"Tormod, a message," Dirk said, holding out an elegant letter. Tormod looked up, and took the letter. He unfurled it, and read it as fast as he could. When Dirk delivered the letter, it was always urgent news.
"What does it say, little one?" Muarim asked. Tormod waved him away, still trying to read. His eyes finally reached the bottom of the page, and Tormod furled it up.
"Done. Apostle Sanaki herself has alerted us to a raven laguz in captivity… her master is one Duke Lekain of Gaddos," Tormod said.
"Gaddos? Can we take him on?" Dirk asked.
"We've taken slaves from Asmin, Tanas, Barmaki, Culbert… Duke Gaddos will be a piece of cake!" Tormod said. Dirk smiled.
"NO LAGUZ IN CHAINS!" Tormod cried out.
"NO LAGUZ IN CHAINS!" the laguz responded. Tormod picked out Muarim, the cat boy Dirk, and the raven boy Chase to march on Gaddos.
Tormod jumped from Muarim's back, and looked around Gaddos' manor. He had drawn his cowl, and the laguz were also cloaked. Chase, one of the smaller of the ravens, was flying about the mansion in shifted form, making periodical mournful sounds. He returned to the group, and reverted.
"I have found the raven. She is chained to a bed in a room with a large window on the third floor," Chase said.
"Give me a challenge, would you?" Tormod said. Large windows were just begging for a liberation. Chase resumed his raven form, and Tormod clambered on top of him. Chase flew Tormod to the window, and Tormod jumped to the sill. He carefully pushed the window open, and entered the room.
"Who… who are you?" the raven girl asked.
"My name is Tormod, and I'm here to get you out of here," Tormod said.
"But… but…" the raven said.
"I said I'm here to get you out of here! No laguz in chains!" Tormod said.
"NO LAGUZ IN CHAINS!" Chase echoed.
"CHASE!" Tormod said in annoyance. Chase's hand flew to his mouth.
"What the bloody hell is this racket?" a voice asked. Tormod gasped, and pointed to the wall. He rapidly melted part of the chain, and grabbed the raven. He jumped into Chase's talons, and Chase hurriedly flew him off the grounds. He set the raven girl on Muarim, before jumping on Dirk. The three laguz bolted from Gaddos before any pursuit could be formed.
"Are you all right?" Tormod asked, looking at the raven uncertainly. He had just melted the collar on her chain, as well as her various locks. A few specks of molten metal had hit her.
"I'm… I'm fine… master…" the raven said.
"I'm not your master. You're free, now!" Tormod said.
"Really?" the raven said, her hands grasping a small icon around her neck. A cute little heron girl rested there.
"As long as I draw breath," Tormod said.
"Thank you, master Tormod… my name is…" the raven girl said, before hesitating.
"Don't tell me… you're another Nameless one?" Tormod asked.
"…Lekain… never named me…" the raven girl said.
"Darn it! Let me think…" Tormod said, touching his hand to his forehead.
"How about Vika?" Beat asked from a corner.
"…Sounds great. Vika it is!" Tormod said.
"Another letter, Tormod," Dirk said, holding up a much blander letter.
"Again? That was quick…" Tormod said. Sure, it had taken a while to melt Vika's chains, but… He unfurled the letter, and read it much more quickly than the prior one.
"Oh no!" Tormod said. "It's a heron… and she's on her last legs!"
"Master Tormod…" Vika said.
"Muarim! We go alone! We've got no time to lose!" Tormod said, jumping onto Muarim's back.
"Master Tormod… can I come…" Vika asked.
"…Get on," Tormod said, impatient. Vika jumped onto Muarim, behind Tormod. She wrapped her arms around his back.
Tormod jumped from Muarim's back at the site, looking around. The directions were circuitous and led to an old, dilapidated house. Tormod ran in, and looked around.
"Master Tormod… that was…" Vika said nervously. She wanted to tell Tormod what happened, but she was worried about interrupting his thoughts.
"I smell no heron," Muarim said, sniffing.
"Another letter?" Tormod said, spotting the letter with keen eyes. He grabbed it, and unfurled it.
"What does this one say?" Muarim asked.
"…Fooled you…" Tormod said. He burned it angrily.
"Last time I accept a request without Sanaki's seal," Tormod grumbled. At least Sanaki had earned Tormod's trust during the Mad King's War. He jumped back on Muarim, and the three headed back to the desert.
"What…" Tormod said. He looked around the desert. Laguz of all breeds and states of transformation were scattered across the desert, all of them dead by no less than three wounds apiece. 'Massacre' was putting this lightly.
"Tormod…" a cat said, scrawling up to Tormod. A lone survivor… only two fatal wounds. He had yet to bleed out.
"Dirk… what happened here?" Tormod asked.
"Five seconds after you left… the Begnions came… we wounded five… maybe… but we were taken in surprise," Dirk said, slumping down for good.
"Master Tormod… that letter was in Lekain's handwriting," Vika said. Tormod dropped to his knees.
"Little one, a guest," Muarim said, pointing. Tormod looked up, to see Apostle Sanaki approaching.
"This wasn't your doing, was it…?" Tormod asked.
"Of course not… I saw it with my own two eyes… Lekain led the entire forces of Gaddos…" Sanaki said.
"Why didn't you help?" Tormod asked, distraught.
"I wanted to… but if Lekain saw me helping, he'd slaughter me, too!" Sanaki said.
"Coward…" Muarim growled.
"She's in the right, Muarim… if Sanaki died now, without descendant, the title of Apostle would be in jeopardy… the senate would take over," Tormod said.
"Instantly forgiven," Muarim said, growling again.
"…Come with me," Sanaki said.
Sanaki led the three to a small home not far from Mainal. The three freedom fighters entered the room, and looked around. The house was suitably comfortable, small but efficient, and it looked relatively undisturbed.
"I'm sorry I can't do more…" Sanaki said, looking down in shame.
"…You've done plenty…" Tormod said.
"I could not bear to reside within the desert," Muarim growled.
"...I'm glad I helped," Sanaki said, leaving for Mainal. Tormod looked around at what he had available to him. Two laguz- his foster father and a new recruit.
"I'm going to Mainal," Tormod said.
"Little one, you will be reviled here!" Muarim said.
"I'm a beorc boy. I can pass as one. Just lock the door, and make sure no one raids this place. Hopefully, no one who supports the senate will," Tormod said. He pulled up his cowl, and strode purposefully through the capital.
Tormod slinked through Mainal, avoiding the watchful gaze of the aristocrats. He found what he was looking for: Mainal's library. He looked around, wondering where to start.
"Need something?" a woman asked, looking at him.
"Yes… where are the books related to the magic arts?" Tormod asked.
"Third aisle on the left. Don't go to the very end, though… those magics are too dangerous for just anybody," the woman said. Tormod nodded, and passed to that aisle. Scooting immediately to the dangerous magic section, he pulled out a few tomes, and scanned through them, looking for the magics Calill had spoken of.
"Let me think, where is it… ah, there it is!" Tormod said. He found a passage of ancient text, prefaced simply with the word 'spirit'.
"Perfect…" Tormod said, before reciting the words. As he spoke, all light in the library shut off, and a blue light appeared for Tormod to read from.
I am Pyres, Spirit of Flame. What reason have you for summoning me? the light asked.
"My name is Tormod… uh… Laguz! Yes, Tormod Laguz. I am here to make a pact with the spirits, to empower my magic enough to murder Lekain," Tormod said.
Very well, Tormod Laguz. A pact has been formed, Pyres said. He seeped into Tormod, and a mark appeared on Tormod's left leg.
"Anybody in here?" a girlish voice asked. Tormod jumped, and shoved the books back into the shelves haphazardly. The light came back as he did.
"Tormod!" Sanaki cried out, looking into the aisle with Tormod in it.
"Apostle!" Tormod responded, hurriedly moving away from the dangerous magic section. A book began to tilt from its shelf, but Tormod pushed it back up. Sanaki watched the movement, raising an eyebrow. Her golden eyes eventually returned to Tormod, and Tormod found himself unable to speak.
"…What were you researching?" Sanaki asked. Tormod made uncertain gestures with his hands. Sanaki watched them, before noticing the mark emblazoned on his left leg.
"You're… you're Branded?" Sanaki asked.
"Branded? What was that again…" Tormod said, looking at the new mark himself.
"Branded are children of beorc and laguz, so named because of their distinctive marks that can easily be confused with… Spirit Charmers…" Sanaki explained. Tormod looked away from Sanaki.
"Oh, Tormod… I suspected you'd sink to this… do you not know of the dangers of forming a pact with the spirits?" Sanaki asked.
"I… I did. Calill told me quite a bit about them in the Mad King's War. But… Lekain killed every last one of my people. My brothers and sisters are gone, wiped out by Gaddos. All I've got left are my father and a raven girl I've known for less than a day. As far as I care, as long as Lekain gets turned to cinders, I don't care what happens to me," Tormod said.
"You… you poor thing…" Sanaki said. She stepped forward, drawing Tormod into her arms. Tormod squeaked, unsure of how to cope with Sanaki's sudden intimacy.
"Listen to me, Tormod… I want Lekain… 'out of his chair' as much as you do. I've got a plan… I'll need you to start digging around in the dirt for anything we can use to bring Lekain to justice. You'll need to be discreet…" Sanaki said into his ear,
"…I'll bring Lekain down for you. You can trust me," Tormod said. Sanaki broke away from him.
"Good. First, look around in Daein. I don't have the highest confidence that Lekain's reports are entirely factual… I want a report from a source I trust on that place," Sanaki said.
"Daein… give me a challenge," Tormod said. After his pact, he felt ready to do anything.
"Good. Oh, and one more thing… apart from my personal chambers here in Mainal and your own property, don't breathe a word about anything that's happened in this hallway. Especially this," Sanaki said, kissing Tormod on the cheek. Tormod grinned.
"Wasn't I supposed to do that to you?" Tormod asked.
"That's just a tad too cliché for an empress," Sanaki said, winking. "Oh, and that one stays in my chambers."
Tormod returned to the house Sanaki had granted him the next morning. He looked around, to notice Muarim teaching Vika to help around the house. Tormod sighed in annoyance: wasn't the point of a laguz slave to know this stuff? Then he realised that Vika had been chained to the bed, and suspected that Lekain had different reasons for buying her.
"So much for laguz being sub-humans…" he thought aloud. Muarim and Vika both jumped, and turned to Tormod.
"Master Tormod! Welcome!" Vika said, taking his hand, and guiding him to the table.
"Where have you been?" Muarim asked.
"That doesn't leave Mainal. What I can say, however, is that I bumped into Sanaki while… studying," Tormod said.
"Studying, master?" Vika asked, tilting her head.
"Now is not the time for this, Vika. Continue," Muarim said.
"Anyway, Sanaki wants to help us get revenge on Lekain. For that, she's going to start with us finding dirt in Daein on him," Tormod said.
"Are you sure she doesn't just want us out of her hair?" Muarim asked.
"No, she doesn't," Tormod said firmly. Too firmly.
"…Is Empress Sanaki doing to master Tormod what Lekain did to me?" Vika asked.
"NO! She's above that. And I thought I said I wasn't your master!" Tormod said, trying to deflect the conversation from Sanaki. His hands became coated in fire, and Tormod stepped back. He shook the flames out, and Muarim looked Tormod over. His eyes lit up on the mark on his left leg, a mark Tormod had believed concealed.
"Little one… you've made a pact with the spirits…" Muarim said.
"So what? Who do I have to share my victory over Lekain with? I want him as ash, and I don't care if I follow him!" Tormod said. But that was a lie. He had two people whose lives would be gone completely without him, and a third who would lose quite a bit of hers. His rashness was going to hurt people who didn't deserve it.
"…Should we get going and follow Empress Sanaki's orders?" Vika asked.
"Yes," Tormod said. Vika smirked, while Muarim growled. He turned to tiger form, and Tormod hopped on.