Crown of Ash and Light, page 13
The Imperial soldier’s eyes narrowed as he studied the waitress, suspicion written across his face. “You’re lying,” he said, his voice sharp enough to cut through the low hum of the tavern. The room fell silent, every patron now frozen in place, their attention locked on the tense exchange.
The waitress’s fingers tightened around her tray, her composure visibly crumbling. “I’m not lying, sir,” she said, her voice shaky but attempting confidence.
The soldier wasn’t convinced. He leaned forward, placing both hands on the table, the weight of his armor making the wood groan. “Reports don’t lie. A white-haired woman and a lion and a panther were seen in this area. Now, I’ll ask again: have you seen anything?”
Azura kept her head down, her hood casting a deep shadow over her face. I could feel the tension radiating off her, and my heart pounded as I fought to keep still. Every muscle in my body screamed to act, but any move could give us away.
“I...I haven’t seen anyone like that,” the waitress repeated, her voice firmer but edged with fear. Her eyes darted to the bar, searching for some form of escape, but there was none.
The soldier smirked, his expression cold and calculating. “We’ll see about that,” he said, gesturing to one of his men. The second soldier stood and began scanning the room, his gaze sweeping over the patrons.
Azura shifted slightly, I caught the subtle movement and gave a slight shake of my head, a silent plea for her to remain calm. Her hand froze, but the tension in her posture told me she was ready to act at a moment’s notice. With a quiet sigh, she reached for her ale, lifting it to her lips as if she were completely lost in her own thoughts, trying to appear nonchalant, though I knew better. Her eyes never stopped scanning the room, always alert, always calculating.
“If we find out you’re hiding something,” the soldier continued, turning his attention back to the waitress, “it won’t end well for you.”
The waitress nodded quickly, backing away before retreating to the kitchen. The soldiers muttered among themselves, their discussion inaudible, but the unease in the room was palpable.
Before the tension could settle, a man stepped forward from a corner of the tavern, his face pale but resolute. "I saw her," he said, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. The soldiers turned to him sharply, their eyes narrowing as they assessed the unexpected informant.
The man swallowed hard but continued. "I was the one who reported it. I saw the white-haired woman. It was at the fountain in the center of town. She appeared when the sun was at its highest."
One of the soldiers got up and moved closer to him, his expression unreadable but dangerous. "Go on," he said.
The man’s hands fidgeted nervously, but he kept speaking. "She was there, plain as day, standing by the water. People saw her and...and they screamed. They were terrified. But before anyone could do anything, she...she disappeared. Like she was never there at all, it was just a moment, and then she was gone."
The soldiers exchanged glances, their expressions grim. "You’re sure of what you saw?" the first soldier asked, his tone sharp.
The man nodded vigorously. "I swear it. That’s all I know. She was staring toward the direction of the empire before she disappeared as if she was searching for something or someone."
The soldier grunted and stepped back, motioning for the man to sit. The informant obeyed quickly, retreating to his seat and avoiding further attention. The soldiers resumed their quiet discussion, but the tension in the room only grew heavier.
Finally, the first soldier stood, turning to address the entire tavern. His voice boomed with authority, silencing any lingering murmurs. “Listen carefully,” he began, his cold gaze sweeping over the patrons. “If anyone here is withholding information about the white-haired woman, there will be consequences—deadly ones. This is your only warning.”
The room seemed to collectively hold its breath, the weight of his words settling like a heavy fog. Azura’s posture didn’t change, but I could feel the tension radiating from her. I kept my head down, praying that no one would give us away and that we’d find a way out of this without drawing their attention.
I felt the air shift slightly, the faintest stir just around me. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but I knew my magic was responding. My fingers twitched slightly, brushing the edges of the wind as I gathered a quiet current, a barely-there movement in case we needed to act fast. I kept my focus on the soldiers, the air thickening just enough to give me a chance if they came any closer. I needed to stay calm. Too much and we'd be caught. Just a little... enough to make sure I was ready.
As time passed and the tavern slowly returned to its usual bustling chatter, Azura and I prepared to leave. Just as we were about to stand, one of the soldiers eyed Azura with an unsettling smirk. He took a long swig of his ale and swaggered over to our table.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing here?” he drawled, his words dripping with arrogance. “Why don’t you join me for a good time at the inn?”
Before I could tell him to back off, Azura leaned forward, her smirk matching his in intensity. Her eyes never left his as she spoke, voice laced with biting sarcasm. “Sorry, shiny boy,” she said with a snarky edge, “not my style.”
The soldier’s expression flickered, the mix of offense and amusement warring on his face as he took a step closer. “You sure? I can show you a real good time, sweetheart,” he said, his tone now carrying a hint of irritation. He wasn’t backing down so easily.
Azura didn’t flinch. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, her voice steady but laced with venom. “You really want to test me, huh? Let me make this clear—you touch me, and I’ll make sure you regret it. I don't need a 'good time' from a man who thinks his smile is enough to get by.”
His bravado faltered, and he hesitated, his confidence slipping for a moment. He opened his mouth to retort, but one sharp look from one of his comrades at the other table stopped him cold. The soldier gritted his teeth, muttering something under his breath, and finally backed off, returning to his seat..
I exhaled slowly, relieved the situation hadn’t escalated, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we’d been too close to trouble. Azura relaxed slightly but kept her hood low, her eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction. She didn’t even have to raise her voice, and yet she’d left him with nothing but his pride to nurse.
We paid our tab, careful to appear casual as we left the tavern. Every step felt like a lifetime, but we kept our pace steady, doing everything possible to avoid drawing any more attention. Once outside, the cool night air hit us, and I finally allowed myself to breathe.
When we returned to the inn, the room felt like a safe haven. As the door clicked shut behind us, Azura’s calm demeanor slipped, and she let out a heavy sigh. “That was too close,” she muttered, her voice low.
Dravon, seated at the small table in the corner of the room, turned toward us with a questioning look. "What happened? What took so long?" he asked, his voice sharp with concern.
I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms. "Soldiers from the capital are in town," I said, keeping my voice low but firm. "They’re asking questions—about a white-haired woman and the creatures that are accompanying her. They’re not just passing through; they’re actively looking."
Azura nodded and pulled her hood back, revealing her flushed face. “They’re saying she was staring toward the empire before disappearing,” she said carefully. “It’s like she was looking for something or someone.”
Therynna, who had been sitting quietly by the window, furrowed her brow. “She wouldn’t go straight toward the empire,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “That’s suicidal.”
The room was quiet except for the soft scratching of a pen against paper. Dravon sat at the table, a map spread out before him and several notes scattered across its surface. Azura and I sat nearby, our expressions equally tense as we stared at the map.
“We can’t just sit here,” Azura said finally, breaking the silence. Her tone was firm, but there was an undercurrent of frustration. “If we don’t do something, the empire will find her eventually. They’re too determined.”
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. “So what do we do? She’s not exactly making it easy by appearing in random towns and then disappearing again. It’s like she wants to be found.”
Azura shot me a sharp look. “She’s distracting them, keeping their attention on her so they don’t come after us. But it’s only a matter of time before they realize what she’s doing.”
Dravon tapped a finger on the map, his eyes scanning the pins and markings that represented sightings of our mother. “We need to give them something else to chase,” he said. “Something that makes them think she’s somewhere else entirely.”
“Like a decoy?” I asked, leaning forward.
Dravon nodded. “Exactly. If we can create a convincing enough trail, they might shift their focus. But it has to be believable. We need to make it look like she’s heading in a completely different direction.”
“How?” Azura asked, her brow furrowed. “We can’t exactly pretend to be her. The panther and the lion alone would give us away.”
“Not necessarily,” Dravon said. “We don’t have to mimic her perfectly. Just enough to plant seeds of doubt. Maybe we start rumors in towns far from here. Drop hints about a white-haired woman traveling with a lion or panther. Pay off a few travelers to spread the word.”
I frowned. “That might work for a while, but what happens when they don’t find her? They’ll start questioning the stories.”
“That’s why we keep moving the trail,” Dravon said. “We make it look like she’s always one step ahead. If we do it right, we can buy her enough time to get further away from the empire’s reach.”
Azura leaned back, considering the idea. “It’s risky,” she said. “But it might be our best shot. If we’re careful, we can make it work.”
“What about the elementals?” I asked. “If they’re with her, it’ll be hard to fake sightings without them.”
Dravon sighed. “We’ll have to be creative. Maybe we describe them as shadows or say she’s traveling without them for now. The key is to make the story believable enough to keep the soldiers chasing ghosts.”
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the task ahead settling over us. Finally, Azura nodded, determination hardening her expression. “Let’s do it. We’ll split up tomorrow and start planting the seeds. If we’re going to do this, we need to act fast.”
Dravon and I nodded in agreement, and we began mapping out our plan, our mother’s safety driving every decision. As we worked, a different kind of silence settled over the room—one heavy with unspoken thoughts. Azura broke it first. “This isn’t sustainable,” she said, her voice low. “We can’t spend the rest of our lives running, hiding, and leaving false trails. Our mother deserves to be free, to be happy.”
I nodded, the frustration bubbling beneath my skin. “And not just her. We deserve it, too. This isn’t living—it’s surviving. We need a way to end this once and for all.”
Therynna, who had been quiet for most of the discussion, suddenly spoke up, her voice soft but firm. “Then we have to kill them. The king and queen. It’s the only way to stop this.”
Her words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Dravon straightened, his eyes narrowing as he considered her suggestion. Azura’s gaze flicked to me, a mix of shock and thoughtfulness on her face.
“It’s...drastic,” Azura admitted, her voice hesitant. “But she’s not wrong. As long as they’re alive, they’ll never stop hunting anyone who possesses magic.”
Dravon leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “If we even consider this, it’s not just a fight. It’s war. We need to be sure it’s worth it.”
Azura’s jaw tightened as she stared at the map. “It has to be,” she said softly. “Because if we don’t do something now, we’ll lose everything.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the idea settle over us. The room was thick with tension when I finally spoke again. “But how are we even supposed to get into the capital? You know as well as I do that our white hair is a beacon. We’d be caught before we even got close.”
Therynna’s lips curled into a devilish smile, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, I know how we change that,” she said, leaning forward. “And it just so happens. I thought of it ahead of time before we left home.”
As she spoke, Therynna reached into her bag and pulled out two rings and two bracelets, placing them on the table. “I’ve been reading about magical items and how to infuse them to the caster’s will,” she explained. “These are infused to change our hair color and suppress our magic."
The room was filled with excitement as we all leaned closer to inspect the items. Dravon raised an eyebrow and asked, “If you had these, why didn’t you give them to us before we left?”
Therynna’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. “I was scared,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure if I’d done it right. What if they didn’t work or made things worse? I didn’t want to risk it until we really needed them.”
Azura picked up one of the bracelets, turning it over in her hands. The silver gleamed under the dim torchlight, a symbol of the risk we were about to take. She exhaled slowly. “If these work,” she murmured, her smirk fading into something more resolute, “we might have just rewritten everything.”
Dravon nodded, his expression softening. “Good thinking, Therynna. Let’s give it a shot.”
“Alright,” she said, her voice steady despite the nervous energy that hung between us. “If I did everything correctly, these should work.” Looking at the rings and bracelets located at the center of the table.
Dravon reached forward first, picking up one of the rings. He turned it over in his fingers, examining the intricate engravings that seemed to shimmer faintly in the light. “Guess there’s only one way to find out,” he said with a wry grin, sliding the ring onto his finger.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the transformation began. Dravon's white hair, a stark marker of his connection to the fire elemental, started to shift. The bright strands darkened, fading into a rich black that gleamed under the dim light of the room. His posture shifted slightly, and I could see the faintest furrow in his brow.
“That’s... different,” he said, running a hand through his newly darkened hair. “I feel... lighter like my magic just got packed away somewhere.”
Therynna nodded quickly, stepping forward. “That’s normal,” she said. “The items are suppressing the outward signs of your magic. You can’t use magic while you’re wearing them, but that’s the point. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do.”
Azura let out a low whistle. “Well, would you look at that,” she said, leaning closer to inspect the change. “Looks like it worked, Therynna.”
Dravon ran a hand through his hair again, his lips pulling into a small smile. “Not bad,” he admitted. “Alright, who’s next?”
Azura grabbed one of the bracelets with a grin. “I’ll go,” she said, slipping it onto her wrist. She closed her eyes for a moment as the magic took hold. Her hair, which once shimmered like frost in the sunlight, began to darken. Within seconds, it was a sleek, jet-black cascade around her face and down her back. She opened her eyes and blinked, her expression shifting as she frowned.
“That’s so weird,” she said. “It’s like I can’t feel my connection anymore.”
“It’s fine,” Therynna reassured her. “The items are working as intended. It’s not gone, just... contained. As long as you wear it, you’re hidden.”
Azura nodded slowly, still running her fingers through her hair. “Alright. I can live with that.”
I was next. I picked up the second bracelet, hesitating for a moment as I glanced at Therynna. “You’re sure this won’t backfire?” I asked, the doubt slipping into my voice despite myself.
Therynna rolled her eyes. “If it was going to backfire, Dravon and Azura would already be on fire or something. Just put it on.”
Chuckling, I slid the bracelet onto my wrist. The effect was immediate. My hair, once a bright, snowy white, darkened to a deep black. The feeling of my magic, always present in the back of my mind, faded to a dull whisper. I flexed my fingers, almost expecting to feel something else, but there was only the stillness.
“This might actually work,” I said, nodding. “It feels... weird, but not in a bad way.”
Finally, it was Therynna’s turn. She picked up the last ring and slid it onto her finger, her face a mixture of excitement and nerves. As her hair began to shift, darkening as ours had, I could see her shoulders relax slightly. But she quickly straightened, her voice steady as she said, “See? We blend in now. No one will suspect a thing.”
Dravon clapped her on the shoulder, a rare smile breaking across his face. “Good work, Therynna. You might’ve just saved our lives.”
Azura smirked, glancing at her reflection in a nearby mirror. “So, what do you think?” she asked, striking a dramatic pose. “Do we look like a group of completely ordinary people?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “As ordinary as we’re ever going to get. Let’s hope this keeps the empire off our trail.”
Therynna nodded, her confidence growing as she looked at us. “It will. But we still need to be careful. Let’s not give them any reason to look closer.”
The room’s brief moment of peace shattered when a loud, relentless banging sounded at the door, accompanied by an authoritative voice. “Open up! Imperial soldiers! Come out now!”
Fear flashed through us as we exchanged glances. Dravon's jaw tightened, and he immediately reached for his pack, strapping his weapon securely to his side. Azura grabbed her kunai, the chains clinking softly, while Therynna darted to the window. She slid it open silently, motioning with her hand. “We need to get out. Now,” she mouthed.
