A soft knocking on the door awoke Glissandi from an all too short slumber. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up from the too hard bed, glad she had thought of sending a cleansing weave through it to clear out any bugs before falling asleep in it. She looked at the candle she had lit before drifting off and saw to her dismay that it had lost more than half of its size. She had slept for over three hours and yet she felt as tired as before. With a soft grunt she dismissed the desire to ignore her visitor and instead set to fixing her gown, smoothing any curves in it. She wished she could have taken her mirror from the monastery with her, but lacking that she would have to make do with the reflection in the water of the washing table. Making sure her hair was still as perfect as it should be, she couldn't suppress a sigh at the amount of time and effort she had to put into it every blasted morning.
The knocking repeated and she admonished herself. She had duties to perform, a serious task to attend with lives at stake. She could waste no time on frivolities regarding her own comforts!
"Come in!" she announced. Before the sentence even finished, Lissa had already entered, fully armoured save for her helmet.
"A word of warrior common sense, Priestess," the Paladin began, greeting the Priestess with a nod, "always ask your visitor to announce themselves."
Glissandi felt a twinge of annoyance surge up at being lectured, but caught it and squished it out of existence before it could take hold. She had requested this, and despite her own dislike about it she knew that she needed it. So she inclined her head in response. "I'll bear that in mind."
'Good. You may think me paranoid for it, but such precautions have saved my live on earlier occasions. The Lord may shelter fools, but I think it wise not to relay on his divine providence overmuch.'
Glissandi carefully kept her face neutral, taking care to not let the Paladin realise that she had been thinking that very thought.
Lissa quickly went over the room in a methodical fashion, paying close attention to the heavily warded window and the large closet, before finishing her short inspection tour by looking under the bed. "You'll be pleased to know that all the people you requested for have arrived and are waiting in the common room for you to join them. The girl and her brother have been taken to the adjoining room and are asleep there, with the Squires taking turns guarding them. There are three four-man patrols constantly walking around the inn, another six men are stationed at the front door, and four more at the back. The Captain takes his duties very seriously and I believe him trustworthy. On our part, we have thoroughly secured the entire building and all windows and entrances are properly warded."
Glissandi was taken aback by the amount of security that the Warriors had put in place and had to voice her thoughts. "And yet you still find it necessary for me to ask for identification prior to opening the door?"
Lissa responded with a slightly feral grin. "As I said, it may seem as paranoia to you, Priestess, but I have been on missions where the lack of it has made my task a lot easier." Her hand slid to the hilt of her sword almost unconsciously and the grin grew more feral. Then the Paladin took notice and her face returned to a more neutral stance. "It works, Priestess. In our line of work the words 'too careful' do not exist. At least not in regards to security."
Glissandi nodded, realising that the Paladin drew on more years of experience than she had been alive for. "As you say then. Please, lead the way."
Glissandi descended down the stairs in a regal matter and was pleased to see that every single one of the gathering of people looked at her with deference in their eyes. A Priestess was a high ranking member of the Order, and she was glad to see that they paid the necessary respect to her rank. A part of her was pleased at the sight of the many men bowing to her and she immediately chastised herself for it. She was not due deference. It was her station. She was the conduit through which the Order's will was made manifest. Personal pride was not to be tolerated. She remembered the words of warning Mother Dilia had given her in regards to the temptations of the mind and body. She would undertake a penance when she had the chance. For now she had her duty to perform.
It was quite easy to discern who was who. A tall man with a fair amount of gray in his hair was obviously the captain of the military within the city. His sharp features and the way his eyes never focused on one point was a massive give away. Not that she needed that, given that he was the only one wearing a chain mail shirt, with a buckler hanging on his back and a short sword on his belt. Next to him was an elderly woman, looking positively fragile compared to him. The way she looked at the Priestess as if the younger woman was a Saint come alive made Glissandi believe that this was none other than the headmistress of the orphanage, and was very well aware that the Priestess had saved the life of one of her charges. The last man was ghastly thin, with glasses dancing at the end of his nose and seeming to be in constant state of confusion about whether they were supposed to stay on or fall off. The black, inky stains on his fingers indicated him as the head scribe, or whatever the equivalent title was for that position in the Empire. He offered her a sharp nod, as if he wasn't pleased to have been pulled away from his books.
"Captain Dar, Ledger Master Cuvain, Head Mistress Lena, may I present to you Priestess Glissandi, may the Light bless her." Trista's introduction was solemn and short, before the Warrior retreated to the side of the room and seemed to become one with the background. A very heavily armed and alert part at least.
Captain Dar took a step toward the Priestess, but was overtaken by the Head Mistress who made a curtsy so deep she nearly fell over. "Priestess, I thank you, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving little Nassi,' the woman began. 'I had tried everything, every doctor, every wise woman, but nothing seemed to ease her unease. I have not much, but please, whatever you may desire, it is yours." Tears ran down the woman's face and slowly fell to the floor.
Glissandi reached out for the flame inside her and let it flow through her. She felt her eyes turn from blue to gold again as she looked at the woman. She studied the colours swirling around the frail Head Mistress for a bit, before nodding. The woman spoke true. "I need nothing from you, daughter of the Light. Continue to serve Him as you have done before, and no one could ask more of you."
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The Captain stepped around the older woman and looked into Glissandi's eyes, meeting her golden eyes with an angry gaze of his own. No, she corrected herself. Furious. "Priestess," he greeted her. "I am sorry to report that the town is now in a state of panic. The Mayor has ordered the gates sealed, and I heard of it too late to countermand the order. I have put the man in house arrest and relieved him of his duties. If our quarry is still in the town, they are now aware that we have started a hunt. If they are already outside the town, I fear that if they decide to go into hiding we will not find them anytime soon. Nevertheless, I have sent scouts out and messengers to alert all nearby garrisons to watch for suspicious characters, and to report their findings back to us. My men and I are more suited for warfare and policing duties rather than luring out filthy rats, but we are yours to command, in life, and unto death."
The man snapped off a sharp salute and Glissandi could see the burning red covering him from head to toe and pulse vibrantly when he mentioned the rats. The Paladin had been right. The man was serious about his duties and took it as a personal insult that Darkness had gotten past him, saw it as an incompetence he would either clear up or die in the attempt to do so.
"You are a good man, Captain. Do not see it as your fault that Darkness has snuck past you. You are used to marching in the open where they excel at hiding in the shadows." She motioned to Lissa, who had moved to stand at her side.
"Keep the gates locked for now Captain", the Paladin said. I would like you to clear the houses around the inn at present and establish your position there. It would also speed up our reaction speed if you established several forward positions in town so your soldiers can respond quickly."
The Captain grinned at the orders and Lissa instinctively returned it, giving Glissandi the feeling she was watching two old wolves.
"The forward positions are already established, Paladin. I have a mage at every position to aid them and to quickly send signals should the need arise. My men are tightly patrolling the walls and the militia is working to calm the population as we speak. I have started a rumour that we are preparing to clean out a nest of thieves that deal in narcotics and have managed to operate underground for a long time, in cooperation with the Order. I have also amended the story that the curse that you rooted out, Priestess, was damage caused by an experimental drug rather than black magic." His grin broadened and Glissandi could barely hide the shiver running along her spine. Lisa's grin was a perfect mimicry of his! The two were enjoying it!
"Also," the Captain continued, "Master Cuvain, could you relay to us what you found in the ledgers?"
Glissandi pulled her eyes off the swirling red that surrounded the Captain and turned to face the thin scribe. There was very little emotion residing in him, only a hint of annoyance at being pulled away from his books. She sent a silent prayer to the Lord that it was only the Mayor who was incompetent.
Master Cuvain made the tiniest nod, barely moving his head. "Priestess. I have checked for criminal activity related to this. I have found nothing in the list of condemned criminals. I have found nothing in the list of suspected criminals. I have found something in the list of suspicious persons."
Glissandi blinked in surprise. The man spoke as if he was devoid of life, speaking in statements rather than in sentences. "What have you found, Master Cuvain?" she asked, forcing herself to ignore the man's weird behaviour.
"In the list of suspicious persons I have found one person who aligns with the criteria. Young woman. About six feet tall. Brown eyes. Black hair. Was wearing a large brown coat and boots, both made of good leather. Admitted to carrying one dagger. Suspected to have more. Estimated around sixteen years of age. Entered the city three weeks and two days ago."
"I have my most trustworthy informants looking out for her, Priestess." Dar interjected. "She has been spotted by several of my patrols the first three days after she has arrived."
"What made her become classified as a suspicious person?" Lissa asked.
"She made a point of evading my patrols. She was good at it too, but she seemed to be looking for someone, or something. Now I didn't think much of it at first, suspected she was a noble's daughter with too much free time and too little to do, but there are too many flags raised to not suspect a connection. Mistress Lena, when did the girl first showed signs of illness?"
"Nassi?" the woman seemed surprised at having been addressed. "Let me think... I think it was around—"
Glissandi interrupted everyone by hissing loudly and turning towards the door, followed a moment later by a loud explosion that resonated through the air. The door of the inn banged open and a soldier rushed through.
"Captain! Hostile action at the Weaver's Market! Red flare!"
Captain Dar rushed over to the soldier, followed by Glissandi, who somehow had overtaken Lissa. "Send two thirds of the main force to them! Make sure nothing gets in or out of that entire area, and send word to the wall that our target is on the loose!"
"Captain!" Glissandi yelled, pulling at the man's arm to force him to stop. "There's Dark magic being used. Your men will be wiped out!"
Dar's eyes widened the tiniest fraction, then rapped his knuckles against his forehead. "Then we will die for the Light, Priestess." The man pulled himself out of Glissandi's grap and set of at a run, only to come to a full stop when Lissa grabbed him by the neck.
"Lock the inn down. Get your men inside, protect the child at all cost, and give us some guides. You have rooted out the rat, Captain. Now it is our turn."
The Captain met Lissa's burning gaze, irked by the idea that he would have to sit out the Darkness that had gotten past him.
"You have done well, Captain. The Lord has tasks for all of us. Do not forsake duty for honour." Glissandi's words were solemn and the Captain turned his eyes downwards. A speck of shame appeared in the red cloud of anger.
"As you say Priestess."
Lissa turned towards the stairs and bellowed loudly. "Get in gear and get down! We have prey to hunt!"
Trista, somehow having exited the inn without anyone else having taken notice, popped back in through the door, walking backwards, her shield and sword pointing towards the outside. Mina and Mira practically threw themselves down the stairs, barely managing to avoid losing their bucklers and short swords in their reckless descent.
Glissandi submerged herself fully in the fires of her magic and her eyes started to shine. As Lissa barked orders and the party got in formation, the Priestess prepared herself to unleash the Lord's divine punishment on the vile cretin that dared to hurt children. By the Light! she swore, they will pay!
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