"All right, I'd say it's ready." Attrei put away the wooden spoon and observed the thick yellow paste in the bowl. Dante and Anastasio had gotten all the ingredients from Claudio's list, the instructions weren't complicated, and Claudio was nearby if anything went wrong, but he couldn't help being anxious.
The skin tan wasn't so bad. He'd often thought how cool it'd be if he could tan, instead of getting crimson like an undercooked shrimp, and the lotion had a pleasant smell. And the result wasn't bad at all! He was paler than he wanted – he'd hoped he'd be as dark as Anastasio, but was only a little darker than Mario – but Dante noted that with how bright blue-green his eyes were, it'd be too obvious it was a disguise if he were darker.
But this bright yellow paste… Dear Maker. Should he hope that it would work, or that it wouldn't? He handed the bowl to Dante. "What do you think?"
The boy glanced at the paste, then checked Claudio's instructions again. "Did you already put in the saffron? And the vinegar?" When Attrei nodded, he put the list down and smiled. "Then all that is left to do is to apply it."
"Yes," Attrei said anxiously. "I wish we'd thought of taking the wig I had in Gwaren," he muttered.
"This will be much better," Dante encouraged him. "Did you like the wig? I always hated them. They are itchy and you sweat like a pig under them."
"You wore a wig before?"
"Sí, when we had subterfuge training," Dante replied. He dragged two chairs in front of the washbasin with the mirror hanging over it; he put the bowl with the paste, a brush, a comb and several hair clips on one, then pointed to the other. "Do not worry. Please sit down and I will put it on."
With a resigned sigh, Attrei did as told. "Promise you won't laugh if it doesn't work," he said.
"Ser Claudio would not give you a recipe that did not work." He tried to sound cheerful and confident, but his stomach was full of ice. If he messed this up, Ser Attrei would never forgive him. He carefully read the instructions again, although he already knew them by heart – separate the hair into a few sections, apply the paste with the brush, section by section, wait and check regularly to see if it's done… "Trust me."
oOo
Mario knocked on the door of Claudio's room, and walked in. "How's it going?" he asked.
Anastasio and Claudio were sitting hunched over the small desk in the healer's room. Reams of paperwork cluttered the surface. The apprentice put down his quill and flexed his fingers, then put his hands to the small of his back and stretched, as if he was an old man instead of an overgrown rug rat. Anastasio glanced over at Claudio, but the healer gave no indication of having heard. The boy answered instead. "Fine, ser. We are almost done."
"That's great news," Mario said. "You should take a break. Dinner will be served in fifteen minutes."
"Mmhmm," was the only reply Claudio gave him. With a sigh, Mario left again.
Attrei now. He, at least, should've been done a long time ago. The fact that he didn't come out to share the news could only be bad news. Attrei, dark and blonde. Mario tried to picture him dark as Anastasio and sandy-blond like Dante and giggled. It was ridiculous. Well, at least there'd be some reason to laugh a bit.
With that, he walked over to Dante's room, knocked, and walked in.
"Are you done yet?" he asked, surprised, when he saw Dante still holding the bowl.
"We have just finished, ser. We had to do it twice." Dante explained, looking towards the fireplace.
Mario followed his gaze to Attrei, sitting with his head down, wringing his hands, looking nothing like himself. "Aww, damn. You actually look good."
Attrei lifted his head. "What?"
"I thought you'd look funny," Mario admitted. "But I like this… strawberry blond? I think that's what it's called, right?"
"It is?" Attrei asked, hopefully. "I thought it was called orange."
"See? I told you it looks good and does not need to be paler," Dante said.
"Nah, definitely not paler," Mario confirmed. Thank goodness I came before they did it the third time. "This is fine. And it's a great disguise – even I'd have a problem recognizing you on the street! Okay. Dinner will be in a few minutes. Let's go eat – I still have some jobs later."
oOo
That morning, Claudio, Anastasio, and Mario left at daybreak; Claudio wanted to be at the guild the moment they opened. If the registration went smoothly, maybe they could get a job lined up for tomorrow.
They soon found themselves in front of a large lodge-like building close to the center of town. Anastasio followed Mario and Claudio inside.
The room they entered was cavernous, and looked as much like a lodge inside as it did on the outside, constructed all throughout with huge oak logs, from the exposed rafters high above, to the long counter to the left of them, which seemed to be a combination of bar and front desk. The floor, as well as the fireplace at the opposite end of the room – so large that Anastasio could have easily walked inside the opening only having to duck slightly – was made out of smooth river stone. He immediately fell in love with it. Something about the wide open spaces and natural material called to him.
Claudio walked up briskly to the counter. "Buongiorno, signori. I am Gasparo Allesi, a merchant from Antiva, just arrived. I am interested in joining the merchants guild."
"Certainly ser," the clerk replied. "May I see your papers?" The clerk was remarkably unremarkable. In fact, Anastasio couldn't imagine anyone being more perfectly average. He found it a bit suspicious.
Claudio handed over the leather case with all the documents that Captain Jack claimed they'd need – not only the ship documents, but also the certificates of classification, registry, load line and tonnage, maritime labor certificates, and a few others. It had taken two nights and one whole day to forge them all, and while he had done his best, he couldn't help feeling anxious. The clerk shuffled through them, at first perfunctorily, but then slowing down to take a closer look.
"Is anything wrong?" Claudio asked. A normal person wouldn't notice the undercurrent of nervousness in the healer's voice, but Anastasio easily picked up on it.
The clerk looked up. "Oh, no, not at all, ser," he hastened to assure him. "Just making sure everything is in order. The guild charges one sovereign per year for membership."
"Certainly, ser." Claudio put the money on the counter.
"I will need to have the guildmaster sign a certificate for you – you'll need that when you're looking for work. He isn't in his office at the moment, but I can send a runner to you when the papers are ready for you to pick up. Where are you staying?"
"The Crown and Lion Inn," Claudio said. "Thank you."
oOo
Once the Antivan merchants left, the clerk called for a runner. "Peter, get these to Lord Kelton immediately," he instructed, handing over their paperwork. "Just tell him I think I may have found the situation he was looking for."
The runner gave a quick, 'Yes ser!' and was off like a shot.
It took Peter fifteen minutes to make it to the Langdon's estate. He knocked on the door, and was surprised when it opened almost immediately, and even more surprised to find it was the very person he was to deliver the paperwork to – shirtless and barefoot, to boot.
He tried his best to keep his tone neutral; barefoot or not, this was still the son of the arl. "Good morning, my lord," he said, with a bow.
Kelton laughed. "Sorry Peter, I was just on my way to the kitchen when you knocked. I didn't mean to startle you."
"That's okay, my lord," the kid blabbered. "I bring a message from Ser Cobb. He says he might've found the situation you're lookin' for."
"Oh?" Kelton scanned the papers quickly, then nodded to himself. "Thank you, Peter. Just let him know I'll be along presently."
The runner gave another quick bow and took off.
oOo
Claudio briefly rapped on Attrei's door, and immediately walked in with Mario in tow, carrying the walker. Attrei was sitting up in bed, the pup curled up in his lap.
"Well, young man, the time has come for you to stop dawdling in bed. Are you ready to walk again?"
"Finally!" Attrei immediately pulled off his blankets, ready to get out of the bed.
Claudio laughed. "Wait, wait. Mario, could you-"
The thief didn't wait for his command, and had already started pulling the armchairs and the coffee table out of the way. "You need some training too, if this is too heavy for you to move," he teased.
"I will seriously consider it," Claudio said dryly. "The rug, too, please."
Once the floor was empty, he brought the walker next to the bed. "Get up, but slowly – remember the movement we worked on? Good. Do not try to rush it now."
"All right. But why do I need that frame? I thought I'd be walking by myself!"
"This is more fun," Mario said. "There's so much you can do with it!"
"It is a walking aid. You will only use it in the beginning," Claudio said. "It will make you more stable and help you keep your balance. Come on, try it. Hold on to the top of the sides of the frame, and get up."
Attrei obeyed, although he didn't seem quite convinced. "All right, now what?" he said, leaning a bit on the frame.
"Now you lift it, put it a bit ahead of you, and take another step," Claudio explained.
"I can show him," Mario offered.
"No. He needs to re-learn to walk, not to jump around like a monkey in a tree," Claudio said. "Do not lift it too high and do not put it down only on the back legs. Remember, it is to help you keep your balance. Now see if you can walk around the room."
Attrei looked around the room. "That's all?" he asked, disappointed. "You said I'd be missing the time in bed once we start training…"
"I never said that was all," Claudio said. "Come on, get moving."
Attrei tentatively took a few steps around the room, followed by Rask, barking encouragement, her tail wagging with excitement. He tired much sooner than he'd expected, and had to be helped back to the bed. So frustrating! The puppy must have sensed how he felt, because she climbed into his lap and started to lick him, to cheer him up.
"Have some rest now – tomorrow, the hard work starts! The guild has approved our application. I already sent the boys to buy you all you will need."
"Let's just hope we'll find enough jobs," Mario muttered.
oOo
Kelton entered the merchants guild and spotted Michael behind the counter. He walked up to the clerk, the Antivan "merchant's" paperwork in hand. "Thank you for bringing these applicants to my attention, Michael. What did you make of them?" he asked, as he laid the papers on the counter.
"It is very good work, my lord," Michael replied, "but there are little details that show they're forged. Here, let me show you… This, for example – this stationery from Ministero / Ufficio delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti – it's the old version. They changed it a couple of years ago, but the date is only the last Bloomingtide… Tiny details like that. Clearly, they are not professional forgers, but they must care to get the guild registration a great deal if they went to this much trouble. So I remembered what you asked me about – if these guys don't have some sort of a situation, I don't know who does."
Kelton nodded. The ship's registry seemed fine, so it likely really was an Antivan vessel. Only the paperwork specific to a merchant carrier was shady. He couldn't imagine why, but it appeared the men were trying to pass as merchants. Michael was right – whatever their reasons, they would probably be the sort of men who wouldn't pry into his affairs too closely, and would be unlikely to spread gossip about anything they witnessed. It remained to be seen, however, whether or not they were competent enough for his purposes. "Have the guildmaster approve these immediately, and let it be known that they are considered to be 'preferred providers.' We will see what comes of it." Now he had to let Jenny know he needed her help.
oOo
The next morning, Claudio, Anastasio, and Mario left at daybreak; Claudio wanted to be there the moment the jobs were added to the board so that they could choose what suited them best.
There turned out to be several possibilities the mage liked, so he took them all and shuffled through them, sorting them in order from most promising to least.
Claudio pointed to the top sheet. "A merchant is looking for someone to deliver a shipment of lumber to Alamar. And his shop is located between here and the city walls. We will go there first."
It was a short walk, and Anastasio busied himself keeping a sharp eye out; he was hoping to make himself useful in some way, and the only thing he had that Claudio and Mario did not was his Crow training.
The establishment was a lumber mill with a small shop attached to take orders. Several burly men were busy around the mill, some splitting logs or sawing planks, others working on smaller objects like handles. One of the older men spotted them and met them at the entrance to the shop, pulling off his work gloves and wiping one hand on his pants before extending it to Claudio, who was in the lead.
"Good morning, ser. What can I do for you?"
"Buongiorno, signore," Claudio replied politely, shaking the offered hand. "We are looking for a Ser John Cockham. Could you please tell us where we can find him?"
"That would be me."
"I am Gasparo Allesi, and this is my assistant Marcus Fabbri, merchants from Antiva. We are here for the shipment job," Claudio said. "You are looking for someone to deliver your lumber to Alamar, sí?"
"That's right," the man said, suddenly becoming more animated. "I want it to get there right away. When could you set sail?"
"We still need to sort a few things, but we could set sail by lunch," Claudio offered.
"Perfect!" John said, seeming surprised at the quick turnaround.
As the men were wrapping up, Anastasio noticed someone on the busy street the store faced had paused and was watching them closely. When she noticed Anastasio, however, she quickly hurried on. Curious, he thought. He'd have to keep an eye out for her.
oOo
They returned to the inn with two more jobs for the next two weeks. Mario wanted more, but Claudio insisted it was better to take it easy first, until they got some experience. In Mario's opinion it was a silly waste of time – you got experience by doing jobs, the more the better. But this business stuff was all much more complicated than he expected, with so much bureaucracy it made his head hurt just to think about it. Maybe Claudio was right and it was better not to rush it. They weren't real merchants, after all. This was just to make some money – and pass time – until Korlys got back.
What was taking the man so long anyway? If he sailed to Antiva all by himself and got caught or hurt, I'll go and kick his ass myself. Nah… Korlys wasn't so dumb to try to take on Nico all by himself.
But now was not the time to think about that. It never is, is it? the smartass voice said, dripping in sarcasm. Mario ignored it. The ship was to sail out in less than two hours and they still had to pack and do other things.
When they reached the inn, they found the boys in Attrei's room, playing cards. Mario stopped in the door for a moment, observing them, slightly envious of their carefree fun. The puppy was curled up in Attrei's lap, fast asleep, while Ginger chewed on the corner of a card that fell off the table. If Korlys were here, we'd be having fun, too.
Anastasio threw down a trump card with a grin of triumph and raked the cards in. He so wanted to gloat to Dante about taking the trick, but just then Mario arrived. He turned to address the elf. "Ser, Captain Jack says the ship will be ready to sail just as soon as the cargo has been loaded. He says they have already loaded all the provisions we will need for the trip."
Mario couldn't help smirking at 'we'. "It's good to know everything we will need is already loaded," he teased. "I'm sorry, but you – both of you – need to stay here and help Attrei. We're agreed, yes?" He turned to the mage. "Lay low, stay out of any trouble. Don't go out unless you have to – go fly if you need fresh air.
"And don't forget to register all the jobs in the books. Do you remember how, or do you want to go over it one more time?"
Attrei rolled his eyes. "I know and I remember. Just go already, and don't worry about us. You just keep yourselves safe from pirates."
"Don't worry, we'll tell them we're not complete and to come next time you're with us," Mario said. "Oh, but you need to come. We promised Jack." He walked over to the table, picked up the kitty, and put it on his shoulder. "Okay. Let's go get packed."
oOo
Anastasio woke up eager to start the day. Finally Attrei was going to teach him how to be a mage! He raced through breakfast and showed up at the mage's room five minutes early, Dante by his side.
Attrei looked a little nervous, but he had a smile on his face. "Bongiorno," Anastasio said.
"Good morning. Please, sit down." Attrei bit his lip. "I must remind you again that I can't promise it will work and you'll become mages. Don't expect too much."
"You told me you already know the basics from your Crow training," he continued when they nodded. "You were taught breathing techniques, and how to focus your mind. And, you both already know how to wrap yourselves in shadow. That means you already use the magic inside you. Now you need to learn how to bring that magic out, and deliberately use it to shape reality. What do you do when you wrap yourselves in shadow?"
Anastasio glanced at Dante uncertainly. "I am not sure. I just 'see' the shadows and step into them when I want to."
"That's it. That is you, shaping reality, creating shadows where there were none. You will now start to focus the way you do when you want to wrap yourselves in shadow, but instead of doing it – instead of releasing the magic – you will keep focusing on it. Don't step into them. Focus on that moment. Feel the power flowing through you, hold on to it. But, don't be disappointed when nothing happens, if you can't feel anything, or if you can't stay focused. That's normal. It may sound simple, but it takes a lot of practice. I've never heard of any apprentice who managed it on the first try. Or the tenth. Just keep trying. Any questions?"
"No, it is clear," Anastasio heard Dante say as he closed his eyes to concentrate. He had never really thought of what they were doing as magic, so wasn't sure what Attrei meant by 'releasing' and 'holding', but he was determined to try.
Anastasio could see the shadows clearly – it always came to him immediately when he wanted it to. He just stood there, watching it, but didn't really know what else to do. Would it suddenly make a spell or something? And how could he possibly use shadows to make himself a bird? Maybe if he could 'make' shadows by just calling them to mind, he could 'make' himself a bird just by picturing that too? He concentrated intently on looking like a bird, then when he thought he finally got it, he peeked at himself. Nothing. He was the same old Anastasio. Suddenly he felt foolish. He would have closed his eyes again to cover for his mistake, but saw that Attrei had already noticed.
"Let me guess, you tried to cast," Attrei teased. "Every apprentice does. And every apprentice fails. Try again. Don't try to cast. Just be there. Try to stay in that moment, when you're ready to cast shadows, and focus on what you feel like."
Well, that made Anastasio feel a little better, anyway. "But, just looking at shadows is boring. What am I supposed to do?" Not that he wanted to sound ungrateful or petulant, but he could already look at shadows, and in his mind, that didn't really make him a mage. If that were all, every rogue out there was a mage.
"Think of it this way. When you started to train with daggers and swords, you were doing simple poses over and over again, right?" That was at least how Korlys trained Mario. When the boys nodded, he continued. "You didn't start to fight the moment you were given the dagger. You wouldn't know how. See, this is the same. You don't start casting yet. You do the simple poses. When you're focusing on those shadows you should understand how you create them, and the exact moment you do. That's when you gather magic in your mind."
That similarity was encouraging to Anastasio – he was already the best apprentice, so surely he would excel at this, too. He just had to go about it with the same discipline he used with his other training. He closed his eyes and summoned the shadows again, trying to be aware of how he was doing it. But it really seemed effortless to him. He let them dissipate, in his mind seeing himself opening his hand to release them, then tried again. And again. And again. But it always seemed like it just happened.
"But the shadows are just there," Dante said, sounding a bit exasperated. "I want to wrap myself in shadows and they appear. I am not doing anything to make it happen."
"You already automated it that much, huh," Attrei muttered. "I guess we'll have to start from scratch after all. All right. Forget the shadows. You'll start like any proper mage apprentice: try to picture a single flame over your right index finger. Nothing else. Just a single flame."
Anastasio held up his finger and stared at it. After all, he never closed his eyes when he wrapped himself in shadows, so perhaps he didn't need to now. He imagined fire dancing on the tip of his finger. And although, in a way, it did become vivid, it never became real the way the shadows were real.
Frustrated, the apprentice closed his eyes again. This time he imagined he could see himself standing in a circle of light in a darkened room, as if he were outside of his body. It was the same way he sometimes imagined the shadows being in a darkened room, only then he was in the circle of light in his own body. He was holding up one finger in the same way as he was in the real world, but here, fire licked his fingertips. All of them. In both his mind's eye and the real world he opened up his hand, feeling warmth at the end of each finger. Anastasio's frustration melted away, content to just be here, wherever that was.
"All right, that's enough for today," Attrei said. "We'll continue tomorrow. Before you go, tell me what you saw and felt."
Anastasio described everything, including the darkened room and the warmth on the ends of his fingers.
"Really?" Attrei asked. "Wow, that's quite impressive for the first time. Perhaps you'll be a primal mage! We'll continue to work on your focus. How about you?" he turned to Dante.
The boy shrugged. "I didn't see anything extra. I focused on my index finger but it only glowed. There was no flame."
"That's also impressive!" Attrei assured him. "It seems you're already quite good at focusing, but need to work on your strength. Well done, both of you. I think it took me at least three days to achieve this much… Perhaps it's the Crow training you have that helps. But this makes me quite optimistic."
"Thank you." Dante bowed his head, although he didn't appear convinced.
Anastasio followed suit, feeling as unconvinced as his partner looked.
oOo
Korlys sat in a shadowy corner of The Pearl, nursing an ale. He'd been there long enough for the girls to realize he wasn't interested in anything else and move on to more lucrative customers. In truth, he wasn't interested in the ale, either, but it wouldn't do to stick out. Not that it was likely he'd attract much attention from the other patrons anyway – they had other things on their mind. But he would leave nothing to chance if it was in his power to control it.
His gaze roamed around the room, scanning his environment for anything unusual, anything out of place. His Crow training had ingrained the habit of looking for potential threats so thoroughly into him that it was almost unconscious. Most of his attention was concentrated on the front door, but for that he listened, not looked, and since most humans didn't know – or care – that elven hearing far surpassed theirs, he didn't appear to be waiting for someone.
There he is. As predictable as the sunrise, this one. The assassin watched as the Templar made his way to one corner of the bar and ordered a scotch neat. He'd have to move quickly – the blond never seemed to linger too long up front once he'd made his selection. The bartender set a drink next to the man as Sanga started to line up several women for the Templar's inspection. Korlys got up and started making his way towards the bar, one hand in his pocket. He timed it perfectly, arriving next to the Templar only after his attention was fully engaged elsewhere.
As Korlys ordered an Antivan brandy, he slipped the stopper off the vial in his hand. As soon as the bartender turned to grab the bottle from one of the shelves behind him, the assassin poured the contents into the Templar's glass and returned the now empty vial to his pocket.
"Grazie," he said, as he placed his money on the bar. Korlys returned to his seat and waited. It wasn't long before the scotch was finished and the Templar's selection made – a pretty little red-haired girl. As the pair headed to the back, Korlys slipped into the shadows and followed long enough to see which room the couple retired to, then went back to his waiting. The potion he'd slipped into the man's drink acted much like a standard sleeping potion but took a while longer to kick in. Hopefully long enough so that his unconsciousness would seem to the girl to be simply post-sex napping. Korlys doubted Sanga would let the man doze for long – she couldn't afford to tie up the room all night – but he wouldn't need much time.
Impatience made the wait seem longer than it actually was, but finally the redhead came back out, and Korlys slipped into the shadows again. He was in the room, door locked behind him, in less than a minute. The assassin stood motionless in the dark for a moment, listening carefully to the Templar's breathing. Satisfied the man was out, he moved to the window and opened it. He made sure no one was in the alley, then dragged the Templar to the window, not bothering to dress him.
Thankful the blond was thinner and shorter than the first Templar, Korlys lowered him out as gently as possible. The assassin climbed out of the window after him, then hoisted the man over his shoulders like a sack of grain and slipped into the night.
oOo
This time, Korlys didn't bother to wait for his mark to regain consciousness – he'd let a red-hot piece of metal be his wake-up call. As soon as the man was securely tied and gagged, he carefully picked up the brand and applied it to the Templar's forehead.
The effect was instantaneous – the man's eyes flew open so widely it was grotesque. His screams were loud even with the gag, and his body jerked against his bonds so forcefully the chair itself shook. Korlys removed the brand and set it aside as the sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh filled the air, nauseating him. The Templar didn't stop his muffled screaming, of course. That was the thing with burns, they just kept on burning, even after the original source of heat was gone.
But the same thing had happened with his first mark, so he wasn't surprised by it. He steeled himself, holding the memories of all Mario's nightmares, all the fears that still plagued him, in the forefront of his mind, as he wrapped a bandana around his face to help with the smell and got on with his work.
oOo
Korlys returned to the hovel after placing what was left of the body on the Templars' doorstep. He poured some of the water he'd drawn from a community well into a small basin and washed his face and hands, carefully averting his gaze from the little mirror hanging above it as he did so. Then he washed his clothes out and cleaned up all traces of blood around the meager room.
Dawn was breaking as the assassin finished up, dumping the last bucketful of bloody water into the gutter that ran down the alley. Exhausted, he closed the door behind him, sat down on the narrow bed, and looked across the room at the small pantry where he'd stored the food purchased upon his arrival in Denerim. Mindful of the Crows that were still hunting him, Korlys had gotten enough supplies to last the whole stay to minimize the time he spent out in public during the day.
But he found he didn't have any appetite, so he downed a few swallows of cheap brandy instead, wincing at the burning sensation it caused going down his throat. Then he stretched out onto the bed to wait out the long hours of daylight.
oOo
Anastasio took Rask to the back side of the inn where there was a grassy area shaded by a big oak so that the little puppy could do her business if she needed to. Attrei had asked him to, because getting around with the walker was a bit awkward, especially when trying to keep up with a ball of energy like Rask. He didn't mind, though – he was tired of being cooped up. Claudio and Mario weren't due back until tonight, at the earliest, because it took a whole day just to sail from here to there.
The little pup sniffed all around, looking for just the right spot. Anastasio couldn't imagine why. What difference did it make where she pooped? Suddenly, Rask became much more focused. She lifted her head, looked at him, and gave a single sharp bark.
"What do you want? There is plenty of grass here; just pick a spot."
The mabari put her head down again, and followed her nose to the edge of the grass, heading towards the busy street.
"Hey, get back here." Anastasio followed. He squatted down next to her, meaning to pick her up to bring her back to the middle of the yard, when he noticed what looked like the same woman who had been watching them at the lumber mill two days ago. He hadn't spotted her before, because the back of the inn had blocked her from his view. She was standing across the street, but when she saw him looking her way, she strolled off, as if she had merely been glancing in that direction.
"Good girl, Rask," he whispered, petting the dog on the head. Now what? His instinct was to shadow her, to get more information, assess what sort of threat she might be, but he didn't want the pup to follow along and get lost in the crowd or something. He decided to bring her back and find some pretext for him and Dante to leave again. Maybe they'd spot a glimpse of her if they scouted out the town.
oOo
"What's really going on?" Dante asked in Antivan, as they ran downstairs. Anastasio had come back with Rask a moment ago and asked Attrei if they could both go for a walk. Attrei didn't suspect anything, but he knew his partner. And that air of urgency and excitement. Something was going on, something potentially dangerous, something that required Crow apprentices.
"The morning I went with Claudio and Mario to look for jobs, I spotted a woman watching us closely. When she saw that I had noticed her, she left. A moment ago, I saw her across the street from the inn, watching us. She's quite striking – fair skin, high cheekbones, delicate bone structure, dark red, shoulder-length curls. I'm certain it's the same person."
"If she's been following us, she might still be around, watching the inn from another place," Dante said. "Let's pretend we're going to the market; if we spot her again, we'll know for sure she's been spying on us. We can easily lose her at the market and see what we can find out about her. What do you think?"
"Just what I was hoping you'd say," Anastasio said with a grin. As they started out, he could hardly contain his exhilaration. Finally they were getting to use their talents! The apprentices strolled down the main street as if they were just carefree boys idly killing time.
For the next half an hour, there was no sign of her or anyone acting suspiciously. Dante didn't complain, however – it was still better than playing the eighty-seventh match of cards or dominoes. They got themselves their favourite ice cream – vanilla and cherry for him, and double dark chocolate for Anastasio – and strolled around the weapons and armour stands, although the stuff they sold couldn't possibly be compared to Crow daggers.
Finally, he caught a glimpse of red. Perhaps dying Attrei's hair wasn't a waste of time after all – red hair was too easy to spot. He discreetly nudged Anastasio. "The stand with belts and pouches. Is that her?" he asked softly, pretending to admire a steel shield.
Anastasio glanced in that direction, disguising the action by pretending something on the armorer's table had caught his attention. There was no one there, however. "Where?" he asked quietly. Perhaps he had misunderstood which direction his partner meant.
"Brasca. I guess that means it was her. And that she's good." He paused, thinking what to do next. "Let's go back," he suggested. "If we lose her now, she'll know we're on to her. We'll ask Ser Attrei to put glyphs on our clothes, and then we can try to find out more."
Anastasio agreed, but was disappointed they wouldn't have much to report, other than that they were definitely being followed. But Dante was right – they couldn't risk tipping their hand, and Ser Attrei needed to know the situation, in case they needed to act. They made sure to stroll back to the inn as if they hadn't noticed a thing, keeping a sharp lookout all the way back.
oOo
"Ser Attrei," Anastasio said, as he and Dante walked into the mage's bedroom. "We have some unfortunate news." He glanced at his partner, who seemed perfectly happy to let him be the bearer of bad news.
Attrei looked up from a book, alarmed. Ser? They hadn't called him that for… well, from day one. What had – oh no. There must have been a shipwreck. Or a pirate attack. Or maybe they have news on Korlys, something happened, and they're afraid to tell him. "What news?"
"We are being watched. The same woman has shown up several times in the last two days, watching us closely. She is very skilled at remaining concealed. I have gotten several glimpses of her, but that is all."
"Oh." Attrei gave a little laugh of relief. "The way you started, I thought… never mind. She's very skilled, you say… Do you think she's a Crow?"
Anastasio looked at his partner again, and could tell Dante felt the same. "No, she is good, but no Crow. We never could have spotted her – certainly not three times – if she was."
"That's both good news and unsettling." Attrei drummed his fingers on the book. "Whoever she is, we cannot take risks. How about this – we'll pack our things now. I'll put glyphs on your clothes. Then we'll go down for lunch, as if we're not aware of anything wrong. You will discreetly go find another inn, and learn anything about the lady you can. But do not take any risks! Your safety comes first. Promise me that! Once we know where we'll be staying, I'll go warn Mario and Claudio."
Anastasio and Dante agreed eagerly, glad that someone who respected their talents was finally in charge! They hurried to their rooms to get packing.
oOo
Mario leaned against the railing, watching the horizon. He knew, of course, that they were still hours away from shore – the captain said they wouldn't arrive before five, even if the weather remained as good as it was now. Still, he couldn't help it. What if Korlys had returned while he was gone?
Seagulls glided around the ship, occasionally diving into the sea to catch a fish. If only Mario could change into a seagull! He could fly back… or even look for Korlys. Now that would be worth being a mage… Hm. Maybe he should ask Attrei. He had nothing to do anyway, sitting at the inn…
Suddenly, he noticed a seagull that wasn't interested in fishing at all; it was headed directly to the ship – to him. So much for sitting at the inn.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the moment it landed on the railing. Korlys, he has news about Korlys and it's something bad.
Attrei turned into himself, almost falling overboard in the process. "We have to change inns," he said. "The boys said a woman's been watching the inn and our movements. They don't think she's a Crow, but they only assume that because they were able to notice her. They claim if she was a full Crow, it would be impossible. But… you know."
Mario rolled his eyes. Of course the brats would overestimate the Crows. Who else would have a reason to follow them? "Yeah. Where are we staying now?"
"We booked rooms at The Hatchet. But we haven't moved yet and I didn't cancel the inn for tonight. We're all ready, I'll take the backpacks one by one when I get back, as a sparrow. We'll pretend to have dinner at our inn, then the boys will sneak out, and I'll fly over to The Hatchet. You two go directly there."
"That's a clever plan," Mario said. "What are the boys doing now?"
"Right? We came up with it together," Attrei said, unable to hide his pride. "The boys are trying to find any leads on the lady. We'll know more once we get to the inn."
"Okay. Meet you there."
He ran his hand through his hair as he watched Attrei disappearing in the distance. Not a Crow, the boys said. But then, who? Why? What did it all mean? Was it related to Korlys' leaving?
"I thought I heard Attrei," Claudio stood next to him.
"Yeah. He was here." He glared at the surprised healer. "It seems your former pals just don't know when to quit."
oOo
The Antivan was considering turning in early – the discovery of the second body had stripped the populace of any hope that the murderer had fled, and the streets were virtually deserted – when he noticed a small boy in one of the alleyways near the Templars' barracks. Given the citizens' current state of mind, it was curious enough for Korlys to creep closer to get a better look.
From what he could see, the kid looked to be ten or eleven, and didn't seem to be a member of one of the thieves' guilds; his clothes, although not expensive, were not nearly as shabby as the ones the thieves wore. The boy was carrying what looked to be a ... kitchen knife? ... and was moving as though he was trying to sneak up on someone, although Korlys could sense no one nearby.
As he stepped out more fully into the light of one of the street lamps, the assassin got a good look at his face. He looks a lot like Mario. The resemblance was eerily familiar. He's about the right age. Could it be Mario's little brother, Cory? How likely was it that he would run across him in a city as large as Denerim? But...maybe he thinks Mario is responsible. Maybe he wanted to get in touch with his brother if it really was him.
Speaking to the boy would be a risk, but Korlys was wearing his cloak and could easily hide his face in the shadow of the hood. If it turned out not to be Cory, the kid couldn't see him, and therefore, couldn't identify him to the Templars or city guards anyway.
Decided, Korlys pulled his hood over his head and sneaked behind the kid, but not too close. As it is, he'd probably scare the boy, who really was being an idiot, walking around in dark alleys with only a kitchen knife while a killer roamed Denerim.
As softly as he could, he called out, "Cory?"
The boy spun around. "Mario?" he whispered hopefully, but the next moment his brows furrowed, and he raised his knife. "Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?"
"You look just like Mario, so I assumed you would be his little brother, Cory," Korlys said.
"You know him?" The boy lowered his knife. "Is he here? Can you take me to him? Please!"
Alarmed, Korlys said, "Lower your voice. I do know him, but he is not in Denerim, and no, I cannot take you to him. I approached you because I just wanted you to know that Mario was not involved in what happened to the two Templars."
"But that's his tattoo on the Templars' bodies. I recognize it," the boy said miserably. "When he left, everyone said it was because he killed someone, and now this. But Mario's not a killer, he's not!" Cory's voice trembled as if he was on the verge of tears, but at least he was keeping his voice down.
"No, he is not a killer. Mario is a good man," Korlys said soothingly. "I cannot explain everything to you, I am afraid. Just know he has nothing to do with this, and in fact, is not even aware of it." The first part was a bit of a lie, considering how many men Mario had killed, but that was more because of Korlys than any other reason. And he had good reasons for killing his guildmaster. But Cory did not need to know any of that.
The boy nodded. "You met him after he left?" he asked. "Is he okay?"
Korlys did want to tell Cory some things about Mario – enough to reassure him anyway – but staying here this long was foolishness, and he couldn't afford to endanger his mission, even for Mario's brother. He hesitated. "It is not safe to stay on the street. However, if you follow me to someplace a little safer, I will tell you about him." The assassin realized how that sounded – and frankly, coming from any other man's mouth, it probably would be exactly how it sounded. But, he didn't have time to reassure the boy; he would either follow or not. Korlys turned and made his way quickly to the roof of a nearby building.
Cory hesitated, but then followed after Korlys, who he found sitting with his back to a chimney. "Tell me all," he said breathlessly.
"I cannot tell you everything, but Mario is doing well. He will probably be angry when he finds out I met you. I did not tell him I was coming to Denerim, but I know he would have wanted to give you a message if he had known." Korlys regretted that, but he couldn't take the chance that Mario wouldn't follow. "He talks about you a lot, though, and it is easy to see he loves you and worries about you. If you told me about yourself, maybe I could bring word back to Mario to reassure him that you are fine. He is mostly afraid that you will not stay in school, or that you will become a thief. He wants better for you. Are you still with your Aunt Dinah?"
The boy gave an exasperated little laugh. "Stupid Mario, always worrying about me. I made him a promise, and I'm still keeping it. I am going to school, and I'm still an apprentice as a carpenter... it's him who broke his promise and left me. Tell him that I'm waiting for him and I don't believe the lies they tell about him, but he owes me big!"
Mario would be cut to the quick to hear that his little brother was still waiting for him, Korlys knew. Perhaps he would leave that bit out of it... assuming Mario would even want anything to do with him when he returned. "I will tell him," Korlys promised. "Mario did not want to leave, I do know that, although I cannot give you any more details. But he will be glad to hear that you are still in school and learning to become a carpenter."
Korlys hesitated again. He knew Mario would wish for him to give his brother some money to help out, but perhaps he hadn't thought it through. It was possible that his aunt would assume Cory had stolen it or made the money in some unsavory way. No, best not to take that chance. Mario's brother seemed well-clothed and well-fed, which was better than a lot of kids his age. And he had stayed in one place long enough.
"I have to be going now, Cory," Korlys said as he got to his feet. "But, please keep this meeting just between the two of us. I took a great risk speaking with you tonight." The Antivan paused. Cory might let something slip if he found himself in a situation where he was defending his brother's honor, but he didn't know Korlys' name or what he looked like. Besides, the assassin planned to be out of Denerim as soon as his work was done, and he wouldn't be returning.
"If you would like, you can leave a letter in the place where Mario always used to leave things for you, and I will pick it up on my way out of Denerim and deliver it to him." That would be much safer than trying to rendezvous with the boy – for both of them. "I am sure he will get a message back to you sooner or later if he can, but you must realize it could be months from now." It would take a few more days, at least, to conclude his business here, and he wasn't sure how long it would be until he could catch up to Mario again, especially if they had moved on. But Korlys was confident he could at least track the thief down.
Cory frowned, confused. "Mario can't read," he said suspiciously.
"Well, I could read it to him and write the reply, if he needs me to. But, he has been learning to read and write – a friend of ours is teaching him – so he may be able to do that all by himself," Korlys replied.
"Really?" Cory's face lit up. "That's great! I'll leave it in the tree first thing in the morning before I go to school! But tell him he must write back, okay?"
"I will," Korlys promised, then he slipped away before the boy could say anything else.
AN:
Aaand we're back after a month's break, because life, ya know? xD Thanks, as always, to our awesome betas, Bloodsong13T and Suilven, for all their help and advice!