Tylen choked on his water.
He placed his glass back on the table while he wrapped a hand around his neck. He coughed and gagged as his throat burned from the sensation.
Maia offered him a dry cloth. Her apologetic eyes did little to ease his shock when her lips were pressed together to hold in a laugh.
A young lady? He tossed and turned the words in his mind. He would have thought it was a joke but the mirth from Maia's face said it all.
He had been fooled.
Tylen took the cloth and wiped his mouth. He heard Raz chuckle a reply to Sister Aina, "You say that but I'm as thin as you."
"Then, you need to eat more."
"Sister Aina, I'm fit as a fiddle." Tylen felt a slap on his back, "You okay there?"
The Prince jumped and looked up. The little smirk on Raz's lips told Tylen that his episode didn't go unnoticed by her.
He stared at her for the first time since he found out about her gender. Now that he knew, the aura around the pirate seemed to change. The smooth skin of her face glowed fairly and the once arrogant eyes held playful mischief.
Tylen cursed.
Raz raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"What colorful language." She mocked, sitting down next to him, "Are you damning me because I'm more attractive than you?"
She was, Tylen quietly admitted. Even when she was a man in his eyes, there was no doubt that the Rash of the Sea was attractive.
"Surprised, Nyt?" Sister Aina laughed, "Don't worry, dear. Everyone assumes that the Rash of the Sea is male. Don't feel too bad. Raz lacks femininity anyway."
Raz waved her hand over the comment and spoke nonchalantly, "You only think that because I hang around Cleon who lacks masculinity."
"Hey!"
"Who also has such childish behavior." Maia backed up with a tease. Raz winked, making her giggle.
Sister Aina chuckled then, scolded them lightly, "Alright, no fighting, dears. Eat when your food arrives. I still have things to do."
After the group thanked her, a brief silence settled around the table. Raz reached for Maia's glass of water and drank half of it. The rest of them watched her, seemingly waiting for her to say something.
"Alright then, I think we should at least introduce ourselves if we're gonna be together like this," she began to say and turned to Tylen with a winning smile, "I'm Raz, 20 years old and a pirate."
Cleon scoffed offhandedly, "Is that really all you're going to say?"
Raz scowled at him. For a second, Cleon's stature tensed and his crossed arms loosened. One look from Raz was all it took to instill fear. But then, Raz turned back to Tylen, "Oh, and female."
Maia was the only one who laughed. Tylen gave Raz a deadpanned expression which made her smile wider.
"Are you really a female?" Cleon groaned, "Do it like this."
He cleared his throat and held out a hand towards Tylen, "Hello, My name is Cleon. I'm 17 years old. I like to eat. I'm young but rest assured I can protect you just as good as that Snappy Knight. Maybe even better."
When the Prince politely shook Cleon's hand, he couldn't help but compare it to Hayden's. His best friend's had thicker skin. It also had burnt marks and scars, scorched from the fire 12 years ago. Cleon's skin weren't less rough than Hayden's but it was definitely bonier.
"I'll be the judge of that." Tylen amused Cleon. In return, the pirate clenched his hand.
"Deal!"
Tylen nodded and let go. The grip Cleon used surprised him but his expression remained neutral. Then, the Prince looked over at Maia.
She smiled softly, "I'm Maia, 21 years old and an apprentice healer. If you ever feel ill, just let me know."
A healer, Tylen noted the answer to his question earlier. It seemed that he had guessed right. The Prince wondered how they all met as three pairs of eyes, colored black, amber and green, cornered him...
… but decided to put that thought at the back of his mind.
Tylen gave the pirates a grateful smile, "Nice to meet you all. Thank you for accepting this mission and helping out."
"You're welcome!" Maia beamed, "Don't worry. We'll do the best we can."
Soon, their food arrived.
Four bowls of noodles sat in front of each guest. A wide spread of meat and seafood filled the rest of the table, smoke coming out of the dishes. The steaks were glazed with a sweet and salty sauce. Its meat was tender and easy to cut. The roasted chicken oozed juicy fat. The platter of freshly cooked seafood was drizzled with hot sauce.
Cleon dug in right away, slurping the noodles and eating the different servings alternatively. Maia scooped on the soup of her noodles and occasionally grabbed a piece of the steak cut by Raz for her.
When Raz was done cutting the steaks, she grabbed a bone and nipped at it. Then, she twirled her fork on the noodles and blew on it before taking a bite.
Tylen assessed his options for a while. He sipped a little of the noodle soup to cleanse his pallet. The salty and beefy taste danced on his tongue, warming his insides. He instantly felt more relaxed.
There was nothing like good food to end the day's activities.
===
At half past midnight, all the guests stayed in their respective rooms, following the inn's curfew.
The night shrouded the dining area. Other than the soft glow from the moon, there was no source of light. The wooden floor was spotless. The stools and benches had been overturned and had been placed on top of the tables.
Only the sound of a creak echoed in the silence.
Raz immediately leaped off the stairs and turned to her left, throwing a dagger into the darkness.
A grunt answered it back with a crash of wood against wood.
A shadow ran for an exit.
Raz climbed on the tables, gliding her way to the window. None of her footsteps made a sound. None of the chairs moved an inch.
She reached for the butterfly swords on her back and slashed at the man reaching out for the window.
He jerked back and stumbled to the floor.
Raz spared no chance and aimed for the man's flesh. Blood seeped out from the fresh wounds. With the amount of scars that will form on the person's face, he'd be almost unrecognizable.
"I hope whoever you work for has mercy on you." Raz spoke deeply through her mask.
The man merely whimpered in reply.
Suddenly, Raz jerked sideways. The other man had attacked her from the back. As he stood near the window, the pirate saw a fresh wound on his opponent's shoulder. The blood still fresh from the dagger that stabbed him. The moonlight shone on the embroidered seal on his clothes.
Unlike the previous one, this intruder held up a sword, ready for a fight.
He bared his teeth, his blood red eyes narrowed.
Raz smirked, placed her right foot back and posed a stance. The glint in her gaze never left the wizard's glare as she waited for him to make a move.
"So far away from Celios. Here to spy for your mistress?"
The wizard hissed.
"What's it like away from the kingdom? How have you been coping from the loss of magic?"
He lunged.
Raz bent backwards, her hands touching the floor. With great force, she pulled her legs up and hit the wizard underneath his jaw.
The same grunt from earlier came out of his mouth along with blood.
Raz landed on her feet, both swords crossed in defense as her opponent wielded his blade at her chest.
With one sword steady against the wizard's, she pulled back the other and aimed for his ribs.
She missed.
Her sword, her hand up and her arm froze in place. Thick ice frosted around her flesh, crystalizing like jagged teeth. The nerves in her skin went numb.
Then, an ice blast pushed her onto the floor. Raz fell on her back. Her head took a major hit while her legs bounced from the impact, posing in weird postions.
She groaned, opening her eyes. The man stood before her, a ball of snow in his raised hand.
"I'm not entirely powerless." He ridiculed.
Raz gritted her teeth and kicked him the shins. He fell back…,
… a frying pan hitting the back of his head.
The man howled in pain, half bent. One hand on his knee and the other at the swollen bump. Raz sprang up and slammed the butt of her sword on top of his head.
He collapsed onto the floor.
In front of Raz, now stood a woman, her frying pan still up and ready to strike if the intruder woke up. Her nostrils flared and her chest rose up and down rapidly. She glared at the unconscious man.
The pirate placed her swords back in their case, a brow raised, "A frying pan, really?"
Sister Aina's intense gaze turned to Raz. She pointed the frying pan towards her, hissing, "Who is Nyt? And how come he didn't know you're a woman?"
Raz sighed. Maia had filled her in about Tylen's fake identity before she went to sleep. As for the two trespassers, she had noticed them on the roof when she came in. With the dark sky, they were hardly noticeable to the bystanders.
She had waited for them to strike. When she saw the symbol on the man's chest, her hunch was confirmed.
They were henchmen for a certain royal.
"He's a client." Raz replied curtly.
"Is he dangerous? Why are there spies after you? Does your captain know what you're up to?"
The questions flew out of Sister Aina's mouth like bullets, making Raz wince at the reminder of her reckless decision
That was a problem she'd like to worry about for another day.
"No, Nyt is not dangerous." Raz reassured her, pushing the frying pan down, "As for our captain… he'll find out soon enough."