Smoke ||Book Two||

Chapter Five

The rest of the way to Adessa was uneventful, much to Nix's relief. He had partially expected other travelers to stop and stare, or perhaps try and ask him questions about where he was going, but people barely offered him a glance. The trip had been lonesome, but it wasn't anything he wasn't already used to. Making the journey to Adessa with Cassandra had been a blessing in disguise. It had pulled him away from his own thoughts just enough to ensure the trip went by quickly.

Despite the hours that passed on, Nix eventually reached the grand gates of Adessa. It was just as he remembered it. The stone walls towered high above any man, with archers posted at the top of the gate to ward off any oncoming intruders. Despite their security, Nix couldn't help but wonder how many Phaepyr spies had snuck in over the years. The guards were dressed in similar armor, the only difference being that the Adessa insignia was now proudly worn across their breast plates. The greenery along the gate was thick, vines beginning to reach up towards where the archers rested, buds of flowers mere weeks away from blooming.

The line to get into Adessa was short, making Nix unsure if he wanted that or not. He had spent nearly half of his journey trying to decide what to tell the guards, wondering if they would even let him in or if his tattoo would still appear. Deletrear had assured him that the tattoo would never go away until he removed it, but it was hard to believe in something he hadn't seen for years.

Nix slowly approached the guards, holding Lilac's reigns loosely in his hands. She knew when to be still, even without his command. He tried his best at a smile as one of the guards glanced his direction, though he wasn't sure if it made him less suspicious or more so. The years hadn't fogged his memory about the tattoo. While the guard examined him, Nix grabbed his wrist and willed the image to resurface. Only time would tell if it worked.

"Name?" The guard asked, though this time was without the papers. Instead of papers, there was a new guard that stood close to the gate. He sat beside several labeled boxes with other guards that were posted all around coming to him. After each guard, the one by the boxes would go through the papers within and would either nod, or shake his head.

"Cedric Thomas," Nix answered, fighting the urge to shiver at the name. When he had last gone undercover as Cedric, it had been without meaning. It had just been a name with no connections. Now knowing that it was his father's name and one of the last redeeming things his father ever did made it harder to swallow.

Without saying another word, the guard held his hand out and his eyes remained perfectly fixed on Nix. It was quite clear what he was silently asking for.

He did his best to not hesitate. Nix pulled up his sleeve, puffing out a slight sigh in relief as the olive branches were stained into his once plain skin. Deletrear's magic had never let him down before and he was grateful that it continued to work. He placed his wrist into the guard's hand, remaining still as the tattoo was touched and rubbed.

"I'll be right back."

Nix petted the side of Lilac's neck as he watched the guard walk back towards the guard with the boxes. It seemed like a better system, given the influx of citizens Adessa was receiving. He glanced behind all the guards into the city, wondering if it was as grand as he remembered. He found himself starting to smirk as he recalled the Phaepyr spy he had killed the night he and Cassandra had stayed in Adessa.

While he waited, he thought of the man he had once thought to be a fellow citizen. That had been such a confusing part of his life, where he had wondered if killing Cassandra would truly be worth it. The more he had thought about it before, the more he realized that that had been the night where Nix's feelings had become very apparent. After that, he had simply just tried to fight it for as long as possible. The poor spy had merely been in the crossroads of Nix's emotions.