Sovereign of Stars

2.

MYRIA

Zemra

Maius

Myria had had enough with the rain. For the past three days, rainstorm after rainstorm had plagued Myria's small village of Zemra and the mountainside that surrounded it. At first, Myria had welcomed the fresh air and the moisture as a gift from the gods; surely, spring had come at last. However, the sheets of silver droplets had only begun to let up after three very long, very wet days.

Myria sniffed as she continued down the streets of Zemra's pitiful downtown. The smell of mud and hay lining the streets wasn't exactly anyone's first choice in favorite scents, but lately, it would have to suffice. She had work to do, and she wasn't about to let a rainstorm get in the way of that.

With another deep breath, Myria straightened her posture, tucked her old wool coat tighter around her frame to protect the files underneath it, and began her less than dignified muddy march to the tavern at the end of the street.

As Myria approached, The Goat's Crown looked just like any other building in the 'downtown': wooden panels, thatched roof, stone windowsills, faded storm shutters. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd walk right past it, which is why it became the perfect place for anyone looking to lay low for a while. Sure, everyone in town loved the Crown—always full of lively music, inviting warmth, and tasty meals—but only a few knew its true secrets.

And Myria just happened to know them all.

Myria pushed the door to the Goat's Crown open and stepped inside. Instantly, she was bathed in light and warmth from the hearth along the wall. About a dozen people milled about at various tables with plates of food or mugs of coffee. A fiddler was playing a hearty jig up on the small stage, while a singer babbled along in Illyrian—the first Perian dialect. Patrons of the Crown clapped and sang along, downing their mugs of coffee the way some would down wine.

"Myria!" Alo Klea's crooned from across the tavern. The old woman was waving frantically from behind the oak bar, a dishcloth in her hand. "Come quick!"

Myria hurried over to the bar, a concerned look on her face. "What is it, Alo?"

For a moment, the old woman's expression looked dire and Myria's heart panged with fear. Maybe Edi and the Eagle's Eye had been found out? The possibility made her stomach flip. Before she could ask, Alo Klea finally spoke.

"Wipe your feet at the door before you come in. I don't pay my bills to this town to have muddy floors." She flicked her dishcloth at Myria gently, hitting her in the shoulder.

Myria hung her head, sighing in sarcastic relief. "Thank the gods," she teased, looking back up with an impish look in her eye, "I thought you had something important to say to me."

Alo Klea tried to fight it, but a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. "You and your tongue, girl. It'll get you into trouble someday."

"Ah, but that day is not today," Myria winked. She leant across the bar, pouring herself a glass of water.

"What, there's not enough water for you out there?" Alo Klea nodded towards the door as she scrubbed a plate down.

Myria arched an eyebrow sarcastically, setting her drink down. "I'll be down—"

"Shh!" Alo Klea hissed, staring daggers at Myria. She took a moment to breathe, glanced at a point beyond Myria's sight, then spoke again. "Edi is still away at school."

Myria furrowed her brow. That was the fallback in case a secret about the Eye had been revealed. To most of Zemra--especially to its officials that the Eagle's Eye so avidly targeted--Edi Hoxha was away at the Kessinger School of Trade in the Corellan Isles. However, he actually stayed in the basement of the Crown, only sneaking up and out after the tavern had closed or when it was time to run papers to the town.