004

I was walkin' down one of the hallways, on the thirty-thousandth floor, I'd just gotten a call from Yorm Uldanthra Lord of all of Ebsenka, the ten armed warrior king, ravager of the plains of Ulmanu. They get very touche if you leave out their titles. Them and their minions had just preformed the rites of the death god Bublamu in the fifth lobby on the floor. It was a complete mess, the walls were painted in yellow blood and they'd left the remains of the hulmbaba right there on the coffee table.

I'm all about folk around here being able to be themselves and live out their culture to the best of their abilities, but seriously? Leavin' the ritual sacrifice right there on the coffee table? So unsanitary. I don't get paid enough to clear up hulmbaba's. Too many arms and eyes. Twitches for hours after death too. An absolute nightmare to clean up.

Anyway, I'm there tryin' to shove all twenty hulmbaba legs into a single trash bag, my first mistake, when all the lights start flickerin. Not usually concernin' on that floor since the Royal Electric theater rents a room there, but this felt different. There was a cold wind and some quiet whispers, they felt evil you know? Couldn't make out what they were sayin' but whatever it was was dark.

Whoever was whisperin' didn't know me, but they wanted to hurt me.

They wanted to hurt me real bad.

₩Ɇ'ⱤɆ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₥Ɇ₳₦ ɎØɄ ₦Ø Ⱨ₳Ɽ₥.

₩Ɇ'ⱤɆ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₥Ɇ₳₦ ɎØɄ Ⱨ₳Ɽ₥.

₩Ɇ'ⱤɆ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₥Ɇ₳₦ ɎØɄ ₦Ø Ⱨ₳Ɽ₥.

The hulmbaba started twitchin' in my arms, so I took my eyes off the hallway to try and shove it back in the bag and make sure it didn't break the table and when I looked back the lights had stopped flickerin' and there were three . . . three things standing there.

They weren't there, but they were there. They were the absence of anything. Not darkness, not shadow, but just . . . nothing. But shaped like a human, or at least humanoid. Two arms, two legs, torso and head. They just stood there for a minute while i tried to shove the damned animal into the trash bag but didn't dare take my eyes off them.

The damned thing stopped twitchin so i took the chance to get it all the way in the bag. My second mistake was lookin' away from the hallway for a moment, to get it's stupid giraffe head into the bag. When I looked back the things were closer.

They'd made no noise while movin.

Didn't even sound like they breathed. They were just not there.

The whispers started gettin' louder, meaner too. Didn't feel like they were comin from the . . . the entities. When you've been doin this as long as I have, you get good at pickin up on these things. The whisper's accompanied these entities but they did not emanate from them.

ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴. ɎØɄ ₥Ʉ₴₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴. ɎØɄ ₥Ʉ₴₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴. ɎØɄ ₥Ʉ₴₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

I managed to tie the bag without lookin away, but the hulmbaba started thrashin' and knocked over the table. My eyes were off the hallway for a second but when I looked back they were right next to me. The whispers were deafnin' and the middle entity started reachin out to me. I . . .

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ⱤɄ₦? ₩Ɇ ₦ɆɆĐ ɎØɄ. ₩Ɇ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ø ₵Ɽ₳₩Ⱡ ł₦₴łĐɆ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ₮₳₭Ɇ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

It was askin for help. I just know it.

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ⱤɄ₦? ₩Ɇ ₦ɆɆĐ ɎØɄ. ₩Ɇ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ø ₵Ɽ₳₩Ⱡ ł₦₴łĐɆ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ₮₳₭Ɇ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ⱤɄ₦? ₩Ɇ ₦ɆɆĐ ɎØɄ. ₩Ɇ ₩₳₦₮ ₮Ø ₵Ɽ₳₩Ⱡ ł₦₴łĐɆ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ₮₳₭Ɇ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴.

I'm ashamed to admit it but I ran. Somethin inside me yelled that if that thing touched me it'd be ugly. That somethin' inside me would be ripped out and something dark and inky would crawl into that empty space and follow me around until the day I died. I tripped over the bag as I tried to escape, incident papers all spilled outta my bag onto the floor but I didn' stop.

₩Ɇ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ Ʉ₴.

₩Ɇ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ Ʉ₴.

₩Ɇ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ ɎØɄ ₳₦Đ ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ₭₦Ø₩ Ʉ₴.

I ran passed the other two, they didn't even reach out, just watched me leave. Didn't stop runnin till I got to the elevators and then when I got to the first floor I ran to my room and called The Guardians. Figured I better use 'em if they're gettin' paid. It was just him when I opened the door, guess they didn't believe an senile old woman babblin about shadow people enough to send the whole crew.

His names Colt, by the way. It's changed since he was a babe but that doesn't surprise me. I've changed my name a few times too, runs in the family.

He was very polite, walked with me back to the floor and wasn't even sarcastic when we got there and they were gone. Even helped finish the clean up. His mama certainly raised him right. . .

Anyway, I'm tired. Had to haul those trash bags down to the incinerator all on my lonesome since Colt was called to a different floor.

I'll write again later.

Be well, and watch your back.

₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ⱧɆⱤ.

₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ɎØɄ.

₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ⱧɆⱤɆ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ⱧɆⱤ.

#fiction #spacebetweenspaces #eldtrichnightmares #TheNightwoodApartmentComplex

₴ⱧɆ ⱠɆ₣₮ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₣ØⱤ Ʉ₴. ₴ⱧɆ Ɽ₳₦ ł₦ ₳ ₱₳₦ł₵.

₴ⱧɆ ⱠɆ₣₮ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₣ØⱤ Ʉ₴. ₴ⱧɆ Ɽ₳₦ ł₦ ₳ ₱₳₦ł₵.

₴ⱧɆ ⱠɆ₣₮ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₣ØⱤ Ʉ₴. ₴ⱧɆ Ɽ₳₦ ł₦ ₳ ₱₳₦ł₵

₩Ɇ ĐØ ₦Ø₮ ฿Ⱡ₳₥Ɇ ⱧɆⱤ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₣Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮₣ɄⱠ. ₩Ɇ ₩ɆⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₩₳Ɏ.

₩Ɇ ĐØ ฿Ⱡ₳₥Ɇ ⱧɆⱤ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ฿Ɇ₳Ʉ₮ł₣ɄⱠ. ₩Ɇ ₩ɆⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₩₳Ɏ.

₩Ɇ ĐØ ₦Ø₮ ฿Ⱡ₳₥Ɇ ⱧɆⱤ. ₩Ɇ ₳ⱤɆ ₣Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮₣ɄⱠ. ₩Ɇ ₩ɆⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₩₳Ɏ.

₴ⱧɆ ₩łⱠⱠ ₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ₴ⱧɆ ₵₳₦₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ⱧɆⱤ ɆɎɆ₴ ₳ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲ ł₴ ɆVɆⱤ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ.

₴ⱧɆ ₩łⱠⱠ ₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ₴ⱧɆ ₵₳₦₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ⱧɆⱤ ɆɎɆ₴ ₳ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲ ł₴ ɆVɆⱤ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ.

₴ⱧɆ ₩łⱠⱠ ₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ₴ⱧɆ ₵₳₦₦Ø₮ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴. ⱧɆⱤ ɆɎɆ₴ ₳ⱤɆ ₦Ø₮ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲ ł₴ ɆVɆⱤ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮. ฿Ʉ₮ ɎØɄ.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₩ØⱤĐ₴.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₱₳ł₦.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₱₳ł₦.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₱₳ł₦.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₴₮ⱤɄ₲₲ⱠɆ.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₴₮ⱤɄ₲₲ⱠɆ.

ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ ØɄⱤ ₴₮ⱤɄ₲₲ⱠɆ.

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴?

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴?

₩ⱧɎ ĐØ ɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ⱧɆⱠ₱ Ʉ₴?

#fiction #spacebetweenspaces #eldtrichnightmares #TheNightwoodApartmentComplex

Note 003

So.

The main reason i was talkin about Jabbers was because there's been a lot of 'em lately. Like, more than usual. I'm findin a new nest every other day, and i'm gettin calls from irritated renters about awful smells in the hallways or their rooms.

Now I dont know much about Jabber's zoologically, I just know how to get rid of 'em. In all my long years I haven't ever seen an infestation this big or this long, but maybe they just have longer cycles or migration periods? I've asked Tabbs to ask Woods if i could get a peak at their records to see if the last handyperson went through this.

Had to ask the damn cat because Wood's has been quiet lately. She's been refusing to talk to me. I'm not sure, but i think its because whenever she see's me, or hears my voice, all she remembers is U̴sho̴̼͔͙͐͝u̵kelbh. Which i mean. . . I don't completely blame her for, but it hurts you know? Anyway. . .

Right. Infestations.

Luckily we haven't had many Blanks, ya know, those 'blank' hallways that are actually massive parasites that melt people down into goo? Yeah. Been glad we haven't had many of those. I think the Blanks and the Jabbers are natural enemies? I caught a Blank free floatin the other day- oh uh, by the way, Blank's 'free float' before they set their anchors down into a hallway. When they're in that form they look like this sorta floatin white and clear mass? It moves like cloth underwater, but dont let that fool you, if they see you, they'll snatch you up before you can say Oklahoma.

So I caught one of these free floatin, and i ducked behind the corner so it wouldn't see me while I got my shovel out. I was keepin my eyes on it in case it drifted closer, but it moved towards the wall and then it started morphin into these shapes. It got all these sharp angles happenin and i heard somethin like a thousand souls screamin. Next thing I know, a frog man peels itself from the wall and begins jabberin' away at this Blank thats still screechin.

I was actually happy for a Jabber to be around for once. The fightin was feirce, and the lil frog man put up a good fight, started rippin parts of the Blank off an' eatin' 'em.

Unfortunately for it though the Blank was a better fighter. It turned itself into a thousand sharp spears and shredded the Jabber until it stopped movin. Fortunately for me, the Jabber had gotten in so many good hits that the Blank just collapsed after that and it was a nice clean kill for me and the trusty shovel.

Hell of a clean up though.

The Jabber's have been keepin the Blanks away but they haven't stopped the Shadow Folk.

Now, I ain't ever heard of 'em before. Ain't ever seen 'em neither. But by any god that sees fit to fill my lungs with breathe, I wish I could say I still haven't seen one.

I met both kinds the other day, and i don't think i'm goin' to be sleepin' for the next few days.

But thats for the next note, I have to go collect the paper's i dropped when i ran from 'em. Can't leave a mess like that on floor 3,000 otherwise Dr. Onys will turn me into one of his singin' heads.

₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ØⱠⱠØ₩. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₩₳₮₵Ⱨ. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ɆɆĐ.

₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ØⱠⱠØ₩. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₩₳₮₵Ⱨ. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ɆɆĐ.

₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ØⱠⱠØ₩. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₩₳₮₵Ⱨ. ₴ⱧɆ ĐØɆ₴ ₦Ø₮ ₭₦Ø₩ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₩Ɇ ₣ɆɆĐ.

#fiction #spacebetweenspaces #eldtrichnightmares #eldritch #TheNightwoodApartmentComplex

Note 002

So, the whole U̴sho̴̼͔͙͐͝u̵kelbh debacle really interrupted our lessons, huh? That kind of thing happens though, life aint ever a neat n' clean thing. Today, I will be teachin' you about the regular ol' parasites that you'll have to deal with around here. Hopefully, lord willin' and the crick don't rise, you wont be dealin' with amorphous entities that embody the great hunger of the universe on a daily basis.

I've mentioned 'em before, way back I think in one of my first notes, but the most common infestations we get around here are Jabbers. Weird lil' man frog things that feed off the specific band of energy, that what most people call 'magic', gives off. It's good then, to be aware of which tenant's give off this kind of energy.

Dont' worry about rememberin' every single magical tenant, you're brain would probably melt if ya did. But just be aware whenever someone new signs up if they feel quiet powerful.

If you haven't had many dealin's with magical folk, you can usual tell because the air around 'em is electrical in a way, and you can usually taste burnt caramel when you're around 'em. The taste and static feelin' get stronger dependin' on how strong they are.

Anyway.

Jabbers.

Little bastards will burrow into the walls near the magical tenant and go into a hibernation like state to feed. They eat their way into the wall, they don't actually eat the cement and the drywall but whatever timey space stuff that keeps this place together and then they crawl into the hole. Sometimes I've found more than one of 'em in a single hole, the most I've found is seven. It was a damned sight seenin' all their legs and arms bent at all those awful angles and just stuffed into this hole no bigger than my head.

Now, as I said, they don't actually eat the cement itself, so there isn't actually a physical hole to make this whole thing easier, no, there are two true tried and tested ways to tell if you've got a Jabber infestation on your hands.

Number 1: the smell.

My god, the smell. Its like a month old fish had a romantic encounter with baby vomit over rotten eggs that were smothered with putrid meat and topped by sulfur. It is foul, believe me, unless you're nose blind, you wont be able to miss it.

Number 2: the pus.

Jabber's are covered in boils. These boils, while they sleep, will grow depending on how fast they're eatin' and when they get full the boil's all burst at once. Don't ask me why, i dont get paid enough for that. This putrid, yellow liquid then oozes between the dimensional walls and leaks into our dimension. The wall below the entrance to their little dimensional den will be slathered with it, and unfortunately this is a late stage symptom of Jabbers, so at this point you'll be dealin with a few of 'em, probably in a dozen different holes too.

Now, the removal.

Unfortunately you will have to get the sledgehammer out for this. Or fortunately, depending on how much you like hittin stuff. Me? I like it a lot. You gotta take the sledgehammer and make a hole just above the pus, or if you're goin by smell, where the wall smells the worst. In my experiences it only takes two or three hits to get to the point where you can start to see em.

Now, unless you want to deal with several angry and awake Jabbers, you put the sledgehammer down at this point and you pick up your trusty ol' Jabber-a-way gas you can get from The Broken Barrel. Insert the tube either into the Jabber itself or into its space and then just turn it on. The canister will automatically empty, and you'd best believe you'd better cover your mouth and nose, or better yet, wear a mask for this part.

I made the mistake of breathin it in for a few years and my lung's aint ever been the same.

Once the Jabber's are dead, you can pull 'em out of the walls and take 'em down to the incinerator.

Or room 1006.

Thats where Jorba-ba-bath lives sometimes, they like to come and go, but their natural diet is Jabbers. So if they're in, as long as you dont look 'em in the eyes or give 'em your true name, or let them take a lock of your hair, you can give the Jabbers to them! They'll be grateful for the food, and will usually give you a boon of some kind. Sometimes they're pretty simple, like a gachapon prize but other times they're items of great power.

They're actually how i first met Agga, but thats a story for another day.

Ah dammit, gotta run. The Pale Folk Society from room 809 just went on a rampage again, its a mess up there.

Stay safe and don't forget to watch your back out their rookie, the world is a cold and dangerous place.

-Agatha

#fiction #spacebetweenspaces #eldtrichnightmares #TheNightwoodApartmentComplex

Note 001

It's been awhile.

I'm surprised we're both still here, a lot has happened. We've both changed, I'm sure.

Where to start?

What do I even remember?

My body was stolen by a parasite, this place almost collapsed on itself, and we all almost died. I think that sums it up nicely. No point cryin' over spilled milk, ain't no rest for the wicked, and all that.

I've been told by Woods my contract's been extended, so I can't retire just yet. Fine by me, actually. Didn't think it would be but somehow i dont think i can go back to reality after what happened.

Not yet, at least.

Thing's have changed around here. Some folks have moved in, others moved out. Wood's hired a special security group to patrol the spaces between the apartments, so something like what happened can't happen again. There are five of 'em, call themselves the Guardians. Bit cliche but whatever works for them, I suppose.

I . . . I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I met them for the first time. One of them, the youngest and the most human. It was him. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. The first and last time I saw him he was just a babe.

It was my nephew.

My one and only grandchild is here.

In this hell.

Guarding this hell.

He didn't recognize me, probably thought I was a senile ol' lady just staring dumbly at 'em. He looks just like her. My daughter, I mean. Lucky for both of them she took after her father rather then me. Downside is he and I look nothing alike. Even if I told him, he probably wouldn't believe me.

Do I even tell him?

Hi, its me, your good for nothing grandma who abandoned your mother when she was . . . well. No use cryin' over spilled milk, and all that..

Harold's still here, he's actually decided to start helpin' out around the place. Wood's even appointed him as the jr. handyman. Still cracks me up. He doesn't think its very funny, nips me every time I tell 'em he's the best hand-yman around.

Probably deserve it though.

Ah damn, Yolmith in room 637 is calling.

They're one of the new folk actually, a giant, and I do mean giant, white cat. Very eloquent I must add, we've had a few philosophical conversations when i've been 'round, clearing all the drains of hairballs. Almost gave Tabb's a heart attack when they first met.

Probably clogged the drains again. I wont wait so long to write again. We have a lot to talk about.

#Fiction #spacebetweenspaces #eldtrichnightmares #TheNightwoodApartmentComplex

"What now? What did you want to talk to me about that couldn't be said in front of the council?"

"The Janushirians are a strong enemy, many have gone before them and fallen. I believe you're underestimating them."

"Yes, many have gone before, but they were not us. We are strong too, almost stronger, and we have better numbers. I am not underestimating them, I just know we can win. Why delay the inevitable?"

"The numbers we have, yes, but numbers aren't everything. Look at them, look at your army. They barely survived the ambush in the mountains; most have seen their dearest friends torn apart by wyvern riders. They have walked far from their homeland, their marching songs stopped after the plains of Etaryia. I even overheard some of them talking of desertion.

These are not the hungry dogs of war you started with, my friend. These are battle weary soldiers who can barely hold a sword. They miss our homeland, the mountains, their families. The Janushirian's haven't yet reached the borders of Unstaulk, marching out to meet them now would be a death sentence. I implore you, let your army rest."

"No."

"No?"

"Absolutely not. I will not adhere to cowardice within my ranks. We may have called each other friend once, so I will warn you, you are treading on thin ice."

"Why? Why wont you listen? Would you march them to their deaths?"

"I would march them straight to the gates of the deep myself if it meant victory!"

"Dragging ten thousand soldiers to their deaths will not bring your father back."

"How dare you!"

"How dare I indeed. You are not the leader I knew you once to be. Your heart has gone cold inside of you. You are 'Icellinor', one of the living dead."

"If you do not keep your tongue behind your teeth, I will strike you down here and now!"

"Do it. I would rather die then see you turn into something your father would detest. I would rather be eaten alive by the birds than see my oldest friend throw away their life and the lives of their countrymen for such folly."

"Folly? You would dare call this folly? They killed him while he was eating at their table! They slit his throat during peace talks and then sent me the declaration of war signed in his blood! I would see every single Janushirian on a pike before ever thinking of retreat."

"Yes, they did, and it was despicable, may the darkest halls of the depths be their house when the long sleep comes for them; but do you forget I was there? Do you forget that he was like a father to me also? How he raised me after my own parents perished? Does my heart no also grieve for his loss? You've taken your revenge tenfold; you marched us through their banner lands, torched their farms and their innocents. You made us pull down their temples, we have destroyed their gods, none of their cities are left standing.

I helped you execute the lords of their fields, I stood and watched you burn their seers at the stake, I looked away when you hung their princelings. But no more. I refuse to continue, i refuse to avert my eyes any longer. You have spilled more blood then you were owed, and every single soldier, from the lowest pike-men to the highest knight, knows it.

Do you ever walk through the camp at night? Do you realize how many of them have nightmares? Most dont bother anymore, they know sleep has pulled her blessing from them. It's not too late to lead us home, to end this, to give your soldiers hope again. Please, I'm begging you."

"..."

"Old friend?"

"Leave me. I need to think."

Chapter 5

The room fell silent as they took in the Pirate Queen’s words. Each, in their own way, understood the weight of them; the Descent was the deep sloping canyon that Athoes was built to guard. It was said that it led to the underworld, full of demons and despair. Robert shivered, the stories his nurse maid had told had instilled a deep fear of the place in him.

He leaned back in his chair and looked around the room, not wanting to be the first to speak. The King's words were still ringing through him, but if their journey would take them down into the earth itself, surely he needed to tell them the truth about who created the Decent and why. Robert could feel Sinclairs eyes on him, but he ignored them, instead keeping his gaze on the table. He only looked up when Osii began to speak,

"We have stories, where I come from, of the age of giants. May I tell you our story of the end of that age?"

The group nodded and settled into their seats almost instinctually, waiting eagerly for the yarn. Osii settled back and closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts, before she finally began.

"The great creator molded our world from ash and dust. They looked upon this place with great pride, and made guardians to keep it safe while they continued with their great journey. They crafted the giants from mountains, the ocean depths, and the primordial pillars. They gave them the mantle of responsibility for this world, but the moment the creator left, the guardians turned their backs on their duties. They broke their mantle and turned on the other races of the world. They fought each other for absolute power, treading the world back into dust beneath their feet.

A single human rose above the rest in strength and will, and cried out to the creator to return and help them. The creator heard her pleas and granted her great power to vanquish the titans and protect her people. She took parts of the broken mantle, crushed them into powder and imbued them with magic. She then mixed them into a lake, deep within the earth, and put obstacles in the way for any who would seek the lake. She then cursed the titans with mortality which could only be cured by water from the lake.

The titans were frantic as age began to touch their veins, and carved out the Decent in their frantic search for survival. But, alas, no titan was small enough to reach the lake, nor strong enough to break through the earth around it. The smarter titans manipulated humans into doing their bidding, ordered them to go to the lake and bring the water back. But no human ever passed the trials, and one by one the titans began to die.

They rushed to the Decent and tried to push each other deeper and deeper in, and eventually they became stuck and starved to death. Two titans had chosen different paths, however-"

"Hemrah, the only Titan to change her ways and seek to impart knowledge to the humans under her command. She helped create Ob, and we celebreate her passing every year," Kacia explained with a fond smile.

Osii nodded, "yes, it was Hemrah and Behemoth who did not seek to extend their life, but instead molded the humans around them, for better or worse. Ob became Hemrah's seat of power, and Ebulous was Behemoth's. Not much news travels from that dark continent, but it is believed that they still practice his bloodthirsty teachings."

Robert was vaguely aware of Sinclair stiffening beside him before relaxing again. He glanced over at his friend, but could only make out boredom and tiredness on his face. Nothing portrayed how he might have really felt, if anything at all. Robert looked back over at Osii, deciding he would think about it later.

Osii was watching Agatha as she asked, "So with that in mind, what do you think we'll find in the Descent?"

The pirate Queen leaned back, her eyes wide. Unlike the others in the room, she hadn't known the Decent true origins and had grown up wholly believing the hearsay.

She blew out a breath before shrugging, "from the sounds of it lots of bones and deadly things. I wasn't told anything specific, just that we'd need to travel there. Maybe I'll get more information once we get down there," she mused, staring up at the ceiling with her arms crossed.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fountain?" Kacia sat upright and looked around the room. "I mean, it makes sense since it's the only thing that's supposedly at the bottom on the Descent."

"Possibly, but no one knows if it's even real. No one's ever seen it before, remember? They all went in but never came out." Robert reminded her.

"Doesn't matter, I've been told we need to go down the Decent whether that means we'll find a fountain or not." Agatha cut in.

"You mean if we die trying or not," Sinclair snorted.

The pirate queen shot him a grin, "that's all part of the fun though, isn't it? Not knowing if you'll ever come back."

"If you're insane, sure." He shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. "I kinda like being alive."

Agatha mimicked his posture as she murmured, "can you truly appreciate life if you've never flirted with death?"

Sinclair either didn't deign to reply or couldn't think of anything to say, because the room fell quiet. They all fell back into their own thoughts until Kacia cleared her throat,

"Well, I for one think we should do a little more research. My people tell a slightly different story to Osii's, and I've been told that Athoes' library has the biggest collection of Decent related books."

"You're not wrong there, being so close gives us a bit of an advantage. There are a few exploration guides I'm keen to read, several parties have made it down the Decent to the cave entrance but not many have ever tried going further. Most get to the bottom and come right back up again."

"How long does it usually take them?" Osii's asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"A week or so each way. Depends on how fast they move and how much equipment they are hauling."

The bigger woman nodded slowly and then looked at Kacia, "perhaps you are right. If anything, doing some research might prepare us better for whatever is down there."

"What about me?" Agatha piped up. "Are you going to shove me back into that awful hole in the ground you call a dungeon?"

"Yeah, it's where people like you belong," Sinclair sneered at her.

The pirate queen bristled at that and rose from her seat. Robert stood before she could launch herself over the table at Sinclair and put a hand up to gain her attention,

"I will arrange something with the advisors. You will be given a room and will be under guard for as long as you're here, okay?" He spoke with a finality he hardly felt.

Agatha dipped her head, almost as if she was ready to pounce across the table, and searched his eyes. He set his jaw and met her gaze with his own. Her icy green eyes bore into him, digging through him until they found his core and finally her gaze withdrew. She inclined her head and sat back down, taking a deep breath as she did so.

Robert let out a breath and looked at Osii, "is it alright if she stays in your room until I can talk to the advisors?"

The woman nodded, glancing over at Agatha and adding "no funny business."

Agatha pouted, "ah come on, you know you'd have a good time."

Osii rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the mirth in them. Robert tried his best to ignore the charged exchange and looked at Kacia, who seemed equally embarrassed at the blatent fliration.

"Would you mind talking to the advisors with me? I feel like I'd have a better chance convincing them we need Agatha help if you're there to remind them why."

He tried to ignore the way her eyes lit up and her back instantly straightened, the smile that brightened up her whole face. The way his heart fluttered in his chest as she dipped her head and spoke with a silken voice,

"Of course."

Robert thumped the table to gain everyone's attention, and to break whatever spell Kacia had on him, as he announced,

"Well that's settled then. Osii will harbor and guard Agatha until Kacia and I can talk to the advisors. Sinclair, if you wouldn't mind talking to the head librarian and beginning to compile some books for our research."

Sinclair rolled his eyes but nodded reluctantly, "yes, your highness" he drawled out. He stood, and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him so hard it made its frame rattle.

"I uh, I should probably go talk to him. . ." He sighed before rapping his knuckles against the table one more time, as if it would build up some courage in him, before heading to the door.

He looked down the hallway each way and saw Sinclair storming around a corner. He swore quietly under his breath and jogged after him, rounding the corner to find him standing beside one of the windows, leaning against it and glaring down at the world below.

"Come to berate me?" He grumbled, and Robert's heart clenched a little. He'd never heard his friend sound so despondent before.

He approached slowly, as if edging towards a wild animal, and shook his head.

"No, of course not," he spoke gently and softly.

Sinclair shot him a look, but it was half hearted, less angry, more sad.

Robert stopped next to him and leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting. He'd learned very early on that if he pushed Sinclair to speak, it would only encourage him to be silent. He would talk in his own time, and he always did, eventually. Robert closed his eyes as he waited, trying to calm his thoughts, and had been waiting so long he'd almost fallen asleep. Sinclair's voice startled him back to reality and he peeled open his eyes, blinking back the blurriness and trying to focus.

"I'm sorry. For being the way I've been these past few days." He murmured, staring out at the city. "I just . . . I guess I feel like I'm . . ." He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know."

"Losing me?" Robert suggested quietly.

Sinclair swallowed and nodded, not daring to look at him. In everything but feelings and emotions, Sinclair was usually the more sensible and eloquent of the two, but the poor man was as emotionally stunted as a tree stump. It had taken many bloody fists, broken furniture, and quiet conversations by the dying kitchen fires to coax and painstakingly pull his feelings to the surface when they were younger. It rarely took bloody fists and broken furniture anymore, but the quietness was something he still needed.

Robert nodded slowly, and looked down at the intricately decorated carpet below their feet. It made sense, with the King away, the ambassadors quest, his father trying to murder his mother and the advisors running around like a bunch of headless chickens, he'd barely spent any time with his friend. He'd had things to do, people to see, but Sinclair didn't have many duties, and was generally looked down upon because of his upbringing. He had no friends other than Robert.

A plan began forming in his mind as he tried to reassure his friend, "I'm not going anywhere, Sinclair. It's just been busy, you know? But-" he pushed himself off the wall and fully faced the other man, "-if you want to help me, I'll speak to the advisors about promoting you."

Sinclair's eyes widened, and suddenly narrowed as he asked, "promoted to what? Don't make me that pirate's bodyguard, anything but that."

Robert waved away his concerns and smiled, "how about being my bodyguard?"

"Your bodyguard?"

"Yeah, why not? I've had so much on my mind recently that I haven't really been thinking about security."

The memory of what Robert's father had tried to do floated silently between them. His father was a powerful man, even when behind bars. He had dirt on half of the court, and Robert had tried to keep himself from wondering what half of them were capable of.

Sinclair looked back out over the city, the corner of his lips twitching into a smile that he was trying to hide.

"If I said no?" He tried to keep his tone neutral but his eyes were bright, brighter than they had been in awhile.

Robert grinned and shrugged, "your loss, you'd miss out on the ability to boss me around for 'safety's sake'."

"Hmm, I do like bossing you around."

"You always have," he chuckled and narrowly dodged a punch to the shoulder.

"Only because you're a little punk who never listens!" Sinclair laughed.

"So you'll do it?"

He gave a dramatic sigh, "you'll only get yourself killed if I don't."

"Very reassuring, thank you."

"It's what I'm here for. Someone's gotta keep that ego in check" he joked with a shrug, pushing off the window and facing his friend with a grin.

Robert shook his head but couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped him. He threw an arm around Sinclair's shoulders and steered him down the hallway.

"Alright bodyguard, let's go talk to some advisors."

#Originalstory #BehemothsHeart

Chapter 4

The morning light streamed through Robert's windows, slowly warming the space and chasing away the shadows of the night. He'd been awake for hours, watching the sun slowly rise on the horizon over the distant haze of the Silver Desert. Robert hadn't slept much, his thoughts had been racing all night, his fears keeping him awake. Some of it had been relieved when captain Masters had knocked on his door in the middle of the night, Roberts father bound, gagged and held by a patrol unit.

He hadn't hesitated to send his father to the dungeons. If his eyes never laid sight on that mockery of a man ever again he could die happy, he decided. In any case, it wasn't his decision to decide what punishment would befall his father, not in the long run. That power was still held by the King, even when he wasn't present in the city.

Word had spread almost immediately that Kacia had been the one that saved Lady De'heul, and no doubt his father had heard it too. After he'd been apprehended, Robert had breathed a little easier knowing that at least the ambassador was safe from whatever kind of revenge his father might have been cooking up.

His father had never been a kind man. It was whispered around the palace that the King and Magdalene had been in love before the king had been chosen to rule instead of his older brother, Robert's father. The monarchs of Athoes were chosen, and could not take a partner, or lover. They ruled alone and then chose the next King or Queen when the time came. So the King and Maggie admired each other quietly at a distance.

The scholars, the kings designated advisors, feared Maggie staying in the palace would bring temptation and ruin to the King, so they devised a plan to send her to Thul'kutra and then put her on a ship to Creator knows where.

Maggie was devastated when she found out, but there was nothing she could do. That is until the King's brother heard of her plight and made her an offer. As family to the King, his brother could not be forced to leave the palace by anyone but the king himself. He offered to marry Maggie.

The King had taken the throne from him, so he would take his beloved as his own. He reveled in the idea of forcing to watch him marry the love of his life, to watch their children be born and grow, to watch them grow old. To have all the things the King could not.

Maggie detested the idea. She knew what kind of man the brother was. But as the day of her departure grew closer and closer, she began to grow desperate and finally relented. They married within the month. It was a mixed affair; some supported the brother and others mourned Maggies choice.

In any case, the King did not give his opinion on the matter, but visited Maggie every chance he got until she spent more time with him than she ever did with his brother.

Within the first year Maggie was with child and months later gave birth to Robert, who would be her one and only child. It was whispered in the palace that Robert was the king's son, and not his brothers. It wasn't long after that she began to get sick. It wasn't much of anything at first, everyone suspected it was a cold, or just extended exhaustion from the birth. But she never got any better.

Over the years her health slowly began to decline. Robert had never known a time when she was healthy. He suddenly wondered if his father had something to do with that.

The thought made his blood boil, and he jumped up from his chair and began pacing. It was only the restraint of responsibility that kept him from sprinting to the dungeons and beating the man senseless for an answer.

A knock on his door startled him from his thoughts. Robert straightened out his clothes and caught sight of himself in the floor length mirror across the room. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled and sitting oddly on his frame. He had dark bags under his eyes, which weren't bright and clear like they usually were, there was a storm brewing in them. He scowled at his reflection and turned away.

The knock came at the door again and Robert strode over and grabbed the handle. Suddenly a voice in the back of his mind whispered warnings and cautioned him to breathe. For a moment he debating ignoring the voice and ripping into whoever was on the other side of the door, but finally he relented and took a deep breath to calm the roiling storm inside him. When his heart rate was back to normal, he opened the door to find Sinclair on the other side. His friend gave him a thorough once over with his eyes before finally fixing Robert with a concerned look.

"I heard about your mother, so I won't ask how you're doing, but I will ask if you want me to sneak you food from the kitchens, you know, like we used to."

Robert leaned against the doorframe and didn't try to hide the smile that lit up his face. The offer to avoid the stares and whispers he'd receive from the grand hall during breakfast was a tempting one. But the King's warning still rang through his mind. He shook his head,

"As much as it hurts to turn down an adventure in the kitchens, I'm afraid I must. I think i'm just going to sit with my mother for a while, besides I'm not very hungry."

In reality, he didn't know what he was going to do, but he was pretty sure he wasn't ready to see his mother laying in bed, so weak she couldn't open her eyes. It took all he had to keep his composure. If Sinclair noticed anything, he didn't bring it up. Instead he put a hand on Roberts shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze,

"If you need anything, or if you need to talk, I'm here, okay?"

Robert nodded and squeezed his hand with his own,

"I know, thank you Sinclair. You've always been a good friend, better than I probably deserve."

They stood there for a moment before Sinclair withdrew and gave him one last mischievous grin, "well there'll be more sweet rolls for me then! I'm off the plunder to the kitchen, if you don't see me later then the chief caught me and threw me in her stew."

Robert laughed and watched as his friend retreated around a corner , and was about to close his door when he spotted the Ambassador from Ob hurrying down the hallway towards him. His lifted spirits suddenly felt the weight of the world again and he stepped out of his room to meet her,

"Ambassador Kacia, are you alright?"

"Ah, Robert, good morning. I'm fine, but I wanted to talk to you about something before our meeting this afternoon." She bowed her head to him and then looked pleadingly up at him with her startling golden eyes.

He could only nod and move aside as his mouth went dry. As she slid past him, notes of lavender and old books wafted over him. Kacia stood in the middle of the room, looking around in awe at the intricate carvings and paintings that adorned the walls and ceiling.

"This place. . ." She murmured quietly.

"It's called the sunrise room, it's for potential future Kings to reside in. I'm not a huge fan of the extravagance honestly." He explained as he closed the door.

"It's beautiful." Kacia finished, reverent awe in her voice. "Not just the painting, but the design and architecture. See how it's designed? I imagine that when the sun is rising that the light shines on these back walls, and the gold and white reflect the light. And then the same happens on the other wall when the sun sets, and the way the light reflects around the ceiling sections. I imagine it's even more beautiful during the full moon."

She gestured to the struts, alcoves, and the small dome set into the ceiling as she spoke, her eyes bright as the word spilled from her lips. She caught sight of him staring at her and turned a deep red,

"Oh, I am sorry! I get so caught up in myself sometimes. You don't want to listen to me prattle on."

"No, no its fine. I've never actually thought of it like that," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've always just seen a room, it's nice to actually see someone appreciate it."

He offered her a small smile which she returned with a bright one of her own. He cleared his throat and finally moved away from the door. He strode quickly over to the corner of the room where two chairs sat and gestured to them,

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Kacia took a deep breath as she sat before beginning,

"Firstly, I want to make it very clear that I'm not asking this just because of what happened last night. In fact, put my actions as far from your mind as you can when ---considering what I'm about to ask. Okay?"

Robert nodded slowly, confusion clear on his features. Kacia continued quickly before she lost confidence

"Okay. There is a prisoner in your dungeons, her name is Agatha Wyther. She was visited by what we in Ob call a divine messenger. I was also visited and informed of her importance in whatever it is that is coming our way."

"Wait, you mean Agatha "The Howler " Wyther? The pirate queen? The woman who raided Athoes' coastlines for years without remorse? That Agatha?"

Kacia shuffled in her seat and nodded with a grimace, "yes. I know it's not ideal, but at least hear her out. She knows more than any of us right now. She's willing to talk if you free her." She then related everything that had happened during her visit to the dungeons, leaving him to listen in stunned silence until she'd finsihed.

Robert shook his head, "I can't Kacia, even if I wanted to repay your kindness last night. For one the King himself sent her there and only the King can order her back out. And even if I could, there would be outrage. I don't think you understand how much people hate her, Kacia. Agatha set fire to most of our coastline and slaughtered thousands, mostly just for the fun of it."

He watched the ambassador crumple in on herself, her arms going around herself and her eyes falling to the floor.

"I figured this was a longshot." She sighed, "is there any way she couldn't least attend our meeting this afternoon?" She pleaded as they locked eyes.

He looked away and rubbed his face with a groan. It was a bad idea, a very bad idea, especially if any of the scholars found out and decided to send a report to the King. He peeked through his fingers to find Kacia still staring at him, looking hopeful. Something inside him violently rallied against disappointing her.

He sighed heavily and dropped his hands from his face,

"Fine. She can come to the meeting but-" he held up a hand to stop Kacia as she opened her mouth, "but it must be done in secret. We'll have to smuggle her from the prison and somehow get her to the meeting room without anyone knowing."

Kacia nodded, "if you can get the guards away from the dungeon entrance, then Osii and I can take care of the rest."

Robert nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "alright, I'll get them away from the doors 2 hours before our meeting. You'll probably have an half an hour to get into the dungeons and get Agatha out. I'll give you my copy of the dungeon master key, it will open her cell." With that he stood and hurried over to one of his cabinets. After a bit of rummaging he pulled out a brass key decorated with delicate filigree along its length.

He held it out to her and watched as she jumped up and hurried over to take it, their fingers brushing as she did.

"Thank you, I promise that this will be worth it."

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again and swallowed the surprising words. He had been about to tell her that he trusted her.

Instead he cleared his throat, and tried to avoid her gaze as he said "well I suppose I'll see you at our meeting. I should probably get ready and then distract those guards."

"Yes, of course. Thank you again, Robert." She bowed her head, turned on her heel and strode to the door.

He could only watch as she threw one last smile over her shoulder and left and suddenly he was alone and confused. He got washed and dressed out of habit more than conscious action as he tried to keep her smile, the smell of her out of his head. When he couldn't he groaned and whispered,

"Fuck."

*******

Osii watched from the end of the hallway as the guards at the dungeon entrance were led away by Robert. It hadn't taken the soldier long to convince the guards to follow him. She was mildly impressed.

Her smaller companion shuffled beside her; she hadn't stayed still the entire time they'd been waiting. In fact, she'd been endlessly moving during breakfast, and as they were collected their notes for the meeting.

Finally Osii had had enough,

"I don't suppose there's a reason why you've been unable to contain yourself today?”

“I’m not fond of the dark.” She admitted without a beat, her eyes glued on the backs of the guards as they were led away.

"Well, at least this time you won't be alone. I can still go down on my own, you know." Osii offered.

But Kacia shook her head, "I don't know how'd she'd react. At least she knows me and the deal we made. I'd rather try to snuff a silly childhood fear than you potentially get shanked by a mad-woman."

Osii relented and dropped the subject as the guards disappeared around a corner. Quiet as cats, they snuck over to the dungeon door and slipped inside. Kacia led the way down the stairs and into the darkness. It seemed to take less time to reach Agatha this time, and whether that was because of Osii's presence or their limited time, Kacia wasn't sure.

But the pirate queen was already at the bars when they reached her, grinning from ear to ear.

"I wasn't sure you'd actually come through," she admitted as they stopped in front of her.

Kacia fumbled through her various bags and pockets to find the key Robert had given her.

"Technically we haven't. No one can know you're gone, and I'm afraid after a few hours we're going to have to sneak you back in."

The woman slumped, disappointment twisting her features.

"But in the meantime, we can offer you a hot shower, and a good meal." Kacia added, hoping to lighten the woman's mood.

She only sighed and nodded, "it's better than nothin I suppose." She admitted half-heartedly. Agatha looked up at Osii and let out a low whistle, "you're pretty big, ey? Will you be joining me in my bath?"

She gave the ambassador a sly grin, her eyes bright and hopeful.

Osii couldn't help but let out a chuckle and turned to Kacia,

"I like this one."

"Yes, she certainly has charm, doesn't she?" She rolled her eyes in response before finally finding the key and unlocking the cell door.

Agatha took a hesitant step out and looked around. Somehow she seemed smaller in the wide open hallway than she had in her cell.

"Alright lasses, lead the way," she gestured widely towards the darkness.

They hurried through the heavy dark with Kacia in the front, Agatha in the middle while Osii brought up the rear. They had to go slower than they would've liked as Agatha hadn't walked any kind of distance in months.

Her legs completely gave out when they reached the stairs and Osii easily scooped her up and threw her over a broad shoulder, wrinkling her nose and trying not to gag at the overpowering smell.

"I think I might actually have to join you for that bath," she grumbled as she took the stairs two by two.

"It's not like they let anyone clean up down here," Agatha shot back, but there was no bite in her words, too tired to defend herself.

They finally reached the door at the top of the stairs and peeked outside. The guards were still gone but a gaggle of courtesans were lingering in the hallway, listening intently to gossip and occasionally letting out cries of delight and shrieks of laughter.

Kacia groaned inwardly; courtesans were even more observant than guards most of the time, they had to be if they wanted to keep on top of the rumor mill. They could also talk for hours. She looked over her shoulder at Osii and hissed,

"What should we do?"

"Go out and distract them, then meet us back at your room."

"Me?" She squeaked, curling in on herself. "I can't talk to them! They'll eat me alive," she glanced back through the crack in the door at the beautifully adorned and perfectly manicured women.

Kacia could feel Osii rolling her eyes, "nonsense, they'll love you if only for the fact you're from a mysterious city that was closer to myth than reality till a few days ago. They'll probe you for juicy tidbits and then leave; simple!"

Despite Osii's reassurances, Kacia still squirmed and chewed her lip. It wasn't till Agatha piped up that Kacia suddenly found the frantic courage to go,

"Perhaps I could go out and regale them with stories of my exploits at sea, just waltz right out there smelling like a cesspit and say-"

"-no! No. I'll go, just, please stay quiet. No one can know you're not in the dungeons."

Kacia took a deep breath and let it out before slipping as out from behind the door as quietly and quickly as she could. She adjusted her waistcoat and undershirt before striding towards the group and plastering on her best smile.

"Excuse me, I believe I'm lost. Could someone show me the way to the grand library?"

The courtesans all went silent when she had begun speaking but when she finished they all burst into life, each talking over each other and the bolder ones even hooking arms with her and leading her down the hallway.

"Of course dear! Although I can't imagine our grand library is anything near Obs stores of knowledge." One said.

"Although ours does have the biggest collection of Descent related information, being so close to it and all." Another added with a thoughtful tap of her fan to her chin.

"What's it like in Ob?" A younger girl asked.

And with that she was led away by the gaggle of excited women, asking her questions and trying to impress her with knowledge about Athoes.

Osii chuckled to herself and waited a few minutes before slipping out of the dungeon and kicking the door shut softly before legging it down the hallway in the opposite direction.

****

Robert sat in the designated meeting room a few hours later, flipping through the reports in front of him for the fifth time. Sinclair rolled his eyes and pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on, sauntering over to the table where Robert was.

"If you hadn't agreed to this outrageous plan you wouldn't be worrying this much." He announced with an exaggerated sigh. "If only you'd asked dear old Sinclair for some advice, we could have avoided this whole scandle."

Robert scowled, and ignored his jibes but inwardly cursed himself. His friend was right, of course. He shouldn't have indulged the ambassadors ideas, he shouldn't have trusted her so easily. The King had even warned him, he'd told him he couldn-

Suddenly the doors to the meeting room were thrown open, destroying Roberts line of thought. A woman he'd only seen in wanted posters sauntered through the doors, grinning from ear to ear, wearing a simple loose fitting white shirt and black breeches.

"'Ello, 'ello everyone! Your certified insane criminal has arrived."

Behind her were the two ambassadors: Osii looked as stoic as usual, but the joyful light in her eyes gave her away. Kacia on the other hand looked mortified as she quickly shut the doors behind them.

"Did you have to be so loud?" She asked, exasperated.

"I was born to be loud, it would be an affront to the creator if I denied that simple fact." She shot back with a wink and a grin.

Kacia just shook her head and slid into the closest seat, letting out a long sigh. Osii chuckled and gave her a shoulder pat as she sat beside her,

"It's okay, the hallway was empty."

Kacia just shook her head again and Robert couldn't help but shoot her a sympathetic smile. The Pirate Queen sat at the head of the table and put her boots up on the table. Sinclair rolled his eyes and took the last empty seat at the table, mumbling to Robert.

"Only you get to be this lucky."

Robert flashed him a grin before clearing his throat and standing,

"Well, I'm glad we've all managed to make it here in one piece. As most of us know, we’re not actually sure why we’ve been called together other than the vague threat that something is coming, it might be linked to past events, and we need to be prepared for it.” He looked at Agatha, trying to keep his face and tone neutral, “I’ve been told that you know more about what we need to do.”

The grin she gave him made his skin crawl. Agatha shuffled deeper into her chair, resting her hands on her stomach.

“I suppose I do,” she mused as she stretched out in her chair, immediately reminding Robert of the old, mean palace cat that spent its days lounging beside the fireplace in the kitchens. Somehow he wasn’t surprised when she continued, “but I won't be giving it up for free.”

He slumped into his chair, biting back a tired sigh. He waved a hand for her to continue, and she wasted no time listing her conditions.

“I want to be out of the dungeons. Now, that doesn’t mean I want to be free. I know now I have to face the consequences I created for myself. I’ll be more than happy to be a prisoner for life, I don't even need good food. I just can’t go back to that cell.”

All eyes in the room snapped to her in surprise. The slimy mirth that had been smeared on her expression mere moments before was nowhere to be found. Her eyes were clear and serious, she was sitting up in her chair, her feet no longer on the table. Robert blinked and leaned back, studying the woman at the head of the table with a new measure of respect.

“Go on.” He replied, letting neither his tone or expression betray his feelings.

She took a deep breath, “and I’d like to help with whatever this is. If you all leave to travel somewhere, I want to come. If you have a meeting, I want to be there.” She started trembling, “if the thing that visited me was right, and I have a shot at-at-I don’t know, feeling even a single moment of peace again before i die, then I want every opportunity to make that happen. To make things right.”

Agatha wrapped her arms around herself before leaning back in her chair, signaling she was done. Robert watched her for a moment, fascinated by how quickly her entire character had shifted. Before he could speak, however, Sinclair scoffed beside him,

“You’re not actually considering this are you? Isn't enough that we even risked this meeting, and now she wants to just have free reign? No, absolutely not. Robert you can’t agree to this.”

“And why not?” He shot back, annoyed that he’d inserted himself into the decision.

He looked shocked that Robert even had to ask, gesturing wildly towards the pirate queen. “She’s a murderer! She’s insane! You know that she’s claiming that some ‘being of light’ visited her and offered her redemption, right? Do you have any idea how insane that sounds, Robert. She’s a master manipulator, a master strategist, and an absolutely ruthless murderer. She’s playing us, she’s playing us all.”

Robert held back the biting words that clawed their way up his throat and forced himself to listen to his friend. He had always seen the best in people, whereas Sinclair had always seen reality. There had been plenty of situations he could have avoided in his younger years if he’d thought so coldly of the world like his friend did. He looked up at the pirate queen as he mulled it over. Yes, she was a murderer, it had been the first thing he’d brought up to Kacia when she’d asked for her presence at this meeting. She was insane, by most people's account, and Robert had thought so too until the night before. The improbability of it all had made Robert just a little bit more open to the idea of a higher power. He’d been raised to believe in the Creator, his mother had taught him about them whenever she’d been strong enough to talk. He’d never believed in it, but it had given his mother hope, and it had taught him to be kind, which had gotten him further in life than anything else had. If the Creator was real, and had saved his mother by putting Kacia in the right place at the right time, then maybe the pirate Queen wasn’t so insane in believing she’d seen a messenger of light.

But then again, Sinclair was right. Agatha had avoided capture for years by being very intelligent and manipulative. Would she really be leaning into the seeking redemption thing if she was lying though? Surely she would have chosen something more believable than being given a second chance by an invisible creature. Why would she have allowed herself to get caught in the first place?

He groaned and buried his head in his hands, why couldn’t anything in life be easy? He thought. Robert took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts and then looked up at his friend to find his eyes already fixed on him.

“Sinclair, do you remember the day we met?”

He sat back in his chair, eyes narrowing and shaking his head slightly. “No, no you don't get to play this card.”

“Yes, yes I do. If I hadn’t given you that second chance, who knows where we’d both be!”

“This isn't even remotely the same situation!” Sinclair snapped.

“You stabbed me!” Robert yelled back.

His friend shrank back in his chair and finally broke eye contact, his ears burning. “I wasn’t trying to kill you,” he defended himself quietly.

Robert nodded, “I know that now but if i’d never heard you out, I probably would have lost the chance to gain the best friend I’ve ever had. We should at least give her a chance, I’m not saying we trust her, but we should at least hear her out. Who knows, maybe one day we can all sit back and laugh about this.”

Sinclair shot him a smirk, “lets not go that far. But,” he shrugged and glanced between the pirate and Robert, “it’s your funeral.”

He grinned, “you’ll carry my casket though, right?”

Sinclair let out a barking laugh, “they’ll have to drag me out of your grave before they bury you.”

Osii cleared her throat, breaking through their moment, glancing between them with a small smirk, “so, you’ve decided?”

Robert looked back to Agatha, “for now I can try and work something out that will allow you your own room, under guard at all times of course, and I will convince the scholars to allow you into all official meetings pertaining to our current task from now on. These things I promise until the King returns, then your fate will be up to him.”

Agatha suddenly sagged in her chair, like she was a puppet whose strings had just been cut, “thank you,” she said, although it was barely a whisper and so full of emotion and relief that she almost choked on them.

She stayed slumped for a few minutes, seemingly getting a hold of herself again, before opening her eyes and leaning forward, the unsettling glee sliding back onto her features as she spoke, “and now my end of the bargain I suppose. We are dealing with something from the age of the Titans, and the Great Mage herself, and I’m afraid our journey will be taking us deep into the Descent itself.”

Chapter 3

The dungeons of Athoes were a dark and cold place, with sconces usually far enough apart that deep pools of shadow and darkness formed between them. Most of the cells in the dungeon were empty besides families of fat rats and large spiders nestled in deep corners. But the fact did little to quell Kacia’s trembling. It was not the icy cold of the dungeons, but the darkness that had the small woman quivering in fear. She stopped frequently in the scant pools of light, taking deep breaths to regain her composure before sprinting to the next point of light.

After almost an eternity of searching, she finally arrived at the cell she needed. The person who had drawn her down into the bowels of the palace in the first place. The figure was hunched in the corner of their cell, humming a soft melody to themselves, unaware of Kacia’s presence.

It wasn’t until the ambassador moved closer to the bars and blocked more of the light wavering through them that the melody died and the squeaking of rats became the only sound. Kacia almost hesitated to break the heavy silence, the weight of it felt reverent in as if she had stepped into a sacred place, but finally she cleared her throat asked in a tone she hoped was confident,

“Captain Wyther, I presume?”

The figure let out a loud guffaw which sent the rats scattering from the cell. She heard the figure shuffle in their corner and could feel eyes roaming her skin, sizing her up.

“Call me Aggy, I doubt my crew would claim me as their captain anymore, nor any sane crew for that matter.”

The figure pulled itself towards the weak light to reveal a disheveled woman. Her dark skin was streaked with dirt and muck, her black hair hung in clumpy tangles around her face, but the clearest sky blue eyes stared up at her, untouched by the squalor around her, as clear and bright as if they were meeting on the street.

“Very well, it’s good to meet you Aggy. My name is Kacia, and I believe we have some business together.”

“We do?” The woman’s head rolled to the side, a thin smile creeping onto her lips and something unsavory swimming in her eyes.

“Indeed,” Kacia continued quickly before any more thoughts could enter the woman's head, “you’ve been visited, and so have I.”

The smile immediately disappeared and she reached out to grip the bars, using them to pull herself up to her full height. Kacia forced herself not to move away from the overwhelming smell of soiled clothing and infection that rolled off of the other woman.

“You’ve seen it?” Aggy hissed, eyes wide and desperate, “I haven’t gone completely overboard?”

“Well, let's just say I've seen it but not in my waking hours, however, like you have. They came to me a few nights ago and told me to find you. You know about what's happening, don't you?”

The woman drew back into the shadows, her fingers tangling themselves into already matted hair. Kacia watched as she began to pace, every movement smooth and fluid even with how tense she looked. Finally Aggy stopped and turned on her heel to face the bars again, pointing a finger at the ambassador.

“I’ll tell you anything and everything you want to know when you get me out of this cell. I don't care how you do it, break me out, pull some strings, I don't care. I just . . . I can’t stay in here.”

Kacia didn’t respond for a few minutes as she mulled it over in her head. She wasn’t sure her words held any sway to the King, or Robert, as he was now in charge of their, well, whatever it was they needed to be doing. They certainly wouldn’t let loose a dangerous criminal on her behalf simply because she’d had a dream one night. Inwardly grimacing at the probably lie, she nodded to Aggy,

“I’ll try my best, but I’ll need something to convince them we need you. What do you know, Agatha Wyther?”

Aggy snorted and retreated further into the darkness of her cell, shaking her head and sliding back down into her favorite corner. She was quiet for long enough that Kacia began to wonder if she was going to tell her anything, but she finally spoke in a quiet, awe-filled voice as she recalled what she’d been put through.

“It appeared so suddenly, like a flash of lightning and with a deafening roll of thunder. The air crackled with power, its presence was so heavy I swear I could see the world bending around it. But no one else saw it, no one could feel it, and it didn’t look at anyone but me. It had so many eyes, but I knew it was looking at me.

It told me that I had lived a wretched life, that I was up to my elbows in innocent blood, but despite that I had been chosen to help in the upcoming war. It was offering me a chance to change, a chance at forgiveness. And boy, if war would give me that chance then I could do that. War is all I’ve ever known.

I asked which war it was talking about. The only war I know that's going right now is the border skirmishes Atheos has with Ebulous, but that's not a war. It’s not like the wars of old, it's just a pissing contest. But the thing wouldn’t tell me, it just said there's a war coming and that I would be needed. I told the thing that i was good at war; at murder and theiving. I could tell that disappointed it, like it had expected more from me, but instead of sayin anything it reached out and took my head in its hands and that's when the pain started.”

She groaned and cradled her head in her arms, “the pain was blinding, I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t move. It put something there that isn’t supposed to be there. It’s lodged in my mind but it isn’t mine and it burns,” she sobbed, her voice reaching a hysterical pitch, “it burns so much and there's nothing I can do because it’s not mine. This place makes it worse, I see things in the shadows, and i see things in the light, and i don't know which ones scare me more. I haven’t slept in days, Kacia, I don't even know what year it is any more! By the creator it burns!”

There was a sickening thud as Aggy slammed the side of her head into the wall, sobbing. Thud, thud, thud, thud. The sudden change that had come over the woman caught Kacia off guard, she took a few steps away from the bars of the cell as a nauseating cocktail of repulsion, empathy and fear shot through her veins. Fresh fear about the pirates' sanity, and her own safety crawled up her spine and whispered doubts into her mind.

“Agatha-” She hesitantly reached out towards the bars of the cell, but quickly drew back as the pirate began to scream.

Her wailing echoed eerily around the mostly empty dungeon, filling it with the ghosts of her anguish, and suddenly Kacia was running. She threw her hands over her ears as she ran, praying she wouldn’t trip on anything in the dark as her heart hammered wildly in her chest. The screaming continued and followed her all the way up the spiraling staircase and finally stopped its pursuit once she tumbled into the brightly lit palace hallway.

Kacia stumbled away from the dungeon entrance, not looking where she was going, just going. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the tortured woman below. The long hallways were mostly empty, only the occasional guard patrol caused Kacia to dart into hiding. The ambassador quickly found a staircase heading up to the private wings of the palace, planning to head back to her room. The silence of the hallways was soothing to her nerves, she hugged herself and tried to steady her heartbeat.

Her eyes were on the floor as she walked, taking in the exotic patterns of the carpet but not really focusing. The screaming had dredged up memories of things she'd wished had stayed dormant. The face of her mother flashed before her eyes, twisted in pain and begging for help. Then her fathers form floated into her mind, back to her, never looking at her, always fixed on his tome’s. Stern, raised voices. The ruler, then the belt, and finally the knife. She shuddered and hugged herself tighter as the yelling continued to echo in her mind.

No, that wasn't right.

She could actually hear yelling.

Her steps faltered as she looked around for the source and spotted a door, open just a crack, where the sound was pouring from. Part of her urged her to continue on, to keep her nose out of other people's business. She took a few more steps down the hall, she was an ambassador after all, it would reflect poorly if she was caught eavesdropping on some poor couples quarrel. She stopped as the yelling continued and chewed on her bottom lip. Her teachers had always encouraged her curiosity, and the yelling was beginning to sound angier and angier by the second. Relenting to her curiosity and stepping lightly, she made her way over to the door and peeked inside.

Kacia didn't dare move the door open any further, so her view of the room was a narrow one, but she caught sight of a figure pacing back and forth. When they turned towards the door, she immediately recognized the man that had been sitting next to Robert at dinner. His face was red from yelling, and he was gesturing wildly, throwing up his hands at someone across the room that she couldn’t see.

"Well why can't you?" He shouted at them. "Why can't you ask more of him? Doesn't he know we're almost destitute?

There was a muffled reply, the voice softened by a sob and distance from the door.

"He listens to you more than he does to me, and I'm his own brother!" The man snapped, "so when he comes back you'd better figure out some way to haul your thin, sorry ass out of that bed and beg him for more money."

Another reply was cut off as the man hurled something across the room and Kacia had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop from crying out.

"I don't give a damn! Beg or die you wretched bitch!" He shrieked.

Kacia felt her heart break for whoever was on the other end of the barrage, similar memories pushed to the surface of her consciousness but before she could be lost in them she forced herself to focus on the weak sobbing that came from the room. The man stopped yelling, and through the gap Kacia watched him lean against the vanity that sat against the wall, breathing heavily, and bury his head in his hands. Finally the man said,

"I'm sorry, Maggie. Please, drink your medicine. You know I'm just stressed, I hate seeing you like this."

Kacia watched as he turned around and looked through the vanity drawers for something. He pulled out a small bottle and grinned to himself, before the mask of tired sadness was back. He shuffled out of view, the sound of a drink being poured and finally,

"drink now my dear, that’s it, every last drop. Good. I'll be back to check on you later."

Kacia pulled away from the door and ducked into an alcove a few steps away, praying silently that the man wouldn't come her way. She heard the door creak open and then a soft click as it was closed, and risked peeking her head out of her hiding place.

She'd been right, it was the same man with Robert earlier, except instead of scowling, or looking tired like he had in the room, he was grinning like a madman, his eyes bright with a sick kind of joy. He let go of the door handle and leaned back, examining the bottle he still held in his hand, and chuckled softly to himself.

"Maybe I'll have the boy check on you instead, oh what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall."

She frowned in confusion and ducked back into the alcove. Something about the whole situation wasn’t sitting right in her, so she waited until the echo of his footsteps had died away and quietly made her way to the door. Taking a breath, she wrapped her hand on the handle and steeled her nerves before heading inside the room.

It was a large, opulent parlor with the doors to an adjoining bedroom that had been left wide open. Kacia cleared her throat and called out,

"Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude but I heard yelling and-"

She stopped before she crossed the threshold into the dark bedroom, dread crawling up her skin. There was a woman in the bed, she looked familiar to Kacia somehow. She had sickly, ashen grey skin and wiry brown hair. But what had stopped Kacia was the woman's condition: her breathing was labored and foam was bubbling up between pale blue lips. She hurried over to the bedside and gently shook the woman,

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

The woman's eyes were unfocused and bloodshot. Whatever she'd been given was working quickly, and the window to act was quickly running closing. Kacia swore quietly as she hurried through the mental lists of poison's native to Athoes, and their cures. Root of the Yag tree caused labored breathing but not disorientation. The Asher's Foot flowers petals could cause the foaming and disorientation but not the difficulty breathing. Golden Thrush feathers could cause all three visible symptoms, but the woman's insides could be liquifying and there was no coming back from that.

The woman sucked in a painful, rattling breath, bringing Kacia out of her panicked thoughts. She looked around for the glass the man would have given her, and snatched it from the bedside. Taking a sniff, she almost gagged on the overly sweet smell tinged with rot that wafted out from it. Berlotwart. She'd know that smell anywhere.

Using all of her strength she rolled the woman onto her side as the foaming worsened and the woman began to heave. She ran back into the parlor where she found a pitcher of water and clean glasses. She smelled the water first, and when she was sure it hadn't also been poisoned, she poured a glass and reached into one of the bags on her belt until she found the crushed pearls and Ghanin powder. She mixed them into the water as she rushed back to the woman's bedside.

The woman retched as she entered the room, and continued to suck in rattling breaths. Kacia grimaced at the sight but hurried over, hooking an arm around her to get her sitting before putting the glass to her lips. The woman let out a small sob and turned her head away, refusing the drink.

"Please, you need to drink!" Kacia cried out, "I'm trying to help you."

She tried again and this time the woman either relented or was too weak to refuse again. Kacia made sure she drank the whole glass and then gently set her back down on her side. She waited, gripping the glass with both her hands to the point it started to crack. If she was right and it was symptoms brought on by Berlotroot poisoning, the antidote would start acting immediately. If her symptoms didn’t subside, however, it meant Kacia had been wrong, and she was going to have to watch the woman die.

After an agonizingly long minute, the woman's breathing eased significantly and the foaming began to subside. The ambassador finally let out the breath she'd been holding and hurried from the room back into the hallway where she called out for help until her throat was raw.

It didn’t take long for the room to be crawling with maids, the hallway with guards and for the palace physician to be woken and dragged from his bed to see the woman.

She was hardly surprised when she spotted Robert rushing down the hallway, hair wild, dressed only in a shirt and breeches. As he got closer, Kacia could easily see the resemblance, and cursed herself for not catching it sooner. He stopped in front of her, breathing hard, and asked,

"is she alive?"

"Yes, she's alive and stable now that the physician is with her."

"Oh thank the Creator." He stumbled to the closest wall and collapsed against it for support.

"Who is she?" She asked even though she felt she already knew what the answer would be.

He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed as he had some internal debate, before finally he looked away, "my mother, Lady Magdalene Evereene De'huel."

Kacia nodded slowly as her arms reflexively wrapped around herself, the weight of everything that had just happened finally crashing down on top of her. She watched as Robert pushed himself off the wall and stopped a guard as he passed to ask,

"has anyone been sent to find my father yet?"

The guard nodded and gestured to where Kacia still stood, "when Captain Masters recognized your fathers description the ambassador gave, he sent a patrol to go find him."

Robert released the guard, nodding slowly before he turned and disappeared into the room. The guard watched him go before turning and bowing to Kacia,

"thank you for saving Lady De'huel, ma'am. She's always been the heart of the palace, and some would even say Atheos. I don’t know what we would have done if she'd passed in such a violent manner."

"Oh, um, you're welcome. It was good fortune that I was walking by when I heard everything."

He nodded and left, marching down the hallway and disappearing around the corner. Kacia stood, still hugging herself, and chewing her fingernails as her thoughts wandered. Movement from the door drew her gaze straight to Robert's.

"Is she still doing okay?" She asked, worried that perhaps the Lady's condition had turned for the worst.

He nodded and she let out a sigh of relief before he spoke, "no, no she's fine. The physician will stay with her tonight. He told me to leave since I was distracting him with my pacing." He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking exhausted.

She was about to suggest he get some rest when he opened his eyes again and asked, "can I walk you back to your room, ambassador? Who knows where that mad man is lurking."

Kacia hadn't even considered the thought of being attacked in the palace, but the knowledge that his father was still at large unnerved her enough to accept the Roberts offer. They walked in relative silence back to her chambers, where he insisted on doing a sweep of her room before he seemed sure enough she wasn't in any immediate danger. He bid her goodnight, advised her to lock her doors tonight, and left.

With heavy limbs, she pulled off her clothes, and pulled on a nightgown before crawling into bed. A deep, dreamless sleep found the ambassador quickly after the events of the day.

Chapter 2

Osii watched the King’s parade wind its way through the great city of Athoes from her balcony, the cheering and the music drifting up to her spot in one of the tall spires of the palace. Without glancing at the shorter women by her side, she asked grimly,

“Do you feel it too?”

Kacia didn’t look up at the Boecian, her eyes fixed on the parade but looking past it all to the shifting of the other world.

“The heaviness? Yes, I fear we may never again be in the good King’s company.”

She felt a hand lay gently on her shoulder and she finally looked up at the other woman to find her expression as dark as she imagined her own was.

“We must always seek the light in the darkness. The King may yet live, we may yet be simply chasing shadows.”

She had meant to console her new friend, to give her hope, but her voice betrayed her true feelings. Kacia nodded slowly, casting her gaze back down to where the parade had finally reached the city gates.

“What of the boy?”

Osii snorted as her hand fell from Kacia’s shoulder and she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Which one? The De’huel lad seems honest enough, naive even, but he seems like good stock. The other one though I don't like. Did you see the way he looked at me when he saw me? Like I'd just killed his father in front of his eyes and then asked him to serve me his finest ale!”

Kacia’s slender fingers curled into the loose strands of her hair, twirling them round and round as she thought.

“Yes, I had noticed. Maybe he has something against Boecians? In any case, something about Robert gnaws at me, something that's so obvious every time i look at him and yet i can’t seem to place it.”

“You’re frustrated.” Osii stated, a sly smile in her voice. “Must be hard having such a juicy mystery dropped into your lap; a mystery even you can’t solve!”

The ambassador from Ob rolled her golden eyes before turning from the balcony and retreating into Osii’s chambers to escape the growing cold. The giant followed soon after, closing the doors and sauntering over to her desk where Kacia was writing something.

“Hey, don't you have your own paper in your room?” She chided, snatching the extra paper and ink pots from the table.

“Oh please, you have plenty of paper.” She retorted, eyes never leaving the delicate figures she wrote.

“Not after you went through half of it on the way here!”

“Stop exaggerating. Here,” she blew gently on the drying ink before folding the note and handing it to Osii, “since you’re so invested in what happens to your paper you can deliver it for me.”

Kacia stood as Osii stared at her dumbfounded and headed for the door, “please get it delivered to the dungeon before the dinner tonight and no peeking!”

The soft click of the door closing was the only indication she had left as Osii still stared down at the note in her hands.

“Hells, that woman will be the death of me,” she grumbled, shoving the note into her pocket and beginning to arrange her desk again.

***

Kacia tried desperately to keep still at her place of honor at the King’s table, tried to make her scans of the room discrete. She had to clutch her hands in her lap tightly to stop them from going to her hair and twirling the loose strands. The chair beside her, the one for Osii, was empty. Still. The next seat was occupied by the King’s advisor, then Robert, and finally a stern looking man who bore a striking resemblance to Robert. Kacia assumed it was his father. She looked down at the lower tables and found Sinclair sitting alone in a shadowy corner of the hall.

Finally she spotted her silver haired friend enter with the last wave of guests to enter the hall and take their seats. Osii quickly and gracefully made her way up to the table and sat down with a huff. A small nod was the only sign she gave that she’d managed her task. Kacia gave a quiet sigh of relief and began to relax as food was beginning to be brought out and set in front of her. She thanked the servants as they left and began eating.

One thing about Athoes that had certainly captured her attention was the food. It was bursting with flavor with every bite she took, no matter the time of day or the course. She found herself unconsciously humming in delight at the tenderness of the duck and the sweetness of the deserts. Food in Ob had been reduced to its most basic, flavorless forms for time and convenience. She briefly wondered how she could ever go back to the flavorless nutrition packets after tasting chicken in a gorgeous orange glaze, or fish smothered in exotic spices and then fried in oils.

She pulled herself out of her revelry long enough to take another look around the room, trying to note who was sitting with who, which nobles seemed aloof as well as those who seemed more down to earth. Her gaze flittered over to Sinclair and she felt her heart skip a beat when she found his orange eyes looking at her. There was something smouldering in his eyes, she couldn’t tell what exactly, but it made her skin break out in goosebumps. He gave her a smile and looked back down at his plate, where his food remained untouched.

It took her a moment to realize she’d been holding her breath, and her lungs were beginning to burn. She let it out as quietly as she could, still earning her a raised eyebrow from Osii, although when she shook her head gently the giant simply shrugged and went back to eating and drinking. Kacia briefly marvelled at how much food the Boecian was packing away but reasoned she must need to eat more because of her size.

She let her eyes wander again until they landed on Robert. The young man looked absolutely miserable, and was staring into his wine like it held the mysteries of the universe. The stern man sitting beside him was talking low, and quick, glancing at Robert every now and then before scowling and elbowing him rather hard, before he started talking again when he had the lad’s attention. Robert's gaze always returned to his wine however, and eventually the man made a show of throwing up his hands and storming away from the table.

Kacia frowned as she picked up her own drink, a steaming cup of mint tea, and sipped it thoughtfully. She pondered the interaction for the next few courses, and was finally drawn from her thoughts as the King’s advisor stood and thanked everyone for coming and that if they wished, the guests could move to the northern ballroom for music and drinks.

She stood and adjusted her dress, glancing at Osii and mouthing ‘my room in an hour’, before descending the stairs as gracefully as she could muster in her copious layers of robes. Luckily she managed to keep her footing and made it out of the hall mostly unnoticed. As calmly as she could, she strode down a few of the more populated hallways until the crowds were gone and the only other people around were the occasional guard patrol.

Kacia reached beneath her layers to the large bag she’d hidden there earlier and ducked into an alcove. Working quickly, she stripped her outer layers with well-practiced motions until she was wearing sea-foam green leather breeches, a black and gold waistcoat, and her white flowing undershirt. With deft motions she folded the ridiculous amount of robes into the bag and peered out of the alcove. Once she was sure no one was coming, she dashed from her hiding spot and jogged silently in jade green slippers down the long winding hallways, ducking into alcoves or around pillars when someone came her way, until she finally reached the door she needed.

Osii had indeed done her job, as there were no guards standing at the door and when she pushed against the reinforced wood, it swung open with a loud creak to reveal a spiraling staircase going down into darkness.

Kacia took a deep breath, readjusted her bag on her shoulder, and dived into the darkness.