Inheritance of Vigour, page 13
Lyon approached the counter and nodded to the barkeep. “I’m looking for a woman by the name of Wy. She said to meet her here.”
“Ah, she mentioned you two.” The barkeep strutted over to a door behind the counter and pushed it open with his hip. “Hata! Fetch Wy; she’s got guests.”
“Yes, sir!” a muffled voice said from inside the kitchen.
“Want anything while you’re here?” The barkeep nodded his head to a shelf of expensive-looking wine bottles.
“No, thank you,” Lyon said. He eyed the kitchen door as it opened and a boy with curly black hair emerged. The boy hurried up the stairs and Lyon turned to Solalyn. “Shall we find somewhere to sit?”
Solalyn nodded to an empty table in the corner. “Over there will do.”
As they moved away from the counter, a bright smile broke across the barkeep’s ebony face. “If you need anything, just call. A friend of Wy’s is a friend of mine—especially if they share her expensive taste! Ha!”
Lyon nodded politely to the older man and followed Solalyn across the common room. They only made it halfway to their table before someone thudded down the stairs and Lyon stopped. When he saw Wy descend, he couldn’t help but perk up. She might look ten years older than him, but the handsome woman cut a striking figure. She was tall and muscle hid underneath her lithe frame. Four lines running diagonally from the right side of her forehead down across her eye marred her bronze face—they looked like claw marks to Lyon, but he couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t just her appearance that caught his eye; something in how she moved entranced him. She exuded an energy that caught him like a moth to a flame.
Keep yourself together, Lyon thought. We’re here on business. No need to make a fool of myself.
A smile quirked Wy’s lips when she spotted them, and she gestured to the empty table in the corner. The flippant gesture made Solalyn twitch, but Lyon pushed her to the table before she vented her anger in the middle of the inn. As he sat down, Lyon watched Wy approach the barkeep. “Your finest whiskey, Alphy. And three glasses, too.”
“I’ll put it on your tab.” Alphy produced three glasses and fetched a bottle from underneath the counter. Wy cradled her bundle and strutted over to the corner table.
As she set the bottle and glasses down, Solalyn frowned at the older woman. “We’re not here for a drink.”
“What made you think this was for you?” Wy cocked an eyebrow and deftly poured the whisky into the three glasses. Her husky voice perked Lyon’s ears, and he shifted in his seat. “Oh, these? I find it more efficient to pour three at once rather than keep refilling.”
“I’m sure you’re not just covering your mistake.”
“Oh, you wound me! But you see the truth, dear princess.”
“Watch your mouth!” Solalyn whispered. She glanced at the couple sitting at a table across the common room, but the pair didn’t seem to hear them. “I’m paying you to be discreet.”
“As I see it, you’re not paying me yet.” When Wy’s tone earned her a glare from Solalyn, she rolled her eyes and downed a glass of whiskey. True to her word, she grabbed a second glass and nursed it as she stared expectantly at Solalyn.
“Let’s get this over with. We’re hiring you to hunt monsters attacking villages in the countryside.”
“Really? Nobles actually care about the mist walkers?”
“You know about them?” Lyon asked. Solalyn twitched at Wy’s words, but she kept her cool.
“Everyone’s heard of them by now. Just as we’ve heard how no one’s doing anything to stop them.”
“We are!” Solalyn slammed a fist on the table and the blow rocked the whiskey bottle. Wy grabbed the bottle and glasses to steady them before shooting a pointed look at the couple at the other table. They watched Solalyn with wide eyes and the princess twitched. Solalyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We are doing something now. Are you going to help or not?”
“I will. As soon as you pay me.”
“You’ll get your money later.” Solalyn locked eyes with Wy and the women stared at each other in tense silence.
Lyon glanced between the pair and cleared his throat. “I think we—”
“Fine.” Wy nodded and downed her second glass before reaching for the third. “I’m trusting you’ll keep your word like good nobles. Besides, I’ve got plenty of information I can sell if you don’t want to buy my silence.”
Solalyn twitched at the provocation, but Lyon refused to let Wy drag his friend into a fight. “That’s great news, isn’t it, Solalyn?”
“Oh, is it?” Solalyn asked. Something in her hard tone told Lyon not to answer the question—or even acknowledge it. If he did, he’d only draw her ire.
“What do you want me to Track and where?” Wy asked. “It’s fine to say the monsters, but I’ll need something to work with. Something tangible.”
“We’re riding out soon,” Lyon said. “You’ll accompany us and we’ll find traces of mist walkers on the road.”
“Should be easy enough, with how many attacks I hear about.”
Lyon winced at the flippant remark. It dug deep into his heart and twisted like a knife. If only he hadn’t needed months to recover from the Battle of Fort Serve. Then he could have scoured the empire and saved so many lives. Some part of his discomfort showed on his face, and Wy shot him an apologetic look. Even if she took joy in antagonising Solalyn, it seemed Wy wasn’t heartless.
“Ahem!” Solalyn narrowed her eyes at Lyon and Wy before standing up. “We’ll send word when we’re ready to leave. I expect you to be prompt when joining us, Wy.”
“Haha. Sure.” Wy winked at Solalyn and earned herself a glare. When the princess turned expectantly to Lyon, Wy made a noise in her throat. “How about you stay for a drink, handsome?”
Lyon felt Solalyn’s heated look burn his face, and he shook his head as he stood. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Wy. Hopefully, your talents match your sales pitch.”
“Haha. I’m looking forward to getting paid by you. See, we’re a perfect match already.”
Solalyn stomped across the inn and slammed the door behind her. Wy chuckled as Lyon nodded a farewell and hurried after the princess. When he stepped out into the warm summer night, Lyon caught up with Solalyn and pulled her to a stop. “What’s wrong?”
“I, uh…” Solalyn shook her head and took a deep breath. “Sorry. That wasn’t fair of me. She just rubs me the wrong way. I know we need her, but I wish Trackers were easier to come by.”
I don’t see what’s wrong with her, Lyon thought. But I’m not stupid enough to say that aloud.
“It’s alright. I think she riles you up on purpose.”
“I know, and that’s why it’s even more annoying when I fall for it!”
“Just think of it like this. If this plan works, we can put out word we’re looking for Trackers and we’re paying handsomely. Then you don’t have to work with her.”
“I know.” Solalyn shook her head and pat Lyon on the back. “But thanks for trying to cheer me up. Let’s go home.”
***
The carriage hit a bump and bounced Riti’s head into the wall, knocking her awake. Riti rubbed at her head and glanced at Agil with tired eyes. Her friend still kept her head in a book—even Azure glowered silently opposite them. It wouldn’t be long until they reached Fort Serve. Once there, they would have to find Squall’s trail and follow it—even if logic said it’d be impossible.
Riti pressed her head against the carriage wall and snuck another glance at Azure. At night, the grumpy woman proved easy enough to talk to, if a little rough around the edges. But during the day, she refused to talk. An awkward silence clung to the vehicle, only broken by the creaking wheels and beats of the horses’ hooves.
Well, her attitude during the day is probably my fault, Riti thought. If I healed her leg right, she’d probably spend the day chatting my ear off. A smile broke across Riti’s face and she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a chuckle. Well, probably not. But it’s a funny thought.
The silence dragged on and Riti pushed herself off the wall. Once she sat up straight, she glanced between Agil and Azure. “The weather’s not looking too bad out there, is it?”
“Hmph.” Azure clasped her hands in front of her and tapped the knuckles of her left hand with a finger.
“C’mon! Don’t just ignore my awkward attempt at small talk! Think about how embarrassed I feel!”
“I thought it might teach you to appreciate silence.”
“That is a lesson many have failed to teach me. And quite miserably, might I add!”
Agil lowered her book and adjusted her spectacles. “It’s true.”
“Then I pity them just as much as I hate their failure.” Azure turned and stared out the window at the rolling plains.
“Look,” Riti said, “I know I wanted us to talk, but I didn’t mean for the two of you to band together to tease me!”
“We don’t always get what we want.”
Ouch, Riti thought. That’s fair, but still…
“Except I got what I wanted.” Riti grinned at Azure, but the grumpy woman refused to look her way. “It’s just I didn’t get it exactly how I—”
The carriage pulled to a stop and flung Riti forward. She caught the carriage wall in time to keep herself from falling onto Azure; the grumpy woman wouldn’t have appreciated that. When she righted herself, Riti shared a glance with Agil. Unfortunately, Agil didn’t have any answers for her. Riti glanced out the window, but nothing had changed in their surroundings.
Riti pushed the window open and poked her head out. “What’s going on?”
“Out of the way.” Azure pushed her way past Riti and climbed out of the carriage with a grunt.
“Well… I guess we should join her, Agil.”
Riti climbed out after Azure and frowned when she saw her guards standing beside the carriage. While they weren’t the most battle-hardened warriors in the world, her guards were made of stern stuff. Yet they stared ahead with pale faces and looked ready to upend their stomachs.
Oh, storms. What is it now? Riti thought.
“Riti! Over here!” Maeve waved her over and Riti shared a glance with Agil before reluctantly walking over.
As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Riti gasped. The ruins of a village stretched out beside the roadside. Some houses remained as rickety, charred skeletons of their former selves, but others were nothing but jumbled piles of rubble. The few that stood bore claw marks dug into their charred wood. Worse though, were the gory masses spread across the village. Carrion birds flocked the gore, but they looked worse than what birds could do.
Don’t think about it! Riti thought. She snapped her head away and stared at the grass below her boots. Focus on something else!
“Mist walkers…” Azure limped past Riti with a dark expression on her face.
“What are mist walkers?” Riti asked. Azure turned her scowl on her and Riti stepped back from the enraged woman.
“They’re wretched monsters who appeared a few months ago. They look like tall people, but stretched and with a snout and claws. I’ve seen their work before; they destroy villages and eat the villagers.”
“Could… could they really have done all this?”
“It’s their work. Four of them destroyed a village I happened upon before. They eat people, but kill the entire village even if they don’t finish their meal.”
Riti gagged at the thought, and someone threw up behind her. She glanced back at Agil and shot her friend a pitying look. Maeve handed Agil a waterskin, and she downed the water gratefully, only to gag again shortly after. Riti took a deep breath and let it out; she needed to ignore her shock and do something. “We need to report this to the local lord. Does anyone know where we are right now?”
“There’s no point.” Azure shook her head and finally turned away from the ruined village. “The Lithyans know about the mist walkers, but haven’t done a blasted thing to stop them.”
“That can’t be!”
“Oh, they’ll tell you they send out patrols and all that. But all they do is find the villages destroyed just like this. The nobles back in Slare don’t want to take mist walkers seriously. As long as its commoners being eaten, they don’t care.”
Agil gagged again, and Riti spared her friend a glance before turning back to Azure with a sigh. “There’s nothing we can do?”
“Not unless you want to scream at the emperor when you return to Solare. Or maybe you can tell Lith his people are dying while he lounges in his palace.”
“I might be more polite about it, but I’ll have words for them.”
Storms, Riti thought. How can they just leave it be like this? Is there nothing I can do?
“We need to move,” Maeve said. The guard captain glanced around at their surroundings without balking at the ruined village. “If there’s monsters nearby, it isn’t safe.”
“We’d know if they were here,” Azure said. “But you’re right. Let’s go.”
Azure pushed past Riti and she followed the limping woman back to the carriage. “What do you mean we’d know?”
“They’re called mist walkers for a reason.” Azure stopped and rolled her eyes at Riti’s confusion. “You might not believe me, but mist walkers bring a mist with them wherever they go. Hence the name. It even clings to the air during the brightest days.”
Azure climbed into the carriage, and Riti slowly shook her head. She wanted to believe Azure was joking, but she knew she wasn’t. With a long sigh, Riti turned to Maeve. “Let’s continue. I know I don’t need to say it, but keep an eye out.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Maeve gestured for the guards to mount.
Riti approached Agil and patted her back. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry…” Agil leant against her, still pale and shaking.
“It’s fine. Can you ride in the carriage without being sick?”
Agil glanced at the vehicle and nodded slowly before stumbling toward it.
***
After discovering the ruined village, the proceeding days passed with an agonising tension. No one could relax, no matter how far they travelled from the village. Maeve and the guards kept tighter watches, even when nothing dangerous happened. Even the nights around the campfire remained subdued, making Riti miss the lively atmosphere of earlier in their journey.
As the sun reached its zenith, Riti stared at the road through the carriage window. Just as she idly thought of calling for the carriage to stop for lunch, she spotted it. The remnants of Fort Serve. When she spotted the ruined fort, an odd certainty settled in Riti’s chest. The fort wasn’t her destination. It was an itch in her mind, one that refused to fade even when she tried to ignore it. It beckoned to her, not unlike her dream of healing caused her to attempt the feat herself.
I can feel it, Riti thought. Something waiting for me.
Despite not knowing what she was doing, Riti reached for her Senses and felt the gulf in her mind where they once waited. Something had taken up residence in that gap, but it wasn’t her ability to heal—no, that remained distinct. The strange pull in her head was a yearning, a desire to fulfil her curiosity.
And it urged her west.
Riti inspected the pull. She needed to be sure she didn’t imagine it. Slowly, the sensation unravelled in her mind. It urged her to travel to Dragello. It grew stronger with each passing second. She needed to answer that call, both to fulfil her own curiosity and because it felt right.
“Maeve!” Riti waved at the guard captain. She felt Agil and Azure staring at her back, but refused to acknowledge them.
Maeve pulled her horse back and settled beside the window. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Take us west to Dragello.”
“Huh?” Maeve blinked at her, but Riti held her stare and Maeve had known her long enough to realise she was serious. “As you wish.”
Riti pulled her head back into the carriage and cringed when she saw Azure watching her. The woman’s expression darkened; Riti had one chance to explain herself before Azure flew into a rage, but she didn’t have one. Yet, that hadn’t stopped Riti from talking her way out of things in the past. “I can Sense Squall to the west.”
Agil frowned at the lie; she knew the Sense couldn’t do that, even if Riti still had it. But Azure nodded. “West it is, then.”
Azure settled back in her seat, and Riti stifled her sigh. Her lie was terrible, but Azure had accepted it and she wouldn’t complain. Thankfully, Agil knew better than to question her in front of Azure, and the carriage fell silent. Somehow, she had diverted disaster and Riti grinned as she stared out the window.
Hopefully, Riti thought, I’m not dooming us by following a strange feeling in my head. Storms, when I think of it that way…
***
At the break of dawn, a mass of people trailed from Aggart. Soren trudged behind Veyor and Malis and rubbed at his eyes as he glanced across the gigantic crowd. There were at least a hundred lively hunters, with more trailing behind. Aval would not hunt with such numbers, but given their target, perhaps they needed more.
The journey from Aggart passed excruciatingly slowly. Neither Malis nor Veyor responded to any attempts at conversation, and that left a boring walk ahead for Soren. They should arrive by the afternoon, but it didn’t make listening to the buzz of the other hunters any easier. The sun drew closer to its zenith and Soren spotted a familiar grey-haired Aggaran in the crowd. The old man laughed at something an attractive young Aggaran woman said. A pair of young Aggarans strutted over to Gen and his companion. Their heated argument about who would win the hunt carried across the crowd to Soren’s ears.
Maybe I’ll find him later, Soren thought.
***
Late in the afternoon, they finally stopped. Snow-tipped mountains loomed over the grassy plains. At the base of the mountains, a forest stretched out as far as the eye could see. Given their numbers, setting up camp devolved into chaos. Back home with the Aval, they worked together to set up an orderly camp without wasting space.
