Ehrir got fed up with the outlook and people of Tarha-Nan rather quickly, or at least of the district where he resided. The master sorcerers and the guild members mentioned multiple times that he and the others shouldn’t wander too far from the inn, and the disciples obeyed the command.
The collection of streets and bland buildings around weren’t interesting to gaze at nor very pleasant for the eye. The citizens wandering around were primarily commoners. There weren’t many shops in the vicinity, either. The Undone One chose to spend most of his time in the inn or other taverns. He regularly went out for short walks with other apprentices (mainly Zaster), but a heavy sense of boredom burdened his heart. He longed to see other, more interesting parts of the city, and the urge to do exactly that grew with each passing hour.
Tarha-Nan turned out to be somewhat more intriguing that Ehrir had thought it to be. After long talks with the inn’s guests and dozens of questions, he learned that the city possessed a lot of places worth visiting. Dark public gardens filled with life-like statues, cathedrals built in the name of the widely recognized local deity (the Crescent Master) and other unusual monuments and buildings dotted the layout.
There were also the catacombs.
The locals talked about them in low, indifferent tones, but most of them outright told him that they didn’t like the tunnels beneath Tarha-Nan.
“This place…” one of them uttered with a bitter voice between sips from his cup of wine. His eyes were somewhere far, far away. “There’s a kind of ominous sensation to them. Nobody know why there were built in the first place, although parts of them are used as tombs. There are pieces of the same… weird thing that the king’s palace is made of scattered throughout them, although they are mostly purple and black, not blue and green. I…” the man coughed several times before continuing. “I think you better stay far away from them. They really aren’t worth your while.”
Ehrir could only nod to the stranger’s advice, but he remembered the catacombs, laying just mere meters below his feet.
While the days passed the Undone One by, the disciples’ mood started lifting up. Even with the Thirdborn as their potential enemy, they couldn’t stay grim for too long. Most decided to have as much fun as the current situation allowed. They held long, lavish dinners in the inn’s private dining halls, drank a lot, sang a lot and celebrated as if there was no tomorrow. They desperately tried to forget about the whole situation with the Thirdborn, Arleon and the assassination plan proposed by the guild members. Ehrir participated almost every night and found those times to be the brightest and most pleasant amongst the grey, monotonous wasteland of his days.
This way of life seemed like it could go on for weeks, and yet it was disrupted rather quickly with the sudden appearance of the blonde girl that talked with Salelia and the old man in the palace. And, just as the last time, the news she brought weren’t exactly good.
***
The young woman arrived with the master sorcerers in the dining hall where the disciples ate at dusk. The girl – soon Ehrir learned that her name was Skarlia – wasn’t wearing the cloak she appeared with in the palace, but a plain shirt and leather vest, covered with pockets, combined with simple pants and knee-high boots. Despite the scars upon her face and her stony expression, she seemed gentle. Her slender frame definitely helped adding to that. „She is quite beautiful”, Ehrir realized before shaking his head. It was better not to think about trained, experienced killers in such a manner.
After introducing herself, the young woman began spouting words quickly. Her tone was grim, and soon it made the room’s atmosphere a lot colder.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
“One of my colleagues… Of the assassins that led you to this city… Mor-Ael. He’s dead”, she uttered.
Ehrir felt a cold droplet of sweat upon his brow. Several gasps filled the air around, along with a couple of curses. Most of the disciples frowned or sank into thought.
He didn’t feel much better himself. He remembered Mor-Ael as a silent and dark man, but the assassin gave off a sense of hardly hidden danger, of power and quickness that could cost the life of anyone crossing his path. The very fact that he was a trained killer greatly added to this worrisome sensation. With whom he had to fight to just… die?
Skarlia continued to talk after the shock quieted down.
“We found him in front of our guild’s headquarters. Someone left him there…” She sighed. “His body was in a pretty bad condition, but I won’t trouble you or your masters with the details. There was a note on Mor-Ael’s body. A note most probably written by the Thirdborn.”
The reaction this time was even louder, and Ehrir felt a slight shock creeping up within him. His spine turned into a piece of ice. He had no time to ask himself even a single question.
“The note mentioned that Mor-Ael was trying to exterminate some of the Changeling’s servants”, the blonde woman continued. “And it warned me and the other members that if such incident was to happen again, Farnaraen would destroy our whole guild. But none of this concerns you… And I’m not here to discuss it at length.”
“Then what do we have to hear?” asked Nalia before anyone else could react.
“I'm getting there. I wanted to say that Mor-Ael was acting alone and out of his wish for revenge, but he could have failed our plans to assassinate Arleon unintentionally. The thing is… The Thirdborn has decided to round up all the surviving members of the Guild and interrogate them about a possible conspiracy against him. He has the help of the king and the Great Master behind his back, so none of us can prevent it. His intention probably is to ask about Mor-Ael and the murders he carried out, but…” She turned towards the old man and Salelia. “Excuse me, can you tell me if there is a way to torture someone with magic without leaving wounds on their body?”
Sevrian nodded slowly, followed by the witch.
“I’m afraid that there is, young lady”, finally said the older sorcerer. “He can use finely tuned, delicate Conquering to do this.”
“But given his power…” the witch interrupted while shaking her head. “He can just sever parts of their nervous systems and then heal them with Manipulation. Nobody will even suspect it afterwards if he does all the interrogation alone.”
“Why do you ask, young lady?”
“I’m afraid that some of them may tell him about you, if he asks them the right kind of questions. Maybe they’ll give away your location, if pressed to do so… We’re all trained to endure torture, and Mor-Ael died proving this very claim. But we’re not immune to magical assault on our minds and bodies. He has promised to not harm any of us, but if my fears come true… He can harm us without leaving marks upon us. And that’ll probably be enough for the king to let the Thirdborn hurt us as much as that bastard wishes to."
Ehrir remained silent, but he was simply astounded by the girl's words. Not only all the new information she brought, but her indifference and sturdiness were amazing. She talked about being tortured and interrogated by none other than Farnaraen himself, and she remained calm and cold as a piece of ice. It was impressive.
"What do you suggest we do, young lady?" Sevrian asked.
"You can't remain here... Too many of us know about this inn, me included. Find another place, and that better be a secluded one. And don't tell a member of the guild about it. That doesn't exclude me. We'll talk once the things in the city calm down a little bit. I can direct you to my older sister. She's a part of the Thieves' Brotherhood and knows every nook and cranny of Tarha-Nan. She'll definitely find you a good place to say."
"I have nothing against it", the witch procclaimed. The old man voiced his agreement, too. Most of the disciples just nodded.
"There is one thing about my sister, though..." Skarlia uttered.
"And what would that be?" someone asked.
"Well, she is the right hand of the Lord of Thieves, the leader of her Brotherhood. And since she's that important... You'll probably have to come to her, not the other way around."