She also remembered how drunk she’d gotten.
Several eyes were on her and Fellis; she could feel them, like nails raking against her skin. They made her feel dirty, but she put up with it. They were there to gather information. She needed to find out where Jacob was being held.
This particular bar served a lot of knights. They were easy to recognize, and not just because many of them were still in their armor. Those who didn’t wear armor carried weapons.
She’d learned early in their walk through Alyssium that the average citizen was not allowed to carry swords, perhaps because this place was the capital, so there should have been no need for weapons. Enyo didn’t understand, but she was of the Dark Clan. Everyone, even children of the Dark Clan, carried weapons.
Enyo was eyeing one knight in particular, a very familiar paladin with dark hair and dark eyes. It was the man who Jacob had run into back in Tallus Caelum, the same man who chased her in Altus. She also suspected that he was the one who arrested Jacob.
“Good evening, ladies,” a voice said. “I couldn’t help but notice that you two were alone, and I thought it was a crime that such lovely young flowers had no one to share their evening with.”
Enyo turned. The person who’d spoken was a handsome young man with the air of an aristocrat. His defined features were handsome, but not overly so. Jacob was more handsome than him. He wore refined clothes befitting a noble, silk pants and a crimson doublet.
“Can I help you?” asked Enyo.
“Indeed you can,” the man said with a gracious smile, “by allowing me to buy you a drink.”
Enyo debated the merits of letting this man buy her a drink. She wasn’t a fan of alcohol, but she knew that if she wanted to get information, then she needed to present a harmless and vulnerable front. She needed to play up to this man’s ego and loosen his tongue. At the same time, she really, really, really did not want to get drunk.
I wonder if I could use magic to keep myself sober?
She’d never tried it before, but it was worth a shot.
Enyo muttered under her breath.
“Protego. Vocatus.”
“Excuse me?” the noble questioned.
“It’s nothing,” Enyo said with a smile and a shake of her head. “Please sit down.”
Despite not being well versed in flirting, Enyo did her best to entertain the noble, whose name she didn’t even care to know. She basically tuned out everything he said, smiled, and nodded. He didn’t seem to care anyway. From what she gathered, this man liked listening to the sound of his own voice.
Time dragged on as she listened. It was easy to not pay attention and still achieve positive results, since the man seemed to be paying more attention to himself than to her. Also, her spell was working quite well. She’d already finished one mug of ale and wasn’t feeling anything. The ale still tasted awful, though.
Out of the corner of her eye, Enyo saw Fellis entertaining several men. She felt envious at how naturally her former maid spoke. Unlike her, Fellis didn’t appear to have any trouble playing the flirting game.
“… And recently, my father has been trying to free my brother-in-law from prison. I honestly cannot fathom why he would do such a thing.”
“Speaking of prison,” Enyo started now that she’d seen an opening, “is it true that the hero has been sentenced to life imprisonment for betraying the crown?”
Well and truly drunk, the man thought nothing of nodding as he said, “So it would seem. I know someone who works in the palace as a guard, and it appears that the hero is locked up in the dungeon.”
The dungeon…
“The dungeon is in the palace?” she asked.
“Of course,” the noble said. “All criminals captured in Alyssium are sent there until they can be transported to Cocytus. Didn’t you know that?”
“I’m not from around here,” Enyo said as she eyed Fellis, who was now playing drinking games with three burly men. Two of the men were already passed out on the floor, and the last swayed drunkenly in his chair. She looked at the man’s red face as he blinked several times. Fellis, on the other hand, still looked completely sober as she smiled at the man.
She shook her head.
“Anyway, thank you for being so kind as to speak with me. However, I really must be going now,” Enyo said.
“W-what? Going?” The noble’s eyes widened. “But we’ve only just—”
“Fellis, let’s go,” Enyo said as she stood up.
Fellis looked at her, and then back at the man sitting across from her. She flicked the man on the nose. That seemed to be all he needed to fall back and pass out on the floor. Bounding to her feet with a satisfied grin, Fellis gestured for her to lead the way.
They exited the bar and disappeared into the street. Enyo glanced up at the sky, dark velvet and shining with stars. The bar they’d gone to didn’t second as an inn. They would need to find a place to sleep.
“I take it you got what you needed?” Fellis asked when there was no one else around.
“Yes,” Enyo said. “I know where they’re keeping Jacob.”
“What’s our next course of action?”
“Not here. Let’s talk about that once we find a room for the night.”
They were about to continue walking off—when Enyo felt something that made her stop. The hairs on her neck were prickling; goosebumps had appeared on her skin. She felt a strange chill in her bones. This feeling, what was it?
“Someone is using dark magic,” Fellis said.
“Can you feel it?” Enyo asked.
“I can.”
“Can you track it?”
“Possibly.”
“Then please do what you can.”
While Fellis might have desired to say something along the lines of, “We can’t afford to waste time protecting people we don’t know,” she seemed to have realized that Enyo wouldn’t listen. She didn’t even hesitate to do as asked. She glanced around, her ears twitching as if they could hear something beyond Enyo’s ability to perceive.
“This way,” she said before running off.
Enyo followed Fellis into an alley. They burst out the other side, only to travel through another alley. Fairy lights blurred past her vision; colors seemed to meld. Enyo wondered where they were going, but then she saw it—there was someone on the roof, and they were being chased by strange monsters!
“Those are wraiths!” Fellis said.
Enyo didn’t respond. She chanted instead.
“Penitro. Percutio. Perfringo.”
Enyo felt a tug on her navel. Light coalesced before her hand, streamers that gathered and formed a blade, which shot forward so fast it appeared to have teleported. The light spear pierced one of the monsters, a strange wraithlike creature made of black shadows. Shrieking, the creature stumbled and fell off the roof, hitting the ground and shattering like glass.
Two of the monsters stopped chasing the woman, turned around, and leapt at her and Fellis. They avoided the pounce by splitting apart. Enyo chanted again, feeling the familiar pull on her magic as she sent a light spear at the beast. It dodged. She clicked her tongue.
“Close quarters it is,” she muttered.
Fellis was already engaged in combat with one of the wraiths. She danced around the creature, chipping away at it with her whip. Enyo would’ve marveled at how graceful the woman was, but she had her own problem to deal with.
Unsheathing her daggers, Enyo channeled light magic into her weapons, causing them to glow a brilliant white. The wraith charged forward, but she swung her weapons forward. Her foe reared back as she sliced into its flesh. It hissed, steam wafting from the wound before it closed up.
“Your kind is weak against light magic,” she said, grinning.
The wraith didn’t understand her words. They were not intelligent creatures, merely violent ones. All they could do was attack or follow the orders of something or someone stronger than them.
This one attacked her again, its previous w
ariness forgotten. It lunged at her once more, but Enyo stepped to the side, allowing it to pass, and then she brought her daggers down and pierced the creature’s back. As light energy erupted from her blades, it burned the wraith’s body from the inside out. The monster evaporated into the night.
Fellis was still fighting her wraith. Her magic made her ill-suited to battling creatures like this, which were little more than dark matter given form. The woman wove around the various attacks sent her way. She ducked a claw swipe that ruffled her hair, leapt away from a swing that would have torn open her chest, and then struck the creature with her whip. Sadly, physical attacks didn’t work on monsters like this unless enhanced by Magic Channeling.
Knowing this, Enyo threw a dagger at the wraith, which pierced its back while it was busy defending against Fellis. The creature shrieked as light emitted from inside of it. Then it burst into light particles.
“That was excellent work,” Fellis complimented. “You did a good job.”
“Thank you,” Enyo said. “Do you think that girl is all right?”
“I am fine,” said the very girl they spoke of. She walked out of the shadows, revealing herself to the two of them, though to say that she revealed herself would be an oxymoron. She was wearing a dark cloak that hid everything, including her face. “Thank you for the assistance. Because of you two, I was able to defeat the last wraith without worrying about counterattacks.”
“You’re welcome.” Enyo smiled. “But why were those wraiths attacking you anyway? What were they even doing here?”
“It is odd that a couple of wraiths would be found in Alyssium,” Fellis added. “The only way for them to get inside here was if someone had summoned them.”
“I’m afraid that is exactly what happened,” the woman said. “Sadly, due to the nature of this issue, I am unable to disclose that information despite the help you have rendered me.”
Enyo shrugged. “It’s fine. We were just happy to help.”
“You are a very compassionate soul. Your silence on this matter is greatly appreciated.” The woman bowed once more. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be off.”
As the woman disappeared into the night, Enyo looked at Fellis.
“That was really strange,” she said.
“Indeed.” Fellis agreed. “Now, let’s find a place to stay for the night. It is getting late and I, for one, would like to sleep.”
“Agreed.”
***
The next morning, Enyo decided to scout out the palace. That was why she woke up early, just as the dawn was breaking and most people were still asleep. She didn’t want anyone getting in her way.
After reapplying her hair dye and using a spell to change her eye color, Enyo left the inn that she and Fellis were staying at and traveled through the paved roads.
Because it was still early in the morning, there weren’t that many people up and about. Most of the people who were awake were the ones whose job was to set up their business—stall owners and vendors, clothiers and shopkeepers. They were the only ones getting ready to start the day.
As she walked passed a bakery, the scent of fresh bread wafted into her nose. Her stomach growled. She briefly thought about going in to buy some bread, but they didn’t have much money. Unless there was a quest board somewhere that would allow her to earn cash, she would need to use their money sparingly.
Enyo hadn’t thought of it before, but Alyssium was created much like a three-tiered cake. The first layer was the market and poor people’s district, the second was the nobles’ residence, and the third was Avant Heim. As she ascended a set of stairs that would take her up to the second level, this belief became solidified.
The nobles’ residential district was a lot different from the market district. The houses down below were all basic square buildings made from brick and tiles. These buildings were far more opulent. They were graceful creations with sloping roofs and expansive gardens. Most of the houses had their own fountains and were lined with columns and statues. One house even looked like a palace that had been transplanted from another country entirely.
There weren’t that many people outside in the noble district, either, which didn’t surprise her as she imagined the nobles were quite lazy. Still, there were a few people out for an early morning stroll. She saw a noble woman decked out in a ridiculously gaudy dress walking her poodle. There were a pair of older nobles playing a game of chess in a park that she passed. However, aside from those few who seemed to enjoy the mornings, there was no one.
Or so she thought at first.
A crowd seemed to have gathered at one of the houses. This one was even more extravagant than most. It was a three-story home with a balcony and a porch. Four spires jutted from each quadrant as if they were points on a compass. Many windows dotted the exterior, though no one could see through them thanks to the curtains. A gate surrounded the mansion, and standing near the entrance were several dozen nobles.
Curious, Enyo drew close. She wanted to know what was going on here. The people were whispering, speaking in hushed tones. Enyo could barely make out their conversation.
“Did you hear…”
“… Dead…”
“Heard it was a murder.”
Feeling more curious now, Enyo wandered up to the group. “Excuse me? But what happened here?”
The group turned as one. Enyo almost twitched when she noticed their disgusted faces as they gazed at her clothes, as if they were judging her based on what she wore.
“Is that a peasant?” one of them asked.
“What’s a peasant doing here in the noble district?”
“Shoo! Shoo!”
Enyo didn’t know how to take their reaction to her—if she should be upset, confused, or laugh because, technically, her position as the Dark Lady of the Dark Clan meant she had a higher status than them.
“Ah, it’s you!” a familiar voice said.
Turning around, Enyo was greeted by the noble who’d tried to impress himself upon her last night. He was wearing a different set of clothes. That morning, his doublet was light blue and had shoulder pads that made his shoulders seem broader than they really were. His pants, which were the same color blue, were tight around his thighs, then puffed out near his calves before they were tucked into a pair of sturdy leather boots.
“Oh! You are, um… what was your name?” Enyo asked.
The man looked like he’d been shot in the chest with an arrow. “How could you forget my name?”
“Because you never gave me your name,” Enyo said bluntly.
The noble blushed. “Is that so? You have my apologies, fair lady. My name is Alexander Tristane. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Enyo,” she introduced herself. “Do you know what happened here?”
“It appears someone has died,” Alexander said. Leaning down, he cupped a hand to his mouth and whispered. “This mansion belongs to Patience—a member of the White Council. The White Council spends most of their time within Avant Heim, but they all have houses down here where they go to be alone. I heard he arrived late last night and was found dead by one of the servants early this morning.”
After hearing this, anyone would have suspected foul play. The White Council were the leading magicians of Terrasole. From what little Enyo knew, their power was on par with the Dark Council, supposedly. Enyo didn’t know if she believed that, but the White Council was the reason the Dark Council hadn’t tried to subjugate humanity on their own.
“Do you suspect foul play?” she asked.
“That is the only thing I can think of that would cause Patience to die,” Alexander said. “He was quite healthy and showed no signs of illness, yet he suddenly drops dead one night? If that isn’t suspicious, then I don’t know what is.”
Enyo stayed for only a little bit longer, trying to glean what information she could from Alexander. Sadly, he knew very little, mere rumors and hearsay. When it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to get any mor
e knowledge from him, Enyo left and returned to the inn. She hadn’t been able to study Avant Heim, but she’d learned something useful all the same. Fellis would want to know, too.
Her former maid was already awake when she returned. Enyo wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the woman had been awake when she’d left and merely stayed in bed because she didn’t want to get up.
Fellis was sitting at a table located near the back of the inn’s small tavern, a secure space where she could watch everyone who entered and exited the bar. She waved down Enyo when she saw her enter. As Enyo sat down, Fellis pushed a plate of fruits and toast in her direction.
“Thank you,” Enyo said.
Fellis nodded as she drank from a cup of what smelled like really bold caffa. “Did you learn anything useful on your little outing?”
“Not really,” Enyo admitted. “I was originally going to scope out Avant Heim, but then I found out that someone had been murdered last night and wasn’t able to. I thought it would seem too suspicious if I started wandering around the palace grounds, so I left.”
“Good idea,” Fellis agreed. “What is our next plan of action going to be?”
“I want to learn more about that death,” Enyo said. “While they might be unrelated, I think the death of a member of the White Council has something to do with our presence, or maybe Jacob’s. We should investigate this further to find out what’s going on.”
“I will follow your lead, of course,” Fellis said. “But first, let us have breakfast.”
After breakfast, Enyo and Fellis traveled down the street, toward the town square where they had first learned that Jacob had been arrested. The town crier was there once again. He was not talking about Jacob this time.
“It has been confirmed that sometime last night, the great magician and member of the White Council, Patience, was murdered in his home.” Murmurs broke out among the crowd. The town crier had to speak over their muttering, which grew louder with time. “Because of what happened, a new curfew has been put in place. No one is allowed to be outside once the sun has set. Anyone caught will be arrested.”
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 2 Page 8
