The morning came faster than Nora would like. Golden rays of sunlight glimpsed through the pale curtains of the cabin, burning away any sign of darkness from the narrow room. Although the mattress the spy was laying on wasn't particularly comfortable, the delicate hints of snow falling to the ground outside the settlement made her hide further into the shoddy blankets, peeking at the scenery through broad holes in the fabric.
The previous day wasn't exactly light. Too much had happened, things she had no say in. The passing thought caused her fists to clench, the sleep to melt from her eyelids. How could he strike a deal without even seeing what he's getting in return? Although she was beyond glad the search was finally over, there was still no sign of the Kingfisher anywhere in the factory. Korin had claimed he would ask around, but he didn't appear especially eager to do so.
She had ended up in a shabby cabin a few yards away from the factory. Arden had disappeared, and Salo was nowhere to be seen, too. A bitter taste appeared in her mouth. Dropped the little girl and went for a drink, huh?
Slowly, unwilling to escape the warm comfort of her blankets, she reached out to the narrow table placed next to the bed. Her fingers felt the small pellet laying there, and at first she panicked. A bullet? A microphone? She brought it to her eyes, and the knot in her stomach relaxed its grip on her heart. The golden sun charm gleamed in the sunlight, the little diamonds buried in its surface blinding the girl. She knew it was wrong. She knew Ailyn would find out sooner or later. But for the time being, any unplanted seeds of regret that had remained needed to be hidden for good.
Nora had noticed it. The princess would occasionally look back at the castle as distance was put between it and her. Sometimes she would reach for her collarbone, and then drop her hand in bitter disappointment. What would the charm remind her? How would Kage use it against her? He had manipulated her before. The less leverage he had over her, the better.
It didn't take long for a loud thud to stagger the door, followed by Arden's intrusive form trampling into the room. Nora quickly dropped the yellow ball back on the table, hoping he wouldnt notice. His previous scruffy wool jacket was replaced by a nearly new topcoat, its chocolate color only accenting his fresh features. Perhaps dooming two innocent girls to a fate worse than death is exhilarating to him?
Nora sat up, holding the blankets close to her chest. The so-called nightgown provided to her was only a transparent white robe with a few tears here and there. It was clearly intended for specific purposes, and wandering around in public was not one of them.
"I could be naked for all you knew," Nora protested, nodding towards the door sharply.
Arden shrugged nonchalantly. "Not something I haven't seen before. I'll be outside."
With a deep scoff, Nora shoved a pillow at the door, which was already closing behind the man. She could feel a deep shade of crimson infiltrate her cheeks as she hastily slipped back into the clothes she was wearing the former day. Something he has seen before! What is he, some kind of stud? Arden didn't strike her as the lustful type, but everything seemed to be turning upside down those past few days.
The crisp air outside bit her skin like a leech, numbing her limbs and freezing her blood. Any hint of green had been bleached by pearly snowflakes, a white cloak over the factory's yard. The gentle breeze swept by, piling up snow in drifts, blinding the dawn with ice-white dust. Flowering was coming soon, yet the stubborn winter refused to desist its silver colors and its crystal glaciers.
"Did you work part-time as a prostitute, by any chance?" Nora queried, marching towards the still man. He gazed over the frozen lake, seemingly deep in thought. The spy laughed, urging his shoulder forward. "Don't be so jealous. You're already a living iceberg yourself."
Their stride was agonizingly slow as they approached the solid lake. So many questions soared through Nora's head, too many words that needed to be spoken. Hesitantly, she plucked the ones that she knew would offend him the most.
"Listen," she cleared her throat. "We're a team. A crippled team, that is."
"That was simply collateral--"
"Don't give me that civilian casualty bullshit!" she hollered, her thin voice echoing and bouncing over the lake. Arden halted, twisting to face her with a dull glance. Taking a deep breath, the spy closed her eyes and attempted to recollect her thoughts. "Two Ascended closely connected to the Council aren't collateral damage," she reminded him calmly.
"Aren't they worth giving up for the Kingfisher?"
"Not for an artifact that isn't here."
Arden stared at her, his eyebrows slightly furrowing before going back to normal. "What do you mean?"
The girl took some light steps forward, yet Arden stayed rooted to the ground. "I don't know. Don't you find it weird that Korin hasn't shoved the Kingfisher at us and kicked us out of here already? If he owned it, I'm sure he would just trade it with the girls as soon as possible."
"And why exactly would he strike a deal with nothing to offer in the first place?"
"Because he thought he could get it by the time we figured out what's really going on." A smile crept up her face as she shrugged. "Well, he failed. Miserably."
Arden waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Let him get it, then. It's his men that stole it."
There was a short pause. Nora knew Ailyn's plan after getting the Kingfisher was absurd, and that Ela was simply a loose grip on Kage Sillich. Yet the thought that they were exchanging their two only sources of power for an invisible clay pot disturbed her. Korin had no fighters, no Ascended, just a few wobbly factory workers and unpaid interns. Had they grilled him on the artifact's location, she could easily simply steal it.
"What do you plan to do with the money?" Arden demanded, catching the girl off guard.
"What? Oh," she mumbled, tapping her chin. A surge of embarrassment came over her as she imagined the boy's reaction in her head; laughing, most likely, slapping his knees while wheezing at her ambitions. "I was thinking, maybe..."
"Yes?" Arden prodded, evidently impatient.
Nora could feel her ears turning hot, contradicting the icy breeze blowing past her. She inhaled a long whiff of air, then another. "I don't need-- Scratch that, I don't want the money. Once we get the Kingfisher, you can sell it to whoever you want. But before that, I need to take it to Flouorn."
His eyes fluttered as his brows snapped together, an unintentional quiver shaking his head. "Did you just... Was it 'forlorn' you said? That was it, right?"
She slowly shook her head, puckering her lips to a thin pink stripe. Her idea wasn't that absurd, yet she felt her knees almost buckle under the heavy gaze Arden had set on her. "Flouorn," she corrected, watching as the boy's brows rose to two dark arches, framing his wide silver sockets. "I was hoping... forget it."
The spy dropped her hands to her sides, shifting her eyes to the gleaming flakes gently tumbling towards the grass. Of course it was crazy. How could she ever imagine Arden would agree to march across the continent while swinging the Kingfisher around like some kind of group crest? They might as well have carried a sign declaring they're about to own the most wanted artifact in the world. After getting that money, she wouldn't need the Flouornan intelligence to buy a loaf of bread. In fact, she would be swimming in loaves.
Her heart cramped at the thought, an ache that begged to be relieved. She shut it out as soon as she realized the poison of empathy had sipped into her brain, paralyzing the greed that drove her. It was easy to let her guard down and weep about a lost job. The avarice was a shell to her, an impenetrable husk that let her to do things her foolish heart would forbid.
It was how she had survived. It was how she was surviving still. Because gods knew what she would do there, next to the glimmering lake, had her heart been any less weak.
"It's... not impossible, I guess."
Nora whirled around, her previous thoughts dissolving into exclamation. Arden's eyes bored into hers, the metal glint of his irises shining against the dim sunlight. God, he's serious. Nora attempted to decline, but every time she tried to explain she had changed her mind the boy wagged his head vigorously. "We get the Kingfisher, you arrange a meeting with your fellow moles and show them the artifact. We can act like it's stolen after that and reveal its contents later so you get your raise."
"It's alright, Arden. Really."
"It's obviously not."
She huffed. "Stop. You don't know what's best for me."
"If you knew what's best you would just shut up and take the promotion."
Nora crossed her hands, hugging her forearms tightly. She wasn't used to seeing the thief donate his time and money for others, and thus his insistence only made the dull ache rooted in her stomach grow. "A quid pro quo," she realized. "For what?"
Arden's expression quickly shifted to a grin. "You say you don't want the money. I'll do you the grand favour of exempting you from that burden."
"How noble."
The rest of their stroll went by in a silence so delicate it could shatter at any moment. They were ahead of themselves, too eager to plan and anticipate events that could not be guaranteed. Flouorn not only had zero interest in making everyone Ascended, they despised every last one of those gifted individuals. Maybe they would attempt to prevent the possession of powers like Ailyn was plotting. But the Flouornans were no fools. Anything remotely related to the Ascended Council would be promptly annihilated into a gaping void of nothing.
They hadn't found the Kingfisher. They hadn't even searched for a generous buyer. The artifact seemed close, yet it was most likely far, far away.
Arden halted in front of a narrow cabin. It seemed like a miniature of the one Nora had been lead to; a square building with few meager windows, nailed planks of wood obscuring the view of the inside. White paint had been hastily splashed on the walls and numerous roof tiles had already collapsed to the soil.
The boy approached the door, but not before he grabbed a large metal board resting against the wall. Nora shot him a confused glance, yet she only earned a reassuring nod of his head. Punting the wood with his boot, he peeked over the makeshift shield. "Canbar, open up."
A grunt sounded from inside before the door was hauled open. Before the spy could question Arden's sanity, a sudden stream of fire twirled out, crashing on the metal piece and curling on its edges. A gasp from Salo, a yelp from Nora, a laugh from Arden. Only Ailyn kept her silence, staring at Ela bewildered.
"You're so predictable, little girl."
Another rush of dancing flames. Embers flew around the golden ribbons as Ela released set after set of scorching blazes, veins pushing against her arms and feet. The hard plank's surface had adopted an orange glint and the boy thrust relentlessly against the gleaming waves. When the fire appeared weakened enough, Arden shoved forward, pushing the metal towards Ela's fuming form.
Within seconds, she had placed her palms against the silver shield. Arden didn't manage to pull it away in time. Its entirety paled, turning from ore to crystal, from grey to pearly ice. Without further thought, the girl gripped the square and smashed it on the wooden floor. It instantly exploded into a thousand limpid fragments, hitting the floor in a melodic trill. Slowly, Ela raised her head to glance at Arden with a wide smile.
Nora snapped out of her trance. What am I doing? She didn't hesitate to dart inside, grabbing Ela's hands roughly. "Relax. We'll take you out of here once we get the Kingfisher."
"No we won't," Arden protested, but Nora hushed him with a hiss.
The seconds ticked by. Ela's jaw remained locked even after hearing Nora reassure her. Eventually, she shook the spy's hand off and glared at Arden through half-closed lids. "Came to see your museum exhibit, did you?"
He rubbed his chin. "I would say interactive exposition, but whatever works for you." Turning to Salo, who still stood by the door terrified, he reached into his pocket and threw the boy a crumbled piece of paper. "We need supplies. Everything is at a bargain because of the winter festival."
He gave Nora an ebony pouch which she didn't hesitate to peek into. A few silver coins were thrown in it, their validity questionable. "Those won't be enough for a list that long."
"That's the point."
She rolled her eyes. "Why pay at all if we steal half of the items anyway?"
"Because you will seem suspicious to the town guards. Now go." He sat on a chair, resting his legs on a short table near him. "We have much to discuss with these ladies."
The girl looked at him wearily. I don't know who to pity first.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
The cobbled road of the market seemed full as busy sets of feet slipped past the two slow moving figures, rushing towards stalls and curling at the freezing atmosphere. Men and women strode across the street, pointing at shiny trinkets, peering curiously at yellowed scrolls. Numerous flyers were glued to every last free inch on the walls. They appeared to be about the festival; parades, shows, and special rare vendors.
Nora stood next to Salo as he stared at the list, scrunching his nose at the letters scribbled down. With a huff, she snatched the piece of paper and briefly read through the items; maps, food, water, even a fee camping tools. She held it up, raising a brow at the confused boy. "What is so intriguing about climbing rope?"
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I thought it was Seyali and the words made no sense. Well, it's not."
"So you don't know Mushan."
"Only a few basic words. Foreign languages are a luxury where I grew up."
She halted, spinning around to face the boy. As a spy in training, she had be taught every main language of the continents. She guessed Ela and Ailyn were taught at least Mushan in their academy, as the country used to be closely allied to Seyal before the war. Yet there was one loose end, one obscure detail that had never been addressed.
"Arden speaks Mushan fluently. Isn't he from Sevin, too?" she asked, the pieces of the puzzle of a life he had laying untouched in her mind. It seemed like nothing fit in, like nothing made sense.
"I think he grew up in the Gutter. That's what he says. What I know for a fact is that no such education is provided in that part of town."
Weird. Arden hadn't revealed much about himself, truthfully; all Nora had been able to fish from him was that he was Fryan and that he almost always carried a case with cigarettes and weapons inside. He also seemed extremely irritable, and the night before they reached the factory he didn't sleep for a single moment. A strange guy, indeed. His education couldn't be important enough to hide.
Nora breathed out, shaking her head. "How did you two meet?"
Salo seemed quite eager to share their encounter. The spy never thought that naive boy would be a good narrator, but as he was telling her his story, she could almost picture the scene in front of her own eyes; a dark alleyway, a sharp blade in Arden's hand and drugs on Salo's. Nobody to turn to, no weapon apart from a suspicious container. The people in the story were like strangers to her ⸺ or perhaps, she never knew the boys in the first place.
Then she told her own story. From the camp to the police HQ, and finally to the shady barn. One element that Salo insisted to comment on was Kage Sillich. Many adjectives flew the prince's way; a heartless jerk, a power-hungry savage, among others.
Nora narrowed her eyes. "Does it have to do with Ailyn?"
"Of course it does! What did the poor girl ever do to deserve such an ass for a colleague?"
"He seemed to genuinely care, you know. I saw it."
"You saw wrong. If he cared in the slightest, he would have given up that stupid plan for her!"
She threw him a knowing glance. "Let me guess, you would do so?"
"Yes," he answered with no hesitation, turning to look at the girl. He wasn't flustered or afraid. A weird determination prevailed in his green eyes, deeply rooted in his mind. "I would give up anything for her."
"If I was him," he added hastily.
"If you were him," Nora repeated. "But you're not."
"No."
Was it sadness she suspected in his tone? Exasperation? The two kept their pace in silence, looking around for the shop suggested on the bottom of their long shopping list.
A rusty metal sign appeared in front of them, the letters barely legible. Some kind of inn. Walking inside, she was greeted by the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread, a welcoming scent that reminded her of her country. An old lady limped towards them, smiling a wide toothy grin. "How can I help you?"
Nora handed her the list. After a moment of silence, the woman nodded and disappeared inside a short door. Minutes later, she rushed out with two fabric bags in her arms. A boy trailing after her carried the other two.
"Sorry, we didn't have everything. That will be fifty silver pieces."
The spy stifled a laugh, throwing her the whole pouch. "Keep the change. We'll carry these."
As they headed back to the factory, Nora managed to snatch a few other things; a map of Musha, some clothes she didn't stop to check the size of, alcohol. Salo followed after her, telling her stories of his childhood, his father. How he was indebted to Lephar Blom, and how his mother needed urgent help. His problems and motivations made her feel small, like she was a little girl complaining over trivial matters. Nobody she loved was sick. Nobody she hated was asking money from her. It wasn't what she had, but what she didn't; pride, respect, dignity. It was her greed for recognition that had pushed her to her limits.
By the time they returned, it was late evening. The sun was inching closer to the water, begging to sink under, to sleep until a new obligation arose. Nora was jealous of the flaming ball of heat; it was only there at day, watching but not acting, and at night it left along with every delight of the sunlight, every smile. She wished she didn't have to endure the harsh moonlight scrutinizing her, revealing every weakness and flaw. She wished she could just sleep with the sunset.
But that wasn't possible anymore.
The girl huffed and puffed, dropping the bags to the soil next to her cabin's door. Signalling for Salo to do the same, she pulled her key out, waving it in the air. "We need to sort these by dinner, and don't think for a second I will do it away from the comfort of my own bed."
Salo puckered his lips but nodded vigorously. Beads of sweat had evidently started forming on his brow after hours of wandering through the festive market.
The girl unlocked the door, stepping inside and immediately taking off her uncomfortable shoes. They grabbed the sewn fabrics and brought them inside. With a groan Nora headed for the bed, but halted instantly.
Her whole body froze. Shivers ran down her spine in a frenzied dance, her hands quivering uncontrollably. She almost rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't having hallucinations, but the silhouette stubbornly remained at the same spot. Salo seemed to be seeing the same ghost, as he dropped the fragile items to the floor with a climactic thump.
But... How?
Kage Sillich stood on the other side of the room, the sun charm laying on his palm. As he looked up at the spy's shrank form and Salo's stunned gape, his lips curved into a satisfied grin. Still, his eyes were dark, raw fury behind their golden disguise.
"You thought you could outsmart me?" he laughed, cocking his head to the side curiously.
Darkness filled the room, his shadows a dark void that consumed all light and hope.
***
That... wow. That took a l o n g time. I'm currently on vacation and typing on a phone, so please don't be very harsh! I'll edit it once I'm home, but I literally took every last minute of my free time writing this for the last three days ;-;
Votes and comments are appreciated! Thank you for reading ♡