When Kardum was stirred by the news of the Last Tribe and the council awaited responses from other allied cities, Moira finally had a moment to breathe. In the morning, she met with Ashan, and together they reported to Captain Darva to officially confirm Moira’s declaration of continued cooperation, which the captain accepted with evident relief and they worked out the preliminary terms of this arrangement. After that meeting, Moira had some time to herself.
The tension in the city was palpable; there were more guards visible everywhere, but it didn’t stop her from enjoying a little distraction. She managed to get into the theater for a comedy performance. The play was about a wealthy but miserly father and his children, whom he tried to marry off. The characters were exaggerated, their personalities almost cartoonish, and the whole thing turned out to be quite amusing. She found herself laughing heartily at several scenes.
After lunch, Moira bought a few warmer clothes and returned to her room. There, she wrote a letter to the inn in Forest Row, arranging to have the rest of her belongings sent up with the next transport. It was clear she’d be staying in the north for a while. Darva also added her to the official payroll of the road guards, granting her accommodations in their barracks—a living space sometimes used by the captain herself when she opted not to return home. It was located a floor above Darva’s office and shared the building with the armory, situated directly across from the office. Being a repurposed attic, the space had sloping ceilings that cut into the available area, but it was still much larger than the small room above the herbalist shop where she had been staying.
The three of them—Moira, Ashan, and Captain Darva—agreed that for their collaboration to proceed smoothly, they needed to share at least some details about Moira’s abilities with the other guards. That evening, a gathering was called. In straightforward, soldierly terms, Moira was introduced, and her previous accomplishments were outlined. Particular emphasis was placed on her role in helping free the guards’ ancestors from the vile control of the Last Tribe’s cultists, much less on how she extracted the confession from captured cultist. The two dozen guards in attendance received this information with a mix of reluctant acceptance and mild apprehension, but there was an underlying thread of respect.
What really softened their attitudes, however, was learning about her skills in herbalism. Nearly every road guard dealt with saddle sores and other discomforts from long days of riding. The realization that, necromancer or not, she made excellent salves and remedies led to some lighthearted banter in the mess hall afterward. "Well, if she can patch us up, why hold a grudge?" or "Good ointments are worth more than rumors," were the kinds of sentiments circulating in jest as the guards warmed to the idea of her presence.
Moira considered the evening a success. Later that night, she handed out some tips and small jars of salves to those who approached her. Among the formation, there were only three other women besides the captain, and the trio decided to throw her a small, impromptu housewarming party. The guardswomen, all younger than her, didn’t stay long but managed to finish off two bottles of wine and most of the snacks they had brought. Between sips and bites, they commiserated about their male colleagues and shared their mixed impressions of Ashan.
The conversation touched on his peculiar manner of speaking, which was almost comically old-fashioned, as if plucked from a bygone era. While they acknowledged his skills as a capable guard, his way of talking had been a topic of amusement when he first joined. They concluded, laughing, that everyone has their quirks and agreed that he seemed to be working on blending in better. However, they couldn’t resist teasing Moira about her frequent assignments with him, suggesting it didn’t bother her in the slightest. She brushed off their insinuations, explaining that his field expertise made him the logical choice for accompanying her, not his rhetorical flair. Besides, she pointed out, it wasn’t her place to question the captain’s decisions—an argument that quickly won their agreement, as no one was keen to challenge Darva’s authority.
The night wound down as the hour grew late, and the women returned to the barracks. Like Moira, all three were from out of town and made use of the guardhouse’s living quarters. She saw them off with a friendly goodbye but didn’t turn in immediately. Her new room needed protective enchantments woven, especially in these uncertain times. She spent the last few hours of the day meticulously crafting the spells, ensuring her safety in this unfamiliar space. Only when she was satisfied did she finally allow herself to rest, the silent pulsation of her wards settling into the air like a comforting blanket as she drifted off to sleep.
For the next few days, everyone went about their usual work, but the tension grew as they awaited news from other cities. Finally, a messenger returned from the nearest one, Iskev, located to the northwest. It was the only large coastal city in the entire land, nestled by the icy Bones Bay. Iskev was renowned for its salted fish, packed in barrels and shipped through Kardum to the southern world. The message carried troubling news—there were growing issues along the trade routes, as well as reports of disappearing fishing boats.
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The messenger relayed that at night, spirits were attacking any convoy that included even a single person who wasn’t a grey nomad. The struggle with the ghosts of their ancestors wasn’t going well, but they were managing, driving the spirits away with torches and the exorcisms of priests. After receiving information about the crystals, they hoped to begin systematically eliminating the magically altered places that cause spirits to wander around. However, the vanishing boats were a more urgent problem, and they requested support, if possible. Their forces were primarily occupied with protecting the trade routes and pursuing the cultists of the Last Tribe, who had now engaged in acts of sabotage and were actively working against the legal authority, demanding that Iskev return to the old beliefs and customs. While they were a minority, they were elusive, and the local population seemed hesitant to oppose them individually, fearing retribution. Additionally, the issue with the boats was enhancing narrative in which it was a punishment for the fishermen, who were accused of selling the food they were provided by the northern lands to stuff the greedy bellies of the south.
Kardum was unique in that it lay open to the south, as the closest trading city, gathering all the routes, goods, and people from the north. This made it the most tolerant, open, and multi-racial city in the region. In contrast, Iskev, located on the icy bay, was isolated and difficult to live in. It was mostly inhabited by the grey nomads, not by the cultists from the far north, but the local population of fishing villages and similar settlements was more susceptible to the vision of returning to the roots as the Last Tribe envisioned.
The council decided to send a specially formed group, from within Captain Darva’s formation and with Moira accompanying them as an advisor on magic, as she was formally known in the official documents. Council hoped that together, they could help resolve the issue with the fishermen in Iskev, which would hopefully shift the mood in the city and ease tensions.
The team was made up of Ashan, Moira and two of the most seasoned veterans of the road guards. They set off the same day that Kardum council received the letter from Iskev.
Only once did they stray from the road, when the phantoms tried to attack them on the road, and Moira made up some ground to not only destroy the crystals, but to send the spirits on their way. In the end, it took them almost four days of travelling. The road did indeed look deserted, and the few caravans they encountered were encamped with a serious amount of armed men, which no doubt cut into the profitability of the whole venture, but the traders behind them could clearly not delay their journey any longer.
The city greeted them with a biting wind and the weary eyes of its guards, who, after inspecting their credentials and letters of authority, escorted them directly to the heavily fortified city watch headquarters. There, they were seated at a table with the commander of the local garrison. He had dark circles under his eyes, a receding hairline, and a distinctly sour demeanor. Skimming the letter and their writs of passage, he wasted no time voicing his skepticism.
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful for the reinforcements Kardum sent our way. But I don’t see how three road guards and... a lady... are going to make much difference. It’s not your fault. I appreciate that you’re here, but I’ll assign you some patrols in the morning and—”
He abruptly stopped as Ashan cut him off mid-sentence.
“Captain, I respectfully ask that you read the entirety of the letter,” Ashan said, tapping a specific paragraph with his finger.
The captain looked like he wanted to protest but instead made a disgruntled clicking sound with his tongue. Pulling the lamp closer, he grudgingly reread the document in silence. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and spoke in a markedly different tone.
“Firstly, I owe an apology to the esteemed sorceress for my earlier remark about a lady,” he said, nodding courteously toward Moira. “Secondly, please ask for anything you might require. If you’re even half as effective as this letter suggests, we might actually have a shot at dealing with whatever is behind the disappearing boats.”
“Think nothing of it,” Moira replied graciously. “For tonight, a warm meal and a place to sleep will suffice—we’re all tired from the journey. Tomorrow morning, however,” she paused, considering her words, “we’ll need access to a high vantage point near the coastline. Assign one of your men to us to handle communication with the local watch should anyone question our presence. And do wish us good weather, as clear skies are essential for observation. That’s where we’ll start.”
“Of course. I’ll see to everything.” The captain rose from the table and shook each of their hands. “Good luck, and keep me informed. My deputy will show you to your quarters shortly. Dinner will be brought to you there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, duty calls.” He donned his coat and stepped out into the frigid, windy night. As promised, a lower-ranking officer soon appeared to guide them to their lodgings.
Dinner was a quiet affair, their fatigue evident. Over the meal, Moira reiterated the plan they had discussed during their journey. Observation was the first step. If necessary, they would deploy a decoy boat, but with luck, that wouldn’t be required. She assured the guards that magic might suffice, though she didn’t elaborate that she was banking more on Ashan’s abilities than her own.
“We’ll solve this crisis quickly and head back to Kardum. I’ve no desire to endure this dreadful wind a moment longer than necessary,” she said with a hint of humor. Her companions nodded in agreement, managing faint smiles.
They retired for the night, but the road guards, unsettled by the unfamiliar city and its ominous atmosphere, decided to take turns standing watch. Each of them, including Ashan, took a shift, ensuring they remained alert despite their exhaustion.