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Chapter 12 - Birds of a Feather
"We should be able to reach the castle by nightfall, my Lord." Marcus murmured as they looked down from the crest of the bleak pass that led from Pherae north to Santaruz. "It's not a very big canton."
"Good news." Eliwood nodded. "Lets hope there are no more interruptions." He grinned, glancing at Rei. They'd been attacked several times crossing the low mountain range, and as often as not Rei had been the one to spot the ambush in time for it to be a battle rather than a slaughter.
"How powerful is Lord Helman? Militarily speaking, I mean." She asked, looking down at the terrain below. "Are bandits much of a problem?"
"Militarily, he's the second weakest of the Lycian member states after Badon. However, bandits are rarely an issue for some reason." Marcus was the one to respond.
"That's interesting... I wonder why." Rei mumbled. "Ah well, it's a mystery for another day. We should get going." With that, she walked her horse onwards down the rough-hewn road. At Eliwood's signal, the rest of the company followed.
They were at the bottom of the pass when it happened. Several large, axe and sword-wielding men stepped out of the rocks and blocked their way.
"Damn. Didn't expect there to be so many of you..." Their apparent leader, a fat axe-user commented. "Shame you all gotta die. Hm. How about this. Give me the demon girl and you can all go free back to your castle." He grinned. "How does that sound?"
"Demon girl? I assure you, there are no demons in my group, sir. You are mistaken. If there is one who has wronged you, by all means take your revenge, but we are simply travelling north." Eliwood answered, ever the peacemaker.
"Are you blind, man, or do you think we are? She sits right there!" He brandished his axe at Rei and Rebecca, who had been riding side by side. "Quickly, hand her over before whatever she's plotting with her familiar there dooms us all."
"Hey! Who are you calling a familiar?" Rebecca asked, hotly. "I'm an upstanding citizen of Pherae! I can assure you, I would not get 'familiar' with her!" The fourteen year old paused, then after a moment turned to Rei. "No offence meant to you, of course."
"None taken, but he meant you were a magically bonded servant." Rei chuckled to hide the gut-wrenching sensation at the girls' angry rejection. It wasn't that she actually felt that way towards her so much as the way it reminded her of the reactions at home.
"Oh..." Rebecca paused. "Well, I'm not one of those either!" She growled, looking at the axe man.
"No deal." Eliwood responded, calmly. "Now step aside before we're forced to do something I'll regret."
"Pah. Fine. Have at them, boys, but make sure you bring the demon to me!" The leader growled, and a moment later all ten bandits moved to the attack.
"OMIGOSH REI!" The Kanhi girls' worst fears were true. After they'd fought through the first group, a second wave had been waiting for them around a bend in the road. They would have taken heavy losses at the least if no for the timely arrival of allies in the form of Eliwood's friend from Ositia, Hector, and his companions. She'd thought she'd seen a flash of pink hair in the trees behind them, but hadn't been certain. Now that they were cleaning up, the pink-haired demoness and her blond-brunette guard had come out of the shadows and made themselves known as only Serra could.
Following the loud exclamation, Rei found that it was all she could do to stay on her feet as a hundred and thirty pounds worth of Elimine cleric, plus equipment, barrelled into her in what could only be described as a flying glomp. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Serra squealed, hugging her with rib-cracking force.
If the lack of air wasn't enough to stop her protesting, the shock was. The last time she'd had a hug was when Sara had returned to Caelin two months previously. Before that, her first ever hug since she could remember had been the near-incident with Lyn the year before, if that had even counted.
"Serra, let her breathe." A familiar voice chuckled, gently prising the cleric away. "I guess my secret is out, huh?" Matthew shrugged.
"I always did suspect, Matthew. It's good to see you again." She bowed to the thief, who returned the gesture with skill that would put many diplomats to shame.
"Did you miss me? No, I know you did! How come you're with lord Eliwood? Are you and he?" Serra babbled on rapidly. "Oh, I bet you are! Naughty Rei, he's at least two years younger than you!"
"Serra!" Matthew scolded.
"No, I am most certainly not, Cleric Serra." Rei told her sternly. "Put such silly thoughts out of your head. He has hired me as a tactician. The sort of behaviour you are describing is certainly not fitting of a lady of Kanhi." She hoped that the last part would reinforce the message, given the cleric's prior penchant for all things Islander. Before she'd encountered Rei, the tactician knew, she'd believed herself to be the child of Etrurian nobles as a suitably foreign country to explain her features.
"Oh. I'm sorry for saying it then." Serra babbled on in exactly the same tone, before executing a very clumsy bow.
"Have you been practicing that?" Rei blinked at her. Serra hadn't seemed the type to bow to anyone, with the (only possible) exception of the Saint.
"Yes. When Lord Hector releases me, I want to go north and find my family!" The cleric giggled behind her hand as though suggesting something silly. "So I want to be as good as I can so they're not disappointed."
"Aah.." Even to herself, Rei sounded impressed. "That's an admirable goal, but I don't think you'd like it there. Do you know why we bow?"
"Umm... no?" Serra asked, confused. "Is that important?"
"I'm curious too." Marcus said, coming up behind Rei. "This is sir Oswin, by the way, of the Ositian foot knights." He gestured to his companion, a heavily built man with short, brown hair and sideburns wearing orange plate armour. The design was different to that of the other foot knight Rei had known, General Wallace, but his armour had been specially made for him to designs built to incorporate some of the innovations that allowed it to be worn while riding that he'd picked up while visiting Ilia and Kanhi in his youth.
"Please to meet you, miss Rei." Oswin bowed in the Lycian style, with one hand in front of his stomach as though to hold his breastplate on.
"The honour is mine, sir Oswin." She bowed back, acknowledging the common address. She was technically a mercenary, meaning that it was more correct than the way most of the company called her Lady. "We bow as a gesture of submission, acknowledging the others' rank and position by offering them the backs of our necks to their swords. The deeper you bow, the lower you are claiming your own status in comparison to theirs."
"Oh, my." Serra mumbled, looking shocked. "I hadn't thought of it that way. So when you bow you're asking them to kill you?!" She sounded slightly alarmed.
"No, I'm acknowledging their right to kill me. There is a difference." Rei told her, and she nodded, still not quite understanding.
"That is very interesting." Oswin remarked. "Your people sound very warlike. I would enjoy speaking with you at length about them, however, for the moment Lord Hector wishes to meet with you."
"Very well." Rei replied, nodding. "master Matthew, cleric Serra, sir Marcus, I will speak with you later." She told the others, privately hoping that in Serra's case, it would be much later.
Following Oswin across the recently cleared road, she took the chance to look around at the scenery. Yes, she'd seen it during the battle, but that had been in a vague kind of way that only took its tactical significance into consideration. At rest now, she realised that the dense woodland was somewhat foreboding. Perhaps that was the secret to Santaruz' lack of bandit problems - the forest was too creepy for the usually highly superstitious thieves and robbers who would attack a village or caravan.
"Lady Rei." Eliwood greeted her. "This is my friend, Hector. He's the Marquis' younger brother." Hector of Ositia was a massive youth, built just as strongly as his retainer Oswin. With time, he might even grow to rival General Wallace in size and bulk.
"An honour to meet you, my Lord." Rei bowed to him, and he grinned back.
"Don't worry about all that bowing and curtseying stuff with me. And just call me Hector. Matthew knows how much it bugs me when people call me by my brother." He chuckled, and Rei couldn't help but like him.
"It wouldn't be proper, lord Hector." She said, still bowed. Oswin noticed that it did indeed expose the back of her neck as her short hair slipped forward past her neck to reveal a pale strip of skin above the collar of her cloak.
"Gah. Look what you've done now, Eliwood." Hector grumbled good-naturedly before reaching out one massive paw to gently tug Rei upright. "Look, girl, I'm not likely to inherit. My brother is the Marquis, but he has a wife. I'm sure his children will be along soon. So..." He trailed off when he saw her face, before grimacing. "Oh dear. You're one of them. Please tell me you're not going to try and crush the life out of me or talk my ear off any time in the near future?"
"Er..." She blinked, not comprehending. "I beg your pardon?"
"I'm fairly certain that Serra is the odd one among her people, lord Hector." Oswin chuckled, and Rei understood.
"No, lord Hector. I won't. Most of my people are very quiet in the presence of our betters." She said diplomatically. In all likelihood, most Kanhi wouldn't consider Eliwood and his company 'betters'.
"Well, don't hesitate to speak up for us. And aren't you of noble birth yourself?" Eliwood asked, frowning slightly.
"Well, yes, Lord Eliwood, but I'm also your servant." She explained.
"Gah. You're worse than Oswin!" Hector growled.
"Thank you, sir!" The knight chuckled.
"Quiet, you." The blue-haired lord scowled. "It wasn't meant to be a good thing."
"Actually, my Lord, I'm flattered." Rei giggled into her hand. "But shouldn't we be moving on now? Will you be travelling with us, Lord Hector?"
"Of course I will! Why do you think I came all the way out here?" Hector grinned.
"I shall let sir Marcus know, my Lord." She bowed to Hector, then turned to Eliwood. "With the battle and time lost cleaning up, it seems unlikely that we will still reach the Castle while there is light. It is my advice that we make camp somewhere or find other accommodation and press on in the morning."
"I agree. Tell Marcus that we'll divert to Ellet for the night, please." Eliwood smiled at her.
"Oswin, go with her, you'll need to tell them what supplies we brought with us..." Hector told the foot knight, who nodded.
"By all means, Lord Hector." Oswin saluted, earning another scowl from his liege, and together he and Rei walked back towards Marcus and the others.
Later that night, Matthew was only slightly surprised to hear a gentle knock on the door to his room at the inn in Ellet, one of the small villages in southern Kathelet.
"Yes?" He asked, and the door opened slowly. He was lying on his back, his red cloak hanging over the back of a chair, but when he saw who had come to see him he sat up. "Lady Rei. Is something wrong?"
"No. No... as you were... I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me how things are..." Rei shrugged out of her cloak and hung it next to the door, moving to sit on the chair. "Especially in Caelin, but in the north as well if you know anything."
"Mmh. Well, I know quite a lot... on a professional level. I can't tell you any secrets, of course." The some-time thief told her. "Why don't you ask questions and I'll tell you what I can?"
"Alright... what's the situation in Caelin? How is Lord Hausen and his house?" She asked, thinking of Lyn.
"They are well. Interestingly enough, since lady Eagler returned from her travels with you, she's spent much time at the castle with Lord Hausen. He's recovered well, and he's almost as healthy as he was before Lundgren's poisons. There are a few nasty rumours going around about Lyn's relationship with both her grandfather and lady Eagler, but mostly its the meaningless twittering of other nobles."
"What kind of... rumours?" Rei asked, frowning.
"Mmh, I've heard a few variations on the theme. No backbone to any of them though. Some of the other nobles' daughters still think Lyn's an impostor, or just there for the inheritance, other people seem to think that lady Eagler is a ruthless gold-digger trying to corrupt lord Hausen for the same." He waited for her disbelieving chuckle to die down before finishing. "See? Total drivel. It'll settle down soon enough."
"Okay... how about my homeland. Is there any news from Kanhi?"
"None that you'll be happy to hear, or that has any direct relevance. Things are pretty quiet, as usual."
"Wait, what do you mean that I wouldn't be happy to hear it?" Rei asked, leaning forwards. Matthew sat up again, looking solemn.
"Very bad news. It seems that House Nadeshiko really is missing more than just your betrothed. It's entirely possible that Serra really is related to them." He told her, glumly.
"Oh dear. She could get intolerable if she heard that." Rei grimaced. "Thank you for telling me, though. It would probably serve them right for me to unleash that cleric on them."
"Oh, don't be bitter." Matthew told her, chuckling. "I'm sure they can't all be that bad."
"Pretty much. Well, no, that's not true. There are a couple of them I got on alright with, but most of the family reckon those two are a disgrace anyway." Rei sighed at the memory. "Maybe once this is over I'll go rescue them, saying I need help."
"You do that." Matthew grinned. "For now, though... what's going on with the Black Fang? Those men who attacked you had the tattoo."
"Damn..." Rei muttered. "They're still after me. I still have no idea why." She shrugged. "A couple more cryptic comments about a Seer and the Lord, but..."
"It's worrying me, personally. That suggests that someone has big enough plans that they're worried enough to call in a Seer to scry the future, and if you're a problem to those plans, that could explain why they're out to get you. That they have the resources to call the Fang in to try and take you out is even more worrying. Until recently, the Fang only ever attacked corrupt lords and the like. Justice for the people and all that. More recently, though, they're just attacking people who have high enough prices on them or raise a fuss."
"Blast. Maybe I should leave the group... Eliwood's mission is too important to waste because of my problems." Rei mused.
"I don't think he'd let you go, to be honest. I haven't worked with him much, but from the young master's words, he's loyal to a fault. Besides that, I have a gut feeling that this all links up together somehow." The spy paused, thoughtfully. "The attacks on you, the sudden action on Lundgren's part last year, Lord Elbert's disappearance, Bern's war preparations, the Fang changing its' style so much... I'd heard that the Mage General was looking for mercenaries to launch an expedition to the Dread Isle, even, and that's unheard of."
"Too many things happening at once... well, I hope your gut is wrong, Matthew, really do."
"So, lady Rei, do I. So do I."