Sicilia sat next to Markl as they talked about different things. He knew a lot more about the Qun than she, which made for interesting conversation. Markl also asked her why she hadn't converted.
She sighed heavily, "Because I am a coward." While telling Gwen that 'if she was meant to go then she would end up there eventually' was pretty much true, Sicilia had other reasons, too. "I fear that I'll be just another female. There's so much that I'm passionate about and I don't want to lose all that."
"I haven't known you for that long, but I can tell that you don't have to be just another female. You could be a Tamassran, Gena, or even, in my personal opinion, an Ashkaari."
"Thanks, but no matter how many times I go over it in my head, I always come back to that fear." Her eyes reflected the orange orb ahead of her. "It should be time for Haiden to get here."
"You're right," Haiden said peeking over her shoulder, startling her once more. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," he laughed.
"Anything happen?" Markl was awaiting all the news.
"There's a back entrance. I didn't see anything going on except once. Someone brought a huge sack of coin to the door. Nothing was said, but I'm telling you this sack was full." He held up his hands to show an approximate size. "If that book is so important, it would be worth a lot. If they had it, they may have sold it."
"That's possible, but we still need to go in there and find out. That makes two people we've seen actually go inside this place, but who knows how many others there are." Sicilia bit her bottom lip, deep in thought. "Either one of you have a strategy in mind?"
Haiden's mouth curved into a sly smirk.
Their planned invasion was for the next night. Haiden and Sicilia were stationed on the roof of the warehouse while Markl was at ground level, his back against the building, just around the corner from the front entrance. Haiden peered at him from the roof. Sicilia stayed close to the roof entrance.
They both nodded as the door opened. The guard stepped out, glaring down the alleyway; he walked slowly towards the street and towards Markl. Haiden signaled Markl by putting his hand out and making a fist when the guard was close. Markl stepped out in front of the guard and, with his armored hand, grabbed the man's chin; the other hand reached around behind his head and snapped his neck. Markl's strength allowed for a clean break; the guard's limp form crumbled at his feet.
Haiden pulled one of the small sacks from the pack Sicilia had brought. It fit into the palm of his hand and had a length of cotton fuse coming from one end. He waited until Markl pulled the man's body to the wall opposite of the door. Markl knocked on the door and returned to the corner.
Sicilia could only hear the door open and a man's voice yelling back inside. A low roar could be heard arriving at the scene. Haiden used his magic to light the fuze and dropped it down to Markl. Sicilia's heart began to race as she counted the seconds. Throw it, Markl. Now! She screamed in her head awaiting the blast. He did throw it…at the very last second. Haiden took cover as some pieces were tossed onto the roof. Sicilia could hear more voices directly below. She motioned quickly to Haiden who tossed her one of the lit sacks. She waited for the right moment to wrench open the trapdoor and tossed it to the side where she could see the stairs.
Dropping the door, she ran and slid into place near Haiden, who had lit another and was dropping it to Markl. Once the explosion fizzled, she glanced over the side of the building and saw Markl taking down a last guard. The sword, clenched in his left hand, was nearly as tall as she and he wielded it was as though it weighed nothing. He used his clawed armor as a secondary weapon, slashing at his opponents.
Sicilia covered her nose at the smell of burnt flesh and blood. She'd killed plenty men, but that smell had always gotten to her. The three stood quietly for a moment. It's quiet. Haiden nodded down to Markl who made his way through the bodies to the door. Haiden and Sicilia climbed from the roof and made their way to the back entrance. There shouldn't be too many more, she told herself.
The building was silent. Only sounds of falling debris could be heard. A few injured guards were left standing for them to fight through. Markl met them at the bottom of the stairs. The air was thick with smoke; a fire had appeared near the front entrance. A snapping caught their attention in an adjacent room. A beam holding the floor above fell and a yell caught their ears.
Running to the site, Sicilia readied her daggers. A man lay on the floor just out of reach of the beams fall. Kneeling next to his body, she lifted the blade to his chin. His eyes flickered open and a look of fright spread across his face. "Tell me who you are," she said sliding the blade down his neck.
"Wh-what do you want?" he stuttered.
"Where is the book?" Sicilia smiled as the man's eyes grew wide.
"I-it's gone. I s-swear." A bead of sweat ran the length of his face.
"And the pirate woman? Where is she?"
"S-she brought it to us, but w-we s-sold it. She l-left; I don't know w-where she is!"
"Sold it to who?"
"S-some man by the name of T-torren, I th-think. H-he s-said something about th-the Tevinter I-imperium. He wasn't from there though; his a-accent was local."
"Where can I find him?"
"I-I don't know!" She removed her blade. This man was far too compliant to be of any importance. He let out a held breath before passing out.
"Let's get out of here," she said looking for the back door.
"Well, what do we do now?" she said, her hopes dashed. They had returned to Markl's quiet home on the East side. "I guess the only thing to do is to find this Torren."
"Give me a couple days to talk to my contacts. In the mean time, we can all keep an ear out for any rumors. Anything involving Tevinter should be a big clue. Haiden, do you think any of your contacts would know anything?" Markl's voice was assertive, but calming.
"Most of my contacts have dealings with Orlais and sometimes Antiva, but there's no hurt in asking."
"One thing is for certain. If Tevinter want this book, then it has to be the tome. Whatever happens, we cannot let them get it," Markl said. His tone laced with grave concern.
"Why would the Imperium want it?" she asked. Her concern began to mirror that of her companions.
"The Qun has been at war with the Imperium for centuries," he said watching her nod in understanding. Anyone who didn't know about the never-ending war probably lived under a rock. "If the Imperium were to get the tome, they would have a leg up. It would be hard for the Qun not to do anything to get it back, which could be disastrous for the Qun."
"Considering the circumstances, do you think that I should tell the Arishok?"
Markl thought for a moment. Hesitating, he said, "It would be wise. Usually, I would say no until we found another lead, but I think, with Tevinter involved, he should know. Also, the woman they were looking for isn't a part of this anymore. You should probably tell him in the morning."
She nodded and thought about how he would take the new development. "I know I pissed him off last time so I have no idea how he'll react to this."
"I would go with you, but they would probably attack me on sight," Markl said with a sadness showing in his eyes. "Haiden, do you think you could go with her? It would be better if she had backup just in case."
"Sure." Haiden and Sicilia made arrangements to meet in the morning.
That night, once she returned to her room at the inn, Gwen was already asleep. Sicilia found it a trying task to fall asleep herself. Every time her eyes closed, she saw the molten form of the rage demon that was predicted for her. Knowing she would be sleep deprived, she thought about ways to break the news to the Arishok. It was a daunting task indeed. As fatigue washed over her, she finally passed out without the demon hounding her.
Morning had come and a knock at the door stirred her enough to pull her from sleep. She looked at the opposite bed. Gwen must've already gone to work. She arose to open the door. And so it begins.
A/N:
Tamassran - Female priests who's purpose is to educate the young.
Gena - craftsmen.
Ashkaari - "One who seeks." Scientists, philosophers, seekers of knowledge.
Thanks to my Beta, Kira Tamarion, for her help with the battle scenario among all of her grammar genius!
Reviews are appreciated!