Chapter 31 Assisting Criminals.
Star helped Cloud walk the short distance to the place that the orphans called home. The group soon arrived at a house with a broken down wall. The roof was held up by a pillar of perfectly smooth conjured stone in two places where the wall should have borne the weight of it. Inside the one room house there was a fireplace that had long gone cold, piles of scraps of cloth, a small mound of scavenged wood and metal, and a hole in the ground that leaked the smell of feces into the area while echoing with the sound of running water.
“This is it.” Star explained as she brought her brother inside.
Isaac and Lenna looked at each other from just outside the wall turned entryway. “This is as bad as I was expecting, but better than I feared.” Isaac told her.
Lenna nodded in agreement. “Yes. Though, I doubt it would be a good idea to take them the entire way to the church of Halya right now. Cloud is technically healed but he needs time to be able to walk on his own. Right now, what he needs is more blood.” She explained.
Isaac sighed. “It reeks, but let’s stay here for the night. In the morning we can take them to the wheat worshipers and then go back to the inn and freshen up before our meeting.” He offered her.
Lenna eyed the room and nodded in agreement. “On second thought, we could have Shamesh carry him and go now.” She counter offered. “He needs a bath and somewhere warm. They both do.”
“If that’s what you think is best for them, then I will defer to your judgment.” Isaac replied. “But, no matter what, we are not dragging them around with us.”
Lenna shook her head. “No way. This is still supposed to be our honeymoon. And if I remember correctly, I was the one to tell you to stop picking up strays.”
Isaac chuckled. “I’m glad we are on the same page.” He told her with a smile. “I will entrust your warmth to direct the children. Shamesh will do as you command. I am going to plan out our route, I’ll be right back.”
Lenna nodded and walked inside. She held the lantern taken from the guards at waist height to allow the children to see where they were going easily. “Star, Cloud, we are going to take you to the church of Halya. You can take a bath there and we will make sure that they look after you for a while, at least until you are both completely healed.” She told the pair that had turned to look at her in unison. “Grab whatever you want to take with you. You could be back tomorrow or next week depending on whether or not you want to stay there.”
Star looked visibly frightened and Cloud looked like any and all emotion had just vanished from his entire being. “We should not go there.” Cloud spoke calmly. “The sea is safer.”
Lenna’s brows furrowed. “Why? Clerics of Halya are supposed to help people in need, especially humans, and especially children.” Lenna questioned them.
“If the guards catch us leaving there, we won’t ever come home.” Star spoke quietly with a quivering voice.
“Why?” Lenna questioned them further. Her monotone voice was barely stable as she did her best to prevent any anger from leaking through.
Star shook her head. “I don’t know. That’s just how it is. And we can’t stay there forever.” She replied.
Lenna nodded in understanding of her words and then took a deep breath. Star visibly shrunk back but Cloud seemed too out of it to care. “We are going to take you there. You are not going to leave until we have corrected the guards’ behavior.” She told them. “It might be a few days but we will make sure that the guards leave you two alone from now on. I can’t believe that this city has fallen this far in Sera and Edward’s absence.”
“Do we have to? What do you mean? Who are those people?” Star questioned Lenna in rapid succession.
“Yes. It is not up for debate.” Lenna answered. “Those people are the duke’s sister and brother. They never would have let it get this bad.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“It’s always been like this.” Cloud told her.
Lenna shook her head. “No, it hasn’t. Sera and Edward left here twenty years ago, at least. I wish I could have seen this place when people with integrity still ruled it.” She shook her head again. “Are you ready to go?”
Star and Cloud shared a frightened look. It was clear that they both knew that there was no fighting their savior but they were clearly afraid of what the future had in store for them. They both turned to look back at Lenna and she knew instantly that they didn’t have anything that they wanted to bring with them other than each other.
“Cloud, don’t panic and try to stay as still as possible. You can breathe but don’t flail around.” Lenna instructed him and his eyes went wide. “Shamesh, whenever you’re ready.”
Cloud’s eyes went as wide as they possibly could as he was suddenly not on the ground anymore. “Waah!” The boy shouted as he was hoisted up by Shamesh’s unyielding arms. Shamesh could have used magic to lift him but, without knowing how long it would take to get to the church, it was best to keep from wasting mana.
“Cloud!” Star yelled and jumped to her feet next to him. Cloud had stopped at a level height to Star’s eyes but was in the bridal carry position whether he wanted to be or not. “Cloud are you ok?” She demanded from the boy.
Cloud was almost as still as a statue as he slowly breathed in. “Yes.” He squeaked out and then swallowed.
“Star, can you walk for a while?” Lenna questioned the girl.
Star whirled on Lenna with ever widening eyes. “I, what’d you do to him?” She demanded.
“My… my ghost companion is carrying him.” She lied to the children. It was simpler than trying to explain the truth to them and it was accurate enough.
“The black one?” Star asked quietly and turned her head to look at the open air under her brother.
“No. That is my husband, he is not a ghost or a monster.” Lenna patiently explained. “You can think of my husband like the night sky and our ghost companion as the sea breeze.”
“Then what are you?” Star questioned her further.
“The campfires in the dark.” Lenna replied warmly. “Now, come with me.” She told Star and Shamesh and turned to leave. Lenna had just left the building when Isaac appeared.
“I found the shortest path. There are a few guards along the way. I am wondering if it would be better for them to suddenly fall asleep on the job, suddenly vanish into the night, or if we should talk with them as we pass like normal adventurers.” Isaac immediately began as soon as Lenna’s eyes had found him.
“It is up to you. Any option is valid, though, I think that they should at least be given a chance to see if they are all scum or not.” Lenna spoke her thoughts.
Isaac nodded in agreement. “Then we will talk with them as we come across them.” Isaac told her. “Cloud will have to walk whenever we get close to them. The only other option is to make him invisible and, well, he might die of fright.”
Lenna nodded in agreement. “Worst case, I’ll carry the boy. The armor can be washed.” She told him and the duo started walking down the alley back out to the main street with Star and a floating Cloud in tow.
—
“Who goes there?!” A guard called out. He walked towards them with his lantern held high in one hand and drew his shortsword with the other. His companion walked just behind and to the side of him with a simple long spear held in both hands.
“Just an adventurer with two children.” Lenna told them calmly with her own lantern held just below her chest level and extended towards them. Lenna raised her lantern up a bit higher so the light would catch her double platinum tags. “Perhaps you can help me.”
The guards looked like they were ready to be confrontational but upon seeing her rank they instantly simmered down. “Adventurer, we have a curfew in Sapphirestone. From three hours before to three hours after midnight. We’d appreciate it if you returned to your inn immediately. Otherwise we will be forced to inform our captain and the Guild Master.” The guard with the lantern began.
“I am just taking these children to the Church of Halya for some care, then I will be retiring for the evening.” She told them. “Perhaps you could lead the way? I would be able to comply with your curfew faster that way.”
One of the guards caught sight of Cloud who was being partially held up by Star a few feet behind Lenna and wrinkled his nose. His face was not revealed by the lantern light but that meant nothing for Lenna. She could see every expression on both of their faces perfectly fine in the dark. “Adventurer, are those beggars?” The guard with the lantern questioned her.
“They are lost children in need of a warm bed and a bath.” Lenna replied curtly.
“You should have left them where you found them.” The guard told her. “Being a beggar is against local law. Now we will have to take them in.”
“I have never heard of beggars being imprisoned. The children said that guards often chase them away. Is that why?” Lenna questioned the guard directly.
“Ma’am, they are a plague on this city. Just let them sort themselves out. Either they will find work on a ship, die, or find their way to Safeharbor. Regardless of which one, it is better than them stinking up half of the city.” The lantern guard explained.
“I think that’s a little harsh.” The spear guard spoke quietly to his companion. “Let’s just let them through. It’s not like they are hurting anyone.”
“Damn it, this is why the sergeant hates you. Why did I have to get stuck with the bleeding heart?!” The lantern guard exclaimed in exasperation. “You should be court-martialed for assisting criminals.” He told the spearman.
“We assist criminals all the time!” The spearman shouted back. “How many times have we le-”
“Not. One. More. Word.” The lantern guard cut him off with his sword to the spearman’s throat.
The spearman swallowed and looked like he was ready to back away when suddenly the lantern guard was flung into the air and off towards the sea. The guard had been launched with such force and speed that his lantern and sword were both left behind, as was his belt and all of the air in his lungs. The guard let out a silent scream in horror as he was quickly enlightened in the ways of a wingless bird. He arched over a dozen houses and then the dock and finally splashed into the water with enough force that whatever had hit the water first had most likely broken. That combined with his lack of air and heavy, very water absorbent, gear that he had on and the man was almost assuredly going to drown.
“Now, guardsman, I take it we may pass?” Lenna asked the spearman casually. She didn’t wait for a reply but lowered her lantern and nodded forwards to the children. “Let’s go.”