I did not have the chance to respond, as I was leaping between another two rooftops, this time dropping several stories before landing. She cried out in both pain and shock upon landing, and I winced from both the noise and sympathy. I changed my route to avoid the worst of the elevation drops, although it would make the journey more circuitous.
After another block was passed, the lady tried reasoning with me again.
“At least get these bindings off,” she said, before using both her bound hands to slam ineffectually against my back. “And what even are you? Not one of my people, that is for certain…”
I suppressed the urge to groan, and then the urge to snap. Because in the distance, perhaps a block away, on the other side of the strip of buildings, I heard the commotion of clashing steel and both shouts and yowls of pain, all the while a certain mad-lady laughed.
“Keep quiet,” I said in a hushed tone. “We are far from safe just yet.”
***
***
I led the way through the slums of Southbridge, wending through dark alleys and darker under passages seemingly carved through buildings and stone alike.
The place was a sprawling mess, and the streets still had traffic on them, even at the late hour. All throughout this journey, conflict pursued us, or was ever present. As we ducked down one street, the sounds of clashing could be heard echoing up from another.
At this point, I was unsure if the fights we were hearing were even related to us at all, or if it was just the norm for the slums. I found it hard to believe that it could be normal for open conflict in the streets–it seemed that there would be a population imbalance if so, but I was hardly an expert on reproduction rates and transitory populations.
As I had led the two of us through alleys and claustrophobic passages between where buildings had sloped and tilted into one-another, my godsmark continued to burn, both in recovering from the earlier taxation, and in the way that implied a new signal was starting to come in.
I found myself rubbing at my forearm periodically, to ease the discomfort. But as with any skin irritant, the motion only aggravated the sensation further. As we came out from one twisting tunnel seemingly carved through the buildings themselves, full of graffiti and ash, my ears flicked and I heard the pattering footsteps, indicating soft feet with hard claws occasionally striking the stone.
Likely, it was the Kaiva delegation.
Trackless Tracks I ->II (+1)
- Beguiling Tracks 1/9 [new]
“Hold,” I said in a hushed voice, one I knew would be lost over the clamor of the city. “Catch your breath.” I told the city.
As she stayed behind, I crept upwards towards the intersection, hugging the worn and stained brick-wall. I risked peaking out, relying on my Stealth.
There were two Kaiva rushing along the main thoroughfare, shoving any careless passerby aside. As they went, their eyes darted towards every shadowed offshoot. If their ears were as sharp as mine, then they would doubtlessly hear the princess and I, at least if we were to make a run for it. But as the princess had made me aware of more than once, it was likely that the Kaiva could see well enough within the shadowed streets to detect the princess, even at night.
I was not about to give our pursuers another lead. We had nearly shaken them off completely, at least judging by the infrequency that we had seen them and the smaller size of these rapidly moving groups. I bet that this was a desperation play by the delegation now that their target was nearly beyond their grasp.
As the Kaiva ran past us, instead of moving myself, and despite the princess startling and then freezing, which undoubtedly would have drawn the eye, I cast out a Hallucination–letting it blanket us, twisting into place atop the Kaiva’s perspective. Now, rather than our silhouettes, they would see the shadowed street and crude graffiti but nothing more.
Again, my godsmark itched. I felt lightheaded, but the feeling of weakness passed quickly.
Tangible Hallucination: 5/9 (+1)
They ran by and continued their search. The princess and I remained where we were for several seconds, the hallucination expired naturally.
”My ears would not have detected their coming until it was too late,” the princess said. “How good are yours to have detected their coming?”
She was likely fishing for information, and I assumed she was lying, or grossly underselling her own senses. The Kaiva had not been making efforts to conceal their approach in their haste. If anything, perhaps the princess had failed to understand what it was she was hearing. I would have blown off her question completely, but she remained unmoving until I answered.
“Well enough,” I said, desiring to not reveal my abilities more than required.
Still, she was unwilling to let her curiosity in the matter drop.
“This is surprising, that anything can be heard over this bothersome city. Or is it a more esoteric sense, I wonder?”
As she said this, her eyes lingered on my right arm, where my godsmark had added another minor Sigil. The sleeve of my jacket covered my forearm, but she had noticed when I had checked it after I had felt the searing growth. When I saw her looking, I stopped examining it and let the sleeve drop, concealing my godsmark once more.
I frowned at my own careless behavior and impatience. But what was done, was done.
That did not mean I needed to share anything further though.
“I will be keeping my talents to myself. Or is your endurance great enough to finish this escape on your own?” I asked. Again, viewing her half starved and mangy condition, it surprised me that she had as much energy as she exhibited. Her protests, complaints, needlings… all of it should have been taking more energy than she had. Appearances were deceiving in her case.
“And where would a royal even go? This city is strange and full of threats. A guide is required, at the very least... It would be foolish for your service to end here.”
She was reaching a bit there, expecting my own service. I would be within the letter of the favor owed to abandon her then and there, not that I would. But were I to remain with her, then some ground rules were required. She needed to respect my position and my right to secrecy. Thus, I turned my full attention towards her. My eyes flared cyan and my ears stood straight and wide. Behind me, my tail fluffed in volume, which I had not intended, but had happened anyways–I was unsure why.
Courtly Dancing I: 6/9 (+1)0
“Please take care to understand,” I said with a firm voice, using the Kaivan tongue. “It is not for your benefit that this one is here. Your rescue was to repay a favor–that was all. And before it is asked, this favor is already greatly overtaxed compared to what was owed.”
She regained herself with a harumph, making a show of raking her claws through her fur, untangling the matted gunk from her tail. She seemed to express her disbelief. In her arrogance, she likely never imagined that I would not care for her status. When I asked why she assumed that I would bother going further than I needed to, she explained to me her assumption that I had been contracted to see her secured safely.
“My sworn would not be so careless to rely upon a simple favor to see to my safe return,” she argued. “Nor would a treacherous unknown be sent in their stead.”
“Your sworn?” I asked..
“My bodyguards.”
I was unsure of how to take that statement, but I thought of pointing out the obvious deficit in her bodyguards' skill if she had been captured. But before I risked offending her further, there came a racket from the street behind, the clanking of armor and a few shouts. Signs of a violent clash, likely involving our pursuers in some fashion. I decided that we had waited long enough.
I gave up on using Kaivan and resorted to clipped Imperial. “The rest of this discussion can wait, but it was not your bodyguards that sent me.” I waved her to follow as I darted into the thoroughfare, keeping my head down. “Keep your head down.”
She sighed, “A waste of effort considering these humans and their weak night eyes. Our pace could be much quicker along these roads.”
“True,” I admitted, but then pointed out the obvious, “But doing so would be careless and risky. Although I suppose we could try the rooftops again,” I mused. She frowned at the thought of me carrying her once more, despite the fact that it would be me doing the bulk of the work, not her.
We began moving along the congested labyrinthine side-streets and passageways of the slums. Another turn, then another, and all the while, there were the echoes of clanking sabatons and armor. It became apparent that the recent unrest had caused an influx of knights, which surprised me as I had thought that the powers that be were content to leave the slums lawless.
Although, it was also possible that the knights were pursuing myself and princess and not actually canvassing the entire slums.
I needed to know which was which, so when I heard another group of knights, I left the princess behind and scouted ahead, to see just what the knights seemed to be after. I turned down one particularly cramped passage that opened up to a ladder leading down to the main thoroughfare which the knights were using. It gave me a clear enough view of the knights. There were five of them, wearing colorful tabards with the insignia of low-knights. One of them was holding out a wand shaped device, treating it as a dowsing rod. The knight sweeped the wand side to side, slowing just slightly when it angeled towards where I was hiding.
It was not conclusive, but… I decided that tarrying would be ill advised. I quickly returned to the princess and urged her up from where she had been resting against a broken crate.
“We should move quickly, the knights have some form of tracking device.” I was not confident that this was true, but it could have been, and I did not care to risk it.
The princess expressed her doubts, looking around at the shadows, and then at the night sky. “It is near pitch black along these corridors… how exactly will the humans navigate here? Surely, a longer break would not be unwarranted.”
“If you choose to stay, that’s on you. I’m not sticking around though. These knights are well armed and trained.” If they were anywhere near as bloodthirsty as Sir Guardson, then running into the knights would not bode well at all.
The princess groaned, but returned to her feet all the same. Soon, we were heading deeper into the entrenched passageways–I tried to navigate towards the divide, but I may have gotten turned about in the labyrinth sprawl. Should I have traveled by rooftop, I might have been more visible, but it would have also been faster.
The princess was slowing me down. Not for the first time, I felt resentment towards her presence. Without her, I could have been in bed and asleep. But these thoughts did nothing but discourage me, so I pushed them aside. At least she was following me now, even though she continued her protest. I was fine with the conversation continuing, as if the knights did find us, it would not be due to their exceptional hearing.
However, as the princess continued her dismissal of humans, a fun little thought occurred to me, one that I thought should stump her. If I could work off some of my resentment and let off some steam, then perhaps it could even be argued to be beneficial. I decided to try taunting her.
”If humans are so pathetic, then how was it that they captured you?” I spoke in the human tongue, also called Imperial, also called Middens, but largely taken for granted as the ‘only’ spoken language within the mono-cultured nation. As insulting as the assumption was, it held somewhat true, as the princess understood and spoke it well enough. She just preferred to speak her own language.
”Need this be asked?” the princess responded cagily. “The answer is obvious. Treachery and numbers. How else would vermin win?”
Before I could taunt her again, I heard an unnatural ping–not a tone that ought to have been auditory, and not one that I could have placed ordinarily. Just to be sure, I checked if the princess had heard it too, and I caught sight of the princess’ ears quivering. She caught me looking, and followed my glance back the way we had come as well. Nothing was there, yet. She turned a frown my way.
”Just what was that?” She asked
“I suspect it is the knights, likely some artificed device or another. We should pick up the pace–”
Then came another ping. It was coming from way too close, I thought perhaps from the direction we were heading, but I was unsure. However, I suddenly felt overly exposed. An animal part of my brain told me to avoid moving, to blend in, go to ground so to speak.
“-No, nevermind running, we need to hide.”
The passageways of the slums were seldom straight, but often they were lacking in passable turn-offs, at least from the paths carved through building and stone alike. In our case, there were several sealed off passageways, and a deeper one, which was filled with piles of refuse, dumped from the inhabitants of the buildings nearby.
With the knights possibly following and approaching, I decided that the garbage was worth navigating. It would hardly be the first time I made a sacrifice.
It seemed that the princess was less willing.
When she saw where I led, she abruptly stopped, stuttering and watching in disbelief as I began wading amongst the filth.
She protested, of course, but I had an easy refrain.
”How badly do you want to avoid enslavement?” I asked.
Her eyes flickered about before landing upon one of the sealed passages. She ran towards it. I stopped and turned, wondering what she was about.
She hit the sealed passageway, colliding with the ramshackle stacked brick and repurposed wood. Her claws slashed downwards, a cutting force extending beyond what her claws should have delivered. Planks of wood fell, clattering to the ground.
She glanced back towards where I had frozen, raising an eyebrow.
“Is wallowing in filth preferable?” She asked. “Come.” Her voice carried an order with expectation, and I was unsure if I enjoyed the tone. I looked back at the increasingly large piles of garbage and waste which I would need to crawl through to likely come across another dead end. I moved to follow after her quickly. Just as I ducked in, I heard the clatter of armored steps echoing down the passageway.
From ahead, where the princess had run into the building, there came an abortive scream.
Stepping into the wrecked hallway, I found a narrow hallway that had been made a den of street-rats. The adjoining passageways had been partially blockaded, only leaving small openings to crawl through. I had a feeling that each of these narrow openings would lead to hidey-holes with at least one or more alternative passages for escape. From the scampering and panicked whispering, I anticipated that several of these were occupied. If it were up to me, I would have chosen one of these side passages to use, but of course, the princess had stalked straight ahead, down the ‘main’ passageway, although even the main one was quite narrow. The abortive scream had come from ahead, followed by a groan, and then a hissed swearing.
Seconds later, I happened upon a teenager bleeding out and the princess who was scowling at her hands.
”Stain my fur further. Disgusting vermin–ugly humans–” she muttered, stopping herself when she realized I had arrived. “Finally! In your absence–”
“We are not safe yet,” I reminded, interrupting her complaints.
She clicked her tongue in irritation. “Then by all means, lead on. Hopefully the vermin will avoid their betters from hence on.”
“That seems unlikely,” I pointed out.
From the way I had come, a man’s voice shouted into the warren.
“Somethings this way–might be our guys!”
“In there?” a gruff sounding woman asked.
“S’what the thing’s saying–”
The princess’ ears flicked.
I urged her onward with an I-told-you-so tone. “That would be the knights. As you see, their eyes are not nearly as much of a hindrance as hoped.”
She clicked her tongue and huffed in displeasure, still not taking the situation seriously. Either this was due to her arrogance, or she was holding out on some ability or another.
Regardless, I chose to push on to hopefully avoid a confrontation. I led the way through the warren, with the princess following me. We saw shadows dart into the smaller side tunnels as we went, although the whispering had largely stopped. All the warrens were holding their breath, now that the knights had arrived.
The crashing and clunking from the entrance showed that the knights had been slowed at least by the cramped halls. It gave us time to gain a lead, although not nearly enough.
We reached a deadend, where the hallway ended in a boarded over doorway, one reinforced with a pile of clutter.
“Do these urchins not require doors?!” the princess demanded, irritation and curiosity both clear in her voice.
“Likely, I expect the sub-basement has access to the under.”
“Like vermin,” she huffed. “To be expected.”
Meanwhile, I tested the boards blocking our way. My claws raked through the old material easily enough, but I lacked the power to make an immediate opening. My talents were more for the subtle arts.
“Well?” the princess demanded.
I glanced around and found the nearest hidey-hole, a crawlspace leftover from where an apartment had partially collapsed.
She followed my eyes, then growled, “No.” She then pushed past and swiped down with her claws.
A cutting force extended beyond where her claws should have ended, shearing through the barrier quickly enough that the barrier remained seemingly unaffected for a second after she completed the swipe. Then ribbons from the barrier fell, and the sides of the boards sagged downwards.
She waved me forward, both seemingly pleased with herself, and out of breath.
I shook my head and pushed through, knocking debris aside and bending the boards that had been severed but otherwise remained attached to the wall.
“-you heard that?” One of the knights shouted.
“-can’t hear anything over your ass!” The woman knight shouted back.
The princess hurried after me, leaving the knights behind in the warren as we stepped out into a closed off courtyard, one that had been filled with compost and dirt. It explained some of the difficulty I had in pushing through the barrier, the dirt had held the lower portion of the barricade in place. Despite the ground being prepared for gardening, it seemed that no crops had ever been planted. Only the lichen from the Wastes seemed to be taking advantage of the space.
The courtyard was small, and all other entrances were blocked off or collapsed.
“Are you able to carve another hole through one of these barricades?” I asked.
“In several minutes, perhaps,” the princess said. Perhaps she needed time to recharge her cutting ability, or perhaps she was playing me. I supposed that I could always abandon her, should I be forced to. But we still had one means out, though it would require me carrying the princess which she had earlier resisted.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
I looked up at the walls surrounding us. The shortest was only three stories up before a narrow walkway opened up. With the knights tearing their way through the hallway after us, I was less than convinced we could climb fast enough to avoid them. Well, I was less than convinced that the princess could.
I turned towards her.
Even though I had yet to say it, she seemed to know, already backing away a step and shaking her head. “My ribs are still bruised from your earlier carelessness,” she spat. “Treating my body as luggage and treating it roughly…” she continued to glare at me.
“Earlier I had to carry you from the Kaiva, and they were fast enough to warrant that carelessness. It was that or abandon you, which I doubt you would prefer. If I promise to be careful, can I please carry you? It will be so much faster, I swear.”
She narrowed her eyes, then glanced back towards the hole from which we had emerged, where the knights’ racket emanated from.
“Displeasing, but understandable…” she muttered under her breath, seemingly weighing the benefits of it. The approaching knights is what sold it–they were getting closer. She finally ended her muttering with a terse nod. “My ribs best not be bruised further. It is in both our interests, yes?” She flexed her claws in implicit threat.
“Understood,” I said, remaining rather indifferent to her threat.
I crouched down and motioned for her to climb atop my back. She seemed less than thrilled at the prospect, but she began to do so. It was just after she swung one leg around my waist, with her hands about my neck, when a very familiar voice shouted down and interrupted us.
It was a booming voice, it echoed into the courtyard, and it came from above us. I forgot the princess and jerked, flinching enough to cause the princess to dislodge and stumble away. I scanned the surrounding roofs until I saw her–Kate. She was hanging off a pipe from an old factory style building.
“What you doing climbing all over my girl?!” Kate had shouted. The words were more aggressive than they had sounded, although it was always hard to tell.
The princess had caught herself when stumbling, somehow landing gracefully on her hands then springing back to her feet.
When I caught sight of her, I did not shout, but spoke loudly enough she could hear. “Sir Guardson?” I asked. “How are you here, and why?”
“Ha!” she said, jumping down from at least five stories up. She landed in a plume of dust, sinking into the softer dirt up to her calves. She laughed and shook it off. “Thought I’d find you somewhere like this, so I’ve been keeping to the roofs looking for you. More importantly though, what’s this–her?” Kate glared over at the grime covered princess “-you moving in on my girl?”
I scoffed, not entirely disliking the possessiveness in her tone, but not exactly enjoying it either. It did seem to have an impact on the way my stomach was knotting itself, if only partially. I decided to ignore these useless feelings altogether.
The princess, meanwhile, had leapt back from Kate to gain distance, and the princess had landed in a crouch, with her claws ready to tear. Before a fight could muddle things further, I quickly explained to Kate.
“I’m rescuing her–” I gestured at the princess “-as a favor for Cook. I appreciate your intervention earlier as well, although I hadn’t had a chance to thank you yet.”
“Yeah, I knew that was you! I was totally gonna swing by later to find out what this’s all about, not that I mind really. These patrols are godslicking boring.”
After a few seconds, with the crashing knights coming closer, the princess realized that violence was not immediate. She loosened up slightly.
“What is this that is happening here betwixt?” the princess asked, sounding somewhat tongue-tied.
The approaching knights were growing louder, shoving their way through cramped walls and likely finding all manner of victims for their justice. I could easily imagine them delivering careless kicks to malnourished street-rats.
Kate switched her attention to the oncoming knights. She was listening to them, and caught one of their voices as they complained about splinters. Kate guffawed and grinned at the opening.
“I was wondering where they had gotten off to…”
She eyed me with a speculative look that left me feeling squeamishly uncomfortable. My tail waved about behind me, catching her eye.
“You gonna stick around with me?” she asked. “I bet I could whip of a story, get your registered as a kunbeorn or something. Could be fun–” she finished while wiggling her eyebrows and grinning.
I shook my head vigorously.
”Yeah… I kinda figured,” she said. “You two go ahead and get going. I’ll go talk to them, distract them or something. Catch ya later, yeah?” she said as she waved us off. Then she squared her shoulders and started shoving debris aside to make room for her larger frame. She began shouting towards the knights further in, and they began an overly loud conversation that likely confused many of the residents of that warren.
While Kate caught up with the knights, I motioned for the princess to climb back atop my back. She was giving the opening Kate had disappeared into a confused and somewhat dazed expression. While the princess did climb up, letting me start carrying us both up and over the nearest building, escaping to the roof tops, she pieced together enough sense to ask a question.
”Who was that human, why familiarity, why… intimate? The scent of infatuation and arousal was noticeable…” she led off, sounding disgruntled. “Is there a relationship there? Please deny this, for my own sanity.”
I could not help but grimace at the tone she used, and I briefly felt the compulsion to threaten her to perhaps throw her from the rooftops, or to find the nearest gang of flesh traders to deposit her. But I resisted the compulsions. I had to remind myself that I had my own misgivings regarding Kate.
In the end, I had little in the way of a response, except continuing onward, and ensuring we left the knights behind, along with any of the other pursuing forces.
“Well?!”
“The answer is complicated,” I finally answered. “And I am disinclined to speak further on it.”
“The very imagining of such a vile act is disgusting,” the princess said, in reproach. “Did this human force herself upon–”
“-Enough!” I interrupted. “Just… drop it”, alright?
“Very well,” she said, still perched atop my back as I leapt from a ledge to a nearby wall and began scaling another crooked building. “Ugh. The stench remains…”
***
Within the hour I had carried her to the edge of the slums. The divide, a sunken highway traveling through the middle of the city, separated the slums from everything else. It was here that I set the princess down and that I considered the next problem.
How were we to progress further? I supposed that I could abandon her in some hovel within the slums, and consider my job done. But, how could I ensure she would remain free? With how obstinate she was, I anticipated that she would soon reveal herself over some trifling issue and quickly be recaptured.
Could I consider the favor done and leave it as that? After seeking an answer within myself, I decided that doing so would sit poorly with me, besides the fact that it would ruin relations with Cook.
Which left me with the original problem. How to bring the princess across the divide, past several checkpoints, and finally somewhere safe, where she could groom herself, and perhaps meet with her benefactor.
Before I could arrive at a decision, the princess made note of the issue.
“Doubtlessly your foresight has already found a solution to this?” she asked expectantly. “Otherwise it would be foolishly planned, my rescue… yes?”
Were I human, my cheeks may have warmed at having my lackluster plan called to light. Truthfully, I had winged most of her rescue, having been provided scant details prior, except for a time and a place. However, I was not about to admit to any such failing on my part. Instead, I had latched onto a solution which I knew she would loathe.
I pulled a loose collar from one of my jacket’s many pockets, holding the strap of leather out to her.
She examined the object for several seconds, until sighting the buckle and realizing what the device was. She flinched backwards, hissing.
She hissed and jumped back, hackles raised. She denied the idea vehemently. “This one will not ever wear such again. Never!”
I understood where she was coming from. But it really would have been the easiest way to blend in.
“How else shall we avoid notice, except to play upon what watchers may expect to see?” I asked.
“Perhaps by the same method your presence will be hidden?” she proposed.
“Unlikely, unless you can do this–” I called my Guise and let my human form transpose itself upon this reality, while my true form cramped and wedged itself in that other place “-which I doubt.”
She took another step back, snarling at me in contempt and worry. “No… but–” she paused to scent the air, then circled me, her snarl turning to one of confusion “-this is not human, but the form is, by all my senses. Except not… Explain,” she finished with a demand.
I put aside the fact that she could perceive past my Guise. It was nothing that I had not already known from my interactions with Cook. Still, though, I had hoped it would be less obviously seen through than that, although it may have helped that the princess had seen me apply my Guise.
“Other than the fact that this is one of my abilities, I think I will refrain from sharing my secrets.”
She clicked her tongue. “Still, this does not help conceal my presence, leaving the original problem to be solved.” She made a show of glancing around, “Unless there is a hovel of yours nearby?”
“I can get us most of the way,” I said, “But it might be dicey, and it would be better if I carried you, at least for part of this.”
We were, afterall, still atop a rooftop, a leaning tenement building which overlooked one of the footbridges crossing the divide. Fortunately at this time of night, the pathways were largely devoid of traffic.
She might not have enjoyed it, but she found little recourse, despite her grumblings. So once again, I picked her up, and then I scurried down the wall and darted across the bridge. I was already deciding the best way to avoid the checkpoints between districts, even as I carried us beneath the shadows of the Caravaneers Quarter.
When it came to administering the city, the baron largely took a hands off approach. Largely, so long as taxes and bribes flowed upwards, he remained passively unobtrusive. The party I had crashed earlier in the year was an exception, not the norm.
However, in order to ensure taxes and bribes flowed in, he typically had his peacekeepers installed at checkpoints throughout the city. This also allowed a sense of control and safety, but most of these checkpoints were easily avoided, especially by me.
With the princess in my arms though, I came to a problem near the Mercenary Quarter.
Here, there were towers and a clearing about a wall running the width of the city, with openings at various squares as a concession to ease of commerce. There were lanterns along the wall, and the towers were armed with artificed weaponry. Arguably, the wall was more of a squat divider sitting in the middle of a major roadway that connected the districts. During the day, it would be well traveled. I had traveled along it several times in the past. It ran perpendicular to the base of Blossom Hill, used to help keep the industrial riff-raff at bay from the more genteel population, although there were still less rigorous checkpoints at the actual base of Blossom Hill as well.
Ordinarily, this wall would be an easy obstacle to overcome. I could jump it and cross before any watchmen were the wiser. But, I had a tagalong, and one that would slow me just enough that a sharp watcher could take aim. I was not interested in taking that risk though, not if I could help it.
I instead sought a weakness in the barrier, or one of the squares which opened up the barrier and were less well guarded due to the breadth of the opening. This led to me leading a meandering route block to block, circling the neighborhoods that opened up to this barrier.
Of course, another hour had passed since we had crossed the divide, and both the princess and I were flagging. Even though she had been carried for most of it, she seemed just as tired, if not moreso, than I. She also had grown waspish.
“Why must it be scurrying and hiding?” she complained as we stopped once more, hidden beneath the shadows of an overhang as I watched one of the checkpoints. This was the third one we had come across that was guarded by knights, rather than the lackadaisical peacekeepers.
“Is it preferable to be shot at and pursued by knights?” I answered somewhat sarcastically. The knights wore an out-of-town insignia, which meant they were one of the traveling chapters from Kwin, the capital city of Middens. Why were they guarding the checkpoints though? These stations were where the largest and most frequent tolls could be collected, although perhaps not at this late hour. “Besides, only a bad thief draws attention without cause.”
She scoffed. ”All thieves are criminals. Your statement implies that some are good instead.”
“Let us try another,” I said, deciding that the knights at this checkpoint seemed a bit too keen. I pulled back further, retreating back into the neighborhood.
The princess followed behind after hesitating. “Simply cast your powers to blind them. That spell of yours, it could do so, yes?”
“Still, it would be risky. If it were just me, I would slip over without any the wiser.”
“Either choose to fight, climb past, or find a place to settle for the night. Our fatigue only grows with our useless searching.
I gave her a sidelong glance. She was right. We were tiring ourselves out, and that if we were to make a play, it would be better to do so while fresh.
“After this next one, I will carry us across…” I said as a concession. However, rather than cutting back towards the wall immediately, I led us several blocks further, hoping to have gotten past the more attentive knights.
“Do not think that your ploy escapes notice,” she commented after a while.
“Fine. Let us hope for the best.”
I turned back towards Blossom Hill, following one of the main roads that would meet up with the wall and likely a checkpoint. We were coming towards the end of the city proper at this point, meaning there likely would not be another opening to take advantage of.
“The wall is not even so tall,” the princess continued to complain. “Between the blind humans and this stumpy wall of theirs, getting past should have been easy. Our choices are nonsensical.”
I ignored her mutterings, instead watching the opening up ahead.
There were two torches alongside either end of the square, which passed through the wall. Two towers stood at either end, with activity seen within.
While we approached, so did a clanking group of knights that had been following the wall’s boulevard.
This group of knights approached the base of the nearest tower, hailing the two peacekeepers that loitered around the base of it, smoking.
“Ho! We’ll be watching this station.” The knight sounded amicable enough, but there was little to no give in the voice..
“What? But the Baron—”
The knight interrupted, losing what little amiability there had been, and instead turned mocking. “To collect an honest wage for honest work? Ha! What a lark. Well, we’ll be collecting it here for now. Off you go.”
Taking advantage of the shift, I grabbed the princess’s hand and pulled her after me, into the square angling towards the farside from where the knights and peacekeepers argued. Even then, it was still impossible to hide completely. I kept an Hallucination ready to twist onto any perspective that came our way. Either none came, or they were out of range. Regardless, we passed through without causing a noticeable alarm.
“As easy as that,” the princess said, complaining and somewhat breathlessly.
***
At that time of night, most of the bath houses had been closed, at least the large ones. That meant we had been forced to rely on a cistern we had found after breaking into a basement. We scrubbed off the filth of the slums, or at least I did. The princess, lacking any shampoos, was only able to get the worst chunks of grease off–she would have needed to be willing to pull up her fur by the follicle otherwise.
However, the amount of cleaning we did manage was sufficient to largely progress through the districts of Southbridge unnoticed. Where a late passerby did notice something amiss, rather than allowing the princess to commit wanton murder, I would use a timely hallucination. But we were hardly ever noticed to begin with. The advantage of my talents.
At the base of Blossom Hill, we once again found a disagreement between the peacekeepers and a group of out-of-town knights. The typical toll station was being contested through a shouting match, and both sides seemed to be confident that when runners returned that their own position would be the one that was fortified.
On another day, I might have found a hidden rooftop to watch the disagreement progress, or find some wealthy lord’s stash to steal. But not this night, with the hour already turning late, and with the princess in my care. Instead, we used the distraction to slip through, passing into the wealthier part of town.
But rather than climbing the hill just then, we were skirting around the base of it, towards the Chasm side.
“While weariness grows heavy, it becomes appropriate to rest… how much further until our accommodations are arrived at?” the princess asked. It only took me several seconds to interpret her question.
“I tire as well,” I did commiserate with her. “But we’re almost there.”
“Where is our destination? Mayhaps with my benefactor?”
“Hm. No, I thought about it, but I doubt that Cook can host you… and you would likely hate the place, regardless.”
“Who is this ‘Cook?’”
It took a few seconds to remember, but the Kaivan woman was actually named something similar to Anne. She had, for whatever reason, taken on the role as a name. I had only heard anyone use her name once or twice. I was still able to describe Cook well enough though, and when I explained that she had been the princess’ former ‘employee,’ then the princess missed a step and stumbled.
“Truly?”
“Up on the hill, she works at a brothel and tavern.”
“That one learned of my presence… how?”
I shrugged.
As we talked, we continued towards the only other place I could think of to safely host her, and we were nearly there.
“It is likely for the best if our distance is kept…” the princess finally said.
“Weary of meeting her?”
The princess tensed just slightly, her tail swaying quickly. “Just so,” she finally admitted.
“We can figure that out later, I suppose. But regardless, we have arrived.”
We finally reached the street that ran along the back of Laverna’s Cup, and I finished leading the way to the unassuming and unadorned, slightly graffitied, back door to Laverna’s Cup. After knocking, it did not take long for the door to open, revealing Ay, one of the two albino siblings.
“A meohr cow?” the princess seemed to be thinking aloud.
“Huh. So who’s she?” Ay asked, leaning against the doorframe and gazing down unimpressed.
“A… princess fugitive, if you believe it.”
“Yeah? I mean, I can kinda see it. That white fur under all that grime? Might fit in if that’s the case.”
The princess scoffed. “There is little in common between the meohr and kaiva.”
Ay took it in stride with good humor, but riposted all the same. “Ya know, it’s not usual for the meohr to be the clean one, usually it’s you cats, yeah?”
The princess bristled. “At least my people never need their dung shoveled from their resting chambers!”
“Ya sure about that?” Ay taunted.
I groaned. “Is Belobog in? I was hoping to ask if she could remain here.”
“You starting a collection or something?” Ay asked, sounding exasperated. “At least this one’s got her wits about her. But girl, you gotta stop bringing strays in.”
The princess hissed, ears flattening. I rubbed my temples.
“Say, what is your name anyway?” I asked at last.
Her eyes widened. “You never bothered to ask?!”
***
By the time I had the princess settled, exhaustion weighed heavily upon me. The night had gone late, and now morning was closer than evening. After dealing with that Kaivan princess for far too long, and that was atop everything else that happened in the slums, I was just over it. Over the entire day.
All that remained was trudging up Blossom Hill to Ma’Ritz, where I still had a bed waiting, along with a hot bath, and Cook, and–oh–no, Marianne was– I forced myself to focus upon each step, each footfall, easing back any remnant of grief or anxiety that may have latched onto my psyche through that stray thought.
Of course, I was once more donned beneath my Guise, although it did itch. The look that the princess had made when I suddenly appeared as a ‘wretched verminous human’ was comical enough that the memory still brought a glimmer of amusement.
And it was then that I finally crested the part of the hill that Ma’Ritz sat upon. I was out of it enough that I missed the bulky figure leaning against the back wall.
“What’s got you smiling?” that figure asked.
I jerked to attention, snapping my gaze up to where she nonchalantly rested. “Sir Guardson?” I asked, more to buy myself time to think. “I had not been expecting you so soon.”
As I inspected her further, I noticed that a large and half filled sack, one made of durable canvas, rested to her side at her feet. I suddenly had a premonition, and it was an uncomfortable one at that.
But before I could gather my wits about me to decide if I should stay or flee, Kate kicked off the wall and made her way towards me with a confident stride.
“Ya know, I’ve been waiting for a while,” she said, quickly reaching my position and looming over me with her height. Her shoulders were broad enough to seemingly wrap and drown me, although she made no such moves to do anything of the sort. “But I’m not mad about that. In fact, it’s probably for the best.”
I swallowed and found my mouth suddenly dry, although I still managed to ask, “Why is that?”
“Because,” she said, flashing another winsome smile that seemed far too menacing from my angle. “Gave me time to pack your stuff and let your boss know–well, guess that’s your old boss now…”
“... what?” I asked, almost breathlessly. My legs felt far weaker than they ought, and I may have trembled just slightly.
“Yep, you’re welcome,” Kate continued, unknowingly of my current emotional upheaval. “So…” she looked down at me, “You ready to go?”
I broke eye contact and looked away. I needed more time. This all came on so suddenly!
“Sir Guardson, I–or, the staff–-Cook–I need to–”
“Huhp-up-up,” she tutted good humoredly. “Don’t go getting cold feet. You’ve been wanting to move out for a bit, quit this place. I got a room lined up for ya. So… what, gonna say thank you? Maybe show some affection?”
Her entitlement finally gave me enough anger to break free of the stupor I had been cast in. Going through my options, they were less than ideal. Certainly, I could burn my relationship with Kate and flee, but that likely would come with dire consequences. I could also resist, but considering Kate’s current leverage over me, and given her legal privileges, I doubted my chances there. But just because I had to go along with Kate’s current stupidity, did not necessarily mean that I had to make this easy for her.
In fact, if I played just coyly enough, I could likely secure for myself a better position than otherwise. First class on a sinking ship was still first class.
I firmed my spine and crossed my arms, jutting my chin up at her and meeting her in the eye once more.
“And if I say no?” I asked, tauntingly.
Her grin grew, her eyes alight with intent.
“It depends on how you want this to go,” she said, taunting back.
“Oh?”
“You wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way… ?”
I may have groaned at that.
Talents:
- Athleticism I (4/9):
- Climbing I (5/9)
- Featherlight I (5/9)
- Inversion (4/9)
- Gymnastics (5/9)
- Stealth II (2/9)
- Trackless Tracks II (1/9) (+1)
- Area Coverage (8/9)
- Beguiling Tracks (1/9) [new]
- Alchemical Immunity: (2/9)
- Unnatural Concealment: (4/9)
- Eschiver I (7/9)
- Evasion I (5/9)
- Impending Sense (8/9)
- Lucky Break I (6/9)
- Chance Encounter (6/9)
- Courtly Dancing: Treachery I (6/9) (+1)
- Flexibility I (4/9)
- Persuasive Lies I (1/9)
- Sweet Delusions (2/9)
- Her Flesh: (3/9)
- Always Form: (3/9)
- Her Love: (3/9)
- Tangible Hallucinations I: (5/9) (+1)
Spells:
- [Slot removed]
- Guise of the Kitsune I (3/9)
- Malleable Form: (7/9)
- Passive Enervation: (5/9)
- Tithes to Above: (3/9)
Gifts:
- Obsession (5/9)
- Closed (0/9)
- Closed (0/9)