Chapter V
The inside of the tavern was dimly lit, and the lanterns that had light were so covered in dirt that they cast shadows all over the room. Tables and bars were scattered haphazardly around. At the back of the room was a long bar with only one person behind it. There were only a couple of other patrons, sitting half-hidden in a corner. The very air seemed to scream at Ibrienne to turn away.
As Ibrienne followed Kanilas to the bar, she examined the bottles behind the counter. None of them had labels, and more than a couple looked as if they’d never been wiped down. Nervously, she pulled her hood up to cover her face.
The shifty bartender greeted them in Beccilian. Kanilas leaned in and spoke an unrecognizable language in an undertone. Ibrienne shot a surprised look at him. She was fluent in Beccilian, Kiaran, and could pick up most of what a Lantheun would say, but she had no idea what words Kanilas was speaking.
The bartender narrowed his eyes suspiciously. After a moment, he squeezed out from behind the narrow bar and gestured for the two Resarians to follow him. He opened a door at the back that had been completely obscured by shadows then led them down a dingy hallway. Ibrienne stayed close to Kanilas, not even sure if she trusted him anymore. The bartender stopped at a door and peeked his head inside. Ibrienne could barely make out more of the unfamiliar language. Suddenly, the man stepped aside, opening the door wider for Ibrienne and Kanilas to pass. It slammed behind them.
Ibrienne was completely taken aback by the scene before them. Rather than more shadows and dirt, the room in which they stood was nearly sparkling in comparison. A single lantern hung from the center of the ceiling, directly above a large table. Seated all around it were several men. The one at the head of the table was unmistakably Kiaran. His black eyes were without pupils, just as every other Kiaran she had ever met. The dark pools met her gaze, despite the hood she wore.
He smiled and spoke quietly, immediately ceasing the chatter from the other men around him. “Trenn,” he said in perfect, though slow, Resarian, “what is it that brings you back here?” His eyes moved to Ibrienne’s companion.
Kanilas lifted his head higher. “I need information again. She wasn’t there.”
The Kiaran tilted his head, still smiling. “That is not how this works, you know that. You do not come into my place of…” he trailed off as though struggling to find the words, “business and demand my knowledge.” The men around him chortled.
“She wasn’t where you said she’d be!” Kanilas said again, stepping forward.
The laughter died quickly. “I gave you the location where she was when you asked,” the Kiaran said. “It is not my fault you took so long in Sariadne.” His grin returned on Kanilas’s surprise. “You do not think you were my only informant? You were very useful for a time, giving shipping routes, manifestos, even crew details.”
Ibrienne turned to Kanilas, her jaw dropping. “You did what?” she asked incredulously. At her reaction, the malicious laughter began again.
Kanilas kept his eyes on the Kiaran. “We know she’s in Pahl’Kiar,” he said in a low voice. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you?”
The Kiaran openly grinned. “You expect honor among those who deal in darkness?” He grew somber once more. “Do not seek to blame anyone else for what guilt you feel.”
Kanilas’s face reddened angrily. but he said nothing.
“If you can come up with some valuable information, then we can talk. Until then…” The Kiaran did not bother continuing.
Kanilas turned on his heel and stormed out. The Kiaran motioned for Ibrienne to stay. She took a step backwards but did not move any farther. The man nodded to the others, and they filed out, leaving the two alone.
“Miss Sestas,” he began. “Yes, I know your identity,” he said in answer to her unasked question. “But that is not important.” There was no hint of the humor or condescension she’d seen him use with Kanilas. He regarded her for a moment before continuing. “I can not say much, but you have a very important role in the events that will come to pass. You have a kind spirit, my dear, be careful that the troubles you will find yourself surrounded by do not corrupt it.”
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, clearly indicating that he was done speaking.
She didn’t say a word but turned and fled the tavern, completely unnerved.
She found Kanilas waiting for her outside. “What did he want with you?” he asked, glaring at her.
She shook her head and changed the subject. “So all of this is your fault, isn’t it? You told Sulica about the Kiarans buying Resarians for their mystics, and you told that Kiaran,” she pointed back at the building, “what Sulica can do.”
He couldn’t meet her eyes. “Let’s get out of here,” was all he said.
-:- -:- -:-
The small town of Essenar spread out over the Culidan River at the edge of Lake Sankling. North of the river lay the Lantheun Empire, while the southern side belonged to the Aspion Empire. The riverside town was a welcome break from the seemingly endless grasslands.
The four Resarians removed their coats with Sariadne’s Dominion insignia and packed them away before entering the town’s limits. Since their undershirts and pants were still in uniform colors, they split into two groups to appear less conspicuous. Although Resarians were welcome in the neutral empire of Aspion, Dominion personnel could become targets for anyone looking to make a fortune if they could overpower their spirit.
Korteni and Brisethi casually strolled along the paths where small trade shops and cafés lined the walkways. They began searching for comfortable civilian attire so as to blend in with the rest of the nations of the Trycinea continent. The first shop they entered catered to noblewomen looking to purchase fancy evening gowns. After a quick exchange of looks, they hurriedly exited, holding back their laughter. The second shop they entered offered subtle, common clothes that wouldn’t hinder them while traveling.
“Do women not wear pants out here?” Brisethi whispered to Korteni.
“It’s kind of a warmer climate than Res’Baveth which means you’re doomed to dress like an actual female,” Korteni teased.
“It’s all so revealing,” Brisethi whined, hesitating as she held up a red backless dress. Her unspoken words reminded Korteni of the disgusting scars along her arms, chest and back.
Korteni picked out a dark blue sleeveless blouse and matching skirt along with a silver threaded corset. “We’re supposed to blend,” she said, plucking the dress from Bisethi’s hand.
Brisethi finally found the only long sleeved blouse in a burgundy color, along with a matching long skirt and a wide black belt that was worn at the waist. It reminded her of their desert recruit uniforms. She had been drawn to the gold embroidery on the black belt designed with stars and pointed curves similar to the dominion insignia. It wasn’t until they purchased their new garb and changed into them that Brisethi noticed her shirt had a hood attached to it. She thanked the spirits that she could hide her uneven hair.
After visiting a general store for extra rations and traveling supplies, including two small daggers for Brisethi who complained of being unarmed the entire time, they were on the way to meet the other two at a café. Brisethi suddenly stopped, distracted by a trinket shop. The window displayed various pocket watches, clocks and compasses.
“You still collect those?” Korteni asked as she followed her inside the shop.
Brisethi nodded, infatuated with the unique designs and engineering of the advanced mechanisms. “Those ones are pocket watches and compasses in one, I need it.”
“How much did Etyne lend you?” Korteni asked with raised eyebrows when she saw the price of the stylish apparatus. Since Brisethi had been unexpectedly taken away from her continent, she barely had enough frakshins untouched in her coat to cover their clothing allowance. Etyne was smart enough to have withdrawn some of his earnings and exchanged it for Trycinean paper currency when he was at the Dominion’s Southwest Naval Base befor
e departing on the rescue. He had loaned her half of what he’d brought with him for the remainder of their journey.
“Not enough,” she sighed. “It’s not like he brought his whole salary with him like I would have. He actually has a bank account.”
“Hello, ladies, welcome to Granith’s Trinkets,” an older, stout man approached them. He recognized them as foreigners from their accents. “Do you two travel often?”
Brisethi answered yes while Korteni answered no simultaneously.
“I don’t quite recognize your accents; may I ask where you are from?” He kindly inquired.
“Vipurg,” Brisethi replied when she remembered one of her favorite history lessons in officer training. “It’s a small mountain town in Micinity.”
“Ah, yes, that would explain it, then. I know nothing of Micinity except of the Kiarans. In any case, welcome to Trycinea,” he humbly smiled. “Would you like to look at any of these pieces up close?”
As much as she wanted to admire the silver plated pocket watch and compass in one, accented in sapphire gemstones and engraved stars, she found the least appealing one which had the lowest price tag on it. After the shopkeeper allowed her to observe the pewter mechanism, she purchased it with some of Etyne’s borrowed frakshins and the remainder of her own.
“Allied with the Dominion, are you?” The shopkeeper asked after counting the Resarian paper.
“Nobody allies with the Dominion,” Brisethi replied in a serious tone of voice. “But we trade with them, just as they trade with Becillia and other coastal, non-aligned cities.”
“Of course,” he smiled under his bushy gray mustache, wrapping her compass pocket watch in a silky fabric and placing it in a wooden box for her. “Thank you for your patronage. Do return!” He bid them farewell.
Etyne and Livian were seated at a table for four outside a café overlooking the lake and the river. They had just finished their meal of trout and vegetables. They sat in continued silence since leaving the clothing shop where they purchased their civilian clothes.
The common clothes Etyne had settled on consisted of a dark brown long coat to cover his regular uniform blouse and black trousers. Livian, on the other hand, was more enthusiastic about wearing civilian clothes, having been restricted to the uniforms for a few years already. She took the opportunity to purchase a purple sleeveless dress that flowed like satin, accented with a gold embroidered corset enhancing her bountiful revealing chest. Etyne had kept pressuring her to buy a coat or shawl, even offering to pay for one but she refused. He had to constantly avert his eyes each time he looked in her direction.
He felt relieved when Korteni and Brisethi finally arrived at their table to break the awkward atmosphere. Korteni and Brisethi placed their order with the waitress and, when she left, Etyne couldn’t resist commenting on Brisethi’s choice of clothing.
“I’m almost certain that’s our recruit desert uniform, ‘Sethi,” He said in a half-mocking tone. His spirit had lifted, feeling less irritable since his talk with Brisethi.
"I tried to tell her,” Korteni sighed with a shrug.
“You’re still wearing your uniform, just with a different coat!” she retorted.
“Shh, you’re drawing attention,” he whispered even though nobody even so much as glanced in their direction. “What’s in the box?”
She slid the box to him. “For my collection.”
He carefully removed the lid and unraveled the silky cloth. He took the mechanism out and examined the two-in-one apparatus. “I hope you didn’t spend everything I loaned to you on this.”
Brisethi glared at him, taking a bite of the food that had arrived.
“She didn’t. She wanted to, but I talked her out of it,” Korteni replied to him with a wink.
“It’s really impressive; it suits you, ‘Sethi,” he finally told her, still testing the compass part of it, turning away from the group to examine it further.
“Did you find us an inn to stay at tonight?” Korteni directed the question at Etyne and Livian
When Etyne didn’t answer due to his distraction with Brisethi’s apparatus, Livian answered instead. “Yes, Chief, we did. I chose the Lakeside Inn a few blocks that way,” she pointed south. “They have balconies overlooking the lake!”
Etyne turned his attention back to the three women, but specifically to Brisethi. “Hurry up and finish eating so you can take me to the shop you bought this from.” He placed it back in its box.
“Why, what’s wrong with it?” Brisethi asked through a mouthful of her flatbread filled with shredded meats.
“Nothing. I want my own, is all,” he replied and stood from his seat. He stood behind Brisethi, “Let’s go, the sun is setting, the shops are closing, eat and walk.”
She shoved the last big bite of food into her mouth and stood, relieved that some of Etyne’s chipper mood had returned. “It’s not like the shop won’t be there tomorrow.” Her words were lost on him, mostly due to the flatbread that nearly spilled from her mouth.
“It’ll be closed when we leave at the crack of dawn,” he anxiously told her.
They parted ways with the other two women and walked hastily to Granith’s Trinkets, hoping it was still open for the evening.
“Ah, welcome back my Vipurg friend,” the shopkeeper greeted Brisethi. She received a questionable look for her title from Etyne. “Were you not satisfied with your purchase?”
“I am! My friend here wants one as well. He’s always doing everything I do,” she grinned.
Etyne studied the compass pocket watches, realizing that his companion had purchased the most ordinary of them all, he assumed due to its inexpensive price. He watched her for a moment, trying to see what it was she was so intently staring at. He took out his own pocket watch and showed it to the shopkeeper. “Do you trade at all, or take coin and frakshins only?”
The shopkeeper adjusted his monocle to view the device in Etyne’s hand. He looked up, his eyes wide in amazement. “This is magnificent, how did you, as a Kiaran, get ahold of a Dominion-crested pocket watch?”
“I have a half-brother in the Dominion. He gives me his Dominion items all the time,” Etyne lied.
“Intriguing,” the shopkeeper replied.
“What is so fascinating over here?” Etyne nudged Brisethi.
“I’m eventually going to come back here for this one when I have my own money on me,” she pointed to the silver-plated compass pocketwatch lined with sapphire gemstones in the shape of stars.
“Can we see that one?” Etyne asked the shopkeeper.
The gentleman opened the case and handed the ornate mechanism to Etyne. He examined it, testing out the compass and listening to the gears ticking inside. As he placed it in Brisethi’s hand, he turned his attention to the shopkeeper again.
“If I gave you my Dominion pocket watch, how much would you take off of that compass for me?”
The shopkeeper stroked the side of his mustache thoughtfully. “I will deduct half of the price of that one for your pocket watch.”
“Deal,” Etyne told him.
“But, Etyne, I wanted this!” She gave him a pout and forced herself to hand the apparatus back to the shopkeeper so he could wrap it and box it.
The shopkeeper chuckled. “She doesn’t understand, does she?”
“Sometimes one of her gears stops working,” Etyne teased, taking his purchase and handing it to Brisethi. “Trade me for the one you bought earlier.”
She arched a brow in confusion then looked down at her own box. Her eyes lit up when she finally realized what he had done. “Thank you,” she grinned, exchanging compass watches. “I’ll pay you back once we return home.”
“Before you go,” the shopkeeper said. “You two should really work on those Resarian accents of yours. It took me a moment to figure it out and I know why you had to feign, but you have nothing to fear from the people of Aspion.” He dramatically lowered his voice. “We were recently threatened by the newly formed allegiance of Lantheus
and the Pahl’Kiar. Our Prime Minister is becoming desperate to seek out an alliance with anyone at the moment. If you two wouldn’t mind helping to spread word to your leaders, I know I’d appreciate it.”
Brisethi and Etyne shared a look. “We’ll see what we can do,” Etyne replied and escorted his companion out of the shop.
“It’s good to know we might have friends,” Brisethi quietly spoke, admiring her new compass watch. “If only we could get a message out to Major Paush.”
“As soon as we get to one of our ships we’ll be able to relay the message. If the major could relay the news to General Satnir and then to Emperor Arquistas the Dominion could ally with Aspion before Lantheus forces their own alliance on them,” Etyne explained, leading them to their inn.
“I only hope Emperor Arquistas isn’t as stubborn as he lets on,” Brisethi sighed.
The sun slowly dropped in the sky, turning the sky from blue to orange to pink. Etyne and Brisethi walked into the lively inn, which was more of a fancy resort than a common inn. The walls were made to look like a tropical palace that reminded both of them of the resort near Ancient Kiar. The beautiful island music and tall torches made them forget they were inland by a lake and not on an exotic island.
“Due to the cost of the rooms,” Etyne told Brisethi as they made their way through the lobby, “I only got two rooms instead of four. You three ladies could fit in one bed, right?” He feigned a serious tone.
“That isn’t funny.” Brisethi followed him up the stairs and down the tropically furnished hall. “Either Livian stays with you or I do. Pick one.” She silently prayed to the spirits he wasn’t foolish enough to pick his subordinate.
He stopped at his room before unlocking the door to think for a moment. “That’s an obvious decision; I’ll take Livian. She won’t complain when I make her sleep on the floor.”
“Fine, where’s the other room?” she asked, trying desperately to hide the jealousy in her voice.
“I was only jesting, ‘Sethi, you’re with me - just like old times at the Citadel,” he smirked. “Also, I’d rather you didn’t accidently hurt Korteni if you fell into one of your fits,” he said as an afterthought. He led her into his room and set his pack down at the foot of the bed. “You were really going to allow me to have Livian in here for the night?”
Spirits of Falajen Page 36
