Private Tales New Places, New Faces

[Kir]

Kir answered plainly. "An assassination attempt."

For a brief moment he paused, then changed his answer.

"Two assassination attempts." The first, of course, had come at the party. Offered by the hands of one of the monsters. The second had come in the Kitchens, when the Vizier and his lacky had tried their hand. "One by monster, one by man."

He frowned. "A surprisingly bold tactic, even for creatures such as these."

Though in truth they still had not entirely confirmed the two incidents were related. It made sense of course, but there was always a chance that it was mere coincidence. Though only a fool would think it so.

 

[Neveah]

The hearthmother frowned and looked to Neveah. Her gaze seemed to look into the distance. As if she was remembering something from long ago.

“Yet you still live, Princess,” she muttered.

“I don’t think the first one was for me,” Nev admitted quietly. “And the second one,” she couldnt help bringing her fingertips up to brush at her neck. “The vizier could’ve killed me but he hesitated. It was strange.”

It was almost like he’d been trying to bring her with him. Then again, maybe he just thought he could’ve gotten out alive with her alive.

The hearth mother blinked and refocused. Neveah continued. “The king and queen believe was is coming from the Skorpious. They wanted to warn you to be ready.”

 

[Kir]

"Fear often leads to hesitation." Kir commented dryly, though he wasn't entirely sure that was why the Vizier had hesitated in drawing his blade over Neveah's throat. Self-preservation was the key to all men, but that...that incident had been strange.

The Vizier had not been inhuman, not one of those creatures. Yet he had been monstrous in his own sort of way.

Even the beast had been able to tell that. "War is already here."

He remarked quietly.

"The faster you can be ready the better." Though in truth he was still half-a-mind to grab the Princess and throw her onto the back of one of those Gryphs. He was not entirely sure this was a war that could be won. Not that anyone here wanted to hear it.

 

[Neveah]

"It would explain why the shadows of the canyon have expanded," the hearthmother muttered. "You are in great danger here, Princess."

Neveah squared her shoulders. "I'm one of the best riders you have. I want to fight. I want to help." Nev knew the hearthmother couldn't deny her talent. She was one of the fastest in the skies. And just had a way with the gryphs. Had a way with leading the other riders.

Besides, her mother never said she couldn't stay and fight.

 

[Kir]

Kir was glad that someone else finally said what he'd been pointing out all along. He knew the Princess didn't like it. Knew the Royal Family didn't like it, but truth was one person had never much made a shade of difference in the midst of a war.

Not by wielding a single weapon. "I keep telling her she should leave."

He grunted.

It wasn't that he thought Neveah foolish, naive or- well no he thought her all those things. But he didn't think her useless. Whether or not she could win a fight wasn't the issue. Whether or not she could be useful in battle even less so.

The problem was there were better ways to turn her attentions.

"A single blade, even a good one, won't make much difference against an army." The were ear rumbled. "What you need, what we need, is more soldiers."

And who better to gather them than the Princess of the Realm? If not the King and Queen.

 

[Neveah]

"I don't think soldiers are a problem," Neveah chewed at her cheek in thought. "Our Kingdom has one of the biggest land armies in Arethil. And the gryph tribes more than fill the air. It's probably what has kept the skorpious confined to the canyon this long. That and they can't travel in the light."

It was true. It's probably why Vel Anir or the Empire hadn't tried to expand into their territory either. A lot of kingdoms asked for their armies aid but the King and Queen did not condone fighting foreign wars.

"They will not fight a typical war," the hearthmother sighed, running a gnarled hand over her weathered face.

"Princess, have you ever heard the legend of the gate?" Neveah's golden gaze lifted to the tribal leader as she shook her head.

"It's an older prophecy. But it speaks of a key the enemy seeks. Something to open the gate so they can rule the entire land. We believe the legend speaks of the enemy as the skorpious. And Princess, I fear you may be connected to the key."

 

[Kir]

Kir scoffed, but he didn't say what was on his mind.

He'd heard his share of prophecies and foretellings. There was no shortage of them back home, or around the whole of the world for that matter. Most of the time he found them the dealings of shambles and charlatans, though he supposed no one here wanted to hear that.

Ultimately it didn't matter much either.

He had been hired for a job.

Regardless of where it would lead him, the Werebear would continue to do what he had been hired for. Gold was as good a currency as any, and honor had left him a long time ago. What was right, what was wrong? It hardly seemed to matter.

Kir had made his points, had offered his advice, and it was not welcome here.

So he would do what Neveah thought best, and keep her alive for as long as he could.

 

[Neveah]

She frowned, gaze flickering to Kir. “I wish we knew more about the skorpious. But I’ve already read what text our libraries have to offer. And what you’ve shared with me, hearthmother,” head nodded in respect.

“Perhaps another kingdom would have more to offer?”

Neveah didn’t like the idea of leaving her family now. But if it might help…

“What do you think?” Eyes traveled up to Kir’s.

 

[Kir]

Kir frowned for a moment. "I think you should do what you think is best."

It was a non answer, he knew.

"I won't pretend to know more than...well her." He gestured towards the Hearth-mother who was undoubtedly disapproving. "I never saw a war won without soldiers, but you say you got plenty of those."

He shrugged. "Never gave much credence to prophecy either."

Kir's frown deepened.

"But then I'm a stranger in a strange land." A foreigner. "I'm here to keep you alive. Reckon I'll keep doing that regardless."

 

[Neveah]

The hearthmother rose on tired legs and nodded to them both. "I'm going to give you two a few minutes," with a swish of the tentflap, she left Kir and Neveah alone in the meeting tent. Neveah stood, having too much nervous energy to remain seated. Plus, on her feet she could look Kir in the eyes while he was seated.

"I want to talk to you about that," she said quietly and paused in front of him. "The keeping-me-alive part. Things are moving quickly here. And violently. And I don't want your death on my shoulders. If something happened," she held a breath and released it.

"I respect you a lot and I know...you probably want to be anywhere but here. I know, you probably don't think much of me. But I want to give you a chance to walk away. I'll pay the rest of the contract that's owed to you. You'll have enough coin to get you to the next job. If you want to leave, I'm offering you a chance to do it."

She looked down then before looking back up at his face. Searching for the beast within.

 

[Kir]

Coin.

What was the weight of wealth? Of payment. Of all the jobs he had ever done?

A part of him wondered if he even cared. If the money was the reason he did anything at all. A thousand reasons had stacked up in his mind. Winding tunnels that stood now as pillars. Why he did what he did. Why he might stay.

Was money worth his weight? His word? "No."

He said simply.

"I gave my word." There was an edge to his tone. As though Neveah had offered insult simply by her offering. "I'll take my payment."

Kir told the Princess. "But when the job is done."

Not before.

 

[Neveah]

She looked at him quietly. Warm air from the tundra slipped beneath the bottom edges of the tent flaps in a rare breeze. She walked forward, her feet moving with not much of a sound as they padded across the thick rugs and seating pillows that covered the floor. Her hand reached out and rested on the top of Kir's shoulder.

"What if the job lasts for years?"

Could he see? He gave his word. But what if her life remained in danger? What if he wouldn't live to see the end of it?

 

[Kir]

It was comical, really.

She was a head and a half shorter than him. It almost looked as though Neveah was a child reaching up to her father. He towered over her, and then he shrugged. "Every job ends some day."

He told her plain and simple.

"This one might last a little longer." Kir wasn't in the habit of abandoning a task when it was half done.

A man had to have a code, and that was part of his.

 

[Neveah]

She released his shoulder and stepped back. "Okay. Don't ever say you didn't have an out." She scooped up her bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulder. The hot wind from outside seemed to pause and hold its breath. The tent-flap becoming quiet as it was no longer shaken.

"I think we should go to Elbion and see if there's any more information we can find on this prophecy. Or the skorpious. Might help us to fight them. You up for traveling?"

 

[Kir]

Kir let his head lull from side to side for a moment as though he were considering. "Don't know much about book learning."

Libraries and the sort had never been much of a game that he played well. But information was the key to most sieges, it would not be any different for this one. The more they knew and understood, the better they would perform.

"But the idea is a good one." He remarked with a nod. "And I heard that those in Elbion are plenty smart."

Least they considered themselves so. "We'll just have to be...quick."

He almost sighed at the words.

Knowing exactly what they would mean at the end of the day. More of that creature.

 

[Neveah]

“Hmm. Finally. You think I have a good idea. Can we get a scribe in here to record this moment in history?”

She mock looked around a light smile on her face. She needed a moment of lightness after…everything.

“I’ll treasure your words forever, Kir. Let’s go get on your favorite gryph.”

As she turned toward the opening of the tent, the ground began to shake beneath them. The earth broke as one of the skorpious broke through dirt and rock, the massive beast rising beneath their very feet.

 

[Kir]

Kir frowned, noticeably, as the was lead back towards the Gryph.

One might have thought it was the discussion they'd been having. Neveah's stubbornness or the prospect of flying on the gryph back home. The old werebear hadn't seemed much of anything else aside from a grump.

Yet none of those things were bothering him. No, it was a scent. Familiar and yet somehow...distant. Lips thinned and furled slightly into a snarl as the ground beneath them began to shift. He noticed it, the rumble beneath his feet. A quick growl escaped him, and then he lunged forward

Without a word he closed the distance between himself and Neveah. Wrapping an arm around her and snatching her away from where the creature rose up.

 

[Neveah]

A thin press of her lips as the creature rose. It immediately hissed as the sunlight hit its hide. Her hand dropped to a dagger on a belt at her waist and she flicked the blade at one of the skorpius' eyes as Kir hauled her back. Its agitated screech echoed through the camp.

By the grip Kir had on her, she doubted he'd release her.

"We need to get in the air," she breathed, golden-eyes looking up at him. Then flickered around the creature and beyond some tents to where her gryph was. The creature must've sensed the presence of the enemy or known Neveah was in danger because she could hear it's lion-roar across the camp. There were shouts around them as tribal members rushed to their own weapons.