{-Casrane-}

She would’ve been worried about how long it was taking Kaerio, were it not for the fact she knew it would take a while. He’d walked into the shop several minutes ago, promising to be back as soon as he could, but requesting that the three of them stay outside. She could still hear his voice through the open window—he and the shopkeeper seemed to be having a pleasant chat… something that vaguely seemed to be code for something else.

When he walked back out, he tucked the small box out of sight and said, “I think that’s everything I wanted to make sure I had from around town. Are you ready to go meet with that friend I mentioned?”

Myr, who before had sat down and seemed about ready to fall asleep, immediately jumped up. “You made us run around town all day! Of course we’re ready to go see the people it was all for!”

Llewel didn’t possess even a fragment of that kind of enthusiasm. “At least it’s done now. I’d rather make sure we were well-prepared than dead.”

“Do you know where your friend is going to be now?” Casrane prompted, looking at Kaerio.

He nodded. “I sent him a message a little while ago and he promised to meet with us at the center of town. He should definitely be there by now.”

As they walked, it seemed to be becoming clearer where each individual stood. Crowds were starting to gather around speakers, not to listen, but to shout out how right they were; smaller groups were arguing with one another, their stances clear, neither willing to give in; the confused, undoubtedly scared people who just seemed lost in such chaos. After realizing the fact, Casrane tried to keep her eyes only on the path in front of her—though that did nothing to keep her from hearing what they said.

She wasn’t paying attention when they got to the center of town and only half acknowledged that the others all stopped so Kaerio could talk with someone.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d come!” The man looked rich, perhaps more so than what nearly all the other residents did, and despite his cheery tone, gave nervous looks to the crowds. “I assume these three are friends of yours?”

Kaerio nodded. “They’re Casrane, Llewel, and Myr.” He turned to the three of them. “This is Gouzla. He’s more or less the same way I am—he doesn’t actually have a side.” Then he glanced back at Gouzla. “Do you have what I asked you to get for me?”

“I told you back then that it was no longer in my possession, and the same can be said now,” Gouzla answered simply. “I don’t have it with me due to the… unruly nature of things recently. I didn’t want anything to happen to it before you could see it.”

“Then who did you leave it with?”

“Iris—she’s more or less the rightful owner of it, after all. I let her know that you’d be coming over to get it.” Gouzla paused. “Could you tell me what you hope to use it for? I suppose I can’t be surprised someone like you knows about it and what it does, but I’m still ot sure why you’d need something like that in the first place.”

“It’s… more of a hunch, if anything else.” Kaerio glanced at the others. “I have a feeling bad things are going to happen soon. I’d rather make sure I’m as prepared as possible.” He nodded at Gouzla and said, “Thanks, and stay safe out here. Things seem to be getting worse by the day.”

“Now, remember who’s older here—I should be the one telling that to you! Don’t get yourself hurt. People won’t vote for me if I let that happen.”

If it was meant to be a joke, Kaerio wasn’t amused, nor did he respond to it. He just waved and gestured for the three of them to follow him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Does this change anything?” Llewel asked, likely noticing the kind of look Kaerio had as they walked.

He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. Not really. I expected Gouzla to have gotten it, since that would’ve made things a bit quicker, but it doesn’t matter. I still know where Iris lives.”

Myr didn’t quite seem to believe it either, pointing out, “You still look nervous.”

“That’s because, long story short, she’s somewhat tied up in this in a relatively unique way.” He must’ve known that did nothing to really explain himself, or to do nothing but raise their suspicions. “She’s still on our side, you don’t have to worry about that. I actually feel like she’s probably the most likely to stand her ground as a neutral party. But there was still a reason I asked Gouzla to get it, even though I knew it was with Iris the whole time…” He shook his head. “Maybe it’ll make more sense when you get there. Or… maybe it’s better if you get there and you still can’t understand it.”

He didn’t tell them anything else about it as they walked through the city. They just carefully walked around all the crowds, kindly informing anyone that came by that they had something important to do. Kaerio finally stopped at a house near the edge of town, hesitating for only a second before knocking.

A woman with a tired smile opened the door, gesturing them in without hesitation. “No need to act like a stranger, Kaerio. You and your friends are welcome here anytime.”

Kaerio let out a more nervous chuckle than anything else, then led the way inside. He didn’t sit down, even after she once again motioned them to. Casrane did, though, and the twins soon followed her.

She saw a glimpse of a little girl, when she poked her head out to see them, then darted away as soon as they made eye contact.

“It’s alright, Mae,” the woman said softly. “They’re Kaerio’s friends.” When the girl emerged, the woman turned her attention to Kaerio. “Friends he has yet to introduce me to.”

“Casrane, Llewel, and Myr,” he answered in more of a mumble, pointing to each of them when he said their name. “You three, this is Iris, and that’s her daughter Mae.”

She smiled at each of them. “I was already preparing for you, so I’ve got some snacks ready. I’ll go get them. Kaerio, you know you’re like family here—go on, sit down while you wait.”

Even after she walked away, he stayed standing. He mumbled the defense of, “We don’t plan on staying very long.” though she probably hadn’t heard him.

Casrane had a lot of practice being the observer. She’d been able to piece together things that she wasn’t supposed to understand; people would say a lot, when they didn’t realize she was there. A look between Kaerio and Iris let her make a guess of what had happened, even if she was almost certain they’d never say it out loud.

Mae said nothing to them, only accepting one of her mother’s cookies and sitting down on the floor. It seemed she never took her eyes off the twins. Iris sat the small tray down on a nearby table, laughed a bit as Myr immediately went to grab one, and walked away again.

She came back a moment later with some kind of jewelry box, setting it on the table next to the tray. Kaerio reached to grab it, but she stopped him.

“You’re not going anywhere with these until you tell me why you need them,” Iris said assertively, “and why you tried to get Gouzla to get them instead of coming yourself.”

“I just have a feeling we’re going to need it and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“What are you doing that makes you think that?”

“Nothing. Not yet. It’s… a little complicated…”

“Kaerio, you know I don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t intend on losing any more family, whether they’re related by blood or not.” She looked at the other three. “Does it have anything to do with them? Are they going to drag you into something you won’t be able to get yourself back out of?”

“They’re not trouble, I swear. They’re more of the ones who are going to end up getting into a mess because they’re staying in Kehnore…” He must’ve realized that just made her concern worse, and sighed. “They’re the Hero of Masylm and the twin descendants of Emmyth.”

Iris was silent for a moment. “You know, no one expects you to be a part of fixing this. It’s nothing you should even be worrying about—let the adults take care of it…”

Kaerio shook his head and, cautiously, took the box. “I think we’ve both lost enough by now to know why I’m not just sitting in a corner. I promise I’ll be careful.”

“As soon as things get dangerous, you come right back here. I don’t know how I’d face your parents or Hadar if something happened to you.”