Inheritance: Threads of Fate

Chapter Ten - Danger

"We better head back to the tavern. Get out of the open." Caspian suggested. You all thanked the man and went on your way.
"Well that's one thing off our list... " Raxe thought out loud. "Though I'm not sure we're in agreement about the next thing..."
They both looked at you.
"To go after the General is suicide." Caspian whispered.
"I agree with his royalness on that one." Raxe added.
"Now that Tavros and the rest of the island will be warned... it's a much better idea to stay out of the Generals line of sight for as long as we can..." Caspian tried to convince you.
"Ok. Ok..." you conceded. "If you're both in agreement on this then I should probably let the majority win..." But you secretly still felt a burning urge to run your sword through his smug face...
"Let's focus on what we were actually planning on... finding your parents?" Caspian offered.
"Which is going to be a momentous task on its own..." Raxe sighed as you neared the doors to the tavern.
"He's not wrong." Caspian said to you as he held the door open for you. "How does one go about finding two slaves who were sold seven years ago..."
Cale and his men greeted you when you entered. "Wha's the word on ye ship?" He asked as you all sat down.
You explained what the man said, and how long Caspian estimated it would take to get word.
"Aye.. s'now we wait.."
"Actually Captain, would you mind if we used our room upstairs again? We need to figure out a plan to find my father...might as well put this time to good use." You asked.
"Aye!" He agreed. "I'll hav ma' men bring som' drinks up teh ye!"
"NO ARAK." The three of you said in unison.

"Raxe, is there any sort of paper trail we can follow? Notes? Receipts?" Caspian thought while he paced back and forth upstairs. Cale had one of his men bring up some tea, and you sat on the bed by the open window, letting the fresh ocean breeze circulate around the room. In the privacy of your current company, you let the front of your veil down so you could drink and speak without it getting in the way.

"I don't really know for sure..." Raxe admitted. "The Calormen military prides themselves on structure and discipline, so I can't imagine they would allow thousands of Crescents to be traded for slaves without recording it somehow... but where or how I can't say."
"Would Zumi know?" You asked hopefully.
"I don't think so... he was a low level slave, like me. Ironically the person who was in the best situation to find out would have been you..."
You looked down. "Maybe I ran away too soon... maybe I should have stayed and gathered more information..."
"Absolutely not." Caspian stopped pacing and came to the bedside to sit, facing you. "I would have been furious if you had endured any more torture from that man just in the chance of learning something...no amount of knowledge is worth what he put you through." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, ran his finger up your chin, and lifted your head to face him.
Raxe cleared his throat from the other end of the room. "I think I liked it better when you two would pretend you weren't madly in love..." he chuckled.
You blushed and Caspian smiled. "Don't be jealous..." he turned towards Raxe.
"Oh. You caught me. How can anyone resist those locks...that dashing smile...I might have to steal you from her." Raxe teased.
"When I get sick of him you can have him." You joked back.
"Hey!" Caspian laughed and tickled you.
You squealed and jumped off the bed, hiding behind Raxe.
"Oh don't come crawling to me now." He laughed.
"Your Captain orders you to protect her!" You laughed as you used him as a human shield as Caspian tried to get to you.
"Oh well if you order it then... sorry Sire, I have no choice..." Raxe laughed as he pulled Caspian into a headlock.
Caspian spun out of it and the boys wrestled playfully until Raxe managed to pin Caspian's arm behind his back.
"Ok! Ok...truce...truce..." Caspian laughed and Raxe released him, bending over with his hands on his knees panting.
"You'll have to teach me that last move." Caspian clapped him on the back. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
You poured both of them some tea and handed it to them, loving every second of this.
"Ah... you gotta make your own fun around here..." Raxe explained. "A few of the guys I was working with in my first family and I would host fights to let off some steam... and I just kind of kept it up after."
"I could use a man like you on my crew, a naturally skilled fighter is a rare commodity." Caspian offered.
"Yea? I might take you up on that once we get out of this sand pit." Raxe agreed, stretching his arm across his chest.
You suddenly felt very guilty. These two men, two men you loved very much, were putting themselves in danger just on the chance of finding your lost parents. Was it worth it? Maybe you should cut your losses and head back, you already found Raxe, which was more than you expected.
"Where'd you go?" Raxe waved his hand in front of your face.
"Oh. Sorry I was thinking..."
"Uh. Oh. That's not a good sign." Raxe smiled folded his arms over his chest.
"What about, My Love?" Caspian asked.
"I'm not sure it's worth all the danger I'm putting you two in to find my parents." You admitted. They looked at each other, and you continued. "Maybe we ask Cale if we can get a ride back to the Shade on his ship, cut our losses..."
Caspian walked over to you and grabbed both your hands in his. "Is that what you really want? Or are you just afraid?"
"Of course I'm afraid." You looked up at him. "Anytime I venture outside in this damn country I'm afraid...maybe... you two should just go back to the Shade...I'll stay here with some of Cale's men and continue the search on my own. I'm putting the King of Narnia in danger for my own selfish reasons..."
"Oh HELL no." Raxe responded adamantly, standing next to Caspian. "NO way I'm leaving you here on your own."
"And I know you know my position." Caspian added. "I made you a promise. I intend to at least try to keep it."
"Huh." Raxe thought and sat down on the edge of one of the beds.
"What?" You looked at him.
"Cas, remember our crazy plan when we thought she" he nodded to you "was still in the fortress?"
"Yea..." Caspian answered cautiously.
"I was just thinking that...the reason she was in the best position originally to find information out about sold slaves was because if anyone would have those documents, it would be the man in charge of the slave trade, right?" Raxe explained.
"Oh no... Raxe..." You tried to stop his train of thought.
"We have to break into his office. We have to sneak into the fortress." He finished.
"NO!" You replied. "I just finished saying how I hated that I was putting you in danger. Now you want to go do the most dangerous thing... and didn't we just agree to stay away from the General?!"
"We don't have to go anywhere near him." He emphasized. "In fact, the best way to do this is to wait until he leaves for the night."
You looked at Caspian "Please tell him he's insane." You begged.
"I would, if I wasn't already sort of thinking the same thing..." He admitted.
"WHAT?" You exclaimed.
"I had that idea logged away from the moment we arrived there. I was actually planning on finding how to break in before you set us free..." Caspian explained. "I was hoping someone we met along the way would have information that would help us instead but..."
"UGH!" You threw yourself onto the bed opposite of Raxe.
"Comeon Bun, you know it's the best shot we have at finding out anything about either of your parents. If they're alive, I want to help you get them back. Since I lost my dad... if there was any way of me seeing him again... I'd risk anything..."
"You don't have to come, you know." Caspian sat next to you. "Raxe and I can go on our own, and find you when we get back. I know how traumatic that place must be for you."
"No." You spoke softly. "If we're doing this. We're doing it together. But I can tell you I definitely can't scale that wall..."
"Hmm..." Raxe thought. "Well. The easiest way in is to get brought in as a slave. I've been through that process dozens of times."
"Except you're a free man, Caspian is condemned to be killed on sight, and I'm an escaped slave..." You stated obviously.
"Right. But if we could hide in a crowd somehow... if a slaver brought in a large group..."
"Where are we going to find a group of people to volunteer to get sold into slavery?" Caspian asked.
"A group who is loyal to their Captain...and a Captain who is sworn to loyalty to me." You thought out loud.
"Cale's crew?" Caspian spoke both surprised and amused.
"Brilliant!" Raxe agreed.
"But only pretend slaves." You emphasized. "We'd have to get someone to be a pretend slaver, let us keep our weapons so we can escape when we're done..."
"No one would question a pirate Captain selling a bunch of slaves for some extra gold..." Caspian offered.
"You think he'd agree to it?" Raxe asked.
"Only one way to find out." You noted.

You put your veil back on and the three of you headed downstairs, the clock at the base of the stairs was chiming for noon. "It's been an hour." You thought to yourself. "Either they got the letter, or they're not there."
The tavern was more full than this morning, a few scattered sailors and fishermen were enjoying lunch as you approached Cale's table. He was studying some maps and making a list of some sort.
"May we join you?" You asked.
"O' course Me Lady!" He moved some of his papers over. You noticed he was mapping a route to a small island off the coast of Archenland.
"Captain, we weren't sure of what your plans were for staying in Calormen..." you began.
"Oh, jus' givin' the lads a chance ta stretch their legs...an' a few other... appendages.." He winked. "Na particular plan. Why?"
"I...we... were hoping to ask for your help." You responded. "We think we have a plan to at least find out where my father ended up. But it's dangerous..."
"Aha! Danger's me middle name lass!" He laughed. "What ye be thinkin'?"
You, Caspian and Raxe explained your plan to have him "sell" you three and his crew as slaves to the fortress. The plan to escape from the guards once inside, and break into the General's office once he went home for the night.
"Your men would be risking their lives as well." You finished. "I'd only ask those who were willing to join us."
"Ye don' know me men." Cale smiled. "Loyal bunch'o dogs ta the end. An' they got no love fer the Slavers. Many o' them joined me crew on account'a their own search fer their families. If ye can give us wa'ever records ye find, I'm sure they'd be happy ta fight fer it."
"Now we just need to work out the details." Caspian looked at Raxe. "You're the only one who's been sold in multiple times. Tell us every detail you remember."