Flames

Chapter Eighteen

The gates of Adessa stood tall before them, a line of four guards posted between the entrance.

As Nix and Cassandra approached the gates, they could see that one of the guards had already focused their eyes upon the two. "You two, over here!" The man called, motioning for them to approach him.

They did so without any comments, neither knowing how it worked. As long as they had the tattoos, it wouldn't matter. That would be proof alone that they didn't need to be questioned.

"Wrists, please." The guard glanced between the two, standing nearly a foot taller than both of them.

They raised their right wrists, watching as the guard inspected the design. The guard even took his hand, grabbing hold of Nix's wrist and trying to rub at the tattoo with his thumb. "I don't believe I've ever seen you two before." Unconvinced, the guard stood straight.

Cassandra smiled at the guard, shrugging. "We don't leave very often, what with the war going on and all. We were taking the day to remember my father. He passed five years ago today. We went to his favorite spot and decorated it with flowers." Her voice never faltered, leaving Nix somewhat impressed.

The guard's face didn't change. "Names?" He motioned for one of the other guards to come over. The other man carried a scroll in his hands, a quill in the other.

From where Cassandra stood, she could see through the scroll. There were prewritten names. She had been planning on using her father's name with his passed wife, but it seemed as though those names wouldn't work now. The guards would need names that were already written, people that were already citizens of Adessa that weren't currently inside the city.

Nix stood between the second guard and Cassandra. They wouldn't get in without saying the right names. While she hesitated, he spared a glance down onto the scroll the second guard carried. Two names stood out, having been circled with red ink at the very bottom of the first scroll. "Cedric and Amber Thomas." The names sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't quite figure out where he knew them from.

The first guard they had been speaking to looked to the other, who looked through the list. "They're here, but-" The one that held the scroll pointed to the names circled in red. Once again, the first guard's eyes darted up between them. "Really now? You two are Cedric and Amber Thomas?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cedric and Amber Thomas have been gone for many, many years. Their names have been on our list as missing. I doubt you two are-"

"Excuse me?" Nix began to raise his voice. He had done his fair share of sneaking around Phaepyr when he was younger. So long as he had acted confident enough, the other always backed down. It was worth a try here. He crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes into a glare at the two guards.

Both guards, and even Cassandra, appeared taken aback by the sudden change in tone.

He didn't let down, however. "My wife and I have been gone for the day, not years. How dare you accuse us as such. We are loyal subjects of Adessa. I don't understand how your scroll works, but it's wrong."

"I don't think we would have missed you two coming out. Regardless of what you think, we're fairly good at our jobs." The two men looked over the scroll again, looking further down to some other information pertaining to the names. "If you two are Cedric and Amber Thomas, then perhaps Cedric, you could answer a few questions for us."

"Absolutely." Nix couldn't help but feel thankful for his training back in Phaepyr. He had been taught how to keep a still face at all times. It had been a hard lesson to learn, as Roman made him stay expressionless for an entire month. Each time he showed emotions, his month would start over. It took nearly a full year, but it had been worth it.