Hours later, sitting atop one of the city walls, Nial sat below the main walkway with his back to the wall itself. The commotion he’d cause in Middle Star would prevent him from returning for some time. From his perch near the North Gate he could easily see the crowds still milling around the trader’s office. Many of them would be City Guard. News of an unexpected Binder in the city would cause them to be on high alert. Nial raised his eyes to the sky and sighed “Jewl, it’s been too long since I’ve seen you. You’d know what to do.” He knew there would be no reply, but the silence still saddened him. As he gazed out over the buildings and into the bay, his mind travelled back to that night two years ago, lying on his back in the mud, the rain pelting his blood-splattered face as he watched the image of Windle disappear into the storm. If you hadn’t come for me then, I wouldn’t be here now he thought. A warm feeling passed through his body, causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end. He smiled, I know. Sentiment won’t get me anywhere right now.

Nial had been watching the traffic through the North Gate since his arrival atop the wall, searching for familiar figures using a spyglass. He had surmised that Windle was still in contact with Paedren, obviously scared of her, and would likely want to let her know Nial was alive and looking for her. The traffic had thinned considerably given the hour, the bulk of business concluded for the day, and Nial patiently waited, searching for some sign of Windle. If he didn't come, Nial would have to try again at his office. He still had means, though risky, to get to Windle.

Another hour or so had passed and the light was fading with it. Nial sighed and stood, turning away from the street and tucking the spyglass back into one of the pockets lining his cloak. I suppose I’d better get some rest. My joints are already starting to ache. A prickly feeling traced down his left arm I know he thought, I should take better care of myself. The feeling returned, sharper this time. “Ow!” Nial exclaimed “What are you...” He looked left, down towards the cobbled street in front of the gate to where a carriage had just drawn up. He pulled the spyglass from his cloak and extended it, focusing on the carriage which bore the sign “Windle, Kaird, and Trellum. Traders of fine goods” on its door. That idiot Nial thought. Sure enough, when one of the Guard approached the coach, the window was lowered and Windle’s head popped out, glancing nervously this way and that as he handed over papers. The guard nodded briefly and handed the papers back after inspecting them, calling to the other guards to let the carriage through. Nial smiled in triumph. I've got you now, you snake. Grabbing hold of a rope he’d tied to a convenient piece of masonry, Nial gripped it in his armoured left hand, using it to slow his descent as he plummeted to the ground.

----------------------------------------

The highway North of Verine was a well-travelled trading route kept relatively bandit free by the City Guard. Nial knew he was going to lose time on the carriage, so he needed to be quick. He fell into a steady jog a few meters from the road itself, concealed by the tall foliage so as to not arouse suspicion. Once he was certain he was sufficiently far away from the road and Verine itself, he concentrated, pouring power into his legs that caused his synapses to fire far faster and increased his speed. He dashed through the undergrowth, heightened reflexes giving him enough agility to dance between obstructions. Before long he could make out the gas lamps on Windle’s carriage and slowed to maintain a safe distance. Speed would be of no benefit if Windle knew he was being followed.

Clouds had begun to gather in the pink evening sky by the time the carriage pulled to the side of the road in a nondescript section of the highway. Nial was confused, why here of all places? Quietly, he crept closer to the carriage as Windle along with two guards dressed in leather armour emerged from the inside. Windle spoke briefly with the carriage driver who touched the brim of his hat in acknowledgement. Windle then turned and gestured to his two associates, leading them off road into the woods. Nial began to follow, glancing back to the carriage which hadn’t yet moved. Not far from the treeline, Windle picked up another path, partially covered by the dense vegetation, and trudged along with his guards, seemingly unaware of the shadow stalking them.

Nial waited for his moment, he didn’t know how far Windle was travelling before meeting others. Getting jumpy and stumbling into a large, hostile crowd would not serve his needs. Satisfied no one else was nearby, Nial deliberately stepped on a fallen branch. The ensuing noise, causing the guards and Windle to stop and quickly look towards Nial’s hidden location. On breaking a second branch, the guards whipped their weapons from their hips, shortswords reflecting what little light there was in the late evening air. Nial exhaled. Here we go. The guards squinted as a flash of light burst from the bushes, the afterimage barely gone before Nial was standing before them, the blade of one shortsword in his gauntleted hand. He twisted, causing the shocked guard to lose their grip as Nial’s other fist connected with the side of their head, forcing them to the ground. The other guard swung their blade, Nial dropped the other weapon and caught the attacking edge with the armour on his left forearm. He kicked, taking the guard’s legs out from under them. The guard let out a cry as they fell and Nial was quickly on top of them, touching his bare fingers to their temple “Sorry about this.” The guard saw the crackling fluorescent energy arc along Nials arm before the world went dark. After seeing to the other guard in the same way, Nial turned to see Windle fleeing into the trees, stumbling against the uneven terrain and foliage. There’s something I never wanted to see again, he thought as he once more increased his speed, gripping Windle by the collar as he caught up.

Windle yelped and flashed a dagger towards Nial, who grabbed Windle’s wrist before it could find its mark. “Windle, dear friend. We really must stop meeting like this.”

“Paedren is expecting me!” Windle gasped for breath, the years had clearly made him soft and unfit. “If I don’t arrive soon, you’re dead!”

Nial plucked the dagger from him and tucked it into his own belt “Unlikely. Even if you have arranged to meet Paedren soon, I doubt very much that you’d have given any messenger you sent information about me.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Windle gritted his teeth. “So what now?” he asked, locking eyes with Nial. .

“Now you’re going to tell me what I’ve been missing these last two years. Then you’re going to take me to where Paedren is hiding and we’re going to have a little chat, just like old times.” Nial pulled a loop of rope from his belt, after tying Windle’s wrists together, he began pushing him further into the forest.

“Lead the way and start talking. Any sign of calling for help or trying to escape and I won’t hesitate to stop you more forcefully this time”

Windle turned, rubbing his wrists for the second time that day.

“What did you do to my guards?”

“They will be fine.” Nial said with a sigh “It doesn’t last that long and I’m sure they’ll find their way back to the carriage from there. Now go.”

Windle turned, getting his bearings and then began to walk, all urgency gone from his gait. “How do you know I won’t lead you astray? I don’t take well to being threatened.”

“How could I forget?” Nial stayed closed, almost speaking into Windle’s ear “You’re smart, Windle. You know cooperating is the surest way of you getting out of this in one piece. I’m sure you remember how I loathe idle threats.”

Windle scratched his face with his bound hands, digesting the situation. After a few moments he sighed and said “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Let’s start with why I ended up lying in a puddle almost dead that night.” Nial’s reply was almost a growl. “Was it planned?”

“No.” Windle shook his head as he walked. ”Until it happened I’d thought it was just a normal job, like you”

Nial grunted “Well that’s something. Wouldn’t have liked to find out you’re a schemer as well as someone who abandons their friends.”

“I panicked.” Windle said quietly, barely audible above the sounds of the forest. “I thought you were dead and I didn’t know what else to do.”

“We’ll get to that,” snapped Nial “Let’s start from the beginning.”

“Alright.” Windle took a breath “We’d reached the site as planned. We spoke on the way there about what we were going to do with the money that Ochesian guy was going to pay us.” Nial smiled behind Windle. The trip to the ruin had been like many of their other jobs. The three of them sharing stories as they travelled, enjoying each other’s company as they had on so many other jobs. “That’s right. You said you were going to take up residency in a Verinian brothel until the money ran out.”

Windle cracked a small laugh “I did. You said you…”

“I know what I said.” Nial interrupted, “What happened inside?”

Windle screwed up his face in frustration.“Paedren and I went inside as usual. She was always the best with locks and traps, and you stayed outside as lookout. You said you felt a storm coming and always enjoyed the feeling before summer rains.” Nial remembered it. The sun was just descending behind the horizon as they arrived at the stone ruins. Partially reclaimed by the surrounding wilderness, he recalled thinking they were of unusual design. Not something he had encountered in that region before that time. . The sky had an orange tinge as dark clouds had begun to roll in. Hot and sweaty from the trip, he’d wanted a chance to cool off while Paedren and Windle gained access. They’d call him if they needed him. “The next thing I remember you came screaming out of there before I was knocked to the floor by some sort of explosion.”

Windle stumbled over something lying in the path “Yes,” he said after he recovered “we followed stairs downwards and after clearing away some rubble we found a door leading inside. Paedren made quick work of the lock and we were in. I said I’d fetch you, but she told me not to bother you.”

Nial frowned in the darkness “Didn’t that make you suspicious?”

“It did, but she hadn’t given me any reason to suspect her before. How was I to know? I thought she wanted to give you more time topside. She always worried about you working too hard.”

“Fine.” Nial replied “What happened after that?”

“Most of the ruin was clear, or full of mouldering trash that was no use to us. The normal stuff left to rot in old abandoned places, you know? I was starting to wonder if the job was a bust before we found the room.”

“What room?”

“It was near the back of the ruin.” Windle glanced back over his shoulder “No door, but the inside was covered in arcane symbols. You’d have loved it.”

That was true, at least. Nial was often picked for these jobs because of his interest in the arcane. Though he’d never studied as a mage, he’d pursued a casual interest which made him useful on jobs like this one. “What else was there?” he asked.

“That’s the strange thing, Nial. I don’t remember. Last thing I can recall is Paedran going inside after again refusing to let me get you. She crosses that threshold and, poof, nothing. Next thing I know I’m standing over you in the rain, thinking you’re dead, looking at the smoking crater where the ruins used to be. So I ran.”

Nial stopped walking. “What? You don’t remember anything?” Windle turned when he noticed Nial had stopped. “No.” he shook his head “Not a thing.”.

Nial’s brain raced, what would cause a person to lose their memory of an event? Yes, there were spells which were capable but he’d never known Paedren to have even the faintest inkling of any magical ability. “So how did you get back in contact with her after this?”

“She approached me.” Windle replied “Found me at a dive in Verine. I’d been doing odd jobs around town trying to keep above water, or below ale anyway. I’d run into some trouble with one of the pirate crews and was trying to lay low. She strolls right up to me like nothing happened and offers me a job. Says she’ll set me up for life with an honest business.”

“What did she want in return?”

Windle shrugged as he walked “She just told me she wanted a share of the business. Didn’t want to get involved but had the connections to make it happen.”

Nial considered this. Paedren had never been someone concerned with wealth, she’d always made out that she went on their jobs for the thrill of it. She never seemed happier than when she was breaking through some noble’s elaborate security measures or skillfully lifting items from unsuspecting marks. Even that job in Hubbard she’d whooped and hollered as they escaped on horseback but frittered away her substantial part of the cut on reckless gambling and drink all the while seemingly indifferent to the joys others found in such hedonism. “Just money?” He asked.

“Just so. I jumped at the chance. A steady income, respect, no more scrabbling for jobs, it sounded too good to be true.”

“Offers like that often are. So where is she now?”

“She’s got a place out here.” Windle nodded in the general direction they were walking “The Golden Claw. A gambling den of sorts.”

“In the woods?” Nial’s disdain was evident “Why not back in the city? Gambling is legal in Verine.”

“Not like this, it isn’t.” Windle’s laugh contained no trace of mirth.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see when we get there. It’s not much further now.”

“Windle, if you’re about to lead me into a group of…”

“Calm down,” He interrupted, “we’re not heading to the main entrance.”