Chapter 4 - Boar's Tavern
Khoeli woke up with a throbbing headache, her head pounding. She was lying on a fairly flat bed, and looking around, she noticed the walls around her were made of brown wood and tall ceilings.
"Dear gods, where am I?" she groaned, closing her eyes again. She felt a headache coming on.
"We're at de Boar's Tavern. Maeve, us friend, is de owner o' this sound establishment. She's de one lett'n yous stay e'yer."
"The Boar's Tavern!" Her eyes fluttered open. "I'm supposed to meet someone here at noon!" The young woman scrambled to get out of bed, only to be pushed back down by Nessie's firm hand.
"Relax kid, it's only ten in de mornin'. We stay 'ere sometimes when it's especially cold out. I 'ope ye dun mind, but we guv 'er some o' yer rips as compensation fe 'er silence. Yeh know, it's not everydee where a girl shows up wearin' Brother clothin'."
It took her awhile to get through the accent, but when she finally did, she stared at them with eyes as big as a deer. She'd been found out.
Foster chuckled. "Nessie, you can drop the accent now. We know about her secret about being with the Brothers, so she might as well know what our deal is."
She crossed her arms. "Fine."
"We've got food, miss-"
"Ellie."
"What's your actual name?"
She ignored the question. "What sort of deal are you talking about?"
Foster gave her a warning glance. "Nessie.."
Nessie dropped the subject. "Fine. I won't bug you about your name until after we tell you." She pulled out a chair and plopped onto it. "So. We faked our accents."
"Uh huh." Khoeli interrupted in exasperation.
"Don't interrupt!"
"Okay."
"It all began a long, long time ago..." she started.
"Nessie! Get to the story!" Foster interrupted this time.
"Okay fine!"
Khoeli had to restrain herself from laughing. The two bickered like Felix and her did.
Where could Felix be?
She had no idea how she'd meet up with him again. Her thoughts briefly turned to the upcoming meeting with Cassi.
"It wasn't actually that long ago. I only turned twenty-two last month. We were servants to the lord, like our parents before us, but after we turned eighteen and failed the test, we got kicked out. The lord doesn't want anyone without magic ability, see. They can't control us like they do other servants."
"Oh, why is that?" Khoeli regretted not paying attention in her Magic Theory lessons with the Brothers now.
"Our auras. It's a complicated business, and I don't know enough about it, but the gist is that we don't have ones that are visible to specific magic users, so they aren't able to control us through them."
Foster gave her a nudge. "Tell her about what we do as a job."
Nessie huffed at him. "She should know our story first, Fostie."
He growled under his breath, "I told you not to call me that!."
She smirked at him, shaking her hair back over her shoulder. "We're the leaders of the magic-less revolution, which is based out of here, Aredale. When we first got tossed out on the streets, we wandered around hungry and turned away from others.
Fostie and I still aren't sure how it happened, but it spread like wildfire that we were magic-less. There must've been an aura manipulator around, but who knows. That part doesn't matter so much. Those people are super common."
She took a big bite out of the apple next to her. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she continued with her story.
"This was just before winter hit. The weather turned awful a week after we'd gotten kicked out, and Fostie-"
"Nessie!" Foster whined.
"Fine, Foster here-" she enunciated," got sick. As the days passed, he got worse and worse, and I was worried he'd die. A few places let us sleep in their stables for the night, but it was still difficult trying to find food and medicine for Foster."
"Nessie, enough. You're drawing this all out and making me look bad in front of this girl." he wagged his finger. "Let me talk now."
He took a deep breath. "While Nessie was looking for help for me, we came here and asked Maeve for help, since she was the owner of this place. She's an aura manipulator herself, so she welcomed us and introduced us to this small rebel group that was meeting there later that evening..."
After Foster finished his story, they ate breakfast in a comfortable silence and waited for noon.
"Khoeli, shouldn't you be heading down now? It's twenty minutes till." Nessie softly inquired.
"What?" Khoeli was shaken out of her thoughts. "I- oh yeah. I nearly forgot. I'll head down now. Will you guys still be here when I finish?"
They shook their heads. "We have to get back to our posts. We can't have the lord's son thinking we're actually not the beggars we pretend to be. We've already been gone a while."
She nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, thank you for staying with me and telling me about everything."
"Of course. Goodbye Khoeli."
She laughed. After hugging them goodbye and thanking them, the Aredale rebel leaders walked out of the room, Damian trailing behind them and munching on a chicken leg. Finding the sight quite comical, she stifled her laugh.
After glancing at the clock one more time, Khoeli realized it was ten minutes until noon.
She quickly changed into the clothes Nessie had bought for her, and decided to carry her money pouch with her down to the tavern's bar. The young woman briefly wondered what it'd be like to get drunk, but she quickly brushed that thought away as she thought of Felix's reaction to that.
She sobered up as a thought came to mind. She'd never told the rebels her name.
How did they know she was called Khoeli?
She brushed that thought away, too. Maybe she'd misheard.
Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she tied it with a ribbon and noted with satisfaction that she had two minutes remaining until she was to meet Cassi.
After bouncing down the stairs, she noticed a table with two empty seats, a hooded figure at the end of it. She slid into one, trying to look inconspicuous.
"Ellie!" hissed the hoodie. Or well, the person under the hoodie.
She gasped. "How do you know my name?"
The figure pulled back his hoodie. "It's me, Felix, you fool. You had me worried sick!"
She crossed her arms. "I wasn't the one who went disappearing and never set a rendezvous to meet."
Felix drew his hoodie back over his face. "What are you even doing here, anyways?"
"I should be asking YOU that question," she bit back. "I'm supposed to be meeting a Cassi here. He said noon." She pondered for a bit. "And he offered to buy me a drink. It was very nice of him."
"Cassivellaunus?"
"Yep!"
Felix breathed out. "How'd you meet him?"
"He was the guard at the entrance." She glanced at him suspiciously. "Is there anything you're not telling me? You look ridiculous in that hood too. Why are you wearing that?"
Felix sighed. "It's a long story."
"Yeah?" she challenged him. "I've sat through enough Brother classes, I'm sure I can handle another long story today."
"Well-" He began.
"Wait!" She cried. "I did see you! Yesterday!"
"If I could just-" he tried.
"They tried calling you the lord's son and you LOOKED at me like-"
"Here's the-"'
"Like I didn't even matter!" she finished. "You awful, awful person."
"-Thing." He glared at her now. "Like I was trying to explain-"
She noticed a familiar guard stepping through the door. "Cassi's here!" she exclaimed, dashing off to the door before Felix could even finish his sentence.
He groaned. He liked Khoeli well enough to not have complained when the Brothers had assigned him to accompany her, but she could be a pain at times.
Felix also felt bad for Khoeli. He knew she was in for a lot very soon, and while the Brothers had been fairly vague about what she was in for, muttering stupid things about their visions and whatnot, he hoped he could at least help her through it. The gods knew she'd need a friend.
He decided to remain seated while Khoeli eagerly greeted Cassi. Glancing at the two every so often, he nearly spluttered out his own drink - which was water - as he noticed where they were headed.
Khoeli had mentioned Cassi offered to buy her a drink.
He just hadn't thought she was serious about that.
"I better not have to deal with a drunk child on top of all of this," Felix muttered under his breath, staring darkly at the duo.
Khoeli suddenly turned, as Cassi was talking to the person at the bar, and noticed Felix glowering. Never dropping her smile, she tugged persistently on his sleeve, motioning him to the table. Cassi looked disappointed, but when he saw her smile, he allowed himself to get pulled over to the table where Felix was seated.
Good. He better be disappointed. She isn't even eighteen, you idiot. You can't go around hitting on every girl you see.
"This is Felix!" Khoeli gushed. "He's my best friend and-"
"Oh I know, Ellie." He glared at Cassi darkly. "I know Cassi very well. In fact, he owes me."
Cassi stared back at him.
The two continued staring at each other with hostility. After going on for a while, and starting to feel rather awkward, Khoeli poked Felix. Hard.
"Ow!"
And then she turned to Cassi sitting on the other side of her and poked him just as hard.
"Ow!"
The two glared at her now.
"What was that for!" Felix demanded.
"You guys are idiots!" She crossed her arms. "Somehow, Cassi asked the two of us here." She turned to Cassi now. "What did you want with us, here, at the same time?"
"What, I couldn't just want to see your lovely smile again?"
Khoeli flushed beet red.
Stubborn, stupid, awful, traitorous cheeks, she reprimanded mentally.
Cassi grinned. "But I actually have to talk to Felix about some things. Since you guys weren't together when I saw you, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to see Felix later on to tell him. Good thing I ran into him while he was looking for you." He leaned back. "Speaking of which, can I go talk with him now in private?"
She frowned. "Why can't I be there to hear this?"
Felix looked despairingly at her. "Please, Ellie? It's important and I'll tell you later."
"I don't like it."
"I don't like it either Ellie..."
Cassie broke in. "Would you lovebirds stop? He already told you he'd tell you, and we need you sitting here like a good girl, making sure no one follows us and tries to overhear."
Khoeli's anger started bubbling up. "Don't you dare call me a 'good girl'." Her voice carried a sharp edge, and she unconsciously reached for her knives.
Felix was at her side in a flash, holding down her arms. "Woah, woah, woah, Ellie, no need to fight right here. We just need you to keep watch, okay? That's all."
Still simmering, she dropped her arms further. "Fine. Twenty minutes. That's all you get."
The two nodded. Cassi walked over to the woman tending the bar, whispering in her ear before she nodded. Khoeli assumed it was Maeve. Before Maeve led them upstairs, she managed to catch the words "hiding" and "she's the one" before they slammed the door behind them.
The woman, whom she assumed was Maeve, came over.
"Hi honey... I'm Maeve. You know Nessie and Foster?"
The two made small talk while Khoeli waited for Felix and Cassi to return. Her mind was clouded with worry though, and she couldn't remember anything Maeve was asking.
"Maeve, I'm sorry, but I have to go now. Do you know what room they're in?"
"Room 5, dear." She winked. "Go shake that boy of yours up."
She reddened slightly. "He's just my friend, Maeve."
"That's what they all say."
She shook her head, gripping the cloak around her shoulders tighter. "Bye Maeve."
Khoeli stormed up the same stairs and stormed down the hallway until she saw a door marked '#5'. Without hesitating, she twisted the door handle and pulled the door open.
Ignoring Cassi, she stalked over to Felix and shook his shoulders roughly, despairingly. "Felix.. I'm really tired of this secrecy. The Brothers never told me anything. I don't have a clue what's going on." Her tone was despondent.
He looked at Khoeli helplessly. "I'm so sorry, Ellie, but I can't tell you."
"Child.." Cass sighed, watching their exchange with a heavy feeling in his heart. "Release Felix."
She did.
"I am upset the Brothers never told you about this."
"About what?" she interrupted.
What was with all the damn secrecy with these guys all of a sudden?
He held up his hand, prompting her to be silent. "But I understand why. It simply isn't time for you to learn this about yourself yet. Good things come to those who have patience."
She started protesting. "I think I have a right to know! If it's involving me and if it's the reason we even had to leave the blasted monastery, I need to know what the hell is going on."
"It is not my place. If you knew, you'd only be placed in greater danger."
Felix stepped forward. "He's right, Ellie. The two of us are in an unfamiliar town, and Cassi's been here long enough to know that things aren't quite as they seem. There could be trackers here, even now."
"Trackers?"
Her hands started fidgeting with the clasp of her cloak. She still hadn't taken it off, even though it had become sweltering hot in the small room.
He hesitated, giving a quick glance around the room before whispering, "You know. Like that shadow thing that attacked you. The one I didn't see?"
"You said that was all made up though," she pouted, and crossed her arms.
His tone became exasperated. "Well, turns out I was wrong. Cassi said that humans can't normally see them, unless they choose to be seen. But when they are seen, they look like shadows of a beast, and they have red gleaming eyes and..."
"... and poisonous blood?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"Yes," answered Cassi. "How'd you know? The only way to find that out is by injuring them, and I know what kind of material the Brothers make their weapons out of. It certainly isn't-"
Khoeli pulled out one of her arrows. "Could you be talking about something like this? I ended up shooting it by accident and it caught whatever it was in the leg. It was able to tug itself out of the arrow, but it left some blood behind."
She twirled it in her hand, before handing it to Cressi to examine. "When I went to clean it off, the blood ended up burning through my pants and scarred some of my flesh."
His eyes were wide. "This changes everything. If the Brothers had this kind of metal in their possession.."
He whirled around, trapping Khoeli against the wall and holding a blade against her throat.
"What kind of sickly deed did you do to get this metal?" he demanded. "Who are you in cahoots with? Did you lead them here too? This is why the Brothers should have never taken you in."
"I didn't do anything!" her eyes blazed with anger, and she kicked him hard in the place she knew would hurt the most.
He staggered back, his hands loosening on the blade. She used the distraction to duck under the blade and retreat to the other side of the room.
"Don't you even think about coming after us, you sicko. I may not know why they took me in, but I would never stoop so low as to betray the people I consider family like you so brazenly accuse."
With that, she slammed the door.
Cassi fell back onto the bed, wondering how and where it all went wrong.
His explicit orders from the Brothers had been clear. Very clear.
Keep the girl safe, and under any circumstance, don't ever let her learn about her past.
He rubbed his forehead wearily. It looked like he wouldn't be able to spend the night here afterwards. He couldn't abandon his orders. But what a shame. Maeve had been starting to grow on him.
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A.N. Hey guys! If you enjoyed, don't forget to vote and comment on your favorite parts!