A Dance of Shadows : Witches of Rothmina

Chapter 2:The Town of Ash and Mud

Jalya,he whispered,as he was nearing the end of the coastal path.He remembered a small but beautiful town,standing between a mountain and the sea,fields and a forest  beyond,full of roses and a beach where he would swim and collect shells with Ilvine.12 years.It has been too long.The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks and the coast brought him back to the present.He started walking at a faster pace when he saw tall buildings at the distance.That fast walking became an enthusiastic sprint,as if the 16 year old boy had awaken and had taken command of his soul and body at the mere sight of the town where he was once so happy, where he was in peace and in love.But in an instant,the boy faded,and the man that had seen pain,suffering,madness and betrayal emerged again.He stopped and stood still,proccessing what he was exactly seeing.He had reached the entrance to Jalya,but the town he held in his memories like a a treasure was no more.All he saw was a city in ruins,poverty and misery.He walked slowly through broken ,dirty streets, farms and houses and saw hunger and pain in the eyes of the residents.A small girl sprinted towards him and suddenly fell on his feet.
"Help!",she shouted once she raised her eyes on Attius,"please sir,you have to help me...those bad men...they're hurting my mommy!"
Before Attius said another word She grabbed his hand and started running,until she led him to a more remote neighborhood,filled with tents and debris.Attius looked around and noticed some eyes peering through the openings of some tents."All right",he said,"where is your mother and these bad men?".The girl said nothing and just turned around and hid inside one of the tents.Suddenly a man and a woman got out of that same tent and 10 more from the other tents around him.They surrounded him,the 10 men and women holding knives and rusty broken swords and the man and the woman,who seemed to be the leaders of this group had two pistols aiming for his chest.Attius let a deep sigh escape his lungs "I didn't even want to suspect this..."he raised his hands in both frustration and dissapointment "...but here we are",he conluded with a sarcastic smile starting to take shape on his lips.The man with the pistol took a few steps closer to Attius and with hoarse voice he said "It's simple, stranger! Hand over your weapons,clothes and money and we let you live with one of your hands , as additional payment for tresspassing to our turf,or you try to play the brave boy and we cut you to pieces to feed the dogs and take your stuff ourselves.Your choice".Attius' sarcastic smile was replaced by a sinister and cold look."Listen pal,I have no time to waste for you and your little community here.So you either let me pass and we end this little misunderstanding here...". "Or..." he continued,and the back of his left hand started glowing with an unnatural grey light,revealing the strange symbol,dread and disbelief formed in the man's eyes,"...well actions speak louder than words".With these words,Attius left their sight in seconds.All they saw was a blurry dark figure knocking out the 10 men,one by one.Then just as suddenly,Attius appeared as if by thin air in front of the man and the woman.The woman dropped her pistol and stood there,paralyzed by fear,staring at the symbol,still glowing in Attius' gloved hand.The man tried to shoot him but Attius tossed the gun aside with ease.He fell to his knees
"please sir!"he said with a trembling voice,"I didn't know you were one of them! Please! Spare us! We have kids inside the tents! We starve sir! Please understand"
Attius grabbed him by his ragged shirt and  lift him in the air .
"You want me to understand? Fine,answer some questions then".
"Y...y...yes...anything you want."
Attius let out a smile
"Where can I find the Black Sword gang?"

He had a lead again.The man told him of an inn further down the street.The bartender there,who was also the owner, would sometimes provide the citizens with food and drink,in exchange for their silence, for there were times they saw him sheltering in his inn various wanted men ,some were armed with knives made of some sort of black metal.Attius saw the sign of the bar: "The Night Crawler".He entered the inn and the smoke of many cigars hit his face and nostrils.The vast majority of the clients included citizens,guardsmen and sailors and they were either dancing or sharing jokes and insults among themselves,all of them in an severe drunken state.Attius however noticed some shady figures, who were just sitting in the corners, watching everything around them from under their hoods.He made his way to the bar,minding not to step on some unconcious sailors on the wooden floor.He finally sat to the bar.There wasn't so much smoke there so he could see more clearly.Behind the bar was a vast collection of drinks,some were from far away corners of the empire and some were once well known Rothminian wines.All the bottles were empty though.The bartender finally appeared,a young and rather big man,with golden hair, a goatee and brown eyes.
"What can I get you, stranger?",he asked.
"A rothminian dragon",Attius replied.
The bartender nodded and went to find the bottle and a glass.After a while,he got him his drink,in a slighlty shattered glass.Attius turned it to the side that was still intact and took a big sip.Well, he had tasted worse,but this one was special,it had an extra ingredient.He let out a smile and his eyes returned to the bartender and said "So the folk around here say you know things and people."
"Folk around here talk too much,I'm just an inkeeper",he answered.He was about to go clean some glasses, when suddenly he turned around towards Attius.The bartender examined the strange man in front of him closely for a few mintutes before he spoke again:
"Excuse me,mate,you certainly are not from this Island,but I believe I have seen your face before".
Attius smiled,he was suspecting that he also had seen this inkeep before.
"I once visited Rothmina and stayed for a short time here in Jalya.It was 12 years ago".The bartender's face softened."Aaa those were the days,when this town and the whole island were thriving! And look at it now,the people call Jalya "the town of ash and mud" now,for these were what remained from that terrible storm that hit us."
"What storm?,Attius asked  and even though he seemed calm ,  a fire started burning within him, What in the Void happened to this town and this island?"
The bartender's face became cold again " I'm sorry",he said,"I got carried away.Even though you seem familliar,you are still a stranger,and a stranger snooping around my business at that.So,you need to dissappear.He crossed his hands,let out a sinister grin,and nodded to the direction of the shady hooded figures.Attius tried to hold his laughter.The barkeep glared at him."Is there something that you find funny?",he said and waved at the hooded men to stand and get to the bar."Oh I'm sorry,Attius said,it's not the first time and after a while it just gets funny".
"What gets funny?" the barkeep asked,with a face full of confusion.
"Trying to drug me with the drink.And you're right,I think we've met before,I'm not entirerly sure though".
The barkeep started getting anxious."How?,he asked,how did you..."
"The drug is actually strong,it would knock out a normal man in seconds".
"However...,he said and he showed the back of his left hand with the symbol on it shining with a grey yellow light through his glove,"I am no normal man".
The bartender's face turned pale at the sight of it."The...the ... sigh of...you are marked by...the Night Mistress!".
"Oh so you know this sign,Attius said,"you have seen this before haven't you?"
"Yes...I remember.Only twice in my life have I seen this.But you said you last came here 12 years ago.But...that means..."
Attius interrupted his rambling "We have met before.I remember you,and the other three.Yes,four 14 year olds playing defenders of the weak,carrying knives made by black iron,I suppose that's how you came up with the name of your little band.And the leader of your group,Stervel 'Stev' Esmer".Attius paused for a few seconds and let out a sigh of relief."Phew,thank the void it's actually you.I mean your face seemed familliar,but we haven't seen each other for 12 whole years.My memory hasn't let me down yet but still it was a shot in the dark."
The bartender couldn't believe any ot he things that he was hearing or seeing and remained speechless.The hooded figures stood left and right from Attius,their eyes fixed on the bartender's lips,waiting for a signal or an order.Attius noticed them but he kept looking straight at the bartender."Call them off",he said with a calm and serious voice,"if you remember this symbol,you remember what I can do with it.And I don't think you would want any more fuss on your fine establishment,would you?"
The bartender looked at the symbol again and then to his men.For a moment he stayed silent,with his right hand carresing nervously his goattee.He then spoke:"At ease lads".
The men gave him a look of both desbelief and confusion."I gave you an order,go back and sit down!".The men retired back to their seats,never keeping their eyes out of Attius."So",Attius said,"I remember you but I still can't find your name.Berther,Borer?"
"Bothrer",the barkeep said,"and you are?"
"Attius Mether,agent of the empire,and I came back here on Rothmina to learn more about the rumours of witches roaming the island."
"I see",Bothrer said,"what do you wish to know then?"
"Any information you Black Swords have aquired is welcome."
"Well,let me prepare myself first",Bothrer replied and got a bottle of Rothminian beer,opened it and drank a little,"witches have existed in this island for centuries,both benevolent and malicious ones,no matter what these zealots from the temple of Saint Lucillia say".He took a another big sip,"but then,there came a witch unlike any other,a woman who terrorised the entire Ilse for nearly 200 years.No one knew who she was,nor where she came from,hell for a while we thought she was actually a myth.She orchestrated dark schemes in the shadows,had the old governor and his whole familly slain and brought a vicious storm upon Jalya to avenge those who stopped her once in the past.We now call her,the Hag."Attius noticed the hair on Bothrer's arms stand up."We have searched the whole island",Bothrer continued and drank some more," to find out more about her,but the only thing we know now is that she is real,and she has all the Ilse's witches by her side.All but a handful.We have tried finding this group that defied her,but they seem to have turned to smoke on the wind".Bothrer drank the last drop from the bottom of the bottle and spoke again:"Now we are stuck.We have the threat of the Hag in front of us and the new governor of the Ilse on our asses."
Attius let out a big smile, he had an idea of what is going on.It was time to visit a more familliar place,he thought,but first:"Listen to me Bothrer,I am here now and I intend to help this island.I need to speak with your boss".
"Stev?It will be hard.He is laying low on some mountain villages to the east.Once he gets back I'll speak to him.I don't fully trust you yet,Attius Mether but we have no choice.You might be the only one who can help us now".Attius raised his glass"To the Black Swords then!".Suddenly the sounds of tumpets made the drunken men inside the inn silent and nervous,and a man entered through the door."Bothrer! Bothrer!",he shouted,panting."What is it?" Bothrer replied.The man stood on the edge of the door catch his breath and then he spoke:"The Governor!" He is heading here in the inn!"
"What?!",shouted Bothrer and he and Attius stared each other in confusion.
"What the hell does he want in MY inn!?" ,Bothrer said,punching the bar,"Get out of here Attius! Go search for the witches!"
Attius regained his calmness,"not yet",he replied."What?",Bothrer asked.
"I want to see the governor.I need to see what kind of man he is"
"The kind that can't be reasoned with!Don't bother yourself with the likes of him!", Bothrer said in rage.Attius insisted:"you may be right but I want to see it with my own eyes".
"Fine,have it your way!", Bothrer said,"But I won't stick around to see this.I'm off to warn the others about you and prepare for Stev's return"
"Good luck then",Attius replied.Bothrer nodded and finally said:"Thryan,handle the bar while I'm gone" and left from the back door.Attius stayed at his place at the bar,amongst the drunk citizens and soldiers amd sailors,who now were running around in panic,trying as best as they can in their state to at least look decent for the special guest that was coming.Attius took his drink,the drug actually fixes the drink's taste,he thought, and stared at the inn's front door,waiting for the governor.