Chapter 5 – Research and Reconnaissance
Beta'd by A.O. Talmdige
The shutters of the Izumite castle window shook slightly in the light wind, open to let the crisp air in, yet it also brought up with it the sounds and smells of a bustling city beginning another festival day. All this as the morning sun rolled in over the room, filtered through the blossoms of the large trees surrounding the castle, casting its light on a made-up empty bed.
To the side, and still untouched by the sunlight, Leo sat at a desk not his own, thumbing through a book simply titled 'Divining' more to occupy his fingers at this point than anything else. His thoughts swirled around in an array of useless information, mixed with the permeating feeling that he was missing something important.
To cap it all off, the atmosphere of the Festival leaking in through the window was so annoyingly… pleasant.
Leo's thoughts were interrupted as a familiar complicated knock sounded on the door to his guest room. He snapped the book he wasn't really reading closed and turned in his chair before he called:
"Enter."
The door opened and Leo spotted a barely noticeable grimace on Odin's face as he shut the door behind him and leaned against it, eyes roving the room a moment before settling back onto Leo as he made his way over before him into a kneel.
"Lord Leo."
"What is it, Odin?"
Odin looked up. "I received a report from Niles; another large group is arriving through the front city gate."
In and of itself this was nothing special, as sizable groups of people, mostly those arriving to enjoy the festival, had been arriving throughout the week. There was obviously more and Odin was drawing out the moment needlessly, a quirk Leo had learned to work with.
"And?"
A small smirk played out on Odin's face. "You need merely look out the window and see. They should be coming into view shortly."
Leo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but complied anyways. Peering out into past the castle wall, it took him a moment before he found the group Odin was talking about and the insignia prominently displayed on a banner in the midst of them. His eyes narrowed.
"I see."
But did he really? Was this coincidence or some plan of his host?
When his entourage had first arrived, Leo had not thought much of Archduke Izana: they had only spoken briefly before Izana excused himself on some unknown business. He seemed calm, serene, with a soft-spoken authority typical of a leader of a peaceful nation. Leo had appreciated the hospitality, as the trip, while bearable on horseback, had still been long and he and his party had been in dire need of good sleep. The next morning, he'd sought an audience with the illustrious archduke.
But that's where he'd hit a brick wall.
Or more accurately, a guarded, ornate, wooden door and the entirety of the castle staff unanimously telling him one thing:
"The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."
From what he'd remembered and more recently read, diviners were known in part for their...divining ability, something akin to a more accurate version of fortune telling. Whatever the reason, the archduke was of their ilk. At the time, Leo had left it be, and for the first time he could remember, enjoyed the novelty of a day of solace in enemy territory. Even if because of Nohr's hostile reputation he was confined as a guest to the castle.
Then three more days passed, the archduke was still in that room and on the next, penultimate day of the festival, Leo grew restless.
Nothing he had studied on divining gave any specifics about what the ritual, or whatever it was, was. When he asked around, everyone simply shook their heads, knowing looks passing between guard and servant alike, repeating the same thing:
"The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."
He was loath to trust them, but in lieu of a clash of culture and beliefs he didn't fully understand, Leo had sent Niles to investigate, but the same phrase was reported back to him:
"The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."
The waiting was slowly driving him insane. The archduke had invited him and Leo considered himself a patient man, but here he could personally do so little, hands tied by his position. Though a guest, he was confined to a small portion of the castle: a political prisoner in all but name.
Leo stopped, realizing in his contemplation he had unconsciously begun pacing, and brought his focus back to the present. The light from the window was nearly shown on the chair he previously occupied. Odin leaned against a nearby wall, jotting something down in a small journal; one Leo knew he kept with him at all times. The grimace he'd noticed earlier was back as well.
Upon noticing his gaze, Odin pocketed the book and straightened. "Orders?"
"Look into the reason for their visit, but be discreet about." He felt his face scrunch up, and felt his teeth clench. "No need to stir up a political hornet's nest by being caught." The last part came out more bitter than he'd meant it to.
Odin looked surprised. "Pardon me for asking, but don't you think that Niles would be better suited for this task, milord?"
"Perhaps." In truth, there was no question on that matter. "However, I've already given him another assignment, so it will fall to you to complete this." Additionally, he still didn't know if the Nohrian soldiers sent here with him by his father had another purpose. So at least for now, he would only trust those in his closest circle.
He paused, eying Odin's…flamboyant attire. "Just do it in plainclothes."
With a subtle nod of understanding between the two, Odin left, the door latching closed behind him. The sound was soft, yet seemed to echo throughout his head, a grim reminder of his current state confined to the castle.
He hesitated. Was this something of what his sister felt like, trapped unknowingly by politics in the Northern Fortress until his father deemed her ready to send to war?
Just waiting?
Leo rubbed his brow in frustration. No matter the reason for being here, having Hoshidan royalty in the capital would make everything more complicated.
It was, Niles decided, probably the best kept tavern in any slums of any city he had been in.
At the moment, it was occupied by only a few other chatting patrons besides his own table. There was a woman playing some traditional Izumite festival music on a small, upraised stage. The rest was populated by the tavern owner and a large man there to keep the peace. Despite its relative cleanliness and calm, it was still very much inside the slums of Izumo's capital city.
He chanced a glance out the open window from the table he was sat at and spied a few beggars pleading in passing for spare coin, dressed in attire shabby enough to draw pity from those unaware of the ruse. A passing noble, if their fancy dress was any indication, stopped to give some gold to one of the beggars, a child.
The noble probably felt so good about himself for that, maybe would even brag about it to his friends, then forget about it the next day. Niles scoffed. Didn't he realize that gold would just end up back with the crime lords that sent those children out? They'd be back tomorrow in that same position, taking advantage of the rest of the Festival of Spring, no better off than they were now.
"That bad of a hand, eh?"
Niles turned his attention back to card game he was playing with three other people at the table. He leaned back slightly in his chair, keeping the door to the tavern in his peripheral vision.
"As if I'd tell you."
The man sitting across from him probably didn't even notice the smirk that subtly played out on his face in response, or the tapping of his forefinger not holding his cards as soon as the hand had been dealt. All signs that told Niles the man thought he had a winning hand.
The older woman with sallow eyes and the young man with a leg injury at their table added coin to the meager pot in the middle of the table. Both were clearly bluffing about their hand. The young man was nervously bouncing his good leg, while the woman tried to look stoic, but was subtly rubbing her thumb and forefinger together.
Nervous tics, little details. They told Niles everything he needed to know.
However, whether it was the truth or not didn't matter. The game was a misdirection, a cover. If the lead was good, his true target would show up any minute now.
Niles shifted the cards in his hand around. The man across from him was right about one thing: his hand as it was dealt was crap, but had potential. He added gold and raised the bet. He wasn't here to win, and it wasn't his money anyways.
However, as the game went on for another round, and the morning crept along, Niles was beginning to worry that the lead may have been bad. It wouldn't be the first time, and considering the rising infamy of the group he was dealing with, he wouldn't be too surprised.
It was a pain, but considering he wouldn't be moving until Lord Leo had his talk with the Archduke, he probably still had time. Especially if he remained holed up like he was 'talking with the Gods' or whatever nonsense the castle was spouting.
The woman won the current round and Niles was about to make an excuse to go, when the door practically burst open. Everyone present turned their heads at the intrusion, and the hired muscle shifted to get ready in case things got out of hand. A quartet of people walked in, headed by an angry looking well-built man. He was followed by a woman approaching middle-age, and a scrawny man wearing spectacles.
However, it was the young woman who walked in last that got his attention. White hair, separated into two braids. Even the clothes she was wearing were spot on. She was younger than he expected, but it didn't matter.
Looked like the informant was good on her word. According to her, this was the leader of the vigilante band he was after.
Nina.
The leader of "Spectre."
Inwardly he chuckled. If Shura was here, he'd get a good laugh out of that stupid name.
Since the lead was good after all, Niles shifted in his seat to get comfortable. This is where things could get interesting.
The patrons settled down after the initial disturbance and the hired muscle settled back to a casually ready stance. The tavern owner greeted them amicably enough. Possibly he knew them already if his friendly demeanor was anything to go by.
Niles accepted another hand from the dealer as Spectre quickly settled into a table in a secluded corner with some drinks after coins changed hands, about as far away from his table as you could get. No windows nearby to listen from and the way the corner was laid out would cut off some the sound. The music that had resumed would dampen the rest. A good setup for anyone not wanting to be heard.
However, he had access to Odin's repertoire of sorcery. Weirdo though he was, he came up with useful enchantments.
Niles slipped a hand into his pocket, found the slip of parchment he wanted and sent a pulse of magic into it. The paper grew hot a moment while the inscriptions worked and Niles concentrated on the table where Spectre sat. His ears felt odd for a moment and he resisted the urge to disturb them before they popped. He no longer heard the idle chit-chat from the table where he was sitting.
"-old you it was a horrible idea to let Seto lead that heist. He's unstable." Probably the large man, given the deep baritone.
"He got the job done and the gold distributed didn't he?" A mellow voice, likely the middle-aged woman. "We have the whole city stirred up." She chuckled. "It's hilarious."
"It's dangerous, is what it is." The tenor was probably the spectacled young man. "The Izumite underworld might've been fooled into thinking it was some internal affair if he'd just let the guards take the Spirit Dust dealer to jail. They could bail him out easy enough. But killing him sent a message."
Niles heard the baritone scoff. "Yeah, a big flaming turd yelling 'we're in the capital right now; please track us down.'"
"Bree!"
"What? It's true, innit?"
The tenor again. "Be that as it may, we need to get rid of him as soon as possible. We aren't killers."
"Don't we need him for…?" The woman left off whatever it was. Frustrating.
Niles heard a fourth voice speak up and he was positive it was Nina. "Don't worry about it. I had a couple of other people in mind that would've covered just fine for it. However, Bree is right. With the underworld nipping at our heels and the recent arrival of Nohrian and Hoshidan retinues, the target's too hot. We need to pull back for now."
"But we're so close!" The woman again.
The young man spoke up. "Are you sure, Nina? You were pretty adamant about this before. We might not get another shot at this."
Out of the corner of his eye, Niles saw Nina cross her arms. "It won't matter if we get caught. We've pissed off enough nobles as it is. Plenty of them have enough resources to make us dead if they want, but they hold back because we're popular with the common folk."
The spectacle'd man spoke up. "It could incite riots with the right push."
"Wouldn't that be a good thing? We're doing this because their situation is unfair after all."
"Do you want to be a martyr, Teresa?" Bree asked.
"…No."
Nina cut back in. "Then we'll pull back south to Denore after the Fesitval of Spring is over. Slipping out unnoticed while everyone leaves will be easy."
There were sounds of agreements around the table, and the talk turned to lighter matters. After a few minutes, when it was clear that nothing else of importance was being discussed, Niles cut the magic flowing to the enchantment. Disoriented for a moment as his hearing returned to normal, he mulled over what he'd learned as he excused himself from the card game, left the tavern and began a meandering pace back to the castle.
Spectre wanted something in Izumo, but what was it? Nina had called it a 'target,' but that could refer to almost anything. Though, given what he'd heard of their exploits he would guess it was something worth a lot of gold. Something they could sell on the black market, and then be the goody two shoes that they were and give that to the poor.
But who were they stealing it from exactly? A noble? Possibly, though that didn't narrow it down much. Merchants would be on guard after their most recent heist, but it was a possibility.
Actually, hadn't they mentioned the arrival of the Nohrian and Hoshidan royalty as a reason their target was too hot? Why would that make a difference? Unless…
He grinned. Unless Spectre had been planning on stealing something from the castle itself. Now wasn't that bold? They would have been caught easily. But it didn't matter.
He knew they were headed to Denore, and that information alone would be enough to satisfy Lord Leo and give him an edge in any negotiations that could happen. Assuming the archduke ever came out.
He really needed to thank Odin more.
Nina smirked. "Heh. Gotcha."
The other members of Spectre at the table turned towards her, their conversation breaking off. Bree was the first one to talk, as usual.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Nina?"
"Did any of you see that dark skinned man with the white hair and an eyepatch playing cards when you came in?"
They all glanced at each other, confusion plain on their faces. Teresa shrugged. "I vaguely remember him. Why?"
Her smirk grew wider. They were going to be so pissed when she told them. "Few days ago, Sachiko started getting wind that one of the Nohrian royal retainers was sniffing around for us. We figured the best way to get rid of him was to give him what he wanted."
Their reaction was about what she expected. She rolled her eyes and shushed them before they raised too much of a ruckus.
"Sheesh, have a little faith in me guys. I gave him the info he wanted. I never said it was the truth."
Specs spoke up, confused. "But how would he have heard anything we said?"
Nina shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. All I know is that he looked far more satisfied than any person has any right to after losing money like he was. "
There was silence at the table before Bree broke it. "What does that mean for us?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? Figure it out yourselves."
Teresa was about to let out a retort before Specs interrupted her. "We aren't going to Denore."
"Got it in one, Specs. The plan is still on." Nina leaned her chair back onto the wall and kicked her feet up to the table cross-legged.
Teresa, who was still mad, leaned forward. "Why didn't you tell us this? We could have let something slip!"
Nina waved a hand in Teresa's general direction. "Because you guys would've looked suspicious if you didn't. The best lies are rooted in truth, after all."
Bree shook his head. "That was unnecessarily reckless, Boss."
"You know it." She crossed her arms behind her head. "Enjoy this moment guys: it might our last bit of peace for a while. It's about to get really busy." Tomorrow night, they raided the archduke's study.
They wouldn't know what hit them.
"We're going to eat out for lunch today."
Robin and Kaden both stopped what they were doing. Kaden pumped a fist into the air and yelled, "Alright!" nearly dropping the crate he was carrying. "Where are we going?"
Anna just smiled. "You'll see." Honestly where they were going didn't matter as much as it would be an excuse to talk.
Robin turned around in his chair, propping his elbow on the chair's back. She noticed that he looked worn out, eyes slightly baggy. The quill he'd been using was still in hand as he tapped it against his chin. "So then, who's watching the front?"
Anna was about to answer before her one of her sisters practically barged into the storage tent behind the stall they all occupied. Her sister spoke up. "Don't worry about it. I've got you covered, Anna," and she bowed to the others in a flamboyant manner. "Anna at your service."
Anna shook her head. Trust her sister to be listening in, waiting for the perfect entrance. "Thanks for covering for me, Anna."
"Hey, it's no problem, Anna. Just know that you owe me one."
"Yeah, yeah."
Kaden looked incredulously between the two of them. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"
Both she and her sister grinned mischievously at each other before both of them put on innocent expressions, scooted right next to each other, put their fingers to their chins, turned to Kaden and at the same time said innocently, "Doing what?"
She saw Kaden open his mouth, then closed it, sighing. "Never mind."
The sisters laughed as they separated. "Just finish up what you're doing, and we'll go."
As Robin turned back to the ledger and Kaden resumed stocking, her sister pulled her aside. "So, how are they doing? Are they more than you can handle?"
"No, they're fine. Better than I was expecting, I guess."
Her sister rolled her eyes. "You can give me a little more detail than that, especially on Mystery Man over there."
"His name is Robin."
"Ooh, first name basis," She leaned in closer. "Any other juicy details?"
"Anna!" The other two turned towards them, but she waved to signal that them it was none of their business and they both started back into finishing what they were doing.
Anna turned back to her sister, and crossed her arms. "When are you going to stop doing that with every guy I meet?"
"When you stop reacting like that whenever I bring it up."
"Ugh, you're insufferable."
Her sister was still smiling. "You know it!" Her expression shifted to something more serious. "But I was being serious about asking how your help is doing."
Anna glared a moment longer before she relented. "Both are good at different things. I tried putting both of them out to attract customers. Kaden - that's the kitsune - took to it like he'd been doing it since he was born. Robin, well…" The less she said about that incident, the better. To say it was a disaster was putting it lightly. "I quickly figured out he has a head for numbers, so I have him keeping inventory, ledgers and running errands when I need more stock and such."
"And you? You're not wearing yourself out over anything else, right?"
The man practically reeked of dark magic.
She held back a flinch at the memory before answering. "No. Thanks to Robin, everything behind the scenes is running smoother than ever and Kaden being a kitsune attracts more business than the Anna brand alone ever would."
"Blasphemy!"
"Shut it, you."
Her sister chuckled. "I'm glad it's going well for you. Really." She glanced towards the entrance. "I should get back to the storefront. I'll leave you to your date."
Anna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're going to run that into the ground, aren't you."
"Absolutely." She made a mock two-finger salute, before she exited the storage area.
Anna turned around to find Kaden staring. "Is something wrong?"
He snapped out of a daze. "Oh, no, just thinking how nice it is that you have family to lean on. Wanderlust is great, but it gets lonely after a while, you know?"
Anna realized that with how busy they'd been, she'd never actually really taken the time to talk to the kitsune. She'd been surprised when he had volunteered to help Robin work off his debt. "Don't you have family?"
Kaden's ever present easy smile slipped a moment, before it came back. "Eh, maybe I'll tell you about it later."
The way he said it made Anna wince. Maybe it was a touchy subject? She let it lie with a nod of her head as Kaden stacked up the final crate.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the Robin closed the ledger he was working on with a loud thump and stood up, stretching. "That takes care of that. If you're done chatting are we ready to go?"
The restaurant was nothing particularly fancy, though Kaden seemed happy that they served mochi. The kitsune led the bulk of the conversation, mostly telling silly anecdotes from his travels. She laughed when it was appropriate, but her mind was thinking about something else.
The biggest mystery at the table: Robin. After working with him for four and a half days she could tell that he was a very private person. Any time she asked him something he would dismiss it and say some variety of:
"I'd rather not talk about it for now."
She had let it slide in order to get on with business. However, now was as good a time as any to try and breach the subject.
She waited until Kaden finished his latest anecdote and asked, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you, Robin. How did you get injured, anyways?"
Wow. That sounded way better in her head. Way to go Anna. Better to just roll with it.
Robin went quiet and noticeably hesitated before answering, fiddling with the curry in his bowl. "Honestly, I think you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
Robin sighed, before looking her straight in the eye and deadpanning, "An army of invisible soldiers claiming a dragon to be their leader."
He was right. She didn't believe him. It was so ridiculous sounding that an involuntary snort had escaped her mouth before she could stop it.
Robin groaned in frustration, his spoon clattering on to his bowl as his hand went to his forehead running a hand through his hair in frustration. "See? I told you."
"Sorry, sorry, but come on, invisible soldiers? I'm not saying I don't believe you," she didn't, but he looked so crestfallen at her answer that she couldn't help but try to backtrack, "but you have to admit, that would be hard for anyone to swallow. Besides, dragons are a dumb myth. If they ever existed, they're long gone by this poi- Hey, where are you…?"
Robin had stood up from the table and started to leave. His answer was curt. "I'm headed to the library. I'll see you back at your stall." He left the curry nearly untouched.
"What did I say?" she muttered.
"You did basically just call him a liar."
She looked up, and saw Kaden looking vaguely amused, eyebrows raised. She averted her eyes. "But you heard what he said too, right?"
"I did, and you're right. It does sound pretty out-there, but he also seems convinced that it's true."
Silence reigned in between them for a while and they both continued eating if only to fill the void. After what felt like a couple of minutes passed, Kaden spoke up again.
"Did you know that Robin spends pretty much all of his free time at the library?"
Anna cocked an eyebrow, "So he likes books. I read novels occasionally too. What's your point?"
Kaden shook his head. "You know, you're pretty rude for merchant."
"Hey!"
Kaden chuckled, "Heh, take it as a compliment. It means you speak your mind. Anyways, it's not stuff like novels. He gets stacks of history books, maps, charters. It's like he's searching for something."
But what was it? "So why don't we help him then?"
"I already offered, but he almost immediately turned me down. Said that he 'did research better on his own' or something, and that if he found what he was looking for he'd tell me." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "Though I'm kind of glad, really. I can't stomach just how dully they structure history books, and I'm honestly terrible with maps. I just kind of go wherever suits me."
Anna smiled. "Sounds like you."
"Wow, am I really that easy to read?"
"It's not a bad thing."
"I guess." Kaden leaned in closer, voice dropping lower. "Even though Robin asked me to leave after that, I stuck around in secret, just to keep an eyes and ears on him."
"He'd need it with how much of a trouble magnet he is." Nearly every time he came back from an errand, she could tell from his face that something had happened, even though he never said anything. Probably just slander from people who thought he was Nohrian. Stupid tourists.
Kaden nodded. "Right. Thankfully, no trouble really happened. But…the more he would read, the more maps he looked through, the more frustrated he would get. I would hear snatches of him talking to himself, like, 'Why is there not even a reference?' or 'it should be here,' or just 'nothing' repeated over and over, book after book. Whatever he's searching for, he isn't finding it."
He shifted in his seat. "I'm… worried about him."
Anna couldn't think of a good response for that. At least she had a partial answer for why he looked so stressed earlier, but it made her feel worse for not asking sooner. Mystery or not, he was still a person.
She and Kaden finished their meal in silence, before they began the trek back to her stall. As he'd promised them, Robin was there waiting for them. She planned on saying something, but choked up. Kaden returned to the front to attract customers, she returned to handling sales after she sent her sister away, and Robin went off on another errand.
Mystery or not, she still had a shop to run.
But…
In a day and a half, the Festival would be over. Robin and Kaden wouldn't have any reason to stay anymore. They'd say their goodbyes. She would go back to traveling around.
And she would be alone again.
"Still at it, I see."
Odin didn't look up from the tome he was reading. There was no point, as without looking he could practically see Niles leaning against the shelves in a position that would allow him to easily see any entrance and exit to the place. An impressive feat for someone with only one remaining eye.
"Fate has brought us to this circumstance again? I should think you know me well enough by this point to know what I'm doing." Odin's eyes continued to scan the page; they darted back and forth as he turned another page. Nothing new yet, but even three years with nary a breakthrough wouldn't stop him. He let out a low chuckle. "The darkness in me hungers for knowledge: a craving that can never be slaked. Such is my curse."
"And your mission from Lord Leo?"
"None could ever see one who has the shadows for aid. But I feel as though my power was wasted in this effort. The enemy is here for rest and relaxation at the Archduke's behest. Nothing more."
He heard a slight shift of fabric, and in his mind's eye saw Niles' lone eye roll. "Cut the theatrics, Odin. It's just you and me here."
Odin finally looked up and saw Niles leaning in the exact spot he imagined him to be, and glanced about. The library in the castle of Izumo was silent, empty save for a librarian out of earshot and a crackling fireplace. However, if he listened closely, Odin could hear the tell-tale signs of typical castle activity outside the room.
He sighed. "Very well, but it still doesn't change my report or what I'm doing. Coming up with new spells requires a lot of research and patience."
"By looking through the abridged history of religions in Izumo?" Odin choked a little. If the tiny smirk that played over Niles' mouth was any indication, he'd noticed his reaction.
Odin quickly recovered. "Many religions and cults were centered around peculiar varieties of magic. Though things that involve sacrifice are off the table, since obviously they aren't viable in battle, some of the rituals provide inspiration for my magic. And for the cool names, of course."
The smirk turned predatory. "Feigning innocence? Come now, both of us know what you're really searching for. How'd you refer to it again?" Out of his pocket he pulled a small journal that Odin immediately recognized, and his eyes widened.
Niles flipped to a page in the book. "Ah, yes. The 'ceiling dragon.'" He snapped the book shut. "Your code needs work. Anyone who's been in Krackenburg's throne room long enough with King Garon knows that you're referring to Anankos."
Odin's breath hitched on reflex, but he quickly calmed as he reminded himself: It won't trigger the curse. Instead he closed his eyes and put on an annoyed expression.
"Will you please stop nicking my stuff?"
"How can I, when it's so interesting? After all, it's the only clues I get to the past you refuse to bring up." His arms splayed into a gross approximation of a shrug.
"You're one to talk."
The smirk turned to a frown and Niles' eyes narrowed. "Lord Leo knows, and that is enough. How can I ever fully trust someone who popped up out of nowhere? Besides, you're deliberately trying to change the subject." Niles tossed the book to Odin, who caught it without thinking. "Any new findings on your little obsession?"
"What do you want, Niles?" Odin asked, slipping the book back into a hip pouch.
"I want to know why you're so fixated on dragons, on this dragon in particular. Every time we go to a new place you're always headed for the books. I always assumed that it was for your obsession with tomes and all the darkness nonsense you're always spouting. But this," Niles chuckled, "Well, this is far more interesting."
Odin sighed. No point in lying about it if Niles had seen inside it. "There's nothing new here. It's just the usual vague descriptions about a 'Silent Dragon,' and the brief cult following it had before it up and disappeared. Assuming you read through all my notes," he sent out an annoyed glare, "then you'll know I've deduced it's the being they worshiped is same being as Anankos, a manakete."
"And what's that?"
Odin realized he hadn't meant to say the last part but continued on anyways. "A being that can transform into a dragon, with help of a stone. Think of them like the wolfskin and kitsune."
"So then what makes you think that Anankos is a manakete?"
Besides meeting him personally?
"Easy: despite what some legends say, all manaketes are just dragons. As for the cult following, well, if you lived for thousands of years and amassed enough power, someone somewhere is going to think you're some kind of god. Let that go to your head and boom, you've got grounds for a deity."
"You make it sound like you have personal experience with them." Niles scoffed. "Next are you going to tell me you know the Dawn and Dusk dragons personally?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Actually, hold that thought." Niles held up a hand to silence him and Odin saw his eye flick to the door. "We're about to have company."
Sure enough, the door to the castle library opened and in walked…
Odin's eyes furrowed as he tensed. It was the two retainers with the newly arrived Hoshidan prince behind them, the group he had been tailing earlier in the day. Had they noticed his sleuthing and followed him back?
They were faced each other mid-conversation. His hand reflexively reached down to the separate pouch that carried his battle tome, before he remembered that all of their weapons had been confiscated on upon arrival to the castle.
"…Oh."
He realized that the trio had stopped. The woman with blue hair, was staring right at him with an expression that could only be considered 'murdery.' Odin suppressed the chills it sent up his spine and resolved to give the glare a better name later.
He glanced at Niles, and an understanding born of years working together was quick to come. Both were prepared if it came to a confrontation.
However, Odin wasn't prepared for the woman to turn around and storm out. Or try to storm out before the man with brown hair tied back grabbed her with a grunt. "Oboro! Lord Takumi said that he needed-"
The woman, Oboro, turned to face him, throwing the arm of the man off of her. "We can get it another time, Hinata." She shot another glare at him and Niles.
Wow, that was…eerie? No, that wasn't quite right.
No. Focus. Name later.
The Hoshidan prince, who had been silent, spoke up, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "What are Nohrians doing inside the castle?"
It looked like Hinata was hesitating, like he wanted to diffuse the situation, before Niles spoke. "We were invited, of course. But don't let us Nohrians scare you off. Maybe we can help you find what you're looking for. Don't worry, we don't bite."
Coming out of anyone else's mouth that might have sounded assuring, but leave it to Niles to make it sound sinister enough to escalate whatever issue Oboro had.
"Why you little…" Oboro whirled around, stepping back towards them, throwing off Hinata's attempts to calm her down. Odin stood, preparing a hex-
An earth shattering boom of what sounded like thunder shook the room, and everyone present stumbled. Once they'd righted themselves, all of them save Odin reached for weapons that weren't there.
"What did you do?!" Oboro yelled.
"We didn't do anything," Niles retorted, "and the longer we just stand around throwing blame, the less likely chance we have of figuring out what happened."
A short, tense standoff followed between the parties, before they all briefly nodded and poured out of the library doors, animosity temporarily forgotten in favor of figuring out what in Naga's name was going on.
A/N: The plot thickens.
A note on OC's: they're there to flesh out the world, not take the lead, so don't worry about that if you're not a fan of them.
