“At the very least,” agreed Jason.
Henry added some fresh sausage to his makeshift grill. “Yup.”
To one side, Tanushree nodded. “Nora, since you can fly, could you head to a nearby warehouse where we stashed our food and bring us another box of it? We’re about to run out and people keep trickling in.”
I glanced behind me and saw she was correct. “Alright, but why me?”
“We’re staying...circumspect.” When I gave her a confused look, she clarified, “We are hiding.”
“Oh, alright.” I could understand that. Then I warned, “I can’t go too high, so it’ll take me a while.”
“This is not a problem. You can eat before you go, and eat when you get back if you’re still hungry.”
That sounded like a great deal to me, so I waited until Henry handed me a plate of breakfast food—eggs, sausage, and rice. I’d never tasted anything so delicious in my life.
While I ate, Tanushree tapped her chin with a finger and gave a meaningful look at Tony, who nodded back. She said, “Nora, I am going to try fixing your living situation while you are getting the supplies for us. Oh, while you are doing that, grab about half eggs and half sausage. They are in different boxes so you will need to move some things around.”
“What?” I asked. The sound came out muffled because my mouth was full.
“Half sausage, half eggs.” Tanushree began fishing in a pocket for something. “I am going to send a MMB while you’re gone.”
“MMB?”
“Magic Messenger Bird.” The noblewoman’s eyes grew distant, and I decided not to interrupt her again. Aristocrats were all short-tempered and crazy. If this one was actually trying to help me, I definitely didn’t want to irritate her.
After my first helping of food was done, I nodded at everyone, and silently rose to rooftop level. I kept an eye on the streets below as I floated from building to building, moving much, much slower than I usually did.
As it turned out, finding the warehouse, preparing a box of food to carry, and coming back probably took about fifteen to twenty minutes. By the time I returned, Tanushree had already found me a room at an inn nearby and told me a messenger would visit there later to bring me some new clothes. She further explained that my meals would be free at the inn.
The wave of gratitude I felt almost knocked me from my feet, but I managed to keep my dignity through another plate of food before making my goodbyes and limping away.
***
That evening, after I’d cleaned up and tried on the new clothes I’d been given, I was actually feeling more like myself again. My room wasn’t large, but it was clean. The food at the inn seemed to be good, at least from what I’d smelled. I was fully intending to try some of it in about half an hour.
This room would be great to rest for a few days, to heal up. I was no thief, but Tanushree hadn’t told me when I needed to leave, so I assumed I could stay as long as I wanted.
As I was lying in bed, I thought about the last few weeks, everything that I’d done. I wondered about Tanushree’s group—I’d never even asked for their last names, or occupations. My mind kept returning to that man, Tony, too. I’d seen flashes in his eyes, as if behind his kindness and calm, deep down, he was terrified, like his life was out of control or he couldn’t figure out what to make of it.
If so, I could relate.
Suddenly, I heard a chime in my head like the one I’d heard before seeing text about the new king of Berber. The sound startled me, but I kept my cool. Based on the scream I heard from somewhere else in the inn, everyone else hadn’t kept their composure.
This time after the chime, instead of seeing text, I heard a familiar voice.
This is the Great God Dolos! I have an announcement to make! People of Ludus—
Actually, are mortals really people? Do experiments or livestock have rights? That doesn’t seem accurate. I will have to think of a new way to refer to all of the limited races on my pleasure planet—especially those Terrans. Ugh. I could almost forget what a terrible chore it is to provide for all these creatures if not for the Terrans, mucking about in their own filth and violence.
How do mortals even tolerate their own existence? It is good that all the simple creatures don’t just kill themselves since that would not serve my greater plan. But if they did, it would probably be logical. Alas, or luckily, the drive to eat too much, fornicate too much, or take too many drugs is probably too strong. Ironic that little creatures that claim to revere life so much are always trying to escape it. Bewildering, disgusting things, mortals.
I loathe speaking to such primitive beings, but I have a message. In my great wisdom, the alert and classification for a Dolos orb-Bonded or Mo’hali Hero is deactivated as of this moment. Since mortals are slow, I will explain this in simple words. None of the major sentient species on Ludus—Areva, Adom, Mo’hali, Fideli, or ack, Terrans, will hear a chime or see any notifications anymore while laying eyes on a Dolos orb-Bonded or Mo’hali Heroes.
The bounty for all these types is still in effect, though. As before, any Mo’hali Hero or Dolos orb wielder slain will result in a spirit stone or Dolos orb as a reward for the killer. How exciting! As before, each reward will be random.
This should be interesting. Have fun continuing with your little game, mortals. The Great God Dolos is merciful and indulgent! I have given at least some small meaning to your otherwise pointless, insignificant lives. You are welcome.
The message ended there.
My mind spun, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard. One thing was sure, I’d be buying a newspaper in the morning. Someone out there had been smart enough to write everything down, and the entire announcement would get printed.
I could only shake my head, not sure what to think. Instead of dwelling on it, I stood to find some food. It seemed the world was going to change again, which would bring more trouble. If any came my way, I wanted to face it at my best, and that meant I needed to rest. I was too old and too experienced now not to take my recovery seriously.
With Eneus minimized around my wrist, I passed other patrons in the inn as they rushed around in panic, discussing the new message with excitement, dread, or both.
I briefly wondered what some of these people would do if they knew I was orb-Bonded. Would they try to kill me in my sleep? Were they disappointed now after the message that ‘Bonded and Mo’hali Heroes were less easily recognizable again?
My dark thoughts persisted while I devoured my casserole.
Acceptance
My time at the Red Flower Inn passed mostly uneventfully. Since I barely went outside and I didn’t keep up with the news, I wasn’t sure how the city was reacting to Dolos’ new message. For the moment, I didn’t care much. Based on the amount of yelling and bustle on the street outside, there was definitely something going on, but it could have been the city still reacting to having been attacked, or the rebuilding efforts. Mensk was loud now, day and night, and for good reason.
A doctor had visited me before the end of my first night in the inn, and now after a few more days of rest, I was feeling much better. It was around this time I suddenly sat up straight in panic directly out of a nap. “The Mensk Officer Academy!” I gasped. I’d forgotten all about it, completely lost track of time! Did I only have a couple days before it started? Did it already start?
I spent the next hour frantically asking people in the inn’s common room for news. Finally, a rabbit-race Mo’hali woman looked at me like I was stupid and said, “Don’t you read the news? It was in the newspaper for the last few days. The Academy’s welcoming ceremony has been postponed. It seems some of the nobles have finally been forced to actually do some work and help with the crisis. Their ritzy school wouldn’t be much with nobody there. The average intelligence would probably be higher, though.”
Wow, this one has a mouth on her, I thought. I made excuses as fast as I could to get away from the opinionated Mo’hali and when I was back in my room, I thought mo
re about what she’d said. The rabbit girl must have felt safe airing her opinions because of my simple appearance. I was glad I didn’t stand out, and I was grateful that most people had no way of knowing how priceless my weapons and armor were.
I spent most of the next day resting, my stress level the lowest it’d probably been for years. After realizing that I needed to send out some messages, I went through all my pockets and pouches, cursing that I’d run out of gold. Luckily, I was able to find pebbles of it later that day by hovering through alleys. My eyes were not sharp enough to spot the worthless metal, but Vistvis was able to help. Once I had enough, I melted it together into nuggets and called magic messenger birds one at a time, handing them messages I wanted delivered. One went to Jessica, one went to CSM Rakles, and the last was addressed to Beem back in Bittertown.
Sending messages to Benjamin and to Reesi had been tempting, but I’d decided not to for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, I thought ignorance might be bliss for both of them. An added bonus had been avoiding scrounging for more gold to pay the magic messenger birds with.
What had Tanushree called them? I wondered. MMBs?
I definitely hadn’t forgotten my benefactors, so when a messenger from the palace came looking for me later that night, I wasn’t surprised. The fact that Tanushree wanted to meet with me the next day wasn’t totally unexpected, either. What got my attention was the signature.
-Lady Tanushree Southwest Winter Cannes Bobrik
Bobrik. Even I knew that family name. I softly asked myself, “Nora Hazard, what did you get yourself into this time?”
***
I met with Tanushree the following night. She swept into the inn with two other women, probably bodyguards. They all probably imagined they were being sneaky with the hoods of their cloaks up, but they stood out even more that way. I’d heard that noblewomen spent too much time indoors and far too much time listening to audio dramas from mag-recorders. It seemed this might actually be true.
After we were all in my room, Tanushree sent her guards to stand outside the door, and I inwardly groaned. For someone obviously trying to be secretive, she had a lot to learn. Then again, she was rich, powerful, probably orb-Bonded, and a shiner’s shiner. She probably didn’t really need to learn anything. I could only imagine how easy her life had been, but I couldn’t deny the fact that she wore self-confidence and command naturally, likely from a lifetime of experience. She was likely very highly educated, and skilled in disciplines I couldn’t even imagine, like diplomacy and politics.
Some noblewomen were empty-headed and spent their time bathing and trying to collect men. Tanushree was not cut from that cloth, which was obvious in a number of ways. Our first meeting had been one example. She’d reacted instantly and decisively when she’d suspected I’d been a threat. I could appreciate that.
All in all, the young Bobrik was impressive. I had to give her credit, and also admit we could not have been any more different. Maybe the only similarity we had was both being fighters. Back when I had first met her, she had looked to be recovering from combat too.
Tanushree threw her hood back a bit theatrically and glanced around before taking a seat on the desk chair in my room. I sat on the bed. She quirked an eyebrow at me, but I met her eyes evenly. The message I’d gotten had clearly stated who she was, and I should probably be bowing and scraping right now, but rot that. Tanushree had helped me out, and I respected her, but I was not the type to grovel.
Not only that, while I’d decided not to be a bully, I wasn’t about to start pretending that I was a meek little scholar. Tanushree had called this meeting, so I wanted to make it very clear who I was to avoid any misunderstandings in the future. I still wanted to go to school in Mensk, and that meant I likely needed to coexist with people like this, and with Tanushree in particular.
Rather than getting annoyed at my casual attitude, Tanushree’s eyes smiled, and I decided we might be able to get along after all. Strong people who were not threatened by other strong people were a lot less likely to be bullies.
“So are we just going to stare at each other, or are you going to get to the point?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong, you are a shiner, but I don’t swing that way. Besides, I thought you were with Tony.”
Tanushree’s cheeks colored, but she kept her face straight. I could tell she was embarrassed, but also amused, and had the self-control to hardly let it show. This girl really does have some toughness, I admired. I wonder where she got it from?
“The fact you said the last bit is incredibly ironic given what I am about to tell you, Nora Hazard.”
I raised my eyebrows.
Tanushree adjusted her cloak. “I really respect your self-confidence, and I believe it to be well-earned. Over the last few days, I have had people conducting a very, very thorough background check on you.”
That sure got my attention. “Wait, wha—”
“I have no doubt that you could kill me where I stand before my guards could even react. A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine, much less admit such a thing, but it’s one thing to know there are powerful people in the world, and quite another to actually spar with one, or witness a group of them destroy a force of attacking true-demons.”
I made a choking sound, and Tanushree smiled at me sympathetically. She continued, “I have come with a proposal. To get there, we need to cover some things first. We will start with me, then we will move to you.”
This was not how I’d been expecting this conversation to go at all. I’d actually given high odds to Tanushree either kicking me out of the inn, or offering me a job. This was...different. I nodded.
The young noblewoman drew a pen from somewhere and started twirling it in her fingers. She said, “First, let me ask you a question. Do you remember the names of everyone I was with the day you met me?”
I thought for a moment. “Henry, Jason, you, Tony, and a Mo’hali boy. I never heard his name.”
“That was Bezzi-ibbi of the Jaguar Clan.”
The name wouldn’t have meant anything to me four years ago, but after spending time in Tolstey, it sounded familiar. Jaguar Clan, Jaguar Clan, I thought. Something was tickling my memory, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I asked, “The merchant family?”
“Yes. He is a Mo’hali Hero.”
I blinked, still feeling like I was forgetting something. Wait, he’s a Mo’hali Hero? While I digested what she’d said, Tanushree continued, her words hitting me like rocks. “Henry Sato and Jason Booth are noblemen of Berber. They are also connected to various powers in Tolstey. You did not meet Uluula and Mareen, but if and when you do, make sure to be polite.” She paused. “You didn’t meet the goblins either, but that doesn’t matter.”
“Goblins?”
She frowned. “Never mind about them. What is important is that the last person you met, ‘Tony.’”
“Uh huh.”
“Tony is not his real name, it’s a nickname his weapon master has given him. His real name is Aodh Anthony O’Breen.”
That name seemed familiar, but before I could place it, Tanushree nodded like she was confirming something and said, “Yes, the new king of Berber.”
Then I remembered the message over my eye I’d gotten the night I’d come to the city, the one about the new king of Berber. My blood ran cold. We’d met in an alley, then I’d eaten breakfast with, admired, and almost flirted with the king of rotting Berber, all while covered in blood stains and dried guts.
Part of me suddenly wanted to die.
Tanushree was merciless, continuing to talk while I wet my lips in shock. “Our group was instrumental in saving the palace. We crossed Brecken and came out of the hellgate that was inside the shield.”
“Brecken?” I asked, but remembered the name even as Tanushree answered.
“Yes. The hell world that the demons were coming from.”
Before my brain could agree to it, my mouth said, “I did that too.”
Tanushree’s eyes widened a
bit but after a second, she said, “I did not know this, but it does actually make sense and answers a question I had. Now I will tell you what else I know about you.”
“Go ahead,” I said, resigned.
“As you can probably guess, being attached to the palace and knowing the king put me in touch with a large number of informants. When I combined these resources with the ones I’ve built on my own, I was able to get a good picture of who you are. You grew up in Bittertown, suffered hardship, joined a gang, and you were chased out of town in your early to mid-twenties. Around this time, you became associated with the High Priestess Enheduanna, registered as an adventurer, and participated in a large battle or two before joining the Tolstey Army. Is this all correct so far?”
“More or less.”
“Then as an officer, you were chaptered out or left—my information was fuzzy on this part—but you made your way to Bittertown in Berber, where you grew up. Then discovered the plot to attack Berber, and you led a strike against the Asag cultists who were attempting to open the second-largest portal to Brecken. Now that I know you’ve been to Brecken too, I understand how you got to Mensk so fast. This was a hole in your story before, and made me doubt the timeline I’d put together.”
Tanushree paused for a moment, looking at the floor, and met my eyes again, her expression haunted. “Have you had nightmares since you’ve been back?”
“Every night,” I said. And then, both to bury any suspicions the woman might have and get it off my chest, I elaborated. “In my dreams, I’m in Brecken again. Sometimes the portal closes before I can get to it, sometimes I get caught by demons, and sometimes a hand comes from the sky and pins me to the ground. I’m always trapped and can’t leave, stuck there forever. I usually wake up feeling like I’m dying.”
“A little different than mine, but similar,” she said and pressed her lips together. “All the defenders of Mensk and the other cities attacked by demons have been through something traumatic, and I have organized licensed spirit healers to hold group sessions with anyone involved—for free, of course. I’ve been thinking about doing the same for my friends because of our trauma from surviving Brecken, and regardless of how this conversation goes, you are welcome to join us.”
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