Chapter 2
Attrei squirmed. He really, badly, urgently, needed to use the bathroom, but he'd promised to look after Olivia. They were sitting on the floor, surrounded by the new wooden blocks that the ship's carpenter had made for her at Korlys' request. At first she didn't know what to do, but after Mario showed her she could stack them and build houses – and then knock them down – she fell in love with them.
When Mario left to train the boys, Attrei had promised to play with Olivia… and he had and it was fun, but now he really had to go. It would only take a couple of minutes. Nothing could happen in that short time.
"I need to leave, but I'll be right back. You just keep playing, alright?"
The little girl didn't react in any way; he decided that meant 'yes'. He scrambled to his feet and sneaked out, closing the door behind him. It would be okay; what could a sweet little kid like her do, anyway?
And he was right; when he got back, the door was still closed, and he could hear her happy babbling from inside. He opened the door to tell her what a clever girl she was… and stopped frozen in his tracks.
His cabin looked as if a horde of darkspawn had swept through it. Every single thing from his backpack was now scattered across the floor; the blocks were buried under his socks and undies, he could see a sleeping potion under his bed, and another had to have broken, because his best shirt was now soaked in a greenish liquid. In the middle of the chaos sat Olivia, happy as a clam. She'd found a jar of cream that Claudio had given him to treat sunburn, managed to open the wire lid… and was trying to feed herself with it.
"Olivia, no! That's not for eating!" He tried to take the jar from her, but she wouldn't have it.
The toddler whined and pulled it away. "No, mine!" Olivia said, sticking her lower lip out and frowning.
"No, it's not. And even if it was, it's not for eating. It's for putting on your face… never mind that." Olivia already had the cream on her face and her dress, and even in her hair. "It will make your tummy hurt, you know? If you're hungry, we can get you something else. What would you like?"
"Mine!" the toddler stubbornly insisted, turning away from him and cradling the bottle of cream to her chest to protect it.
Attrei considered his options. He could pull it out of her hands, but she'd inevitably start crying, and he preferred she didn't. But, he obviously couldn't let her continue eating it… and Maker only knew how much of it she'd already eaten.
"Fine, okay. You hold the cream, and I'll hold you." He gently picked her up and headed out again. "We'll go to Claudio, okay? He'll know what to do," he said, smiling at her. I hope.
oOo
"She ate the sunscreen!" Attrei said the moment he stepped into Claudio's clinic. "Oh… sorry," he muttered, as Claudio looked at him in surprise – and so did the sailor who was standing in front of him, his pants pulled down to his knees. Attrei turned on his heel. "Don't look, Olivia… I think it's best if we wait outside."
"We are almost done here anyway," Claudio assured him. "Keep applying the balm I gave you," he said to the sailor, who was hastily pulling up his trousers. "If there are no complications, come see me in a week."
"Yes, ser," the sailor said, and hurried out, his face red.
"Alright. Our little principessa now. I will borrow that, sí?" he said, reaching for the jar that she was still clutching to her chest.
"No bowo!"
"I will return it later – but with cookies, not a cream," Claudio promised; he could only hope they still had some in stock, or they were in trouble.
"No!"
Claudio sighed. "Well, do not just stand there!" he told Attrei. "Put her on the bed and go get Korlys."
At that very moment Korlys arrived, Mario and the apprentices following close behind. "What happened to Olivia?" he demanded.
"Nothing, nothing," Attrei reassured him, pointing to the jar in her hands. "She just ate some sunscreen. She seems to like it, because she won't part with it."
Mario snorted. "Just take it and give her something else," he said and snatched it out of her hands before she had time to react.
"Mario, I can handle this!" Korlys snapped. He went to Olivia, who was now wailing at the top of her lungs, and tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable.
Korlys turned to Claudio. "Have you examined her yet?"
"No, I was just going to." Claudio took the jar from Mario. "It seems she got more on herself than what she managed to eat. It is not really toxic, but her eyes must sting badly. I need to clean them, fast."
Korlys turned to Dante. "Go get me the chocolate bar in my cabin," and the apprentice was gone in the blink of an eye, returning moments later.
"I will need you to hold her hands so she does not rub her eyes," Claudio told Korlys. Thankfully, he always kept a barrel of clean water in the clinic. He laddled some into a bowl, and took out a clean, cotton cloth. He smiled at Olivia, who was still busy wailing, and tried to sound reassuring. "Alright, principessa. Let's get you cleaned up."
oOo
Once Claudio finished cleaning Olivia's eyes, face, and hands, and had assured him she would be okay, Korlys took the chocolate from Dante.
"Look what I have for you," he said to her. Olivia was still crying, though, and although she did look at it, he could see she didn't know what it was, so he broke a piece off and held it to her lips. "Try some, it tastes good."
Korlys could swear the toddler was looking at him suspiciously, so he nibbled on it a bit. "Mmmm, see? It is yummy." He held it to her lips again, and she took a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her face lit up. He was amazed at how quickly Olivia's tears ended, like turning off a faucet.
She broke into a wide grin. "Mmmm," she said, mimicking Korlys. "Mowah."
"Say, 'more, please'," he instructed, smiling.
"Mowah pwease," Olivia said in a sing-song voice. Her parents must have been teaching her to say please, as it sounded like she was familiar with the phrase.
Korlys chuckled, broke off a bigger chunk of the chocolate, and handed it to her, then picked her up. He turned to Claudio. "Grazie, Claudio," he said. "We appreciate it, don't we Olivia?" Olivia had her mouth full, however, so they left the clinic to go find a spot to sit and eat their chocolate together, just the two of them.
oOo
Korlys and Olivia finished off the whole bar of chocolate, and by the time they were done, her little belly was as rounded as a balloon. They were sitting in the mess hall, which opened onto the galley, and she was squirming to get off his lap and look around, so he set her down, figuring there wasn't much to get into here, and the stove had cooled off from the last meal, so it should be safe.
Olivia had learned that if she crawled where she wanted to go and then pulled herself up when she got close enough to grab onto something, she wouldn't fall and there would be no need for handholding. The assassin watched, a little smile on his lips, as the toddler headed straight for the galley, where there were plenty of cabinets under the counter space with lots of doors just waiting to be opened.
It was cute at first, but Olivia seemed determined to pull out every pot and pan she could find, and Korlys doubted the cook would be happy about the mess. He strolled over and hunkered down next to where she sat, surrounded by cookware.
"I think it would be best to play with one at a time, yes?" Korlys suggested. "Let us put a few away for now." He picked up the nearest pot and put it in the closest cabinet.
Olivia frowned at him. "No!" she ordered.
Curious to see what she would do, he picked up another one and started putting it away. Olivia reached out and grabbed his arm as if trying to stop him. Korlys couldn't help but chuckle at that. He put the pot in the cabinet, and picked up a skillet.
"Nooo!" Olivia reached out and tapped his forearm, the toddler equivalent of a slap.
"Olivia, you do not slap me," Korlys said firmly. However cute it was, he couldn't tolerate the disrespect.
She slapped his arm again, looking him straight in the eye, and Korlys could see the challenge there. How could a toddler be so willful? "That is it, we are putting them all away," he said, putting the skillet in the cabinet.
"Noooooo," she said again. This time it was a howl accompanied by instant tears.
Patience wearing thin, Korlys quickly picked up all the cookware and put them away, including the one she had in her grasp. This provoked her so sorely she laid down on her belly and started pounding the deck with her little fists, screaming as if she was possessed.
Korlys snatched her up, angry and embarrassed in equal parts. What if someone saw her acting that way?! And worse, what could he do about it? She was too young to spank, wasn't she? His cluelessness just made him angrier. How was he supposed to know what to do?
Frustrated, he strode out of the galley, Olivia slung over his shoulder, still throwing a fit. He scowled at every sailor whose path he crossed, ready to murder the first one he found with a smile on their face. And Maker help any man who laughed.
"What happened? Did she hurt herself?" Claudio asked, clearly alarmed. He tried to catch Olivia's attention, but she just turned away and continued to wail.
"No," Korlys said, continuing to his room as the healer followed along. "She is just throwing a tantrum because she does not like to hear the word 'no'." That must have been a good enough explanation, because Claudio didn't continue to follow. Korlys reached his and Mario's room, slammed the door behind him, and put Olivia on the bed. Then he sat in a chair next to the bed, folded his arms, and waited for Olivia to wear herself out.
For a little girl, she sure had a healthy set of lungs on her. It didn't take Olivia long to realize the tantrum wasn't working, so she sat up, still sobbing, wearing the most heartbreaking expression Korlys had ever seen, as if she'd just lost her family. The simile hit too close to home, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. If he'd just stayed in his old cell, if he hadn't run away, Olivia wouldn't be going through any of this.
He didn't let any of his turmoil show on his face, however. Olivia's next tactic was to climb down off the bed and head for the door. Not that it would do her any good, since she didn't know how to open it. Korlys picked her up and put her back on the bed, then sat back down. This provoked a fresh tantrum, followed by her immediately getting off the bed again.
They went several rounds like that, and Korlys was starting to wonder if he'd be there all day. He sat her down on the bed again, and had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing when she flung herself on her back melodramatically and exclaimed, "No faiw!" And just like that, the storm was over.
oOo
Mario sat on the yardarm, leaning on the mast with arms behind his head, a smile on his lips. It was a bit forced, but enough to fool the sailors – he didn't want anyone to know that something was wrong. Especially when he himself wasn't quite sure what had happened… One moment Korlys was depressed, claiming he had no idea what to do – then he snapped at him not to interfere when he was just trying to help. Maybe he shouldn't have done it. But… why not? Wasn't a bit of wailing better than letting her eat sunscreen? Eh, he should've learned his lesson by now. It was always like this when he tried to help. When Baby did it, everyone melted; when he did it, everyone got pissed off. Next time, he'd just ignore the situation. No matter what happened. Let Korlys handle it if he wanted.
Except… he couldn't really do it. Not when it concerned a rug rat like Olivia. He couldn't just stand by and watch if she was hurt or crying… like his useless old man. Poor little thing had just lost her home, the only parents she had ever known were murdered by Korlys' ex-boss – Maker, but Mario was glad that the old fucktard was dead now! – she had no one and nothing, not even a single toy, except for a few simple wooden blocks… but you couldn't cuddle with a wooden block at night. She needed something like his old Mr Bearhug that Mum had made for him and that he later passed down to Cory when he left home. There was no way he could do a bear, but maybe he could make a rag doll? His sewing skills were just average, he never did more than mend his clothes or sew lockpicks into the hems of his shirt, but if he kept it simple… Yeah, he could probably do it. All it took were bits of rags, yarn, and a few buttons. He could find that on the ship, no problem. He could use the old maroon shirt for a dress – it was officially Attrei's, but he had more than a couple of shirts now. And even if he didn't, Baby wouldn't mind.
The question was – would Korlys get pissed off at him again if he gave it to Olivia? Mario frowned. Korlys could be Maker-damn stubborn at times, but surely not if it involved his baby? Eh, whatever. Make the toy for the rug rat first, worry about her stubborn daddy later. Mario jumped off the yardarm, unaware that his forced smile had turned into a genuine one.
oOo
Korlys brought Olivia into their private dining room for dinner and was relieved to find everyone else had already arrived. He sat Olivia next to him, between him and Mario, and sighed. Running after a toddler was exhausting! Spying the wine, Korlys poured himself a glass and took a sip, his stomach rumbling at the smell of the hot food on the table: filleted fish, hot rolls, cheese, wine for the adults, and water for Olivia.
"Mmmm," Olivia said as she brought a chunk of fish to her mouth. Ever since she had heard Korlys use that to describe chocolate, she said it for every food she liked, which – thankfully – was most of them.
"A gourmet like her father, I see," Claudio said with a chuckle.
"Naturally," Korlys said, sitting up a little straighter, a small smile on his face. "She is my little girl, after all."
Olivia attempted to get a drink of water from the cup in front of her, and Korlys hurried to help, this time avoiding a drenching. "We need to get some milk for her so that she does not have to drink just water," the assassin continued. "I spoke with the captain, and he says we will be in Llomerryn in the morning, so we can get provisions there."
"But isn't Llomerryn a city of pirates?" Attrei asked, with a worried frown.
"And Alamar was a city of thieves," Mario pointed out. "And I thought you liked pirates?"
"At least it is not a city of assassins, blood mages, or necromancers, yes?" Korlys replied.
"Yes, but we have a baby with us now," Attrei said.
Mario snorted. "We've had a baby with us since South Reach," he said; Attrei just rolled his eyes.
"In any case, we will only be there long enough to get resupplied," Korlys said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olivia grab a piece of a roll that had been separated into bite-sized chunks for her. It fell out of her hand and landed on her lap. As she looked down to grab it, her attention appeared drawn to Mario's lap instead, and she reached over and started tugging at something in the thief's pocket. "What, are you already teaching my daughter to pickpocket?" he joked.
"She's clearly a natural," Mario said, with a chuckle. He reached into his pocket and pulled the doll out, feeling oddly nervous as he handed it to the little girl. "This is-"
A huge smile lit up Olivia's face as she grabbed the doll and hugged it to herself with all her might. "Oh, id's Bonnie."
"For you," Mario finished, more pleased than he'd expected.
The way she named the doll instantly made it sound as if she somehow recognized it, which amused Korlys. "Who is Bonnie?" he asked, but Olivia had stopped hugging the doll and was stroking its hair as if she was a mama trying to fix her baby's hair, humming softly, a contented smile on her face.
Every once in a while she would pause long enough to hug it to herself impulsively, as if she couldn't help it. He felt himself mirroring her smile, and looked up at Mario. "Grazie, Mario. You have made her very happy." He reached over and squeezed the other elf's shoulder.
"It's nothing much – just a ragdoll," Mario said, trying to sound cool, but Korlys wasn't fooled.
"It is much more than that to her and to me, and I appreciate it," Korlys replied in earnest. Realizing the mood might be getting too serious, he added with a wink, "I will show you how much later on."
"I didn't know you could make dolls!" Attrei jumped in before Mario could reply.
"You want one, too?" Mario smirked. "Tomorrow, though. You'll have to sleep without it tonight." He looked down at the little girl. "Speaking of sleeping… you and Bonnie should finish your dinner and go to bed, too."
Olivia looked up at him with big, round eyes. "Bud I pway wid my dowy," she said, a slight tremble in her voice.
"But isn't Bonnie hungry?" Mario asked, with a concerned look on his face.
She looked down at the doll in her arms, a worried frown on her face. "Bonnie hungwy?" she asked, but Korlys got the impression she was asking Mario, not the doll.
"She only had lunch, no dinner," Mario offered. "You should feed her – and eat with her."
The suggestion worked like a charm. Olivia held Bonnie in her arms and brought a chunk of fish to the doll's painted on lips, pretending to feed her, then taking a bite herself. It was messy, but effective, and Korlys turned back to his dinner with a renewed appetite. He'd need all his energy tonight to show his appreciation properly.
oOo
Anastasio stopped Dante, motioning wordlessly as the two moved deeper into the shadows, stepping off the path into the cover of some trees that lined the cobblestone lane they'd been traveling on. When the ship had docked that morning, Ser Korlys had tasked them with a scouting mission, and they were performing little errands as a cover for their real objective – gathering information about what was happening in the town, listening in on the latest gossip among the citizens, on the lookout for any Crows in the area or anything out of the ordinary.
Well, this was about as 'out of the ordinary' as you could get. He and Dante were at the head of a side street, a few paces from where it opened out onto one of the many market squares that dotted Llomerryn. Across the way was a cafe with many outside tables under a patio. Among the patrons he had spotted a curious pair; one man was poring over an open tome, clearly absorbed in something interesting. That in itself was not so uncommon. However, the shock of bright purple hair the man had was. His companion was watching the crowd pass by, seemingly idly, but Anastasio could spot the keen gaze of a Crow anywhere.
He turned to Dante. "What do you make of them?"
Dante immediately understood what his partner meant. The blond guy was definitely a Crow if he'd ever seen one – but no Crow would ever dye their hair that ridiculous purple color. Or anyone sane, really. A mark, maybe? But it didn't make much sense to him.
"A Crow and maybe his business partner? We should definitely inform Ser Korlys," he said excitedly. "But not before we find out more. How much money do you have?"
Anastasio pulled out the coins in his pocket, grateful he and Dante had been walking in shadows when they had come upon this particular piazza. Otherwise, the Crow would have spotted them immediately. "Enough for a caffé for both of us, at least."
The open area of the square had vendors set up in wooden booths, their wares set out so that the shoppers could look over their merchandise. The boys blended into the crowd and made their way to the cafe as if they were just errand boys taking a break. They were in luck – the table right next to the suspicious couple was free. They both ordered espresso – cappuccino was for kids, everyone knew that – and pretended to talk about their deliveries, ranting about annoying clients and the boss, while trying to catch anything said at the other table.
Only, there wasn't much to catch. The purple-haired elf was still absorbed in his book, sometimes reading out from it to the other one, and they would both laugh. What was so funny, Dante wondered – it was just another story about the Hero who stopped the Blight.
Fifteen long and boring minutes later, their espressos were finished. They could hardly stay longer without drawing suspicion to themselves. Errand boys who needed to hustle to eat didn't usually stay idle long if they could help it. They'd just have to find a spot to observe and perhaps follow them if the couple ever decided to move. He and Dante were just getting up to leave when the couple jumped up as if suddenly realizing they were late for an appointment. What a lucky break!
The elves hurried off and he and Dante followed obliquely, taking the time to walk to one of the vendor's stalls first as if they were going to see if there was anyone who needed a runner, while keeping an eye on the couple's path.
They slipped into the shadows as soon as they could; they could only pretend they were errand boys who just happened to be taking the same streets as their prey for so long. Any normal citizen, it wouldn't have mattered, but it didn't pay to take even the slightest of chances with a Crow.
Whoever they were, they were in an awful hurry, Anastasio thought. The cobblestone roads in Llomerryn were twisty as well, making it hard to keep a direct line-of-sight on the pair, but they finally made it to their apparent destination – Our Lady of the Burning... Steak? Anastasio looked at Dante and chuckled. The outside looked just like a church, but surely it couldn't be? As they got closer, they could smell the mouth-watering smell of a steakhouse. Ah, that made more sense! They weren't dressed nicely enough to be patrons, so they'd have to bluff their way in.
Dante busted into the restaurant with the air of a busy errand boy. "Excuse, me, ser!" he said to the waiter who approached them. "We have a package for Ser-"
"Ah yes," the waiter cut in with a smile. "You are both expected. Please follow me."
Dante's stomach froze in fear. He was on the verge of saying they'd gotten the wrong place and running away, but both elves, now sitting at a corner table, were looking straight at them. He swallowed and glanced at Anastasio. What should they do now? If the blond truly was a Crow, running would be useless.
Before they could reply, the blond elf waved at them with a smile Dante didn't like a bit. "Over here, boys!"
Dante forced himself to bow to the waiter and calmly walk over. They were in a restaurant, he kept telling himself. Even a Crow couldn't just murder them here, and the moment they were out, they'd find a way to escape. They'd be fine.
The blond motioned them to sit down. "Well now. I assume you work for Marcello? Or was it Nico who ordered you to tail me?"
The purple-haired elf chuckled. "Did they run out of full Crows? Sending kids, for Andraste's sake. Maybe we should pay them a visit? It's been some time since we last reminded them who's the boss."
Anastasio decided on a radical strategy. The truth. "We do not work for the Crows, ser."
"Right." The purple-haired elf laughed. "Listen, kids. You don't need to worry – we know how Crows work, and wouldn't blame apprentices for following orders. Keeping up the pretence is useless, though. We'll find out the truth soon enough. Why don't you spare us all some trouble and just say it?"
"We are telling the truth, ser," Dante insisted. "We used to be apprentices, but we ran away a year ago. But when we saw – ser, we just could not resist following you…" he dropped his gaze, hoping they would fall for it. He had no idea who they were, but if they knew Crow Masters – and claimed to be the 'boss', they had to be someone famous.
The purple-haired elf laughed again. "Your fame precedes you once again," he said to his partner, before he turned back to the kids. "Very well. I've decided to believe you. You may go… unless you'd like to have a steak with me and the famous ser?"
As much as Anastasio wanted to stay and gather intel, he knew the dangerous game they were playing, and that he and Dante were in way over their heads here. The two men on the other side of the table were very pleasant on the surface, but neither of them had volunteered any more information than he and Dante had, just vague and ambiguous statements meant to feel them out, see how much they might know about them. No, he knew they were outclassed, and a glance at his partner let him know Dante felt the same. "That is very kind of you, but really, we cannot." He stood, half-fearing he'd be commanded to sit again. Dante stood as well.
"Ah, what a pity," the purple-haired elf said. "But all right. We would not want to cause you trouble, keeping you from your duties. Maybe we'll meet again, yes?"
Anastasio dearly hoped not. Visions of him and Dante lying at the end of a dirty back alley, throats cut, flashed before his eyes, but he smiled. "Perhaps."
oOo
Dante and Anastasio stayed in the shadows and took the most circuitous way back that they could manage, stopping often to watch and wait, hoping that, if nothing else, anyone following them would get so bored they'd leave, although they knew how unlikely that was.
They finally made it back to the inn and reported everything to Korlys. To their immense relief, he wasn't angry at them for getting caught.
"Of course, you cannot be expected to be able to shadow a full Crow without being found out," Korlys said, already calculating the likelihood the Crow would by now know where the boys ended up, and perhaps had already paid the innkeeper for any information he could provide. It wouldn't be much, though. They hadn't given the man any details, and this was Llomerryn, an island of pirates, thieves, and, very often, Crows. The man wouldn't have survived long if he'd been the inquisitive type. Still, they'd better leave, if possible. Moving to another inn would be impossible without being spotted, especially not with Olivia with them. They needed to set sail if the ship had finished reprovisioning.
"I'll go start packing," Mario said.
Korlys nodded. "I will go speak with the captain." He didn't dare send the boys – he had to assume the inn was being watched. There was no way any Crow in Llomerryn could have heard about the massacre at his old cell, they had sailed straight here, but he had to assume that the word would get around sooner rather than later.
He turned to Claudio and Attrei. "Guard Olivia until I get back."
oOo
They were packed and ready in record time – fortunately, they had only arrived that morning and only meant to stay one night, so Baby hadn't had time to unpack all his stuff. How he always managed to spread his things in everyone's room was beyond Mario, but he did, so this was a pleasant change. They would be ready to leave the moment Korlys returned.
The kids were with Claudio, "helping" Claudio to guard Olivia in his room – Attrei had drawn a few glyphs around the door and windows, just in case. Now the two of them sat in the dining room, in case the Crows tried to enter the inn. He was sitting at a table with a good view of the door, pretending to sip beer, while Attrei sat in the corner of the windowsill in his sparrow form.
Mario was forcing himself not to be too obvious, but it was hard. He knew Korlys couldn't be back this quick, but the time was passing insufferably slowly; every time he checked the clock hanging on the wall, he expected to see that at least half an hour passed, but it was merely a minute.
Finally, the door opened! Mario straightened his back, expecting to see his Antivan… but it wasn't him. It was the weirdest couple he'd ever seen. The brats had reported what the elves they met looked like, but to be honest, he'd half suspected they had exaggerated a bit. It turned out they had not.
He was about to stand up when a sparrow flew past him, and the next moment, Attrei was standing in front of the two. And he was… beaming? What the fuck was going on?
"The Hero of Ferelden!" Attrei squeaked like a teen girl meeting her favorite serenader, and actually bowed. "I'm so honored to meet you again, ser – I'm one of the kids you saved in the Circle Tower during the Blight!" He turned to Mario, excited, ignoring the fact that the whole inn was now staring at them. "It's Ser Airam Surana, the Hero! The Grey Warden who slayed the Archdemon and saved the world!"
"Well, there goes our attempt to meet them discreetly," the blond said, with a soft chuckle.
"Ah – I apologize for that." Attrei at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Mario quickly walked over to prevent any further damage.
"Is that so," he said, keeping his voice civil. "And why is that? Is there something we might help you with?"
Attrei laughed. "Don't be silly, this is the Hero of Ferelden. What would he need help with?"
"I got that the first two times, thanks," Mario snapped. "But he said he wanted to meet us, yes? So he must want something from us."
Airam laughed. "No need to be so high strung. We just want to talk. Somewhere private, if possible?" He addressed the question to the innkeeper, who was watching the scene with anxiety.
"I think here is just fine," Mario intervened. "We can take the corner table, if you want."
The Hero and the blond exchanged looks. "Fine," the blond said. "Bring us a bottle of Antivan red, and a bowl of fried whitebait," he said to the innkeeper.
"Actually, make that two bowls of whitebait," the Hero corrected with a smile, and calmly headed to the table in the far corner.
oOo
"So," Mario said as they sat down – Attrei and the Hero near the wall, facing each other, he and the blond closer to the aisle. "We know who the Hero is, but would you please mind introducing yourself, too?"
Airam laughed out loud. "You mean you really don't know? Sorry, love – it seems I stole all your glory again. Allow me to introduce him, then. He is Zevran Arainai, one of my Blight companions, and the current Guildmaster of the Antivan Crows. And you are?"
If that introduction scared the two lads, they were pretty good at hiding it, Zevran would give them that. The older brat was – or pretended to be – utterly unimpressed, while Airam's little fan was actually angry.
"He's a Crow Master, and you still hang out with him?" he asked Airam, all excitement from meeting his hero gone. "Do you know what they do to people? To kids?"
"I do. That's why Zev had to become the Guildmaster, to keep them in check, at least a little bit," Airam said calmly. "But aren't you a bit of a hypocrite? We know you keep two Crow apprentices with you. Who just happened to tail us today. And where there are apprentices, there are also full Crows."
Zevran kept his face unreadable during the exchange. He promised Airam he'd let him deal with the situation, lest he was too intimidating, but he didn't like this 'let's spill all the beans' approach. Especially as it clearly hadn't worked. These two might not have been Crows themselves, but it was obvious that they were well trained by one, especially the brown-haired kid, who still hadn't introduced himself, Zev noticed.
"'Keep them in check'?" Korlys said coldly as he stepped out of the shadows. "I would hardly say your Guildmaster has been keeping anyone in check."
"Ah. You must be the Crow in question, yes?" Zevran asked. "Please, join us." He waved at the girl who was coming with the tray of food and wine. "Please be so kind to bring one more chair for the gentleman."
Korlys took the chair, glad that the waitress had placed it at the head of the table. It meant his back was to the door, but in this case, he would have to tolerate it. Mario could watch his back, and Zevran had a little less room to maneuver this way. "To what do we owe the pleasure of the Guildmaster's visit?"
"Don't be an ass," Airam said. "We've been nothing but honest and direct with you all so far, haven't we? It was your scouts who tailed us, not the other way around. We don't mean any harm to any of you, but we do expect a direct and honest answer. Who sent you? There aren't that many masters who'd challenge Zev. It's either Nico Gambino or Marcello Ricci. There, I made it easy for you."
"No one sent us, and I did not send them to tail you, specifically. I only sent them to scout out the town and bring back information," Korlys replied coolly.
"And we certainly don't work for a schmuck like Nico Gambino," the red-haired kid added, his eyes flashing in anger.
Airam burst into laughter. "That's the best description of him I've ever heard," he said. He looked at Attrei, chewing his lip. "I know how bad it sounds, saying that Zev is the Guildmaster. But if you know the Crows, you know that the system they built has been in place for centuries and can't be brought down by just two people in a few years. I know it won't help all their victims – apprentices included – but we do what we can. Which is exactly why schmucks like Nico don't like us."
"But you know Nico?" Zevran cut in, looking at Korlys.
"I knew him. I was Nico's second in command until I ran away," Korlys replied calmly. He didn't trust that a Crow calling himself the Guildmaster would be truthful with them, although if they were lying, it was an outrageous lie, and certainly not one any master, much less a Guildmaster, would tell. "I killed Nico last night." There. If Zevran really was the Guildmaster, he had just thrown down the gauntlet. They would see now whether or not the Hero was telling the truth.
"You did? Awesome!" Airam said.
"I need to thank you… if it's true," Zevran said. "Nico has been a thorn in my side for a few years now."
"Really? He was nothing much, in fact," Mario said. "We didn't have much trouble taking his whole House down. If you truly are who you claim to be, why didn't you take care of him long ago? And the others. You say it's not possible, but the Crows are just hot air, if you ask me. Everyone's scared of them because of their image, that's all."
"I like you," Airam said with a smile. "And I agree. The only clever Crows are those who leave them. But, they're like the deepstalkers. Ever had the pleasure of fighting them? You kill one, two more pop out to take their place… You took down House Gambino, great. But let me assure you, the hole you created yesterday is already being filled in today. Or am I wrong?" He addressed the question to Korlys.
Korlys wasn't sure why Airam would look to him for confirmation. Was he trying to gain Mario's trust? "Sí", he replied. "They are like roaches." His gaze returned to Zevran. "Which makes me wonder what your plans are. Once you manage to remove the masters who refuse to work with you, what will you do?"
Zevran arched his brow. "Ah? Now you ask us to trust you, and reveal all our plans – when you haven't even introduced yourselves?"
"Zev, stop," Airam said. "They're not a danger – don't tell me you can't say as much. Whoever they are, they don't work against us."
"Forgive our reticence. I am sure you understand why we were not quick to introduce ourselves," Korlys said smoothly. "My name is Korlys Ghilani, this is Mario Gethin," he said, gesturing towards Mario, "and Attrei Blaze."
"A pleasure to meet you," Zevran said just as smoothly. "And I am sure you also understand why we cannot share our plans – especially not in a public place like this. The lives of too many people depend on our discretion."
Mario snorted. "Yeah, right. But I see why you'd be scared, if you can't even take down a schmuck like Nico."
Airam laughed, shaking his head. "Well, if you're so great, I'm sure you'll be able to find out what we have or haven't done without us bragging about it."
Just then, a loud, piercing shriek rent the air. Korlys jumped up and rushed to their rooms, all other concerns forgotten in his hurry to get to Olivia. He opened the door with a bang and looked around.
For some reason, the air was full of feathers. Korlys would have thought it the result of some weird spell but for the deflated pillow on the bed, a few feathers still peeking out of the wide rip down the center of it. Several more were sticking out of Claudio's hair, as if he'd been wrestling with it.
The healer was standing in the middle of the room, looking harried and holding Olivia, who was red-faced and attempting to scream again, but was being muffled by Claudio's hand. The windows were still shut tight, and the boys were standing near them, eyes wide, as if they had been thinking about possibly crawling through them to escape to someplace quieter. Not that Korlys would have blamed them a bit. Clearly this wasn't an emergency situation.
"What is going on?" he asked Claudio quietly, although he could see full well for himself the most likely explanation was that something had displeased the little principessa.
"She is your daughter, is what is going on," Claudio replied, exasperated. "Not taking 'no' for an answer. She 'wands twee biwd', and she wants it now and nothing I say or do can stop her. But now that you are here, you can handle it, right?" He lifted the toddler and held her out to Korlys. "Look, Olivia, daddy's here! He will give you what you want!"
Korlys had shut the door behind him while Claudio was talking. He made no move to take Olivia as he quickly ran through his options. It was clear Olivia couldn't stay here, because Claudio couldn't keep her quiet. And he couldn't leave Mario and Attrei by themselves either. That left him with just one option.
"Keep her. We will have to pretend you are her father." He quickly filled Claudio in on the situation. "I will need both hands free, and perhaps she will be safer if they believe she is your daughter. You and the boys can sit at the table next to ours and get dinner. Olivia is just cranky because she is hungry." I hope.
oOo
"Forgive the interruption," Korlys said on their return. "This is Claudio Simone and his daughter Olivia. She is past due for her favorite dinner." He kept a perfectly straight face while saying that, hoping someone else would figure out some food that might plausibly sound like 'twee biwd'.
Judging by the surprised – and slightly embarrassed – look on the young mage's face, Airam would bet that wasn't exactly the truth. But he couldn't blame them – he wouldn't tell the truth in front of the Crow Guildmaster, either. Especially since he had a hunch that idiot Nico was involved – it was just his style. More important right now was the little girl, who was still sobbing for 'twee biwd', whatever that was. Beard? Bird? Tree at least he was certain about.
He stretched his left hand toward the little girl, palm up, and closed his eyes, calling the image of the Poet Tree in his mind. As he started to chant a spell, an icy mist formed over his palm, slowly turning into a perfect ice miniature of the oak. This always worked on the little Zevs – maybe it would work on this one, too. "There you are," he said, when the tree was fully solidified. "One little tree for one little princess."
Olivia abruptly stopped crying, her mouth a perfect 'O' of surprise. She reached out and picked it up, letting go of her hold on Claudio's arm to do it, since she had Bonnie cradled in her other arm. "Ooh, id's cold," she said with a giggle.
"It's beautiful!" Attrei blurted out. "Is that ice? Can you teach me how to do it?"
Air leaned back in his chair, chuckling. This was the first time one of his ice spells had helped to melt down the tension. "It's solidified ice. It's a bit cold to the touch, but it doesn't melt, and it would take a blow with something sharp, like a dagger, before it's broken. I can show you, if you're an ice mage. It's a pretty advanced level, it took me a few years to perfect it – and I had a lot of opportunities to practice with all our brats."
"No, I'm a mind mage," Attrei admitted, disappointed.
A mind mage? That was rare and interesting, but before he could comment, the other guy – Mario – cut in.
"All your brats? How many do you have?"
"As many as you would expect from the best lover in Antiva," Airam replied. "Thirty-seven, to be precise."
Korlys laughed. "The most careless lover in Antiva, maybe." He shook his head. "How are you still sane if you have that many kids?"
"Define sane." Airam chuckled. "We hired a dozen nannies, of course! And we also got some advice from other people and from books… You say you're a mind mage?" he turned to Attrei. "There are several useful spells, and they're not even that difficult – they took me a few weeks to master, but I expect for you it would be a matter of hours. They help to calm the kids, or make them fall asleep."
"But they only help with toddlers," Zevran muttered. "Alas, once they reach puberty, you'll need all your Crow training not to murder them."
"Puberty?!" Korlys blurted. "I already need all my Crow training not to murder them!"
A-ha. So he is the proud father. Airam smirked. "Don't scare them now, they still have a few years before it comes to that – oh. Are the two boys your sons too?"
"No, they are former Crow apprentices who decided to throw in their lot with us instead of being killed," Korlys replied.
"Smart." Airam gave the boys an appreciative nod. "As I said, anyone who has brains leaves the Crows… which, sadly, means they mostly stay."
Well, it was an easy decision, considering the alternative, Anastasio thought, but he replied politely. "Thank you, ser."
"Yeah, but at least it makes it easier to kill them," Mario offered.
"Sí, sí, the Crows are horrible and all that," Zevran said with a little laugh.
"So, you say you have nannies... but, how can you be sure that your nannies are properly trained in case of an attack? You are making powerful enemies who would be happy to strike back at you through your children, as I am sure you are aware. I do not think I would trust any but the most highly skilled assassins to be able to handle an attack by the Crows."
Airam's eyes flashed. "Oh, they've tried. And failed. They're dead and so are those who sent them. Nannies are not the only ones we employ. And when offered a different opportunity, many young Crows and apprentices are happy to leave."
"Oh, so no ninja nannies? I was picturing that," Korlys joked to ease the tension.
"Like us!" Attrei laughed.
Mario snorted. The ultimate ninja! Who tripped over his own feet! He was going to tease the shit out of Baby for this one later – but not in front of these guys.
"Well, I am!" Attrei protested with a little pout. "But, don't worry. One day you'll understand."
Claudio cleared his throat. "That is all very interesting," he said, when everyone turned to him. "But I was hoping you could give us some practical advice? None of us have much experience with children her age."
Zevran looked at the little girl, and chuckled. The ice tree long forgotten, she was busy chewing on her own fist, eyeing the plate of fish sticks. "I think feeding her would be a good start." He pushed the plate towards her.
As Olivia leaned over to grab a fish stick, Korlys sighed, took her from Claudio, and sat down in his chair, Olivia on his lap. "May as well get her closer to the food."
Claudio pulled up a chair next to his, and the boys sat at the table next to them where they could hear everything. Olivia grabbed a fish stick and took a bite. "Mmmm," she said, grinning.
"What do you say, Olivia?"
"Dhank you," Olivia called out in a sing-songy voice.
Korlys chuckled. "I had better order a dish for her before she eats all of yours."
"Um, ser?" Dante piped up. "Perhaps you could order several dishes?"
Korlys raised an eyebrow, but was clearly amused. He waived one of the waitresses over and ordered a dish of fried whitebait for Olivia, and let the others order for themselves. It would be the last meal they'd be having before casting off, and Maker only knew when they would be able to get another decent meal. Might as well enjoy it while they could.
He turned back to Zevran and Airam. "Any other tips for us?" He wasn't sure about the veracity of their claim to be taking over the Crows for the greater good, but as the two men leaned in and and started sharing their advice, it was clear how much they cared for their own brood, and they didn't seem to be an immediate threat to Olivia; best to learn as much as they could from them. They would need all the help they could get.
The End
AN:
See, we said soon, and here it is, only 7 days after the first chapter! :D
Thanks again to Suilven and Bloodsong 13T for all your help!