We didn’t have to wait long. Soon, I felt the approach of someone in a middle stage of cultivation, probably the late fourth stage. He entered the office from the other side, and then we were asked to come in. It turned out to look just like any other forgettable office anywhere, with a desk, a few chairs, file drawers, and a window looking out into an alleyway. The man looked just as forgettable, like a middle manager in his fifties who just happened to wear robes.
“Welcome,” he said, a bit brusquely. “Please take a seat. What can I do for you? I’ve been told it’s, I quote, ‘a tricky matter’?”
I smiled at him and sat down, with Aston choosing a seat beside me. Here, he couldn’t act like a bodyguard. “That’s true, and thank you for seeing us. It is a bit tricky, and I didn’t want to talk about it where anyone might overhear, or to talk to anyone but a priest of the Storm with some standing.”
The man nodded. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I do not have a lot of time today. Some other matters have come up that require my attention.”
“I see.” I nodded. “Well, I’ll try not to take too much of your time, then. Although what we’ve come for may actually be related to those other matters of yours.”
He sat up a bit straighter, and his eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh? Does that mean you are with - no, let me rephrase that. Why do you think so?”
I hesitated for a moment. I hadn’t actually planned to say that, I’d just done it following an impulse. One that probably came from a nudge from my father or my own intuition. But now that I had, I’d see this through.
“If you mean the two people that might have been found here in the vicinity, then I’m afraid we might be here for the same reason.”
The priest just looked at me for a moment. “I see. I hope this means you will provide us some answers we are very eager for.”
I tried to discern if he was pressing some kind of panic button or sending an emergency message, but it didn’t seem to be the case. Maybe it was too sophisticated for me to sense, perhaps a silent alarm that didn’t use qi at all, but I took it as an indication that he didn’t consider the situation to be that dangerous. Hopefully, that meant our cover wasn’t completely blown, and we might get out of this without undue destruction.
“Of course we will.” I smiled again. “Our family deeply regrets any irritation or damage that might have resulted from a misunderstanding. But I’m afraid I can’t say much more until I’m assured that the people I’m looking for are actually here, and in good condition.”
He stared at me for a few seconds longer, while I smiled back pleasantly. Finally, he sighed slightly and stood up. “Very well. We’ll sort this out. Follow me.”
I suspected this decision had something to do with the opportunity to get templars or other guards to meet us. The way he eyed Aston indicated caution, at least. But we simply followed the priest from the room quietly.
It wasn’t a long way, but it felt longer than it was. I was on high alert, my senses stretched tightly, trying to take in everything and gather all the information I could about this place. I still didn’t manage to penetrate the shroud around where I’d sensed my companions before, although we were going there now anyway. But I did get the slightest feeling from another direction.
Without really knowing why or what it meant, I slowed down, angling myself to peek into another corridor besides the one we were crossing. I could just sense a group of people, their auras held tightly and almost smothered, on the move. A bit of light qi floating to the roof let me peek around the corner, giving me a view of them crossing the intersection ahead.
I barely managed to keep my own aura under control and not make a sound. The group was arranged in a formation around one man. He wore heavy manacles that clearly suppressed his qi, and probably further talismans to the same effect. I couldn’t get anything from his aura, really. And he didn’t look familiar, but like any forgettable Zarian face. But I recognized him, anyway. It wasn’t anything I could have described. The way he moved, even with the restraints. The way he turned his head, glancing in my direction.
Elis. They had Elis here. I was certain of it.
I suppressed a sigh and hurried to catch up to my host. Behind me, the bit of qi I’d left dissolved into the air. Aston had kept going, managing the distance between us to cover for me. I kept part of my attention on the group, trying to trace the path they took. It was difficult, since they got harder to sense as they moved further away.
At least now I had an idea of why Tenira and Kajare had gotten themselves into this situation. They should probably still be my first priority. Everything else aside, they’d be a lot of help in freeing Elis. I couldn’t assume they’d left a prisoner like him without some high-powered watcher. And that part would be a lot harder.
The section of the compound we reached now was a lot more tightly guarded, with several cultivators on both sets of doors we passed. I could sense others in adjoining rooms. They all regarded us suspiciously, but at least no one was drawing weapons. I smiled again. My cheek muscles were really getting a workout lately.
I’d noticed the priest sending a message, so I wasn’t surprised that they’d obviously prepared their prisoners for our visit. Tenira and Kajare wore nondescript clothing and rudimentary disguises, but I’d still have recognized them instantly. Hopefully, their appearance wasn’t well known in the Dominion, and the different hair colors and makeup might actually be enough. At the moment, they were kneeling on the floor, their hands cuffed behind their backs with other sets of qi-suppressing restraints.
“Yes, those are our people, alright,” I commented.
Kajare sported a split lip and the beginnings of a black eye, but otherwise, they didn’t appear injured. I still had to suppress a surge of anger at the sight, though I easily kept it from reaching my face.
Their eyes darted between me and their captors, but they didn’t speak. Possibly silenced by another application of qi, like a sound-dampening field. That was probably just as well. They’d managed to fake a Confederate accent pretty well, but still, the less the Zarian heard them speaking, the better. But they must have been smart enough to keep quiet after they were captured.
“Is that so?” The priest’s tone was noticeably cooler than before, although he still didn’t sound openly hostile. Clearly, he didn’t want to antagonize whatever faction we represented needlessly. It might have something to do with our cultivation stages.
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I turned to him and bowed formally. “We sincerely apologize for this incident, Priest. I recognize that your affairs and the business of this station were disrupted by a needless incursion, and will offer compensation for the damages suffered today. Let me assure you this was not due to any deliberate malice. It was simply young people being … over-enthusiastic about their duty.” I glanced at my two companions again, giving them a cold look. “Rest assured they will be dealt with.”
“Be that as it may,” the priest said. He sounded at least slightly mollified, though. “We would still like to know just who is taking responsibility for this offense.”
I hesitated. This was the tricky part. I could easily blame one of the noble factions in the city. He probably wouldn’t be able to check this before we were out, and would probably not see any reason to disbelieve or openly challenge me on it, right now. I couldn’t be sure of that, though, and rescuing Elis would turn all of this on its head. Right now, he probably assumed they were foreign mercenaries. This would be easier if I had a clearer picture of how he feels about the various groups.
“I understand,” I replied with another smile. “However, would you consider simply accepting the answer that it was a group that deeply regrets what happens, holds no ill will towards you, and is prepared to show it in making amends? Our reparations will be just as useful regardless.”
The priest frowned. He looked wary, and I caught him glancing at where his guards stood. “I understand that this was a regrettable accident,” he answered. “However, we still haven’t agreed to forgo any punishment, much less the identity of the perpetrators.”
I took out a money pouch. “I see. In that case, be assured that…” I hesitated just slightly, looking to the side for an instant, “… House Siranum and its allies regret any inconvenience and will make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Slowly, I started counting out a few gold coins. The amount was trivial considering my actual position and the resources I had access to, but still a good chunk of the Zarian money I’d taken with me. “If you’ll allow me to speak plainly, I’m sure you understand why my superiors preferred to keep an eye on the High Temple’s properties. However, this isn’t intended to be a hostile move, and certainly not as a provocation. You will not see us again.”
The priest accepted my coins easily, looking down at them with an expression that didn’t quite manage to stay neutral. “I’m sure. I’m glad this could be resolved amicably.”
“Quite so.” I glanced back at my partners, who were now being freed by one of the head priest’s goons. They can’t have done anything too aggressive, if this is so easy to resolve. Probably just trespassing, really.
They had the presence of mind to stay quiet, at least, except for short murmurs as they rose. They bowed their heads to me, then, after a moment of hesitation, Kajare bowed to the priest, and Tenira followed suit.
“My men will escort you out,” the priest said. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t wish to see you again.”
I smiled. That was basically the Zarian phrase for goodbye. “Likewise.”
We turned and left, and I let out a deep breath as surreptitiously as possible. One hurdle down, the rest to go. I quickly glanced at Kajare and Tenira and gave them a smile, but, mindful of our surroundings, we didn’t talk. Now I just had to deal with the two minions escorting us outside.
I caught Aston’s eye and titled my head slightly. He gave me a barely perceptible nod. A second later, I felt his mind reaching out to me. ‘My lady?’
‘Aston, can you subdue those two without raising an alarm?’
I didn’t look at his face, but I could make out a slight shift in his aura. ‘Most likely, my lady, though I can’t guarantee it.’
I nodded. ‘Do it.’
We’d just reached the intersection from where we could head in the direction I’d seen Elis in. Fortunately, Aston didn’t dally. I instinctively hardened my skin and focused on my qi senses, but he acted too quickly for me to really catch what happened. It felt like we were just walking along, then there was a moment of confusion and a very short spike of qi, and the next moment both of the Zarian were staggering. Quickly, they collapsed to the floor, making no noise except for a muffled groan.
“Very good,” I said. “Let’s get going.”
Tenira sighed. She was massaging her wrists, and now gave me a look. “I suppose the debriefing can wait, then? Thank you for the rescue, by the way.”
“I saw Elis here earlier,” I explained. “I assume that’s why you went in?” Even though they had obviously not been supposed to.
Tenira and Kajare exchanged a look. “We weren’t planning to,” he said. “But their surveillance outside was more extensive, and aggressive, than we realized, and we ran afoul of it. We tried to hide at the back of the compound, where the wards wouldn’t cover the location as closely.”
I shook my head. “Well, there’s time for recriminations later. Give me a moment to improve our stealth.”
I breathed deeply and pulled some darkness qi to weave a technique. Tenira quickly contributed some of her own to help. Then we set off down the corridor, invisible. Aston muffled the sound of our footsteps with a qi shield around us, and all of us suppressed our qi presence as tightly as we could.
“I think I understand everything, except for one matter,” Tenira said. “Why did you name the Siranum as the culprits? I thought we wouldn’t want them to get blamed for it.”
I snorted. “Right. If I was actually working with a Zarian great family faction, it would be much better to implicate a rival rather than my own people.” I shrugged, still focused on looking around. “Of course, everyone’s going to deny responsibility for what we do. With any luck, the priests will be second guessing everything too much to settle on any punitive action.”
Tenira chuckled. “Of course, I should have known it would be something like that.”
I stopped, frowning down another corridor. We were now drawing close to where I figured the Zarian transporting Elis had been headed, and the doors were getting heavier and secured better, with formation arrays.
I carefully approached the door in front of us, looking the wards over slowly. Then I sighed and turned to the others. “I can disarm this, but it won’t be completely quiet. If there’s anyone on the other side, they’ll almost certainly notice. Be prepared for trouble.”
They all nodded and readied themselves. I turned back to the door and quickly inserted some of my own qi into the formation. It took a few minutes of careful and precise work, but finally, I managed to break the lock and felt the qi coating it sizzle away.
Aston pushed me aside and opened the door right away, charging into the room before I even had time to properly take in what we found. There were three Zarian of about the fifth stage here, just starting to respond.
Aston took them out just as quickly as he had the others. By the time I stepped into the room, they were all lying on the floor, unconscious or dead. I didn’t comment on it. The door was bad enough, I definitely didn’t want them to raise an alarm.
Although that might not be much of a concern. I looked at the other door, which seemed to not be locked completely at the moment, and the presences I sensed behind it. Frowning, I stepped over and pulled the door open, readying myself to activate a defensive technique.
What I found made me pause in surprise, until Tenira pushed to enter after me. Elis was here, alright. He stood beside another priest, who was slumped half on the ground and half against a wall. The qi-imbued manacles were lying in a heap on the floor.
“Inaris!” Elis took a step closer, his eyes darting around. He still looked different. His clothing was stained with blood and dirt, but he didn’t appear significantly injured. “Tenira, Kajare. I’d say it’s good to see you, but these aren’t exactly the best circumstances.”
“It looks like you didn’t need our help much,” I noted, glancing at the priest and the room. The walls were heavily reinforced and lacked windows, while the room didn’t have any furniture except for a single table and a few chairs, one of which was clearly bolted to the floor.
“Yes, and I wish you weren’t here,” Elis replied, still coming closer. “But since you are, we really need to leave. I don’t think who they’ve got coming to see me is someone you want to face.”
I suppressed a sigh, and quickly got moving again. “Don’t tell me …”
Elis gave me a small, sardonic smile, as we started hurrying back the way we came. “If they were telling the truth, it’s the Pioneer.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and ran a hand through my hair. Great. Just Wonderful.