Chapter 38:
Savior
Having the door shut behind them by Vaan, Meredith stood in the middle of the room, facing Eva as she sat in her armchair, already dressed to perform at the venue. Her short blonde hair had been curled and styled, while her makeup had been tidied from before, and it looked darker, but still charming on Eva's heart-shaped face.
"I'm glad to see you here safe, Meredith." Eva broke her cool expression and shot a rare authentic smile towards Meredith, making the room warm.
Meredith bowed his head lightly and smiled in response, "It's good to see you, Eva." The atmosphere between the two was strangely warm, and Saoirse could not help but look between Eva and Meredith with a sneaky smile, nudging Neema in the torso with her arm. Neema quietly elbowed Saoirse back with her arm and then glared towards the other girl, who was nodding her head forward, gesturing towards Meredith and Eva.
The air around Eva and Meredith was calm, almost gentle in a way that Neema and Saoirse had rarely seen in the years that they had known Eva. Even Vaan, who was mostly expressionless, stared between the two with complicit understanding.
Seeing the open sofa in the middle of the room, Meredith quietly walked across the room and sat down, close to Eva. Neema and Saoirse moved to the side of the table as Vaan kept close to the door, his arms crossed with a light frown on his face. With all of the team in their respective positions, they looked to Eva, who had a smile on her face as she sat forward, looking particularly happy.
"Why don't we start our meeting?" Eva asked, waving her hand towards Vaan while keeping her eyes locked onto Meredith, "There's so much to discuss, and so little time to do it. My performance is supposed to start soon, and I don't want to make my adoring fans wait too long."
As Eva said this, Vaan carefully placed a table between Eva and Meredith, lifting and placing the heavy, wood table with relative ease. Vaan then pulled out a large roll of parchment out of a bag at his side and unrolled it on the table. It was a map of Cailith, with the hotels and other inns that were located in the town blocked heavily with ink, as well as the back alleyways and other paths in the town. Looking at it, even someone who was unfamiliar with Cailith's difficult-to-navigate layout would be able to make their way through the town with relative ease. With the neat ink writing and drawn trails, it was clear where they would be going.
"Here is where we are now," Eva said as she moved her hand over the map, her long, red gloves clinging tightly against her petite hands, and pointed to the Ivory Inn on the map with her index finger, "And where I'll be performing very shortly. I don't know if you saw the crowd waiting outside, but it's quite the group. Almost the whole town, wouldn't you say, Vaan?" Eva's eyes slid over to Vaan, who nodded solemnly in response. This caused Eva to smile as she turned her sharp gaze back to Meredith, "And if the town is all at my performance, the town should be relatively quiet everywhere else, don't you think?" She moved her finger across the map, pointing to a small inn near the end of the center of town, not far from the south exit. "According to my sources, the Captain of the Yursinean Royal Guard has entered Cailith recently and has stayed at this inn with a hooded companion."
This immediately caught Meredith's attention. The captain of the royal guards. The royal family's personal knights. That was a title Meredith unfortunately knew too well. The captain's reputation for mercilessly hunting down elves and bringing them back to the capital for punishment was well known throughout the continent. Meredith tried to calm himself down as his heart felt like it would leap out of his throat and his heart began to race.
This is my fault. Meredith thought to himself as he forced his face to fall into cool indifference, I have to make sure Silas gets home safely. Please just let him be alive until we can get to him.
"There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that that companion is Silas, Meredith." Eva continued, looking up from the map with narrowed eyes, "With all the evidence we've collected, it has to be Silas. And if he brought him to Cailith, that means the captain has no plans to kill him. Yet."
Holland, who was standing back with Neema and Saoirse, stepped forward, "So this is the perfect time to strike."
Eva smiled, her eyes twinkling, "The circumstances could not have worked out better to strike, I must say."
Meredith clenched his fists, looking anxious, as he said quietly, "How will we fight the captain, though? There may be many of us, but I'm sure the captain has knights with him, and if not, he could easily call the guards. That does not include the fact that the captain is notoriously strong, and a skilled fighter. I'm not sure even with all of us we could fight him."
Eva sat back, now smiling mischievously, "Meredith, have more faith in me! You will have an easy time, I can assure you. Vaan and Holland will be there to ensure the plan goes by smoothly." Eva reached into her dress, pulling out a small velvet satchel, holding it out to her tall companion, "Vaan, take this with you."
Vaan bowed, taking the satchel carefully with both of his hands, saying nothing in response. He then tucked it carefully into his armor plate.
Meredith watched in amusement as Eva continued to discuss the plan, "After you retrieve Silas, take him back here to the back of the hotel. We will reconvene there, and then we will travel through the back ways of the town, back to the abandoned mill on the outskirts of town. We will check Silas's wounds, and, of course, you will give me the package, before we start to travel back to the Faelfier Kingdom." Eva leaned forward again, the "décollecté" (Gotta thank Mishima for teaching me this one. It's a low neckline on a woman's dress or top) of her gown hanging dangerously low. Meredith kept his eyes locked onto Eva's.
Neema and Saoirse, standing not far away from the table, nodded their heads, looking excited to start the mission. As they stepped forward and looked over the map, Neema added, "Holland, I prepared a satchel to treat his wounds when you rescue him. It should have another transformation crystal inside it too. Don't forget to take it with you."
After hastily preparing, the three men left together in their armor and travel cloaks. Meredith changed his appearance back to the human disguise he had used earlier. Between the two tall men, he looked very short and unintimidating. However, as he stepped out from between Holland and Vaan as they walked, he almost looked like their employer as he walked slightly in front of them, leading them to the inn, using the directions he had memorized from the map Eva had made.
The streets were far emptier than usual, and most of the bustling crowd had ran to the Ivory Inn to watch Lady Ivana's performance, making their trip uneventful and easy. Walking through the streets, there were only a few soldiers and other people loitering, attempting to hear more about the famous performer who had suddenly come to town.
As the three approached the small inn the captain was holding Silas at, Holland stepped forward and took the lead, leading them inside the hotel through the back entrance. The main lobby was empty, and the only person there was sitting at the desk at the front of the inn. He however, was busy reading the local newspaper, the news of Lady Ivana's surprise appearance plastered all over it. The trio was able to make their way up the stairwell without being seen, so long as they were quiet.
Using a temporary silencing spell on their bodies, Meredith was able to lead them up the stairwell without making any unnecessary noises. Led by Holland, the three moved up the stairwell, stopping on the third floor with slowed movements. Having already known their room, Holland was the first to move towards the door, listening with his ear next to the door panel.
There was the muffled sound of voices, and the sound of boots moving across the floor with heavy footsteps. Then they all heard the loud, piercing sound of a stern slap and a shout of anger, putting the three men on alarm. After listening for another moment, they could only move aside as Vaan stepped in front of the door and knocked his fist against it.
"I said I was not to be interrupted!" The voice of the captain shouted heatedly from the other side of the door.
Vaan looked towards Meredith, who nodded his head in confirmation. Seeing this, Vaan did not hesitate to grab the doorknob tightly in his hand as he looked towards the door with narrowed eyes. Holland stood to the right of Vaan, preparing to help push open the door and cover Vaan, but Vaan just pushed open the door, as if it had been unlocked the entire time they had stood in front of it. As the door quickly swung open, Meredith's eyes bulged as he stared at the shattered door lock, which had almost been torn completely from the wall in its attempt to keep the door shut.
Entering inside with little patience, Vaan pushed his way in, followed by Holland, his hand on his hip to draw his sword. Meredith quickly followed after, casting a variety of spells quietly under his breath. As the three entered the room, Silas was sitting upright in a chair, his expression flashing between surprise and relief at the sight of Meredith and his strange companions.
"Who the hell are you? Guards!" Captain Laurent shouted, not bothering to address the three men in the room. He did not need an answer to know that they were here for the elf he had captured. The expression on the elf's face when the three came changed from surprise to relief, as if he was familiar with these three. Beau drew his sword from his hip and Silas began to wiggle furiously in his chair, trying to free himself.
That mana can only be Meredith's… but who are these two humans? Silas thought, quickly looking over at Vaan and Holland with a puzzled expression, his limbs crying out as he continued to wiggle against the coarse rope.
Holland stepped forward, welding his long sword. "Now now, captain. We'll only be here for a moment. Just give us the elf back, and no one gets hurt." Holland's gentle face was covered with a bright, bloodthirsty smile. It had been a while since he had fought someone strong as the captain of the royal Yursinean knights. This would be a rare treat for him.
Captain Laurent's gaze moved from Holland's face onto the short man behind him. His eyes moved over the man's frame, and when he saw the purple pendant on the man's chest, his eyes narrowed. He could already smell the thick scent of mana in the air. "I see. You brought an elf with you. How many elves are there?" Beau swung his sword down with a brief movement as he looked at the three, preparing himself for the impending fight, "And it seems you also disposed of the guards, seeing as none are coming. I should have figured as much. Useless bastards."
The room was narrow, and there was not much room to run or fight. If Beau were to have a chance, he would have to move himself against a wall, protecting his back as he fought. Though the options were not favorable, there was still a chance of victory, and Beau could not help but smile, feeling the hairs on his arm rise as the tension in the room grew.
Just as Holland was about to move forward and fight, his left arm was grabbed hard and he was tugged back by Vaan's grasp. Stumbling back, Holland began to protest, but Vaan silenced him with a simple stare. Seeing his dark eyes, Holland swallowed back the words of protest that were lingering on the tip of his tongue, knowing they had to closely follow the plan laid out by Eva. But I could have handled it myself. Holland thought sourly.
Meredith had already applied a silencing spell to the room, making it so no sounds from the inside of the room would leak out, raising alarm in the empty inn. With the magic having been freshly casted, the smell of mana flooded the room, and Beau could only smell the mana from the other elf in the human disguise.
As the four men looked at each other, stuck in a stalemate, Silas began to slowly inch his chair towards Meredith, moving towards the side of the room, farther and farther away out of the captain's long reach. If he were to catch him trying to flee, there was a chance that he would kill him directly. There was no guarantee that they would win either. Silas could only cross his fingers and slowly shimmy, doing so without catching the eye of the captain nor his companions.
With the men in a deadlock, Holland took a step back in the narrow room, allowing Vaan to move closer to the captain, the two making fierce eye contact as they did. Vaan was taller than Captain Laurent by only a few inches, but the pressure between the two of them was well-matched. Rather than rushing in directly like Holland, Vaan and the captain were both patient, waiting for the correct moment to strike.
As the two sized each other up, Vaan discreetly grabbed the small velvet bag given to him by Eva earlier from his side pocket. The captain carefully watched his movements, staying vigilant to avoid being caught off guard.
"None of you look like Yursineans. Is the rebellion hiring out this time?" Beau asked in a mocking tone, preparing to move forward. His sharp sword glistened as the light in the room hit it at the right angle.
The group looked at Beau with vigilant gazes, saying nothing. Only Holland was the one to speak up, "Don't compare us to you weird-looking Yursineans!" Silas and Meredith felt off-handedly offended, thinking to themselves, We're Yursineans too. As much as they did not want to claim their home country, it was a part of their ancestry.
Vaan held the velvet bag up in his hands, towards his lips as he looked at the captain with a fierce gaze, his hand no longer on his sword as it was before. Seeing the mysterious item in his hand, Beau's expression changed from interest to irritation. His face fell and his expression darkened as he smiled a smile quite unlike the sarcastic, biting smile he had flashed them before as he taunted them.
"Eva." Beau spat out with enough venom to kill a grown man. The chill on the ends of his words was biting, and Silas could only slide another foot away from the captain. "I should have known it was her."
Holland took a step forward, moving to Vaan's side, "Eva who?" With his innocent-looking expression, it was easy to think that Holland had no idea who this "Eva" was, but the captain looked at Holland with the same chilly gaze, causing Holland to take a step back behind Vaan again. Vaan shot Holland a cold look from the corner of his eye, telling him to keep back.
After a short moment, there was an opportunity to strike. Silas had continued to wiggle, still tied to the chair. As he slowly inched to the side of the room, closer to Vaan's side, the wood of the chair made a loud screech noise as the wood of the chair dragged across the wood panels of the floor. The sound was loud enough to momentarily take the attention away from Vaan and the captain towards Silas, who froze, his face stiff with fear.
"Now!" Meredith yelled to Vaan, his eyes focused on the velvet bag in Vaan's palm.
Vaan used the moment he had to untie the gold thread on the bag, revealing a palmful of pure-white, sparkling powder. The captain's eyes widened as he turned back towards Vaan, away from Silas who had already moved to the side of the room. His hands were raised, attempting to stop the powder in Vaan's hand, but he was too late, and Vaan blew a large puff of air forward, throwing the white powder across the room and into Captain Laurent's face.
The captain coughed, feeling his body weaken the instant he inhaled the mysterious dust. Beau fell to his knees heavily, his fall echoing in the small room as he continued to cough, attempting to get the dust out of his lungs. His throat was tight, and his eyes watered. The more he breathed in, the weaker his body felt.
As Captain Laurent blinked, his eyes became heavier and heavier, until it was difficult for him to keep his eyes open. All the energy left his body, and soon he fell face forward onto the ground with an audible thump. His eyes were watering, and he coughed until he could no longer fight away the artificial fatigue caused by the sparkling powder.
"Is he dead?" Silas asked as Meredith kneeled onto the ground next to him, untying the rope around him. His eyes moved over Beau's motionless body on the ground.
Vaan put the velvet satchel away as he dusted off his hands, wiping them off with a clean cloth from his pocket, while Holland answered, "He'll be fine. It's just extra-strength sleeping powder." He turned to Meredith, who helped Silas up and stand on his feet. "Can you stand? Run?"
Silas tested the weight on his feet, shifting his weight from one side to the other. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. Silas then dusted off his uniform with his hands and stretched out his limbs, feeling stiff from having been tied up for so long. He felt somewhat awkward being stared at by the two strangers with Meredith, though, and he could not help but look at Meredith with a mixed expression, hoping he would explain what had happened while he had been kidnapped.
Holland, seeing Silas was now untied, stuck out his hand to the elf as he said, "Hi, my name's Holland, Holland Joey! It's nice to meet you, Mr.?" He paused, asking for Silas's name.
Before Silas could introduce himself, Meredith cut him off, saying, "Now's not the time for that, Holland. We need to leave now before the performance is over. The powder's effect will only last so long, so we need to leave now. Silas, do you have your pendant?"
"No. The captain broke it earlier while trying to interrogate me." Silas looked down in shame as he shook his head, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault." As his short blonde hair shook with his head, his pale skin looked almost translucent. This all helped to accent the bright red mark on Silas's cheek.
In shock, Meredith reached out and grabbed Silas's chin, turning his head to the side so he could easily see the bright red mark, "By the gods, are you alright? Did he do anything else to you?" Meredith's expression was dark with anger.
Silas would not make eye contact with Meredith, but sighed and attempted to nod, "It's alright. He just slapped me. I guess he thought that would make me talk. This is all my fault anyway, so it's fine." Silas finally shook off Meredith's tight grip on his chin. The room fell momentarily silent, and even Vaan felt somewhat affected by the awkward atmosphere.
After a moment, Vaan and Holland moved to the door, preparing to leave. Silas only had his bag from before that Beau had taken and searched. Fortunately Meredith held on to the mission papers and map, otherwise Beau would have had more information to interrogate him with. Gathering the last of his items quickly, Silas put the bag on his back and sighed quietly to himself, which made his face look particularly pale against the dark circles under his eyes and the bright, bruising red mark on his face.
"Silas, take this." Before the group was set to leave, Meredith placed a replacement pendant in his hand with a small bottle of mana recovery potion. Silas put the pendant around his neck and took the potion, drinking it down with a quick sip, throwing it back down his throat like a shot of rum. The grimace on his face subsided as he swallowed down the bitter potion.
Vaan and Holland looked at Silas as he placed the pendant around his neck, dropping it next to the pendant with his wedding ring. Silas brushed the ring with the tip of his fingers, feeling the cool jewelry against the tip of his finger. With his fingers on the ring, he used the gem to transform his appearance back to a plain human, hiding his pointed ears and tilted eyes with the wave of mana rushing through his body.
"Come on, we need to leave, now." Meredith grabbed Silas's arm, moving him towards the door with strength Silas had not thought Meredith possessed. "The powder will only be effective for another hour. We need to get outside of town by then. Let's go."
"One second." Silas said, pulling away from Meredith. Meredith raised his brows in curiosity and frustration, but kept quiet as Silas walked over to Beau's limp body. Silas glared down at the unconscious captain while the others looked at Silas, confusion written all over their faces. Suddenly, Silas brought back his leg and firmly kicked Beau in the side, "That's for hitting me." Silas then turned away and walked over to the front door with a satisfied expression, where Vaan and Holland were waiting.
Vaan opened the door to the room swiftly, leading them out one by one until he closed the door behind them. The door barely held onto its hinges, but it held enough that no one would notice the crookedness, unless they stood and looked at the door. With the majority of the townspeople still watching Eva's performance, the group of men was easily able to leave through the back door of the hotel, sneaking past the desk attendant to get outside of the hotel. Using their hoods, Silas and Meredith hid their appearances as they walked, walking casually between Holland and Vaan.
"It's so quiet." Silas commented, using his Yursinean accent.
Vaan kept walking forward with no intention to answer, but Holland recovered from his awkwardness before and said with a happy smile, "That's because of Lady Eva's performance."
Silas's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to Meredith and asked with a raised brow, "Eva is performing? Here? Now? Was that part of the plan?" He asked in a quiet voice.
Meredith shot Holland another cold look as he put his hand on Silas's back, hurrying him along. Holland shrugged nonchalantly, noting how protective Meredith was of his nephew. With a glare towards Holland, Meredith said, "We'll talk about that later. First, we need to get back to the hotel and reconvene with the group. Neema and Saoirse will be waiting for us. As soon as the performance ends, Eva will be meeting us in the backroom. Get ready." Meredith added, "We'll talk about what happened with the captain later, Silas."
Silas felt a cold chill run down his spine at the thought of discussing what had occurred between him and the captain, but it was important for them to know, so they would be able to plan for any unexpected events. Still, the thought of discussing the captain's deal, and the thought of facing his own death made his limbs run cold.
"Hey, we're almost at the hotel, get ready." Vaan voice's cut through Meredith and Silas's thoughts, making them look ahead, at the Ivory Inn's grand entrance. Silas could only look up at the building with a complex expression.
What Silas did not see is a set of burning blue eyes coldly staring back at him from the second floor balcony. Their cold hands firmly gripping the balcony railing as they stared on.
Hehehe almost 40 chapters, all! Can't wait for you all to read 39/40 :D Work has been killing Hunny and I, but it's been giving us some reading time, so I reread Spring Snow by Mishima Yukio, and then The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi. Both are translated, and if you like sad, gay Japanese lit, my friends, look no further! I'm not a big Enchi fan, but I hope you guys can enjoy her works as much as Hunny! Personally I like Akutagawa and Dazai better, though Yosano Akiko and Banana Yoshimoto are my personal favorites >u<♥
Sorry, I have my degree in Japanese lang and lit so I like to go on tangents about it when I can ;; plus I wrote my capstone paper on Spring Snow, hahaha
Anyway, we're planning on going back when we get time to edit old chapters, maybe even fix up to the latest update? While that's going on, I have a project that I may work on after YMtK gets far enough in called To Find Love, which is my first QT novel about a young man named Love trying to find out what love means to him. You can read my very dryly-humored synopsis here (https://sta.sh/014j8dspt5er). It's in the baby stages right now, but if there's enough interest I'll keep working on it!
Thanks always for reading! Hunny and I greatly appreciate your love and support! Plus your comments make us laugh