by Duke Kittle
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Tina blinked as the magic of her paper doll faded. She looked down to see the shredded paper which remained of it and rested her hand on top of the pieces. Her gaze returned to the window through which she could once again see the starry night cast against a crescent moon. She knew well enough it was just an illusion, but it was still a peaceful scene which was the entirety of its purpose.
Rising from her seat, Tina carried the pieces of the shredded doll to the fireplace and leaned down next to the bottle of dancing flames resting in it. The fires were looking a little dim and lethargic as they drifted about. With the spell placed on the bottle, she knew they wouldn't go out, but it saddened her to see them growing tired. With the investigation going on, she hadn't been paying enough attention to the flames.
Tina knelt down and pulled the cork out of the bottle. Standing it up, she rested the hand filled with shredded paper on top of it and let the paper spill down into the bottle. The flames, excited to be fed, darted around in a flowing spiral as they consumed the paper. Tina smiled as she watched them dance. It seemed like a very simple existence. But after all, the fires weren't really anything more than everglow flames animated by a firefly spell.
Putting the cork back in, Tina set the bottle onto its side. She needed to return to the inn so she could find Exil'idya, but watching the everglow flames dancing around inside the bottle, she found herself wishing for a little more peace.
While she watched the flames drifting about, her thoughts turned to Kravek. After returning to the Stumble Drum, Kravek had told Tina he wanted to check with the foreman at the docks to see if there was any work to be done. She had to admit she admired Kravek's commitment to his duties. The thought of Kravek having lost his people made Tina frown. Through all the work she had been doing over the last few years, she hadn't been keeping up so much with the world as with her job. Out of the last ten years, she had spent only two teaching in Kerovnia. Being away so often had started to wear on her.
The sound of a heavy thud against the door to her room snapped Tina out of her thoughts. Pushing up to her feet, the wizard walked to the doorway and put her hand on the arch. She'd heard a distinct thud against the door, but not much else. Something must have hit the door in the Stumble Drum.
Tina sighed. Even if the sound had been an accident, she needed to stop letting her mind wander and get back to work. If she could find Exil'idya and release the souls of Kaelus and Malidath, the Dragon Eaters would eventually starve as the aetherium in the mine lost its potency. Tina didn't like the idea that Leilani and Nana would pay the price for their master's choice. But with their souls invested in the Dragon Eaters' bodies, she was afraid there was nothing she could do.
Tina picked up the torch from its bracket on the wall, and it ignited on its own. She made her way down the familiar, cobble-stone hall leading to her door and, once at the other end, put the torch into its bracket next to the door. With a twist of the handle, she stepped outside into the Stumble Drum.
Tina hadn't expected to see Kravek and wasn't disappointed in her expectation. She could see the shutters on the front windows of the Stumble Drum had been pulled, but even so, she knew nightfall to be coming on. The chairs had already been stacked on top of the tables, though she couldn't see Willa or Beth in the tavern area. Even Mr. Kilba was absent as Tina turned to look behind the bar.
The sudden, sharp impact of metal against Tina's shoulders slammed her down against the counter. She saw stars and felt a tingling pain shoot from the base of her neck all the way down her spine and jump into her fingertips. In her dazed state, she heard metal scraping against the bar counter as fingers wrapped around her, and she was lifted. Her glasses had fallen from her face when she was struck which made the world that much more blurry while she was still reeling from the blow.
As Tina was lifted up in front of someone's face, she heard a familiar voice. It was little more than an angry growl with barely intelligible words coming out.
“I. Owe. You. Much.”
It was Captain Cephalin's voice. Tina gasped as he squeezed her tightly in his bladed gauntlet. He growled at her, and Tina felt his hot breath wash over her as he raised her to the end of his muzzle. She didn't have time to conjure a spell as he spread his jaws.
They snapped closed suddenly with a sickening crunch.