Barkeep! Three ales!”
That much was his greeting, which itself was delivered with strained, bushy brows. They took to a table not far off from the bar, which allowed Ezabel some view of the dirt on their faces and the weather on their clothes.
“Be right there for ya!”, Benny shouted from behind the bar, only to roll his eyes soon after.
“Is something wrong, Benny?”, Ezabel asked.
“I guess that depends on how much these fellas intend on drinking.”
“You know them?”
“They came into town for the assessment. Don’t think they made it though. All they’ve done here the last few days is complain about the Attendants while promotin’ their business.”
“Are they sellswords?”
“That’s what they’ve been callin’ themselves. But, nothing about them says they’ll do a good job of anything if you ask me.”
As soon as the sloshing of ale had ceased, three mugs were lifted into Benny’s grasp. While it did not take much to pour, a great deal of effort was made to maintain a pleasant face when he approached his new patrons. A counterfeit smile which gave Ezabel and Dani a hard time in hiding their own sneers.
They had no trouble picturing these sellswords in the crowd of the assessment. More often than not, and especially in the northern territory, those who pursued the trials were of such a nature. In fact, sellsword activity seemed quite prominent here, given that the region’s rolling greenery had been settled mostly for crop. The wild sat on the other side of everyone's front door, which meant plenty of work came for a blade.
“What do you mean no food!?”, the shaved man gave a sudden outburst and nearly knocked over his mug.
“My stove is being fixed as we speak! I’m just not sure how long it will be. I’ll see if I can hurry it along!”
----------------------------------------