Author's Note:
Things are ramping up, so we'll see what happens! I admit I'm trying to stretch the time frames to make them more realistic, so there may be more filler than usual. We'll be getting back to Emma in a few chapters, and maybe a perspective from a whole new character!
-Tangent
Gavin, Iya, and Jack hurried through the city, hood pulled up to cover their features. The soldiers had spread out across the city, and it had turned out that they had far more troops than originally thought. Instead of the forty or fifty men, there was around one hundred warriors scouring the city.
"Those men from the alley must have reported me. I suppose I wasn't exactly subtle." Iya said with a sigh. "We'd better hurry up and get back to the inn." As they rounded a corner, they saw three soldiers up ahead, and they ducked behind a fence to stay out of sight.
"The Snow Queen is tired of you, apparently." Jack hissed. "We've got to get past them somehow." And before the others could stop him, he rose from the fence and moved down the alleyway, approaching the soldiers.
"What the-" Gavin said, moving out, but Iya grabbed his arm.
"They don't know him. He'll be safe, probably." They watched as Jack approached the warriors, waving his arms.
"Sir, sir! I think I know where one of those people are. I saw an elf running through the alleys that way!" He pointed to the south, away from the hiding place.
"You did? Thanks, kid!" The sergeant said, and the patrol raced away. Gavin and Iya waited a few seconds, then moved forward to meet up with Jack.
"See? Easy as pie." Gavin grinned.
"Fine, I'll give you that." As they approached the inn, Iya saw Ean and Gavin standing outside, holding two large packages.
"You're safe!" Ean said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "I thought-"
"I'm alright." She said, returning the gesture reassuringly. "Come on, we should get out of the city for now." The sun was beginning to set, but it was better to be in the desert than hiding from the soldiers.
"Why don't the people do something?" Rye asked, but Gavin spoke:
"The sultan is lazy, apparently. And his soldiers do practically nothing to help." His lip was curled in distaste.
"We can discuss that later." Ean said. "Let's go!"
When they arrived at the pirate cove under the cover of night, they found Ava and her crew sitting around the campfire. She looked up as they approached, surprised.
"Back so soon? You could have waited until morning."
"The soldiers are back early." Ean said, explaining the situation. Several of the pirates cursed, and Ava frowned.
"I should have suspected word would get to them. People in Seri aren't always… honest. It's one of the reasons I fit in, but maybe it's time to change that."
"Can we move up the plan?" Rye asked from where the fire illuminated his face. Ean nodded.
"I think we do it tomorrow tonight." This statement caused a variety of reactions, but mostly disbelief. "No, I think we can do it. We've got everybody we need, and the soldiers aren't going to hang around forever."
"He's got a point." Gavin put in. "The people are already angry at being invading, so turning against the soldiers now might push them over the edge to join in. It would make things much easier." Ava looked to be deep in thought.
"I don't know…" Ean stepped up to her.
"Uthar trusts us. The question is, do you?" The purple-haired woman looked up at him.
"I don't do trust very easily." And then she smirked. "But we are out of options, so… I'm in." Ean smiled.
"Thank you."
"But if things go south, how are we going to control the mob?" Ean's smile became slightly more wolfish.
"I've got something up my sleeve." Ava looked at him curiously, but he didn't want to tell her about the spirits just yet.
"Okay, then. We'll get to work on the sails while Blast mixes up those chemicals. And that's excluding everything else we have to fix on the ship too."
"How long until you could sail?" Iya asked, and Ava considered the question.
"About two to three weeks. We can't rush it, especially if we're going across the ocean. But don't worry, my men know their stuff."
"Just leave the anchor up to me." Jack chimed in, and Ava favored him with a smile.
"You and I seem to be cut from the same cloth, kid." Jack's smile faltered, but he composed himself before anybody noticed. After all, it would not do to let the others see his wavering confidence.
Day vanished quickly, replaced with the cloudiness of night. In a dark alley not far from the docks where the soldiers were moored, Jack, Ava, and the others crouched in the shadows. The whole party was heavily armed, including Ava who now sported dark clothes and a scaled shield. Jack had dressed in his usual clothes, but he carried his dagger on his hip.
"Okay, it's getting close to midnight." Ean whispered. "Ready to go?" Jack nodded, too nervous to speak. Ean seemed to sense his hesitance and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You've got this, Jack. Ava will protect you, and we'll come charging in if we hear trouble."
"What if they catch you?" Jack whispered.
"They won't." Ean said grimly. "I'll burn that ship of theirs to the ground first." From the corner of the alley, Iya nodded and Rye gave Jack a subtle thumbs up. Ava emerged from the darkness.
"Time to move, kid."
"Good luck." Ean whispered, and Jack stole off through the darkness without another word.
Getting onto the docks without being seen was easy enough. The clouds and various boathouses provided cover enough to shield the duo from the eyes of the guards. Ahead, the large ship loomed out of the darkness. It was nearly three times as big as Ava's ship, and longer as well. The windows were dark, and Jack could see a few lanterns near the mast.
"I count four guards." Ava whispered. "Two front, two back."
"I saw." Jack murmured, stealing closer. The gangplank had been retracted, so he had to find an alternative way onto the ship. Realizing this, Ava had brought a rope to climb up onto the ship. He pointed to a section near the back of the ship, a place hopefully out of reach of the guards.
"We'll climb up there." Ava nodded and they snuck down the dock, staying in the shadow of the large ship. For all it's security, it had one large flaw: The guards could not see directly below the ship without peering over the edge. After all, why would they need to?
Looks like I'll show them why. The pirate and the thief lowered themselves into the water, which was cold, but not numbingly so. Ava took the lead, swimming silently to the side of the ship, where she unhooked her rope. Jack peered upwards, tracking the candles carried by the guards.
"Okay, they've gone back. You've got twenty seconds." With a sudden, near-silent movement, Ava hauled herself out of the water and latched onto the side of the ship. Twirling the rope in one hand, she tossed it upwards to land it on one of the deck railing, where it stuck securely. Giving it a tug, she lowered herself stealthily back into the water. The candle approached, closer and closer…
Nothing. "I think we're good." Ava hissed. "Ready?" Jack nodded, and the pirate began to climb the rope. She had done it many times before, although never from the water. Still, she moved more quickly than Jack had expected. He was, of course, proficient at climbing himself. It was one of the reasons his services had been so sought after.
Focusing on the task at hand, he saw Ava waiting at the top, ready to spring into action. The guards were out of sight, and Jack gestured for her to go. With a surge of motion, she swung over the railing and onto the wooden planks of the ship, ducking into the shadows. Jack followed suit, and they peeked around the corner to see the two guards standing with their backs to them.
"I'll take them, but the other guards might notice. Be ready." Ava mouthed, and she slipped out from the wall they leaned against.
The two guards never stood a chance. With a single, brutal strike Ava knocked one of them unconscious and clapped her hand over the other's mouth, dragging him back to Jack. After a few seconds, the man's eyes rolled up and he went still.
"Hey!" The cry echoed through the night. The purple-haired pirate whirled around to see the other guards approaching, swords drawn.
"Not good." She muttered, lunging forward. Seizing their hauberks, she slammed both of them into the wood with a single motion with a dull thud. With a groan, they lay still. Jack stepped forward, listening for the sound of any guards approaching from below. When he heard nothing, he sighed with relief.
"Too close." He said with a sigh. 'I'll get the lock." Moving over to the cabin door, he pulled his lockpick out and began jiggling it in the lock. It took only a few seconds before he turned the handle quietly, and the pair slipped into the confines of the ship.
As it turned out, finding the anchors was easy enough. The hold was full of them, some almost bigger than Jack. Ava perused them quietly, looking around.
"No… No… No… Ah, here we go." She gestured to a hole in the floor containing a chain wrapped around a pole. "This is theirs. Give me just a minute." She pulled a blade from her pouch and began sawing at the chain. Since the anchor was quite heavy, they had decided to cut the chain and leave it at the bottom of the ocean until they could retrieve it. According to the pirates, the sea at the docks was quite shallow, and thus could be dived into.
As Ava sawed, Jack heard a sound that made his heart stop. A door behind them creaked open, and a man emerged into view, blinking drowsily. Without thinking, Jack hurled himself at the man, slamming into him and knocking him to the floor.
"What the-" The man said, but that was all he could get out before Jack rammed the hilt of his knife into his head and he passed out.
"Close one." Ava muttered. "Good save."
"Thanks." Jack muttered back. "We almost done?"
"Just got it." Ava said, and the chain snapped with a louder sound than they had anticipated.
"Crap. We'd better get out of here." The pirate said, and they bolted for the stairs as quietly as they could. Once on the deck, Ava sent Jack down the rope while she loosened it. When he was back on the dock, she slid down the side and pulled the rope free leaving no trace of their presence. Without a backwards glance, the two disappeared into the shadows once more, leaving behind a snapped chain and five unconscious men.
Several hours later, the sun began to rise over the desert city, and with it came the shouts and cries of the soldiers. The guards had been discovered, and the anchor found to be missing. Within minutes, the marketplace and the docks were in an uproar, with soldiers bursting into shops and homes to interrogate people. From the inn, Ean and the others waited silently, knowing that they could not act just yet.
"They're really mad." Gavin murmured, looking out the window. "How long till they get here?"
"Not sure." Ean said, `But they'll soon realize that they won't get anywhere looking like that. They'll have to-" The door slammed open, and Rye ran into the room, eyes wide.
"It's an execution! They're killing civilians in the market who look like you and Iya!" Before he finished, the others were already moving to the door, seizing their weapons.
"Then we'll end it first." Ean replied coldly.
The commander looked down at the girl kneeling at hi
s feet, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her slightly blue hair fell to her shoulders, doing little to cover her ripped and torn clothes. With a rasp of steel, he drew his sword and raised it in the air.
"Listen! This is what happens when you disobey your queen!" Nearby, the young woman's husband reached out for her.
"Please! Don't!" He begged, but one of the soldiers kicked him aside roughly.
"You're next, scum!" The sword flashed in the sun as it reached its peak, and the commander smiled mercilessly. Now these fools would finally learn their lesson, and treat him with respect.
"You cowards!" Somebody bellowed from the crowd, and the whole mass of people joined in, screaming insults and jeering at the Shaenlir soldiers. The commander's eyes went wide with rage.
"Shut up!" He bellowed. "Die, scum!" The sword swung downward, straight for the woman's neck. She screamed, a long, high-pitched noise.
"Stop!" A voice bellowed, drowning out everybody in an instant. The sword halted its movement, a foot from the lady's neck. Turning, the commander saw a group of people stepping forwards. There were six of them, and all of them were armed. In the center of the group, a man stepped forward wearing green clothes that matched his waving brown hair. His hands were coated in a strange metal, and he was glaring at the soldiers. Next to him, a woman with long, flowing blue hair held a staff in front of her with an angry expression.
"Who are you?" The soldier spat, turning to face them. And then he saw them: the pointed ears. The ears that his queen had demanded he scour the entire land to find, and they were standing right in front of him. "You!"
"You want the real traitors?" The elf demanded. "Well, here we are!" Behind him, the others raised their weapons in preparation of fighting, but the elf raised a hand. "Stand down, all of you." He took a step forward, his eyes boring into the commander.
"You brat! I'll-" The commander raised his weapon, but the elf spoke, his voice much louder than a normal human.
"I am Ean Okho, a foreigner in these lands. I came here from a distant place to rescue my friend who was taken by the very person you serve, the Snow Queen." The crowd murmured quietly, shocked. "And now I come here to find her soldiers pillaging and attacking the people of this city!" Several people cried out in anger, but the elf wasn't finished. "I'm not going to let that happen, here or anywhere!"
"Quiet, you-"
"We are going to fight back against the Snow Queen!" The elf shouted over the commander. "We will invade her city and defeat her so that she will never enslave the Land of Man! From this day on, we declare war against the Queen of Shaenlir, and we will not rest until we have toppled her from her throne!" And now the crowd fell silent, sensing the climax that was approaching. With shaking hands, the commander of the soldiers raised his sword.
"Y-You think you scare me, kid? She'll kill all of you! Every last person in this city will die because of you!" He leveled his sword at the elf, who did not move an inch. "The Snow Queen is more powerful than all of you!"
"You are mistaken." The elven woman spoke now as she stepped forward to stand next to her companion. "Your queen is nothing but a coward, hiding behind her shield. She fears my magic because she knows that I am more than her equal." With a flick of her wrist, she summoned an orb of pure green magic above her hand. Multiple gasps came from the crowd nearby. Behind the commander, several of his men stepped backwards, their blades falling to the ground.
"Commander…"
"Stand your ground!" The man spat at them. "These people are nothing!" He raised his sword higher, preparing to attack. Still, the elves did not move.
"People of Seri!" The brown-haired elf called. "Are you willing to fight?" Someone in the crowd shouted assent, and the rest joined in, cheering and clapping.
"Take them down!"
"Get those soldiers out of here!"
"Be quiet!" the commander bellowed, but nobody listened. Stepping forward yet again, the elf unsheathed the weapons on his arms, the claws gleaming in the sunlight.
"I'll give you a chance to surrender, soldiers. Drop your swords on the ground and put your hands in the air. Otherwise…" He gestured to the group of people behind him. "We'll give you a reason to be afraid of our power."
"Never!" The captain bellowed, and he slashed downwards at the elf. In a blinding movement, the elf shattered his sword with one strike of his claws. The blades flashed again, and the man felt a staggering impact across his chest.
"You'll…never win, elf…" He croaked, falling to the pavement with a thump. And all was still.
Ean looked up from the commander's body at the other soldiers. It was over. Next to the captain, the bodies of the other soldiers who had resisted lay motionless upon the ground. Turning, he saw the citizens of Seri still cheering and clapping for their heroes, and a tired smile crossed his face.
"Well done, all of you." He said as he stepped down to the party. Gavin and Iya still had their staffs aimed at the remaining soldiers, lightning and fire flickering in their hands. The cowed soldiers slumped on the ground, weaponless and beaten.
"That was quite the speech." Rye commented. Ava seemed satisfied as well, and Jack had a grin on his face.
"Did you mean it? Are we really going to war?" He seemed remarkably unfazed by the thought of fighting the most powerful person in the world.
"Yes." Ean said. "I wanted to give the people a reason to unite. Now we can really begin our rebellion." A sudden clashing of steel echoed through the air, and a number of armed guards burst through the market onto the square.
"Don't move!" A man in the middle called. "Who are you, and what's going on here? Answer me, or we will kill all of you!" Ean raised his hands in an attempt to show their peacefulness.
"As you can see, sir, we've dealt with the soldiers from Shaenlir. If you will, go ahead and lock them up."
"Don't tell me what to do, kid." The captain barked. "The sultan wants to know who you are."
"Oh, come on." Ava interjected, taking a step forward. "Captain Jared knows full well who I am." The man's eyes moved to her, and they widened.
"Ava? What are you doing in the city, One-Eye?"
"Well, I saw that you weren't doing anything to help out your people, so I requested some friends from Thais who weren't completely useless." Her voice rang across the empty space, and some people in the crowd cheered. After a moment, Jared lowered his sword.
"Stand down, men. Arrest those prisoners and bring them to the cells." He walked across the marketplace to meet Ean, who held out a hand.
"I'm Ean Okho."
"I heard." Jared said. "But why show up here?"
"We need a ship." Ean said quietly. "Ava's agreed to let use hers in exchange for driving these soldiers away from Seri." Jared sighed with relief.
"One-Eye might be a pirate, but she's got a good heart." His expression became pained. "The sultan refused to let me kick them out myself. That stubborn, arrogant…" He trailed off, and Ean clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"I've heard many things about the sultan. Besides, he won't punish you for restoring order, will he?" The elf said with a grin. "After all, we're the one who actually did the fighting?" Jared smiled back at him.
"You might be right at that." He turned to watch as the Shaenlir prisoners were hauled away through the crowd, accompanied by boos and jeers. "We'll get everything fixed up and get rid of that eyesore." He pointed to the ship. "Perhaps you should lay low for a day or two, just in case the sultan's temper flares up. When you come back into town, speak to the guards and tell them you need to speak to Jared."
"We'll do that." Ean said, shaking his hand once again. "See you soon, Captain." The man nodded to the other members of the party before moving towards his own soldiers once again. He turned to Ava, pointing to the crowd which was being dispersed by several soldiers.
"Can we stay at the camp tonight?"
"After everything you did, I'd say that I'd be happy to let you." She replied calmly. "Good work today, kid."
The first order of business after returning to the pirate cove was sending out men to retrieve the anchor. Luckily, the ship had already been taken out to sea and burned, so there were very little obstacles in the crew's path. It was just after lunch when the men returned, carrying the anchor between them.
"Excellent work." Ava said. "Leave it here, and we'll get started on installing it tomorrow." With a grunt, the men set the anchor down in the shallows, where it sat like a misshapen rock. Towards the fire, the party sat with Ava around the firepit, discussing their next move.
"I'd say we've still got about a week and a half on repairs." Ava said. "So you should take this time to get all the equipment you need. Seri has the best armor and weapons on the mainland. Also…" The pirate pointed at Iya. "I didn't realize it, but you are a song mage, correct?"
"I am." Iya said simply.
"Good. I'm not sure if they still exist, but there was supposedly a school for song mages in Seri. Of course, there's no students anymore, but maybe you could get something out of it." Iya's eyes widened.
"Of course! Thank you, Ava! Do you know where it was located?"
"I don't, but you might not have to worry about finding them. With the news spreading around the town, I'll bet everything that they'll try to contact you once we're back in Seri." Iya nodded.
"What else?" Ava said, thinking.
"Well, we've got some business to take care of, but- oh!" Ean said. "We've activated the teleporter between Thais and the desert, so can you send Uthar a message? Tell him what's happened, and all that?"
"I suppose I can do that tomorrow." Ava replied. "Anything specific?"
"No, but tell him he may want to send a messenger to relay for news between Thais and Seri. I'll speak to the sultan about it."
"How are you going to do that?" Rye asked. "The sultan doesn't seem like the welcoming type."
"Well, unless I miss my guess, the sultan is going to have words with us at some point. I was planning on asking him to assist the war effort."
"Good luck with that." Ava said. "You remember what I told you about him, right?"
"I do, but even a man like that ought to see the threat the Snow Queen possesses. If we fall, he falls too."
"Ah, so you're promising mutually assured destruction." Gavin commented. "Seems logical."
"We really don't have a choice. We might be able to take on the Snow Queen in a straight fight, but against all her soldiers as well? We'd never stand a chance." Rye pointed out, and Gavin nodded.
"Just… don't make him angry. He's a very powerful man." Ava said. "Dangerous too, when he wants to be."
"I'll be as diplomatic as I can." Ean said with a wolfish grin. "Besides, Uthar can always work out the finer details."
"Leaving the task to better men?" Jack remarked snidely, and Ean lightly tapped him on the back of the head.
"Unless you want to do it." The others chuckled, with the exception of Ava. As Ean watched her expression remain motionless, it occurred to him that it had probably been a long time since she had any true friends. After all, she was the captain of the ship, a position that automatically set her apart from the rest of the crew.
"Well, we'd better head back." Rye remarked after a few minutes. "The sun will be setting soon, so the streets should be a bit quieter."
"Fair enough." Ava said. "I've got work to do, so I'll see you soon. Update me on the situation with the sultan, yes?"
"Of course. See you soon, Ava." Ean said politely, and they left the cove. On the short walk back to Seri, Rye opened up a curious avenue of conversation:
"So, Gavin, what do you think about Ava?" Ean and Iya looked around to see the warlock frowning.
"She's… interesting. I'm not sure how else to say it."
"Well, she looks about your age, doesn't she?" Rye asked. "Do you think she's… pretty?" The shadows on Gavin's face seemed to darken even further.
"I have no time for mortal women, not anymore. It would do you well to remember that." To his credit, Rye seemed genuinely aghast at the unintentional effect he had created.
"I apologize, Gavin." He said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I should not have said that." Gavin's expression turned calmer, more relaxed.
"You did not know, but please do not pry into my feelings." He caught Iya's eye, and she nodded encouragingly. "They are some of the few secrets I have left."
"Of course, Gavin." Ean said quietly. "We will be more careful." The warlock seemed satisfied with this promise, and the rest of the walk to Seri was silent. When they arrived, Ean spoke to the guards momentarily before leading them back to the inn. Thankfully, they made it without further attention from the citizens and fell into their beds gratefully, exhausted from the previous night.
Morning came with a surprise: a messenger waiting for them at the bar of the inn. He was a soldier, wearing the standard armor Ean had seen around Seri. When they entered the room, he turned around to reveal Captain Jared, holding a cup of hot coffee.
"Anything else, sir?" The innkeeper asked, and Jared shook his head.
"This is all, thanks." Turning towards the party, he smiled.
"Welcome back to Seri." Ean smiled slightly.
"I didn't mention to the guards what inn we were staying at. How'd you find us here?" Jared grinned at him, evidently amused at his confusion.
"Well, I wouldn't be much of a captain if I wasn't able to keep track of two elves in a city full of humans." He stood from his chair. "The sultan has requested you to appear before him, possibly to thank you for what you did." He lowered his voice slightly. "I did my best to make you appear heroic to him."
"Thank you." Ean said, and meant it. "Are we to go now?" Jared nodded. "Good, I was planning on speaking to him anyways." The party secured their belongings and followed Jared from the inn. It was early, but several people called out to them from the market as they passed through. Ean heard even more whispers than he had noticed in Thais, and some of them were enough to raise his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry," Rye snorted. "But I swear that kid over there called you a 'mythical prince'. Is that the new title?"
"I like it." Gavin commented. "Makes you seem much cooler than you actually are." Ean turned to look at him.
"What do you mean, cooler than I-" He was interrupted by a body crashing into him, and he turned to see a little girl backing away from him in fear.
"Sasha!" A man said with exasperation. "I told you to-" He noticed Ean's face and froze. "My lord, I'm so-"
"I am nobody's lord." Ean said with a small smile. "And it was my fault for not looking ahead." Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a bag of sweets that he had found in the marketplace a few days prior. He handed the little girl one, and she smiled widely at him.
"Thank you." The man said. "For getting rid of those foul soldiers."
"No thanks are necessary." Iya said. "Have a good day, sir." Ahead of them, Jared watched their interaction with the smallest hint of a smile on his face.
After a few minutes, they passed between two guards and entered the gardens of the sultan's palace. To call it ornate would be an understatement: Plants of every imaginable color hung from planters and rested in pots. Walkways formed curving paths through the flowerbeds, and Ean saw a few finely dressed nobles sitting in various shaded areas. Behind the garden, the palace's spires loomed into the sky, causing beams of color to reflect onto the ground.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jared said. "This is my favorite place to bring my family." The group proceeded down the main path towards the doors to the palace. As they saw him, two soldiers pushed the doors open, holding them for Jared and the others.
The inside of the palace seemed just as grand as the outside. The walls and ceilings were painted gold, complementing the red and gold tiled on the floor. Paintings of various rulers lined the walls, and Ean saw that they were in a small antechamber to the throne room.
"Right this way. And please, do mind your manners." Jared warned them, and they walked around the wall in front of them to reveal the throne room proper. It had two massive pools of sapphire water than bubbled and sparkled cheerily, creating a nice sound in the background. Between the pools, a walkway led to a dais, which held the most powerful man in Seri: the sultan himself.
"Not much of a looker." Jack murmured, and Ean shushed him. It was true that the sultan was not overly attractive with his thick, black eyebrows and skin that was painted in various location. To top it all off, he had a turban with a very large feather sticking out of the top. Nevertheless, Ean could fell his commanding presence.
"Bring them forward, captain." The sultan set in a deep voice. They approached the dais, and Ean bowed to the man, along with the others. The sultan said nothing for a moment, and then:
"You are the ones who confronted the soldiers at the market?"
"Yes." Ean said simply.
"Hmpf. You don't look too impressive." The sultan said, eyebrows furrowed. "Nevertheless, I suppose I should thank you for giving Seri back its main source of profit: the ocean." Now Ean's eyebrows were raised. Evidently, the sultan did not care much about his individual subjects.
"It was our pleasure." The elf said calmly. "We were passing through, and decided to lend a hand."
"And where is your journey bound?" The sultan asked cautiously. "I've heard many rumors of late."
"One normally does not put much stock in rumors." Gavin said from next to Ean. "But in this case, most are true. We are indeed going to war against the Snow Queen." If the man on the throne was surprised, he did not show it.
"You say that, but does this girl have what it takes?"
"I saw her at the market, sultan." Jared said quietly from the side. "She is a song mage, and that is a fact." The sultan glanced at the captain, a frown on his face.
"I did not ask you to speak, captain. Remember you place." Ean felt a flicker of irritation, but he pushed it down before speaking again.
"Rest assured, sultan, we are capable of our own task. But there is one such matter that does require your attention." The ruler's gaze snapped back to Ean, eyes narrowed.
"What is it?"
"A deal, sultan. One in which you aid us in our struggle against the Snow Queen." Silence reigned for a moment, the sultan's face a mix of boredom and irritation. Behind him, Ean felt Rye stiffen slightly, and knew that he was close to saying something rude.
"And why should I involve myself in your struggles? Seri is far removed from the conflict, and thus, it is not my concern." Ean looked straight into the man's eyes.
"If you think that, then you are a fool." The word rang throughout the room, and the guards behind the sultan drew their swords. Jared's face had gone pale, and Ean knew without looking that Rye had shifted a hand towards his bow.
"What did you say to me?" The sultan hissed with rage. "You come into my palace asking this favor, and you dare insult me like this?" Ean took a single step forward, away from the group. His eyes bore into the sultan's, red versus brown.
"The Snow Queen is the largest threat to the world that I have ever seen. Even my own land, far from here, will not be safe from her wrath should she capture my friend." He gestured to Iya. "Even now she plots, waiting for the right time to strike against Thais and the revolution. Your own emissary was turned to ice before my very eyes! Should we fall, nothing will stop her from covering this world and every other world in ice and snow." The room was dead silent as the sultan sat back in his chair. Ean continued. "I propose a deal, between Seri and the other nations. You help us take back Shaenlir, and we will give you as much treasure from the city and the war as you wish." And now the sultan seemed genuinely interested.
"What authority do you have to make this deal?" He asked sarcastically. "You are not even native to this land!"
"The Oracle herself gave me this quest." Ean said firmly. "Without the nations uniting, there will be nothing left. We must fight, and we must do it together!" His words rang throughout the throne room, and Ean saw an emotion reflected in Jared's eyes: hope. The sultan stood from his chair now, looking down upon the party.
"And you say Uthar of Thais and Ella of Candar will back this deal?"
"I know they will, if it will help us. We are in contact with Uthar, whom I will tell to send an ambassador to the city to negotiate the finer details." The elf saw the sultan calculating the potential wealth, and knew he had won.
"Alright, elf. I'll listen to your deal for now." The sultan said. "I suppose it would not do for the Snow Queen to have such power. And war is a lucrative business." He rubbed his hands together, indicating profit. "Speak to Jared if you need another audience with me. For now, you are dismissed." Without another word, the party turned and strode away from the dais, out of the throne room.
They were halfway through the garden when Jared caught up to them.
"Wait!" They stopped, turning to watch as the captain slowed to halt, panting. "I'm… sorry about the sultan."
"Honestly? I don't mind, as long as he holds up his end of the bargain." Ean said calmly. "I wasn't expecting that much rancor from him, though." Jared smiled at him.
"That's him in a good mood, actually. I have to say though, I never thought I'd see somebody call him a fool in his own palace."
"I almost said worse." Rye muttered. "But I suppose we got the deal done, so…"
"He insulted Iya, too." Jack put in, frowning.
"It is nothing I haven't thought already." Iya said with a serene expression. "His opinion hardly matters."
"Regardless, we're done with him. As soon as we can, we're setting sail for Eredar." Ean said, and Jared looked at him.
"Eredar? Why?"
"One of the nymphs, Nuha, supposedly lives there. We need her blessing." Ean refrained from mentioning the weapon that was hidden on the island, unsure if he could really trust the sultan with that information.
"I see. Well, good luck with everything. If you need to speak to me, come to the palace and speak to the guards. I'll make sure you are always welcome here." Jared said, shaking each of their hands.
"I appreciate that." Ean said, shaking his hand. "We'll be in touch. I expect the ambassador will arrive in the next few days, after we've updated Uthar."
"I look forward to doing something productive." The captain said, and he turned and headed back towards the palace.
After sending Uthar another message, updating him on the situation, the party returned once more into the main city, where they spent the day shopping for necessary supplies. At this point, the party had amassed a small fortune in gold, and they were all able to afford the best armors they could find. For Ean, Rye, and Jack, they found hauberks of hardened steel that could stop even an arrow fired by Rye. Gavin and Iya each found staffs and cloaks that enhanced their magical abilities further. In addition to this, Iya purchased a large array of powerful curatives and potions.
"What do you have there?" Rye asked as Gavin picked up a scroll being sold in a shop of rare items.
"I think it's a spell for causing thunderstorms. Could be useful." He said as he paid and pocketed the item. "Besides, we can store all this stuff on the boat or in our bags." Nearby, Rye was testing the string of a new bow, custom-made by an elderly man. Satisfied, he purchased it and rejoined the others.
"Where did Ean go?" Iya asked, but just as she mentioned the elf, he reappeared with his hands held up.
"Whoa… are those magic?" Jack said quietly, looking at Ean's new claws.
"I think so." He said. "They can cut through even salamander hide with ease, according to the man who sold them to me." The party was moving back through the streets when Ean saw a strange sight: a grown man crying his eyes out in front of a house. Iya stopped as well, evidently troubled.
"Let us see what the matter is." She said, and moved over to greet the man.
"Excuse me, but what seems to be the matter?" The man turned to face them, his red eyes filled with tears.
"My love, Simini… she has been taken from me."