Faefalling (working title)

17- I return to civilisation and find it still sucks

She obliged with a nervous nod.

"We're splitting up?" Agaveah asked.

"They'll be on the lookout for the three of us travelling together. If we split up, it should throw them off our trail," I explained.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a couple tuuns, and handed them to the nymph. Lazuli tossed the cloak into my free hand.

"If they get suspicious, head over to a stall and buy something. If people are laughing, you laugh. If someone is being loud, match them. Try to act as one of the people," I ordered, shrugging the cloth over my shoulders and throwing on the hood. "Olright, go."

Agaveah buried her bow and arrows; a slight mound in the sand. Then, she was on her feet, strolling up the dune as if she did this every weekend. Lazuli threw me a quick glance before hurrying to follow. There was something like ruffled distress in her eyes.

I watched as the two made their way onto the dirt path ahead, hand-in-hand. Agaveah tilted the human's chin up with a glowing grin and began chattering away, like they were nothing but city girls. A couple of workers in the fields raised their heads at their passing, but went back to their work with sighs.

Only a good ten or fifteen minutes after the duo had wandered out of my field of view did I dare climb to my feet. Sand slid off my clothes as I made my way to the path.

Just as before, the workers glanced up. This time though, gazes lingered, burning holes into my back. Hoping Craorag's shine and shape were hidden within the folds of my cloak, I drew it tighter about me. My gaze stayed glued to the floor, where it was sure not to meet anyone else's.

It wasn't long before I made it to the city walls. A lively hubbub reached my ears, thankfully before I could ram into anyone. A lift of my eyes revealed a line of fae, running like a twisting river along the path up to the entrance. Lazuli and Agaveah weren't anywhere to be seen.

I joined the queue, sildling in behind an elderly fae and her son. The air weighed heavy, fleeting breeze snatching fragments of hushed whispers from the cacophony. A sombre atmosphere to be sure. I lent a discreet ear to the couple behind me.

"They've really knocked up security. You know what all this is about?" one spouted.

"Something to do with the Scathlian who took a shot at the prince. The price on his head is sweet enough to be sure. More than we'd earn for a year's wages," her mate answered, bite behind his words. "Especially with that prick as reagent."

"Not so loud, leannán! The guards will hear you!"

"Yea and I bet they'd agree. The prince lost them half their comrades this time..."

The dotting nickname sparked something in my gut. I tuned the two out, raking the crowd for Lazuli's bright aura, and noticed her and Agaveah as they made their way up to the gate. Words were exchanged. One of the guards' eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on Lazuli.

My jaw tightened, hand creeping onto Craorag's hilt. He grabbed her by the chin and forced her eyes into his. My heart leapt into my throat. They stared at one another for long seconds, locked in a trance. Then, just as I was about to spring to her rescue, the guard took a step back and waved them in. Agaveah smiled as they strolled through, even throwing a wave over her shoulder. Relief threatened to swoop in, but I staved it off. Not just yet.

My fingers played with the bandages on my forearms as I waited. They'd grown crumby over the past days, nearly ready to fall. I didn't dare tear them off though, not without Lazuli's explicit permission. After all, she was the one who'd done them up. A peak couldn't hurt though...