Dragon (S)Layers Ch. 27

Volume 4: Dereliction of Duty

Chapter III: Choices

Felicia was perched on the edge of the bed across from Lostariel who held a small dagger between the tips of her fingers with the skill and casual indifference of a trader inspecting wares they intended to resell. The instrument shimmered in the dying light creeping through Felicia's window. The two women eyed one another, periodically shifting their weight so they wouldn't fall.

Eventually when it looked like Felicia wasn't in any real danger, she crawled own off the bed, grabbing her pants. For a moment, Lostariel actually seemed disappointed that the teen would dare cover up her caramel skinned beauty, but it too faded like her warmth and post-orgasm lust had. The woman sharing Felicia's bed was a stranger. Stranger than she had been when she still thought the woman was just a traveler.

It was the pale skinned assassin who broke the silence, her voice tinged with something undefinable- a quiet irritation, perhaps. "What debt do you owe her, then? You don't seem like a jilted lover."

"Jilted lover?" Felicia balked. "Is that what you are? What could she have done that would make you want to kill her?! She's a good person! A little- uh- fopish-"

"Capricious." The woman supplied as she turned her dagger over between her hands. The tip was already starting to draw blood from her thumb but she barely acknowledged it.

Felicia stared at her."What? Okay, fine, she's 'capricious', but does that mean she deserves to die?"

"The better question is what have you done to deserve to live?" It was fairly clear that Felicia posed no threat, but something in the woman's demeanor and careful manner suggested she might have been trying to put Felicia at ease but didn't have the first idea how. Especially given what she'd just said. "People concern themselves with death more than they do their moment to moment living- I challenge you to justify your existence." Her purple eyes turned to the window momentarily. "Or hers. . ."

"That's insane-"

"I may let her live." That amethyst gaze cut towards Felicia. There was no question choosing not to reply wasn't a possibility. Would she go after Sarah- maybe even Felicia- if she didn't answer correctly? What if she lied? Gods, how had it all gone so wrong so quickly. From pleasure to holding someone's life in her hands- she was too young to do this. She had no business- Lostariel tiled her head forward, looking up at Felicia through her bangs. "Well?"

"I- I'm thinking! Give me a moment!"

The woman chuffed a harsh laugh and stood up, crossing the room in four strides. She picked up her bag and set it on the bed, rifling through her gear as the seconds ground on. Clinking metal. Glass. Creaking leather. Felicia bit deep into her lip. She was going to die in this room. . .

Gods how could she have been so stupid. But maybe there was hope. . . Yes, a gamble her mother would have been proud of. It was insane, but maybe, just maybe-

"I think," The northerner broke into her thoughts. "You're afraid of what might happen if you looked and saw just how empty your life truly is."

Felicia played her cards as best she could, trying to keep her voice indignant but firm. "And your life is so much better? H- How many people's 'empty' lives have you ruined with your actions? How many tears have been spilled in your name? Huh? You think I'm a waste when all you do is take and take and take? What've you contributed to humanity? Sarah has her flaws, sure, but she at least makes people smile. . . Isn't that something worthy of praise?"

There was a long moment of silence- the northerner didn't look up from her rummaging, but the sound of gear clattering had stopped and even her breathing had gone quiet. The only sound was Felicia's heart hammering against her ribs as she eyed the short killer. Waiting for the verdict, the swat on a horse's end and the rope to tighten.

Finally, after an eternity, Lostariel looked up and with a glimpse at her distant elven heritage, Felicia found the reasons why she'd been taken in by her charms. Those cheeks, that smile, that flicker of mischief in her eyes. She pointed at the teen with a set of shorts in her hand. "Do you think you can stop me?"

"N- No." She admitted. "But I bet you can be more than than you think you are." That earned a slight brow arch. Felicia pounced on the opportunity. "The spirits gave you every advantage a woman could want- you're beautiful, strong, you would set a thousand hearts on fire with a look! You could be so much if you wanted to be."

"Felicia."

"Please? Consider it?"

Another odd look. "How is it I find two women who are strange enough to be interesting?"

"Gods' intervention?"

Lostariel snorted, glancing away for a moment. "You have until I find her to convince me."

Felicia blinked. "How am I going to do that?"

"Surprise me." Having passed judgment, the woman went back to her bag to find some more clothes.

"W- Well, what did she do? Who wants her dead?"

"My father."

"Uh- why?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"I- Hey, wait. That's not fair, how am I going to convince you to spare her life if you're not going to tell me anything?"

Lostariel looked up with a smirk. "Consider it your rite of passage into adulthood. You've already saved one life today, maybe you can make it two."

#

Laleah's farms laid out along either side of the lamp lit trail like throw rugs, framing a well maintained road that made it easy for carts and horses alike to move with little fear of jostling one another. In the darkness it felt like an alley between two buildings- dark, uncertain, pinned between two futures waiting to crash in against any who dared tread it's packed earth.

Felicia and her horse didn't walk so much as creep down the path towards the braziers of the township's 'gate'. The half dozen men behind the spikey barricades looked like some kind of militia in their leather tunics, but the way they had circled their swords near the fire and the way in which they sat on crates playing cards made it look anything but professional. For a moment she wondered what chance she'd have if she told them about Lostariel.

She was nearby, that was obvious. On the opposite side of the trail, perhaps. None of the travelers Felicia had passed had recognized the indistinct form of the woman, but every animal that came near gave a wide berth, almost into the middle of the trail, to avoid something. Maybe it was just the way things were with her. Animals feared her and she feared them. . .

Felicia swallowed. It was worth a shot, if only to stop her wondering. "Miss Lostariel?"

"Yes?" The reply was instantaneous.

"Why-"

"I told you I'm not going to answer that. She's wronged powers beyond her, you don't need to know more than that."

The teen squinted against the gloom; she caught a glimpse of the woman's outline as she swung her arms. It was a faint glimmer, a refraction of light being absorbed at the edge of a lantern's light halo. Felicia tracked her as best she could from the corner of her vision, lowering her voice just a touch in case someone might hear them. "I was going to ask what will happen when we get to the checkpoint ahead."

"That depends."

"On what?"

No reply.

Felicia sighed. "You're not going to hurt them, are you?"

No reply.

"I-"

"If you think that low of me, you're more jaded than I thought."

"I'm not jaded, I'm just. . . Concerned. I mean, come on. You're going to kill someone, what am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to be thinking about reasons I shouldn't, or have you forgotten?"

"Of course not!" Felicia clenched her jaw, shooting a look at the outline she hoped was the woman. "But you keep telling me that you're beneath valuing human life, what am I supposed to work with?"

"You could always beg."

"Would it help?"

"It might."

For just a moment Felicia wanted to scoff. Something told her she'd never be able to sway things with her words. . . But many there were other ways. She reached into her pack and produced a couple apples. Without warning, she tossed one underhanded towards where she thought the woman was. She was mildly surprised when it landed in the dirt in two parts.

"Uh. . ."

"I'll eat when I'm hungry."

Felicia's heart kicked up a notch, slamming against her ribs. She hadn't even seen the blade get drawn! "O- Okay." After a calming breath she took a bite, easing her mind into focus once more. "Do you like stories/"

Silence.

"Well, how about this one. . ." She cleared her throat. "There are these spirits that roam the plains when the sky goes purple- we call those gem storms because the lighting cracks rocks and you always find gem dust in the holes they make. They're the ancestral spirits, the reason our clan came to be, actually. But before the storms, they used to take care of the land and feed those who came before us.

"One of the most proud was a spirit who's power was so strong it couldn't be felt any more, he attracted animals from all over the world to be there and feed from his breast- the heart is in the breast, right?- so because of these spirits we have horses and dogs and even, some say, dragons."

"Power isn't invisible-"

"It can be. You might not understand it because you have to see it while you're out hunting on the tundra and stuff- I'm sorry that sounds like I'm making fun. I'm not."

After a few moment Lostariel said quietly, "go on."

"Okay. . ." Could she really do this? It meant possibly sparing Sarah's life, so why shouldn't she share some of her tribe's wisdom? Who knew, maybe it would smooth things out between them. "Well, one of our oldest customs is waking up with the day and acknowledging where we came from, where we are and where we want to be. . ."

"That's fairly simplistic."

"Sure, but-" she exhaled sharply. "Not everything in life needs to be complicated, our elders say that only humans can so completely ruin beauty by trying to define it." Felicia polished off her apple quickly. "There are lots of forms of power, but those that're most important are those not felt. . . Right?"

"Tell that to the dead."

"The sky doesn't crack rocks, the lightning does, but without the sky being there where would the lightning come from in the first place?"

"How long have you been among the city dwellers?"

"Uh, maybe a couple of years?"

"It shows. You talk too much and say very little."

"You. . . make it really hard to want to be your friend, you know that?" Felicia shifted her weight. "Fine- what if I said that the concepts man knows of power are flawed? What if I said that the only way you'll ever have real, meaningful power over life is by being a force for change instead of being someone else's sharpened blade? Real power is not being felt, miss Lostariel. Being so radiant that you become luminescent. . ."

As they drew nearer to the barricade, Felicia's heart tightened in her chest. The gulf of silence between the two women was only growing wider and once they got close enough to that barricade, any chance she had to save Sarah's life was going to go up in smoke. "If you want to be more than anyone believes you can be, w- we can do it. I believe in you." She swallowed, digging for new things that might appeal. She may have been trying to bargain with a lizard for all the familiarity she had. She stopped the horse deliberately, turning her head to look across the road. They weren't far from the barricade. It was her last shot.

At least she could pretend to look strong. "I want to be your friend, Lostariel. A lot of people do, a lot of people would believe in you if they had half the chance to get to know you- but is that what you want? Don't you think you could be more than your father's blade? We could make things right with Sarah if you wanted to, but killing her really isn't the way."

The deafening silence stretched into a full minute, Felicia almost turned away thinking Lostariel had left, but then she saw a slender hand grasp the wooden pole of the lantern. The leathers the woman was wearing seemed to absorb the light struggling to cast over that hand but it couldn't gain any purchase. After a breath the would-be killer spoke in a predatory purr: "You're too naive for the world she and I live in. For your sake, as a 'friend'., go home. . . This doesn't concern you and you wouldn't want it to if you knew what was at stake."

"Give me the chance to make that choice, that's not fair. Maybe I can-"

"She doesn't deserve your adoration, nor your tears. Spare neither for her. . ." The hand let go from the post.

"Hey!" Felicia caught herself before she would have yelled. "I- I could tell the guards ahead about you, you know. . ."

"It didn't help their mayor, Felicia. It won't help her." There was some rustling in the wheat behind the fence. "Go home." And just like that, the most dangerous creature Felicia had ever crossed paths with in her short live vanished without a trace, leaving her to stare after her- it- like a hopeless puppy.

"Well. . . What- Th-" She scoffed and nudged her horse onward. There was more than one way to skin a cat, her father had taught her that much. Felicia strode up to the guards with her hand raised and her best smile. "Good evening. Long night?" They barely spared her a glance as a fat man with some kind of silver insignia waved her on. No wonder Lostariel wasn't scared. Felicia wanted to ask about the mayor, but something told her it would probably be best not to implicate herself in anything.

The village itself was laid out around a central building with several stalls and a bright red sign depicting a horse and wagon. The small houses that ringed that were large, mufti-story wood and plaster buildings like the ones in Sorash, borrowing heavily from their aesthetic- trying to look regal but ultimately looking like something which would've fallen over in a stiff wind if not for the massive facades of heavy brick and thick timbers. There were several wagons in the coaster with horses being fed and watered by stable boys. They were quick to help Felicia out with directions to the nearest inn and with a little careful negotiation, she managed to get her horse into a proper stable for a meal.

After which time she offloaded his burden and hauled it to the Little Kettle inn- nearly faceplanting in the process when she tripped with the heavy armor and her supplies on her back. No one really paid attention to her as she dragged herself up to the bar and set her pack down. "Pardon me," she said to the older woman behind the bar. "I'm looking for someone- a red headed woman."

"This is the wrong kind of place t'go lookin for whores, don'tchya think, kiddo?"

"Wha- No! No, she's a friend of mine. I was hoping she might have come through here. She's, uh, a bit taller than I am? Kind of pale? Has pointed ears? She has elven blood."

That earned her a sharp, disapproving look and more than a few glances from the people near the bar. Before Felicia could open her mouth to clarify, the old woman was leaning into her space. "Friendly advice, girl, don't go mixin in with the 'races'. Only bad can come of it."

"N- No, you don't understand. She's a half-elf. . . She's got-" How easy would it have been to lie to this woman? Surely she didn't really care about why she wanted to find Sarah and after all the woman's life was on the line. "She owes me a lot of money?"

"Not the kindda friend you wanna keep then, is it?"

"Well, I mean- I have to find her first, you know? Have you seen anyone like that around? She's kind of. . . Uh. Foppish. Wait- no, capricious."

"The hell's that mean?"

"I don't know. But someone said it was what she was." Felicia fidgeted under the woman's gaze. "Please, any information-"

"Well, now you have t'think. What's in it for me? I got five kids t'feed and my damn fool husband got himself out thinking he's going to mine copper out west like an idiot. So, what am I supposed to tell my little boys when I look them in the eye tomorrow morning?"

Felicia curled her toes in her shoes, already knowing the futility of trying to argue her way out of it. She quietly produced a single piece of the gold Sarah had given her and took the woman's hands so no one else could see the exchange. She leaned in so no one else would hear them. "I have two of these for you if you help me find her. . . I really need to find her, for her sake and mine. Please/"

Once the woman saw what was on offer- real gold, not just copper- she looked at Felicia with new respect. Even as the girl pocketed the coin once more. Instantly the teen felt guilty for taking advantage of the woman's greed, but lives were more important.

"Right enough! Sammy! Come get this woman's things and take them up to her room," to Felicia, she said: "The thing about Sarah Kettar is she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut, yeah? She worked her way into our Mayor's heart- gods rest his soul- sayin she was a Matriarch or somethin from the Free States. But I tell you, I've known a lot of nobles and she don't act like no noble I ever saw."

"How so?"

"She's a knife ear for one thing. Who in their right mind gives elves power? Psh. No, you bet me, she used that silver tongue of hers to get a title. Betchya she's using that tongue right now to find some starry eyed farmer's kid to warm her bed for a night, too. My best bet? You start with the farms, you can usually find her hunting there."

Despite everything, that comment hurt. A lot. Felicia sucked air through her teeth and rolled her shoulders. "Right. . .Um. Thanks. I'll do that." But wait- "Wait, you said she knew the mayor? Do you think she knew. . . uh. . . his/ Family? Maybe they might know something?"

"Oh, sure, sure. They might. Probably wanna get to them before she does, though."

"Why's that?"

"Ooohhh no reason- Richard, his son, and Tanya both wanna kill her. So-"

"Gods above what has this woman gotten me into. . ." Felicia pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Told ya. Stay away from knife ears, girl. Bad medicine."

"I uh- thanks." Felicia turned for the door. Someone grabbed her arm, stopping her short. The wizened face of a hunched man with skin as dark as mahogany was looking up at her. "Um, pardon me?"

In her native tongue, he whispered. "You are far from home, child."

Felicia blinked. "I am, elder."

His brow furrowed slightly, marring a tiny fire tattoo at the edge of his brow- the mark of a warrior. A very strange thing for someone so old and even more so for someone so far from home himself. "For good reason?"

Even hearing the wispy Plains talk felt strange and out of place among the sharper common tongue of the Nor-easterners. It wasn't comforting as it had once been, but rather a burden. An obstacle to getting to Sarah in this moment. But she didn't dare defy an elder, not a warrior. With great care, she lowered her gaze and her hands to show her respect. "I believe so. . . I have made a friend who has gotten herself into trouble, she's angered powerful people who wish her dead."

The old man let out a sigh through his nose. "So many here are eager to kill, but they never stop to wonder if they really should. So much good blood spilled over useless things."

"Yes, elder. I'm trying to stop that from happening-"

"Tell me."

"Uh- Yes?"

"Do you remember the song of Thunder?"

Felicia frowned.

"Good," with a slow, deliberate hand he reached under the blanket he had been sitting on. He drew a thick blade curved downward. Some of the patrons looked over at his brandishing of the leather clad steel but no one seemed eager to intervene. His withered hands trembled slightly as he turned the blade over, hilt first to her. "Do not let it be sung for your friend."