Motley (#Wattys2016)

12: The Battle for Colla Voce

PRESENT DAY

Reiko and Nori sprinted off the boat, not bothering to put on their disguises. They didn't stop to see Masa untie the Oxblood and sail away into the gloom. "I can't understand how they found us!" Nori said, panting as she ran. "We weren't being followed by them, were we?"

"I don't think so," said Reiko. "I would have known."

When they got to the palace, Nori conjured some quick sleeping missiles and fired them off at the guards above the drawbridge. "Reiko, let's go around the moat. I think I remember where her room's window is."

Reiko followed Nori until they spotted one of the highest turrets, with a familiar-looking window. "I think that's it," Reiko breathed. "I'll get you up there." She looked at the ground below Nori's feet and aimed her fingertips at it. Nori shot straight up on a pillar of rock that was growing out of the ground. She crouched down and clutched at the sides of the rock to steady herself as she flew higher and higher, until she was level with Michi's window. She got up from her perch on the rock, trying not to look down and ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Nori must be a hundred feet in the air!

She took a deep breath and jumped off, covering her face with her arms as she crashed through the glass window and rolled onto the tiger rug. Two shrieks of surprise announced her entrance.

"Michi!" Nori yelled. She got up, brushed herself off, and checked her surroundings. Sure enough, it was the princess's room. In the moonlight, she saw that Hideko looked pale and petrified, but Michi sprang out of bed.

"Nori, what's wrong?"

"The Rose Marquis... They're here!"

"The ones you talked about? But how? Did they follow your ship?"

"That's what we thought. But they can't have done."

"You're right, they would have needed inside help. Did anybody in your crew tell them where you were going?" Michi asked. She started to rummage around on her table for a match to light a candle.

"No! Nobody- well, I don't know... What's important is, you need to wake the guards up. Tell them they're about to be attacked, and they only have minutes to get ready," Nori said.

"What is going on?" Hideko squeaked.

"Quiet, sister, we're trying to save the city here!" Michi snapped. She looked back at Nori and held up the lit candle to see her better. The orange glow of the fire made her face look skeletal and still more frightened. "What about you? What will you do?"

"I haven't thought about that," said Nori honestly. "I guess I was just thinking of helping everyone fight them off."

"Nori! Time to go!" Reiko yelled from down below. Nori and Michi ran to the window.

"Reiko, hi! I didn't know you were here too!"

"Now is not the time for meaningless conversation!" Nori told them both sharply. There was a crunch of breaking glass from behind her. She whirled around to see the corner of Hideko's white nightdress whipping around the doorframe. She roared and sprinted out of the room, to catch Hideko by the arm and brandish a sword to the princess's throat.

"Let me go! Savage!" Hideko screamed.

"Shut your mouth, or so help me I will carve off your lips," Nori told her sternly.

Nori dragged Hideko back to the room with some difficulty. In the end, she managed to shout to Reiko for some ropes, which Reiko threw up through the window, and tie Hideko up. "Sorry about this, but it's for your own good," Nori said.

"You mustn't go spreading rumors and scaring my sister! I'm surprised that Mayumi bought your story!" Hideko spat with unexpected venom. The next second, Nori stripped a piece of blanket and tied it around Hideko's mouth so she couldn't talk.

"Takes care of that problem," Nori said casually. "Michi, you've got to hurry. The Rose Marquis will be in the city any second."

Michi nodded frantically, apologized to her sister, and ran out. Nori leaped onto the window ledge, carefully avoiding the broken bits of glass, and jumped outside. Reiko was able to catch her on a conjured stone slide, so Nori landed lightly. "We've got to hurry," Reiko said.

"Reiko," Nori asked her friend slowly, "did you... by any chance... contact the Rose Marquis?"

"Me? No way!" Reiko said. She sounded quite shocked. "Why would you think that?"

"Something Michi said," Nori muttered. "But don't worry about it, let's go."

They ran back into the town, where it was pandemonium. People were running through the streets left and right. Reiko and Nori had to fight their way through the crowds to find the rest of the crew. They finally found Masa and Satoru guiding the people traffic. "Whatever you told Michi, it worked!" Satoru said to them when they got back together. "Masa and I woke a couple of people up, but a few minutes ago, the soldiers came from the palace and sounded an alarm."

"Good job, Satoru and Masa! Where's Ryota?" Nori asked.

"I don't know, I didn't see him."

"Gaah! Why is he never around when we need him? I'll find him later. Has the Rose Marquis come into town yet?"

"Not yet, thank goodness."

Nori seemed satisfied with the information. "Thanks, Satoru. Keep up the good work, Masa!"

Masa gave her the thumbs up. "I don't think I am able to fight well, but I'll do my best!"

Suddenly, there were more screams. The Rose Marquis must have arrived! Their group was scattered by a surge of people running up the street. In the distance, they saw the uniformed figures with the masks. Nori ducked behind a building, and in the shadows, she made a ball of water in her hand. She could make it sail through the air like a bullet at 300 mph, which could rip human flesh if a Rose Marquis member passed by her hiding place. She hadn't had to use combat magic yet against the Rose Marquis.Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword in anxiety as the screams grew more prominent in the night air.

The first figure in white was running up the street, brandishing a gun. She blasted the water at him and part of his leg was blasted off, making him yell with pain and shock and fall face-first. Nori dragged his body out of the way as quickly as she could to the shadowy alley.

"Can you see me?" she asked him loudly. He nodded, groaning in pain and struggling against her. Blood was blossoming on the white fabric where a bit of his leg was blown off. "What's your name?"

"H-Hisoka," he stammered through his agony. "Who are yo-"

"Who do you answer to?"

When Hisoka was silent, Nori took out a knife and sliced his cheek. "I can make it a slow death, or I can make it a quick one. You need to answer me, Hisoka."

Hisoka yelped at the sting on his cheek and said, "general Kei."

"Just as I thought. Where is your general?"

"He's still at the harbor. He isn't in the town yet."

"Thank you, you've been helpful," Nori said. She stabbed him, and, ignoring his scream to focus on more pressing matters, she left his body on the cobblestones and ran against the crowds down to the harbor.

*x's song: Stars by Sixx: AM*