Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Kasim Areth]

"I know." He told her quietly, finally realizing that Aviana didn't know about his eyes.

A frown touched his lips for the moment, but ultimately he decided now was not the time to bring it up. The golden eyes of Anirian nobility were not just a pretty accessory. They were a remnant of an ability that had long since dissipated even within his blood. Still, some benefits remained.

He could see in the dark and slightly better at a distance than most folk. "I can see you."

Kasim said as he twisted his blade in his hand so that it would not be pointing her way.

Within just a few steps he closed the distance between the two of them, his boots echoing slightly in the empty marble hall until he finally reached her. With a gentle hand, he brushed against her cheek.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Both of her hands reached up as he brushed against her cheek -- one gently cupped over the back of his, and the other gripped his wrist as if she was afraid he would suddenly disappear. She squeezed her eyes shut, though it made little difference for her.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled softly. "He shut the door and I.. I couldn't." Her words faltered and she shook her head.

Somehow, knowing that Kasim could see her was a small reassurance. Almost as if it helped to keep this nightmare at bay.

 

[Kasim Areth]

So he'd been right to assume another assassin had come after her. It made sense of course, and only made him more sure that they had been after Aviana in the first place. He guessed they had been looking for the egg, but he wouldn't broach that question now.

"Are you alright?" Kasim said, shifting slightly so that she wouldn't see the wounds on his flesh.

The Jester could still feel blood slowly dripping, pooling beneath his clothes, but he wouldn't die from the wounds. They were painful, but not a death sentence. "Let's get back to the room."

Kasim said quickly.

"We can lock the door." He gently ran his fingers through her hair, a calming touch. "Take a breath."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"Y-yeah. The fire should still be lit in the room." She mumbled quietly to him. In the dark corridor, it only felt natural to lower her voice and to speak in a hushed tone.

His voice sounded strained, like he was in pain. It was likely another assassin had attacked him outside. How badly was he hurt?

"Can you help me stand up?" She whispered rather hesitantly. It would be days before she'd be able to walk properly on her injured ankle. "I want to... Search his body. There might be something to explain who sent him."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He frowned, not quite liking the idea but more than seeing the sense of it. His lips thinned and slowly he wrapped his arms around Aviana. "Yeah."

It was clear that the Jester didn't exactly want to help her, or rather, that he didn't want to help her pursue this particular course of action. Slowly he pulled her up onto her feet, letting her lean on him. The wounds he'd received screamed at him as he did so, but Kasim didn't say a word.

Not yet. Not when she was suffering.

"There might be more." He reminded her quietly. "Search quickly."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

With Kasim's help, Aviana was able to get down to the body. It was a painful process, but one that she managed.

Kneeling down, her hands patted across the corpse that was already starting to cool. She grimaced at the strange feeling of the body, quickly riffling through any pockets that she could find in the darkness.

While she couldn't see what she was finding, she could recognize parchment when she felt it. A folded note was tucked away inside the jacket and she quickly pocketed it in her own tunic.

From the stairwell back to the officer's quarters, Aviana didn't say a word. She trembled against Kasim as the jester helped her through the impossibly dark corridors. Words failed her. What exactly was the supposed to say to him?

Her thoughts turned to the assassins themselves. Why had they been sent? Who sent them? What was the reason for trying to kill her? She wrinkled her nose slightly trying to puzzle through the possibilities. Why hadn't he just stopped? She didn't want to kill him. He could have just left... but instead, he'd forced her hand. She could still feel the sensation of her blade sinking into his neck and it made her want to throw up.

Before she had even realized it, Kasim had led her all the way back to the relative safety of the officer's quarters. There was light here. She could see the blood that was stained on her hands and boots.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim gently put Aviana down on the stone bed, his roll still setting in place there as she had not yet finished cleaning up. As soon as she was sitting the Jester turned around and stepped towards the door.

He quickly grabbed the stone handle and slammed it shut, pulling the lock into place a second later.

Then, without another word he turned back to Aviana. Every step hurt slightly, stinging the wounds in his side. He side nothing, but instead squatted down in front of the half-elf and began to gently touch her. "Are you hurt?"

He asked.

"Any wounds?" Kasim frowned then quickly asked another question. "Did they cut you?"

He remembered what that blade had done...the feeling...he didn't want that for her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana raised her eyes from her hands that were resting in her lap to meet Kasim's golden gaze.

A hand reached out, caressing his cheek tenderly and her thumb brushed against his lips. There was a strained smile on her lips. "He got a few hits in... there was some sort of enchantment or magic... I don't know. It's why I had to run."

"You're hurt.." She continued, frowning slightly at the sight of the blood that had seeped into Kasim's clothing. Guilt settled over her and dread knotted deep in her gut. He'd gotten injured because of her. "How bad is it? Are you okay?" The worry was evident in her voice as she leaned forward towards him.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I'm alright." It wasn't entirely a lie.

The wounds were weighing heavily on him, he was tired, but he wasn't about to keel over and die any time soon. Still, his breaths were heavier than usual, and he did feel somewhat woozy. Not that he was about to admit either of those things to Aviana. Not right now.

"Just sit back." He insisted to her."I'll be fine."

Though, he already knew that they wouldn't be going anywhere tonight.

As much as he wanted to get moving, and as much as he would want to outpace any other assassins Kasim knew that neither of them could travel. If he tried he knew that he would burn himself out, and Aviana? Aviana would need at least a night to recover. No. They would have to spend another night here.

This time though...this time he would make sure nothing could come near them.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"I'd never killed someone before." She mumbled weakly, dropping her hand back down into her lap and her gaze followed. Now, she could see that her fingers were trembling. Not wanting to worry Kasim, she clasped them together to hide the quiver. "I just... I didn't think... I didn't want to. I tried..."

She took a ragged breath and closed her eyes.

"He was Minarisan. Why... why would they... I don't understand..."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim slowly brushed a hand through her hair, his expression neither dark nor light...simply empty. "It gets easier."

The words, he knew, were not those of comfort she would be seeking. Yet they were true. Kasim said them because they were true. Said them because it was what she needed to hear. Death was the way of life. Whether you wanted it to be or not. Whether you fought it or not.

He leaned up and kissed her forehead.

"I don't know enough about you're homeland." Kasim said truthfully. "But you're safe."

His voice was even, confident. "As long as I'm with you you're safe."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The gentle kiss to her forehead served to soothe her frayed nerves and she smiled softly.

"I know, Kasim." Her voice was tender, barely a whisper.

He was trying to reassure her, without trying to dance around the facts or uncomfortable topic. She wished that she could offer him that same confidence, the same comfort; but nothing came to mind as she struggled to find the words. How did the jester always know what to say? Of course, it was his job to be a master of words, but still...

How long did they have before more men were sent? Were there already more on the way? Why hadn't her parents... Her blood ran cold and she suddenly rocked back. A strangled gasp clawed at her throat, and she stood up instinctively, the pain in her ankle momentarily forgotten until her weight was resting on the leg.

She winced, wobbling in place and then sank back down onto the stone bed. Both of her hands clasped over her mouth and nose. It was a reality that she had suspected, had tried to prepare herself for, but that she had still held out hope against.

Her father was dead.

She gave a choked sob, shoulders shaking as she tried to keep herself from having a complete break down in front of Kasim. Tears welled up in her eyes and she bowed her head, desperately pulling on that mask in an effort to keep the pain at bay.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim let out a breath, keeping himself from sighing.

He did not want her to think that he was exasperated or tired with her. It was just the opposite. He knew the pain she felt, the hurt of killing someone, of finding out a betrayal. It was what he had gone through five years ago, what he'd experienced at the loss of his brother when he'd...

The Jester frowned, squatting at the end of the bed for one more moment. He took a deep breath, glanced at the locked doorway, at the fire, then slowly looked back towards Avian.

Without another word he pulled himself onto the stone bed.

There was a bedroll, there still, the same that she and him had spent the night on before. It wasn't any more comfortable now, in fact it felt colder, but that didn't matter.

Without a single word Kasim wrapped his arms around Aviana, pulling her close.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana leaned into Kasim's chest after he'd enveloped her in his arms. Her face was buried into the fabric of his tunic and she squeezed her eyes shut, trembling against him. Desperately, she wanted to scream that none of this was fair, none of it was right; but she knew that made little difference to the world. It didn't matter that her father was a decent man. It didn't matter that her family had ruled peacefully. Doing the right thing did not automatically make you exempt to the follies of the world.

With the jester holding her, offering her a silent comfort, Aviana let herself weep for the life that was now utterly lost to her. The family that had been torn a part, fragmented, and broken.

Her father was dead. And now someone in Minaris wanted her dead.

 

[Kasim Areth]

There wasn't much he could do.

Kasim knew that.

Knew that any words he said would be empty right now. Knew that the only comfort he could offer her was time. Aviana needed to process this, needed to come to understand it, but most of all simply needed to cope with it. Kasim couldn't help with that, he could only be there as she did.

So the Jester laid there, arms wrapped around the half-elf.

They had time. He had patience.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Laying there against Kasim's chest, sobbing from the heartache, Aviana lost track of time. She had no idea how long she stayed like that. How long the jester simply offered her the silent comfort of his presence. Words wouldn't fix anything, coukdcou bring her father back, couldn't take the pain away.

Eventually the tears ran dry, the half-elf having nothing left to give. The ache was not lessened, but she could at least breathe now. A numbness was settling over her, giving her a chance to collect herself.

Her thoughts turned to her mother and what fate may have befallen her. What had happened to the rest of the city? Something was obviously wrong, but Aviana couldn't possibly know the details from half a continent away. A soft sigh escaped her, and she sat up on the bed, wiping the last of the tears from her face.

Idly, she reached into her pocket and produced to missive that she'd found on the assassin. She turned the parchment over her in hands. There was a broken seal on the edges of the paper, though it was one she didn't recognize. Outside influence? A previously unknown faction in the city? Her father would have likely known what it was the moment he laid eyes on it.

Reading over the letter, she frowned at the words. Many of them were incomprehensible or scratched through. She sighed and set the letter off the side. It was written in large part in language that she did not understand. Still, she didn't need to know the exact contents of the letter.

"Someone is making a move for control of Minaris..." She murmured, breaking the silence.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim pulled himself up into a sitting position, his legs crossing as he peered behind Aviana. For a time he simply watched her as she read the letter, then tried to read her reaction.

Oddly enough this was something he'd done often in his life. The Game of Houses in Vel Anir was all about reading people, seeing what they saw, learning what they learned. It was all about expression, both through the face and body. Every little thing was a tell, especially if you knew someone well.

The Jester stayed silent after Aviana spoke, considering for a moment.

"Do you want to go back?" The question did not come with any judgment, but his tone was about as neutral as could be. He pondered for a moment, and quickly added to the statement before she could even answer him. "I would go with you if you do."

Half of him wasn't sure why he'd said it.

Perhaps it was because he was curious about her home. Perhaps it was because Minaris was about as far from Vel Anir as he could get. Or perhaps...perhaps it was simply because he cared about her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Going back was almost as frightening a proposition as continuing on through the deep roads for the next week and a half. She bit at her bottom lip, then looked to the satchel at her side. Carefully, she reached over and pulled the bag into her lap, flipped open the cover, and then reached inside to pull out the egg that was hidden away.

The streaks if blue and gold cast off light all their own now, the faint beams shimmering across Aviana's face as she stared down at the egg. It was close to hatching. She wasn't sure how she knew that... But she could just feel it.

She looked up to Kasim, biting at her bottom lip. What would happen if she did go back? Would she immediately be killed? What about Kasim? Could she stand to put him in further danger?

"I... I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't go back. But I won't ask you to come with me. I couldn't do that to you. It'll be dangerous, and I don't know what'll be waiting for me back home. I don't want you to get hurt... Or to feel obligated to come with me."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim frowned for a moment, then spoke to her. "My family knows I'm alive now."

He did not want her to think that he was doing this only for himself, but he thought...he thought she might come to accept his help more easily if she saw the benefit for him.

"My father will hunt me to the ends of the earth." Either so that he could be tortured and broken or to use him as a sacrifice. If his sister was now truly the heir, Kasim would make an exceptionally powerful offering to the ancestral well of magic."He'll never expect me to be in the east. Not going with you is just as dangerous as going with you."

He thought that his father would still prefer the former given his own natural ability with the magic...but he had no idea on the man's true now.

Slowly Kasim continued his thoughts. "Besides. I want to help you, and I'm already involved."

True enough, at least from his point of view.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The faintest of smiles touched her lips after Kasim's response. She leaned over and gently pressed her forehead to his, closing her eyes. One hand moved away from the egg and she lightly brushed her fingers across his cheek, whispering softly. "I don't know what to say..."

Of course, she wanted the jester to come along with her, but she hadn't allowed herself to hope that he would want to accompany her. She'd been afraid of making the journey back by herself, but she would have understood if Kasim declined.

"Thank you, Kasim." She breathed quietly, her smile growing a little wider.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smiled, and instantly his mind raced to the quickest and fastest solution of getting them back to Aviana's homeland.

They had crossed the wilds on foot in order to get here, and it had taken them several weeks. Doing that again wasn't an option, not if they wanted to get back with any amount of speed. That really left them with only one option, though it was arguably more dangerous than the Deep roads.

"Thank me when we get back." Kasim said with a smile, then took a deep breath.

"We'll need to head south." There was no way they were going back the way they came. "We can find a port in the Delta and sail back to Minaris."

It would be faster by week, but they would pass close to Nagai. The thought upset his stomach slightly.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana pulled back from him, pushing her silver hair behind her ears with both hands as she took a deep breath. She was still shaken up, but with something else to focus on she could hold herself together. Their biggest obstacle was finding a safe route to the Delta first, and then a port. From their, chartering a ship should be simple enough with what coin she had left over but... Passing so close to Nagai left her feeling uneasy.

But for now, she needed to focus on the first step in that process.

"Do we have the supplies to turn for the South now? I'll admit... I'm not really certain as to where we are on a map." She asked quietly.

Though she tried to keep her mind in the present, she couldn't help but think about what could possibly lay ahead. Was her mother still alive? Who was controlling Minaris? Was there anyone else after her? Was there a bounty posted on her head? If there was, she would be easy enough to pick out with her slightly pointed ears and silver hair.

Not to mention the massive elk.

Still. If Kasim wanted to come with her, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of hope. She reached out to him, curling her fingers over the back of his hand.

"Can we... Stay the night here again? I'm not really sure either of us is fit for travel?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim nodded his head. ”We'll stay tonight.”

Perhaps even tomorrow.

They did not have the food to get all the way to the Delta from where they were, but unlike in the Deep Roads there were quite a few settlements along the way. Some of them Kasim had actually been to, others he'd only heard of. Still, they would have more than enough chance to renew their supplies before they got where they were going.

”Might have to make some money before we get to where we're going though.” Kasim had plenty of coin of course, being a Jester of his caliber paid quite well, but travel by sea could often be expensive. Particularly if you wanted to be comfortable along the way. ”But Its more than doable.”

Not that it would be any less dangerous than traveling the deep roads.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"I do believe you are the one with the experience in earning coin on the road, jester." She attempted a light-hearted quip, but in her drained and exhausted state the tone fell a little flat.

Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head back and left the egg resting in her lap as she ran both her hands over her hair to smooth it back. She pulled the pins from her hair and let it tumble down her back in a silvery cascade of loose curls. Her fingers idly ruffled her locks as she considered the situation, and the difficulties they would encounter along the way.

"Those men may not be the only threat giving pursuit. There could be others, or bounty hunters scouring the land. Just how good are your disguises?" She asked, turning her gaze back to meet his. They had a few days to recover here in the relative safety of the dwarven ruins, that would give her some time to change her appearance if needed.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim shrugged. ”There's no point for me.”

That was a simple fact. Certain pieces of his appearance simply could not be changed, and anyone looking for him from Vel Anir wouldn't be doing it by his appearance anyway. They would trace the ‘scent’ of the magic he'd used in the wolf village. It was an unfortunate fact, but something he knew he wouldn't have to deal with for quite a while.

Unless they used a portal stone anyway. ”Can't change these.”

Kasim pointed to his bright golden eyes.

”Besides.” He frowned for a second then spoke. ”I'm done running and hiding.”

Something in his head seemed to grind to a stop as he said the words.