by D. S. Craig
As he made to move past Fang, Aurelia snapped her fingers, her signal for Fang to attack. I helped her with training it enough times that I almost reflexively dodged at the noise. This time, though, I wasn’t the target. Fang leapt toward the man’s face, front paws slamming into his chest. He didn’t weigh enough yet to knock down a fully grown man, but his target panicked at the sight of a small elemental hound lunging at his face and stumbled backward, losing his balance.
He landed flat on his back with Fang on his chest, still growling and trying to act fierce while his little tail wagged like crazy, completely breaking the illusion. Rather than let the pup’s hard work go to waste, I decided to give him a hand with his intimidation. I slammed one paw down on the ground next to the man’s head and brought my face close to his, snarling the whole while.
“I’m going to give you one last chance. Tell us why you were following us, or else you may not be walking home.”
The threats themselves were completely empty. It was pretty obvious that this man was just a commoner who had gotten in way over his head. Maiming him for no good reason wouldn’t have sat right with me. But he didn’t know that, and he didn’t need to.
The man’s face turned pale, and his eyes went wide. “Alright, I’ll talk. Ain’t no amount of money worth this. Some noble hired me to follow the pink-haired girl if she left the campus.”
“Which noble?” I snarled at the man. “Do you have a name?”
“I-I don’t know. I’ve never met them in person. They sent a servant, and their name was never mentioned. I needed the money, so I didn’t ask questions.”
Lesti walked up to stand beside me and looked down at the man. “He must have given you more orders than just to follow her. What else did he order you to do?”
“Just report back on what I saw, nothing else.” The man’s gaze grew stern. “Following a little girl around town was already a pretty sketchy job, but I figured there wouldn’t be no harm in it, so I went ahead and took it. Anything more than that and I would have been out.”
Lesti crouched down near the man’s face. “What’s your name?”
“I-it’s Gregory.”
“Alright, Gregory. How much is this noble paying you?”
“One half silver a day for the next week.”
“Not even a whole gold, huh?” Lesti reached into her bag and pulled out a small gold coin. “Tell you what, if you’ll pass on some bad information to your employer, this is yours. What do you say?”
The man looked at the gold with a stunned expression for a moment before a broad grin spread across his face. “As long as it’s nothing that’ll get me caught, you’ve got yourself a deal.”
A mischievous grin spread across Lesti’s face. “Perfect. Then here’s what you’re going to tell him.”
Gathering Info
“Ah, that was so much fun!” Lesti smiled broadly as we walked down the street towards the academy. We had just finished purchasing dresses for Rose and Aurelia, and it was getting rather late. The orange glow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the street, bathing the buildings on the opposite side in a warm light.
“Mm. We should do it again sometime.” Aurelia watched Lesti with a soft smile as she walked ahead of the rest of the group.
“Yeah. Although, we’ll have to cut back on the budget next time,” Lesti replied. “How about you, Rose? Did you have fun?”
Rose didn’t respond. She just continued to stare at the sunset, gaze distant. Lesti fell back a few paces and waved her hand in front of Rose’s face. “Hello? Rose? Anybody home?”
Rose’s attention suddenly snapped back to the present moment. “Oh, um, yes. Sorry. Did you need something?”
Lesti puffed out her cheeks as she stared at her distracted friend. “I was asking if you had fun shopping with us, but you weren’t responding. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I did have fun.” Rose paused for a moment, wringing her hands together. “It’s just that I’m worried about that man that was following us. What if he was lying, or if he decides to tell Baron Arvis what happened for some reason?”
“Oh, is that all? I wouldn’t worry about that. It doesn’t matter what that man does.” Lesti shrugged.
Rose stared at Lesti, a confused expression on her face. “What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”
“The whole point of telling him that lie was to get the baron to make a move,” Lesti replied as she smiled in return. “Even if he finds out that his spy was caught and that we were actively working against him, he’ll be forced to take some sort of action.”
“Ah, so that’s why you had the messenger tell him something about you two being close friends.” My tail began to swish about as I realized what Lesti was up to. “I was wondering why you would want the baron to know you were getting closer to Rose.”
“Yeah. I’m guessing the baron is trying to keep Rose isolated so that others don’t discover her ability. If that’s the case, he’ll see us becoming friends as a threat.” Lesti’s gaze grew more serious. “He may likely send you a messenger here in the coming days, Rose. He’ll probably threaten you in some way. When that happens, I want you to consult us before doing anything, got it?”
Rose nodded hesitantly. “O-okay. I’ll do my best.”
Lesti grabbed on to Rose’s arm, pulling her close. “Perfect. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”
We reached the fork in the road where we needed to turn to head back to the academy. However, Lesti kept walking forward in the direction of the commoner district. Turning on her heel, she addressed the two girls who were looking at her with confused expressions. “Alright, you guys, this is where we part ways. Astria and I have some business down in the commoner district. Make sure Rose gets back safely. Okay, Auri?”
“Mm. Leave it to me.” Aurelia waved to Lesti without the slightest hint of concern on her face.
“Let’s go, Astria.” Lesti turned on her heel and headed toward the gate to the commoner district.
I trotted along quickly to catch up with her. I was a bit concerned that we were walking to that part of town this late. I didn’t think there were many ordinary people who would be a threat to us, but Thel’al still hadn’t been found, and I wasn’t sure how active those under his influence might be in the city.
“So, what are we going to the commoner district for?” I looked up at Lesti as we strode along.
“We’re going to see Dag,” Lesti replied privately. “I need to get any information I can on Baron Arvis. Normally, I’d ask Lani to look into it, but time is of the essence in this case.”
“Fair enough, but how are we going to find him?” I looked around as many of the stores in the area had already started to close up for the evening. “Won’t the market be shut down by the time we get there?”
Lesti stuck her nose up in the air a little. “Just who do you think I am? Dag told me how to get in touch with him after the market closes. He said I was a valued client.”
I ignored Lesti’s mock haughtiness, rolling my eyes. “I think it’s your money that he values. He’d probably give special treatment to anyone who had coin to throw around.”
“Yeah. That’s probably true.” Lesti went back to her normal, serious tone. “Still, it works out for us in this case, so there’s no point in complaining. Now, let’s focus on the task at hand.”
As she said that, we approached the gate, and Theo’s familiar face came into view. At first, I almost didn’t recognize him. He looked far worse for wear than when I had last seen him. There were bags under his eyes, and he looked as though he had lost a bit of weight. Even so, he dealt with each person as they passed through the gate with a smile.
Seeing our approach, he raised his hand and waved to us. “Well, if it isn’t little Lesti. What are you doing heading down to the commoner district so late?”
Lesti returned the gesture, looking Theo up and down worriedly. “We’re just going to visit an acquaintance of ours; we won’t be long.
Never mind us, though. What’s going on with you? You look terrible!”
“Is it that obvious?” Theo smiled wryly. “They’ve been working us like dogs lately. Unfortunately, I can’t say too much more than that. Just know that the whole guard unit is overworked right now and downright irritable because of it.”
Looking at the other guards operating the gate, it was pretty clear he wasn’t exaggerating. They all looked just as exhausted as Theo. “Did something happen to bring this on?”
Theo glanced about quickly, making sure no one else was paying attention, then whispered, “You didn’t hear this from me, but apparently the fights and murders down in the slum were caused by demon worshipers, peddling some weird artifacts that make people go mad.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Thanks to that, they’ve had us all working overtime while they search for the culprits. Whoever was responsible seems to have gone into hiding. We haven’t been able to find anything, so things have calmed down here lately—but keep your wits about you, alright?”
“We will. Thanks for the warning, Theo.” Lesti patted him on the shoulder and started to head through the gate. “We need to get a move on, don’t want to be out too late. Take care of yourself, alright?”
“I will. Stay out of trouble, you two.” With a final wave, Theo turned back to his duties and started checking the next person passing through the gate.
Lesti and I continued down into the maze-like streets and back alleys of the commoner district. We walked along in silence, ducking through a series of passages that I had never been through before. It was still disorienting, but I could at least tell we were headed in the opposite direction of the slums.
I looked around at the unfamiliar scenery, trying my best to memorize as much as I could. “So, care to tell me where we’re going exactly?”
“Well, I haven’t been there before, but apparently the building is down near the east gate.” She paused for a moment, glancing down at me nervously as she walked. “Just try not to freak out when we get down there, okay?”
I suddenly felt alarm bells going off in the back of my head. “Why exactly would I freak out?”
Lesti grimaced slightly before increasing her pace. “It’ll be easier to just show you. Come on.”
We wandered through the back alleys for a while longer. As we went, I once again noticed that the atmosphere of the town started to shift, though it wasn’t quite the same as when we went to the slums. While the slums had been filthy and falling apart, this area just felt seedy. Men wandered the back alleys completely drunk, despite how early it was in the evening. The soft glow of lanterns filtered in from the main street ahead as the sun finally set.
We finally stepped out of the alleyways, and I froze. Looking down the street, I could see any number of bars and brothels. Each one had a lantern placed outside, lighting their entrance and making this perhaps the most well-lit area of the city. Despite that, this was clearly not a place for a thirteen-year-old girl to be. Women of the night actively wandered the street looking for their next customer. Meanwhile, any number of drunkards called out to them as they staggered from one tavern to the next, despite the early hour.
“Come on, don’t stop,” Lesti chastised me, snapping me out of my shock. “We’re looking for a tavern called The Black Dragon.”
“Are you crazy?!” Despite my complaints, I quickly followed after Lesti. “We shouldn’t be wandering around here at night. What if the headmistress finds out, or even worse, Lani?”
“How are they ever going to find out? It’s not like either of them would be down here.”
She had a good point, but I was still feeling anxious. We stood out like a sore thumb here. As we walked along, almost everyone we passed stared at us, and a few of the drunks even catcalled Lesti. That alone was enough to nearly make my stomach turn. What kind of monsters would catcall a thirteen-year-old girl? Even Lesti was obviously affected by it, grimacing as she turned a slight shade of pink at some of the obscenities shouted at her.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before we found where we were going, a relatively small tavern in a two-story building. The windows were shuttered, and no one lingered outside. In fact, it appeared that most people were giving the place a rather wide berth. Despite that, I could hear the sounds of drinking and merriment coming from inside as we approached.
Looking up, I noticed the signboard. However, rather than having the name written on it, it merely featured the distinct image of a black dragon’s face. For some odd reason, the drawing looked somewhat familiar, though I couldn’t place why. It wasn’t very realistic or detailed; I couldn’t say that it reminded me of Skell.
“Come on. Let’s go inside.” Before I had time to dig into the sign, Lesti pushed open the door, and I followed her in. At first, the sounds of rowdy conversation and clinking glasses washed over us but were quickly replaced by dead silence as the patrons noticed us. The tavern wasn’t very full, but every person inside stared at us.
Lesti walked toward the bar, and I followed her, keeping an eye out for any threatening movements. The tavern was just as tiny as it had looked on the outside. Four long tables, two on each side, filled the space. Each one had bench seating to maximize the number of people that could be crammed into the small room. On the back wall sat the bar. Behind that was the entrance to the kitchen from which the scent of grilled meats wafted out. The only thing I didn’t see was a staircase to get to the second floor.
As we approached the bar, the bartender glared down at us. “You lost, little girl? We don’t serve kids here. If you’re looking to get back to the academy, then it’s that way.”
The bartender flicked his head back in the direction we had come from. He was a rather large, muscular man, with a bald, clean-shaven head. Honestly, he looked just as much like a bouncer as he did a barkeep. I guess in this world there wasn’t much difference in most cases.
“We’re here to see Dag.” Lesti somehow managed to hold a steady voice, despite how out of place we obviously were. “He told me I could find him here after the market closed.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, little lady. Now get out of my tavern before I throw you out myself. This is no place for children.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I see Dag.” Lesti pulled two small silver coins out of her bag and placed them on the counter. “Perhaps this could change your mind?”
“No can do, little lady.” The man narrowed his eyes at her and gestured to several of the men sitting at the tables behind us. “I won’t be bought and paid for by some rich, spoiled noble. Now, this is your last chance. Get out of here.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I could see several men drinking at the long tables rise and move toward us. From what I could see, none of them were armed. “Lesti. It looks like they don’t plan on talking this out.”
Lesti looked back as well. “Well, I guess this is as good of a time as any to try it out.” She turned her back on the men, facing the barkeep once more before quickly snapping her fingers. “Prepare Fireball, repeat five.”
At Lesti’s words, five fireballs sprang to life in the air around her, one for each of the four men behind us and an additional one for the barkeep. But rather than immediately flying toward their targets, the fireballs hung in the air, causing the area to become quite hot. The men approaching us from behind stopped on the spot, looking back and forth at each other with surprised expressions.
The barkeep seemed equally surprised. His eyes widened a bit before returning to a full-on scowl. “Who are you, girl, and where did you learn to do that?”
Lesti puffed out her chest in pride. “My name is Lesti Vilia, soon to be the greatest mage the academy has ever seen. As for where I learned this”—Lesti looked around at the fireballs hovering around her before grinning at the barkeep—“I figured it out myself. Amazing, right?”
The barkeep let out a heavy sigh. “I see. The commander did mention a redhead that was too big for her britches.”
While his words piqued my curiosity, I didn’t have much time to think about it. The moment he stopped talking, the barkeep began to cast a spell. I stared at him for a moment, stunned. From what I knew, most commoners couldn’t use magic. Yet, this man was casting a rather challenging water-based spell in poor conditions—and silently, no less. Lesti’s fireballs had already taken a lot of the moisture out of the nearby air, meaning his magic had to reach pretty far to gather the water needed.
After recovering from my initial shock, I quickly moved to stop whatever he was planning. Reaching out with my own magic, I carefully undid the part of the spell that held the gathered water together, causing it to fall to the floor in a puddle. Rather than being shocked, the barkeep just glanced at it like he had expected that to happen before turning his gaze back to me.
“I guess you’re Astria, then?”
“How do you know who I am?” I glared at the man and prepared to shift into tiger form, just in case.
“I don’t know of anyone else who could counter a completely silent spell like that.” He grinned at me. “That and you being able to talk pretty much seals the deal.”
The barkeep raised his hand, and the men behind us all relaxed, tense expressions turning to relaxed smiles as they each plopped back down on the bench. Lesti let out a relieved sigh and canceled her spell. “So, are you going to let us see Dag now?”
“Aye, I can do that.” He walked over to the entrance to the back and looked over his shoulder at us. “Follow me. Oh, and try not to be too surprised, okay?”
Lesti and I both glanced at each other, unsure of what he meant. She shrugged, and we followed after the man. Just like the front, the back wasn’t much to look at either. A long counter ran along the wall. In the right corner, there was a small hearth where the food was being cooked. In the back left corner, a fairly narrow staircase led up to the second floor.