An owl hooted in the distance. It was a moonless, star-studded night. Luca ran a hand through his hair as he leisurely swung his right leg from the high branch he was sitting in, leaning against the thick trunk of the tree.
Nicco, meanwhile, sat cross-legged at the base of another tree, reading a book in the near-pitch darkness.
A low chuckle resounded through the dark. "Well, I guess Taren is a free man no more. Conjugal duties and all," Luca smirked.
"Anyway, I'm getting a cramp from sitting in this position all week. Are they going to show up or do I need to dress up like an Allardian belly dancer to get their attention?" Luca complained.
Nicco's expression remained unchanged. "I would pay for that."
"So what if a couple of low-lives are trading copper on the side? Is it really going to hurt the shipping industry that much?"
Nicco cast a side-eye at Luca. "Those illegal smugglers are undermining the economy. The conditions they have in their mines are much worse than the standard, and the quality of the mined copper is also questionable. It's best to cut these matters at the stem before they grow deep roots."
"Let's hope your forged letter worked and they do meet us here. Last time, I ended up with a bunch of low-grade criminals."
Suddenly, they heard a rustling through the bushes. Luca dropped down from the tree branch, landing on the soles of his feet, listening for the slightest sounds.
A rustling. Luca clutched a shuriken, internally conflicted.
Before he could move, two men emerged through the bushes. Luca blocked their way.
"In a rush? Guests here are treated with a dinner and a show. It's past dinner time, so let's skip to the show."
"What the hell? Who are you?" the first man asked.
"So, then, let's begin," Luca said, ignoring the man.
He pulled out his saber and wrinkled his nose. "Not my weapon of choice, but will have to make do."
The man lunged at Luca, who ducked away in time.
"Who hired you?" Luca asked as their swords clashed, criss-crossing each other.
The man's eyes blazed. "You wrote the letter?"
"Hah! It figures. Only someone as dense as you would fall for that stupid letter," Luca teased.
"Get outta my way, blondie, before I ruin that pretty face."
"As much as I appreciate that compliment, I really can't do that. And it's silver white with pink highlights, not blonde."
The brawny man rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Tie up scrawny scholar there. He oughta be useful in gauging the land for us."
The second man, who was just as tall as the other, but not quite as buff, slid a whip between his hands as he approached Nicco, who had remained unmoved in the same position sitting under the tree, as if closing in on a small animal.
"Alright Mr. Wise Guy. Just give me your hands and I promise I won't make you cry…too much," the man said with an evil grin.
When Nicco didn't react, he slashed the whip at Nicco, who nonchalantly evaded it by moving his head to one side without looking up from his book.
"I guess I'm involved now," he sighed, closing the book on his lap.
"It was about time!" Luca cried, in another deadlock with the other man.
The man approached Nicco, obviously irked by his lack of a reaction. He was used to people quaking in front of him. "Hey! Hey! I said show me your hands."
Nicco slowly rose from his position, hands still behind his back. He then slowly extended his hands behind him like a pair of wings, revealing him clutching a pair of deer horn knives
The man's sword instantly came down on Nicco, who blocked the sword with the deer horn knife above his head. The man, with his other hand, attacked Nicco just below his rib with a smaller blade, which Nicco also blocked with lightning fast speed. Their weapons were locked in place, metal slowly grating against metal as each man exerted the weight of his body against his weapon.
"Speak now. Who hired you?" Nicco said through gritted teeth.
The man, in lieu of an answer, took a step back, freeing his hands. Then, he lunged with the small blade at Nicco, who blocked him, but not before the tip of his blade grazed Nicco's cheek. With his left hand, Nicco brought his hand down on the man's back, knocking the breath out of him. The man grinned and took something out of his pocket. Nicco's eyes widened seeing the small black contraction.
Suddenly, the man's body went rigid, his eyes froze and widened, and then he fell forward.
"Apologies, Nicco. But if I didn't act we could've all been turned into sashimi."
"We could have had him alive," Nicco responded, looking at the fallen man. He turned to Luca. "So, stupid letter?" he raised an eyebrow. "Next time, you can write it."
"It was the perfect thing to say in the moment," Luca responded.
Nicco approached the fallen man and crouched next to him. He reached to the man's belt from which a small, black pouch hung, and pocketed it.
****
Taren was at his desk when his eyes narrowed at a piece of paper on his desk that had been overlooked before. He thought of calling Manfredi, but he changed his mind the moment he opened his mouth.
The coordinates Luca and Nicco had were off. There wasn't enough time for Manfredi to go out. He needed to do this himself. Taren stood up from his chair and throwing a cloak on, made straight for the Maldoni stables.
The night was cool and dark - so dark that you could hardly see the silhouettes of the trees or the footpath in front of you. Taren, however, had no issue with this. He had always been able to see well in the dark – another Maldoni trait. He sped forward, urging his horse Hesper deeper and deeper into the Umbrian Forest.