The morning at the – Under the Broken Sword– inn began as usual – the buzz of conversations, the screech of cutlery on wooden plates and the smell of fresh bread filled the main room. On this day, however, the conversations at the tables were more muffled and the tension was in the air, as if the night had brought something that was hard to ignore.
– I'm telling you, it must have been a demon or something worse, – said one of the men, an elderly merchant who held a pint of beer in his hands, even though the day had only just begun. – Fish Square is not a place for such things!
–Demon? asked his companion, a younger man with curly hair, who was clearly skeptical about the whole story. – Maybe it's just someone who was fed up with this gang? – The guards had been trying to break up those thugs for a long time, and now that someone has done it for them, suddenly everyone sees ghosts?
The older man shook his head.
– No, it's not like that. These children... they saw someone. They spoke of a shadowy figure that appeared out of nowhere, as if it were from hell itself. And those women who took care of the orphanage said the same thing. No one knows who he was, but he left only blood and dead bodies in his wake.
The younger one side and went back to his food, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation, but the topic was still circulating among the other guests.
In the corner of the room, at one of the tables, sat Anabell. Her long dress in a shade of deep navy blue and a cape with silver embroidery betrayed her noble origins, but her face was tired. She started the day early, while Kellan was still asleep after the late night. In front of her on the table was a cup of tea and a plate with a half-eaten meal.
At the door to the inn, knights from her bodyguard were bustling about. There were five of them, each in armor that glistened in the morning light coming through the windows. They prepared the carriage by checking the condition of the wheels and loading luggage onto the roof of the vehicle. They aroused a lot of interest among the guests.
Anabell glanced at the stairs leading to the first floor, where the rooms were found. She sighed resignedly.
– Kellan, how much longer are you going to sleep? – She muttered to herself, raising the cup to her lips.
A few minutes later, when she was almost out of patience, heavy footsteps rang from above. Kellan walked down slowly, looking visibly tired. His hair was tousled, and his clothes, though neat, showed signs that he had put them on in a hurry.
– I'm sorry to keep you waiting, – he said, sitting down across from her. – The night was... Difficult.
Anabell raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her tea.
– I understand, I haven't been sleeping well lately either. The girl replied in a slightly worried voice. – Everything is almost ready to go.
Kellan sat down at the table where the girl was sitting, and it was not a moment before the server came to their table. The man asked for water and something to eat first thing in the morning. The employee quickly noted the request and went to the kitchen, only to return with the order no more than fifteen minutes later.
- So now we are heading to the capital, as I understand? He continued the conversation, starting to eat his meal.
-Yes. As I mentioned, I have to report to my father about the reports from the border. I must inform him that there must be a sect behind the attacks.
-Sect? Is that the conclusion you have come to?
– I thought about it all night. These attacks on border villages do not fit into the patterns of the Empire. When it wants some territory, it usually sends an entire army unannounced, wanting to show its military strength and suppress resistance before it arises. Diversionary attacks or the use of magic are not their style. Especially since the then Emperor has an aversion to all wizards.
– Maybe you're right, but you're going to convince your father that these are not attacks from the empire, but from a sect using the remnants of magic from the shadow lord? – I think he won't take it as coldly as you do.
The woman buried her face in her hands and exhaled before speaking again.
– Whether he believes me or not, I will go to the empire to deal with this matter myself.
Kellan looked at the girl's face, it was full of hope and determination, but her eyes betrayed anxiety. She has gained in his eyes, she wants to fight something he doesn't fully understand. Even if no one listens to her.
- If you put this matter this way, know that you can count on me.
– Thank you, Kellan. Although I still don't know much about you, I'm glad that you're on my side.
A familiar figure, Seraphine, jumped into the inn with a bang of the opening door. The girl, although of slim stature, had quite a lot of luggage on her back, as if she was trying to pack all her belongings.
– Finally, – Anabell said, standing up. – I started to think that you changed your mind about our trip.
Seraphine smiled slightly, then handed over her luggage to one of the knights. Despite his robust stature, he had difficulty keeping his balance due to the weight of the backpack.
– I never change my mind, – she said, walking over to the table. – Especially when the matter is as serious as potentially resurrecting the shadow lord.
Anabell at once covered her friend's mouth with her hands, a soft hiss came out of her mouth, ordering her to be quiet.
- Can you not talk about it so loudly? The whole inn doesn't have to know about it. Anabell said, staring at Seraphine.
- Well, what did I say something wrong?
The girls struggled for a long moment, Anabell did not like the carefree approach to the subject. However, in their verbal scuffles, one could see sincere friendly feelings. Kellan watched these scuffles with a slight smile, although he had visions of yesterday's meeting in his head. He tried to remember the face of the woman who had warned him, claiming that they knew each other...
It was true that his memory was deficient, he did not remember anything after the fight with the Lord. But this woman knew that he was in the shadow dimension, she knew that the ruler was still alive. He knows that place... The memory of this meeting gave the boy a headache. Whispers began to invade his thoughts, and these were not his words, but what he had inside. However, he quickly suppressed these in himself.
Meanwhile, on the same day, in one of the side streets near the fish square. From the alley, you could see passers-by or guards running towards the building. The security forces had to chase the onlookers away from the building, conducting their own investigation.
A hooded man with a low, gruff voice looked around and turned into an alley shrouded in shadow. From behind one of the corners came the figure of a woman with a disturbing appearance. Her skin was pale, contrasting with her dark, black eyes that seemed to penetrate through. Her long, white hair fell to her shoulders, and there were barely perceptible silver strands on her temples, as if they glistened in the darkness. She wore a long, dark cloak that blended in with the shadow around her, as if the fabric itself were part of the night.
As she moved, there was no sound coming from her footsteps. With her steps, it was as if the shadows around were also moving.
- What information did you obtain?
- People say that it was some kind of demon or a ghost behind it all. However, I sensed the power of our ruler.
– Are you sure?
- Yes, there is no way that I would not recognize the aura of our Lord. But the trail faded, and beyond this orphanage I felt this power near one inn. Further on, the trail breaks off.
- I hope you checked this inn.
- Yes, nothing unusual. Recently, however, a group had stopped there, the daughter of a noble person with an escort of five knights and a man.
- Hm, an interesting coincidence. Keep an eye on them and keep me informed.
- Yes, Lady.
After these words, the woman merged with her surroundings, disappearing before the man's eyes. The latter, confused, turned towards the exit. After a while, his robe fell limply to the ground, and a black raven flew out of it.