Lyrium Greed
Chapter 5 - In case something goes wrong…
Navigating through the intricate labyrinth known to the rest of the city as 'marketplace' not only required patience, but also acute awareness of your surroundings. Every passerby turned into prey as soon as they stepped foot inside the area. Predators roamed close, watching which victim had a heavier purse. Of course, this fact was true not only for the market, but for the entirety of the city, however, it was here where the rookie thieves went to find foreigners uninformed about how popular pickpocketing was. Most locals, though, developed a careful eye soon after establishing a home in Oakbrire, the rest, had left or were not begging for a few coins. Thus, rookies never risked losing a hand with them, only the real professionals tried every one in a while.
Elora had grown used to the pickpocketing ten years ago, when she had arrived here with her brother as an escape route. Her family would not consider the possibility of her seeking refuge in such a Maker forsaken place. It all looked so distant now.
The hunter blinked several times to remove that train of thought from her mind. She had to focus on today. Time to think about the past can happen later.
The area was packed tight with people of all kinds and origins, as any other time of the day. From the outside it might appear chaotic, but any experienced individual knew it was an orderly mess. Elora ignored five unsubtle tricksters while advancing through the crowd. Her keen eye located several tempting deals for throwing knives and health potions, but she passed the chance until her schedule cleared for shopping. A beggar attempted to grab her leg, unsuccessful, since Elora had predicted his intentions. Apart from that, no other obstacles hindered her arrival at the shop where old friends awaited.
Leaving the noise of the outside behind, Elora entered the establishment, a sad smile decorating her features. Even after all these years, nothing had changed. A soft ring of a bell above her announced her entrance. She glanced at the far end of the room, no merchant stood behind the counter. She closed the door, then walked forward as she surveyed the store. Various articles were exhibited in shelves and display cases, most were weapons, others were bombs and traps fit for battle or ambushes. They all were still in the same place, and the decoration was just as modest as she remembered. Reaching the counter, Elora examined each painting hung at the wall and was not disappointed: they had not changed.
A door opened, from the other side of the board before the hunter. A familiar face emerged, distracted by the small piece of parchment on his hand, he walked to her prior to raising his head to address his client.
"Hello, welcome to-" he interrupted himself as recognition dawned in his features. "Ah, Elora! Welcome back. You've grown!"
The hunter rolled her eyes "I don't grow anymore, Dwenn. It's great to see you again" her smile turned genuine. His cheerfulness rubbed off on her. Just like his shop, he had not changed one bit. As a sixty-year-old human, the man had developed a wide stomach and long white beard. Elora could swear he had been taller last time she saw him, although it may be time makes the mind sluggish. Dwenn stuffed the parchment into his left pocket.
"You too. We'll have to catch up another time, though, Kata is waiting for you and I'm afraid duty calls for me elsewhere" he said, lifting the board to allow her passage.
"No problem" she said, going to the door on the other side. "I'll be here all week, so I'll make sure to come by."
"Excellent!" he said, with a laugh. "Until then!"
Before Elora was able to utter a farewell, he had already ventured into the outside. Then, she proceeded to the back shop, finding a set of stairs guiding her to an underground basement. This room held the sturdiest and sharpest weaponry Dwenn had at his disposal. Pretty decorations were on display upstairs. Here, only blades and bows for the best warriors and rogues.
Kata stood bent forward at Elora's right, examining a heavy battleaxe in a weapon rack. The qunari warrior had an expert eye at evaluating quality and power of any blade throughout Thedas and her excellent fighting skills rarely, if ever, found a worthy rival.
Elora smiled warmly "Kata! Always a pleasure to see you!"
The qunari turned to her and the hunter soon noticed Kata had not changed at all. Her heavy plate armor was still decorated by the same insignias and patterns colored red or black. A heavy longsword remained sheathed behind her back, hilt matching her armor. Her face, though, held a new scar from her left cheek to her chin. Two short horns emerged from either side of the upper part of her scalp, following the path of her skull. White hair tied into a single low braid, ornamented with several red strings which kept it together, except for a few loose strands in her forehead. A set of yellowish eyes stared at Elora and lit with recognition.
"Of course it is!" she laughed, then took the hunter's hand and shook it, enthusiastic. "You're a lucky woman! By the way, wouldn't you be able to spare a couple of coins?"
"For what?" Elora frowned.
"Oh, I'm just short of coin and this beauty over here is calling to me." Kata said, pointing to the same weapon she had drooled over.
The hunter rolled her eyes, unamused, and crossed her arms. It would be hard to keep Kata's attention inside a weapon storage room. Good thing she had spent some time here on her own. With luck, she had already browsed most of the blades.
"I had to try, you know that" she held her hands up in defeat. Her eyes stayed fixed on the weapon until she tore them away.
"What's the latest news?" Elora asked.
"Well, I'm told Ferelden has a new king" Kata said
Elora arched an eyebrow. "Really? That's the only thing you can come up with?"
"I didn't come up with it. It's true."
"Yeah, but who cares about that?" Elora crossed her arms, throwing a stern glare to her friend.
"Alright, alright. Nehel is still out there by himself. Last time I heard he was still up in Anderfels."
"Weisshaupt?"
Kata shrugged, stuffing her pockets with her hands and leaning on the nearby wooden shelf. It creaked under her weight but otherwise held steady. Elora glanced at the shelf, expecting to watch it shatter any minute.
"I guess. It's hard to know for sure."
"What about Sylvas?"
The qunari chuckled. "He's continuing his research. I still can't figure out how can he keep so many pointless information in that little head of his."
Elora rolled her eyes, then nodded, satisfied with Kata's news. Should have known Sylvas would not yield his sense of wonder no matter what duty required of him.
"There's a whole lot of things you can't seem to be able to figure out" the hunter said.
As dramatic as her offended expression was, there was no way it was serious. "You know, you're lucky I like you, because my sword is itching for some play."
The hunter smirked, amused. If her friend had been any shorter, she would have tapped her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're all doing well."
"Surprisingly, we did not get ourselves killed. Not yet, anyway" Kata said.
It was the hunter's turn to laugh.
"So," the qunari warrior continued, "I'm told you're not here today to catch up."
After a long heavy sigh, Elora dropped her crossed arms. "I'm afraid not. I need a favor."
Kata straightened her stance once she spotted the anxious spark glowing in her friend's eyes. What she was going to ask was nothing to joke about, thus, the qunari held her tongue and waited for Elora to continue. The hunter swallowed, then cleared her throat.
"I'm on a contract, but I don't know how it's going to turn out. So I need a plan B."
Understanding the implications of her statement, the qunari held her palm toward Elora, interrupting before her next words came out.
"Hold on. You've never failed a contract before. Aren't you exaggerating? What's the matter now?" said Kata.
The hunter furrowed her brow. "I know what I'm talking about." She paused, before clasping her hands together behind her back. "The Crimson Harlot is my plan B."
The words were not unexpected. Being the captain of a pirate ship was convenient not only for the qunari but for the people close to her as well.
"You can't really expect me to convince my crew to work for no reward."
"True. But since there is a reward, I don't think it'll be much of a problem."
Kata cocked her head, glare lit with interest.
"I'm part of an expedition to the Deep Roads," the hunter explained. "They're looking for treasure. A large fortune to make them rich." Elora diverted her eyes toward the glass displays on her right, walking closer to them. "I don't think they'll notice if a few relics go missing."
The warrior hummed, hand around her chin. "And you? You don't want to get rich?"
Elora scoffed, her mind wondering why every individual she met was obsessed with money. "I only want to get this over with. Besides, my contract doesn't interfere with the expedition's goal. It's a win-win."
Deep down, Kata knew she could not be able to deny help to Elora, however, she had to regard the request with careful thought. It was not just her life in danger, but that of her entire crew, her family. The reward was good and yet, carried great risk, as they did in most cases. Plunder never arrived without effort and risk.
"You owe me" answered Kata, sending a narrowed glance at the hunter. Elora's lips curved upward slightly. She fetched a filled envelope from her satchel, careful not to lose any of its contents.
"You'll find all the necessary details in here," Elora explained. The qunari grabbed the offered envelope, then returned her eyes to Elora, who smirked. "I'll be in Oakbrire for a week, by the way. We can still meet for catching up."
"You can count on it" Kata grinned, eyes filled with glee, as she always did upon the prospect of friendly conversation and drinks.
The hunter made for the stairs, bidding her long time friend a farewell in a hurry.
Diving once more into the orderly chaos of Oakbrire's streets, Elora headed to the second meeting of the day while her stomach churned in anxiousness. It wasn't fear, the possibilities of survival were higher than most meetings she usually went to. The real problem came from the fact she had not seen her dear friend in years. While she still remained in contact with friends like Kata by letter, Eve belonged to a different world, one she had tried to forget for decades. Now, circumstances forced her hand in a way too uncomfortable. Eve and Elora had been as close as two childhood friends can get. They unleashed mischief together in a way few other children could.
Good times indeed, the hunter thought, as she observed the palace in front of her.
Walking to the far side of the city took over two hours of sliding through irregular streets, unless you were aware of certain available shortcuts and hidden underground tunnels. Depending on your associations and reputation, certain secret passages were open to smart individuals. Some required a certain degree of stealth, agility or even a silver tongue to manipulate sentries or watchmen. Elora was familiar enough with the city to cut half of the time needed to arrive at the rich district, still on time for her appointment.
The hunter stood on the edge of a rooftop, overlooking the north side of the palace where the main gate granted access to the place. The street below enjoyed busy carriage traffic, being one of the main roads cutting through the district and leading into the main marketplace. Passersby were rarer, for the sole reason walking and running was for peasants. Nowadays, the upper classes took the carriage even for crossing the street.
Temptation nagged at the corners of her mind when she eyed the two guards standing at both sides of the gate, hands resting on their sword handles. In another time, she could have attempted to talk her way inside. From this distance, it was hard to make out the details of the coat of arms embroidered on their shoulders, but Elora would recognize the colors of their uniforms anywhere.
Eve hasn't left yet, then.
Elora was afraid her suspicions or her contacts might have been wrong. Then again, Eve had always maintained strict schedules for her day. The unexpected was a foreign concept to her. It was also the reason why the hunter decided to make her visit a surprise. It will annoy the hell out of Eve. Unfortunately, coming unannounced involved infiltrating her friend's property.
Once her initial surveillance was complete, the hunter descended from the rooftop and made her way to the eastern wall, where the garden had less sentries guarding. There were several instances where the fence screamed for climbing and made Elora unable to deny such request. Inside the garden, the hunter crouched beside a tree and watched for the guard about to finish his round through the yard. From this angle, the walls of the palace building were decorated with intricate geometric patterns, as if creating a drawing complicated to interpret. Elora frowned. With so many colors and shapes, it was difficult to identify surfaces to hand on to while scaling. Ornamentation was not practical.
When the guard turned the corner and went through the doorway, Elora sprinted toward the wall, jumping as high as possible. She reached the second floor minutes later, peeking into the closest window to get a look inside. Clear, but the window was locked closed. The hunter examined her surroundings, locating a thin ledge with enough space for her feet to slide in. The second window turned an easier challenge, for it opened without opposition.
The room was small compared to palace standards, with lavish furniture everywhere. A large bed occupied almost half of the alcove, sheets ruffled recently. Elora grinned. A door creaked open behind her and she turned before the newcomer warned the guards.
Both women exchanged surprised glances, unable to speak. The hunter was the first to gather her thoughts.
"You're still a late sleeper, I see" she said, smile growing wider at the sight of her long time friend.
Her height towered over Elora just like during childhood. She still kept her blonde hair gathered in elaborate buns. She still dressed following the latest fashion, making sure her outfit was straight and neat.
No, fifteen years had not changed her at all.
Eve stared at the hunter for endless seconds, stunned by the individual in front of her, who sounded and looked too familiar to dismiss.
"Elora?" Eve muttered, "What…? How…?"
The hunter scratched the back of her head, shame washing down her features. "I know, I'm sorry. I should have contacted you a lot sooner."
"But-" Eve interrupted herself, struggling to choose what to ask first. "We thought you were dead. We all did."
Elora's mouth turned dry. "I'm sorry." Eve continued before the hunter said anything else.
"How do I even know you're not an impostor?"
"Uh…" Elora glanced around, brain scrambling for a suitable answer. "Our families used to get together every summer. And whenever we came to Ostwick you and I would sneak out of the palace to the river to get wet and muddy. It got our mothers furious."
Eve lifted her palm to her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Maker… what happened to you?"
The embrace came too sudden for Elora to process, but her instincts reacted closing her arms around Eve. "It's a long story." She felt tears at the corners of her eyes. She pressed her eyelids together. "I'm glad to see you again."
"I am, too." Eve nodded vigorously before separating from the hunter.
"I've got so many questions."
"I may have answers. But don't you have somewhere else to be in a couple of hours?"
Eve moved her hands to her hips. "How did you know that? And by the way, couldn't you have sent word ahead instead of breaking into my house?"
"It's my job to know stuff," Elora shrugged, mouth still curved and eyes shining in joy. "Besides, your security leaves a lot to be desired."
The noblewoman waved a dismissive hand. "We're leaving soon. But don't change the subject. I want to know everything." She grabbed Elora's arm, guiding her out of the room and through a short hallway, downstairs. "Would you like some tea? Oakbrire's herb mixes have always been my favorite. I also have some sent from home. Even Nevarran. I missed those when you went missing."
"You're offering tea to an intruder?"
"No, just to my incredibly rude friend. Be glad I gave you a choice of flavor." She pushed a set of doors open, revealing a greeting room warmed by a hearth about to run out of energy. Three armchairs stood next to bookshelves filled with books of varying lengths and appearances. Larger sofas were placed around the fireplace, opposite to the bookshelves, also surrounding a low dark table. Both women chose seats around one of the corners of the table, after Eve had arranged for their refreshments to be prepared and brought to them.
"Where have you been, Elora?" Eve asked. "Why didn't you tell us you were alive?"
The hunter sighed, rubbing her eyelids to focus her thoughts. "I've been around. Traveling. I'm a bounty hunter. It's not exactly something mother would want for me."
"But even that would have been better than not knowing."
Elora lowered her gaze. "It doesn't matter now. It's done. In any case, that's why I came here" she said. Eve gave her friend a questioning look. The hunter continued explaining. "I was wondering if you could deliver something for them." She dug into her pack for the last closed envelope she possessed. The letter inside, a few days old, meant to explain those words left unsaid when she left with her older brother fifteen years ago.
"You can deliver this yourself. You have to go back home." Eve glanced at the envelope for a brief second before fixing her eyes straight on the hunter.
"No. I don't" Elora furrowed her brow, throwing an intense glare at her friend. "I have no reason to go back. I don't want to. I've built a life here. I can't afford to leave it behind."
"We're not important enough, then?" the noblewoman raised her voice, tension growing in the air. "You didn't have second thoughts when you left us?"
"I…" Elora hesitated, fearing no response would be correct, no matter how truthful. "I couldn't stay, Eve. Don't try to convince me otherwise."
She wanted to, Elora knew as much. In fact, she had tried to a lifetime ago, without success. The hunter took her friend's hand
"Please. The letter" Elora said, pressing the envelope into Eve's exposed palm. "You're the only one I can trust with this."
Eve's expression softened. "Okay. I can do that. But you have to go back eventually. There's a reason you're needed at home."
The hunter's shoulders slumped. "Eve…" The woman raised a hand to stop her.
"Just hear me out. There's something you need to know."
A soft knock interrupted them, then the door slid open. Tea. A welcome comfort. Drinks settled and women alone once more, they continued their conversation. Elora blew away the smoke rising from the tea before sipping it while Eve cradled the cup in her hands.
"Your brother, Cedd. He died three years ago. Illness took him."
Elora's heart stopped beating for a brief instant. Cedd was the oldest of three siblings, including herself. He was the rightful heir of their family's fortune, he was supposed to lead their father's legacy into the future. When Elora and Theo left, Cedd refused to follow them out of duty. Her memories of their farewell blurred over time, but she recalled his pained expression and the warmth of his last embrace as he wished them the best of luck. The hunter wished to believe it had been the right thing. Most of the time, she failed.
Staring at the floor, the implications of Cedd's death dawned on her.
"So… that means…" she started, leaning forward and resting her elbows in her knees. Leaving her cup on the table, Eve placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Theo is the next in line" Eve said, completing Elora's words.
"Oh… Maker…" The hunter, unable to suppress the anguish in her heart, burst into tears. Not only because Cedd was gone, but because Theo could not take the mantle, either.
She was the next in line. It was the last burden she yearned to carry.
"I'm so sorry, Elora" Eve said, moving to comfort the hunter. Delivering such dreadful news repulsed her. However, she owed as much to Elora. She had to know.
For now, though, Eve was going to be there for Elora. She was in no hurry to fulfill today's schedule.
Author's Note: For some reason, I feel quite uncomfortable for releasing this chapter. It might be because this is the first time I've shown someone my attempt at a "slightly emotional scene". Am I trying too hard?
Anyway, here's another update. I've worked non-stop at this story for the last couple of days and it's been productive (I've got a full story outline set up that'll help me write faster). See, I managed to update this time before a year passed! I am hoping to step up my writing speed at least for this year. We'll see how it goes. Feel free to send any PMs to tell me to hurry up. You can also do it through twitter if you check my profile page.
As for the future of Lyrium Greed, I can confirm this story will have around 70 chapters divided into three parts. Will it take me 70 years to complete? I sure as hell hope not XD. Seriously, though, I want to have it finished by 2020, sooner if possible. I want to get serious with my writing routine.
Thank you everyone for reading, and specially those of you who left reviews. It honestly brightens my day! It's incredible to see people reading me. You are awesome, guys!
Farewell!