'Word was sent to me to come here with as many men as possible,' the woman said, dismounting her horse swiftly. That horse was a rutting Asterion horse. One of Aedion's soldiers went up to take the mare by the reins carefully and lead her away.
'Who are you?' Aedion asked, walking closer, a hand hanging loosely by the hilt of his sword.
'Ansel of Briarcliff,' the young woman said, lifting her chin slightly. 'And you?'
'Aedion Ashryver,' he said. He cocked his head. 'Who sent you here?'
'A friend. I'm here to pay my debt to Celaena Sardothien.'
Aedion blinked. What in Erilea had his cousin done so that this woman owed her such a large debt?
'Please fill me in on the details tomorrow,' Ansel sighed. 'My men need rest; we rode hard. Tell me about the plans and this cousin of yours then.'
She nodded her head to him and walked away to where tents were already being set up, removed her helmet and tucked it under her arm.
Aedion watched as she exchanged a few words with one of her men. As if feeling the weight of his gaze, she turned, flashed her teeth in a wolffish smile at him and walked into her tent.
Aedion liked her feistiness already.
~
Bargaining was difficult. Especially if it was trying to make a deal with a 'stubborn old bastard', as Nesryn put it.
A week passed in Skull's Bay, with still no luck in persuading Rolfe to join them. He wanted nothing to do with anything.
Dixon was wandering along the shore alone, bored and with nothing better to do. Nox was somewhere further back, inspecting that old ruined chain tower.
She sat down and scooped up a handful of pebbles, inspecting their shiny and dull colours.
Crunching of boots upon shingle sounded from behind, and Dixon didn't turn her head.
When she smelt the beer and a stinking odour, it was already too late. The drunk man grabbed onto her sleeve, and leered at her, revealing a row of blackened gums and golden canines. Dixon didn't scream - she wasn't the screaming sort of person. She shook him off and hurriedly got up, heading back for the inn. The man stumbled behind her. 'You're... a pretty thing,' he slurred.
Dixon shook her head, ignoring him.
He sped up, grabbing the back of her tunic with a filthy hand and she whirled, punching his face.
Y-ow.
She immediately tried to avoid wincing at the painful impact. The man's nose collided with her knuckles, and he tottered back, staggering. 'Aw, girlie... why did you do that?' came a moan.
'Get the hell away from me.' She was running now, ankles screaming as they slipped on the uneven pebbles. Groaning, the drunk scrambled after her, and lunged for her waist, drawing a jewelled dagger.
She let out a gasp as they fell, and her hands shot out to absorb the impact.
In that split moment, there was a ripple.
And only the man fell to the ground.
Dixon watched as he rolled into his arse, blinking in confusion at her sudden disappearance. Letting out a squawk of delight, she dived at him, nipping his skin with her beak.
The man waved his hands in panic, dagger forgotten, and he fled.
Dixon let out a caw of freedom.
Magic.
That ripple had been magic.
Undoubtedly.
It had been unlocked. Freed.
She was so caught up in ecstasy that she didn't care how it had been done. Only that, after years, she could finally shed her human skin and shift. Dixon wondered about her uncle, Falkan Ennar. He loved the bird form, too.
She spread her gull wings wider, soaring out to the horizon, dipping low to surf the wind on the way back. She did it again, dipping a beak into the sea to catch a drink, banking to the right, then left.
When she looked up, she nearly lost control of flight.
Letting out a cry, Dixon veered round and flapped for the inn where Nesryn would be, beating her wings furiously.
~
A gull's cry sounded, and Nesryn flicked her gaze up in time to see a bird barrel into her room through the open window.
She leapt to her feet just as the wings became arms and talons to feet, and the seagull became a girl.
Dixon, to be precise.
'Rutting gods above,' Nesryn swore. 'You nearly gave me a heart attack. You're a shifter?'
'Magic's back. Yes - and fleet,' Dixon gasped out through shallow breaths. 'Adarlanian fleet. About a couple hundred ships, I didn't have time to make a proper assessment.'
Nesryn swore again and marched out of the room. 'Come with me.'
Dixon scrambled to her feet and scurried after her.
~
'Rolfe,' Nesryn barked, slamming his office door open. 'There's a fleet coming our way.'
The Pirate Lord looked up. And chuckled. 'No, there aren't. The lookouts would have reported by now.'
You trust those god-damned lookouts to alert you when danger's present? Nesryn wanted to spit. Instead, she said in an even tone, 'Bird sight is better than men's.'
Rolfe laughed. 'You're telling me you spoke to a bird recently? How-'
Nesryn slammed a fist down onto his desk, temper boiling. 'Quit the god-damned ignorance. I'm telling you, there's a god-damned fleet heading here right now, ready to burn your god-damned city to cinders.'
The smile disappeared from Rolfe's face. 'This is your fault. You brought the prince here.'
'It's not just about the prince!' she hissed. 'They will come here and kill or capture us all either way. Thanks to that girl there,' she jabbed a finger at Dixon who stood quietly but attentively behind her, 'you've been given an early warning. We don't have much time left to prepare, even now.'
'She's a bird?' Rolfe asked, bemused.
Nesryn felt a calm spread through her veins, suppressing the anger and honing it so that it became a lethal point. She closed her eyes, listening to her heartbeat for three seconds. When she opened them, Rolfe blanched. 'Start preparing your men now. Get some on the boats,' she ordered. 'Dixon, how long do you think we have to prepare judging by the distance of that fleet?'
'A couple hours, maybe less.'
'The tide is against them,' Rolfe muttered. 'They'll have a hard time getting in.'
'That chain,' Nesryn said. 'Could you get a boat to tow it across the bay so it is taut and raised above the water level? Besides the coral reefs, it could provide as a barrier.'
Rolfe nodded. 'It should be possible.'
'Then hurry up and get some men to do it. I'll get your men prepared on the shore.'
Rolfe stood and headed for the door.
'Oh, and by the way,' she added. Rolfe paused. 'I hope this will be enough to convince you.'
Rolfe's eyes darkened and he only nodded a second time before swinging the door shut behind him.
Nesryn slumped, rubbing her temples. 'Shit... now we have to go warn the others. Chaol will probably be the best to alert first.
[2102XX]
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also i thought it was friday yesterday, not today lmao whoOps but dw i did update on the right day thankfully