Cassana PoV [https://i.imgur.com/Nchs2Td.jpeg]
“What was that about?” Cassana asked Lira, almost shouting from across the room, as soon as Minos and Robb disappeared to the staircase.
“Beats me.” Lira shrugged returning to face the bard on the podium.
The musician continued delivering a sweet and mesmerizing melody, while Cassana tried her best to pay attention. However, she couldn’t help but feel anxious about their plan. She grabbed an empty mug and filled it up with ale.
“Is it that bad?” She heard Lira’s voice as she was taking a gulp. She put down her mug on the table, and as she looked across, the drow was no longer in her seat. She turned to the other side and found her holding an empty chair. The huntress sat down beside Cassana.
Cassana was taken by surprise with how fast Lira moved, or maybe she was just too tired to pay attention. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow…” she answered.
“The deal did push through, right?”
“Regrettably.”
“What time do we leave, then?”
“Before sunrise.”
“That early?” Lira sighed. She grabbed the same bottle of ale that Cassana had been drinking from. “I guess I shouldn’t get too drunk then.”
Cassana was watching Lira take a mouthful of ale when she heard her mother’s voice again. You’ve been very rude to her. Her inn was all but ashes yet she remained inside her head, ready to give another lecture. Be nice.
Cassana didn’t like apologizing, especially when she was sure that she was blameless. Just the thought of explaining herself, or asking for forgiveness would make her skin crawl. Go on, make it right. But once she hears her mother's whisper it won't stop for the whole night, depriving her of her much needed sleep.
“Hey, uhm, Lira…” she called to the drow huntress, mincing at her words. “Thank you for being patient with me these last few days… I know that sometimes I could be very difficult…”
Lira angled her head to the side and displayed a thin grin from ear to ear, “Don’t think about it too much. I know what happened to you, and your… Minos told me all about it. Also, I get why you’re suspicious of me.”
“I’m not suspicious, I’m just…” Cassana adjusted her seat on the chair, fighting off the embarrassment that was crawling out of her gut. “How about this, can we start again from the top?”
Lira's ears perked up, “start how?”
“We never really had a good…” the redhead stopped with what she was about to say and cleared her throat instead. She instinctively dusted off her side of the table and faced Lira, her eyes meeting hers. “Hi, my name is Cassana. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lira cringed, but she managed to get a hold of herself, recognizing the sincerity in Cassana’s unexpected gesture. “Alright, well…
“Hi, I’m Lira, from the Zephyrean capital and it has been a pleasure to be in your company these past few days.”
“This is stupid.” Cassana shook her head with a smile, and the embarrassment she felt quickly disappeared.
“More stupid than the ceaseless bickering between you and Da-” Lira bit her lips before continuing. “Between you and Minos?”
Cassana tried to hold her breath but she burst out laughing after a second, almost spitting her drink. “Sorry dude, but you just… you keep fumbling his name! It’s funny.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Lira.
“I know Minos isn’t his real name, okay? And seeing you struggle to use it while knowing his actual name.. It’s just hilarious.”
“Sorry?” Lira blurted out, confused on how to respond.
Cassana continued laughing. “It’s so stupid.”
“It's just hard getting used to it,” the huntress raised her arms in defense, “I've known him since he was a boy, that's not something you can just switch on and off.”
“Don't worry, you don’t have to apologize.”
“I will not going to use his real name, still. Not until he says so.”
“It’s fine, I get it. I mean, wizards use pseudonyms too, you know. Helps keep us safe when traveling.”
Lira shared the laughter as well, finally breaking the ice between the two.
“So, are you not heading up yet?” Lira asked Cassana a few minutes later when they both calmed down.
“I think I need one more drink.” The redhead answered.
“Then let’s have another.” The huntress gestured for the server to bring another bottle of drinks. She shifted to a more comfortable position on her chair and looked at the young wizard opposite the table, “So, Cassana, what do you think about all this?”
“About what?”
“We’re finally heading out tomorrow. It’ll take, what, two, three days to reach Ad-Nilem?”
“Yeah, more or less. I’m just glad we’re finally getting close, you know, for Rei’s sake. We need to get him the cure that he needs, and we gotta make sure he goes through this thing, and uh… survive.”
“When was the last time you were there?”
“At Ad-Nilem? A year ago...?" Cassana fiddled with her mug, trying to form the right words. "I found out about my mom’s condition and I just dropped everything and went home.”
“Minos mentioned you were close to taking the Ranking Exam. And then, both your parents..?”
“Lucky streak!” Cassana remarked sarcastically, holding her mug up.
“And then.. Your..” Lira was doing her best to be careful with what to say, “.. fiance?”
The moment the redhead heard the word, tears immediately welled up on behind her eyes .
“Look, I can’t say I know how you feel, but I’ve known people who went through something similar, and I can honestly tell you that you are holding it better than most.”
It took a while before Cassana realized that Lira was complimenting her. “Thank you… I guess…”
Lira took a drink.
The redhead gave a sigh of relief. She pushed her back against the chair, feeling a little more comfortable. “How about you?”
“What about me?”
“You’re from the city?”
“The Capital, yes.”
“And you’re Minos’ what…?”
“Let’s just say I’m his bodyguard,” Lira answered.
“I thought Rei was his bodyguard?”
“He got two.”
“How does he have two bodyguards? Is he some kind of royalty or something?”
“He’s rich, let’s just put it at that. Or, his family is rich.”
“And you work for his family? But you’re a…”
“Drow. I know,” Lira put it bluntly.
“A fey-folk,” Cassana’s euphemism was well appreciated. “How did you end up working for his family? I’m just curious.”
“Not easy, if that’s what you’re asking…” Lira rested her back against the chair as well, holding her empty mug. “My parents died when I was young. Since then, I was hopping from one city to another, begging for scraps, thieving, scamming, hunting, finding ways to stay alive, day after day. Until I finally got a job as a mercenary, here in Soliton.
“Then one day the—” The server brought them a new bottle of ale, and Lira poured one for Cassana and herself. “Minos’ grandfather visited the city, and through a series of complicated events… very hard to remember all… but the point is, he saw me and he decided to hire me. For life.”
“Like a slave?” Cassana clarified.
“No, no, not like that. More like a servant, a part of his retinue. I get paid, okay? And the pay is good. Which is why, as time went by, I managed to put my life together. I bought a house in the Capital, I took more high-paying jobs, and I built up my reputation.
“I didn’t work for him exclusively though, I took other jobs from other families too. The nobles love me. At least, that's what it looked like to me. They trusted me with their lives and compensated me generously.
“Eventually, I was invited to the Varinian Court. I started as a royal hunter, and rose up and now I’m the Master Gamekeeper to the King.”
“What?”
“I know, crazy right? Who would’ve thought.”
“If you’re in the Royal Court, then why are you here babysitting that wannabe adventurer?”
Lira burst a laugh, but eventually managed to give an answer. “Like I mentioned, I owe a life-debt to his grandfather. If not for him and his family, I wouldn’t be here. So yeah, for the time being, I am a glorified babysitter.”
“Minos is a grown-ass man, he doesn’t need looking after.” Cassana spat.
“A grown-up man doesn’t behave like he does.”
“Touche,” Cassana said, raising her mug.
Lira raised hers as well.
“So, he is that important? That someone like you would just go along with him?”
Lira paused for a moment, “His work is important. This expedition that he is taking… I’m sure you’ve heard about it.”
“Ah yes, his search for the Sword of the Godslayer. Which I don’t really understand. It’s just a sword, we’ve studied it in history, the wizards agree that there’s nothing special about it. No magic imbued; none. So why waste all this effort to find it?”
“I wish I have an answer for you. But despite my stature, I am still just a servant of the crown. I don’t really understand all these nuances…”
“I fucking hate the monarchy,” Cassana barked out of nowhere, followed by a chug on her mug, “no offense.”
“None taken,” Lira murmured. “As I said earlier, before the family took me in, I spent some time here in Soliton. I saw the difference between the monarchy and… whatever form of government they have here”
Lira continued, “How about you? You spent some time in Ad-Nilem, do you think they run their country better?”
Cassana thought hard for an answer, “Not really, I don’t know. Honestly, I’m not really well-versed with politics. I just don’t like how things are in this kingdom. In the Zephyrean kingdom. This echelon of social status, wherein the further down below you are, the harder it is for you to climb up, you know what I mean?”
Lira raised her arms sidewards, presenting herself.
“Oh yeah, right, of course you know what I mean. Not everyone is capable of achieving what you’ve achieved…”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Or have the long lifespan that I have and eventually get lucky enough to be given an opportunity.” Lira concluded.
“Hear, hear.”
The two shared a toast and drank their mugs.
“Is that why you wanted to be a wizard?” asked Lira.
“No?” answered Cassana. “Ever since I was a kid, I was just fascinated with magic. When I found out I could cast a spell, I was livid. But then, I was constantly reminded that it’s an impossible dream. It’s not something that a lowly bar-maid in some far away provincial town can achieve.
“And then I discovered my father’s writings and I learned so much from his books that I sneaked out of his hidden shelves. I remember practicing spells under the covers of my blanket.”
“But Zephyreans are free to use magic anytime, unlike here in Soliton, so why hide?”
“It’s my father. He didn’t like me doing magic. He objected to the whole idea, up to the day that I was about to head out to the Tower for my formal education. He never gave me his approval.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. He died without giving me any explanation. Quite ironic, actually. Someone as intelligent as him… someone who studies and writes about magic… for someone like that to hate a daughter doing magic… I just didn’t understand.”
“Maybe he was scared?”
Cassana shrugged.
“Just to be clear, you're father was not a wizard? No formal education or anything?”
“No. And I’ve only seen him do some healing charms.”
“So why didn’t he like you to study magic?”
Cassana shrugged. "Whatever his reason, he took that all to his grave with him.” She emptied the bottle of ale on her mug, and took another drink.
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Cassana and Lira talked throughout the night, up until one of them could no longer finish a sentence. In the end, they both crawled to their rented room, inebriated and tired. They found Rei still deep in his slumber and the wizard and the huntress quickly faded out of their consciousness.
Loud banging sounds penetrated Cassana’s sleeping mind, made worse by the alcohol flowing through her veins, straight into her brain. What was supposed to sound like drumming on wood instead came to her like thunder on a stormy night. Every beat felt like a hammer pounding through her skull. Underneath the incessant noise was a voice calling for her name and Lira’s.
“I’m coming, I’m coming. Blood of Zuzen, stop that hammering, by the gods!” She begrudgingly crawled out of her bed and opened the door. It was Minos. “What?”
“It’s time,” he uttered with annoyance.
“Time for what?” asked Cassana. She took a moment to figure out what the young nobleman was talking about.
“We need to leave before sunrise.”
“Right, right,” she dismissed him with her hand.
“Seiveril is already waiting downstairs. Get ready. You and Lira both.”
Cassana turned her head around to look for Rei, but he wasn’t where she last saw him, “Where’s Rei?”
“He’s all good. He’s waiting below. Hurry.”
“I’m on it. Get back.” Cassana shooed Minos away and shut the door on his face. She glanced at Lira and she was already rising up from her bed.
“Is it time already?” asked the huntress.
“Apparently…” answered Cassana.
“What time did we turn in last night?”
“I don’t know, midnight? Can’t even remember jumping onto the bed, I’m surprised I managed to get back,” she explained while hurriedly packing her things back into her knapsack, and picking up another bag from under her bed. She went to Rei’s bed and grabbed every stuff she needed to tend to his wounds, leaving behind empty vials and blood-dried rags.
Meanwhile, Lira pulled out a large, leather-wrapped, canister bag and strapped it around her chest. She secured a variety of daggers and blades around her waist, and hung a sheathed short sword on her belt. I miss my staff. Cassana thought to herself as she watched her companion. Lastly, Lira let out a soft whistle, and Scout, her ferret, crawled out of under the bed. She let him climb up over her shoulders and tucked him under her cloak.
The two climbed down the stairs and found their entourage waiting for them, including Seiveril.
“Finally,” sighed Minos.
Ashvell reached for one of the bags on Cassana’s shoulder and she stepped back. “What?”
“Let me help you with that,” the young man whispered.
“Why? You’re not even coming with us.” Cassana squeezed through the tables and chairs and went to Rei, sitting on the far side of the room, his hooded head resting on the plaster wall. “How are you feeling?” she asked him.
“Better,” he replied with a whisper, “For some reason, I feel stronger at night.”
“Well, don’t get used to it,” she said back. Cassana glanced around and found Robb catching her eye. The young boy gave a meekly wave and a shy smile.
“Bye, Robb,” she reached her arm out and the young lad came closer. She rubbed the thin crop of hair that had now grown on top of his head. “And thank you for all your help. I know I get priggish sometimes, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I understand,” said Robb. He moved closer and gave Cassana a full hug around her hips, which she unexpectedly accepted.
“Good luck on finding your parents.”
Robb nodded as he pulled away from her. Cassana noticed a small bead of tear from around the edge of his eye. She raised her head to look at Ashvell.
“Don’t lose sight of him, okay?” she ordered.
“I won’t,” said Ashvell.
“Are we done?” Seiveril tried to interrupt Ashvell and Robb exchanging their goodbyes with the rest of Cassana’s company.
“You know what…” Minos exclaimed, “why don’t you just come with us?”
“What?” asked Cassana, “no!”
“Just until we get to the harbor,” continued the young nobleman.
“It’s still dark, curfew is still in place.”
“So what, we’re moving underground, right?” Minos waited for a confirmation from Seiveril.
The half-drow rogue nodded.
“Then once we’re on a ship, Seiveril will just escort you back here. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“I do mind. I don’t escort people for free. Especially during times like these where it’s extra risky,” interjected Seiveril.
“Fine, fine,” Minos shook head, “you Solitonians, why do you always make it about money?”
“Money is king,” answered the rogue.
Minos grabbed the contents of his pockets. He put aside the signet ring from The Guild and collected some coins. “Hundred marks?”
Sei’s eyes took a narrower shape, and Minos picked up another coin.
“Hundred-fifty marks, tip included; because you’ve been very accommodating.” Minos added with a hint of sarcasm
“I get that a lot,” Sei clapped back with the same tone. She reached for Minos’ hand and grabbed her payment.
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Seiveril led the group back through the tunnels under the city, squeezing and slithering through dark and moist passages before climbing up to the surface. Cassana welcomed the cold breeze coming from the open sea that smelled a lot like rotten egg; which was miles better than the smell in the sewers.
They crawled out of a trapdoor on an alleyway, carefully hidden behind boxes and crates. The half-drow hopped out and crouched to the cobblestone promenade that outlined the bay. She stood up along a promontory, as the slowly cascading sea waves reflected the half-crescent moon on the partly cloudy sky.
Looking over her left shoulder, Cassana could see dozens of caravels and schooners, anchored along the shorelines. Her eyes tracked over the water to the lighthouse standing on an islet. She had read about the half-mile long chain that the Solitonians built spanning from the coastline to the solitary beacbn. Dubbed The Leash, it was the city’s primary defense against pirates and raiders. It is said that if the city-state was to face a hostile enemy, whether from outside or from within, they would raise up The Leash, thereby blocking any ships from entering or exiting the bay.
If only there’s a full moon, Cassana told herself. She should be able to see the giant chain from where they were standing, but the clouds have made it difficult. In a way, it also gave them a perfect cover for their escape.
Seiveril led the group along the breakwater, until she started climbing down to the other side. “Follow me from there,” she whispered from below as she trotted along the rocky mud flats brought by the low tide. Cassana climbed to the top of the jetty and followed the rogue from above.
The half-drow continued along the muddy reef, carefully pressing against the breakwater, as if she was looking for something, until she finally stopped. She disappeared into a breach on the wall and Cassana leaned over to track her silhouette.
“Where did she go?” whispered Ashvell, who was following behind Cassana.
The redhead shrugged. She pressed her hands over her knees as her back hunched forward and her head leaned downward. She was trying to get a look at where Seiveril went when she heard the barking of dogs coming from behind them. She turned around and she realized they were all in an exposed location.
Lira motioned for everyone to stay low. The redhead hugged the top of the breakwater, while Ashvell and the rest climbed down and hid under its shadow. Opposite the ocean, across the promenade, rows of houses lay deep in their slumber. Each of their windows were closed, and whatever light their indoor lamps provided were mostly trapped inside their walls, creating oddly shaped shadows on the ground.
The group went quiet; and all they could hear was the sound of the sea behind them and the barking of dogs ahead of them. As the woofing and growling grew loud, they started hearing muffled footsteps and muttering sounds.
“Someone’s coming,” Minos whispered.
Lira pulled her crossbow out of her leather bag and spanned it back, loading a bolt afterwards. Rei grabbed his daggers, one for each of his hands, Ashvell readied his bow and arrow, and Robb covered his mouth.
As the group remained still, Cassana’s skin began to crawl. Looking over one of the shadows of the house in front of them, she noticed something moving. She blinked to see if what she saw was right. The corner of a shadow appeared to be deformed, and as she stared at it intently, its shape began morphing into something else. Beads of sweat started forming on her forehead, as she watched the flat shape turn into something solid, defined and round, protruding from the surface of the ground.
Cassana tapped Lira on her shoulder and she pointed at the shape. “What in the hells…?” she exclaimed, looking shocked from the visage. The huntress shifted her shoulder to aim her crossbow towards the shape and the rest all followed her motion. Lira’s grip on lever became tense; she gasped for air and as she breathed out, two white circles appeared on the round protrusion; two circles that appeared to be eyeballs that moved and stared back at them. Fwoop!!
They didn’t notice Lira pulling the trigger. All they saw was a bolt hitting the empty cobblestones and the shape vanishing into nothing.
“What was that?” asked Robb, his voice shaking.
Lira’s eyes moved from left to right, scanning; while already loading another bolt on her crossbow. Her head turned to the right and released another shot; it hit nothing.
Each of them gathered inward. Minos began reaching for his sword and Ashvell started aiming. The huntress continued to scan the shadows in front of her, but she missed a long dark one slowly creeping to her right. Cassana quickly pointed it to her, and Lira shot another bolt, splitting the shape in two.
But it didn’t stop.
The long shadows stretched until their edges reached a few inches in front of Robb. More slender appendages burst out, five from each, and the shape now resembled two sinister arms reaching for them. The young boy tried to back away, but to no avail. The two arms grabbed his feet and started pulling him away from the group.
Robb screamed. Lira fierd another bolt and Ashvell shot an arrow, but all they did was open two holes on the menacing shape. Both Minos and Rei slashed their blades against the shadow, but it merely weaved around their weapons, like a river flowing around a rock but eventually finding its path to the shore. It was Cassana who managed to grab Robb’s arms, and prevented him from being dragged away.
Unfortunately, the shadow was stronger than her. Cassana fell over from the embankment, and her head rang as it landed on the cobblestones. She let go of Robb’s one arm, while Ashvell reached out for one of hers. Minos grabbed her elbow, and they both pulled her back with their entire weight.
Robb continued screaming on top of his lungs, loud enough that they didn’t notice the sound of footsteps getting louder, coming closer. As Minos and Ashvell heaved for another pull, the shape vanished as quick as it appeared, which threw them all out of balance. Ashvell, Minos, Robb and Cassana were all thrown to the low wall of the breakwater behind them, and the collective spines on their backs cracked and groaned.
It took a second for them to recover their footing. Minos picked up Robb to check on him, as Ashvell did the same to Cassana.
“What was that?” he asked her.
Cassana was about to answer him when she finally heard the loud footsteps approaching. “Seiveril!” She remembered what they were supposed to do so she quickly climbed up the breakwater to look over on the other side.
The half-drow rogue was standing on the mudflats below with confusion on her face and a rope on her hand. “What in the hells is going on up there?” she hissed at her. She had just pulled a boat that was hidden on the wall. That was what she was doing.
“Something attacked us, hurry!” Cassana answered. She reached out her hand, anticipating Seiveril to throw up the rope she was holding. The drow winded her arm and tossed the heavy end of the rope, which Cassana successfully caught. As she pulled it up, she felt a hand poking at her back.
The redhead turned around.
Six armored guards surround them, three of them holding a halberd drawn out while the other three had their arrows pointing at them. “Halt!” ordered one.
“Hey, hey,” Minos jumped out of the group raising his hands up. He pressed his sword between this thumb and his palm, a common gesture of somebody yielding their weapon. “This is all a misunderstanding, I can explain…”
“You and your group are in violation of the statutes of martial law. Under order of the Burgrave, you are to be arrested without question.”
“Look, if you just give us time to explain…” Minos continued. Lira, however, kept her crossbow pointed at one of the soldiers. Ashvell looked over to her and followed suit.
“Put down your weapons, final warning,” bellowed the guard.
“We can take them,” Cassana heard Ashvell whisper. Lira gently nodded.
Cassana glanced behind her, and Seiveril was no longer at the bottom of the breakwater, and neither was her boat. The rope she tossed left dangling from her hand. She returned her eyes to the front and watched the stand-off between their group and the guards.
She let out a disappointed whine and then eyed the fifteen-foot drop behind her. I can survive that, she thought as she pondered about jumping to the soft mudflats waiting at the bottom of the breakwater. But then she could break an ankle, and then she would have to escape across thick, wet sand and rocks, where the guards will definitely outrun her.
Instead, she let go of the rope, dropping it down across the wall. Let’s see how you get us out of this mess, she thought and looked back at Minos. The young nobleman ordered Lira and Ashvell to put their weapons down, as the guards moved around them, blocking any possible point of exit.
Minos offered his arms out, and the leader of the guards pulled him towards them and bound his elbows together. Another guard reached for Robb and pulled him away from the group. The young boy slowly walked towards Minos as he was being tied by another guard.
Ashvell and Lira were each attended to by two other guards.
Lastly, the bowmen took a hold of Cassana and Rei. The foreigner sighed as he hid away his weapons. “Be careful with him, he’s ill,” Cassana said. “Wherever you’re taking us, you need to put us all together. I need to watch over him.”
The guards didn’t seem intent on listening to Cassana’s pleas. She gave up eventually, and let them tie their hands on their backs. However, something caught her eye as they were being moved. An unusual dark shape formed under Robb’s feet. It was the shadow earlier. It grew and crept up from the cobblestones, forming a black blob that ate away the light that surrounded it. It towered over the young boy, just as the guards were focused on the rest of the group.
No one among them noticed it, except for Cassana. But the look on her face cued in on Minos, who turned to glance at the boy. “Robb, look out!” Cassana screamed.
It was all too late.
The shape moved to occupy the space Robb was standing on, and swallowed him whole. But not before Minos managed to grab a hold of his wrist. He tried to yank the young boy, but the way his arms were tied up made it difficult to find the leverage for the pull.
Robb grabbed Minos’ arm in return, and as the shape sank into the ground, it managed to pull Minos as well. Even before the guards were able to turn around, the shape had disappeared into the cobblestones, taking their two companions with it.
“What did you do?” asked the guard. “Where did they go?” He turned to Cassana and the rest.