The gear in my hands ground to a halt as the gate fully opened. I sat back on my heels and watched as Val began to drive the wagon forward into Attetsia. It felt as though the silence in the room was judging me, and shame over my past actions burned in my gut for the first time in decades. Was I really doing good? Or did I just convince myself it was good out of necessity?
As if in answer to my moral quandary, Lia reached out with a comforting hand, placing it on my knee. She said nothing, but her eyes held everything I needed: compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance. My stomach settled down, and I gave her a small smile. If she believes in me, I must be doing something right.
Val stopped the wagon on the opposite side of the wall, and I spun the gear in the opposite direction. A counterweight system activated somewhere within the walls, and the wheel continued to turn on its own as the gates closed. “Let’s get out of here. I could use some fresh air after all of this,” I said as I hopped down from the chair.
We made our way back through the barracks and exited a matching iron door on the opposite side of the gatehouse. It latched, but I noted that this door had a handle on the outside face as opposed to the bare door on the Kaldan side. “Are you ready to move on?” Val called out from the wagon parked a few yards away.
“No. We have something we have to take care of first,” I replied. “You need a change of clothes if we’re going to have any chance of making it to the city unharassed.”
Val looked down at herself briefly. “Of course.” She stepped down from the driver’s bench and moved towards the back of the wagon.
“Do you even have a change of clothes?” I asked her, amused. “I’ve never seen you wear anything apart from your armor. Do you travel with an extra set of—” My thought was cut short by disbelief as she bypassed the wagon and knelt down at the edge of the road, cradling her shield reverently in her lap. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered with a mix of wonder and annoyance.
Lia looked back and forth between the two of us. “What? What’s going on?” She asked quietly.
I nodded to Val. “Watch. She’s going to use magic.” We both reached out with Detection and listened in with heightened senses as Val’s breathing slowed to a meditative pattern.
“O Prime of Light, divine above all, bestow upon me the power to create an illusory disguise so I may move on undetected.” Her chant was soft and rhythmic, most likely an old, well-practiced incantation. The pooled energy within her shield stirred at her invocation and crept slowly up her arms, infusing into each scale of her armor as it moved. Before long, her body shone brightly from her neck down to her boots.
The energy blinked off, then on again with a less pronounced glow, and I realized something had changed. Val looked the same as always in the projected mana image in my mind, but my eyes told me something completely different. Her lustrous silver scale armor now had spots of rust and patches of missing scales, appearing to be made of an old, cheap iron. The stained-glass shield looked to be a poorly maintained tower shield, with dented metal corners and a hastily painted Yorian crest.
When the transformation was complete, Val moved to the back of the wagon and retrieved an old longsword from her trunk. She strapped the belt to her hip, then turned back to us. “I have never been noticed with this disguise before. It should suit our purposes well enough.”
My foot tapped impatiently as I chewed on my lip. “You can use magic?”
She nodded. “Yes. All members of the Trinity Guard are required to learn a standard roster of spells.”
“And you didn’t think that would be a good piece of information to share with us?” I heard a petulant whine in my voice that I had tried to hide, but my annoyance had gotten the better of me. We could have learned so much more about magic on our trip.
Val’s eyebrow arched upward slightly. “It did not come up.” Though it was difficult to see on her face, I could tell she was enjoying my frustration. “My reports told me you had a low level of magical aptitude. Would you like me to teach you?”
“I’m not looking for a teacher!” I snapped. In truth, I wanted nothing more than to pick her brain about every aspect of magic she knew, but my pride forbade me from admitting it. “Don’t concern yourself with my abilities. I’ve learned more on my own than anybody could ever teach me.”
“It is true, the vanishing trick with your sword was certainly unique, and I am unsure as to how you opened the gatehouse door, but I would not consider that to be advanced magic.” She paused a moment in consideration as she looked me over. “I am sure that, given ample time for practice, you could learn at least one of the techniques I know.”
I felt my face flush. “If you knew HALF of the things I know, we wouldn’t be—”
“Why don’t we discuss this on the road?” Lia chimed in loudly, cutting me off. “We still have a ways to go to reach the city proper, right Val?”
Val studied me for a few seconds longer, then turned to Lia. “Yes. We do not have enough daylight to reach Attetsia today. There is an inn on the main road that we will reach by sundown, should we leave now.”
“That sounds like a great idea! I’d love to sleep in a real bed for a night,” Lia said happily. She took my hand and gave it a less than gentle squeeze. “Doesn’t that sound nice, Lux?”
“Yes,” I managed to mutter through clenched teeth. In the moment, there was nothing I wanted more than another spar with Val, another opportunity to completely overwhelm her with every ability I knew and make her see that I deserved more respect than what she gave to me. A small voice in the back of my head told me that it was silly, and that the less she knew about my magic the better. While I knew it was right, it didn’t help to calm me down; I stalked back to the wagon behind Lia, fuming silently the entire way before loudly climbing up to take a seat inside.
Val returned to the driver’s bench a few moments later, and we began our journey into Attetsian territory. Lia looped her arm around mine and rested her head on my shoulder, and I felt a sudden wave of calm as her amber energy washed over me. While neither of us had ever specifically discussed the ability to convey emotion through mana, we had both taken to the practice naturally over the course of our meditation sessions. My foul mood was no match for her comforting aura, and I soon found myself feeling embarrassed at how childish I had acted. I let out a long sigh as the last traces of bitterness receded, then gave Lia a grateful smile.
During the following few hours of travel, one detail stood out to me as particularly odd; apart from being entirely abandoned, nothing about the surrounding area seemed to be out of place. My constant sweep of Detection magic found homesteads with meals still set out on their tables, and fields of unharvested produce with half-full wagons deserted midway through their jobs. While I was still mostly unfamiliar with the seasonal patterns of the area, it was easy to tell that the prime time for harvest had passed based on the shortening days and colder temperatures.
A unique pattern emerged as we continued to pass by empty houses. Each structure had one of two symbols painted on their front door: three circles linked together to form a pyramid with a triangle drawn in the center, or one large circle with an X drawn through it. When I asked Val and Lia about them, the description of the first symbol brought a look of instant recognition to their faces.
Val explained that the three linked rings were the standard symbol of the Elta’sahn Company, one ring for each of the three leaders: The Admiral, The General, and The Strategist. The addition of a small triangle to the center of the sigil was new, but it was easy to assume it was an addition made by the Attetsian revolutionaries. My description of the second symbol brought up less specific information, but the meaning seemed obvious to all of us: if you weren’t with the Elta’sahn Company, you were against them.
As the sun began to set and our destination drew nearer, our suspicions were confirmed. Houses marked with an X began to show signs of abuse the further into the country we traveled. It started as small disturbances, wi
th chairs knocked over and drawers emptied of their contents, but quickly escalated to shattered windows and completely looted rooms. In contrast, the houses marked by the Company still stood in pristine condition with clear signs of inhabitants.
Just as the three story inn came into view, we had our first encounter with another living person; three men stood near the roadside harvesting what looked to be carrots, tossing them into an already overflowing cart. As our wagon drove by, the men stopped and stared with hard eyes until we were long past, and I could only see them with my Detection. One pointed in our direction and seemingly spoke a command, which caused the other two to pick up the cart and begin hauling it in the opposite direction.
The inn was a much more impressive sight in person than I had originally surmised from the road. The building was beautifully maintained, with cream-colored brick walls and dark green wooden shutters and doors. A veranda wrapped around the front of the structure and disappeared around the far corner. Ornate metal tables and chairs lined the enclosed porch, though they all sat unused when we arrived. Inspecting the interior with Detection, I found that the first floor sprawled back away from the road and housed a large stage, a comfortable restaurant, and long hallways lined with numbered doors. The second and third stories were divided solely into corridors of rented rooms; a quick count told me the inn easily had more than a hundred available, of which all but two were entirely empty.
“We have arrived,” Val said as the wagon stopped, drawing me back from my inspection. “I believe it would be best if we brought our extra rations inside with us. I do not trust this place as I once did.”
“Agreed,” I nodded, thinking back to the looted houses. “I’ll go in and handle our lodging situation, if you and Lia can take care of consolidating our things.”
“Can do!” Lia chirped. I gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder before I hopped down from the wagon. Val had parked on a large stone pad opposite the stables at the side of the inn, a space seemingly made for trading caravans and wagons like ours. The pad was empty apart from us, and I only spotted one other horse out of at least twenty empty stalls as I crossed the lot and climbed onto the porch.
Entering through the heavy double doors, I was immediately entranced by the smell of fresh bread and the soft sound of music. Two women sat on the stage on my far left, one plucking merrily on a lute while the other sang a sweet melody about a lost lover. They performed for a sea of empty tables; I counted eight patrons between the vast swath of booths and benches that took up a majority of the room. To my right was a long bar lined with vacant stools, tended by a young man polishing a mug and a white haired woman sleeping against a liquor cabinet.
At the sight of a guest, the young man sprang to the end of the bar to greet me. “Welcome to the Council Chambers! How can I be of assistance?” His excitement seemed to border on desperation as he watched me intently with a large smile.
“Hey there,” I said with a forced smile as I approached the bar, unable to match his enthusiasm. “I’d like a room for the night, and warm meals for three people.” My fingers drummed absently on the countertop as I reached for my coin purse. “Actually, make that two rooms. Across the hall from each other, on the second floor.”
“Yes sir!” He knelt down to a hidden cabinet below the bar and unlocked the latch, reappearing a moment later with two keys attached to wooden blocks. He set them down on the counter, one under each hand. “Two rooms for the night costs a stein and twelve coppers, dinners included.”
I raised an eyebrow and clicked my tongue loudly. “That’s awfully pricey, don’t you think?” While I had more than enough of the King’s coin to pay for the room, I was more interested in the information he could give me about Attetsia. “Are the beds made of clouds or something?”
“Nothing like that, I’m afraid,” he laughed apologetically. “Seasonal pricing. When the traffic decreases as winter approaches, our prices have to go up to accommodate. I’m sure you understand.” The inflection of his voice rose as he spoke, turning the statement into a question.
“Sure, sure,” I nodded as I fished through my purse for the appropriate coins. “I’m not sure the season has much to do with it though, what with the Company closing the gates.”
At the mention of the Company, the man’s youthful face tightened, and he scanned around the room for a moment before leaning towards me to speak in a hushed voice. “If this is some sort of test, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. We’ve already paid up with the Company, and I don’t want any trouble.” He leaned back and smiled again, though his eyes still showed fear. “So how about it? I assure you our rooms are the most comfortable you’ll find in Attetsia.”
That’s not a good sign. I sighed as I piled the payment on the counter. “Alright, I’m sold.” There was a palpable sense of relief as he slid me the keys. Fishing through my purse one last time, I retrieved a single Imperial and palmed it, doing my best to hide it from view. I reached out to shake his hand with a smile. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
When he took my hand, I pulled him close and turned my hand, allowing the Imperial to fall into his palm. “If anybody asks,” I whispered into his ear, “you don’t know us, and we were never here. I’m sure we’ll have a lovely business relationship in the future, should you be able to handle that.” He pulled away to observe the coin I had given him, which he immediately shoved into his pocket. “If not, let’s just say that the Company will be the least of your worries.” I took the keys and looked at him expectantly.
“Yes! I, uhm, of course! Absolutely. Enjoy your stay, sir. Thank you, sir,” he stammered. “The stairs to your rooms are at the far side of the bar, right over there. I’ll have your meals ready as soon as I can!” He turned and disappeared through a swinging door behind the bar, and I heard the clatter of pans and cooking utensils soon after.
The main doors opened behind me, and I turned to find Val and Lia entering with two stacked chests held between them. I moved to Lia’s side and took the handle, holding out a room key with my other hand. “Could you go ahead of us and check out the room? I’m very curious as to what my money got us for the night.” I pointed out the staircase at the far side of the room. “It should be right up those stairs, somewhere. Room seventy-five.”
She looked down at the block attached to the key and checked the symbol. “That’s right! You’re a quick learner.”
I laughed. “I do have a pretty good teacher, after all.”
Lia giggled before she jogged ahead, quickly leaving us behind to carry the packed chests across the room. When she was out of earshot, I handed the second key to Val. “This one’s for you.”
“It would be safer if we stayed in the same room,” she commented flatly, taking the key.
“The rooms only have one bed each. I thought you’d be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed.” In truth, Val’s comfort hadn’t crossed my mind when renting the rooms, though the fact that the rooms had only one mattress each was correct.
“I do not mind sleeping on the floor.”
I shook my head and stopped at the foot of the stairs. “Listen, Val. You’re a relatively direct person,” I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the massive understatement, “so I’m going to be direct with you, too. After we eat dinner tonight, I would like to spend some time alone with Lia. This is probably the last chance we’ll have to feel safe and relax before we head into the city, and I don’t want to miss it.”
Val nodded. “I understand. I will retire to my room alone this evening.”
“Thank you,” I replied, surprised by her lack of resistance. We resumed our trip up the stairs and found Lia midway down the second floor hallway, waiting by an open door.
“It’s a nice room!” She called out to us as we approached. “There’s only one bed, though.”
“That’s why I also rented the room across the hall. I didn’t think we would all fit in one bed comfortably,” I answered with a chuckle.
“Oh
, good!” She took our chest from Val and helped me carry it into our room. It was well-furnished, though everything seemed a bit plain; we had a chest of drawers, a table with two chairs, a bedside table with a single lamp, and a bed underneath the window at the far end, all made of sturdy, unpainted wood. While it was nicer than the roadside inns we had stayed in on our way to Lybesa, it didn’t hold a candle to our room in Atsal, and certainly didn’t warrant the price I paid.
“I’ve ordered us some food as well, and I expect it’ll be ready soon. How about we all go down and have dinner together?” I asked the group. “Come to think of it, I’m not exactly sure what I ordered for food, but whatever they were cooking back there smelled good.”
Lia rubbed her stomach and nodded excitedly as we exited the room and locked the door. Val joined us in the hall a moment later when she had finished inspecting her own room. “A warm meal is preferable to our rations, regardless of the contents,” she said in agreement. We returned to the first floor and sat at a table near the stage, where the musical duo still performed.
As soon as we took our seats, the youth that had greeted me at the door rushed to our table with three overflowing tankards. “Your meals will be right out, sir,” he said quickly, sliding the drinks across the table to each of us. “Is there anything else I can get you? Anything at all?”
I looked between my companions for a moment, then shook my head. “No, I think we’re all set. I’ll flag you down if I need you, uhm…I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name earlier.”
“Oh, my apologies sir! Louis Grayson, at your service,” he said with a small bow. “I’ll go check on your meals now!” As quickly as he had appeared, Louis dashed back to the bar and disappeared into the kitchen.
Restart Again: Volume 2 Page 18
