Woohoo exciting chapter! And it's got a cliffhanger! (sorry... it's just so much fun!)
Chapter 11 -- The Chase
The snowy weather of Daein made following Naesala's trail difficult. Most of the time the visibility was low due to snowstorms, and sometimes the wind would be so bad that Lucrezia had to stop flying. A week passed before she finally found herself near a Daein camp. She recognized it by the black tents and black armor of the soldiers. She watched the camp closely for a few hours before she spotted black-winged messengers flying in.
So the crows are working with Daein, then...
Anyone who had lived on Tellius their whole life would know that the people of Daein despised the laguz. The fact that Kilvas was allied with Daein made Lucrezia's anger rise even more.
He didn't care about the slaves. He didn't care about selling Prince Reyson. Now he doesn't care about helping a country that's known to be anti-laguz!
Lucrezia knew that she had to find Naesala alone. She waited for a few days until she was able to find a lone crow scout in the woods. She snuck up behind him and pulled out a knife she had purchased before leaving Begnion. Then she quickly pressed it to the crow's neck, causing him to turn around and gasp in shock to see the heron standing before him.
"L-Lu? What are you do--"
"What is that despicable king of yours doing?" she yelled. "What madness has seized him that he's now working with Daein? Tell me!"
The crow remained speechless, mostly because his old partner was now threatening to kill him.
"Tell me, crow, or I'll kill you!"
Gulping, the crow stammered, "W-We're getting paid! They promised King Naesala up to 150,000 gold if he gives them reinforcements! That's all!"
Lucrezia glared at him. "Where is Naesala?"
Silence.
"WHERE IS NAESALA?" The once-placid heron was now wild-eyed, with murder as the only thought in her mind.
"I-I don't know. He comes in and out. Usually he's with that General Petrine or whatever. C'mon, Lu! Calm down!"
Lucrezia released the crow and stepped back. "Tell Naesala that his little 'Lulu' is following him, and she plans to get her revenge."
The crow merely gulped and took off. She watched as his black wings faded in the snowy air.
I'll just follow this camp, then. Charging it alone would be suicide. I need to wait until I see Naesala fly out by himself, and then I'll follow him. And then I'll kill him for his treachery...
The next few days led Lucrezia through more blinding snowstorms. She began to marvel at the persistence of the Daein soldiers, for they hardly ever stopped to camp and wait for better weather. However, she still saw no sign of Naesala.
Finally, the soldiers arrived at their destination: a small fort that's primary purpose was to keep supplies available for traveling soldiers. Lucrezia waited in the forest, perching on a branch in a fairly-concealed tree that had a good view of the fort's entrance. The entrance was heavily guarded, but the sides were fairly defenseless. On the night of their arrival, Lucrezia finally saw the crow king through a window. He was talking with a large-busted woman with long, raven-black hair.
Found himself another pet, I see... Lucrezia thought bitterly as she saw Naesala give his mischievous grin to the woman several times. She seemed to be in charge of the unit of soldiers, for her face showed authority.
The next day, Lucrezia carefully observed the routine of the soldiers and crows. The guard was strongest during twilight hours, and it was weakest in the early morning, right before the sun rose. Also, Naesala tended to be in that one room, talking with the black-haired woman. If he wasn't in there, it was usually because he was with the other crows on scouting missions. During these missions, Lucrezia made sure to stay hidden in the tree's foliage. She also covered her white wings with her cloak, since the wings stood out among the dark leaves of the tree.
Finally, night time came. Lucrezia had slept during the day so she would be awake and alert for her task. She only had one chance to get this right, and if she failed, she could easily be killed. However, her mania was so strong that fiery anger replaced any apprehension about her plan.
I want to see him dead more than anything, she thought as she watched him flirt with the woman one last time before he went off to sleep. The woman seemed much too clever to fall for Naesala's charm, though, so she usually ignored it. If I wasn't on a mission to avenge Prince Reyson, I would almost like to stay here and watch this silly little drama unfold.
The woman left, and Naesala blew out the candle. Now Lucrezia was unable to see into the window, but she was certain that the crow would be asleep in there by early morning. She saw the guard decrease to only two patrolling soldiers and knew this was her chance. Spreading her wings, she leapt from the tree and flew straight to that window.
She was able to get to it unseen, so she landed on the floor of the room with great confidence. Unfortunately, her bird eyes were not strong in the dark, so she could not see where Naesala was sleeping. She was beginning to see a flaw in her plan, but she continued to squint around the room. In the dim moonlight she began to realize, to her dismay, that this was not Naesala's bedroom, but merely a storage room.
I'll have to sneak out into the halls... Please, Reyson, be with me...
Lucrezia slowly opened the door and peered down the hallway. It was dimly lit by torches, but there was just enough light for her to make her way through. She cautiously snuck over the stone floor, making sure to listen for nearby soldiers. She had no idea where the crow king would be, but she had a feeling that he would have insisted on having the biggest, most ornate room in the building. Soon she spotted a set of double doors, with a stray black feather lying close by on the ground.
That's him... Prepare yourself, crow!
Caution was being replaced with madness, anger, and a desire to kill. She began walk faster in step with her rapidly beating heart.
I'll get you... you'll regret all those playful kisses, you dirty--
Suddenly, she felt something hit her leg, and she fell over with a loud clank. Madness slowly oozed out of her, letting reality knock into the back of her head. She glanced to the ground to see a stray lance lying in front of her. She had tripped.
"It was over here! I heard a crashing sound!"
Damn... I have to get out of here...
Lucrezia quickly searched around for a place to hide, but there was nothing large enough to conceal her. She decided to run for it, until she heard soldiers coming from both directions. Small torch lights began rushing closer to her.
I have a knife... I can try to fight!
Unsheathing her knife, she stood up and got into the best fighting stance she could think of. The lights were getting closer, so close that she could see the soldiers' helmets.
"It's a girl! She must have snuck in the back!"
"Must be a thief!"
Lucrezia had been careful to put her cloak on, so they could not see her wings.
"Come and fight me, bloody soldiers!" she shouted. However, her voice was wavering in fear.
There were four soldiers surrounding her, so all she could do now was swing her small dagger at them. They charged her from both sides, with such speed that she couldn't fend them all off at once. She landed a swift blow in a soldier's stomach, causing him to stumble backward. However, her brief moment of triumph was interrupted by a sharp whack in her back. She flew forward and hit the ground. She tried to get up, but as she attempted to stand her back seared in pain. Soon, another soldier was on her, holding her arms back and taking her dagger.
"What's all this commotion about?"
Lucrezia looked over the soldier's shoulder to see the black-haired woman, carrying a long, sharp lance.
"G-General Petrine! We've found a thief sneaking about the hallways!" the soldier answered.
The woman, General Petrine, leaned over to get a closer look at Lucrezia. Her dark eyes seemed to be looking straight into Lucrezia's soul.
"Aw, what a cute thief! You must think you're so strong, injuring one of my men!"
Lucrezia took her chance and kicked the soldier off of her. Then she ran off down the hallway, ignoring the sharp pain in her back. She could hear Petrine shouting orders at the soldiers behind her. Moonlight once again greeted her as she saw a window up ahead. Unfortunately, before she could spread her wings to fly out, another sharp pain hit her shoulder. She hit the ground with a cry.
"I got her!" the soldier exclaimed. Once again Lucrezia found herself surrounded. She cringed in pain as a soldier thrust her against the wall.
"Search her for weapons!" Petrine ordered.
The pain was becoming unbearable. Even when she opened her eyes she could not see much. She felt someone remove her cloak and heard the gasps of shock.
"White wings! A sub-human!"
"General, we caught ourselves a heron!"
Lucrezia was able to make out Petrine's evil grin hiding behind her dark lance. The hot metal tip was pressed against her neck.
"Now, what would a little heron sub-human be doing in a Daein fort with a knife, hm?" the general asked in mock sweetness.
The heron only stared back in defiance.
"Won't talk, eh? Maybe a little bit of heat will change your mind..."
Lucrezia watched in horror as fire began spurting out from the lance...
Why did I sneak in here? Now I'll die... Prince Reyson, I'm sorry...
"Dear goodness, what is all this noise? Can't a crow sleep in peace?"