Chapter 6 - Contact


Beta'd by A.O. Talmidge


The sun was setting as Leo started running towards the source of the magical surge. It was obvious that something wasn't right. The entire castle must have heard the thunderous noise and even those not attuned to magic must have felt something of the immense wave of magic that accompanied it. Something of this magnitude couldn't be a normal occurrence. Especially since he could feel that the source was close to, if not right on top of, where the archduke was holed up.

Yet, as he ran, he encountered no resistance, no guards or patrols he knew the castle had from his restless walks throughout the section he was confined to. Nothing save a few servants milling about, some looking worried, others grouped up talking too lowly for him to hear as he rushed past. The atmosphere put him on edge.

As he turned the corner to the dead end where he knew the ornate door lay, Leo skidded to a stop and froze. His eyes widened, greeted by the sight of a dozen people on the ground. Dead.

Given his upbringing, he was no stranger to death, but this was…

As Leo moved carefully up to the closest body after stepping over a spear, he immediately recognized the armor as standard issue from the Nohrian army. The symbol of Nohr emblazoned on the back would make it obvious to anyone unfamiliar with the style.

Of course, he hadn't ordered any attack, so it fell to reason that this must have been on his father's orders. What exactly had they been trying to accomplish? Kill the archduke, or perhaps hold him hostage?

Regardless of their intentions, they had failed.

So then, what had killed them? Leo, crouched down to the nearest body, noting that the stone underneath was charred in a small circle. He ran a gloved hand over the blackened ground and it came away with dark grit. Possibly from extraordinarily powerful lightning magic, if the thunderous boom from earlier was any indication.

He stood, wiping the grit from his finger, and he noted that all the bodies shared similar scorched circles underneath, save two that were slumped to either side of the frame of the door, dead from regular stab wounds. Probably the guards of the shrine. He carefully stepped over the other corpses towards an unarmored body closest to the door. The leader of the attack? Leo rolled the body over with his foot.

His eyes narrowed. The face was still recognizable, even marred with fresh burns that blossomed in a pattern that reminded him of a spider's web.

"Zola," he murmured. Master illusionist in service to King Garon. Had he been disguised among his men the whole time? If so, why?

From his peripheral vision, Leo caught a bright flash. He blinked before his eyes flicked to the ornate door, and he caught a brief glimpse of an unfamiliar glowing symbol, possibly a rune he did not recognize, before it flickered and disappeared.

A magical ward? It could explain the situation he was faced with, but he had never encountered one so powerful, or at least not any that had such lethal consequences. Even so, he stepped away from the door, just in case.

Yet, come to think of it, he hadn't detected anything of the sort when he'd been here before, and from his own experience, wards took ridiculous amounts of time and skill to set up. Not to mention how out of character it seemed for the leader of a supposedly peaceful nation to set up something like this. Even if this communion with the gods was that important or sacred, wouldn't it make more sense for the ward to be non-lethal?

"Lord Leo!"

Leo turned towards Odin's voice, and saw him and Niles rushing over, stopping short of the bodies.

"Are you unharmed, milord?" Niles asked, eye roving over his form, presumably to search for injury.

Leo nodded waving off the concern. "Yes, don't worry Niles. I'm fine." He carefully weaved his way around the bodies away from the warded door, and gestured vaguely to Zola's corpse behind him, disgust creeping into his voice. "However, as you can see there's a probl-"

He stopped his explanation short as a trio of people hurried around the corner, headed by the second prince of Hoshido himself, Takumi. Though they had never personally met, Leo had made it a point to study his enemies and knew both of Prince Takumi's appearance, temperament and of his prowess with the divine bow, the Fujin Yumi.

This didn't bode well at all.

Their eyes met and the Hoshidan's immediately narrowed in suspicion, his hand reaching behind him, as if to grab the yumi that was not there. After a moment, he seemed to settle crossing his arms and calling out, "I should've known as soon as I saw your entourage that a Nohrian royal was here."

"I'm here because the archduke invited me as guest." Leo replied, even though he still had not clue as to why.

"And them," Prince Takumi gestured to the carnage behind Leo, "Were they invited here as well?"

Leo took a breath. No need to be defensive as he had done nothing wrong. "They came with me, yes, but they were only a guard. I assure you I had no knowledge of what happened here. I'm as much in the dark as you are."

Takumi let out a mirthless laugh. "You know for some reason, I don't believe you. I wonder why." The contempt was laced thickly in his voice. "Maybe it's because the last time we trusted a Nohrian royal, he slaughtered our king. And maybe, just like this, you were prepared to look innocent, to cover it up, only to stab me in the back when I drop my guard."

"I would do no such thing!" Leo could hardly blame Takumi for the bitter accusation, especially with the incriminating scene behind him. Even so, maybe it was his stubborn sense of pride for Nohr, or maybe he was just going stir crazy, but he could feel his patience already wearing thin.

So he retaliated. "For a nation that supposedly eschews war, you were surprisingly quick to get revenge, kidnapping a Nohrian royal."

"I think you're remembering it wrong. Nohr is the one who started the war, not us: you kidnapped Kamui. We retaliated in self-defense."

"Her name is Corrin." Leo's view became partially obscured as his retainers moved in front of him, on guard, sensing the tension in the air. He saw what he assumed to be Takumi's retainers do the same.

"Hmph. You would change her name, wouldn't you? After all, Nohr corrupts everything it touches. There's no telling what lies you've filled her head with."

"How dare you-!"

Leo stopped as a loud slam echoed from behind him. Eager for a target for his frustration, Leo turned to face the supposed threat. He felt a hand grab his arm that started crackling with dark magic, and dimly he was aware that everyone present was preparing best they could for a confrontation.

Only for that tension and his magic to be cut like puppet strings as Archduke Izana stepped through the opening. He was smiling, not the serene smile Leo had encountered before, but an elated, almost, dare he say, manic grin. Not to mention he looked surprisingly fresh for someone who had been holed up for more than half a week.

"I was wondering who was creating all of that racket. Here I was thinking it might be another band of assassins, but it's just you guys!" He laughed jovially at the horrible attempt to diffuse the tension.

At least, that's what it had to be, right?

Leo saw Takumi step up, "Archduke Izana-"

He was quickly cut off. "No, no, no. None of those fancy titles right now. Just Izana is fine."

The Prince of Hoshido hesitated, as if unsure of himself, before he continued. "Uh, right. Izana." He straightened, and Leo recognized it as the posture typical of a soldier giving a report. "Your divining ritual was interrupted by-"

"-by these Nohrians here, yes?" He gestured to the dead, and no one was given time to respond before Izana pressed on. "Don't worry, She already dealt with them. Divine retribution and all that." He looked down at the bodies distastefully. "Perhaps it was a bit much, but right now I can't afford any delays, so I won't say I'm ungrateful."

Leo blinked.

Was this even the same person he met before? The meeting had been brief, sure, but still.

"Now on to the matter at hand-"

"Wait," Prince Takumi interrupted, "you're just going to ignore the fact that a troop of Nohrian assassins tried to not only disturb a holy ritual, but kill you as well?"

Izana pouted; yes, pouted. "Didn't I already say they've been dealt with? Besides they weren't going to kill me. The illusionist was going to impersonate me, capture you, hold you as a bargaining chip while he quietly took over Izumo, yada yada, you get the idea. Oh, and before you get any ideas, Leo over there had nothing to do with it. He's as much of an innocent bystander as you are."

The Hoshidan Prince stood there, mouth opening and closing for a moment, and Leo couldn't help but feel vindicated, just as much as he couldn't believe his luck. Odin was looking awestruck, Niles was still grasping his arm (he quickly pried it off), and Takumi's retainers looked as though they couldn't decide whether to be confused or outraged.

The silence that hovered after the archduke's declaration was broken by Odin. "How did you come by such knowledge? The darkness in me compels me seek an answer to this enigma."

"The gods told me, of course. Well, mostly just one, but that's not really important." And Izana waved it away as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to actually face Odin, and Leo noticed a look of recognition flash in the archduke's eyes as he clapped. "Ah, it's you!"

"Uh…me?"

"Yes, you. It's good that you're here. It'll make some things much simpler."

Odin glanced at Niles as if he would have answers, and Niles simply shrugged.

"Thank you?" Odin responded, clearly unsure. What was that about?

Izana stepped past the corpses and started walking through everyone. "Right, now that that's out of the way, the rest of your questions can wait until an official meeting before the party at the end of this Festival. Much as I'd love to do it now, this location could use a little cleanup."

That was putting it mildly.

Izana stopped just past Takumi, before he rapidly turned back to face them. "Actually, when does the Festival of Spring end?"

"Tomorrow," Niles supplied.

Izana's eyes widened. "Really? Wow, four days is a new record; no wonder I feel exhausted! I'll have to tell the good captain about it after I break him and guards out of the break room they're currently barred into. As for you all, I suggest getting some rest so you can have fun at the festival tomorrow before nightfall. Things are going to really get busy then."

He swirled around and was almost at the corner before he called without turning. "I'll send someone along with the details later. Tah!"

He disappeared around the corner, leaving silence in his wake.

It was breached by Takumi's brown-haired retainer. "Can…can someone tell me what just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened." Takumi glared at Leo, and Leo matched it, coldly. "You got lucky. Just because Izana is giving you a free pass, doesn't mean I will. I've got my eye on you Nohrians. Try anything like this again and I will make you live to regret it." He turned and called, "Oboro, Hinata, let's go." His retainers turned to follow and the group disappeared around the corner.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Good riddance. He really needed to have a talk with Father about letting him know of plans like this, if only so he could be better prepared with contingencies in the future.

"Well, they were a lively bunch," Niles quipped, before turning to face him. "I assume you want me to investigate the rest of our entourage to avoid another mishap? If they're hiding something, you know I have ways of making them talk."

"If necessary. However, I doubt there will be any need for such extremes." He turned to Odin. "I trust you're prepared to dispel any more illusions we come across?"

Odin smirked, throwing his arm out in front of him, his hand clenching. "Absolutely, milord. Any who dare sully the name of Lord Leo will find that none can hide in the shadows from Odin Dark."

Leo nodded, satisfied. "Excellent." Without a word, he set off, his retainers easily falling into step behind him.


Cherry blossoms fell from the sakura trees scattered throughout the marketplace, creating a light coating of petals on the street and on top of the awnings of the stalls. The sun was dipping below the horizon, yet as usual, Izumo came alive again as lanterns began to be lit. Kaden thanked Anna's latest customer, bowing slightly as he noticed Robin return from his last resupply run of the day.

Out of his peripheral vision he watched Robin jump down from the cart and Anna come up to accept the shipment. Though the exchange had happened dozens of times in the last few days, after Anna's awkward attempt at asking about Robin at lunch today, neither seemed to want to look each other in the eye. Any passerby who didn't know any better would probably think that the two didn't even know each other outside of business.

Kaden sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. He really needed to do something about this. No, it wasn't really his problem if Anna and Robin metaphorically danced around whatever was going on for the rest of the festival; he didn't owe them anything. But, well. There was only so much avoiding the issue that he could take.

He strode up behind them mid-conversation and threw his arms around them, pulling the two together despite both their yells of protest. Caught off-guard, he could probably hold them long enough to ask his question.

"Hey guys, I've got a grand idea. Why don't we all go out for some tea after we close up for the night?"

As he anticipated, both of them started protesting, even as they struggled to get out of his tightening grip.

"Didn't we already go out for lunch?" Robin asked.

"I'm not going to pay for it."

"Don't worry about it," He grinned as he looked between the two. "It's my treat."

However, instead of relenting like he hoped, the both of them began making excuses, talking over each other.

"Actually, I was planning on doing more research at the-."

"-still need to contact some of my suppliers before-"

"-feel like I'm close to a breakthrough-"

"-was going to go to my sister's to-"

"-librarian said he might get a book I requested from the archduke himself-"

"-really need to make sure that-"

Frankly, Kaden had heard enough. From his position, he quickly shifted his hands to their heads and cracked them together. He probably didn't do it hard enough to daze them, but it had the desired result of shutting them up for a moment. He let go and backed off as they stumbled, rubbing their skulls, and waved away the concern and curiosity of the other merchants and onlookers around them.

Anna was indignant. "What was that for?!"

Wow, it was like dealing with kits. He gestured with both hands to the city around them. "Have either of you looked around? You remember that this entire week is supposed to be a festival, right?"

Robin cricked his neck to the side, brushing away a stray falling sakura petal that blew onto his face before answering. "It's kind of hard to ignore."

Kaden shook his head. "It's been nearly five days and not once has either of you stopped once to enjoy it. It's all work, work, work, busy, busy, busy." He shot a pointed look at Anna. "I think we should take a moment to really get to know each other, and," he looked at Robin, "relax a little for once. Too much work is terrible for anyone."

Anna made a soft "oh," sound. It seemed like that at least she got what he was trying to do. Robin on the other hand, was still dismissive.

"It sounds like a waste of time." He turned around, heading back to the cart with Anna's resupply. "I already have plans to-"

Kaden clapped a hand on Robin's shoulder and felt him tense underneath his grip. "Robin, if I have to physically tear you away from those books to get you there, I will."

"But-"

"Nope, this is non-negotiable." He paused before he added, "Please."

The background noise of the market filled in a long moment before he felt Robin's shoulders relax as he let out a breath through clenched teeth.

"Fine. I'll go. Now can you let go of me and help me unload this?"

Kaden smiled. "Sure thing, buddy," and lifted his hand from Robin's shoulder. He was about to join him before something stopped him by tug on his sleeve. He looked back to see Anna with a grateful look on her face.

"Thanks for that."

Kaden gave her his best innocent smile, though he could tell it probably came out more like a grin. "Don't know what you're talking about."

She punched him lightly on the arm. "Jerk."

Kaden laughed it off "Just don't mess it up this time, yeah?"

Anna nodded. "Right," and both moved to their tasks. Of course, this was the easy part. He had a feeling getting both of them to talk would be much harder.


The night's revelry was in full swing. Humans danced to music in the central square while children ran about, laughing as they stirred up fallen cherry blossoms. A street performer in costume yelled out exuberantly as his audience cheered. Others hurried along chatting animatedly with purchases from a few street vendors who were still hawking their wares. Throughout the reverie, humans from all walks of life were coexisting, enmity temporarily forgotten in the face of the festivities and, Kaden's nose wrinkled, probably more than a little alcohol.

All of it stood in stark contrast to their silent table at the tea shop. He nodded in thanks to Sachiko as she served their drinks, but neither of the table's other occupants moved to do anything with them. Anna looked lost at how to start some sort of conversation, though he could hardly blame her for considering how badly her attempt went last time.

For his part, Robin leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and arms crossed, clearly annoyed. The area was loud, especially to Kaden's more sensitive ears, but when he sipped his tea, it felt like the loudest noise in the world.

His tail twitched behind him. He couldn't take the silence anymore. There needed to be some sort of dialogue, not just him telling them about his travels. "So, where are you guys from? You already know I come from west of here, though at this time of year it might be more southwest. Kitsune are pretty nomadic." Especially after…

He breathed out, dispelling the unpleasant thought.

Thankfully, Anna took the hint and started talking. "I'm not really from anywhere. I never knew my parents, and being part of a merchant family that's all over, I never stayed in one place for long."

"Huh. So then, how long have you been travelling on your own?"

Anna rubbed the back of her neck, seemingly a bit embarrassed. "Not for long actually. I'll be barely out on my own for a year come summer."

Kaden nodded. "Hey, No need to be embarrassed about it. We all start somewhere, right?"

She averted her eyes. "I guess…" Maybe it was a sore subject? She turned to Robin, who had opened his eyes. "So how about you, Robin?"

Robin sighed, eyes still closed. "Would you believe me, even if I told you?"

Anna huffed, annoyed. "Look, Robin if this is about earlier, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so dismissive."

Robin opened his eyes, and to Kaden they seemed conflicted. He let out a breath. "No, it's… fine. I mean, it does sound pretty absurd when you say it out loud, doesn't it?" His voice went soft. "I'm almost starting to think I may have imagined it, myself."

Neither of them had a good response to that.

"Plegia. That's where I come from. I take it neither of you have heard of it?"

Anna glanced at Kaden, and he shrugged. He'd been all over, but hadn't ever heard of the place, though to be fair, Robin had seemed completely unaware of the local geography.

Robin sighed. "Yeah, I thought as much. You know what's weird? According the local and world maps I've studied, the nations of Yllise or Plegia don't exist."

"You mean they aren't provinces or towns within Hoshido or Nohr or something?" Anna asked.

"No, they're huge nations, along with Regna Ferox that make up Archanea. The continents of Valm and Jugdral are absent as well. They aren't there. At all. Not even references. Nothing."

"That is strange," Anna piped in, frowning, before her face lit up with an idea. "But, just because those books don't have anything on them doesn't mean that no one would have ever heard of them. I think you're forgetting something." She gestured to those at the table. "We may never have heard of them, but it's possible that one of my sisters would. We have a huge network, and who knows? Maybe we could also find the Anna you know in the process."

Kaden's eyebrows rose. Robin already knew one of her sisters?

Robin's eyes momentarily widened. "Of course," and he leaned forward in his seat, hand going to his chin, clearly thinking. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Ugh, why didn't I think of that before?" He looked towards Anna. "How long do you think it would take to get this information?

"It's hard to say, but," she held a finger up, "I need to know as much as possible. The more information I can tell them, the quicker and more likely you'll get an answer."

Robin hesitated, thinking a moment, before he nodded. "Fine. I'll tell you what I know, but let's do it at the library. This place is too loud. And, as I said before, I still want to check if that book's in yet."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Finally, they were getting somewhere. He waved Sachiko over to pay the bill. But when he handed over the gold, she leaned down to take it and whispered low enough that only he picked up what she said. "Boss wants to talk to you."

As she left, one of his ears flicked. Nina was here? Kaden glanced around and sure enough, she was sitting at previously unoccupied table alone, legs crossed, and casually sipping tea. He was positive she hadn't been there when he came in.

What did she want?

"Are you coming, Kaden?"

"Huh?" Both Robin and Anna were already standing, Robin with his arms folded in what looked like impatience. "Oh, yeah." He stood. "But, uh, go ahead without me; I'll catch up in a bit."

Anna's face scrunched up as she tilted her head tilted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" He tried hard not to look in Nina's direction.

Robin rolled his eyes. "He means that it's probably none of our business and doesn't need us to pry. Let's leave him to it, Anna. He already said he'd catch up, right?"

"Alright…"

Kaden nodded and shot Robin a grateful look, which he returned with a shrug as he and Anna exited the tea shop, making a mental note to pay him back for that. Neither of them needed to get involved with a group that dealt with the looser side of the law, to put it lightly.

As he made his way over to the table, he let out a breath, hopefully whatever it was it would be nothing big. He already didn't think much of Spectre and after their last heist. Nina gave him a small, unconcerned wave as he sat down across from her.

Kaden raised a brow. "Should you really be out and about? Isn't there a bounty on your head or something?"

She grinned. "Don't know what you're talking about."

He scoffed. "Don't give me that crap."

"Can't even a girl on the run enjoy a nice cup of tea once in a while?"

Kaden shook his head. "That's not why you're here and you know it. Stop playing around and tell me what you want."

Nina set down her tea "Sheesh, killjoy, what's got you so worked up today? Is playing salesman really that rough?"

"You know about-?" He stopped himself short at the look she gave him. "Right, never mind. Besides, you know what's bothering me."

"Seto." She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her as she sighed. "If it's any consolation, we already kicked him out. He wasn't even mad about it. I guess I just never realized he had such a huge personal vendetta against that Spirit Dust trafficker."

"Enough to kill the man in broad daylight."

Nina slumped a little in her seat, and it made his heart sink a little. "I know, I know. But you know how good he was at his job. You're almost as good as he was."

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes. Trust her to insult and compliment his abilities in the same sentence. "That aside, if this is about another heist, wasn't there someone else who could do it?"

She shook her head. "They already backed out."

"Seriously?" Why would they…? "Wait you're not actually going through with the raiding the archduke's study, are you? I thought you were joking around!"

"No, we're dead serious. I have it on good authority that the archduke has something good locked up in there. If it's good enough to be locked behind that kind of security, then it's worth my time. It'll be a good challenge." Nina glanced around, before she leaned in. "Look, we could manage it without your skill set, but we'd have a much better chance with you there."

"I…I don't know, Nina. What exactly will you need me to do?"

"If you accept the job, you'll get more details. Actually, if you do it, I'll consider the favor you owe me fully repaid."

Kaden's eyebrows shot up. If she was willing to give up a life debt, then she really was serious about it. Even so… He glanced out in the direction where Robin and Anna had gone.

Nina seemed to sense his hesitation. "Look, I'll give you until morning to choose. That way, you can finish your business with your new friends or whatever."

He nodded in thanks. "How should I find you?"

"You won't. Just tell Sachiko your decision. If you say yes," and the way she said it, she clearly wanted him to, "she'll give you a place and you'll get to see my pretty face again."

He grinned. "Don't be absurd. You're face isn't nearly as beautiful as mine."

"Heh, dream on, Kaden. See ya." And with that, she left, disappearing into the crowds of the festival.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see another server, looking nervous.

"Um, your date said that you'd pay the bill." Kaden glanced at the empty tea cup where Nina had been sitting, then back to the server.

She'd left without paying.

Kaden shook his head as he handed over a relative pittance of gold. A friend though she may be, this was an unsubtle reminder that Nina was still very much still a thief. After giving his thanks to the server, he weaved his way out into the street, lost in thought.

Though he didn't care much for Spectre, he owed Nina for saving his life. If she was giving him a way to pay her back, even if it was from something like this, he would take it. It might be awkward to say goodbye to Robin and Anna, for a bit, but he could probably catch at least one of them after the festival. Either one of them seemed like interesting enough people to follow around for a while.

His nose twitched, and he stopped suddenly, earning the ire of a few people walking behind him. He ignored them.

There it was again. That scent.

On an impulse, he looked up to the rooftops, and he squinted to see a shimmer in the air. As if noticing his stare, the shimmer quickly moved, jumping across rooftops in the direction of the library.

Towards where Robin and Anna were headed. His ears flattened.

"An army of invisible soldiers claiming a dragon to be their leader." At the time, like Anna, he hadn't really believed it either.

The crowds seemed to thicken as Kaden broke into a run, roughly pushing past festival goers, ignoring their cries of protest. He really hoped he was wrong, that he was imagining things, but his fingers clutched around the beaststone in his pocket, just in case.


Robin opened the double doors of the library ahead of her to reveal row upon row of shelves of books and scrolls. The windows were opened, possibly in an attempt to coax a slight breeze into the dusky atmosphere. Anna vaguely remembered coming here once or twice before with her sisters to help plan a trade route, but mostly she just bought her reading material from traders. With no gold, Robin would have no such luxury.

Robin led her over to the portly librarian who was in the midst of organizing a shelf of scrolls. He looked up from his work, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"Ah, Robin!" He dusted off his hands. "It's good to see you again. Though I see you've brought a friend this time. Wonderful! All are welcome in the house of knowledge."

Robin simply nodded, "Sure," and gestured between her and the librarian. "Anna, meet Anders."

Anna waved awkwardly, as Anders turned beady eyes towards her. "Ah, you must be one of the Anna sisters. Unless I'm mistaken…?"

Her left eye twitched involuntarily. It always irked her that her, or rather her sisters' reputation preceded her wherever she went. But it was the hand in life she had been dealt, and it wouldn't change anytime soon. Instead of retorting, she simply answered. "Yes, that's right."

Anders dipped his head in a measure of respect, before turning his attention back to Robin. "I assume you're here to resume your research?"

"Yes, but were you able to get the book I requested last night?"

"Ah, right." He shuffled his feet a little. "No I'm afraid not, as I was barred from entering the castle proper. It seems there was some commotion with the archduke there earlier if the rumors are to be believed. However, rest assured that I should be able to procure it before tomorrow's end. You will be sticking around at least until then, I presume?"

She saw Robin glance her way. Tomorrow would be the last day she'd enlisted him to help. "At least until then, yes. After that, everything is up in the air at the moment."

The librarian laughed good-naturedly. "Good, good. Though perhaps you ought to spend some time enjoying the festivities tomorrow evening, instead of being holed up in here all night." He leaned in and started stage-whispering. "I hear the archduke is pulling out all the stops this year. I doubt you'll want to miss that." He winked.

"We'll see." She noticed Robin start to tap his foot.

Anders seemed to notice the impatience too as he straightened up. "Well I shan't keep you any longer. Your research is still undisturbed in the corner on the table where you left it."

Robin led her past more shelves towards a secluded corner, before he stopped splaying out his arms, grinning. "Welcome to my lair."

She cocked an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip "Wow, were you practicing that line or something?"

"Nah, just what I started saying it when, well…" Something flashed in his eyes, not pain, but it was gone before she could get a good read on it. "Never mind."

He moved out of her view and she saw a table stacked to the brim with maps, books, scrolls, both open and closed. Most the books seemed history related, but she noticed a lone book titled "Hoshidan Battle Tactics" lying on top of one of the piles, a bookmark in its pages. In the center of the table, a large map of the continent was laid out flat.

She walked up to his setup, running a hand over the map. "Wow, this is pretty impressive."

Robin looked up from where he was pulling some notes out of an inner pocket of his cloak, setting the parchment down. "This?" He chuckled. "This is nothing. You should've seen my tent during the Valm campaign."

"Huh?"

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know. Maybe another time, sorry." He leaned forwards, reaching over the table to a lantern resting on the corner, lighting the wick with a snap of his fingers.

She blinked. Fire magic? "Wait, you're a mage?"

"Is that really so surprising to you?" He brought his left hand out in front of him and small arcs of lightning started dancing between his fingers. "You hardly know anything about me, after all."

She winced. Harsh, but fair. "But, I thought you needed a tome or scroll to do that." She gestured to the crackling in his hand.

Robin shook his head. "Common misconception. Any mage can do something as simple as this without them, and if you had enough power and practice, you could cast even powerful attacks without them. However, it drains most people faster than is viable for any real practical long-term use. Hence, tomes." He clenched his hand and the lightning dissipated. "I take it you're not a mage, then?"

"Nope, never had a spark of magic in me. I've always stuck to swords, though I…haven't really had any real combat experience. Mostly just practice in self-defense."

"That's probably fine, seeing as you're a merchant. So." Robin leaned back, pressing his hands flat against the side of the table. "What do you need to know?"

She gestured to the pile behind him. "You're not going to tell me anything about that?"

"If I find anything useful, you'll be the second to know."

"Wait, second?"

"Kaden. He's not exactly been subtle about watching me. What do you need to know?" He repeated.

"Right, sorry." Where to start exactly? She couldn't exactly start by asking if, say he was a dark mage. Instead she settled on a familiar topic. "How do you know Anna? The one you knew before me, I mean."

"She was a merchant who had an exclusivity deal with the Shepherds while we were at war. She traveled with us, occasionally helping out in battles. She was pretty handy with a Levin sword. Though, come to think of it, we never really talked much. At least, not outside of business."

"Well, that doesn't narrow it down that much." She muttered. "Hmm. So these 'Shepherds' you mentioned. They aren't cattle herders, right?"

"It is an odd name isn't it? No, they were a group of soldiers led directly by the Exalt of Ylisse. His name is Chrom. A naïve, reckless, fool of a kind-hearted man. I served under him as his tactician." Tactician? That could explain why he was as good with numbers as he was. "Until I..." He stopped.

"Until you…?" She prompted.

She noticed Robin rubbing the back of his right hand as he shook his head. "No, that should be enough information for you to-"

Anna jolted in surprise as a loud scream echoed throughout the library, before it was cut short. Robin was alert instantly, his eyes scanning around.

"What was-?"

Robin covered her mouth, whispering into her ear. "Quiet. Stay behind me."

Anna slowly nodded and he uncovered her mouth, edging his way to peek past one of the surrounding shelves. Anna slowly followed. Glancing down to her unburdened hip, she lamented the fact that she had left her sword elsewhere. She should have known better.

"Anders is dead," he reported, still in a hushed tone. "Knife to the neck."

She peeked out, heart missing a beat as her eyes widened in shock at the gruesome sight. She swallowed a bit of bile, mouth suddenly dry. "Who did it? I don't see any-"

She yelled as she was yanked back by her cloak just as a something passed inches from her face. She landed hard on her back even as Robin cast a spear of lightning around the corner of the shelf. There was a soft thump as something hit the floor.

Anna carefully picked herself back up. "What was that?"

"Assassin. I don't see anyone else, but it doesn't matter." Robin started pulling her to the door, and she was too startled to resist. "We need to move now, or we'll be trapped."

"By what?!"

He didn't answer, and instead dragged her by her arm. However, when he tested the handles, they didn't budge. There was a light whooshing noise followed by all the windows slamming shut before something unseen landed loudly behind them, slightly cracking the floor.

Robin turned with her to face the sound. "Reinforcements."


A/N: Ambush spawns are the worst, aren't they?

R.I.P. Zola and Anders, Ch.6 - Ch.6. They will be missed. Press 'f' to pay respects.