In a town just outside Fadis, as nighttime approached on the horizon, a man riding a wagon made his way into the village streets. The wagon was not grand or well-decorated, but it still drew a lot of stares from the villagers. Perhaps it was because of the men currently causing havoc in the village that the villagers grew wary of anyone or anything new entering their midst. Nevertheless, their stares made it clear that strangers were hardly welcome.
The man driving the wagon stopped briefly and asked a local woman for directions to the nearest inn. The woman, albeit reluctantly, gave him directions. The man thanked her and continued on his way without further words. Following the instructions, he arrived safely at the Deston Inn, as the sign read.
The man quickly stopped the wagon and went to open its door. Two figures cloaked from head to toe stepped out of the wagon. Without delay, the man led them into the inn and approached the receptionist.
"A room with two beds for the night, please," he said.
"That will be four copper coins," the receptionist replied.
The man immediately brought out the amount and handed it over. In return, he was given a key with a tag labeled Thirteen.
"Room thirteen is on the second floor," the receptionist said, and the trio made their way upstairs.
The man guided the two figures to the room. Once there, he spoke again.
"Get some rest, my lady. I'll go and take care of the wagon. If you need me, just call."
"Alright," one of them replied. "And remember to bring some dinner. We don't want someone to grow shorter from malnutrition."
The man gave the two figures an awkward look before leaving. Once he was gone, they both removed their cloaks.
Thia stared at Thena.
"Really? Malnutrition?"
"What? We don't want you to starve. You already look starved. You need to eat to keep growing."
Thia sighed and muttered under her breath, "Try not to kill her; she's an ally. Try not to kill her; she's an ally. Pray she becomes an enemy so you can finally kill her." After repeating this mantra, she calmed herself and looked back at Thena.
Thena sneered at Thia in annoyance, and the two girls sat on opposite beds.
They had arrived with General Kyle a few days ago, practically smuggled into Wize. Their mission was to find the prince of Wize, and when they arrived, they received word from Meliesse that the prince was indeed alive and in Lyokis. Thia had been ecstatic, even more so when she saw it was the handler from Hana's group who brought the news. She wanted to see Hana, but Thena had reminded her of the mission, which would be in jeopardy if they were spotted.
Hadia was fully aware of what those children from Erui meant. They wouldn't allow more people to join without a proper explanation. Once they had the needed information, a guide was assigned to bring them all the way from Hadia to Fadis. Their destination was Lyokis, and the journey ahead was still long.
"Do you think the prince will still be in this Temple of Fates?" Thena asked.
"I don't know," Thia replied. "But that's where we were told to go, so…"
"Are you familiar with the goddess of fate?" Thena asked.
"No, I just know her name is Kadara, but we don't worship her where I come from."
"Who do you worship?" Thena asked.
"My mother worships Freyja, the goddess of fertility. But my Uncle worships Kokou, the god of war."
"Well, don't they all," Thena said. "I barely know any warriors who don't worship the god of war," she added.
"What about you? Are you religious?" Thia asked.
"No, not really. I'm more of a demon girl—like you," she said.
"I'm not sure that's true about my curse," Thia replied. "My curse… it's not just from a demon. I think she's also a goddess."
"What? What are you saying? You clearly carry a curse. How is the demon that cursed you also a goddess?"
"I don't know," Thia said. "But I remember her calling herself Plutonia, the goddess of death."
Thena's eyes widened in shock.
"How is that even possible? How can she be the demon that cursed you? How can the most dangerous goddess be—"
Thia shrugged. She didn't understand it either. While she clearly carried a curse, for some reason, Plutonia was also a goddess.
Thena was about to say something when they heard a massive crash outside in the street. Thena stood up and checked through the window.
Just outside the inn, three drunken men were fighting, causing a commotion that had drawn a lot of attention.
"Fools," Thena muttered.
She was about to step away when her eyes caught an unexpected face. At the door of the bar, a man was being supported by another. Though not part of the fighting trio, he was just as drunk as any of them.
Thena's eyes narrowed.
"Karkal," she muttered.
"What?" Thia asked.
"Oh, nothing," Thena replied, returning to her bed.
A few minutes later, the driver brought them dinner, and the girls ate before going to sleep. Their journey would continue the next day.
When night fell and everyone was asleep, a shadow moved silently through the halls of the inn. Creeping toward a specific door, it slipped inside where a man lay sleeping on his bed. Tired and hungover, Karkal suddenly sensed a dangerous presence and woke with a start.
He grabbed a sword from behind him and searched his room. Finding nothing, he opened the door and stepped into the hall. Moving quietly, he glanced around, his eyes scanning every shadow. A movement in the corner caught his attention, and he prepared to strike when—
"What are you doing?" the receptionist yelled.
Startled, Karkal stopped just short of cutting the man down.
"I thought I heard something," Karkal said.
"What you heard was me," the receptionist replied. "Now, please go back before you wake everyone up."
"I'm sorry," Karkal quickly apologized and returned to his room.
He closed the door and collapsed onto the bed like a log.
"Damn it," he muttered, closing his eyes.
Just as he began to drift off, a sharp pain tore through his chest. He gasped and looked down to see a blade protruding from his chest. It had come from beneath the bed. Blood poured from his wound as a shadow rose from under the bed, towering over him.
The shadow moved closer, whispering ominous words into his ear:
"Death is the price, a wraith pays to pay."
With that, the shadow disappeared into the night, leaving behind the lifeless body of the lieutenant of war.