The emancipation of Clais from provincial contract in 2728 CH was accomplished with surprising violence compared to other provinces. Perhaps it was revenge for the brutal repression of the Old Royalty, or, perhaps, a warning to those who had not yet realigned their allegiances with the Barons.
— Memoir of Claridia
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The human Priestess Leanne’s hurried footsteps stopped abruptly. Before her was a path of mossy cobblestone beneath an assortment of wild bushes, branches, and trees. They grew without intervention in the abandoned walls around the beaches of Clais. Most walls had been destroyed during the emancipation of her province, or abandoned to the elements shortly after. She had not known the conflict that destroyed the fortress, nor was she particularly interested in pondering about old walls.
As she walked through the path, dodging rocky debris of the past, her white robes got caught in a branch. Frustrated yet careful, she untangled the mess, making sure she hadn’t ripped the expensive ceremonial dress. Much to her pleasure, the green barrier was short, and she soon stood before the parapet of the wall. Below her was a coast of pale sand; it responded each twinkle of the debris of the broken moon with a sparkle of its own. Leanne only allowed herself a second to admire the view before continuing on her way.
It was easier to walk on the old walls — without the greenery there was little to get her expensive dress stuck on — but Leanne was mindful of unstable and collapsed sections, a fall from which would surely be fatal. There was time for caution, but not too much caution. She was late for a meeting she would rather not attend in the first place, yet her sense of self preservation compelled her to fulfil her summons.
The path split before Leanne. One way followed the beach’s perimeter, another led to a bridge over the ocean. She took the latter, heading to a tall fort built on islets just off the coast. That fort once served as a proud symbol of Clais’ naval might, with a lighthouse on top warning friends and foes alike of danger. Now, the main tower had collapsed and most of the structure had washed away by the relentless sea. But the fort was standing. Dilapidated, disfigured, forgotten, but standing.
Glancing behind her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been followed, Leanne passed the rotten wooden gates and entered the fort. Moonlight reached her even from the lowest level. Stairs to floors above were mostly gone, yet she believed agile and persistent looters could make their way around. Not that there would annything to loot after so many years.
Leanne moved on, repeating a well-practised litany for the Empress under her breath. It was darker the further she went, and her steps slowed in response. At least the meeting point was easy to find; she only had to walk straight until she reached a room with a view of the ocean. It was intact, save for the furniture and decorations were gone. The windows were large, with an almost unobstructed view to the Cradle Sea. She took in the view for a moment before realising someone was standing against the moonlight, watching the waves. It was impossible to see anything but its vague shape against the bright, broken moon.
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The gloomy figure was nearly twice as tall as Leanne, dressed in a dark cloak with gold trims. It waved a hand and the door behind the priestess slammed shut — a trick that never failed to catch her off guard.
With the door secured, the cloaked figure turned slowly. The hood did not allow Leanne to their face, but Leanne knew they were staring, expecting something. It was not her first dealing with this creature.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Master Enchantress Veera,” Leanne began, bowing politely. “I know my communication has been sparse, but there hasn’t been much to report. I hear whispers of a spy, and I fear the church might find out it is me.”
Leanne forced a smile, but the cloaked figure remained still. The only movement in the room was the slow swaying of cloak on the wind. Somehow, even that looked unnatural about the Enchantress, as if the figure beneath the fabric hadn’t the shape of a person — or any shape at all. No matter how harsh the wind, the cloth never found a body to contour.
The Enchantress’s silence invoked compunction from Leanne. Such was the pressure from this terrible presence that Leanne was already about to confess. She did not know why she lied in the first place. It never worked. She could not stick to a narrative.
“Fine… look, I have some information, but it’s not… It’s not what you wanted.” Leanne admitted, but the silence did not relent. “L-look, Veera, this Crystal Feather business is dangerous. You have to promise that you won’t mention my name. If anyone finds out — If Archenchantress Celara knows, she will kill me! They’ll make an example out of me!”
Veera lifted her head slowly. Beneath the empty darkness of her hood, two eyes became visible; golden yellow with slit pupils, seemingly producing their own light. It was an intense, predatory glare that drew out even more information from Leanne without the need to waste words.
“There is…” Leanne gulped drily, “there is a trade off in the Devoras’ Domain in two days at midnight, near the Coil Monument. I don’t know what that is, I only know it’s where someone will buy the Feathers. One of the Barons is sending his people there with a large payment, but I couldn’t say exactly how much.”
With this, the glare softened slightly, pupils readjusting in size. Leanne always found that creepy in people; when their pupils expanded and contracted with conscious thought. Felines, avians, it made no difference. It was weird and she wished they would stop.
Leanne had a heartbeat to believe she was safe. Veera approached slowly and deliberately. She flinched as the Enchantress grew closer, their difference in size becoming more apparent with every centimetre.
“Veera, please, very few people know about this information. If you were to get caught, they would trace it back to me,” Leanne pleaded, forcing her back against the door. “I swear on the Light of the Empress I have not betrayed you!”
Leanne breathed quickly. She watched the Enchantress lift a hand, and the world fell from beneath her — or rather, the door opened and the priestess tumbled back. When she came to, Veera was standing next to her, looking down. The sight of those golden eyes made Leanne feel minuscule.
Leanne waited for the worst.
“Keep me apprised,” Veera said with an authoritative voice, then disappeared into the darkness of the ruined corridors without waiting for acknowledgement.
Leanne was relieved, but remained on the floor for several seconds. She stood and noticed she had been holding her breath for a while. With a sigh, she tried to return her breathing to normal and slow down her heart. She had dreaded this meeting for a long time, but now it was over. She thought her nightmares about being skewered by Veera were not unfounded, but at least they hadn’t come true tonight.
Now was the question of the Crystal Feathers. If there was a possibility her name could be involved with those things, leaving town might be prudent, lest she wanted to draw the fury of the Archenchantress.