“Well, you’re not supposed to do anything in a dress like that,” the princess explained, “except to stand around and bask in the admiration.”
“Nonsense,” Sayana said dismissively. “I need to be able to fight, not stand around like…”
“Go on,” Criosa dared her as the wild girl suddenly stopped speaking. Sayana glanced briefly at Nellise, who was shaking her head back and forth, her eyes wide.
“It’s nothing,” the sorceress muttered, eyes on the ground. “I just can’t do what I need to do in that thing.”
“Your point is valid, I suppose” Criosa conceded. “I still think you would have looked stunning in that red dress. Perhaps another time?”
“Perhaps,” Sayana smiled slightly, looking up at the princess with her large green eyes.
“At least allow me tidy your hair a little,” Criosa offered, stepping forward to pull back Sayana’s mop of wild red hair. The princess managed to move it aside for a brief moment before Sayana recoiled, pushing her hair back into place, but not before they all had a glimpse of her slightly pointed ears, revealing her half-elven ancestry to all present.
“I’m so sorry,” Criosa breathed, “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine,” Sayana whispered, taking a heavy winter cloak off a nearby chair and throwing it over her shoulder, allowing her to bring the hood up to obscure her features. Pacian sneezed, the only sound that could be heard for a long moment, contributing to the awkwardness of the situation.
“Perhaps we should get moving, Highness?” Nellise interrupted to draw attention away from the shy girl.
“Yes, I think we’ve had quite enough fun for one evening,” Criosa agreed in a measured voice. “Thank you again, Anita, and I shall forward the balance of my account first thing in the morning.”
“I don’t know about all of you,” Pacian remarked, his breath misting in the freezing cold air as they continued on, “but I’m starving. Can we get something to eat soon?”
“Just as soon as we deliver our package to its destination,” Aiden replied, putting his gloves back on. “Is it far to the castle from here?”
“Not far at all, perhaps fifteen minutes,” Criosa told him.
The sun had well and truly set by now, and the cold, foggy streets were lit by lanterns hanging on poles. Many people were still out and about, though the majority of the population were no doubt enjoying the warmth of their homes on this winter’s evening.
They’d only travelled a few hundred yards when the street opened out into a large, circular area, easily a hundred yards across, with a large statue of a man astride a horse that was rearing up on its hind legs. Around the horse was frozen water, and Aiden assumed it was a fountain in the warmer months.
“This is Foundation Circle,” Criosa informed them as they walked across the open space, in her new role as travel guide. “We have a celebration here at the start of every spring, to remember the founding of the city.”
“Who’s the man on the horse?” Pacian asked.
“King Alaric Roebec, the patriarch of my family who founded the Kingdom of Aielund two hundred and three years ago. If you want to know more, there are extensive texts on his life in the library.”
“No, I think I’ll manage,” Pacian drawled, his allergy to books acting up.
“Do you smell something burning?” Ronan asked, casting his gaze around curiously.
“I’ve smelt little else since we arrived,” Aiden remarked. “I think every single house in this city has a fire burning right now.”
“No, not wood smoke, something… else,” the sailor muttered to himself.
“I smell it too,” Sayana added quietly. “It’s very strange. I’ve never come across anything like it before.”
“Wait, I smell it too, now,” Nellise said. “I think it’s coming from up ahead.” Lit by the glow of nearby lanterns, a scene of destruction was visible before the group as they approached the eastern street leading from the Circle. Makeshift wooden gates were placed across the street and a member of the Watch was diverting people away from what appeared to be a crater in the middle of the street with acrid smoke wafting into the breeze. A tall, robed man with an impressive grey beard was talking with the watchman, who seemed to be paying only scant attention.
“I’m sorry, people, but you’ll have to go around this mess, just like everyone else,” the watchman grunted.
“What happened here?” Aiden inquired, taking in the scene. The crater spanned the entire street, nearly ten yards across, and the shattered chunks of cobblestone were strewn about.
“Seems a few of the wizards at the University got a little carried away with an experiment,” the watchman explained. “We’re damn lucky nobody got hurt.”
“I’m telling you, sir, that it wasn’t us!” the robed man — apparently a wizard — protested. “None of the faculty was doing anything of a magnitude great enough to destroy that much stone at this distance.”
“And what of your students?” the watchman pressed.
“Those upstarts? Please,” the wizard scoffed. “They’d be hard-pressed to burn toast, let alone destroy a street.”
“Well, it certainly looks like someone blew up that street,” Aiden observed, using the power of empirical evidence to move the conversation forward.
“Archchancellor, are you telling me you keep an eye on every one of your students twenty-four hours a day?” the watchman pressed. “And there isn’t even the tiniest chance that one of them did this?” The wizard was quiet for a long moment before he spoke next.
“Well… perhaps there is a minute chance that a student was able to perform such a feat,” the Archchancellor admitted. “I shall have to investigate this matter further, and if I find out that anyone at the University is responsible, I’m going to make them do chores ‘til their fingers bleed for embarrassing me like this.”
“Your embarrassment is only just beginning, sir,” Nellise remarked. “Allow me to introduce Princess Criosa Roebec. Your Highness, this is an inept wizard who may have been responsible for blowing up part of your city.” The wizard reeled back a step as he looked a little more closely at the blond girl in the pretty blue dress, and appeared to be trying to swallow his own tongue.
“Your Highness, allow me to convey my deepest regrets at this incident,” he stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat as the watchman snapped to attention. “Fear not, the University shall make recompense for the damages, I assure you.”
“Relax, Zachariah,” Criosa said to placate the startled old man. “Accidents happen. See to it that the street is fixed and I’ll be sure to forget who was responsible for the damage.”
“You’re too nice, Criosa,” Pacian grumbled, and possibly committing a breach of protocol by calling the princess by her first name. She didn’t seem to notice or care, however.
“Thank you, Highness, I am most appreciative of your discretion,” the Archchancellor said with obvious relief. “I will see to it that the culprits are caught.” He stormed off to get started on his investigation.
“Excitable chap,” Aiden remarked mildly.
“He was my teacher at the University for a few years,” Criosa told them. “He’s a little eccentric, but he’s a man of his word so I believe what he’s telling us.”
“In any case, that’s not a major concern for us right now,” Aiden said. “Can we pass through, sir?”
“It’s quite dangerous underfoot, so I don’t recommend it,” the watchman replied, still standing to attention in the presence of royalty. “Just head around to the left and take Mantle Lane. It’ll reconnect with Renown Street a hundred yards or so down there a ways.”
“Thank you for the guidance, and keep up the good work” Criosa said in thanks. The watchman touched his forehead in salute and seemed relieved, and then Ronan led them to a smaller side street heading east, with the sign “Mantle Lane” hanging off a post above them.
“Does that sort of thing happen often around here?” Sayana inquire
d.
“If you’re referring to the damaged street, I think that’s the first time an accident like that has ever occurred,” Criosa replied casually. “Wizards are usually a careful bunch, which means they limit their explosions to their laboratories, of course. You can learn more about the University while you’re here, actually. I’m sure they’d be thrilled to meet another practitioner such as yourself.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Nellise muttered, drawing concerned looks from Sayana and the princess. “Have you seen her looking through a spell book, Highness?”
“Well no, actually,” Criosa replied uncertainly. “I assumed she was studying while I was busy elsewhere.” Sayana shook her head. Criosa’s delicate brow creased slightly in thought, and Aiden had to wonder what the problem was.
“Could you ladies perhaps continue that discussion later?” Pacian asked, his attention focused on the laneway they were walking along. “I don’t like this.” The lane was only half the width of the main street they had been travelling along, with two-storey buildings towering overhead on each side. Although it was a fairly clean passage, there was no sign of other people moving along it.
“What’s the problem?” Nellise asked, unconcerned by the empty lane.
“Something feels off,” Ronan stated, looking back at the way they’d came. Aiden was starting to feel the tension build when he was struck by something on the back of his head, sending him onto his knees as he reeled from the blinding pain. The rasp of steel being drawn from scabbards could be heard around him, and within an instant, they were fighting for their lives.
Throwing his back against the wall of the alley, Aiden took in the situation with a quick glance, and saw four shadowy figures in amongst them, their faces obscured by black hoods and face masks. The glint of steel daggers flashed, with one assailant in particular catching Aiden’s attention, since he was plunging a blade straight for his gut.
His head ringing, Aiden managed to move enough to prevent the blade going straight in, though it caught the flat of his new armour and was pushed aside.
Drawing his sword, Aiden engaged his agile opponent, having difficulty focusing with his injured head. If he wanted to end this fight rapidly, he had to take away his enemy’s greatest advantage — his mobility. Reaching down, Aiden grasped some snow with his free hand and threw it in the direction of the shadowy figure’s face.
The attacker flinched and hesitated, giving Aiden the chance he needed to step in and slash at the assassin’s legs, cutting deeply into flesh and splashing blood onto the snowy ground. With his leg injured, his opponent was much easier to hit, and with three quick strikes Aiden was able to bring him down.
Looking around, he saw Sayana had just cleaved her opponent’s skull open with her axe, but Pacian was on the ground already. Ronan was struggling to keep the remaining two assailants away from the unarmoured ladies, his twin short swords whirling about in defensive arcs with practiced precision.
Nellise held her staff, and the slight shimmer to her robe suggested that she had enacted a prayer of protection for herself, but Criosa had been caught off-guard by the attack and hadn’t even drawn her rapier. The fetching blue dress she had bought was inhibiting her movements, and the impractical shoes she now wore prevented her from running.
Aiden, his vision clearing, rushed in with his blade swinging in a wide arc across the assassin’s back. The attacker turned about to face him, keeping his injured back against his comrade while he drew a short sword from underneath his dark cloak. Aiden summoned his force shield and waded in with Sayana joining in on the fight.
Unable to defend against so many, the assailants were cut down by a combination of sword and axe, leaving Aiden and the others standing over the fallen men, struggling to catch their breaths from the brief yet ferocious encounter.
“Pace,” Aiden breathed, turning to look at his friend who was leaning against the nearby wall with a hand on his stomach, a dark stain of blood leaking from between his fingers.
“I’ll take care of it,” Nellise said, rushing to his aid. Aiden blew out a heavy breath, and looked over at Criosa to make sure she was alright. The princess was leaning against the other wall, one hand held up before her with blood upon it. A moment, later, her knees gave way and she toppled over into the snow. Aiden hurried over and knelt by her side, summoning a magical light from the tip of his sword without even thinking about it and examining her wound.
“I don’t feel so good,” Criosa whispered. “I thought it was just a scratch…”
“It is just a scratch, you’re going to be fine,” Aiden assured her, expertly covering the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. “Nel, when you’ve got a minute, you’d better take a look at this.”
“I’ve got my hands full at the moment, literally,” Nellise called back.
“Ronan, go and get that guard, we need help here,” Aiden instructed. Ronan nodded and ran around the corner, leaving Aiden to hold Criosa in his arms for a long moment.
“It was such a nice dress, too,” she said weakly. “Now I’ve gone and ruined it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just an excuse to go and buy another one,” Aiden shrugged with a fake grin, trying to keep calm.
“He’s gone!” Ronan called as he came back around the corner. “The bastard ran off.”
“Maybe he went to get help?” Sayana offered.
“I hope so,” Aiden muttered. “How is Criosa?”
“This cut isn’t deep,” Nellise reported after a cursory examination. “I think she’s been poisoned, though if it is, she only caught a bit of it.”
“How can you tell?” Aiden asked.
“Because she’s still alive,” Nellise informed him grimly. “I can help her, but we need to get her someplace warm. Pick her up, we’re taking her to the castle.
“Right. Ronan, search through their gear and see if you can find something that might tell us who they were, and why they attacked.”
“On it,” Ronan replied, as Aiden gentle picked Criosa up in his arms and started moving towards the castle as quickly as he could.
Chapter Five
Criosa wasn’t a great burden to Aiden as they moved through the streets as quickly as his legs would carry them, though his heart did beat faster at the thought of her dying. Sayana led the way, her axe poised to strike anyone who threatened to hinder their progress, though nobody they encountered seemed to be interested in questioning why a small woman carried such a large weapon.
The castle loomed over the city streets with guards stationed out in front of the drawbridge, who allowed them to pass without incident and even expedited the opening of the main gates to aid their stricken princess. Nellise made quick mention that two more men would be following, for Aiden couldn’t stop to wait for Ronan and Pacian.
Aiden was breathing hard by the time they reached the first large chamber inside the castle, which appeared to be some sort of waiting room. Large couches were placed against all the walls and a huge fireplace burned brightly to keep the cold at bay. Expensive carpets covered the floors, their colours a stark contrast to the grey stone around them. Large portraits hung on the walls, though Aiden didn’t have time to look at them closely at this particular moment.
“Set her down over here,” Nellise ordered, pointing at the couch closest to the fireplace. He gently set his delicate cargo down and then stepped back, allowing the cleric to do her work. Instead of taking out her prayer crystal, she retrieved her medicine satchel and began grinding up various odd-smelling herbs.
Glancing around, Aiden saw various officials scurrying about, some bringing fresh water at Nellise’s request, while others fetched important people of rank to deal with this situation.
Ronan, half dragging, half carrying the wounded Pacian along with him, entered the chamber and after a brief examination of the room, set him down on a couch. Aiden went to his side, to make sure that his wounds hadn’t re-opened on the rush to get to safety. Fortunately, Nellise had done just en
ough to staunch the flow of blood, though Pacian’s pale features indicated he was still in a lot of pain.
“Remind me again why I follow you around?” Pacian croaked.
“For the money and the women,” Aiden drawled, drawing a half-grin from his old friend.
“Don’t forget the frequent crippling injuries,” Pacian groaned.
“Just relax, she’ll get to you in a minute.” At that moment, the large double-doors leading further into the castle opened wide and several people emerged, two of whom were clearly men of importance.
One was a thin man in his thirties, with a receding hairline and thick eyebrows and dressed in the simple white robe of a cleric. The other was tall and sharp-featured, wearing a tailored suit of fine fabric and a dark blue coat. Upon seeing the unmoving form of Criosa, both rushed to her side, the cleric kneeling down to assist Nellise in administering whatever antidote she had concocted.
“In God’s name, what happened?” the finely-dressed man asked no one in particular. Upon closer inspection, he was an older gentleman, with neatly combed hair and a trimmed beard. Keen eyes looked down on the injured princess with almost fatherly concern.
“The princess was attacked in an alleyway,” Aiden explained, stepping forward to speak when no one else did. “We fought them off, but she was poisoned.”
“Please tell me you can cure it,” he stated, holding his breath.
“Whatever she was poisoned with, it was only a small dose,” Nellise replied, distracted by her task. “It must have been coated on their knives… although Pacian hasn’t shown signs of poisoning, and he was stabbed in the belly. That indicates it could be a very specific target they had in mind.” Nellise applied her poultice to the wound and Criosa flinched in pain, but then calmed down and to everyone’s surprise, yawned widely.
“I… didn’t expect that,” Nellise observed uncertainly, looking to her counterpart in the priestly robe for advice.
“Perhaps it is some sort of sleep-inducing poison?” he mused, eyes darting about in thought.
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