Firewind

Chapter 30-Diero

We were almost to Linti thanks to Amora's help. I was carrying a sleeping Talkinn. Everyone was just trying to stay awake as we walked through the forest. Leshanna was dragging her feet and seemed to have nothing left to say and Ronan had quit his rambling over an hour ago.

"Are we almost there?" I asked again. "I feel like we should have been there already."

"We are going slower because it got dark," Amora justified. "It should be just through those trees. I can see some light through the branches."

Indeed there was light shining through the branches. We had gotten two rooms at the inn this time so Amora and Leshanna shared and Ronan, Talkinn and I shared. I had never been so thankful to fall asleep on a real bed that night. I was also glad I got enough rest to face what we woke up to the next morning.

That morning I woke up to screams coming from the room next door. I was up in a heartbeat with my bow in hand and ran to the source of the sounds. A tired-looking Ronan peered over my shoulder into the room. Amora's wrists were bound and a rag was stuffed in her mouth. Two guys were standing over her dressed from head to two in black and gray with hoods obscuring their faces. Two others were hovering over Leshanna, one holding a knife to her throat.three others were standing in the center of the room talking in hushed tones.

Once they realized that Ronan and I were there, the three in the middle drew swords from the folds of their clothes that I didn't even realize were there. I quickly shot an arrow at the closest one's hand and their sword fell to the ground. But faster than I could blink the other to disarmed me and had a good hold of my arms. I wrenched my arms out of their grasps but just ended up with a sword to my calf. I felt the blade hit my bone. I crumpled to the ground. Leshanna screamed. They tied up my arms and gagged me as well as Ronan.

Talkinn had woken up and was hanging onto Ronan's arm with fear in his eyes. Five more people dressed in black came and escorted all of us out of the Inn. They led us blindfolded through the city. I heard a couple of doors open and we headed down a set of stairs. Our captors took off our blindfolds and I opened my eyes to a dark room. I heard the click of stones and a torch blazed to life across from me. Footsteps descended the staircase along with harsh whispers.

"Why did you bring them here?" an angry voice asked, obviously female.

"Because well, because-" another answered.

"Spit it out already!"

"I recognize him. Can't remember from where exactly."

"Well, this had better be good."

The door opened and two figures walked in. Instead of wearing all black, these three were wearing all red with black capes. The one in the lead took off their hood to reveal the face of a middle-aged woman. She pulled a chair up to the table that was in front of me and sat down with a sigh. She had chocolate brown hair in long braids lightly streaked with gray and woven with red ribbons. Her dark eyes glowed in the firelight, the torches reflected in her irises and shining on her dark skin.

"Are you guys spies?" she asked. She snapped her fingers and someone brought her a mug filled with steaming liquid. She took a sip and looked back at me with boredom in her eyes as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Spies," I answered, "Seriously?"

"Yes, spies. The kind that tracks people down and listens in on secret conversations. Here, let me rephrase this. Do you have any connection to the nobles or royals of Nuala?"

"Me. Royalty. You have got to be joking."

"I am not joking."

At this point, the other voice I had heard talking with this woman on the stairs decided to pipe up.

"Lian!" He gasped dramatically. "It can't be you! How do you still look so young?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Lian Helder! You're him of course.... Aren't you?"

"Lian was my father."

"OH," he pulled off his hood to reveal a much older face than I had expected. He had dark curly hair, and his olive skin was crinkled at his eyes, probably from years of endless smiling. The corners of his mouth were also threaded with wrinkles as if his mouth wanted to stretch into a grin. And he did grin. "Well, what's your name son? I'm Porces but everyone calls me Po. Is your dad here in Linti?"

They waited for my answer. But I just turned my face away.

"Oh. Sorry," Po said, flustered. "If you don't mind my asking, how did he die?"

"Ritskilionoso attack."

"What about your mother who was she? I always thought that he'd end up with that girl he was always flirting with, she had dark hair, bright eyes. Her name was Finnellen I believe."

"Yes. She also died. In the attack."

"I'm sad to hear it. She was such a wonderful young woman. Your father would talk about her non-stop as if he only had eyes for her."

"Now enough of that Po. I'm Rhea Vakos. Pleased to meet you," the lady said. "I'm sorry about your parents and the investigation. You see we're a rebel group called the Obscure."

Some of the others in the room untied Ronan, Leshanna and Amora. Another released my own hands. Then all at once, everyone else's hoods were thrown back with a resounding whoosh. There were some that looked as young as twelve and some that looked as old as fifty.

"Now there are a couple of rules if you and yours are to leave this room alive," Rhea continued "You see, to ensure our safety, we have everyone in this village under tight control. No one leaves or enters Linti without our knowing. I need you to swear by the seven spirits that you will not betray us and that you mean no harm. If not-"

"We will hunt you down and kill you," Po said cheerfully.

"If you leave without saying anything-" Rhea continued with an irritated tone.

"We will hunt you down and kill you," Po chirped again.

"If you betray us to the Crown."

I waited for Po to say the same thing again: "Yes, yes, I get it. You'll hunt us down and kill us."

"Wrong! We will hunt you down and torture you!" Po smiled with an evil glow in his eyes.

"That's unsettling..." Ronan muttered to Leshanna. She nodded, wide-eyed.

"Wipe that look off your face Po Olayan," A newcomer said, she was wearing all black with a red sash around her waist. So I assumed that meant that she was a different rank from Po and Rhea who were obviously the leaders but she wasn't one of the obscures. "Sorry for being late Rhea, Aisha was having trouble finding Norym again. What have we here?"

"Diero Helder, this is Dyeanee Casera. Dyeanee, this is Diero," Rhea said, gesturing to me.

Dyeanee had blond hair cut just above her shoulders. It was wispy and uneven and made her tan skin look darker than it was. She obviously spent a lot of time outside. But her green eyes held wisdom and had squint lines at the corners as if she spent a lot of time reading late into the night with only candles for light. His mother's eyes had always looked like that. She often read at night when she finally had time to herself. She would read aloud to my father. He almost always fell asleep to my mother's dismay.

"So what's the deal with them? I thought we were just going to monitor them," she asked grabbing the mug off the table. She polished it off to which Rhea just frowned.

"I knew his father," Po said with a nod to me.

"Huh," Dyeanee said, now she was helping herself to a bowl of pastries that someone put on the table. "Thanks. Anyways where are we putting them. Now that they know."

"Ah yes. I suppose we should arrange that," Rhea said with a sigh. She waved at one of the obscures standing behind her and they took the food away. "And we'll have to get someone to take a look at that leg, Helder."