POV: Fendrel
A grove of trees in the shape of a crescent moon surrounded the city of Sharpdagger on all sides except for the entrance. The trees were thick, their branches intertwined, and bushes hid their roots. Fendrel and the others hid in the grove, observing the palace.
Cassius held a scrap of paper and a charcoal pen in his shaking hands. He paced in front of the others. "How am I going to do this? What do I even say?"
"You don't think they'll welcome you back?" Fendrel watched the prince.
"I just left. How do I get them to forgive me for that? I was supposed to get married and I abandoned them." Cassius stood still and pressed his palms to his forehead. "What if Zoricus decides not to work with Sadon anymore and kills me?"
Fendrel snorted. "If Zoricus is as smart as he seems to be, he won't go behind Sadon's back. That's a death sentence. If anything, he'll keep you alive until Sadon...accomplishes whatever he's been planning, which we can't let him do."
Cassius resumed his pacing.
"Maybe you can bring them a gift to regain their trust." Fendrel shrugged.
The prince bit his lip. "I don't think that would work..."
"Well, we don't know how much time we have before Sadon infiltrates." Fendrel gestured at the palace. "It could be any minute. As far as I can tell, we either go in with a note explaining you're here to reconcile, or we rush in without a plan."
Cassius took a step back. "How would you even sneak in without being noticed? You ripped off that dragon hunter's scarf as soon as we flew away from the Stronghold."
Fendrel patted his bag. "I probably have something in here that could help with that."
"But you'll have to show up in front of my father at some point and they'll ask who you are. You'll have to reveal your face, and you have wanted posters all over the city." Cassius stepped toward Fendrel, his voice rising in volume.
"And you still need me there when you tell your father about Zoricus. I have to go with you in order for this to work."
Cassius sighed. "Fine." He placed the paper against a tree trunk and began to write.
Venom nudged Fendrel's shoulder. "Good. Now we need to focus on what to do once you get inside."
Fendrel nodded. "I have to get the death threat before we see the king. I think I can sneak in unnoticed. What will you do once I'm in?" He gestured at Cassius.
The prince tapped his foot. "I can..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can announce to my father that the dragon hunters are up to something, and that they might be in the palace. I'm sure the knights will be on guard once they know an enemy is in the throne room, even if they're only pretending to be hostile. They'll answer to my father, I hope."
"Okay, and I'll give the note to the guards so they'll be too distracted with your arrival to notice me sneaking in." Fendrel leaned against a tree trunk. "Then I'll meet you in the throne room after I get the note."
"What if you get caught?" Venom looked down at Fendrel.
Fendrel drummed his fingers on his bag. "Yeah, would your father even let me speak?"
Cassius nodded. "If you tell him you have connections to me, he'll listen. His health is failing but he still loves drama and strives to bargain, even with criminals. He wouldn't miss this trial for the world."
"Do you have an escape plan?" Thea eyed the walls that surrounded the city of Sharpdagger.
Venom's wings lifted slightly as he shrugged. "We fly away as soon as we can and continue to look for Mist."
Fog followed Thea's gaze. "Is there any place we should look first after this?"
Fendrel shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to figure that out on the way." He pulled a tattered brown scarf from his bag and covered the bottom half of his face with it. As Cassius handed him the scribbled note, he took a deep breath and started toward the city gate's entrance.
<~><~><~>
Fendrel kept his head down and held the scarf to his face while he approached Sharpdagger's gate. Two guards stood on edge on either side. They eyed him suspiciously.
One of the guards smirked. "Got something to hide?" He nodded at the scarf.
Fendrel coughed into the scarf.
The guard grimaced. He held a disgusted expression as he took the note from Fendrel's outstretched hand. He opened it while Fendrel slinked through.
Grinning, Fendrel hurried through the crowded streets toward the palace. He spied at the guards standing impenetrable at the palace doors. They would only let merchants and other guards through.
A guard stomped the rear end of his spear into the cobblestone street. "Do you have any business here?"
Fendrel blinked, unaware that he had been staring. "Uh..."
Before he could answer, the gate guard who took the note ran to the others in front of the palace. The guard whispered to the others, just loud enough for Fendrel to hear. "The prince is coming back to reconcile and be married. And he has urgent news for the king."
As if a switch was flipped, the guards became ecstatic and left their stations to enter the palace. The first guard patrolled the city, relaying the news of Cassius' return.
Fendrel snuck through the palace doors before they thudded shut and glanced around. No one noticed his entry. They were too busy making preparations. Well, all except one person missed his entry.
One guard gripped Fendrel's shoulder hard. "Any trespassers in the palace will be taken to the captain."
Oh shoot, he's taking me to Zoricus. Don't struggle, you'll look suspicious.
Fendrel didn't struggle. He went along with the guard through doors, down a corridor, and into the guard's chambers.
Zoricus, unarmored, paced alone in the open space.
"Captain, this civilian was trespassing in the throne room." The guard tightened his grip on Fendrel's shoulder.
The knight's eyes sparked dangerously. His head snapped toward Fendrel.
Fendrel kept his hand against the scarf. He looked down, trying to think of something to say.
Zoricus leaned toward him. "What's so important about you that you think you can enter without consent?" His eyes narrowed. "Who are you? You seem familiar." He reached for Fendrel's scarf.
Fendrel's eyes widened. He ripped his shoulder out of the guard's grip and kicked Zoricus in the stomach.
The knight doubled over with a yelp and Fendrel dashed out through the open doors.
Angered shouts followed Fendrel's fleeing steps. He didn't know where he was going, but he kept running. He stayed as far from the inner halls of the palace as possible, sticking to the walls.
Fendrel ran through a doorway ahead of him. He entered into a hall that was open on the right side to the royal gardens with the palace wall blocking the left side. Columns holding up the ceiling flashed in Fendrel's vision as he looked over the garden for an escape route.
I can hide behind those hedges!
He darted off the path and headed for a group of large hedges that formed a nearly complete circle. Fendrel stepped through the gap in the hedges and pressed his back against them.
His eyes traveled around the space. There was a gazebo hidden by the hedges with a young woman sitting on a bench near the back of the gazebo.
She stared at him, a mix of shock and confusion on her face. Her eyes wandered to the gap in the hedges.
The heavy footsteps and yells of guards came and went.
Fendrel let out a held breath. He observed the lady.
There's something off about her. What is it? She looks like she fits right in but...
There was a sparkling ring on her finger.
Fendrel collected himself and walked toward her. "You must be the prince's fiancé. I'm an acquaintance of his."
The woman's gaze flicked to him. She stayed silent, fiddling with the ring. She looked spooked, like a horse that's seen a wolf but is being urged by its rider to stay still and not flee.
"I get it, you don't want to talk. I'd be a little scared too if I were alone with a stranger in my home." Fendrel held his hands out to seem nonthreatening.
The woman stood. "What is your name? The prince has never mentioned you before."
"Fendrel." The name slipped out before he could think of a different one.
"I've seen your face on the wanted posters." Her voice was quiet.
Fendrel reached toward his face. His scarf had slipped under his chin while he was running. He fixed it.
"So you do get out of the palace?" Fendrel smiled nervously.
She looked down again, her cheeks burning red. "I-I tried to leave once."
Fendrel scrunched his brow. "Why would you leave if you have the chance of becoming royalty?"
The girl's voice became solemn. "I don't belong here..."
"You mean you're not from a wealthy family." Fendrel nodded. "I'm sure no one minds."
"No, I mean—" she took a deep breath "—you're the Liberator?"
Fendrel nodded. "Some people call me that." He took a step back, uneasy with her questioning.
"You care about dragons?" She stepped forward.
What does that have to do with you?
The woman gripped the pendant on a necklace that thumped against her chest with each step.
Fendrel stared at the pendant. The feeling that something was wrong with her became overwhelming. It was like a sense of impending doom that couldn't be shaken off. Fendrel shuddered and felt as if he would tip over at any moment if he let himself.
It's not her, it's the necklace.
He blinked his eyes rapidly to distract himself.
The woman opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She tried again, still nothing.
Strange shapes and colors creeped at the edges of Fendrel's vision. He shut his eyes and shook his head. He squinted at the girl. "It's okay, you can tell me. I'll keep it a secret."
"I literally can't say it." The woman placed her hand against her throat. Her fingernails were like claws.
Did they grow that long or are those meant to be fancy extensions like the ones the noblewomen wear?
There was a sort of wildness to her eyes, like an untamed beast.
Fendrel's eyes moved to the necklace again. A searing headache forced him to pull his eyes lower. The shapes and colors crowded his eyesight. As he cried out, his vision blacked out. He felt himself collide with the ground.
<~><~><~>
Fendrel found himself in a dream. He was in Thea's shack.
She opened a bottle full of beads and let the little round spheres topple into her hands. "You awake yet?"
"Yeah, thanks for letting me stay." Fendrel rubbed his forehead.
Thea nodded. "Are you going off another mission soon—" She gasped.. The beads dropped from her hand.
Fendrel got up from a blanket on the floor. "Are you okay?"
Thea groaned. "I think so. I've been getting awful headaches off-and-on."
"Do you know what's causing it?" Fendrel stood.
Thea gave a short laugh. "Yeah, by neighbor. He's a mage too." She shook her head. "He's nothing but trouble, I can sense it."
Fendrel cocked an eyebrow. "Your neighbor is giving you migraines? And how can you sense that?"
"Mages can just...tell when mage's who've broken 'the rules' are nearby. If you see them or something they enchanted, you just get this awful feeling and a stupid headache. But people who know 'normal' mages and see the troublesome ones or their enchanted items can experience the same side effects, too." Thea picked her beads up. "Just let me know if you ever feel something like that around here. My neighbor might be dangerous."
Fendrel nodded at her warning. "I'll keep it in mind."
<~><~><~>
Fendrel's eyes shot open. "It's the necklace."
He laid on his back next to the hedges. The woman was sitting next to his head, looking down at him with a worried expression.
"Your necklace. It's from a mage, isn't it?" Fendrel lifted his head.
The woman tried to speak again. No words. When she nodded her head, her necklace glimmered and shocked her. After gasping, her eyes welled up with tears. "Please help me."
"Is it keeping you from saying certain things?" Fendrel sat up.
She sat still. Her only answer was a whimper.
Fendrel pulled his bag onto his lap.
The woman's eyes lit up when he pulled out a piece of blank paper and a charcoal pen. She accepted them and began writing. The necklace shocked her again and she dropped the pen.
"How can I help you?" Fendrel retrieved the pen and paper.
"Zoricus." The woman pointed toward the castle. She turned the pendant in her necklace over to reveal a small keyhole.
Fendrel nodded. "I'm going to assume he has the key...I can't help you this instant, but I can soon. Cassius and I have a plan. I'll take you with us when we're done, and I will get the key."
The woman's face brightened a bit. "Thank you. What's the plan?"
"I can't talk about it now. Just trust me." Fendrel stood and reached his hand down to help her up. "I'll look for you."
"Okay." The woman's voice was shaky.
Fendrel pointed at her. "Oh! One more thing. Do you know which room is Cassius'?"
Blinking in surprise, the woman looked past him at the palace. "Yes. It's on the highest floor and has the royal family's crest flag on the door."
"Thank you. Once you're able, stay in his room until I come back." Fendrel checked for guards. Once the coast was clear, he headed out toward the palace.