Outside they saw the Commander and Vegard already mounted and looking impatient, gear packed on their horses. How the hells did they get ready so fast? A handful of minutes later, the four were galloping down the road towards Coula. Toma flexed his hands in his bracers and smiled. For the first time in possibly his whole life, he felt ready for anything.
Chapter Nine
Nerthus had slept fitfully during the night, haunted by images of grotesque, silent monsters. But despite that, she had at least been able to sleep. From the rings around Edda's eyes, however, it looked like her partner had not been so lucky. As soon as the inn's kitchen had breakfast prepared, the two women had gone down to the crowded common room to eat. They passed Sailey and Carpey on the stairways, looking tired and pensive. Nerthus felt Edda's elbow in her ribs as they found a table, and she turned to glare.
“What?” Nerthus demanded.
“Did you notice? What they did?” Her weariness apparently was forgotten.
Nerthus sighed as she sat at an unoccupied table. “No, I didn't. What did they do?”
“They went into the same room!” Edda exclaimed. “Looks like Clyde owes me five coppers.”
“Why would he-oh, you've got to be kidding me. You two were betting on Carpey and Sailey sleeping together? That's...idiotic.”
Edda shrugged, and her weary expression returned. “Seemed like it was good enough to bet on at the time.”
Nerthus shook her head as a serving girl came over and took their order, quickly returning with milk and cold toast. While the two women ate, Edda surveyed the room.
“Seems like a full house this morning. Almost every table is full. And I recognize some faces from yesterday who were pestering Egv-er, Cecil about Consortium stuff. That's good.”
“Why good?” Nerthus asked between bites.
“Well,” Edda began, “it means nothing to suspicious seems to be happening here. If word got around that two lovely ladies and their portly brother who were staying in this inn were out causing a ruckus last night, people may not be too keen on frequenting this establishment.”
Nerthus nodded, considering. “You could be right,” she said. “Or you could be wrong, and this room is crowded with people who would like to inflict unpleasantness on said lovely ladies and portly brother.”
Edda shrugged again. “I prefer to see the pint glass half-full, thank you very much.” Their serving girl returned with a large plate of apple slices, warm ham, and a pile of very small biscuits. Edda held one of the biscuits up, an inquisitive look on her face. She took a tentative bite, grinned and popped the rest in her mouth. “Gods,” she said, “I love good tavern food. We could never get the flavors right in the kitchen back home.” She suddenly trailed off, her face a mixture of excitement and shock.
“What did you just say?” Nerthus asked, dropping her fork. “'Back home?' You remember??”
The shock had left Edda's face, and her eyes narrowed as she concentrated. “I...I don't know why I said that. It just kind of, you know,” she gestured with her hands, “slipped out I guess. The taste of that biscuit though, just for a second...”
“Quick,” Nerthus said, an expectant smile on her face, “eat another one! Maybe they are some kind of enchanted memory biscuits!”
Grabbing one and popping it in her mouth the same as she did the first, Edda chewed with a sense of expectancy. She swallowed, waited, and then frowned.
“Nope,” she muttered. “No memories. Just delicious bacon grease.”
Picking one up herself, Nerthus took a bite. She had to admit, they were delicious. But her mind was now on Edda's sudden flash of memory. One of her objectives in pairing with Edda was to look out for any clues as to how the Order of the Fang's mind control worked on a subject. The Praetorian Umbra was especially interested, and wanted to be informed if Edda was still affected in any way, and if some or all of the changes to her, such as the blocks in her memory and her physical abilities were permanent. This little trickle of Edda's past life, while maybe not significant on its own, would merit closer observation by Nerthus. She'd have to include this in the report she had planned on sending back to Tethis after they ate.
Looking equal parts glum and exhausted, Edda continued to eat. But her movements were almost mechanical. Nerthus could tell that her friend was somewhere else, and that wasn’t good. She needed Edda here in the moment, not lost in her own memories.
“Hey,” she said suddenly. “Any sign of our dear brother?”
Edda looked at her confused for a moment, and then shook her head. “Sorry, I kind of went away for a second. What did you say?”
“Cecil. Have you seen him? Either last night or this morning at all?”
“No, I haven't” Edda said, concern in her voice. She looked around the room again, and Nerthus was pleased to see the alertness and focus in Edda's eyes as she did. “You'd think he wouldn't miss breakfast. Little guy had himself quite a night.”
Nerthus nodded, her mouth full. “I'll go check on him after I get done eating. Then I'm going to send that message home.”
Edda looked at her sharply. “Why didn't you do that last night?”
“Because,” Nerthus said between bites, “the forests around here have some rather aggressive nocturnal animals. Nighthawks specifically have migrated into the area pretty recently. Did you even read the reports on the way here?”
Edda's eyes widened. “Whoa, they have nighthawks here? Okay never mind then, I understand.”
Nighthawks were one of the most aggressive and successful predators on the continent. They were very large for birds, having a five-foot wingspan, and they had a keen night vision that allowed them to prey upon almost anything smaller than a fully grown man. When they attacked prey, they used their tremendous speed, precision, and razor sharp claws with incredible success. They were such successful predators in some areas that farmers feared for their livestock at night. Parties of hunters often went out to find them, but the birds were seemingly intelligent enough to evade them, even during the day when they were almost blinded by the sun. Any poor messenger bird Nerthus sent into their territory at night wouldn't have lasted long at all.
“Well here's our brother now,” Nerthus said as Egveny came walking through the main doors. He must have been up for a while, Nerthus thought. He had completely changed back into his Consortium clothing, and judging by the amount of dust on his boots and pants he had been walking for a while already. He saw his two “sisters” and waved before making his way to the table. As he did so he found himself locked in an awkward race to the table with the serving girl, with each of them halting to let the other pass. Nerthus had to chuckle as he finally sat down with them. The serving girl set a plate of toast down in front of Egveny and then disappeared back into crowd after taking his order.
“Lovely day for a stroll?” Edda asked wryly.
“Hmm? Oh, yes it's actually quite marvelous outside today.” He waited a second before continuing. “So, I've some bad news. And some strange news.” He broke a piece of toast and ate it slowly and deliberately.
After a moment of him chewing, Edda couldn't wait. “Well?” she blurted out. “Can we have the news?”
“In a moment,” Egveny said, his voice quiet. “I'm multitasking.” Another minute passed and he swallowed his toast. “Apologies. I was trying to ascertain some things here. Anyways, the bad news is that I walked around the bulk of the residential and commerce sections of the city. The entire area has more of the crude wards like the ones I discovered here last night.”
“Couldn't that be just a precaution though?” Edda asked. “What I mean is, could maybe the Weavers Council, or whatever it's called here-”
“The Circle,” Nerthus mumbled, still annoyed at Edda’s lack of preparation.
“-simply want to keep an eye on any magic use going on? You know, make sure no one is fiddling about with magic without their approval?”
“That,” Egveny said, pointing a piece of toast at Edda, “is an interes
ting thought. One that I'd be inclined to agree with if the wards weren't so...well I said 'crude' before but that isn't quite right. They are very strange, quite unlike wards that most Weavers or wizards make. I’ve honestly never seen anything like them before, that being one of the reasons I didn’t notice them at first. There's an...an offness to them that I can't rightly describe to you. It is remarkably similar to what I felt around those things we ran into last night. No, whoever or whatever placed those wards isn't operating with Bellkeep's interests in mind. Long story short-”
“Too late,” mumbled Nerthus.
“-I can't use any heavy or intricate techniques without letting our friends know where I am. Sorry to say, but it will greatly slow down my attempts to analyze what I found last night.”
“Great,” Edda said. “What about going to the local Watch? We can't have been the only ones to have seen those things before last night.”
“No,” Nerthus said, “we won't be involving them. I'd rather we didn't have guardsmen around us any more than necessary. We are agents from a rival nation here. They'd be within their rights to arrest us as agitators or something even worse.”
A quiet voice cleared its throat next to them, interrupting the discussion. The two women almost jumped in their chairs, and Egveny stopped mid-chew. All three turned to look at the short functionary standing close to their table, an expectant look on his face. He wore the plain white and blue robes that was the local custom for government officials to wear. His only adornment a golden bell insignia on the left breast of his robe. He looked to be in his late fifties, his white hair matching his carefully trimmed mustache and goatee.
“Ah, forgive me for interrupting your repast,” he said, his voice modulated and strong. “My name is Ceene. I am secretary to the Office of the Purse here in Bellkeep. May I join you?”
“Of course,” Nerthus said, not missing a beat. “Cecil dear, pull a chair over for our guest.”
“My thanks to you,” Ceene said as Egveny slid a chair from one table to their own, allowing Ceene to sit between him and Edda. “I hope you are enjoying our fair city so far?”
“Oh we are,” Nerthus said, her voice sweet. “Unfortunately we have yet to venture out of the inn. Yesterday our brother was holding court here, if you will, and Carthinia and I were forced to pass the time here. We hope to see more of your city soon though. My younger sister has expressed a great interest in seeing the Keep itself.”
“The Keep of the Bells is a wonderful sight to be sure,” Ceene agreed, “but our city has much more to offer than just that.” He waved away the serving girl who had a plate of bread and coffee to offer. “Which leads me to the reason why I was forced to interrupt your meal. The Custodian of the Purse, Lord Titus, has learned of the Consortium’s visit. He also knows that the Consortium chose not to include the local government in its plan to visit the city, and while that dismays him in his official capacity, as a citizen Lord Titus understands that sometimes for commerce to flourish, the regulatory nose of the government needs to be elsewhere. As a token of goodwill, he has invited the three of you to his private estate tomorrow evening. It is his turn to host the Soiree this month, you see. It is quite an honor for non-citizens to be invited. Dignitaries from across the country will be there, as will the Mage’s Circle and representatives from all of the local guilds and unions. In addition, most of the noble houses will be there too. It would make your networking here within the city much easier to have everyone who is everyone together in one place, no?”
“We thank you for the invitation,” Egveny said. “But what business would Lord Titus have with us, if he knows that our organization is attempting to avoid, ah, governmental oversight?”
“As I said, Lord Titus knows, perhaps more than most, the intricacies of commerce. It is no secret that he has a rather large personal interest in the local Craftsmen Union, having invested much of his personal fortune in it. Though he has no mind for it constructing it personally, furthering technological innovation is his passion. He asks for you to treat with him as a private citizen rather than a high-ranking government official. And he would like to show you the finest hospitality Bellkeep has to offer.”
“And if we do manage to reach an agreement or two while we are there, we should remember Lord Titus’ hand in orchestrating it all, is that it?” Edda asked.
“Well, I cannot speak for Lord Titus,” Ceene said with a smile, “but it would seem to be good business sense to make friends in high places. If no agreements or deals or what have you are made, at the very least join us for an evening of fine food and dining.” He looked around the room before lowering his voice. “And not to besmirch a member of our local commerce guild, but nothing you eat or drink here can compare to the spread Lord Titus puts on. Dear me, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. My apologies. Once you get to be my age, you find that the thought of succulent meats and cheeses get you more excited than...well most other things,” he said with a wink. “So, shall I inform Lord Titus that you accept his invitation?”
The three agents shared a quick look. Nerthus nodded at Cecil, who turned to Ceene.
“I do believe that my sisters would enjoy such a diversion, Master Ceene. Tell Lord Titus that we will see him tomorrow evening, and we look forward to forging a solid business relationship between him and the Consortium.”
Ceene clapped his hands together in front of him. “Excellent! Most excellent. Well then, I will leave you now. Tomorrow I will send a runner with your invitations. In the evening a carriage will come to carry you to the party in the utmost comfort and style.” He rose and bowed to each of them. “Please enjoy your day and our fair city. I recommend the Market District for such discerning ladies. Partake in everything our city has to offer! Good day to you again!”
The agents were silent as they watched the older man make his way out of the crowded dining room.
“Well that's convenient,” Edda muttered as she picked at the food left on her plate.
“How so?” Nerthus asked.
Edda shrugged. “With his connections to the Craftsmen Guild it was just a matter of time before we were going to have to look into Lord Titus. This way we get to wear decent clothing and eat good food as we do it.”
“Doesn’t it seem strange to you two that this Lord Titus would welcome us so readily?” Egveny asked. “The reception I’ve been getting so far from the people has been rather hostile. The Consortium isn’t too welcome here. You’d think Titus would protect the interests of his constituents.”
“As Custodian of the Purse, Titus is a business man. He also happens to be on the top of the food chain here,” Nerthus said. “Payments and tithes and union dues of all the guilds and unions flow upwards to him. Who knows how much he makes on the side as well. With the Craftsmen Guild in chaos thanks to all of the...disturbances rocking the area of late,” she shot a mock glare at Egveny, “he could just be trying to stabilize his income stream by inviting the Consortium in.”
“And making a percentage off of every deal we make,” Edda said.
“Like I said,” Nerthus said after taking a sip of her water, “he’s a business man. It’s what I’d do in his shoes.”
“Okay,” Edda said, “this could actually play well for us. You and I can chat up Titus and the Craftsmen Guild reps about what has been happening here, find some clues about our missing people. Cecil here speaks to the Circle rep, tell them what we ran into last night. Get the local mages on our side. I'd sleep much easier knowing we have multiple mages backing us up than just one. Er, no offense Cecil.”
The Weaver held up his hands. “Oh, none taken. Believe me I'd rather have more here with us as well. That, however, brings me to my strange news. I would have mentioned it sooner, but Master Ceene interrupted me.”
“Great,” Edda said, rolling her eyes.
“What is it?” Nerthus asked, leaning forwards in her chair.
“Well, I can't seem to find any of the local mages here in the city.”
/> There was a moment of stunned silence, interrupted only by the serving girl arriving to deliver Egveny's breakfast.
“You can't find them, as in they've all left?” Nerthus asked.
Egveny nodded. “I literally just came back from looking for them. I went to the Circle's stronghold, and it was locked up. Abandoned. There were no people at all there, mages, wizards, Weavers or otherwise. And the wards were even stronger there. So I went to a few other spots around the city, places Weavers can meet in secret where non-Weavers wouldn't, or couldn't, look for them. And I found nothing. No sign of them, physical, spiritual, or mystical. To my knowledge there were almost twenty mages of various skill and ability here in Bellkeep. Officially sanctioned by the city itself, that is. Who knows how many other independents live here, or are passing through? But now it appears that I'm the only one in the entire city. Anyone else with a heavy dollop of magic within them has disappeared. Now I don't know about you two, but that terrifies me.”
Edda and Nerthus exchanged glances.
“Do you know how long they’ve been gone for?” Edda asked.
Egveny shrugged. “At least a few days. Using magic, casting spells, enchantments, hexes, what have you, leaves something like a magical residue-”
“Ew,” Edda said, wrinkling her nose.
“-that lasts for a little while. Detecting magic, tracing its source and function is a specialty of mine, hence my assignment to you two. And yet, I couldn’t find any of it. Not at the Circle’s stronghold, nor anywhere in the city I walked, aside from what is left over from our little episode last night.”
“So, if they’ve been gone, how could they have been invited to Titus’ party?” Nerthus asked. “For that matter, why didn’t Titus send someone to speak to us yesterday? It isn’t like we tried to keep our presence here a secret.”
Chasing Down Glory: The Outrider Legion: Book Two Page 13