Summer 4997, 14 Doumoth

Lily had Rose's journeyman bring her directly into the room Perla had rented for them.

Even with the precaution, he was a nervous wreck. He hated coming into any of the cities, or leaving the Talons at all, it seemed.

"Could you relax for once in your life, Warlock?" she snapped, knowing it would make him uncomfortable.

Predictably, he flinched at the title, looking around as though expecting a guard to hop out of a corner, yelling "ah-ha!"

"Please, keep your voice down. My name is Cairn." he hissed at her, patting the air between them.

Lily scoffed loudly, "And mine is Lily. If you use mine I'll use yours."

He flinched again, then mumbled at the floor, "That isn't a draconic-"

"I don't care." she huffed, "We've been working together for how long? and you still refuse to use my name. It would only be a mild inconvenience for me to travel the long way instead of taking your portals. And if I don't need your portals then I don't need you, Warlock." walking to one of the beds, she fell onto it to stare at the ceiling, "I'll deliver the message tomorrow. You can wait here if you're scared." He could only make one portal a day, so they wouldn't be able to leave until he'd slept for the night anyway.

And it would be two until he could return to the Talon and Rose.

True to her word, Lily 'delivered' the note the following morning from the roof of a nearby shop. She'd been aiming for the guard's armored head, but the stupid man turned at the last moment and took the sling-propelled bullet in the face. Lily flinched on his behalf with a whispered, "oops," then scrambled quickly off the roof. She probably could've taken her time, his companion was too busy seeing to the heath of the now unconscious man to chaise her even if he could follow the path of the projectile.

She returned to the room, slipping in and startling the jumpy Warlock enough that he summoned a handful of purple flame before noticing it was her and hiding his hands behind his back.

"Alright," Lily said, talking more to herself than him, "Now you just need to take me to Stuidal. As close to Goldflow as you can manage..." The Warlock stuttered a frightened protest and Lily rolled her eyes, "If you don't want to stay here then you can come with me and leave tomorrow."

"The Wat-" he started,

"Rose." Lily corrected,

"The mistress said you weren't going to help. She said you assured her..."

"What I said," Lily corrected him with a grin, "Was that we aren't going to help. And she, therefore we, aren't. Just me."

"Bu... But... Fi- Lily..." He looked uncomfortable using her name, but had actually done it. It was enough to make Lily's jaw drop.

Then she smiled, "Thank you. If you can remember better than the others then I might just let you live when all this is over." she said, "Now take me to Goldflow, Cairn."

He looked away from her, "I can't."

She growled and he lifted his hands defensively, "I've never been there and haven't been given clear direction. I would need my maps to make sure we were at the correct elevation and away from any obstacles..." He explained, "I can only trust standard maps to get you close, but... Mistress Rose, won't be happy."

Lily tossed her hair, "What's new with that? Tell her I bullied you, she'll believe it, since it's true." She crossed her arms, continuing under her breath, "I have a..." she rubbed her neck, "feeling... about this one. I want to be there. Just in case."

She and Rose had spoken at length before Lily came here, and the fact that the Nin's were so heavily involved in this particular experiment, when they'd been leaving the true research to the Talons for the last few decades, had both dragons worried. Even more so than the experiment itself. It made Lily's neck itch...

The Warlock didn't argue further, and after a quickish clairvoyance spell, did in fact follow her through the gate to Stuidal. They separated there. Apparently, he was more willing to brave possible monsters alone, than he was to try and keep up with her until he could gate back to Rose. He pointed out their approximate location on her map, just inside the Stinat mountain range, then at a small unmarked dot about a three-day ride into the mountains.

The mountains of Stuidal were more like piles of rock, with only the occasional dry brush and nervous lizard to break up the monotony of stone. The passes through the mountains were narrow and wove between the cliffs, slowing even those on horseback and allowing only the smallest wagons. It should've taken Lily twice as long on foot, but the athletic woman didn't need to follow the twisting path up the switchbacks. Instead, she ran over stones and scrambled up the cliffs, avoiding the road altogether. She only walked when she absolutely needed to and napped in short bursts. It still took her five days. She was mostly slowed by a kobold attack, and though she made quick work of the annoying pests, every delay had her neck itching again.

Just when she'd started considering following the road, so as not to miss the small town, she found it. Goldflow was nestled in the bowl between three mountain peaks, fields taking up every bit of the limited farmable landscape outside the walls. From her vantage, it looked significantly larger than the small population indicated. It was set up like a compass rose, with two wide roads leading north to south and east to west, meeting in the middle. The western side of the city abutted the nearest mountain, with a cave entrance instead of a wall or gate.

A mine? Lily wondered, That would explain the name...

"Maybe we should've researched the town more..." Lily grumbled to herself, then shook her head. Even if she did finally learn the lesson not to rush headlong without doing any proper reading, the Central Talon didn't have a library, so she only had access to Rose's books, and she doubted the Halakon Talon carried the history or details of a Stuidal town small enough not to be named on a map.

"I miss Tuth..." Lily whined in a whisper. If the young Mage were here he probably could've -and would have- recited the town's entire history as a way of admonishing her for not doing any reading herself. She sighed, reminding herself, yet again, that there was no point in lamenting her loss of resources or friends. Just like there was no point in waiting around out here with the town in reach.

The sun was just beginning to set, the shadow of the westernmost mountain already casting Goldflow in darkness. As she walked the road towards the gates, Lily noticed that only about half of the fields were actually in use, and those seemed to need a good weeding... Her neck itched.

Just as she did in Everbough Lily stopped at the closed gates and shouted up to the guards on the wall, "Hey! Is this Goldflow?"

One of the guards looked over the wall and cursed. His companion pulled him back, saying something she couldn't hear, then took his place, "What do you want, Sorcerer?"

Lily cocked her head at them, "To know if this is Goldflow. Obviously." she rolled her entire head with her eyes to make sure he got the full effect of her exasperation from a distance, "And to take a bath and sleep in a real bed. I have papers." She started reaching into her bag but the guard shouted down,

"Go back to where you came from."

Lily tilted her head to the other side, crossing her arms. She'd rarely come across guars this rude. The first guard came forward again, spewing an excuse quickly, "A lone woman, even a Sorcerer, couldn't possibly get here alone. Go back to your bandits and tell them they won't be getting anyone inside!"

That was the second time they'd assumed she was a Sorcerer... True she looked strange, even magical, but she didn't have a familiar... Lily scowled, reaching up to scratch her neck, coming to only one conclusion. The Warlock had told them about her. Had they taken over the town guard too? And despite her ties to them, they didn't want her in the city...

Lily cursed, turning away from the gate. So the Warlocks did know she wasn't to be trusted with human experiments... She chewed on her thumb, trying to think as she left the town behind. She needed to tell Rose as soon as possible. What if they suspected her too? This could be very bad. She doubted the Warlocks would hurt her, and swore to herself that they wouldn't imprison her, but it also meant she was of much less use to the kingdom, and Shon, than she needed to be to justify continuing to work with the Warlocks...

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She rounded a turn in the road, and with it a pile of boulders that would block her from the view of the wall guards, and still hadn't figured out what she should do. "First things first." she whispered, finally deciding, "We stop this operation, then I worry about what to do with the Warlocks." Rose didn't think she'd found enough about the alternative methods to bring back the dragons, but if Lily was under this much suspicion they didn't have time for Rose to find out more.

"Maybe I should confront the Nin's again..." Lily mused, finding a cleft in the rocks where she could doze, out of view of both the road and the town, "If we are honest with each other, then maybe I can convince them to shift their research and see this finished..." That usually worked for her after all.

Until then, she needed to talk to the team and warn them about the guards...

***

They didn't run, the minutes saved in doing so would be negligible with a multi-day trip awaiting them in Stuidal. But they did walk briskly. Shon, Oswall, and Tristen went straight to the Mages Guild, where they found their companions ready and waiting, and the gate Mage on duty already prepared to cast.

She did at a nod from Tristen and all six team members entered, barely pausing as the gate attendant in Stuidal announced, "You're expected Sir Tristen, your mounts are waiting outside."

In the atrium, a Paladin of Horsa fell into step beside Tristen, passing him a bundle of papers and saluting as they continued outside to mount up and head out. Tristen handed the papers to Shon, while those who wore armor started to don what they could while mounted.

Tristen led the way on his Warhorse, the other mounts following without needing much guidance. In the rear, Shon took out his light stone to read through the papers. They contained a detailed map of Stuidal, and what knowledge they had of the town of Goldflow as well as theories of how the Warlocks had managed to infiltrate the place.

In the past, Goldflow had been a large town, bordering on the size of a city and funded by its gold mine. However, in the last two decades, the gold had run dry and families had packed up and moved, leaving only the most stubborn farmers behind in what was quickly becoming a ghost town. It no longer held even a small Mages Guild for gates, nor a Temple presence outside of a small garrison of enlisted guards and a single Paladin officer. It was a week's ride through stony mountains to get there, with mail only delivered or retrieved once a month during the standard road patrols.

Two months ago, the local priest of Soleil had passed away of natural causes, according to the report, and a replacement had been sent to see to the town's needs. His successful arrival had been the last communication they'd received from Goldflow, not at all suspicious, if it weren't for Lily's message.

Shon waited until they stopped to camp to give the team an abbreviated version of the report. Alena in particular looked distressed at the news that a Warlock was impersonating one of her order, while the others discussed how they may have made the switch.

They found out exactly how on the third day.

Ryuuko was the one who noticed the wreckage. Flying alongside the team as they rode in single file, -a tall cliff face to their right, and a deadly cliff drop to their left- It whistled, sending Shon an image.

Shon held up his fist calling, "Hold," to the others.

They all stopped, turning in their saddles to watch as Shon dismounted to look over the edge. With his own eyes, Shon could barely see it. Ryuuko glided lower, sending him a more clear image of a burned-out wagon and a dead horse at the base of the cliff.

Alena dismounted, coming to stand beside him as Shon whispered a prayer for the dead. She squinted, leaning over the edge, then gasped, turning quickly to grasp Shon's shirt and bury her face in his chest.

Awkwardly, Shon pat her back, looking to the others for help. Tristen came to his rescue, dismounting and coming over to rest a hand on Alena's shoulder. The Cleric gasped, pulling away from Shon, "I'm sorry..." her lip was trembling, and Shon couldn't tell if it did so from his cold or from her grief. Probably both.

She leaned into Tristen instead, who whispered, "We will send a group to retrieve them, Alena."

Ebonwing transformed into a bird and flew down to investigate, but returned quickly, shaking her head, "Three guards and the priest. I'm sorry Alena..."

Neither Oswall nor Ranito had dismounted, they exchanged looks and Os flicked his smoke over the edge of the cliff, saying, "They would've had to replace the guards too. We may have more to deal with than just one Warlock."

"Let's go." Tristen said, helping Alena to her horse before swinging back onto Kelvar, "They've been in Goldflow for over a month, we should hurry."

"I hate missions in town..." Ranito grumbled. Shon nodded in agreement. Whenever they were forced to confront villains in a town like this they needed to spend most of their energy focusing on the safety of the bystanders and preventing collateral damage. It was far too easy to take hostages and destroy buildings.

"Focus on defensive and healing magics," Tristen instructed.

Oswall shrugged, "At least this way I'll have plenty of shadows to pounce from." he mused.

Tristen nodded, frowning, "We'll try and keep things inconspicuous. There is another town two more days away. We'll imply we are merely stopping at Goldflow on the way there. You can snoop around, and perhaps the Warlocks won't suspect us." The Paladin didn't like lying or sneaking, but over the last two years, Oswall had managed to convince him of the benefit of undercover operations.

They pressed their mounts hard but were slowed by the natural terrain, managing to shave only two days off their trip and arriving after nightfall. Goldflow stretched out below them as they rounded a pile of boulders and came in view of the city.

"Most of those buildings will be empty... plenty of places to hide," Oswall said, gesturing down at the mostly dark town.

Tristen nodded, moving ahead, "I assume you can find a way to turn that to our advantage?"

"Of course," Os assured him with a shrug.

Shon was briefly distracted by the boulders beside the road, squinting at them as he rode past. A rock tumbled down from behind the stack, but then a lizard popped up on top, licking its eyes. Shon turned away, focusing forward, circling his ki, and calming his mind in preparation for the conflict ahead.

They approached the closed east gates, and before Tristen could call up to the guards, one leaned over to shout, "Who goes there?"

"Sir Tristen of Saint Giorgos. Is this the town of Goldflow?"

The guard hesitated, but his companion answered, "It is good Sir."

Ebonwing spoke to the others, loud enough for the guards to hear, "Only two days to Stoneturn then."

Oswall continued the ruse, asking Tristen, "Can we get at least one night in a bed before we continue?"

"It's far too late to continue," Ranito added.

"Please?" Alena chimed in, driving the lie home.

Shon couldn't bring himself to smile, but he did pray a silent thank you to Hengist for bringing him such considerate companions. They allowed Tristen his ruse, without requiring that the Paladin lie himself.

With a nod, Tristen ordered the guards, "Open the gates,"

***

Lily was startled awake by a familiar voice. Kicking a stone and surprising a lizard that had come too close to her little nook. Peaking around the side of her hiding place, she saw nothing until she looked around the other side, toward the town.

Scrambling to her feet and up the pile of rocks, Lily lay on her belly to watch over the top. "Shit," She'd wanted to talk to the team before they entered the town, but had fallen asleep and now they were already heading towards the gates.

Sliding back down the rocks, Lily sprinted around the outer rim of the bowl, trying to stay quiet and in the shadows despite the distance and moonless night making it hard for any guards to see her. There was no way the guards or Warlocks would deny entrance to the kingdom representatives as they had her. Even if they tried, that would only lead to the Paladin of Saint Giorgos bringing a literal army down on the town.

Would the Warlock try to run? Gating away in the night to avoid the team? Or would they attempt to continue their ruse? The former would be the smartest, assuming the agent inside could gate, but they also had to expect someone from a Temple to come eventually, even just as a standard monthly patrol or to pick up mail. Therefore they must have some kind of plan in place...

Lily snuck to the wall between the mountain to the west and the gate to the north. They had hardly anyone patrolling the tops, either because they didn't have enough guards or because said guards were lazy. Either way, it was far too easy for Lily to scale the stone face, rolling across the wall to drop to the ground on the other side without being seen.

The town was eerily dark as Lily snuck through the back streets toward the main thoroughfare. The only lights at all showed through the windows of a large building that looked like the local inn, and the stained glass of the Church chapel... Where the Warlock probably hid. But why would they be up so late? Was it because they expected the team, or because she had attempted to come in earlier?

Lily cursed at her own stupidity in trying to enter the town openly. If she'd put the Warlocks on their toes then it would be her fault if they were prepared for the team.

She reached the Church, peeking around the wall towards the east gate, where the team was leading their horses into the public stables. Shon, in the rear, stopped at the door, looking her way, and Lily ducked behind the wall. When she peeked again, he was gone. Lily sighed, maybe when this was over she could find some time with him. It had been so very very long... And she wanted to tell him, as well as Rose, her fears that she couldn't be of much use for much longer.

Lily forced her mind back onto the task at hand, dashing around the corner and into the Chapel. She didn't have to look for the Warlocks. They were waiting at the altar. Both of them...

Yonin smiled her stone-faced smile, and In'nin shook his head, asking, "What are you doing here, Firewyrm?"

"Me?" Lily hissed at them, "What are you doing here?" Leary, she drew her staff, extending it, but then leaned on it so as not to appear too threatening.

"We?" Yonin asked,

"We are dealing with a..." In'nin started,

"Problem." Yonin finished.

In'nin pulled something from his robes, something gold, he held it out as if offering it to Lily. She furrowed her brow, A snake?

Lily's eyes went wide as the golden snake seemed to leap from the Master Archmage's hand. Faster than she could follow, it slithered down the central aisle towards her. Lily tried to leap back, but as soon as her feet hit the ground once more the snake wound its way under her pants and up her leg. All the way to her throat.

"And you." In'nin continued,

"Are going home." Yonin purred.

Lily tumbled out the door. Someone snapped their fingers and she gasped for breath that wouldn't come as the snake collar constricted. Lily stumbled towards the door and Yonin lifted her fist to whisper something into it.

It was a trap. She had to warn them. Had to warn Shon. Lily made it out to the road and tried to shout to the team now exiting the stables. She could only choke.

Then the ground disappeared out from under her.