Sem was completely clueless of where he actually had landed after he stept through the portal, where Shira was seen at last. The people around him spoke the same language, though having a different, some kind of „rolling" accent. He stood in the middle of something that seemed like a market. Unlike his old home or even Tar'citadel, the town looked old-fahioned, dirty and somehow dark and rough, the houses being built out of wood and the doors carelessly hammered into the buildings with rusty nails, so they at least would hold. It was very likely that magic was not very common, in that place. The townsfolk were covered in clothes full of warm leather and fur, which was deeply necessary for anyone, who was not an ice-mage, like Sem. Even to him it seemed so frosty outside, that the cold and draining air was about to crawl up to his bones. Between the icy smell of winter and several campfires from inside the houses, Sem could sense the presence of something very dark - in a way, that even the townsfolk was too scared to talk about. Here and there, he heard the name „Duntra", which was supposed to be the town he was in. Sometimes, he saw some little, green and rogueish looking creatures running around or even trading. What should he do now? He had entered a completely different world. Where should he begin with searching? His first thoughts went to what could be her first place or encounter, after she went here. But then again, he did not even know what exactly happened to her and how she could survive long enough to get to the portal. Sem almost bumped into a drunk man, stumbling out of a pub screaming „Drragonflies? Fuck those dragonflies!", before he tripped over a small creak on the street, trying to hold onto a trashcan next to him. The trashcan, however, had other intentions than helping a yelling lunatic standing on his feet, so the man fell on his back, pulling the can towards him and burying himself under garbage. This incidence did not bother him at all, as he crawled on his four limbs to the next building across the pathway. Seeing this far-from-elegant scenario, Semryu suddenly had an idea, where it could be helpful to go and get some informations…
He was already surprised by the lack of any design and beauty outside in Duntra but inside the pub „To the Nymph", he was really devastated by how dirty and plump everything looked around him. Those wooden stairs and tables, the smoky atmosphere from the pipes of fat and rough-looking men and people bluntly getting drunk without having any interesting, let alone intriguous conversations like he was used to at his parents' place… that all seemed somehow rotten to him. There was only one group near the fireplace, where two men were chatting about some urban and dark legends of witches with the eyes of an insect, living in huts on chicken legs and favouring „juicy, human flesh". Those tales are greatly fitting to this place, he told Michael. Not only the tales, the guild answered. I sense the presence of fallen spirits, which I never have encountered before, my charge. The people here seem to have many troubles in surviving. Please be careful. As those men were the only ones looking sober enough to answer his questions, Sem walked over to their place.
„I am very sorry to disturb you. But have you seen a girl with white hair? Braids? Green eyes and white skin?" He remembered her hair to be black but it seemed to have changed, according to the rumours he heard, back in Lubreean.
„Seen many of em. Whorehouse has bunch o them.", one of the men with an even more foreign-sounding accent answered with a dirty laugh. „Ya lass might be there, that's what most women do who lost their lad, right?"
Sem dug his nails deep into his palm. He had to restrain himself not to punch that guy into his face, or worse. Though not a direct member of his family, Shira was important enough for him to not let that filthy-mouthed piece of garbage sitting over there insult her as a…
„Careful, guy… we don't wanna get hurt here, will we?", Sem said, slowly. „Now, did you see her or not?"
The other man who was looking way more clean and sober answered in a way more friendly manner. „You have to excuse my friend, here. He just lost his business, now he seems to call out for trouble." He gave the other man a glare of caution. „But bright hair and green eyes are features which get seen quite sometimes, in this place. But white… you're not speaking of an old woman, are you? And white skin… well, in these lands… there is hardly enough sun to darken it, isn't it?" With a thoughtful expression he asked „Can you say anything else about your lady?"
Shira had loved to craft gemstones and charms. On top of that, she was remarkable at it. She rarely kept any of the charms, though. Most of them were sold to classmates, when they needed to just „push" their abilities a little bit. One charm though, she always had kept to herself. To Semryu's surprise it was a charm that would strengthen her relationships. He remembered seeing it on her desk, when he was just about to ask whethter she would go with him and follow those weird vibrations, which Michael had sensed. Its smell had a brief, sharp and wooden note, followed by a sweet, soft breeze of exotic flowers. Though Semryu knew of her little hobby, he never would have imagined Shira caring about her emotional bonds to other people so much, that she would take any effort to improve them with a charm. Towards him, she always seemed exceptional loyal – though he never knew, if it was out of her sympathy to him or if she just was drawn to his jokes and adventures.
„You may have sensed some bergamot and jasmin", Sem replied.
„Oh… in that case, da whorehouse will help." the rough-looking man was mocking him again. „Some flower-scents, big tits… ya will have da fun of ya life, will ya. Hehehhh -" before the well-dressed but unkempt looking guy could finish his sentence, Sem had his hands at the throat of the man. „I've warned you, ruddy dirt-seller!" Despite his slim appearence of a Clan, he was strong enough to lift this guy up and press him against the nearest wall. „I don't care, if your lovely marketing went to shit, but label her as a whore once again and I'll have your guts splattered around this wooden dumpster", he whispered venomously. The more polite man who was supposed to be his friend, lost his friendly look and took out a dagger out of the bag, which he kept at his trousers.
„Ey, over there at the fire! Out of here, NOW!", the host screamed. Some men standing near the host also took out their weapons at the sight of the scene, near the fireplace. Semryu, seeing that he had lost his temper again too soon, let the guy down who was now desperately choking for air. „Yes, we should leave this place. Let's go, Diego", the sober man responded. The two went out of the pub. Realizing that he still did not have any clue AND was making himself some enemies already, Sem furiously stormed out of the place. The moment he tried to gather his thoughts outside, the host stood next to him.
„Your tablemate could have been right. Bergamot and jasmin are not common flowers, here. It is more a scent which is discovered in Y'shadin, if you ask me. One of my friends who has… let's say… a favour to the „Krasni" around the corner and especially to the ladies there, was telling about a foreign flower scent in that place a few days ago, which did not belong to any special woman over there. Don't ask me how and why he sorted those women by scent", he replied to Sem's confused gaze. „But maybe, even for you it should be worth a try. It seems, that your girl could have had a different business, there. It has a jewelery-trade downstairs. Just go straight, until the next crossing passage, then right."
A jewelry- trade and a whorehouse in one building… another tasteless thing in this filthy place, Sem thought for himself as he followed the described path. It was almost at night – perfect time to get all the „fun" started over in that mansion, but would he even find her in there? The „friend" of the host had mentioned that it was a few days ago, so she could have finished whatever she had done there. For Semryu, it was clear that there wouldn't be any chances that she could work in „Krasni", as she nearly had electrocuted one of her classmates with her manipulated energy, just because he tried to hug her without her permission. What did she do, there? Was it for the jewelery? So she would have gone downstairs, then. Arriving there, Sem discovered to his surprise, that the door was unlocked. Hadn't anyone noticed by now? He silently tried to open the door and found himself inside what seemed to be the jewelry-shop. It was dark inside but Sem was used to darkness and being mostly active at night, he could see enough to discover that place. He found many sorts of gems stored and sorted neatly inside of glass boxes. Some of the boxes were missing their gems, already. As he stepped closer to one of those boxes, he heard a swoosh and felt something quickly passing his arm, pinning him to the wall by his coat. It was a throwing knife. Before Sem could react with any ice spikes, someone stood before him and held a dagger at his throat. „One more movement and you'll not live to see the next morning again, understand?", the person hissed. Suddenly a warm, soft breeze of jasmin flew at him and let him skip a heartbeat.
„Mirror-gazer?"
He saw a pair of very lively eyes widen above the covered face. She dropped the cover of her face and took the dagger away from his neck.
„How on heaven did you get here? The portals have been closed for years!"
She put the throwing knife out of the wall to free him, still looking puzzled.
„For years? It's my first day, here." , Sem replied.
He could not even recall any announcements, that the portals were planned to be closed.
„By the lack of dead bodies in this brothel, I suppose that your business was restricted to stealing gems, though", he added with a grin.
„More lucrative, anyway", she smiled back.
Semryu frowned at her smile. For a short time, as she spoke, he saw little fangs on her face. A changeling? Sem hadn't heard of human beings being turned to Clan for a long time and except for the most powerful of his race, no one was even officially allowed to talk about it, these days. So how in all ruddy demons could she get turned? Did it happen, when she took up his wounds? But then again he knew it could not be as simple as that. The leaders of the Clan had to allow it and only they knew, how someone could be turned. He instinctively reached out for taking her face between his hands, but as one hand just had touched her cheek, he pulled it back.
„ The fangs… how? Is it my fault?", he asked quietly.
„That's nothing we should now talk about, now." Suddenly, Shira's smile disappeared and she tried to avoid his gaze. „You are not safe here. The Red have sent their perverted creatures to all worlds. I guess, they want to trap you, wherever you are. Here."
She placed a little piece of paper into his palms and carefully closed his fingers around it.
„Just ask for the room with purple curtains and they will give you a place to stay for free – at least for now. As soon as I know anything further about where the Reds are looking for you, I'll let you know. Until then, stay alerted. And by the way…" An expression of sudden realization appeared on Shira's face. Turning slightly red, she let go of his hand. „We should not be seen together. No one knows that you are here and we do not know who of the townsfolk is working with the Red. The later they start chasing you, the better. " It seemed that she was about to make a movement towards Sem, when she suddenly stopped. „I have to go."
Sem fought the urge to make her stay or even allow him to go with her, as he felt that there was something, what she was hiding from him. Something, she would fight at any cost to not letting him know. If he wanted to get behind it, he had to try it another way – another time, even. On the other hand, he didn't want to let her go, like that.
„Shira, wait." With a surprised look, Shira responded to Sem's call and turned around. „I'm glad that you made it, Mirror-Gazer. And please… stay safe."
„Clansman… no one will have me dead, until I allow it.", she replied with her now even more feline smirk. And with that, she dashed one step forward and disappeared.
Lying in the bed of the hostel, where Shira had guided him to with her paper, Sem thought about what had happened throughout the day – and what especially happened to her. She also seemed to hide her magical abilities – or not use them at all. Any magical presence was gone from her. Sem knew that her stealth skills had been awful, back in Tar'Citadel. That was absolutely not the case, in the jewelry store. In those eight years, she had surpassed him, a Clansman, by far. But that was not, what Semryu was concerned about. He was sure that she was definitely not a changeling – he would have sensed it. This was entirely different. Her spirit felt cracked. Not broken, like a devastated person would be who had been abandoned and would never recover from his or her disappointment. It was more, as if someone had ripped out a major part of a machine, leaving it's functions disabled but the machine still going, until it collapsed. Semryu felt utter dread crawl up his spine by recalling her aura. It was a feeling that he never had experienced before – yet it felt familiar… too familiar.