Deathless

Deathless Chapter Twenty: Ultimatum

Chapter Twenty: Ultimatum

“So, what now?” Sirya asked in between shallow, heavy breaths. She leaned backwards, her long jet black hair slick with seawater spreading out in a flowing black curtain behind he

“Now,” Vanya said after a pause. “We head towards Southport, and continue on“Can we, at the very least, try and dry ourselves off in town?” Risselyn asked, turning his gaze to the scattered assortment of wooden and stone buildings that was Sizgodil Town. 

He was evidently shivering now. The air was colder down here, now that they were closer to the south. That, coupled with the fact that they were drenched with freezing sea water, it was hard to blame him.

She could feel a chill in the air, and she knew that it would only get worse as they continued south.

Vanya had even heard tell that on the peaks of the mountains of Southreach, the mountains were capped with snow as white as the wool of sheep.

“I don’t like that idea,” Lindale remarked. “Too many rebel soldiers crawling about. We’d get caught, and be back to square one.”

“Still, we need to at least get a change of clothes. I’m not hitting the road dripping wet,” Risselyn argued.

“I’d rather be dripping wet than be in a dungeon somewhere,” Lindale countered.

“Lindale,” Sirya interjected. “I think you’re failing to notice the abundance of supplies we have right now.”

“Right, yes. I forgot,” Lindale realised with a jolt.

“I mean, we didn’t exactly have the luxury of time just now, did we?” Sirya continued, gesturing to the smoking wreckage of the pirate ship they’d just escaped from. 

Lindale groaned. “I suppose you’ve got a point there.”

“But for that matter, the townspeople have probably already noticed that we just burned down a pirate ship right on their doorstep,” Lindale observed. “Won’t they be able to put two and two together if right after the Cleaver burned down four wanderers waltzed in, dripping wet from seawater?”

“We can always just find one of the smaller inns, on the Sizgodil outskirts,” Vanya offered. “We’d be out of sight. We can dry off there, rest for a night or so, and then in the morning, restock in the marketplace.”

“That makes sense,” Sirya agreed. “We’d be out of sight of the rebels, for the most part.”

“I suppose,” Lindale pondered. 

And then a thought came to him. “But here’s another idea. Why don’t we just head back north?”

“North?” Risselyn asked, confused. “That’ll take us farther away from Morsar.”

“Exactly,” Lindale confirmed. “Why don’t we just abandon this suicide mission and head back?”

“You’re saying you want to disobey a direct order from the Emperor?” Risselyn demanded.

“I’m saying that it’s an option,” Lindale replied. “I mean, we’re close to the border right now. We could be out of rebel territory in a day if we so please.”

“He’s got a point there,” Sirya acknowledged. “The rebels already have it out for us. It’s only going to get worse from here on out.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually considering this,” Risselyn said, bemused, raising his voice slightly. “Abandoning a task that the Emperor has given you?”