Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter. Life has been pretty busy. Hopefully I can make up for it with a longer chapter :).
Fiona K Sparrow: Not sure if you are keeping up to date with this or if you were just browsing, but since you left a guest review this is the best place for me to answer. Thank you for your advice. I was aware that it might be a bit hard to keep track of the order of the series but I didn't want to include it in the title since I thought it would make it a bit too cluttered. Instead, I decided to include the number in the story description and keep the series name in the title (to imply that it is a series). However, if you think this is not obvious enough I might go back and change the titles when I have a bit more free time. Thanks for the review!
Now onto the chapter!
Horace pushed himself to the entrance of the local tavern, cheerily bidding the rowdy inhabitants he had spent the evening with farewell. As he opened the door, a cold rush of air hit the captain and he paused, blinking blearily in the crisp night, before he started amiably down the main street. As he went he spontaneously began to whistle a popular sea-shanty that rose to fill the quiet night, enjoying the way the sound reverberated through his fuzzy head.
He was about half-way down the long street when the subtle sensation of eyes on him caused the big man to turn around. All he saw, however, was an empty road – not another soul in sight. His revelry dwindled somewhat but he pushed the unease aside and started walking again. The feeling of eyes on him didn't disappear.
Finally, he made it to the end of the road and turned towards the docks. The sensation followed him still and subconsciously, Horace's pace picked up. His hand strayed to his hilt but, though he stayed on alert, nothing happened.
A loud crash sounded to his left, causing him to spin towards noise. A breath of relief left the big man as he watched a tabby skitter away from the pot plant it had obviously pushed from a window ledge. His heart still in his mouth and the mellow buzz of alcohol well and truly gone, the dealer decided it was high time he got back to his ship.
He took off, almost but not quite running the rest of the way down the eerily silent street, across the docks and finally onto his familiar ship. He ignored the shout of greeting from his night-watch and rushed straight to his quarters, slamming and locking the door behind him. He stood, sword angled towards the locked barricade in front of him, for several tense minutes before the brightly lit cabin brought his adrenaline in check.
A feeling of silliness swamped Horace and he lowered his sword. The moment the blade touched the wooden floor, however, a hand clamped around his mouth, muffling his surprised shout as a sword was levelled at his throat.
"Horace Edmond, we're here to talk. If you scream or try to alert anyone to our presence here you will be dead and we will be gone at least a minute before anyone can get to you. Do we have an understanding?"
The overweight captain meekly nodded his head and the blade disappeared. Gingerly he rubbed his throat as he turned to the intruders, freezing at the intimating sight of the two ninjas.
Quickly recovering, he put on a placating smile. "W-what can I do for you this fine night?"
Shen gave a quick nod to Akali and the green-clad female began to search the room. The ninja then turned his attention back to the cowardly dealer, noting his false smile and the surreptitious way he was watching Akali from the corner of his eye.
Hand still resting on the hilt of his sword, Shen asked him directly, "On the Eleventh of May you conducted a transaction with the Bladewood gang, correct."
It was posed as a query but it was anything but a question.
"Let me think. The eleventh? …the eleventh? That was five weeks ago right?" he dealer stalled, desperately trying to think of a way out of the current situation. As his hand strayed down to his scabbard, Shen minutely drew his own swords, the light 'schink' of metal on leather warning the captain that his actions had not gone unnoticed.
"Yes," he confirmed succinctly.
"Ah yes!" the trembling man swiftly brought his hands up to his chin. "I remember that deal. What about it?"
"There was a yordle amongst the goods you bought. Please confirm his appearance."
Horace shifted his gaze, glancing over at the female ninja still trawling through his possessions, as he muttered. "I don't really remember."
The ninja's attitude remained composed at the dealer's response. "Let's see if I can help you," he prompted. "He would have been an adolescent male; taller than average; with brown fur and cat like ears. And he was most likely wearing purple garb, similar to ours."
"T-that does sound familiar."
The eye of Twilight didn't bother to dwell on the words the shifty merchant was saying, instead focusing on his body language. The way he'd twitched uncomfortably during the description told him all he needed to know.
"Good," he nodded. "Now where is he?"
Sensing his first inkling of advantage in the entire conversation, the dealer's expression became sly.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not quite sure. We do so many deliveries. You can't really expect me to keep track of all of them from months ago." Here he paused, "although, perhaps we could come up with a mutually beneficial solution?"
Over the captain's shoulder, Akali stiffened. Initially Shen thought it was from the words spoken but when she turned around it became clear that her ire was directed at the folder in her hands.
"I think not," she ground out, causing Horace to jump at her unexpected proximity. She ignored him in favour of handing Shen the documents she'd found, eyes ablaze with repressed anger.
The blue ninja opened the folder and anger curled in his own gut. The first thing his eyes were drawn to, was the small square attached to the top corner of the page. The picture was dimly lit but it was easy for him to distinguish their missing companion. The yordle looked very small and vulnerable with a breathing mask (pumping something very clearly not oxygen) strapped to his face and tied down to the bottom of his cage.
Pushing down the fury, the ninja switched his attention to the details the document provided. Thankfully succinct, it gave them everything they needed to know. All but one thing. Shen turned his gaze back to the sweating man before him, "Where are the coordinates to the island mentioned?"
Under the burning stares of two very angry ninjas, Horace didn't even try to evade the question this time. "I-in the top draw of my desk. T-there's a hidden panel at the back."
Time seemed to stretch out for the poor dealer before Akali broke off her death glare to go search the draw. Sure enough, she soon gave an affirmative to her partner.
"W-what happens now?" the quivering merchant asked the warrior still before him.
Shen ignored him as the two ninjas held a brief and silent argument. Finally, Akali looked away, allowing the blue-clad ninja to address him.
"Now we go our separate ways to never cross paths again."
Relief washed over the captain and he nodded eagerly as the ninja casually strolled to the door. He didn't look back as he unlocked it and walked out. The other ninja reluctantly followed, glaring at him the whole way. In one hand she held the documents they'd come for while in the other she clutched the money from the transaction.
For a brief moment the dealer opened his mouth to argue but her darkening gaze cut him off before the first word was even out.
"We'll be taking this. Consider it compensation for all the trouble you've caused us." And with that she left, slamming the door behind her.
It took a few moments for Horace to realise he was alone before he sank to his knees. Next time Rida suggested a foolhardy scheme like this he was going to punch him in the face.
Kennen drew in a deep breath as he slowly began to clear his mind and let go. He started with his surroundings. First, he closed his eyes, blocking out the darkened room that was barely lit by the half-moon shining through the window. The sounds were next. The soft rustling of the trees, the intermittent hoots of an owl and the soft breaths of Marie, sound asleep in her bed, were all acknowledged and let go.
After that, things became harder. The low fuzziness that had steadily grown in the back of his mind was a relief to let go of, but the constant, alert edge of his instincts was a much larger struggle to release. It was becoming more of a fight every night to overcome it.
But soon, even that surrendered to the back of his mind. Which just left the tension of his magic coursing through him. He had always struggled to meditate through the restlessness of his natural abilities; however, the collar binding that power under the surface of his skin for weeks was not only unhelpful in that regard but almost painful. Still, he persevered, reaching an uneasy point of blankness.
He didn't know how long he was in that state-of-mind when his ears picked up a pair of voices approaching. They were doing their best to stay quiet (no doubt for the sleeping six-year-old's sake) but his ears had no trouble picking up the hushed whispers.
"I'm telling you Ben, things can't continue this way. We need to do something," Elaine's refined voice was easy to place. "He's been getting worse. The other day when we were alone he was struggling with basic table manners."
"Yer sure he's not jist a sloppy eater?" the gardener joked.
However, Elaine wasn't in the mood for the humour. "I'm serious. It's not just the food. There have been other things too: his conduct during lessons, his interactions with Marie. His behaviour is changing and I'm not even sure he's aware of it. If things don't change, I'm worried he might lose himself completely."
"Ah know," For the first time Kennen could recall hearing, the jovialness had dropped from Ben's voice. "But wha' can we do? Renard's not gonna change his mind and I don' know about yer but I don' fancy tryin' ter remove tha' collar from a ninja."
"There has to be something we can do," the frustration was easy to hear in the maid's voice. "Perhaps if I talked to Renard-"
Gently Ben cut her off. "It won't work. He didn' even listen ter Owen. Ain' no way he'll listen ter ya. Not while Marie still cares fer the lad. An' who can blame her. Anyone with eyes can see the lass is lonely."
The Demacian wasn't that willing to give up yet. "What if we told Marie. She's a smart girl, she'll understand why he can't stay."
"Yer do tha' an' he won't be the only one she has ter say goodbye ter. Any of us break Master Renard's trust like tha' and we won't be allowed ter stay. An' I'm sorry but I can't do tha' ter her an' neither can yer, not even in this situation."
The silence that followed his words was agonising, the woman unable to find the words to refute the gardener's point.
"Ah know things are bad Elaine, bu' ah can't see a way ter make 'em better withou' someone losin' a hand or a heart."
"This wouldn't even be an issue if he hadn't isolated his daughter from the rest of world!" she finally said, her voice rising slightly in her anger.
"There ain't the sayin' 'Love makes yer act crazy' fer no reason," Ben's humour returned to try and lighten the mood.
"But it's stupid," Elaine continued to vent, before consciously lowering her voice once more. "I know he wants to protect her, but what he's doing isn't helping. She's going to explore the world one day – whether he wants her to or not – and she not even going to know how the world works. She'll be vulnerable. And all because he can't let go of the past."
An unsettling silence once more descended between the two.
Eventually Ben let out a long sigh. "We'll talk ter Renard tomorrow. Ay doubt it will work, but maybe if we all confron' him he'll listen. Fer now we should git some sleep."
Their footsteps faded off, leaving Kennen once more in silence. He sat there in the dark, expression unreadable, as he dwelt on what he'd overheard. However, after a long moment, he too lay down to try and get some sleep.
Shen, Akali, he thought as he stared up at the starry sky, you better get here soon.
Waves rolled against the front edge of the boat as it cut through them, expelling a strong salty odour of salt into crisp air. Shen stood at the stern of ship they had hired (with the money Akali had 'acquired'), ostensibly taking in the scenery. In realty his mind was hard at work trying to plan for what they would encounter at their destination. The biggest problem they faced was the lack of information they had to go on. Yes, they had a rough idea of the island's layout and the structures there, but they didn't know anything about the occupants, what their defences were like or Kennen's location or condition (they had yet to find out why he'd even been taken). And while he and Akali were skilled enough to tackle most odds, knowing how one's opposition operated was, most often than not, crucial to a successful mission. Unfortunately for the duo, they had no other choice but to go in blind. Therefore, he needed to consider every possible scenario.
That was where Akali found him, joining the blue ninja to quietly stare out at the horizon together. She too was restless – given away by the kunai rhythmically spinning in one hand.
After a while she ask quietly, "Do you think he's alright?"
Shen didn't know how to answer that. He wanted to say yes. Kennen was an excellent warrior more than capable of holding his own in most situations. But warring with that mindset was pure statistics. Too much time had passed. To have remained in enemy hands for so long, the odds were high he had sustained at least some damage (be that physical or mental). And while the yordle had been trained to withstand both, there was no way of knowing how badly off he was until they found him.
He shifted as the tops of trees began to grow on the horizon. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
By the time the ship reached the island, it was late in the afternoon and the setting sun provided cover as they docked on a secluded beach. There Shen and Akali left the crew to secure the ship as they scouted ahead. They slipped in between the trees, their lengthening shadows providing excellent cover of their passage until the two came across an imposing, marble wall that prevented them from proceeding further inland.
Not even breaking stride, Akali quickly scaled a tree and cautiously checked the environment beyond. She was met by the sight of a secluded grove. Signalling a positive sign to her companion, the green-clad ninja silently dropped down on the other side. Shen followed shortly after and they began on again, if a little more cautiously now.
They navigated through the empty gardens, steadily heading closer to the mansion rising above the grounds. Soon, the murmur of voices reached them, causing the pair to stop at the edge of the courtyard they currently occupied. Carefully, Shen peered through the gate to the other side. All of the preparation he had done and all of the scenarios he had considered on the journey here however, could not prepare him for what he saw.
Beyond the gate, the enclosed gardens opened up on a large expanse of sweeping grass right up to the house's well-lit porch. A hodgepodge of cushions, blankets and toys was sprawled out on the veranda, cast out in a roughly circular pattern from a low seated table where a young girl – brown tresses in braid – was serving tea to the table's occupants. Dead centre amongst them, looking perfectly fine (if a little annoyed) and wearing a sparkly, pink dress, was Kennen.
Struck dumb by the absurd scene presented to him, Shen couldn't react causing an impatient Akali to look for herself.
"What?" she gaped aloud, years of training as well as countless more challenging and brutal missions were not enough to quell the outburst at the sheer ridiculousness of what they were seeing.
Shen noticed Kennen's ear swivel in their direction at the sound, but the yordle made no other move.
"Would you like some more tea, Princess Fuzzy?" the little girl asked him.
A maid patiently sewing to the side coughed into her hand in an obvious attempt to hide a laugh, prompting the disgruntled yordle to shoot her a glare as his cup was filled.
Now that the shock had worn off, Shen's mind went into overtime to breakdown the situation before them. At first glance it seemed innocuous enough, but something wasn't sitting right. There was no visible trauma or bonds holding their companion and yet he had made no attempt to escape, not even when he knew that they were here. Nor had he drawn any attention to , they were missing an important piece of information and until they figured that out, it was best not to draw attention to themselves.
With that in mind, the blue ninja tapped his companion to retreat for now.
Midnight found Kennen wide awake, once more restless and unable to sleep. However, unlike the previous nights, this time he had a specific reason for his restive behaviour. He knew he had heard Shen and Akali earlier this evening and, chances were, they would try to seek him out.
Meditation was a struggle tonight, but he had slowed his breathing regardless, at the very least, to try and settle his unruly nerves. There was no way to know how things were going to go now that his allies had arrived. Despite the comfort them being here brought, the yordle knew there was no guarantee that he would be able to communicate the situation to them. That meant that any wrong move may very well trigger the latent orders in the collar.
A soft tapping caused the ninja's eyes to open. Across from him Shen and Akali crouched on the ledge of one of the large windows. As he met their gaze, the female beckoned to him before casting a quick glance around them.
Kennen, however, couldn't move. Instead he tilted his head, allowing the moonlight beyond to strike the device shackled around his neck. His eyes drilled into the blue ninja, willing him to understand.
Realisation flashed across Shen's face and he nodded. His quiet voice reached Kennen's straining ears as he spoke to Akali, "It appears the collar is limiting his freedom somehow. We may be best off confronting the owner directly to avoid triggering any traps."
Reluctantly the two warriors left, sending one last reassuring glance behind them as they went. Left alone once more, Kennen closed his eyes to try and prepare himself for the trials tomorrow would no doubt bring.
We're getting pretty close to the end of this arc now :D! How exciting!
Not sure if I'll have the next chapter up in time or not. Like I said at the start, things have gotten pretty busy for me lately and since a lot of that is work and wedding prep I can't exactly see it slowing down anytime soon. I will try my hardest to have it up on time though so wish me luck :D!