…..:::::|. Aoustueilless: Docks .|:::::…..

Siin palmed out a hand to the sea-faring craft of sheer gilded splendor before him. Percival held his forehead in open regret and hung a heavy hand on his hip. “She's still so in love.”

“Who? What?” Poor Halycind in all her innocence questioned. Dockhands and seamen called at one another and nodded heads as the lot walked up the gangplank onto the ship.

In that moment, a woman dressed in well coordinated pink, gold and brown leather and silk attire wrapped in a myriad of jingling hip-scarves rounded a corner on the ship’s deck.

“Her.”

From the other side of the ship she walked through deckhands and riggers and children scrubbing things, toward the object of her interest, one Percival Hollichek.

“I see you took me up on the offer. You usually don't accept my gifts.” Her voice was a sultry alto, direct, and articulate. Clearly the voice of a woman in rule.

Percival looked like he wanted to hang his head but held on to some composure.

“Ednna...”

“No worries, Mal'aenhk...” She paused to round the group with her brown eyes and coy spreading smile. “I know it's only for official Agency business you accepted it, anyway.” She walked to clear room for mates to remove crates and load cargo. “I know you men like naming things so...she's waiting for you to call her something.”

Percival rolled a strong eye to the top of his skull. Her advancements were always so obvious. He cut an impatient eye to the woman and sighed. “The Tawny Swan.”

She chuckled knowing he had always been so mannerable even in his frustration.

“Sounds a fair name, for a salty girl.” She cut an eye back to him.

The rest could near catch the double meaning on their words to one another. She was very pretty and seemed the type Percival would've fallen for in their youth; what with her swords hanging on both hips and long slightly greying hair done up in braids and curls.

“The captain and his brother, there, were my quartermaster and first mate for many cycles aboard The Triple Wolf.”

“Wolf?” Halycind exclaimed.

“Yes, we're all part Anterian.”

“Ashok? I'm Cashtiel...well Carabaan blood and Cashtiel Roams title but--”

“Yes, I know.”

“How?” Both Kodlaa and Halycind blurted.

“Well. You both have fangs. And you're loitering my city with these two buggers.” She pointed a slim finger to Veygornne and her old flame. “Besides, no one with a title enters my city and I not know who they are.”

“No one enters your city and you not know who they are.” Percival corrected with compliment.

“Gracious gratitude, Bad Ser.” She issued a dipping curtsy in her brazen frolicsomeness. “Well, anyhow, the captain and his brother will be of good aid to you on your travels. The boys aren't quite done yet rigging the sails and there's yet more fuel to be hoisted aboard so when you're done poking about my fair city, draining me off all my cash, and charming baubles from my merchants, call on me in Narivande Bastion—I'm certain you remember how to get there—and I'll feast you before you journey off.”

They were shocked, she truly did know what had gone on in her city.

“We won't refuse the hospitality of your Margravess.” Veygornne dipped an honourable head to her.

The tawny older woman stared long at Percival then nodded her leave to the others with a self-satisfied smirk.

Siin held a finger up for a long moment, as she sauntered off, then swung it to point at the woman deboarding the gifted vessel. “I wanna know that story.”

Percival walked away toward the interior doors. “Untold. Lost in the annuls of history. Only one copy. Somewhere buried.”

“Unacceptable! Dig it up.” Siin chased his conversation.

The two men shared a knowing laugh as Percival jostled Siin about the head and neck in a half-purposed half-fun one-armed crushing hug. They all, for a moment, chuckled at them.

When they filed into the interior, the wonder of the ship struck them stupid. It was very large and gilded and painted many colours like Ladi Gru Has. There was nothing Tawny about this Swan but they half wished it were. Upon finding the cabins they plopped down their travelling bags and packs without really taking issue with who paired with whom since every cabin seemed to accommodate two farers. They then made off to fully take in the gaudy boat.

As soon as the girls saw the galley, they knew drinking would begin immediately for them when they returned to the ship. There were meads on every shelf and wines that were clearly of Gaennish make but it was the blue glowing stuff they really wanted to try.

Percival and Veygornne met with the captain to plot course to Cloudsfall and give stark instruction on the nature of their station as Agents. The captain was agreeable enough and seemed of a high roguish nature, himself, so the fit seemed to have been a good one. Ednna knew Percival well and had proven herself correct again.

Not much in the way of provisions needed to have been procured as they would find being overburdened a hard sum of troubles in the thick mists of Cloudsfall. So, they all decided to collect on their promissory for Percival's quarry seizure then take the long mesmerizingly gorgeous walk up through the stairwells and filigreed archways toward Narivande Bastion.

White alabaster staircases lead the way upward and they all stepped with ginger wonder passing by townies descending and others ascending faster than they. The rising stairwells were more than one hundred steps in length each level they walked up but the view became one-hundred times more beautiful every level of its expanse.

Percival watched Siin in this ascent and caught how high his chin was though his head was not on the pivoting swivel the girls’ were on. He said something to him in a language the others didn’t know and Siin answered one word.

“What was that?”

“Ammol. Zhuer language.” Percival smiled. “I told him I was glad to walk these stairs.”

“Do mages know a lot of languages?” Kodlaa asked.

“They are very pretty stairs.” Halycind muttered, her face feeling worlds better than before.

“Most know about two or three, conversationally, but I’ve learned around five myself.” Percival admitted warmly.

“How many do you know, Siin?”

He hesitated for a long time, his eye having caught a snaking curl of metal on the end of one of the banisters. It had iridescent scales etched into it and he was smiling then he remembered the hanging query. “All.”

“What?! That’s impossible!” Kodlaa yelped.

“He entered the Villa on the level of a prodigy. And then continued to study diligently.” Percival educated.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Wow, you think you know people.”

Percival shushed her with his eyes as if something had annoyed him in her words and she began to hang her brow and walk silently after them alongside Halycind.

Veygornne stepped away on the last step of this level at the city walls and went to enter a rather sprawling white building. It seemed quite official and there were many persons of higher status strolling about this area.

“Financiers.” Percival schooled the young one’s further.

“Oh.” The girls said understanding new bureaucracies. Ashok’s banks and vaults were inside their castle keeps. They had no special stand-alone buildings for exchanging coin and trusts.

Two solarguardsmen met the party at the lowest steps and Percival saluted, flung back one side of his cloaks, and revealed the insignia of his rank gleaming on his shoulder.

Veygornne and the wolaenki stepped forward to go in as their collected group but the guardsman halted their advancement.

“Forgiveness. Only the Exemplariat and his First Agent may proceed.” His voice was coarse and his eyes were trained on Siin. Something in the aire of the moment caught an ire up the girls tailbones and they instantly hated this guard. Percival turned to them and waved off the forced separation, also sharing with them looks of his own dissatisfaction.

Two more solarguardsmen approached, as the party was separated, and stood nearest the group of young ones but only on Siin’s side.

“Careful not to get too close. His bite is venomous.” Percival warned.

“Oooh, your teeth work?” One of the men said shocked.

Siin’s eyes slowly rolled to him with the turn of his head and he simply stared for a very long time into this guards eyes, then steered his gaze back out to the sunset and sea away from all of this.

Halycind wanted to punch that guardsman but the only thing she could rightly think to do was stand on Siin’s side between them and cross her arms in a huff. A pride jumped into Siin’s heart and he was glad he’d stolen a gift for her. He would present it later, he thought, and his mood lightened.

The three wolaenki stood about either staring at the beaches and harbour ports below or the interior of this sprawling work of alabaster art. It wasn’t long before their formers returned with two very large cases locked with at least ten locks a piece. The two guardsmen with them bowed and were joined by the others guarding the young ones’ movements. Percival again assured the guardsman of their ocean vessel’s direction and the five of them left to go stow the fulfilled promissory on the ship.

Percival eyed his group and headed on up the next flight of stairs.

“You gonna trust those uul'begadhi with all our money? You saw how they treated Siin.” Kodlaa near spat her words.

“They’re under watch. They must deliver what is ours or face their Margravess...and she’s been known to rip throats out, so.” Percival wasn’t bothered by her anger, as he was also heated from the moments passed. “And unfortunately, Gaen a Nce will always be...unkind...to the Zhuer.”

Siin uttered something that sounded more like hissing than words. Kodlaa and Halycind both shot to comfort him but he was smiling a harsh grin and had kissed two of his fingers to lay them on the rails.

“No worries. I was only blessing my city.” And Siin stepped from between the girls, now in question of ‘his city’, then up between his formers to just the head of Percival’s left side. “I very much look forward to your old-feather’s roasts, Exemplariat.”

Percival took a great sigh in a growing relief. “As do I, for once. The woman truly possesses deep cooking skills.”

Up this high they could now see all the trams carrying loads of passengers on taut wire rails at different levels of the city, and as they whizzed by both Halycind and Kodlaa beat each other’s arms in lightening excitement. They had hovering weyships in Ashok but nothing like this in their cities.

The largest of the bastions along the citadel’s bulwark over looking the seaside, Narivande, boasted the more lavish of finery in that Her Margravess spent most of her waking hours here. Her gardens nestled in white stone were full of flowering works shaped like beasts and warriors doing battle and her watering fountains sprang up high and low and all around, all gilded in some fashion or another.

Ednna's servants, young men of many races, hurried to take in her guests inside the great Ashwood doors and seat them to a table of mostly gold everything. It was jarring to the eyes, the gold, but none spake against the lay of her dinner settings.

As was her order Percival was to be seated next to her and so he obliged. The others were placed in rank about the round wooden table.

A large warm hearth filled the stone wall behind them. Trophies of her kills and captures sat above and all about the dining hall on grand display. Siin became more and more enthralled with the idea of his Exemplariat and this Margravess's history. They had to have faced death together at some point during their romance. And how was it they were still cordial? Were they secretly in an affair? His musings were interrupted by the wafting aroma of sauce and saged meats. He was to finally have his roasts.

“You will eat your fill, yes?” She addressed the lot making themselves comfortable at their table settings as serving upon serving was set before them.

Though she had servants, she herself set most of the foods in front of the diners. She was definitely part Anterian if she presented herself in service like this. 'A wolvkin ruling who also does not know how to serve is not a capable ruler', the elders of Ashok always taught.

Kodlaa eyed the green stuff she poured from a slender curved bottle into tall flutes first. “Wassat?” She questioned watching the belly of liquid swirl with something glittering like green gold.

“Glaurenthe.” Ednna informed with a deep growl and grin. “You remember this don’t you, Percy?” She addressed as she poured him a glass. “All those Angletails we slashed drunk on the stuff.”

“Angles? How many?!” Kodlaa raged with wonderment.

“Oh a good twenty or so.” Percival fed.

“They were hallucinations...brought on by the effects of the drink.” Ednna cleared. “Those other instances weren’t hallucinations, though, were they?”

“No, they indeed were not.” He seemed to say into his glass as he sipped.

“Oh you admit remembrance. I’d thought you’d forgotten me.”

He only stared at Ednna, his lips having gone flat and she knew he was nearing the end of his patience.

“Anyhow, I’ve only allowed you one glass as you are young and new. But you’re in good hands so mind all the little cull you suddenly see dancing along your Tawny Swan’s deck tonight, yes?”

“Oh, this’ll do that to you?” Kodlaa worried taking a second look at the glass she’d just gulped from.

“If you drink enough of it.” Ednna then poured a second smaller glass of pale green opaque liquid. “Its effects are mitigated by this.”

“Oh, Milt!” The girls smoothed an understanding awe out in relaxation.

“And you Veygornne I know you’re just a Gentz man.”

“Whiskey is the water of life. I can still walk and hunt straight after consumption, so I’m good with it.”

“Always for the hunt?” She murmured unamused.

“Ednna.” Percival warned.

“What you do is important.” She began, having sat herself to begin eating. “If one man can destroy an entire city full of people with one wave of his insane hand and the bite of some roving beast, then we all need the work of master hunters.” Her pause wasn’t long but it was sour. “Even if they’ve no time for family...or love.”

“We don’t?” Kodlaa worried again. She was unsure if she wanted to keep her hair tied up this way anymore.

“Some...don’t. Agency duty has kept many hunters alone for life.” Percival added.

“Sad really. But you all certainly do have masterworks of capture and seizure to boast about. Do you know your Veygornne here took down and entire army of undead some necromancer pulled from the flower beds of Rahielle all by himself.”

“He did? You can do that?” Kodlaa again blared with meat bits in her teeth.

“I...had help.”

“Oh, I only dusted about two or three, you handled the rest.”

“And our Exemplariat killed the mancer.”

“Was it not a capture?” Halycind raised.

“Oh, no. He was a Villa quarry. They’re always kill-quarries.” Ednna informed with her knife pointed toward the diners for point.

“Always?” Halycind asked Percival.

“Yes.” He answered her but wasn’t looking her direction.

“What was Marvynn?”

“Quarry charted by Kadif O’denuiab. It was initially a kill-on-sight but was amended by talks with his brother.”

“But his sentence.”

“We capture and it is up to the monarch’s and rulers if we kill upon verdict.”

“The people are protected regardless, wolaenki.” Ednna assured. “People who never would have known such mortal danger was among them.”

“Does sound important. Lonely. But important.”

“Drink up, child. You’re feasting this night.”

The lot didn't shy away from her words and settled to enjoy feasting and conversing with her. She told them much of her daily bores and the state of her city and loathsome scalawags she had to mind running loose in her town. The moon-rising was filled also with biting jokes toward the fair-haired Exemplariat and tales of his valor and her swordsmanship.

It was evident he still had a care for her but not on the level of interest Ednna had for him, and something in Halycind felt terribly sorry for her. It was clear she lived alone here and Halycind thought her too fine of a woman to be left unloved. Though Ednna’s mood seemed light and without the burden of unrequited interest. She made sure the night was sweet with whimsy and that they were seen well fed and escorted off with fast beckons to return.