Shadows of the Forgotten Realms

4

The heavy, dark brown wooden doors creaked open as Caelia entered the room where Naraina was. She appeared quite unsettled. She stood before Naraina, waiting for her to look up.

"You've probably lost your mind completely," she said, clutching the papers that the king had most likely given her. Naraina reached out for them, but Caelia quickly pulled back. "We don't make deals with authority."

"Caelia," she began.

"No. Naraina, we've decided on this for a reason. It won't end well. He's hiding something."

"It's just a simple mission among people. We've done it multiple times."

"Not exactly. According to his information, Enora is being held in the palace, in the capital of Valendor." Naraina couldn't hide her surprise. She had never been to the capital of the other kingdom. Unlike Isleen, Zephyr, or Asel, who had ventured beyond the city walls many times.

"It's not too far into the heart of the land," she said, approaching Caelia.

"Why did you agree?" The silence that followed her words stretched on. "You know her," she said finally.

Naraina nodded in confirmation.

"I've met her a few times," she said, taking a couple of steps closer, but Caelia continued to back away. "She's different from him. If she dies in Marandell, nothing will change. Besides, the amount of gold he's offering will allow us some rest." She didn't mention the papers. She was certain that if they managed to obtain them and used them anywhere, the king would surely find out.

"You don't know how to rest, Nari."

"I'll learn, I promise," she said, taking her hands and squeezing them. She took the papers without a fight. Naraina saw that Caelia had given up trying to dissuade her. They took a seat by the window and spread out the king's papers. They read each one carefully.

"When I'm not here, the local duties will fall on you," Caelia said in the meantime. "Always have Vaelen with you." Caelia rolled her eyes. "Please. I know you can handle any situation, but I'll feel better knowing someone else is here besides you." The girl had often told her that she treated her like a mother, but she couldn't forgive herself for the past when she wasn't there for her.

"One thing bothers me," Caelia interrupted her thoughts. "How did the king know your name and where to look?" She didn't admit to the girl that she had wondered the same thing. Apparently, there was a spy in their order, and this paper indicated it. He knew enough to kill them at any moment.

Naraina carefully examined the paper that the king had given Caelia. It contained their information, including Caelia's and Vaelen's, along with descriptions, but most of it was about her. There was a note about the places of her crimes and those where she had stayed. Not all of them, but those that had taken place within this kingdom. Below were descriptions of individuals without names, each pointing to a member of the order, except for Eidan.

They exchanged meaningful glances. They didn't want to make a hasty decision. Eidan was the most mysterious among them. He had joined spontaneously, simply appearing one day while they were having dinner. He boldly took a seat at the table, not looking in their direction, and brought a chair from the wall to the table. All the cutlery hung in the air, and eyes followed his every move as he somehow opened the door, approached the chair set against the wall, and pulled it to the table before serving himself food on a plate. There were several threats and questions for which they received no answers. They finished their meal while watching him closely, and it was Isleen who first took the initiative, offering him a plate of vegetables, which earned her a smile from him. He thanked her with a gesture, and that's when they realized he didn't speak. It took weeks before they trusted him.

It happened during one of their tasks when she, Vaelen, Zephyr, and Asel were on the waterfront. They were dealing with a fisherman who not only traded in fish but also had the misfortune of kidnapping and killing three priestesses from the healing sanctuary during one of the attacks on larger households. The priestesses were considered some of the most important beings, capable of healing with magic and nature. They had worked tirelessly to find ways to break the curse. Such a crime was unforgivable.

When they arrived at the scene, they found that the man was well-prepared for an attack. He had wounded Asel so deeply that, along with Zephyr, they had to retreat and hide in the slums in one of the less damaged abandoned houses. Asel could barely breathe, but his cries would wake the dead. The fisherman had injured Asel so close to his heart that they were afraid to do anything. That's when Eidan found them, and somehow, Naraina couldn't say how, he removed the rest of the broken harpoon and patched Asel's wound. It all happened in the blink of an eye. He spent the whole night with him, taking care of him as if he were his own blood brother. Zephyr stayed with him, but she returned to the port. She knew from which direction the fisherman had weapons and how the prostitutes sneaked in to see him. It was easy to pretend to be one of them. That same night, the man's body was found impaled on a stake on the waterfront. Naraina bathed in the sea, watching as seagulls pecked at his eyes. She returned at dawn when she was sure that the building she had occupied had burned down completely. The order was about two days' ride away. And Eidan was with them, not an inch away. He lived among them, becoming one of them.

It was many weeks later, during one of their encounters, that he revealed the truth. She threw a stick at him. When he picked it up, he heard her words.

"Welcome home, Einar." From that moment on, Naraina knew that she might not know everything about him, but some fragment of her soul decided that she wanted to trust him. She hoped it wouldn't be a mistake.

She had wondered several times whether to tell Caelia about her visits to Hadeon's castle, but she knew Caelia would watch over her. She hated herself for keeping something from her. She stood up.

"I'll visit the Burialsite," she said, making sure her belt, which passed under her vest and held her daggers, was properly fastened. "Maybe I'll learn something more, or maybe it'll reveal a way to blend in with the crowd." She didn't tell anyone that a few years earlier, when she had escaped from the facility, she had gone there and begged. On her knees, with tears in her eyes and bloodied hands. She begged as if there were no tomorrow. And no one came to meet her, neither Haelyn nor Tauryn.

"Are you sure? The price they might demand could be too high."

She stood and looked out the window. "Thalassa..."
"The Sea Witch," she muttered.

"Give her a chance; she—" Caelia interrupted herself. "She might help. She helped before." Caelia was referring to an event from their distant past, an event that had driven them to the point where only stones and skeletons remained of their upbringing. She didn't trust the witch. But she trusted very few.

"If the burial site doesn't offer a good deal, I'll go to her," Naraina said uncertainly.

"Don't let yourself be drawn into being a victim," Caelia smiled slyly. "My dear, victims are a daily occurrence. I can only ask, who should I summon for?"

Caelia handed her a leather strap to tie her hair. It was already much too long, but neither of them had the time to tend to it. She promised herself that after this mission, she would ask Caelia to shorten it. The girl was just as skilled at cutting hair as she was at cutting throats