Seralyse II
The clash of steel roused her from her slumber. She shot upward, narrowly missing bashing her head on the cabinet above her sleeping nook. Her eyes darted around the caravan as steel rang against steel from outside.
Arestes was still asleep on the floor of the caravan. But that didn't surprise her. A quick look out one of the tiny windows showed the sun starting to make its way over the horizon. Of their entire little group, the two of them were far and away the most likely to sleep the day away if given the opportunity.
Of course, in her defense, she'd been raised in a far more nocturnal environment. Her kind tended to prefer it that way, although it wasn't uncommon for them to adjust otherwise. It was one of the things she missed the most about Bazaar. The city was a constant bustle of activity. It didn't matter the hour, so many of the Kin kept such different schedules that there was always a portion of activity occurring, no matter the moment.
The silence had shocked her when she'd left The Land. The fact that Calabarian towns all settled into the same rhythm after the sun set alarmed her. At first, she was shocked she could even make any coin. Well, at least after her attempt at morning shows failed.
But she figured it out. Even if she missed the nondescript noise of the city as she slept. Which made it all the more odd that the Lorakian's snoring kept her awake some evenings. She'd not yet decided on sleeping on the ground like the Calabarian.
It was funny when she thought about it. She could sleep just fine in her family home in Bazaar, despite the sun, the noise, the hustle and bustle of the city happening around her. Merchants barking as they peddled their wares, music, general arguments, it didn't matter, she could sleep through it without any sort of issue.
But the silence of the Calabarian countryside? It still unnerved her.
The Witch seemed to have no such qualms. She slept like a rock as soon as she'd settled in. Although she was almost always the first one of their party awake in the morning. Seralyse guessed there was some sort of a give and take involved.
Her spot, across from Seralyse's nook, was empty. She debated kicking Arestes awake as steel impacted on steel once more from outside. But then another sound filtered over it. Laughter? That seemed strange. She hopped over Arestes, picked up her hatchet from near the doorway of the caravan, just in case, and hopped out.
Nothing surprised her as her bare feet hit the dew-covered grass. She spun around, the hatchet ready in her grip, wondering if there was some force descending down on their little camp. It seemed unusual, as why would someone ambush them? But given how her trip back to The Land had gone so far she half expected to see the combined armies of Calabar and Volkar at their campsite. Along with some monsters from the Scar for good measure.
She found one monster as she moved to the front of their carriage. But it was the ghoul Shambles. It sat next to the Witch on the front of the caravan and groaned in a sort of excitement as steel clashed once more.
Alisen, for her part, was giggling like a small child at the scene before her. She had a small bowl of nuts in her lap, a gift from some poor farmers from her last attempt at a show in a small farming village she'd avoided on her trip down.
It was a bit of a problem. As she couldn't pay Arestes and Kaden in nuts. And she was growing increasingly worried that the Warden and the Witch would ask for some sort of compensation even though she had not hired them and had not asked them to come with her.
Although, as she turned her attention to what the ghoul and the Witch were watching, she figured that problem might rectify itself in a moment.
For some reason that escaped her, and, she assumed, likely escaped rational thought, the idiot Pirate and the moronic Warden were fighting each other. With real swords. The Warden's fine longsword slashed through the air, only to be parried by the pirate's almost rudimentary short sword.
The Warden's blade was clearly forged for him. It had elaborate detailing and glinted in the sunlight, the metal looking well loved and polished. The Pirate's sword looked more like he'd found a local blacksmith and taken whatever he could get his hands on in the shortest amount of time.
It didn't glint as finely in the dawn light, but she'd seen him care for it on the night she'd been able to sleep and decided pacing around the caravan was a better option.
It was a trait she'd noticed early on from him. And clashed quite a bit with his companion. Arestes was excellent at tinkering and fiddling and finding uses for things. But he tended to forget about them after. Cleaning was far and away not his strongest suit.
Kaden, on the other hand, cared for every little detail. He wouldn't let a pot sit for more than a few minutes with refuse in it. And he kept the caravan far more orderly than she had on her trip down. Not that she was complaining, it was nice to have things clean. And even nicer when she didn't have to do it.
She would not have pinned a pirate for being meticulous but she supposed long trips at sea required taking care of their equipment and supplies.
"What are they doing?" she hissed to Alisen. The Volkar looked almost startled by her question.
"Training I think?" she answered. She offered the bowl of nuts to Seralyse. Frankly, she thought they were kind of gross. But she felt that way about most food that wasn't meat or fish. She took a handful anyway.
She stood next to the caravan until Alisen pushed Shambles off the side. The ghoul landed with an annoyed grunt and glared back up at the Volkar who was gesturing for Seralyse to join her. The Kin hesitated for a moment before she decided sitting was a better alternative to standing and climbed up.
"Why are they doing it with real blades? They're going to kill each other," she scoffed.
"Not if they're any good," Alisen answered as she happily ate more of the nuts.
"Shouldn't they wear armor or something? Or I mean, at least a shirt?" Seralyse asked as she shifted to get comfortable on the front of the caravan. Shambles tried to climb up and rejoin them on the booth but Alisen kicked him off. Causing the ghoul to groan some more. The Volkar shooed him away with a wave of her hand and he started to shamble off toward the woods.
"Why would you want them to put on shirts?" Alisen asked, genuine confusion bubbling into her voice.
"Well, I don't want them to get hurt," Seralyse frowned as she eyed both of them rather carefully.
"They'll be fine. They're big boys," Alisen said. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile as she spoke. Seralyse wasn't sure she liked her tone but didn't see much of a point in commenting on it.
Instead she turned her attention to the boys as they fought. It didn't take her long to realize it wasn't much like other fights she'd witnessed.
They weren't uncommon in Bazaar. Kin tended to be prideful and easily swayed toward violence as a solution for minor scuffles. But it often ended with drinks and friendship. She'd seen her fair share of them.
If she were being honest, she had to admit that the human solution of yelling at each other and brooding for hours on end seemed inefficient when some clawing and biting had the same effect, took far less time, and let people move on faster. But humans were stupid, so.
Those fights always seemed more frenetic than what she watched now. The movements from the two men before here were more precise, more contained. If anything she thought they looked almost choreographed.
The Warden's moves were more deliberate. He attacked with longer, flowing slashes of his larger blade. He was breathing harder than the Pirate. His movements felt heavier in general and appeared to have more of a cost.
Sweat glistened on his pale skin. His muscles seemed to be fighting against every movement he made as they lunged around the clearing outside of the caravan. His attacks felt powerful, especially the large overhead swipes, but they were well telegraphed and Kaden never found himself underneath the blade.
The Pirate was the opposite. His movements were more fluid. In some moments, it seemed almost as if the world was spinning with him as he danced away from Wyckham's attacks.
The young Abruzzi wore an expression of sheer determination. His brows were furrowed as he seemed to put more and more force into each blow. The Pirate, on the flip side, was grinning. His expression filled with mirth as he countered the Warden's blows.
"Aren't Wardens supposed to be a super elite fighting force?" Seralyse asked as Alisen chomped away at more nuts. Seralyse ate one cashew, decided she didn't like it, and started to discreetly drop them off the side of the bench.
"Yes. And he's quite good," Alisen said. She practically licked her lips as she watched the Warden.
"He doesn't seem to be winning," Seralyse said, wondering if she wasn't noticing something important about a battle of that nature.
"No," Alisen agreed. "Kaden is better. Wyckham is clearly not happy about it. But he's not in his element."
"What do you mean?"
"They're trained to fight against the magical monsters in the Scar. And to fight on horse. He's trained against men but it's different," Alisen shrugged. "I suspect Kaden has only ever fought in small engagements man-to-man. But I'm also not sure the Warden has ever had to fight for his life."
"Didn't you try to kill him?"
"Only a little."
"Doesn't that count?"
"I guess. I wasn't using a sword."
"How long are they going to do this for?" Seralyse asked.
"Why are you complaining?" Alisen laughed as she continued to openly leer at the two men fighting in front of her.
"It's a long ride to the next town," Seralyse scoffed.
"I know they're probably not furry enough for you. But they're both attractive young men and they're to the point where it'll either get really violent or they'll start snogging. So make the most of it," Alisen said.
Seralyse didn't dignify her with a reply. Not all Kin were furry. Most only had around the same amount of fur as her. And it seemed to lessen with every generation. Not that anyone really had a clue why that was happening.
There had been an attempt to use it to their benefit though. As rumors said Mazara Verperon was described as 'practically human' when the engagement to Prince Daron was being negotiated.
She remembered hearing about those negotiations, with the common refrain of 'ears and a tail but nothing else. And we can negotiate the tail!' and finding herself rather confused. She found herself staring at her body in mirrors, plucking at the fur and wondering if she could pass for human.
And the thought of losing her tail seemed absurd. She couldn't imagine that a human woman would agree to losing a limb to marry a Kin noble. So why should the poor princess, who wasn't even a real princess, because Kin didn't have royalty, have to lop off her own tail? That seemed beyond stupid, even for humans.
She pulled her tail to her, holding it defensively to her chest as the boys continued to fight. She didn't quite get the fascination Alisen seemed to have for them. The Warden looked pale and boring, really. She thought he was dour in general and didn't see much point in letting him chase her. Nor did she think if she led him into the forest and ran off, that he would bother chasing after her.
Which presented an interesting conundrum. As Kaden had chased after her. She wondered if he realized the connotation behind that. Granted, she hadn't intended it as a courting ritual. But he'd chased her none-the-less. He hadn't been quite able to catch her. But he was a human with an awful nose.
As she peered at him she had to admit his nose wasn't that bad. It clearly didn't work as well as a Kin's but it wasn't too large on his face and in profile he looked rather distinguished. For a pirate, she figured, it was a fairly good nose.
He was also more tanned than the Warden. But given he lived in Lorak when he wasn't gallivanting around on the sunny sea, she figured that was to be expected. It made his muscles look far more appealing than the Warden's though. He was also slightly less hairy in general.
Other Kin may have preferred the burly looking Warden. But if she was going to have to bed down with a human, then he may as well look more human. And honestly, his arms looked nice. As did his legs. And his chest.
She realized she was gripping her tail rather tightly as she chewed on her lip. She put it down, smoothing it to her side as she struggled not to twitch it against the wood. She felt even warmer than usual as she stared at Kaden, finding his movements to be more and more alluring with each single flash of his straight sword.
She found herself so enraptured by the movements she couldn't look away. She wondered if it was anything like how she looked when she danced. She hoped it was. She hoped she could draw such reactions. But she'd always assumed her voice was the better trait than her body. And she doubted it was possible to garner that with much attention with just her voice.
Kaden twirled once more around the Warden's blade and laughed as he parried more attacks. She wondered how long they'd let their dance go on for. Even if it was starting to amuse her more than it should. The way Kaden glistened in the early morning sun was rather appealing. Part of her wanted to find a cloth and run it over his body to wash off the effort of the fight away.
In her mind she wondered how his muscles would respond to such gentle touches. And what reactions it would spur from him. She found herself wondering what it would feel like to have him relax against her touch. How would he react to such gentle teasing? Would she even know what to do if he tried for more? It couldn't be that complicated, right?
But then he stumbled, and the fight ended. She was too busy losing herself in her own mind to see why he'd tripped. Either way she saw him stumble back just as Wyckham slashed upwards. Kaden twisted away from his blade. And he'd almost made it. But the tip of it nicked against his side.
"Fuck," he cursed. Seralyse shot to her feet as a thin cut appeared against his ribs. The Warden brought his sword down as Kaden scampered away from him. She was torn between attacking Wyckham and seeing if Kaden needed help.
"You good?" Wyckham asked as he caught his breath. He leaned against his sword and peered toward Kaden. The pirate was hopping up and down and cursing. Seralyse slipped from the caravan seat and hopped back inside. She ignored Wyckham as she dug out some of their spare cloth. By the time she returned, Kaden had stopped prancing. Although the Warden was still panting as he leaned against his sword.
She walked over to the small spring they'd camped next to and dipped the cloth in it before approaching Kaden.
"You don't have to do that," he said as she approached. But he didn't do more than flinch as she pressed the damp cloth against the small cut. He made to grab it from her but she swatted his hand away as she cleaned the small wound.
"You good, though?" Wyckham asked again, concern growing on his face.
"Fine," Kaden said as his body softened against her touch. She let her fingers press against his skin as she cleaned out the wound. It didn't warrant much of it. It had practically stopped bleeding by that point. She doubted it would add another scar to his collection.
"What was the point of that anyway?" Seralyse scoffed.
"Just a little training," Kaden shrugged.
"To the death?" Seralyse complained.
"Just first blood," Wyckham said. "It's not an uncommon method."
"Couldn't you just use sticks and call it a day?" Seralyse chided.
"Where's the fun in that?" Kaden asked. She poked her finger into the cut and he squealed. "Hey!"
"But it's more fun if I do that," she whined with as much petulance as she could muster.
"We weren't going to hurt each other," Kaden said.
"You could have fooled me for a bit there," Wyckham said. He shrugged out his left arm as he continued to catch his breath.
"Would you prefer I go easy on you?" Kaden said. Seralyse pulled the cloth away from him and saw the cut looked more or less fine. She took another piece of cloth and wrapped it around him. He rolled her eyes at him but didn't argue much against her impromptu bandage.
"No more than you would want me to, I'm sure," Wyckham said. "I'm just glad I won."
"Fair enough," Kaden answered. He lingered near her for a moment. At least until she realized she hadn't removed her hands from his ribs. She let him go and he walked over toward his discarded shirt. He pulled it over his head and adjusted himself. "Your reward can be to hitch the horses."
"Shouldn't the loser do that?" Wyckham teased.
"Probably," Kaden said. But rather than move toward the horses he moved to the back of the caravan. He dug into one of the bags near the door, pulling out a couple of strips of salted beef. He had the decency of offering one to her. She went to town on it in a way that she was sure no Calabarian Princess would have ever been caught dead doing. He ignored her and kicked Arestes awake.
The other man groaned but barely made an effort to get up. Kaden seemed to consider him roused enough though as he moved back toward the front of the caravan.
"So wait," Seralyse said, talking with her mouth full.
"Yes?" Kaden asked before he took a bite of his jerky.
"If you were fighting to first blood then why didn't you stop when Wyckham started bleeding? You got him on the wrist?" she asked.
"You noticed that?"
"Well, after, yes," she said.
"He didn't."
"Well, he will eventually," Kaden shrugged.
"It doesn't bother you?" she asked.
"Not at all," he answered. She didn't sense anything in his tone to indicate he was lying. But that didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. She was not particularly good at reading humans.
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't matter," Kaden answered. "We both learned a bit about the other. It settled some forthcoming arguments without there needing to be severe bodily injury. Now we move on and know each other better than we did before."
"Forthcoming arguments?" she asked. She found herself thinking back to her own commentary on how the Kins settled most things. Perhaps they weren't quite as stupid as she thought.
"We didn't respect each other. I look at him and see someone who abandoned a sacred duty and oaths to protect people. He looks at me and sees a criminal. There isn't much that's going to change that. Today we carved out a little bit of respect for eachother. Who won didn't matter," Kaden explained with a shrug of his shoulders. He walked a few steps away from the caravan as the Warden started to hitch Apple and Pudding.
"He's not going to try to take over or anything is he?" she asked.
"I doubt it," he said. "Although if he offs me it saves you five hundred gold."
"Arestes wouldn't stick around. Would save me the full thousand," Seralyse quipped.
"If you could even get the Warden to continue north," Kaden countered. But he was smiling so she figured he at least appreciated the humor of it.
"Might not be able to but Alisen seems pretty easy to persuade. I could probably talk her into accompanying me for a hundred gold rather than a thousand," Seralyse said.
"I'm not giving you a discount, Sera," Kaden said.
"I don't like that nickname," she said.
"Where are we going?" Wyckham asked. He'd finished with the horses and was saddling Julius.
"Just continue north. If all goes well, we should hit Caron by early afternoon," Kaden said. Wyckham nodded.
"I'll ride ahead," he said. Kaden nodded right back to him and climbed onto the front of the caravan. Alisen slid off and and fetched Shambles. She was dragging the ghoul back toward the caravan when Seralyse slid next to Kaden. He didn't start driving the horses until they were safely in the back.
"Should have left the ghoul," Seralyse commented.
"I've thought about it. But it's bound to her and I think it would just wander after her. The last thing we need is it deciding to defend itself when some townsfolk take umbrage with it being in their city center."
"That would not endear me to said townsfolk," Seralyse admitted.
"I wouldn't think so," Kaden said as he started to drive the horses through the sparse wood. Seralyse didn't bother commenting. She watched the trees pass and wondered if he minded her sitting with him. Normally he or the ghoul drove the caravan while she stayed inside and rested. But she wasn't tired. Even if it was an absurd morning hour.
She let them drive in silence for a few minutes. Her tail started to twitch behind her. She noticed it was hitting him on occasion and drew it back into her lap. Although he hadn't commented one way or another on it.
Eventually the silence bored her and since she didn't think jumping off the caravan would be a good time so she figured they may as well continue their conversation.
"When did you get him?" she asked.
"Only a few seconds before he got me," Kaden admitted.
"Rude of him to keep going," she said.
"I doubt he even noticed it. It wasn't much of a cut. Just a knick on the arm. He probably didn't even feel it with the adrenaline of the fight. I should have kept dodging away rather than expecting him to notice," Kaden admitted.
"That's why you slipped!" she exclaimed. He blinked at her, looking rather surprised by the enthusiasm behind her words.
"Yeah. I'd stopped my momentum and then noticed that he wasn't stopping his. So I tried to restart and stumbled a bit," Kaden said.
"You still almost dodged his blade," she said.
"Almost doesn't count," Kaden answered.
"I would have been rather cross with you had you been skewered, you know," she said.
"I'll endeavor to ensure that doesn't happen," Kaden answered. She rolled her eyes at him.
"You have a fancy vocabulary for a pirate," she said.
"I guess," Kaden shrugged. "Would you prefer I growl and grunt more?"
"Is that supposed to be an insult because Kin can communicate by growling?" she growled.
"No," he said. Genuine alarm rose into his voice so she figured she'd forgive him. But that didn't prevent her from wanting to see how he'd defend himself. "It's just that most of my ilk tend to be monosyllabic."
"I see," she said, not seeing.
"I'm not helping my cause, am I?"
"Not really."
"You have a better vocabulary than most," he said. She noticed he didn't specify what he meant by most. She wondered what she was being compared to. Women? Kin? Annoying traveling companions?
"It helps a songstress. Synonyms are very useful. Especially when they can make up differing rhymes," she said.
"I'm not sure I've heard you sing any of your own songs," he said.
"Probably not. The popular ones tend to get better tips. If a crowd seems really into it I'll try something original. But of late I have to admit Calabarians haven't seemed much interested in anything original of late," she said.
"We've had a rough bunch of towns of late," he agreed. She wasn't quite sure why she felt her chest flutter with the word 'we'.
"Yes. So I play the safe songs and hope for bigger tips," she said. "And mostly that no one throws a tomato at me."
"Or a lemon?" he smirked at her. She shuddered at the thought.
"Don't give them any ideas."
"That happen often?"
"No. Mostly they just seem to think I'm a prostitute," Seralyse sighed. That hadn't happened nearly as much on the way down. She wondered if she gave off some sort of desperate vibe. Or if, perhaps, she merely wasn't as good as she thought. Perhaps her performances were so remedial that they were a clear front for something else.
Maybe she should just shake her ass less. But doing so helped cover up the fact that she used her tail to keep time.
"That does seem to happen of late," Kaden commented. "I take it that it wasn't as common of an occurrence on the way down?"
"It happened but no, it did not seem to happen as much," she said. "I think it's your fault."
"What did I do?" Kaden laughed.
"Nothing. Just I think when I was alone most of the barkeeps were a bit more protective than they feel the need to be when I have some strapping young men with me," Seralyse said.
"You think I'm strapping?" Kaden teased.
"I was referring to Wyckham and Arestes."
"Fair. Sorry we ruined your reputation."
"You should be," she said.
"Would you like me to be more menacing at your next show?"
"Hate to keep you from your whisky and ale while some of us have to work."
"I don't drink when you're performing," he said. She raised her brows at him. She knew that wasn't strictly true. She'd seen him order an ale and sip at it from the stage. But her memories of that only seemed to encompass her first couple of shows as a group.
"Why not?"
"I'm being paid to protect you. It's more difficult to do that if I'm drunk," he answered. She figured that was a fair point. They were quiet for a few miles. At some point her tail shifted and was resting practically across his lap. Crossing tails would be an intimate gesture if he were a Kin. She wondered if he noticed that at all. Part of her thought she should immediately pull it away. But she figured that would only draw more attention to it so she left it there. For his part, he ignored it at the horses plodded onward. A path appeared in the forest and Kaden directed them to it.
She wasn't quite sure how he always seemed to know where he was going. She'd followed roads on her way down and often managed to tag on with some trader caravans just to add more eyes and ears to the journeys. Yet despite no visible landmarks he always managed to wind up exactly where he said they were heading.
"Is this life what you thought it would be?" Kaden asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling oddly insulted. She liked her little life. She always had. It wasn't for everyone, sure. But she thought it was better than most of the menial labor jobs Kin held. Granted, such jobs were probably more important than her singing, but she couldn't imagine herself doing them.
"Was this what you always wanted to do?" he asked.
"What's wrong with it?" she asked.
"Nothing. I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply that. Was just curious what spurred you to it. Childhood dream?"
"No. When I was a girl I wanted to be a Princess," Seralyse giggled.
"I suspect that's common with girls. A hard career to get though," Kaden said.
"Indeed," Seralyse answered. She peered over at him. "What about you, did you want to be a Prince?"
"No," Kaden chuckled as a flicker of amusement flashed across his face at her bantering. "I wanted to be a Warden, actually."
"Explains why you're so upset that Wyckham didn't go to his gate," Seralyse figured.
"I guess," Kaden shrugged. "I feel like I outgrew it. I didn't take the oaths. I'm not sure I would if I had the opportunity to. He did. He violated them. When did you decide against Princess?"
"I don't know," she lied. "When I realized I love singing I guess."
"Can't be a Siren and a Princess I take it," Kaden said.
"Well, no one has. At least that I'm aware of."
"Me either."
"At some point I just started learning more and more about music. I remember being sad a lot. And feeling like I'd failed at everything. And that I wasn't very useful for my family. One day I realized I liked performing. And people seemed to like seeing me perform. I did little shows outside our home. I think it angered my father something fierce. He was never one for making a spectacle of oneself," Seralyse smiled as she spoke of her father. She missed her family. She knew she would on her trip. But knowing they were waiting for her back in The Land always did a little to steady her nerves.
"Mine too," Kaden said. "Now I think he was just too much of a coward to be embarrassed."
"I think mine always just wished he was more important than he was. And thought his daughter hopping around and singing songs outside was beneath him. But I started making pretty good money doing it. And people seemed disappointed whenever there wasn't a show. Eventually he let me do it. I actually paid for most of the caravan myself. I didn't really think I was going to travel with it. When I saw it I thought it would be a nice place to keep the costumes and instruments I'd tried to make and to be my own little space."
"Why'd you start traveling then?"
"People kept telling me I should. That I was too talented to only be there. That I should venture out. One day I guess whimsy struck and I did. I think that was almost two years ago now."
"That's a long time to be on the road."
"I guess. I never really noticed. It's a fun life. I've seen a lot of the world. I've met a lot of interesting people. I wouldn't change it. How about you? Did pirate come after Warden?"
"No. I thought I'd be a vigneron," Kaden said. "Even got some training for it."
"I don't know what that is," Seralyse answered. She wondered if she should be embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. But nothing in his demeanor made it seem like he thought less of her for it.
"A type of farmer. Focuses on grapes and wine," he answered.
"Oh. That could be fun I guess," she said.
"It's backbreaking work," Kaden answered. "But the younger me assumed others would do it for me."
"Funny how that works," she giggled. He nodded, understanding her point. "What ended up changing?"
"My parents died."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. After that I was left without much of anything. Lived on the streets for a while. Moved south to escape the winter. Wound up in Lorak. Eventually Arestes and I worked our way onto a ship," he explained.
"And now you're here," she said.
"Well, there were a few captains, a few mishaps, and a few years between all of that. But essentially, yes," he answered.
"I'm glad you're here," she said.
"I still think you should have taken a boat," he answered. She swatted at him with her hand. He leaned into it and smirked at her. And they lapsed into silence after. The early morning hour caught up to her faster than it should have.
She told herself she should rest. Given that they were less than a day from another town and it would behoove herself to perform that evening. She closed her eyes and let the sounds of nature lull her to sleep.
When she woke she was drooling on Kaden. She shot upward, leaning away from him. Her tail stiffening in his lap. He stroked it in a way she assumed he meant to be reassuring but it sent a jolt through her entire body, causing her muscles to tighten even more. No man had ever stroked her tail before.
He lifted his hand from it and knocked on the carriage just as Wyckham emerged from the woods ahead of them.
"Less than a mile to the town," the Warden said.
"We're almost to town," Kaden said after hitting the caravan to alert Alisen and Arestes. There was a muffled response from Arestes but nothing she found important.
The woodland area seemed thinner with each passing moment. She knew humans liked to indiscriminately fell trees, so that didn't surprise her. What did catch her off guard, though, was Kaden's response to it.
With each moment that they drew closer to the town he grew more tense. She wondered what bothered him so much. Every time he saw a Calabarian dwelling a sort of anger seemed to rise in him. She was beginning to think he wouldn't make it to Bazaar before he snapped.
The journey into Caron was uneventful, except for a small vein appearing in Kaden's forehead. And the fact that he squeezed her tail too hard once. She tried not to gasp when he did it, but she couldn't help it and he let go and apologized profusely. Those were the last words he spoke until they made it to town.
She didn't get anything out of him until after they'd found an inn for the night that agreed to let her perform, even saying they expected a crowd without her advertising, and had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon doing their own things.
Arestes and Wyckham slunk off together, saying something about a bath house. She figured the less she knew about that the better. Alisen mentioned heading to an apothecary to stock up on some supplies.
Kaden ignored them all and headed toward the stairs but she cut him off and insisted that they go look at the town. He argued that would be stupid. She disagreed and said he could explain why he felt it was so futile while they explored.
It at least drew a smile out of him so she took it for a win.
They spent two hours exploring Caron. He was dour for most of it, but eventually perked up as he blinked at a run-down building ahead of them, just a few blocks off the city center.
"I've been here before," he said, surprise evident in his voice.
"Didn't you just spend ten minutes telling me how, despite never being in Caron, there was little reason to not just take a nap to kill the rest of the day?"
"Yes."
"So you lied to me," she said.
"I guess," he said, walking toward the building. He entered it without looking at her. She peered at the sign and saw it was a chocolatier and figured it would be at least mildly worth her time.
She caught up to him as he peered at the goods near the counter. A girl, perhaps two or three years younger than her, waited patiently behind the counter. The girl glanced at Seralyse, her brows raising. And she was reminded that her kind wasn't common, even as they moved into more central Calabar.
"Anything else jogging that foggy head of yours?" she teased as she sauntered up beside him. The shopkeep threw her a jealous glare but Seralyse ignored her.
"Sort of," he said. "I remembered they had great toffee."
"One of our signature items," the girl responded with a fake cheer.
"And I remember the old man running the shop gave me pretty much everything I looked at. My father was with me. He kept laughing and saying it would ruin mother's feast," Kaden said. A ghost of a smile flashed on his face. Seralyse raised her brows at him.
"Did it?"
"I don't remember," he admitted. "Probably."
"That doesn't sound like my grandfather. I'm sure you were an adorable child but I doubt he'd give free chocolate to King Marek, much less a child," the shopkeep said.
"He shouldn't. King Marek is a moron," Kaden said. The shopkeeper lost all of the color in her face as he spoke. Kaden wasn't looking at her and didn't seem to notice as he peered through the chocolates. She took a couple of steps back and surveyed him cautiously.
"You going to get anything?" she asked, half wondering if the girl would even serve them after his outburst.
"I don't know," Kaden said. He started to peer at some of the displays, reading the notes on them as he did. He paced through the small store, taking in every inch. It took him a good half hour. By which point she knew she had to worry about getting ready and staging her performance. But she didn't want to rush him as it seemed like he was enjoying himself.
"I need to get ready for the performance," she said.
"Oh you're a performer?" the clerk asked. She hadn't realized the girl was still watching them.
"Yes. I'm a Siren," Seralyse lied.
"Really?" the girl's eyes widened. "And you've come to Caron?"
"Passing through. I'll be doing one show tonight at the…uhm.." she started and quickly realized she didn't know the name of the inn where she'd be performing. She thought she could find her way back to it, as it wasn't far off of the main square. But the name escaped her.
"The Gilded Banshee," Kaden answered as he peered at some more of the chocolates.
"Right. That was it," Seralyse smiled brightly at the girl. Then she looked back at Kaden. "I have to prepare. I trust you can make it back yourself?"
"Of course," he said, raising his brows at her as if he found the entire conversation odd. She left him with the girl and ducked out of the shop. She only took two wrong turns on her way back to the Gilded Banshee.
She remembered Caron from her last visit. Although she'd spent more of her time further north in the town than where they'd decided to stop. Everything, like most Calabarian towns she'd passed through, seemed a great deal less grand than she remembered. She wondered if there was something to it. Or if the splendor of Lorak was coloring her opinion.
Alisen was the only one of their group who'd returned by then. She made a snide comment about how it wouldn't shock her if Arestes and Wyckham were gone the entire evening.
She offered to help set up, though, which was great. The barkeep even made one of his serving boys assist, which made it go much faster than she'd anticipated. Alisen helped her dress and don her fake tattoo.
By the time she'd slid down the banister, intentionally, to make more of an entrance, the tavern was packed with people. Fewer of them noticed her entrance than she'd expected. Which wasn't a great sign for the show to come.
She pranced her way onto the stage and started with a cheerful greeting that went mostly ignored. She scowled, as cutely as she could manage, at the crowd as she spun around, letting her pink and gold costume jingle as she moved.
It drew some glances as she swished her tail and spun around, making a point of bending over as she picked up her lute. When she spun back around, lute in hand, and started strumming it, she noticed a few more of the men were looking at her.
She scanned the crowd for her companions, only to see that only Alisen and Kaden were present. She knew it shouldn't have bothered her that the other two weren't there. As it wasn't like they hadn't seen this song and dance many times already, but it still hurt some. She pressed that thought away from her mind and started singing.
The first three songs drew very little reaction. She frowned as she switched from lute to lyre, normally she used up-tempo drinking songs to get people into the mood and ready for the evening. The barkeeps she'd known had preferred it that way. It was an easy way to get people to start drinking. And many of them struggled to stop once they'd started.
Normally they were ready for something a bit more mellow, something a bit more performative by that point. A lull in the evening as it were. She let her voice overwhelm the strings as she fluttered around. It went on for a handful more songs.
As she peered around the tavern she saw perhaps half the eyes focused on her. It was fewer than she'd have liked. A pang shot through her, she wondered if she was getting worse since her last performance.
She still loved every minute of it. She still thought she was fantastic at what she did. People that spoke to her often agreed. But of late in Calabar she struggled to get any sort of positive reaction. She wondered if there was something else at play.
The towns they'd passed through certainly looked worse than she remembered. And he couldn't tell anyone what was going on in Calabarian politics. She didn't think it would matter much to these towns. But here she was, singing for people who were too lost in their own heads to even look at her. Most stared off into space.
She figured there was one main gambit to pull. She strummed the lyre a couple of times, letting the familiar notes of the Ballad of the Setting Sun rise into the tavern. It drew a few more looks toward her. And even more as she started on the song that told the myth of Calabarian greatness.
Calabarians adored the song. They loved the frenetic tempo of it, they loved the story it told, they loved every single thing about it. The legend of the King Daron the First was seared into their psyches.
She'd spent weeks practicing it before she had the courage to play it for any Calabarians. She'd assumed they'd throw her out of any tavern she performed in if she performed poorly. Thankfully that hadn't happened. So she assumed she hadn't performed too poorly.
The first time she'd sung it in public she'd garnered one of her longest ovations she'd had in a while. What seemed like a never ending stream of people came up to compliment her after the performance. One going so far as to say he'd never heard the tale of Calabar sung so well. And that her voice enchanted him to the point that it felt like he was part of Daron's dramatic charge into the enemy.
She let that same feeling fill her as she sang of the charge once more. And let her voice rise as Daron's knights cleared the field, and then fall as he learned of his brothers' fates. She let the somber nature of the final verses fill into the tavern.
As she bowed low as the song entered its final verses she looked around the room. Alisen's face lit up as their eyes met, she had her hands clasped together as she listened intently. Kaden was staring off to the side, avoiding looking at the stage at all costs. He looked far more agitated by the song than any Calabarian she'd ever seen. But he'd also mostly abandoned his homeland for Lorak. So maybe, she thought, it was a sort of guilt rising in him?
But her song worked. She'd had the rapt attention of most of the Calabarians. One thing stood out though. Tears were forming in many of their eyes. That was a reaction she hadn't drawn before.
Instead of finishing the song, though, she continued. She'd worked on bits and pieces of this next bit for months. Part of her felt like she shouldn't be co-opting one of the most famous songs in the land for her own benefit. But it wasn't so much that she wanted to change it. Merely add another verse or three.
She let her voice heighten as she added the legends of other Darons to the words. Singing of their brave deeds and triumphs as well as their faults and flaws. She let each verse fill the bar and gave a round of strings when they finished.
She ended with the most recent tragedy. She didn't call him by name in the song. She didn't have to. The Young Prince was enough. She spoke of his longing to unite two great kingdoms, to usher in an era of peace, prosperity and love.
It was unlikely he thought of any of that. But what did ten year old Princes lament about? Did it matter? It was what would have happened, had he lived. But he hadn't. Everyone in the bar knew that.
She fluttered the strings, hoping they sounded like crackling flames but she hadn't quite had the time to perfect that yet. She finished the final verse, singing of how he'd chosen to save another, rather than himself.
She bowed as she finished singing, hoping it gave her the impression that she was bowing before the deeds of the Young Prince, and not expecting acclaim. She stood up after the applause started.
It was less than she'd hoped. She chewed on her lip as she let her gaze focus back on the crowd.
Most of them were clapping. But quite a few of them were fighting back tears. She frowned. It was a sad song, sure, but she'd hoped it to be more inspiring than that. She'd hoped it would lead them to want to improve, to be selfless, like the Young Prince.
Instead she'd upset them. She frowned and placed the lyre next to the lute and scampered back up to the front of the stage. She said a few basic things, thanking them for listening and hoping they enjoyed her song. It was a standard intermission drivel. Although given how they reacted she wasn't sure she'd get her second half in. And presumably it would hinder her income.
She hopped off the stage and moved to the back table, tossing herself down between Alisen and Kaden. Kaden looked away from her but Alisen, as she always did, immediately gushed about her performance.
The barkeep, tears in his eyes, brought her a glass of wine. She sipped at it, letting the liquid soothe her throat. Tea would have been better, but there was little reason to refuse a drink.
"What did you do to them?" Alisen asked.
"Nothing," she said, peering around. "I thought they might like the song."
"I thought it was great," Alisen responded.
"You like everything," Seralyse scoffed. "I was hoping for something different."
"Only because everything is good!" Alisen countered. It fell flat. Seralyse felt herself frown. She peered down at the wine. She felt empty now that her song was out in the world. It was the first mostly original thing she'd done. She'd hoped for a better response.
She swirled the wine but didn't drink any more. Part of her thought it was time to get drunk and forget about performing. But then a few men approached the table. They were a burly sort, the kind she wouldn't have wanted to encounter on a dark night in an empty alley. She tensed but the lead one put a handful of worn silver coins down onto the table.
He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. He seemed to contemplate it for a time but instead only shook his head. He patted her on the shoulder a few times before turning and moving back toward his table. His companions did the same. She stiffened against the first touch, but realized it was nothing and accepted his money. She thanked him, and his friends, and then the seeming never ending line that approached her after the dam broke.
"I don't get it," she said as the last group walked away. "They all look so miserable. Why are they being so nice?"
"You," Kaden said. He paused after the word. She thought she imagined his voice breaking as he spoke.
"What about me?" she asked.
"You spoke to them. More directly than you know," Kaden said.
"Well I wish I knew. Then I could at least try to improve it for next time," Seralyse said.
"Don't change it," Kaden answered, almost too abruptly.
"Why not?"
"You showed them something better than what they are. You gave them an ideal to strive for. There isn't a man in here who didn't listen to your song and long for better times," Kaden said.
"But I want them to strive for better times not long for them," Seralyse frowned.
"Longing for them will lead them into doing more. You've inspired them. They're going to think about that for days. And it may make them try to improve things. Whatever form that takes," Kaden said.
"You make it sound ominous," Seralyse frowned.
"It might be," Kaden shrugged.
"I'm hardly telling them to revolt," Seralyse countered, seeing where he was leading the conversation. "In fact I'd say the opposite. I'm telling them how great their royals can be."
"Which is juxtaposed with how bad King Marek is," Kaden answered.
"That isn't my intention," she frowned.
"I don't think Marek the Moron will make that distinction. Especially if you look around lately. If he sees something like this he's liable to take your tongue," Kaden said.
"That would be stupid of him," Seralyse scoffed. She would be able to prevent that from happening, if it indeed was even something that could happen. It may take a bit of silver-tongued wizardry but she was confident she could save her own tongue. Even from Kaden's favorite moron.
"Never doubt how petty they can be," Kaden said.
"You sound like you have experience," Alisen retorted. Kaden made to comment but the tavern keeper returned with another round. Seralyse sniffed at her drink and found cheeks warming when the man asked if she'd consider staying a few days.
She looked toward Alisen and Kaden. The Volkar was staring up at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet. Kaden looked back at her with an expression that told her all she needed to know. It was her show, and thus, her decision.
She told the man she'd think about it but she needed to do her second set first. And who knows, after that, they may not even want to see her again. The man laughed at her little joke and made his way back to the bar. She finished her glass of wine and made her way back to the stage.
This time, every eye in the building drew to her and the din of conversation fell by the wayside as she stared at her instruments. She spun around a little, making the small golden sequins on her costume jingle as she made a show of choosing her instrument. It was simple comedy, hopping toward one, examining it, hopping to another, repeating. It drew a couple of laughs from the crowd.
After she settled on the lute she plucked a stool she'd stashed near the back of the stage when setting up and pulled it to the front. She sat down on it and peered across the crowd. Everyone's eyes focused on her.
She played the confused coquette for a few minutes, starting a few songs but not letting any of them get more than a few bars in. Eventually she sighed and looked at the crowd.
She lied and said she always struggled with getting the second set started. Nothing ever seemed to come to her fingers and she could never decide what song to play. Were there any suggestions?
Sometimes there weren't. Which was often a problem. Sometimes it took just a little bit of prodding to get a song yelled from the crowd. But sometimes, like tonight, there were multiple suggestions right away.
She played coy. She mixed the names of titles that were yelled and acted like she didn't know the songs. She pouted, she let her ears and tail droop, she did her best to look like she needed all their help.
And so they gave it. She let the ploy go until the whittled down the songs to two. And then she picked the one that got the loudest reactions from the crowd. It was a trick as well, as she'd play the other song second. But they didn't need to know that to start.
They joined in with the rousing drinking song they'd picked. And then with the second. From there, suggestions flowed from them. She played for another ninety minutes or so before she exhausted herself.
The crowd yelled for more but she shook her head and fanned herself with her hand. They clamored for an encore but she wasn't sure if she had it in her. But the enthusiasm filled her. Any doubt that her performances were lacking had since filtered away from her mind.
When they requested her song once again she knew they'd won. She sighed, doing her best to hide her smile and fake looking annoyed at them as she started on the familiar notes.
The place erupted when she finished. It was far more the reaction she'd hoped for when she'd composed the song. She bowed to them this time and walked to the back of the stage to start collecting her things and to clean up.
They didn't let her. A handful of them followed her, asking to buy her a drink or dinner or anything. She tried to refuse, but they weren't having it. Alisen intervened, putting herself between Seralyse and the others, and organizing their platitudes.
She appreciated the woman's efforts. Even if she knew the only reason Alisen was helping was to con her way into a free meal. Still, it worked. She found herself the guest of honor.
Somewhere in there they started to share their stories. Of visits by the King or his nobles. Of the festivals sponsored by the royal family. Of the senseless tragedies that were The Tournament of the Betrothal and Katia Hall.
She let them talk. There seemed to be no reason not to. Most of them, she thought, needed an outlet that had yet to appear in the decade since it happened. It went on for hours. She felt her eyes drooping as she tried to stay supportive, happy and helpful. But it wasn't long before she could feel her focus slipping.
Kaden saved her.
"It's time for the Siren to go to bed," he said. There were some groans and complaints from those around her.
"I'm sure we'll still be here tomorrow," Alisen said, which placated some of them. Seralyse herself wasn't sure of that, but she didn't see much of a point to argue. Instead she yawned as Kaden took her hand and led her toward the stairs. It wasn't until halfway up the stairs that she realized he was holding her as he pulled her forward.
She wondered just what that meant as he led her down a hallway. She felt her heart start to race as he approached a room at the end of it. She wondered what Kaden expected from her. She wondered what she would do. She found she wasn't breathing when he opened the door.
Inside she saw a steaming bath. The scent of lavender filled the room. She paused and stared at it, finding the thought of a warm bath more intoxicating than the wine.
"Compliments of the owner," Kaden said. He offered a small key to her. She took it more on instinct than anything. "You're in room seven. All to yourself."
"Oh. That's nice of them," she said. "I have to make sure I thank them."
"I already did."
"Thank you," she said.
"Me?" he laughed. "You're the one who got us free board, food and drink."
"Sometimes I get lucky," she smiled. He nodded and turned away from the bath.
"Good night, Seralyse. Enjoy your bath," he said as he turned to walk down the hallway. She wondered if she should say something. If she should call him back. If she should ask if he wanted to stay with her.
But before she could think to say anything he ducked into one of the other bedrooms. She stared at the door for a few moments before deciding she wanted nothing more, at least in that moment, than to wash the grime from the road and the performance from her body.
She shut the door to the bathroom and started to strip off her costume. She figured anything else could wait until the morning. By the time she sank into the water she was practically asleep anyway. She closed her eyes and let the warmth spread over her as her mind lingered on the events of the day.
Her thoughts filtered back to her song. It had been a hit. That was far more than she could have hoped. Already she wanted to stay and perform it for them once more.
Kaden's words rang through her head, though. Perhaps it could be used to inspire. Or to push people to be better. And if that was the case. Then there was little point in staying in one spot. She needed to spread her lyrics around the world. She needed to keep moving and keep traveling. And that, she figured, would be what they could do come morning.
Thoughts of moving vanished almost as soon as her tired muscles submerged in the warm, soapy water. It took her a few moments to get comfortable in the tub. But her tail made that often the case.
She only relaxed for a few moments before washing herself. Her mind wandered as she did, settling on Kaden and their journey and other things that could be done in a bath. She shook the thoughts from her head and finished cleaning herself. Once she was finished she relaxed in the water until it was cold.
She pulled herself out of the tub once she couldn't tolerate the temperature of the water. She scampered around the small room and found two small towels. Which would work for drying herself off, but not much else.
A knock at the door distracted her. She felt her body tense as she turned her gaze toward the door. She'd been drying her tail, which was doing more to make it poof out of control than anything.
"You drown in there?" Alisen asked from the other side of the door.
"Not yet," she answered.
"Kaden mentioned it didn't look like there were a lot of towels. I brought some more and a robe," Alisen said. She opened the door and slipped into the room.
"Hey!" Seralyse squealed, making to cover herself with what little was available. The Volkar rolled her eyes.
"You don't have anything I haven't seen before," she countered. She handed one of the larger towels to Seralyse and placed the folded robe on the nearby counter.
"Not the point," Seralyse scoffed. Alisen peered at her and raised her brows.
"Mine are bigger," she said.
"Oh shut up," Seralyse said as she used one of the towels to dry herself off quickly. She wrapped it around herself, ignoring her twitching tail as it was confined under the towel. She wrapped the other around her head and tried to dry her hair and ears. Alisen waited until she was done to take the towels from her and offer her the robe.
She threw it over her shoulders, attempting to wrap her tail around her waist as she did. But it never quite liked staying like that for more than a few minutes.
"The owner wanted to know if you wanted any food sent up. And if your performance was a one time thing," Alisen said. Seralyse shook her head.
"No and I don't know. I think Kaden wants to keep moving."
"But what do you want? You're the one in charge," Alisen said.
"To get home," Seralyse answered. But she sighed after she spoke and turned her gaze back to the tub. "But a few days of nice accommodations might be a welcome change."
"I agree," Alisen said. She walked with her to her bedroom. It was modest, little more than a bed and a vanity with a dirty mirror. But it was better than sleeping curled into a ball in her caravan. And it was insulated enough that she didn't hear anyone snoring. The Volkar said something to her but she didn't listen to the specifics. Instead she threw herself into the bed and drifted off.
The sun was nearly at its zenith when she bothered crawling out of the bed the next morning. Given that Kaden hadn't impatiently banged on her door for hours on end she assumed most of the group was okay with staying in the town.
There was a middling crowd in the tavern when she emerged. Alisen fluttered to her side in an instant. She was given a free breakfast and then the negotiations began. On her way down she'd been a bit of a pushover when it came to this. She was so surprised that people actually let her perform that she'd often sell herself way short. Sometimes she even believed them when they'd say she'd need to pay for the honor of playing on their stage.
She agreed on three more nights, a percentage of the gross, and three rooms for her and her companions. They would pay for meals. But she'd long since learned she could weasel those out of patrons if need be. And she suspected that given some free time in the city her companions would explore rather than stick around while she worked.
Kaden seemed grumpy about it when she told him they'd be staying. But he didn't say anything to her. He tended to loiter around her, which made her wonder if he was taking his duties as bodyguard perhaps too serious. She didn't think she needed constant supervision. Outside of Lord Millwood, no one had attacked her personally on the entire trip. Her belongings were more often the target.
She enlisted Alisen to help with her laundry. Largely because it got all of her costumes clean and she didn't have to help at all. She wasn't quite sure what the Volkar was trying to do. But if she wanted to be her errand girl, she wasn't going to argue with it. At least until she asked to be paid. That would throw a wrench in the works. But now, she'd take the extra hands.
It allowed her to spend time doing things like wandering around the town with Kaden. He handed her a box of chocolates on one of the walks on their second day. She was about to go to town on them, given that she'd skipped lunch, when he'd stayed her hand.
He'd taken her into a downtrodden area of the town and the local scamps swarmed her. She ended up giving all of the candies away, which was disappointing. On the way back Kaden told her it was by design. They'd tell their parents of the generous Siren and would remember it for years, if she was ever to return.
They certainly remembered it that evening, as the tavern was absolutely packed to the gills. To the point that Kaden was conscripted to help the bartender and Alisen hovered on the back of the stage eager to help out with any possible need.
The crowd was so into it she did three sets rather than two. When the crowd finally dispersed she was exhausted. She swayed on her feet until Kaden caught her. She burrowed her face into his neck as he carried her up the stairs and to her bedroom.
By the next afternoon they were on their way once more. It was a slow start. Kaden let her sleep in, not rousing her until they were ready to go. He didn't even complain when she insisted on a bath and breakfast. Her hair was still damp by the time she climbed onto the front of the caravan with him.
He'd insisted on it. Although she was fairly sure he hadn't expected Alisen to slide onto the end as well. She smiled and waved at the kids who ran next to the horses as Wyckham led them out of the town on Julius.
It wasn't until they hit the outskirts of the city that he pulled out another box of chocolates.
"I got you these," he said, practically putting them in her lap while he held the reins with one hand.
"Oh, uhm, why?" she asked, peering around for someone that she was supposed to give them to.
"You looked so disappointed the other day when you didn't get to eat them. Figured I owed you," he said.
"Thanks," she answered, pulling the box open and staring at the perfect sweets inside.
"Did you bring enough for everyone?" Alisen teased, looking down at the box as well. "Some of us skipped breakfast." She reached over to take one but Seralyse stopped her with a swat of her hand and a growl.
She was being dreadfully rude though, so she sniffed at the box and plucked one out and handed it to the Volkar.
"You can have that one," she said. The albino woman took it and bit into it.
"Lemon cream? Not bad," she said as she ate it. Kaden chuckled. If the witch noticed she didn't comment.
Instead Seralyse found herself relaxing against the caravan, occasionally popping a chocolate into her mouth, as the horses led them deeper into the dusty Calabarian countryside. In her mind she felt like a popular Queen, who people would be proud to see. She let the fantasy fill her head as the landscape filtered past.
Author's Note: This marks the mid point of the campaign. After this it heads into its main plot point. However the story as a whole shifts back to Hogwarts for the next three chapters with returns to Neville, Daphne, and Ron to show how the comradery is developing back in real time.
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. I do appreciate all of the support I receive. If you wish to support me further I am available as TE7writes on PAT RE ON. There are ten additional chapters of this story already live there, as well as the concluding chapters of my other WiP, Cleansing the Sins of the Past. Thanks again!