Nyxpera

The 19th of Thargelion

The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals

It was an hour before dawn by the time Thalia stood from her table, hands covered in blood. Arche startled awake from his spot on the floor when a metal tool was thrown into the sink. After finding no danger, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood.

“Did she make it?”

“She did,” Thalia said. “But she will need plenty of rest before she is recovered. You have biomancy, do you not?”

Arche blinked, slightly taken aback.

“I’ve got Minor Heal.”

“Use it regularly on her. It will speed her recovery. Her body will do the rest.”

“Will do.”

“Good lad. Now, where’s that girl of yours?”

“Huh? My what?”

“I’m right here, Thalia.” Tess popped in through the door, shutting and latching it behind her. “Just arranging your payment.”

“I trust it will all be there?” the old woman squinted her eyes.

“Every last drop.”

“Good girl.” Thalia gave a toothy grin, revealing dark gums. “Your boy there is sweet, if a little slow. Treat him nicely.”

Now it was Tess’s turn to splutter as her eyes cut toward Arche, her cheeks growing bright red. If his own cheeks weren’t also burning, he might have enjoyed the sight.

“We should get going.”

“Yes,” Tess agreed immediately.

Arche scooped up Basil’s mother while Tess roused the sister, who had curled up on the bed in the corner. Thalia saw them off, giving Basil’s sister a hefty pile of food to store away in her inventory. Arche channeled Minor Heal until he hit his self-imposed limit of sixty Mana, then they were off. Basil’s sister stayed by his side while Tess walked in front of them, leading the way. The girl kept throwing worried glances at her mother, who had yet to wake up. Someone had to bridge the gap.

“I’m Arche, by the way. What’s your name?”

The girl hesitated, glancing away.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Arche said. “But we’ve got a good walk ahead of us.”

“Kyrene,” she said in a small voice.

“Nice to meet you, Kyrene. That’s Tess up there. Don’t let the tough exterior fool you, she’s actually a big softie.”

“Hey! I heard that.”

“No, you didn’t!” Arche dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “She’s got this whole reputation as a badass. Can’t let the mask down in public, you know?”

Kyrene cracked a small smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes but it was a start.

“Where are you taking us?”

“Styx and Stones, over on the east side. Your brother’s there. Figure it’s the safest place while we figure out what to do next.”

“Next,” Kyrene echoed quietly, as though the concept of something coming next hadn’t quite occurred to her.

“Yeah,” Arche agreed, trying to keep his tone light and bubbly. “We’re from this pretty cool village out in the sticks. Your brother’s a pretty important person there, you know?”

Kyrene’s eyes grew wide.

“He is?”

“Oh, yeah. One of the bravest people there, by far. Saved my neck a time or two.”

“Really?”

“Sure did. You’re not so bad yourself, you know. How old are you?”

“I’m fourteen.”

“What? Only fourteen and you kept your head through all that? That’s really impressive.”

Kyrene dropped her gaze to the street.

“I thought I was going to die.”

Arche’s smile faded.

“I know. You were put through a lot of horrible things in the last day, but none of it was your fault, understand?”

Kyrene didn’t say anything.

“What’s important,” Arche continued. “Is that you’re all right, now. We’re going to get you and your mom back to your brother and everything will be all right.”

“Will they come for us again?” her voice was small, helpless.

Arche opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to answer. He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t want to lie, and he honestly didn’t know whether the Hekatonkheires would come for Basil’s family again.

“They won’t,” Tess said. “The one responsible for this is dead. The rest will see it as his personal failure to handle business. They’ll be too busy trying to fill his seat to come for us.”

Kyrene nodded, as though this was a normal thing and a perfectly logical outcome. Arche considered her. Though subdued, there was a fierce glint in the girl’s eyes, behind the fear, and there was a slight jut to her chin that reminded him of Basil. What kind of world was it where a girl that young had to have such fire, to be strong in the face of death?

An underworld.

Arche fell into silence. He channeled Minor Heal whenever his Mana would allow for it, gaining two more levels in the spell during the long walk back to the Styx and Stones Inn. His casual use of magic and the fact he was carrying an unconscious woman drew some stares from the early risers, but no one stopped him as they made their way through the city. They even passed by a couple guards patrolling past who barely spared them a second glance.

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Arche frowned at that. He was glad not to have to explain what he was doing, but to have the guards not ask any questions felt wrong. He wanted to ask Tess about it, but not in front of Kyrene and her mother. He filed that line of questioning away for later, when they had a chance.

The Styx and Stones came into view, the old wood and peeling paint almost feeling like home, after the turmoil of the last week. They quickly made their way through the dining room and up the stairs into the residential portion of the inn. A quick knock on the door and a few moments later, they were all inside.

Basil was sitting up in bed, gripping a sword that he dropped as soon as he saw Kyrene’s face. Then his eyes found his mother and shock, then horror, etched itself into his features.

“She’s all right,” Arche said quickly. “Just unconscious.”

He placed Basil’s mother onto one of the empty beds, laying her on her stomach, just in case. He trusted Tess enough to trust Thalia, and the woman had undergone several healing sessions with Arche at this point, but he wasn’t going to risk doing anything to aggravate her back.

Kyrene threw herself at Basil, who let out a pained grunt but returned the hug with just as much intensity. Arche turned away, trying to let them have a moment of privacy in the crowded room. Helwan and Cora stood to the side, clearly trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Cora looked distinctly uncomfortable, glancing between Basil and Kyrene, then away, whereas Helwan’s focus was entirely on Arche.

“Go on,” Arche whispered to Cora. “I think he’d like to introduce you.”

The look of surprise on her face was priceless. She folded her arms and turned away, deciding instead to lean against an unused wall. Arche shrugged and turned to Helwan, who still stared at him.

“Hi, Helwan.”

“Arche. Feeling better?”

Arche considered the question. In truth, he was. His discomfort had faded significantly, but it still weighed on him. After his conversation with Tess, it was easier to identify and ignore the fake versions of his friends in his head. They were still there, but he could look past them, now.

“More or less.” Arche held out his arm. “I’m sorry about before. I wasn’t myself. Still not, but it’s a long story.”

Helwan shook it. “I’m just glad you’re all right.”

“Me too, buddy. Anything crazy happen here?”

“No, thankfully. It was a quiet night.”

“That’s good to hear. I think it’s high time we discussed next steps. Tess, thoughts?”

“We need to divide our efforts, I think. The Hekatonkheires won’t come after us for what happened last night, not immediately, but we shouldn’t spend too much longer in the city. Helwan, I’m going to need you to take the lead on selling off the rest of the treasure. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

“Excellent. Basil, focus on recovery and speak with your family. It won’t be safe for them to stay here after this.”

“Actually, that’s what we were discussing last night before we were attacked,” Basil said. “They’re going to come to Myriatos.”

Tess raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Kyrene answered. “We’re not the only ones who want to leave, though. Mama said the whole neighborhood has been looking for a way out for a long time.”

Tess nodded slowly.

“Very well. Basil, Cora, you’re on recruitment. Go and speak with these people. Help them secure travel arrangements.”

They nodded their assent.

“Arche and I have a different problem to solve.”

Arche grimaced and pinched his nose.

“We’re going to break into the palace.”

Everyone stared at him. Helwan was the first to speak.

“Arche, no one enters the palace and comes out alive.”

“Oh, come on,” Arche said. “Surely it can’t be that bad.”

“No, he’s right,” Tess said. “The palace has been closed for as long as anyone remembers. Even the guards on the inside don’t leave. Rumor is that the King went mad a long time ago, shut himself off from the world.”

Arche frowned. “How do they eat? Who brings them things? Cleans their shit?”

Helwan opened his mouth, then cocked his head.

“I’d never thought about that.” The satyr shook his head. “That’s beside the point. Why do you want to break into the palace?”

“I’m going to steal the Golden Fleece for Rune Oyl, as penance for breaking one of her artifacts.”

Helwan blew out his cheeks.

“Oh. Oh, no.”

“I’m working through it,” Arche said. “I’m not expecting this to be easy, but a deal’s a deal. If necessary, I’ll go alone. If it’s really that dangerous, there’s no reason for anyone else to get caught up in it.”

“Absolutely not,” Tess said immediately. “You’ll never get in without me.”

“I’ll come too,” Basil piped up. “You’ll need the backup.”

“You already have a job, Basil,” Arche said. “You’ve got your mom and sister to take care of, plus all those other people to convince.”

A knock at the door made them all jump. Weapons appeared in everyone’s hands. The knock came again. Arche moved to the door and threw it open, Tridory in his other hand.

A woman stood in the doorway. Thick wrappings of subtle grays, blacks, and reds covered every inch of flesh, and a featureless, smooth mask of wood covered the entirety of her face, the only standout being two black, covered eyes. Arche stared at the woman without comprehension, Tridory raised menacingly. The woman cocked her head to the side, the mask seeming to bore into him.

“Arche, you’re better.”

Arche blinked.

“Efterpi?” He’d never actually seen the woman and she was not what he’d expected. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this. “You’re alive?”

The woman made a small gesture with her hands to either side, as if to say ‘obviously.’

“Come in, quickly.”

Arche waved her inside and shut the door after checking to see if anyone was lingering on the landing. When they were suitably secure once more, he rounded on Efterpi, but not before the rest of the group began peppering their questions.

“Where have you been?” Tess demanded. “I searched for you everywhere.”

Arche looked at Tess in surprise. Every time he’d mentioned Efterpi, she’d been dismissive of his concerns.

“We heard about a body outside the inn,” Helwan said. “And we feared…”

“I’m quite alive, I assure you,” Efterpi said. “After I was separated from you, I was cornered by the Hekatonkheires. I killed one of their members before I was taken captive. They held me for days but I managed to escape last night when most of their thugs left me alone. I wandered, trying to find this place.”

“They held you?” Arche asked. “They didn’t just kill you for killing one of them?”

“They made some talk about bait. I don’t entirely understand it. I was half-delirious from the beatings for most of it.”

“We’re glad you escaped,” Tess said, walking over to hug the woman.

Arche frowned, then nodded.

“I’m glad you’re back.”

“As am I. I see our number has grown.”

“My sister, Kyrene,” Basil introduced them. “And our mother, Katerina.”

“A pleasure.” Efterpi looked at all of them in turn. “You are planning something?”

Tess brought her up to speed. Efterpi said nothing throughout all of it, until Tess mentioned how they were splitting up.

“I’ll go with you to the palace. My skills are wasted elsewhere.”

Arche frowned.

“Are you sure about—”

“We’d be lucky to have you,” Tess said. “With three, we’ll stand a better chance if a fight breaks out.”

“We’re also easier to catch,” Arche pointed out.

“It’s the palace,” Tess said. “The chances of us not getting caught at some point are practically zero.”

“I’m really appreciating the optimism.”

“Would you rather try getting in by yourself?”

Arche considered that for a moment. It would put the least risk on everyone else, but he knew there was no way he was going to get inside stealthily. Too many guards.

“That’s what I thought,” Tess said, reading his face.

“Well, how are we going to get in, then?”

Tess smiled.

“I know a girl.”