A cold wind danced across Lake Toran and smothered Anji on board his beloved Lady Sonya. Pulling his long blue robe tighter he made his way on to the deck, all the while keeping his eye on the Shasarazade fortress in the distance. An eyesore that one he mused.
Shasarazade was built on a small peninsula south of the capital Gregminster by one of the empire's former great generals, Keyla Shulen, the grandmother of Anji's current nemesis Sonya. From a distance it looked like crooked teeth. It had been hastily constructed, to deal with pirates that pilfered the Gregminster region of the country, and it showed.
Anji made his way towards a giant of a man standing at the bow of the boat. He turned and smiled crookedly at Anji. The man's face was long and scarred with pox, which he tried to hide with a neat black beard. "What's the plan then, cap?" He asked, fixing the crimson bandana on his head.
"We wait. This will go more smoothly under the cover of darkness." Anji replied, playfully punching the man in the stomach, which was like punching stone. He never flinched.
"And the gift for the she devil?"
Anji smirked. "That wall to the left." He said, pointing. "That is where I'll hang it."
"Very good, cap."
"Make sure the crew are sober, Kanak. No wine until after it is done."
The man Kanak nodded, a look of disappointment etched on his stony face. "We'll need a trip downriver to Kanakan soon. Leonardo put a fair dent in the supply after the Teien raid last week."
"Well maybe make sure he's had a glass. He's reckless and wild when he is sober." Both men laughed.
Darkness finally blanketed the land of the Scarlet Moon Empire. There was no wind dancing and the lake was like a mirror, reflecting back the pale white light from the moon.
Lady Sonya glided gently along the water. Anji, using his vast knowledge of the lake, navigated as close to the fortress as he could get. He would have to be quick to avoid the patrol boats. The raid the previous week had increased them, and it had also lost them the castle near the central island. Sonya had used her witchcraft to call upon a dragon, of all things, to keep the pirates out. Cursed witch. He gave Kanak a signal to drop anchor.
"Be careful, boss." Kanak said as Anji got into a skiff off port side of the boat. "Don't forget this." He handed over a white folded garb.
"Be ready for anything. As soon as I am back in the water get ready to boost outta here." Anji replied, taking the garb from him.
The skiff got him on land within minutes. He hauled it onto the stony beach and then darted towards the shadows that the walls cast. You'll enjoy this, wench. There was no wind to cover nailing the garb on the walls, so he hooked it onto some of the protruding rock. That should hold. He stood admiring his work for a second and then headed to the skiff, quickly rowing back to his boat.
Kanak pulled him back aboard, almost ripping his arm off with his power. "A success then boss?"
Anji chuckled and turned back towards the fort. In the faint silver light, a wedding dress clung to the walls of Shasarazade.
Laughter erupted and drifted over the lake from Lady Sonya to the ears of Lady Sonya.
