Lockmoth, Empire of Ordia

“Weren’t you the one who said ‘it can’t be that bad?’” Inva teased. The blond paladin’s voice came out muffled through the cloth she held against her face. The look clashed with her prim-and-proper attire, attire that was a little light for winter with a knee-length skirt and short-sleeved blouse.

Not armor; that was shoved in a trunk to keep it from rusting in the salt air. And because it was heavy to wear. Although… Inva had quite the sturdy figure—maybe Sonia was wrong.

Sonia had been wrong about the smell, after all. She’d fire a retort right back at her newest friend, but Inva was currently holding her with her one free arm as the demon-blooded woman emptied her stomach over the ship’s railing. The earrings dangling from her horns jangled, and Sonia was thankful none of them came loose.

When she finally caught her breath—Dhias it stank even through her mouth—Sonia pushed herself up and looked over the calm water at the sunrise. Pointedly, she looked away from the city of Lockmoth and its dreadful-smelling waterfront. “At—” She coughed again, tasting bile. “At least you’re not asking why a woman born and raised in Inolza gets seasick.”

After taking a moment to parse her words, Inva nodded with a smile. “I’m glad I’ve not crossed a line.”

“Your Cavenish is getting pretty good,” Sonia said carefully, keeping her eyes on the nice, calm, steady sunrise. “You didn’t have to learn it, you know. My Ordian’s getting pretty good!”

“You wanted a traveling companion, yes? You have to be comfortable talking to me for that to happen. So it only makes sense for us to both learn.”

Sonia laughed, and risked turning to look at the paladin of Dhias. She laughed a lot more easily around Inva for some reason. “That’s really nice of you!”

Inva blushed and looked away. “Thanks.”

Sonia giggled, then retched when the smell hit her nose.

“Do you smell stronger as a demon blooded?” Inva asked in slightly-off Cavenish.

“I’m… starting to think my sense of smell might be stronger, yes.”

“If it makes you feel better, it’s low tide.”

“A little. Do you have a spare—”

“—I have yours.” Inva pushed a cloth into Sonia’s hands. Neatly stitched into the corner were the initials “C.R.”

Mom, Sonia thought idly. Dad says you’d be proud of me, just like he is. I wish I could tell you all that’s happened.

“Is anything the matter?” Inva asked sharply.

Sonia jerked her head up, but Inva wasn’t talking to her. A man and woman were staring their direction, and Sonia saw the sadly-familiar look of fear and disgust on their faces.

“Inva, just let it go. It’s fine,” Sonia said in Cavenish. “They’ve been looking at me like that all trip.”

“It’s not fine!” Inva hissed back. “And why didn’t you tell me! Don’t you want to change things?”

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“I do, but…”

Inva shook her head and shifted her stance to face the pair. “I am Paladin Inva Lunven.” She placed a hand against the small of the demon-blooded’s back to push her posture upright.

She’s right. “I am Priestess Sonia Rozaro, from Inolza.” The symbol of Dhias hanging from her neck glimmered in the early sun, and her the red-and-white vestments she’d worn for arrival left no doubt as to her affiliation. “May I be of assistance?”

“Oh.” The man looked away for a moment. “No, that’s alright.”

Sonia nodded. “Good day to you, then! My apologies for the unsightly display.”

The pair nodded hesitantly, then walked stiffly away.

“Good job!” Inva gloated. “You out-polited them!”

“Did you mean to say ‘out-polited?’”

“Yes.”

“That’s not a word in Cavenish, you know.”

“Right.” Inva only smiled wider.

Sonia couldn’t hold in her laughter any longer, and she spent the last few minutes of the voyage into the berth in good spirits. She waved off Inva’s attempts to carry her bags, and strode down onto the dock determinedly—even if her normal crimson complexion was a little green from the smell. How do people get used to this?

With Inva leading, Sonia walked through the harbor district and into Lockmoth proper. She held her horned head high through the stares as she usually did. I’m really glad I took Inva up on her offer—I’d hate to do this alone.

Thankfully, no one accosted the pair, and Sonia felt safe enough to start talking as soon as the smell dropped a little in its bite. “You said you had a place for us to stay?”

“I do. Two friends are staying there right now, but there should be two spare rooms.”

Sonia nodded. “So it’s a house, then?”

“Yes. Specifically, it’s Zarenna and Seyari’s house, given to them by Lord Phelian.”

“After Zarenna fought that demonic monstrosity, I assume. Can we… can we visit that place?”

“Oh, sure! It’s a little out of the way—and I’m not very familiar with the city—but it’s hard to miss.”

“Great! Then we’ll drop off our things, and then I want to check in with the Church here in Lockmoth. I know what you’ve said about Priest Herron, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m not going to hide away.”

“Good!” Inva clapped Sonia on the shoulder, and the smaller woman somehow maintained an even stride. “We should visit the Gelles Company as well. If anyone knows what Zarenna is up to, it’ll be them—Firalex specifically.”

At the mention of the demon’s name, Sonia’s eyes lit up. “I really hope I can meet her! A demon and a hero; she’s like something out of a fairytale!”

Inva chuckled. “She is pretty nice, but she’s also more… normal than I think you’re making her.”

“Sure, fine. Let’s go see where Zarenna fought that other demon!” Sonia pulled at Inva’s hand, and the paladin blushed as she guided the excited demon-blooded through the city’s streets.

After a few blocks of jogging and chatting, the pair stopped at the edge of a murky pond with unusually dark water. The streets around it looked new, and a railing surrounded the nearly-cylindrical, block-sized disc of water. Some of the nearby buildings were still in disarray, while others looked new. In front of the pond, a large stone had been placed with several names etched into it.

Across the water, a chill wind blew and Sonia shivered. There was no snow in Lockmoth today, but Inva had assured her she’d see plenty of it in the weeks to come.

“A pond?”

“It filled with water from the tide. There used to be dry tunnels down there, and now they keep the crater filled.”

Sonia looked at how close the pond was to street level, and how placid its dark, grey-black surface was. “Then it must be high tide now. Were… were there buildings here before?”

Inva nodded. “Yes. Dense as everywhere around.”

“Dhias… those names on the stone—the people who died?”

Inva walked to the edge of the pond and looked at the stone. “I assume so. There could have been a lot more. It’s honestly lucky, in a morbid way.”

Sonia walked beside her and leaned against the railing. “I wish we could get some flowers. Maybe tomorrow? Did you see this crater before it filled?”

“I did. It was deeper than the nearby buildings are tall, and it had this ring of demon fire around it. I’d bet it’s the color it is from the ash that had coated the bottom.”

“Hmm,” Sonia mumbled. “I wish I could have seen it.”

“No.” Inva wrapped an arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders and thought about how close she had come to dying that night. “No you don’t.”

“Oh!” Sonia brought her hands to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Inva!”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t!”

Inva gave Sonia a look, and the demon-blooded woman wilted.

“Let’s go drop our bags off, then. I’ll—I’ll find a way to make it up to you! I promise!”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Inva answered softly.