Chapter 78: Before the Storm II

The floorboards creaked under Leo’s feet as he stepped around the Pearl. It was getting later in the day, the light streaming in through the windows adopting a warmer hue. He passed by a few of the Pearl’s workers as he walked, and Kai waved at him when he crossed the reception area, but so far Spade was nowhere to be found.

Leo paused at the staircase and peered up at it. It was just as dim and narrow as he remembered. The [Executioner] wasn’t on the first floor, so the second floor was the next logical conclusion. He grabbed the railing and made his way up.

The carpet was soft under his feet when he reached the second floor. The familiar scent of incense wafted about the dim hallway, though it wasn’t quite as strong as it had been that first day. Leo carefully stepped past the closed doors towards the room at the end of the hallway. He slowed down when he realized the door was slightly ajar. Murmured voices drifted through the air.

On instinct, Leo stepped to the side, pressing his back against the wall. Here, he could just barely make out two figures through the narrow opening of the door.

The room looked the same as Leo remembered, wispy trails of smoke hovering about the dim space. The new painting from the auction had been hung directly over the bed, where Lenore and Spade sat on the edge.

The two seemed to be talking, though the words themselves were too quiet to make out. They sat close together, hunched over slightly as though to block out the rest of the world. Leo watched as Spade raised a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from Lenore’s face back. The action struck him as oddly tender, and he suddenly felt like he was eavesdropping on something private. Should he leave? Wait in the reception area for the [Executioner] to go back downstairs? Make his presence known?

Before Leo had a chance to overthink more, Spade suddenly rose with a final murmured word to Lenore. Leo froze as the [Executioner] rapidly approached the door, and before he had the chance to jump away, it was swinging open and grey eyes landed on him. Spade raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, there you are.” She raised her arm, and Leo belatedly realized she was carrying a bag. “I got the uniforms. How’re the routes coming along?”

It took a moment for the question to process, but once it did, Leo cleared his throat and straightened.

“Fine. Allan’s downstairs going over the floor plans.”

“Is that Leo?” Lenore’s voice sounded from the right, and soon the woman was poking her head out of the doorway. She’d grabbed her pipe again, though it was currently unlit.

“Seems like he was looking for me,” Spade said. Those grey eyes shone with faint amusement. She turned to Leo with a nod. “I’ll head down, then.”

Without another word, the [Executioner] stepped down the hallway and disappeared down the staircase, leaving just Leo and Lenore.

For a moment the [Fragmentholder] just stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. It felt like he’d just missed his opportunity to get away. Lenore raised an eyebrow.

“What’re you doing standing there?” She flicked her pipe, gesturing for him to enter the room. After a brief moment of hesitation, Leo did so, the door swinging shut behind him.

Once inside, Lenore stepped over to the drawer and pulled out a match, lighting her pipe and taking a puff of it. She gave Leo a long look.

“I hear the three of you are heading out tonight.”

Leo nodded slowly. “That’s the plan, yeah.”

Another moment of silence paused, and Leo was seriously regretting not following Spade downstairs when a knowing smile spread across Lenore’s face. She cocked her head, dark blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Well? I can tell you have questions. Go on.” She gestured with her pipe to emphasize her point.

Leo hesitated for just a moment, then blurted out the words before he could think too long and regret them.

“I didn’t know you two were serious.”

Lenore raised an eyebrow. “And what do you mean by that?”

The [Fragmentholder] gestured vaguely. “It’s just, you guys said it was an old fling,” he tried to explain. Based on that, he’d assumed the two had just had a casual hookup while Spade had been in Alnwick, but the brief moment he’d just seen had seemed too intimate for that. It made him wonder if maybe the [Executioner] would prefer staying in Alnwick as opposed to continuing their travels.

“Ah, that.” Lenore stepped over to the bed and sat down on the rumpled blankets, exhaling another smoke ring. “No, that was the truth.”

She chuckled at the skeptical look on Leo’s face. “There might’ve been something there, but it wouldn’t have worked long term. We’re fundamentally different people.”

Leo frowned. “What do you mean?”

Lenore gestured for the [Fragmentholder] to sit down, and after a moment’s pause, he took a seat on one of the armchairs in front of the coffee table. The serpent-shaped incest burner was still there, but it was currently unlit.

“Let me put it this way,” Lenore began. ”I like to think of life as a long road. Most walk down it until eventually, they find a spot they like, stop, and build something of their own.” She raised her hands in demonstration. Though she didn’t say it out loud, the implication was clear. For her, that “spot” had been the Pearl.

“But that’s not the case for everyone,” she continued. “Some people—some people go through life running.”

Her gaze shifted, eyes distant with memories. “I was born in the slums, you know. Never had anyone to rely on. I survived by any and all means necessary.” She chuckled as though reminiscing on an old joke. “And yet, even someone as cynical as me couldn’t help but be taken in.”

She shook her head. “Of course, I quickly realized things wouldn’t work out. I’ve long come to terms with it.” Those dark blue eyes turned to Leo assessingly, and the woman smiled. “You and that friend of yours seem to fall into the same category. Sprinters.”

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Leo frowned, still trying to wrap his head around her metaphor. He didn’t think he fully understood her meaning, but the idea of “going through life running” had struck an oddly personal core, though perhaps not in the way she’d intended. He shifted in his seat.

“…When we first met,” Leo began slowly, “Spade said she was looking for someone. Do you know who that is?”

Lenore didn’t answer right away. Leo was half expecting her to ignore the question entirely when she suddenly spoke again.

“I do.” Her voice was matter-of-fact, betraying nothing. She took another puff of her pipe. “I won’t tell you who it is—you’ll have to ask Spade for that. But I’ll say this.” Her eyes darkened, and for a brief moment the shadows of the room seemed to grow longer.

“For everyone’s sake, I hope she never succeeds.”

Leo opened his mouth, then closed it again. What was he supposed to say to that? He’d been hoping for answers, but Lenore’s words had just left him more confused. Would Spade succeeding at her search not be a good thing? It was certainly making him rethink some of his original assumptions about who the [Executioner] might be looking for and for what purpose.

Lenore rose from the bed and glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall. It was starting to get late, Leo realized with a start, and he quickly rose as well.

“I assume you won’t be returning after tonight,” Lenore remarked.

Leo shook his head. They’d have to leave Alnwick as soon as they got the fragment, lest they risk getting found and captured by the guards. A part of him would miss the place, Leo realized. Though they hadn’t stayed in Alnwick for long, in some ways this was the most “settled” he’d felt in a long time.

Lenore smiled, shooting the [Fragmentholder] a knowing look.

“Well, if you three are ever near Alnwick in the future, feel free to drop by the Pearl. The doors are open to you.”

Leo felt a tinge of warmth glow in his chest at the words. He nodded gratefully.

“Thank you,” he said, and the words were sincere.

Lenore opened the room door, revealing the empty hallway. Leo couldn’t see anyone around, but Allan and Spade should both be downstairs preparing for tonight.

The [Fragmentholder] inhaled, gave Lenore another grateful nod, and hurried down the stairs to join them.

—

Evening light trickled in through the window, dying the room a rosy hue. Leo watched outside with a tense jaw, one hand absently adjusting the sleeve of the guard uniform he was wearing. They’d already packed everything and gone over the floor plans enough times that Leo could practically see them with his eyes closed.

In one of the easily accessible bags hanging from his belt, he’d stashed one third of the potions they’d bought. His daggers and knife were on the other side. They were as ready as they could be, and now they were just waiting for nightfall.

Leo glanced up at the clock. They were currently waiting in the reception area since the Pearl was closed that day. By his current estimates, they still had a few hours to go.

Across the room, Spade lounged casually on one of the armchairs while Allan stood a little ways away, inspecting his axe. Leo’s eyed landed on Asher’s arrow, which he’d kept tucked into his belt after wrapping the arrowhead in a cloth for safety. He ran a finger along the black feather, remembering the brief encounter in the alleyway and how close of a call it had been. He frowned.

“Hey, Allan?”

The [Healer] looked up. Leo raised the arrow, handing it to the man, who took it with a confused expression.

“I know this sounds weird, but could you throw this at me?”

Allan stared. “What?”

Leo gestured at the arrow. “Back in the alleyway when Asher shot at me, I used [Teleport Object] to redirect it.” His fingers squeezed into a fist. “If we run into him again, I need to make sure I’m ready.”

With his high mana and the aid of [Mana Recovery], he would be able to practice right now and have full mana by the time they reached the manor. It was as good a time as ever.

Understanding dawned on Allan’s face, and he slowly nodded. “Okay,” he said. “If you’re really sure.”

Leo shot him a thumbs up and took a few steps back. Allan squinted at him, raising the arrow and aiming.

“Do you want me to count, or…?”

The [Fragmentholder] shook his head. “Just chuck it. The more sudden, the better.”

Allan still looked a bit reluctant, but he nodded. Leo inhaled and braced himself. No sooner had he done so, Allan flung the arrow at him with surprising speed. The [Fragmentholder] immediately activated [Teleport Object].

Because of the speed of his reaction, he couldn’t be precise when flicking his gaze. But like before, it didn’t matter. The arrow disappeared and reappeared to the left, where it hit the wall and fell to the floor harmlessly. Leo exhaled. So it hadn’t been a fluke the first time, then. This was a genuine way to make use of the spell, and arguably more effective than what he’d originally been trying to do.

Leo bent down and picked up the arrow, handing it to Allan again. “One more time,” he said. He needed to make sure he could do this consistently in a variety of situations.

The [Healer] nodded slowly, and Leo returned to his original spot and braced himself.

After about an hour of this, the sun had nearly disappeared below the horizon and Leo had to force himself to stop in order to give his mana enough time to recover. He was covered in sweat, but he felt better about the spell than he had since the day he’d first chosen it from his spell options. He tucked the arrow back in his belt and glanced at the window.

At some point during their practice, Spade had moved over to the window, where she currently stood inspecting the streets. Leo approached, and the [Executioner] nodded at the glass.

“There’s quite a few guards out,” she remarked. One look confirmed her words. Compared to the previous nights, the streets were practically crawling with guards. And, most notably, there were no regular residents that Leo could see.

It was a stark contrast from yesterday, when so many had been happily walking down the sidewalk. Even from here, he could see the tightness in the guards’ shoulders as they patrolled, how they kept glancing up at the darkening sky. It was a bleak image, and one that would likely last even after the city fixed the ward stone. Tonight, unprotected by the barrier, all of Alnwick was tense.

“That’s to be expected,” a voice said. Leo turned to see Lenore and Kai enter the reception area. The former had put a coat on over her usual robe. Leo frowned.

“Are you going out?”

Lenore chuckled. “If the Silence does appear tonight, I’m certainly not trusting the guards to protect this place.” She grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the door. From there, she had a complete view of the windows, and Leo suspected she would move the chair outside later in the night.

“You guys haven’t headed out yet?” Kai asked. He was rummaging behind the counter, finally pulling out a crossbow and setting it down where it was within reach.

By now, the last slivers of sun had disappeared. The lingering scarlet and orange hues were quickly fading, leaving only the wall of light and the brightening moon to cut through the darkness.

Allan stepped over to join them, all his bags ready and axe stashed where he could easily grab it. Leo exchanged looks with him and Spade, and after a nod of unspoken agreement, he turned to Kai and Lenore.

“We’re heading out now,” he said. He adjusted his own bag. “I know I said it before, but thanks again for everything.”

Lenore waved dismissively. “It was nothing.” Those dark blue eyes were sharp. “I would wish you good luck, but I assume you won’t need it.”

Allan smiled at that. “Hopefully not.”

“You guys should drop by again,” Kai said cheerily from the counter.

“We’ll try to,” Leo answered, and he was surprised to find that he genuinely meant the words.

In the corner of his eye, he caught Spade leaning down while Lenore whispered something to her, but after a few moments the two separated and the [Executioner] stepped over to join Allan and Leo by the door. Lenore gave them all a long, assessing look.

“Stay alive,” she finally said. Leo felt himself smile. He twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open. A cool breeze blew past, rustling the wreath hanging from the Pearl’s door. From here, the dark street seemed to stretch endlessly onwards. At the other end, they would find the Gillis manor, Asher, Darius Gillis, and the fragment.

“We will.”