The sun was setting when they arrived at the inn. They still needed to gather a few more pieces of information before Syran could set up his trap, meaning they would have to wait for now.
The inn was small, but still held so much warm. It reminded Syran of his country home he would visit during the summers as a child. At least his company was better now than it had been back then. He was often the subject of torment for a certain bully he didn't want to remember. The country home had been located out in the Lori Mountains and was surrounded by fields of wild flowers on every side. It was one of the few places Syran still visited when he needed to escape for a few days.
Entering the small dining area, a barmaid told them dinner would be served in an hour. Cesare took the opportunity to go talk to the young girl, giving the poor thing his signature grin and boyish charm. Syran rolled his eyes but found a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips. He had indeed been livid when he saw Antoni's girl sprawled out on the ground with a dumbstruck look on her face, and even more so when he realized Cesare had concocted the imprudent prank, but he could not stay mad for long. Cesare had no ill intentions and Syran was well aware of that. If there was one person he trusted more than any other, it was Cesare. He just wished the damned fool would use his head sometimes!
Syran left Cesare in the bar area as he made his way upstairs to their room. He caught sight of Willem standing guard at the door. The young chevalier stood at attention when he noticed Syran approaching.
"How's the... situation?" Syran asked hesitantly, pulling his hood off his face.
"She is still sleeping, sir. Tacra is watching over her inside," Willem replied, motioning toward the door. Syran let out the breath he had been holding.
"Thank the Gods," he muttered under his breath. Willem smirked at him but said nothing. If there was one thing Syran seemed to be able to count on recently, it was that Antoni's girl either slept or argued. She didn't seem to have any modes in between, and if she was sleeping right now, it meant he wouldn't have to listen to her impertinence for at least a little while longer.
Syran gave Willem a serious look. "And what news from the town?" he asked.
"Iyes should be back shortly with that information," Willem said. As if on cue, Iyes' head of long auburn hair appeared at the end of the corridor. She approached them with the same blank expression she always wore. Syran nodded at her to speak.
"I found traces of magic residue at all of the afflicted locations. A few townspeople also said the majority of the kidnappings involved young girls with brunette hair. A handful of people have been arrested over the past few months, but the attacks continued to happen even when the suspects were taken into custody, so all were released eventually. It seems the general air of fright stems from the fact that the majority think the town is haunted," Iyes said, her monotone voice hushed to prevent any curious ears from listening.
Again, this was nothing Syran didn't already know. Although, there was one key fact that could be advantageous to them. Taking a piece of Iyes' hair, he held it up. For a fraction of a moment, her statuesque face faltered as her eyebrows disappeared under her bangs.
"Willem, what color is this?" he asked, turning to the red headed man.
"Eh," Willem started, his face turning the color of his own hair from being put under the spot light. "It's like a brownish red, I guess?" he finally replied, ending his analysis in a question rather than a statement.
Syran dropped his hand, "It will have to do. We move out tonight."
~~~~~ ~~~~~
Anastasia woke up on a soft bed, her eyes burning from all the crying she had done earlier. Sitting up, she looked around the small room. There were two small beds, including the one she was laying on, with a wide window between them. Not much else though. Her eyes met Tacra's green ones and the female soldier offered her a small smile.
"Where are we?" Anastasia asked.
"In an inn. We needed a place to rest for the night," Tacra's gentle voice replied. Anastasia looked around the room again. She could hear faint voices. They seemed to be coming from outside the room.
As swift as a thieving mouse, she jumped from the bed and tip toed her way to the door, pressing her ear against the wooden grain.
"I don't think you should be doing that," Tacra whispered frantically. Anastasia waved her hand at the woman to keep quiet. She had found herself quite the interesting conversation to spy on.
"Miss Asa! Please! You mustn't eavesdrop!" Tacra protested once more, tugging on Anastasia's arm. Just as Tacra was about to pull Anastasia away, Anastasia used her free hand to throw the door open.
"I want to help!" she declared to two shocked faces and one completely stoic female soldier. She had to tilt her head to look up at the three giants standing with slack jaws in front of her.
The king was the first to compose himself. "Absolutely not," he said, shooting Tacra a glare that could stop any beating heart.
Anastasia's nap had put her in a good mood, so she didn't even feel angry at the king's obvious reaction. "Nonsense, you need brown hair and I happened to have just that!" she said, a wide smile on her face as she picked up two bunches of her wavy, long hair and held them out.
"I said no," the king growled out, shoving past her to sit on the other bed.
"Oh come on! You need bait and I'm all you've got," she argued back. She had no idea why they needed bait at all, but she found herself not sweating over the details. If anything, she felt a little giddy at the idea of danger. Ha! What a ridiculous thought. Her and danger were about as compatible as oil and water. Yet, the excitement brimming in her chest contradicted what her mind was telling her. This was it. She had finally gone and lost any bit of sanity she had left.
"I need bait that can protect itself. You would only get in the way," he said, dropping his white blonde head into his hands. Anastasia didn't understand why he was being so difficult.
"I can protect myself just fine! See," she said, snapping her fingers over her hand to create a little flame. Plus, Rowan had made sure she knew at least some self-defense. If it came down to it, she could fight off a lone attacker. Well maybe. Her track record wasn't exactly in her favor at the moment, but she wasn't going to mention that.
The king looked up at her, to her flame, back to her grinning face, and back again to her flame. He let out a long sigh and dropped his head, "The answer is still no."
Anastasia let her little fire die as her smile fell with it. Frustration bubbled up from the pit of her stomach. She just wanted to help! But wait, why exactly did she want to help? She should be trying to escape again. This could be the best opportunity to do so, while the king and his soldiers are distracted with whatever it was that was going on in this town. But Anastasia felt no conviction behind her thoughts. Instead, she found herself wanting to prove her worth. There was a feeling of uselessness that had been gnawing at the back of her mind ever since Cesare had saved her in Gamaliel. Crossing her arms over her chest, she let out an angry huff as she dropped onto the edge of the bed, turning her face to look out the window.
"Well, it seems at least you two have sulking in common," Cesare's loud voice laughed from the doorway.
"Shut up, Cesare!" she heard herself say in unison with the arrogant king. His icy eyes immediately found her stormy ones as they shot each other a mutual scowl of hatred. She quickly averted her eyes again to glower out the window.
"I'm going to shut my eyes for a little while," she heard him say. "Iyes, you'll need to find a more convincing disguise. And Cesare, since you seem to have so much energy, gather the weapons. Willem, go with him. Tacra, watch... her," the king said, kicking off his boots as he laid back on the bed and covered his face with his arm.
Anastasia was about to protest, but his soft snores cut her off. That was fast! She supposed he must have been really tired. She sighed. Despite her stubbornness, she knew she would be a hindrance in a real fight. She just wanted to be useful. If she was stuck with these people and there was no escape for her, she might as well contribute to the team. It's not like anyone other than the king was mean to her. In fact, she quite liked the company of the soldiers.
Thoughts of the armor-clad soldiers had her mind wandering toward Rowan. A tightness filled her chest as a long breath escaped her lips. Anastasia couldn't remember a time in her life that she had spent so long away from him; it was much more painful than she had anticipated it would be. He was the only family she had left, and yet, she had left him when they were both still freshly grieving the death of her stepfather. Could she be any more despicable? Guilt began to mix in with the pain in her chest. Perhaps she should be taking this opportunity to escape, after all? She could go back to her village and see Rowan again and finally rid herself of this whole mess. Even she had to admit to herself that her decision to leave alone to find a strange man she didn't even know was rash and foolhardy, even if her stepfather was the one that guided her. In the end, he had betrayed her trust anyway. If she had sat and talked things through with Rowan, they could have moved in the dead of night together and found another small village to live in, changed their names, and lived a simple, uncomplicated life like they always had. Her stepfather always used to berate her for her impulsiveness, but the consequences had never been as severe as they were now. Her raging emotions - sadness at losing her stepfather, the pain that gripped her heart at the idea that Rowan could be hurt because of her past, and the fear of being caught by her pursuers - won out against all rational logic and reason. Even her decision to act as bait had been impulsive. She didn't even know why the king and his men were in this town!
It seemed like ages since Iyes, Cesare, and Willem had disappeared to go carry out the orders the king had given them. Anastasia and Tacra had gone downstairs for dinner while the king slept. Anastasia would have preferred to stay downstairs, away from the arrogant king's presence, but Tacra made them rush back so he wouldn't be left alone for too long.
Finally, loud boots came down the hallway and Willem opened the door to the small room, followed by Cesare. They were wearing armor, but not the radiant black like usual. Each one had a uniquely shaped sword strapped to them, the likes of which Rowan had attempted to teach Anastasia, but she never quite bothered to learn. Willem handed Tacra what Anastasia recognized as a battle axe, one of the few she actually knew.
The king stirred from his resting spot, sitting up with groggy eyes. A piece of his hair stuck straight up in the air, but he didn't seem to notice. He took note of the three soldiers armed and ready.
"Where is Iyes?" he asked, his deep voice husky from sleep.
Shuffling from the door turned their attention to the king's answer. Iyes stood in a dress, her arms extended awkwardly as she attempted to not rip the material. The end of the dress barely covered her innocence, leaving her long legs completely exposed. The fabric was stretched to its limit in every place except her chest. If she moved her outstretched arms even a centimeter, the entire thing would rip apart. Her toned, lithe body didn't leave much flab on her bones, but her six-foot-tall frame made up for what she lacked in fat.
"Sir, we have a problem," she said, her face completely expressionless. Anastasia felt her own cheeks heat up in embarrassment for the woman. She was standing almost entirely naked in front of three men!
Anastasia looked over at Tacra, whose face was as bright as a tomato as she raked her eyes up and down Iyes' figure. The quiet soldier licked her lips nervously, her eyes darting around the room but eventually landing back on the scantily clad woman. Anastasia caught Iyes' glance over at Tacra, her face flushing a shade of light pink the only indication that the statue faced woman felt anything at all. Anastasia's eyes moved between the two of them. Was she missing something here?
All three men in the room also seemed rather flustered. The king was looking out the window. Willem's face had turned the same color as his hair, and Cesare, while flush in the face, stared without shame.
The king didn't turn his head to look at the female soldier as he cleared his throat, "I see. That is a problem. Go ahead and change and we can discuss how to move forward."
"Very well, sir," she responded. Doing her best to grab the hem of the dress without ripping the sleeves, Iyes lifted the dress up to her chest.
"No!"
Faster than Anastasia could process, the king had sprinted from his position on the bed, pushed Iyes into the room, grabbed the other two men, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Anastasia blinked at the woman undressing in front of her. Did she really have no feelings at all about exposing herself in front of the opposite gender?! Taking one look a Tacra, the female soldier looked like she was about to pass out with a sloppy grin on her face as she sat staring at the ceiling and breathing heavily.
Iyes quickly dressed in her usual outfit, holding the dress in her hand before looking over at Anastasia. Without a word, she held it out to her. Anastasia grabbed it hesitantly. Changing out of her trousers and tunic, she quickly put on the dress. It fit like a glove! Her thoughts from earlier flooded back to her. She had half-heartedly resolved herself to escape in the commotion, but there was an excitement beginning to brim in her chest that she couldn't push back down. Were her lunatic emotions running rampant again? Anastasia couldn't really tell, but there was no denying the fact that the idea of danger was making her giddy.
Once finally clothed, Iyes opened the door. The men walked back into the room, all still slightly red in the face. Anastasia stood with her hands on her hips and a wide smile on her face as she faced the king. He froze mid step as he looked at her and ran an exasperated hand over his face.
"I believe we have no other choice, sir. I cannot find anything that fits me. I will protect her if the need arises," Iyes said robotically. Anastasia felt her excitement begin to overflow when it looked like the king was actually considering the female soldier's request.
He groaned loudly. "Fine," he replied, mumbling something about insubordination under his breath as he walked back out of the room. "Let's go."
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I forgot to do this sooner, but here you go!
Iyes: pronounced exactly like 'eyes'
I hope you are enjoying the story so far! It's about to get a little more action packed, so stay tuned!
<3 Ensanya