Archives: Cian’s Quest
Chapter 11: Khina: ‘The Gilded Throne’
Thankfully, the day’s trip had been uneventful. No more snipers, mercenaries, assassins, or brigands. Perhaps the delay was only due to the travel time of messengers, though Emir seemed well informed; probably due to a long line of shady thieves and crooks between them and him. Ciprian didn’t relax for a moment though. Town could potentially be more dangerous than the road if Emir had spies here. Since the three cities were major trade stops, Ciprian was sure there would be spies to worry about, but he was confident they could defend themselves—and then they would be able to interrogate the spies.
He found one of the more respectable inns to stay at, the Gilded Throne. Staying at an expensive place would make it harder for the scoundrels they had encountered so far to watch them. Luckily, this was no strain on the purses of the poorer members of the party. Ciprian’s status earned him and Cian a free suite, and affordable discounts for his companions and stabling for the horses.
Once their stay had been paid for, Ciprian turned to Xian. “We should find the local horse market before they close,” he said to the mercenary. “I’ll buy you a horse.”
Cian said little while they traveled and was once more deep in thought. His thought’s never strayed far from his sister. He wondered what she was like, if she even remembered their parents, and if she was alright. Constant worries that made him think and wonder about what type of life his sister had lived. He looked at Cip and thought about the meeting he had had with the knight and the knight’s family, Cip was blessed and in return had been a blessing to Cian. The boy would never forget all the knight had done for him and as soon as he was able he hoped he could repay the man for all his kindness. It brought a smile to his face and the boy spoke up as they reached their destination. “Cip Do you think she’s pretty?” He sighed and continued, “My sister I mean, do you think?he’s grown up well and is pretty? I mean I grew up uh?I’m still growing and I became a thief?ell former thief now a squire to a great knight. Do you think Linette has grown up to be a fine lady or something? I mean Emir did sell to lot’s of different people. I hope she’s grown up pretty like Cari.” He looked back at the priestess and smiled, “I hope she has?#0146;cause Cari is pretty.”
Carianna blushed crimson immediately. The life of a priestess was no glamorous lifestyle, so being complimented on looks, while both superficial and superfluous to a a follower of Rada, was still a feat. And, despite the fact that Cari knew that physical beauty was not important to the spirit, she would not deny the power of a kind and pleasant face on most people. “With a brother as handsome as you, how could she not turn out as stunning?” Carianna replied softly.
Ciprian was a little annoyed by Cian interrupting when he was trying to talk to Xian. However, what Cian had to say made it hard for Ciprian to reprimand him. “I’m sure she has,” Ciprian replied. Cian was almost always musing on his missing sister, but Ciprian keep a realistic view. She could possibly have been adopted by a common family, or purchased as a scullery maid...or worse. It didn’t seem likely that she would be adopted by a noble family. “Please do not interrupt conversations, Cian,” Ciprian said reluctantly, then turned his attention to Xian. “Well?”
Xian flushed a little with embarrassment. “I don’t knows how to ride,” the large man admitted sullenly. “I know how to swing a hoe and dig irrigation ditches, but that was not something I learned how to do. There weren’t really any horses at my farm. I was the labor beast, so it’s kind uv hard to imagine a beast riding another beast.”
Ciprian frowned. “Hmm...that makes it a little harder for us to travel quickly with you. You’re too heavy to be riding double,” the knight mused on the situation for a moment. “Well, there are two options. We could either get you a good tempered animal that you could easily learn the basics of riding on, or we could buy a cart and trade in some of our horses. However, once we reach the desert, we may have to get camels, and carts don’t travel too well in sand if we need to go off the main roads.”
“Oh,” Xian muttered. “Uh good tempered beast sounds about right. I’ll learn one way or another. So, you said we should get going to get there before the market closes or somethin’?”
“I’ll be waiting here for you to return. I need to make more of my healing salve. I should have enough to make a few more uses of it before we leave town, until I can gather more supplies,” Kylia said after they had settled their affairs and were making plans. She wanted to keep an ample stock in case they needed it again.
Ciprian nodded to Xian, then turned back to the rest of the group. “Sounds good, Kylia,” he responded to their resident apothecary, then looked down to his squire. “Cian, stay with the ladies, we shouldn’t be gone too long.” The knight then headed for the door with Xian.
“Sure thing.” Cian watched Xian and Ciprian depart and the boy looked at Cari and Kylia, then spoke, “If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know. I suppose now would be a good time for me to work on my manners.” The boy thought about the slight reprimand that Cip had given him for interrupting the knight’s conversation with the mercenary. Normally if he’d been with Emir the punishment would’ve been a backhanded slap that most likely would’ve busted his lip. He was thankful Cip was nowhere near that type of person. Of course if he had been then Cian and the others most likely wouldn’t be where they were now. Knights didn’t act in such a manner and the boy made it up in his mind to do better.
Once she was settled in Kylia setup her little workspace, though she needed little help. She looked up to Cian as she was busy at the moment. “Could you go get me some cold water in a bowl? I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I have to make sure I have the proper ingredients unpacked. I really would appreciate you helping me out Cian, if you would be so kind,” she made the request as she opened the same book her mother used, as well as some of the gathered herbs and other items she needed for the salve.
* * *
Ciprian and Xian left the inn and set out into the city. After speaking to a local, Ciprian found out where the horse market was. As the two men walked through Khina’s streets, Ciprian was getting a little uncomfortable with the silence. Xian made him uncomfortable, but not because of what he was capable of, but because he had led such a starkly different life.
“About your payment...” Ciprian started. He felt quite embarrassed by his large offer when Xian first joined them. It was partially due to his ignorance, but also because he wanted to help someone who had suffered so much. “It seems my offer was a little too uhh...generous. Since Silemria didn’t come with us, I can still afford it, but if you think that it’s best to renegotiate, I could pay you something a little more reasonable. There may also be a reward on this Emir that would be split amongst the group.”
“Yeah, the payment you offered made me a little uncomfortable,” Xian honestly responded while scratching his head. “I’m not used to large sums of money, and really not that used to the thought of traveling with some sort of nobility. I ain’t never really been near nobles much at all. So just name a price that’s reasonable. I ain’t too picky on how much I make as long as I get to eat.”
Xian’s response put Ciprian at ease, and the knight nodded. “I’ll pay you what you need to keep food in your belly, pay rent, and buy yourself some better equipment,” Ciprian replied. At least if Xian had better equipment, he would hopefully be able to find better jobs afterwards. “In fact, I think you should probably get another sword before we go much further. Tomorrow morning we can visit a blacksmith and see if there are any swords for sale.”
“Yeah,” Xian sullenly responded. He didn’t understand what to do in a situation where he was doted upon. The fact that Ciprian was heaping on the kindness made the farm boy a little uncomfortable. “A new sword would probably be a good investment.”
Ciprian said no more. He was still feeling quite awkward around Xian as well, but it was in his nature to want to help people. The knight led the way to the market in silence, weaving through the crowd with the more imposing mercenary behind him. Once they reached the markets, Ciprian helped Xian chose a suitable horse—large enough to carry his weight, and with a mild temperament. With the new horse, Ciprian and Xian returned to the inn.
* * *
Ciprian and Xian returned to the inn a little over an hour after they left. Kylia had been working while they waited, with Cian to help her. Ciprian sat down at the table with them. “You haven’t seen anything suspicious, have you?” he asked lowly. Even with his choice of inns, he wasn’t going to stop worrying about being spied on.
* * *
Carianna had been wandering around the inn, talking with various people. She always had a smile to share with others and even helped out the waitress there a bit when a large group came in. In fact, she found herself so busy meeting and learning from others that she didn’t notice Ciprian’s return.
* * *
Kylia had already finished by the time he returned, her equipment had already been repacked as well. Sitting back with a cup of tea, she replied to Ciprian, not having noticed anything, “If anything was suspicious I wouldn’t have noticed. I hope there is nobody watching us now.”
Cian said nothing, though he’d wanted to ask Kylia a few questions. Since learning what little Cip had taught him, he found he was becoming curious about many things around him. It was a great change from just focusing on the day to day struggles for survival and the boy was glad there was more to life. But there was time enough for that later. He looked at Cip and decided it was time to let the knight in on a few things. “Cip, there’s a few things you need to know about Emir. He’s a slaver as you know, but he also extorts money from many tradesmen in return for his mercenaries’ protection. They in turn pay him a fee, not a lot, but enough for him to keep with a few things.” The boy thought as he tried to remember. “He also uses urchins like me to steal, and to be his eyes and ears. And if necessary to throw themselves at his enemies as a distraction. He’s not big on fighting face to face, he loves to use archers and distance assassins; a poison dart here, an arrow there, and you’ve got a dead enemy.” He paused to let the knight and his other companions ask questions before continuing.
Ciprian listened well to Cian. “What do you think about him getting a spy in here?” he asked. A rich inn like the Gilded Throne wasn’t a place to meet thieves and mercenaries. Most of their customers were merchants, knights, and even low nobility.
Cian thought about it and spoke, “It’s a possibility. Emir wasn’t above using spies, in fact he usually employs mercs and spies. He uses tactics like threatening others, or holding something over them. Bad part is Emir has a lot of friends in high places. He trades slaves for work and other things. It gets him a lot of privileges.” He paused and thought a moment then spoke again in a lower voice, “Any ideas?”
“We all stay alert,” Ciprian spoke lowly, addressing everyone at the table. “If any of us see someone acting suspiciously, or watching us too intently, let us all know. I don’t want to accuse anyone suspicious, but we must be aware of our surroundings. If there is anything that may be a threat that isn’t addressed before bed, we should take shifts sleeping, even in our rooms.”
“Alright, if we have to take watches I’ll take first watch. It would be nice to sleep in peace however. Cian is there a chance he’d try to kill us at this point?” Kylia replied. If there was the risk of an assassin, she would have no choice but to make them disappear. She did not like the thought, but it was an option in this case.
Cian thought a moment, then spoke in a low voice. “Yes. He most definitely will. If he has any mercenaries or hirees around here or near us then he’ll try. He’s not foolish though, I doubt it’ll be as mundane as have someone come stab us in our beds. More likely he’ll try a diversion, fire in the inn or something, and then the killers would come in and take care of business. I’d also be very careful of the food we eat. Better we buy in market. Anyone could sneak in kitchen and add some poison to the mix.” He didn’t want to sound paranoid but he was; Emir was well versed in getting even with his enemies.
“Kylia, you’re sharing a room with Cari. You’ll have to discuss it with her,” Ciprian addressed the half-elf. It would be rather odd to have one member of the party watching over the sleepers in any of the rooms they rented. He continued, speaking to the table as a whole. “The market is shutting down now, so dinner will have to be rations. Perhaps we should just retire for the evening?”
* * *
Despite the serious conversation going on, Carianna was in a good mood. Getting to do something a bit more hands on was a refreshing change of pace. Better yet, the only other waitress was grateful of the help. Helping others was always a relief and, as much as she felt warmly welcomed by Ciprian and the others, she felt useless with them. She could do little to defend others or help solve their problems. Wisdom seemed so handy in theory, but in the real world, she had begun to realize, solutions didn’t come from quoting books. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, a smile could not cure every ill.
Of course, these worries couldn’t stop her from helping. She had applied herself! Cari’s mind turned quickly back to the drinks she was serving, wishing each man personal pleasure and comfort from their purchases.
* * *
Kylia thought for a moment. Since Carianna was currently occupied she would talk to her later. What Cian said made her shudder, such a method would be difficult to escape and even harder to fight in if used. “Rations are good. I’ll talk to her when she’s not busy. I will just put any who come to sleep, though I may have to kill them if they know what to expect,” she spoke, not liking the idea of the last option, but they had to defend themselves by any means necessary. She had to think like an assassin for this, so that she could keep her guard up.
Ciprian looked over his shoulder to see Carianna still serving drinks. He would have to talk to her. The knight turned back to his table and addressed their mercenary, “Xian, you’re going to have to share the room with Cian and I so we can take watches. We’ll trade beds as needed. I’ll be right back.”
Ciprian stood and went to meet Cari. As she spoke to customers, he waited patiently, standing behind her, for her to finish.
“Well, thank you! You enjoy your night as well!” Carianna said with a smile as she spun around to come face to chest with Ciprian. Baffled by the object that seemed to just appear where there was once nothing, she stumbled straight into him. “Oh I’m sorry!” she said, her face immediately transforming into a feeling of self-idiocy. “I’m such a klutz...”
Ciprian caught Carianna by the shoulders to steady her. “Oh, no I’m sorry,” he apologized with an awkward smile, letting go of her shoulders. “I should have announced myself.” He dropped his voice down to lower octave, so only she could hear, “We have some concerns for our safety here that I need to discuss with you.”
“Safety...” Carianna repeated as if the thought had never crossed her mind. “Oh! I’m sorry. Am I calling too much attention to us? I should stop.” Her face turned to that of worry as she steadied herself from his arms. Her cheeks blushed a bit at the idea that he had caught her. “How should I behave?”
“No, no! It’s not what you’re doing,” Ciprian insisted. Again, he lowered his voice so no one could hear, “But I do need to you to be aware of your surroundings. If any strangers seem to watch us suspiciously, let the group know. Don’t eat or drink anything that the inn serves. Tonight, when you go to bed, you and Kylia will need to take shifts sleeping. I know it’s awkward, but Cian warned us that Emir’s lackeys could reach us even in a place like this.”
“Oh...” Much of this adventure so far had been seemingly safe and without real danger. All of a sudden, there was talk of snakes amidst them. It hadn’t even registered to be concerned about it. “I guess I should have thought of that myself. Anything else?”
“We’re all going to bed soon to avoid any trouble, and we’ll have to eat rations for dinner. Talk to Kylia about sleeping arrangements,” Ciprian said softly.
* * *
Cian kept a wary eye out and was glad Cip, Xian and he would be sharing a room. Cari would be with their other companion and that brought him comfort. The last thing he wanted was any of his friends hurt or killed by Emir’s men. They would have to be on their guard now more than ever. Emir’s people were deadly and well versed with making agreements with unscrupulous townsfolk. And that meant the slaver would have more eyes and ears than ever. “Kylia I’d meant to suggest to Cip that we may want to get some more rations on our own. To keep from being drugged or the like, I know I sound paranoid, but these tactics are common place with Emir’s people,” he said in a low voice.
Kylia listened to Cian and thought for a second, he did not sound paranoid. Being an assassin herself she knew the danger they were in. Perhaps if she had the materials for antitoxins it would help too. “You’re not being paranoid. I know what it is like to be hunted by a former master. When they’re done let him know, I have to get some supplies for antitoxin to be on the safe side. You might also want to be careful of the merchants we go to, this is yours to bring up,” Kylia replied back so Cian could hear.
Cian nodded and settled back to wait on Cip and Cari. Kylia’s skills would prove nearly invaluable in this situation. The only thing they really had to worry over was the amount of rations they had. Cian hoped they’d stocked enough to last until they could get a few more, but he gambled that they had enough.
Xian snored loudly as he had fallen asleep on his feet a while back. The large man gave a deep snort in with every breath he inhaled. The lack of conversation and brain stimulation caused the lumbering ox to fall asleep still standing. His body was rigid as a piece of steel, holding fast to the place where he stood.
Ciprian left Carianna to do as she pleased, then returned to the table where Xian, Cian, and Kylia waited. Suddenly, Xian gave a snort, and Ciprian looked up to see that the tall man had fallen asleep on his feet. “Let’s get to bed,” he said to Cian and Kylia. Most of their belongings had already been taken to their rooms, and the thought of that made Ciprian wary. “Kylia, check your bags and tell Carianna to check hers for anything missing or out of place.”
Ciprian turned to Xian and shook the man’s shoulder. “Hey, time for bed, not floor,” Ciprian chuckled as he tried to wake Xian.
Xian groggily opened his eyes and looked at Ciprian. “Yeah...sorry,” he muttered. Xian stumbled towards the stairs, dragging his feet as he moved.
Carianna thanked the owner for allowing her to help out, which boggled his mind, since she deserved the thanks in his mind. But Cari gave him little time to inquire about all of that as she hurried back to the group and to Kylia’s side. “Ready for bed?”
Kylia stood up and took another glance around, then she turned her attention to Cari. She was staying as alert as possible, though she was a bit tired. “I’m ready. We should both check our bags before we sleep. Hopefully nothing is missing or out of place. Try to get some sleep though. I’ll take first watch, they won’t see me coming if they try to get in,” she replied so that she did not alert any unwanted attention. She had every intention of using the invisibility spirits to their advantage.
“Oh... Well I guess that’s wise.” The thought of conflict always weighed her down. “I’m going to get to sleeping then. Good night, Kylia...” Without waiting for a response, the priestess hurried upstairs, trying her best not to think about assassins or murder.
Cian couldn’t suppress a yawn either. The boy stretched a moment then rose as well. He was tired and waiting around for one of Emir’s assassins to take them down while sitting at table wasn’t going to happen. At least he hoped not. The ex-thief gave Cip a nod then grinned at Xian’s snoring. The big man certainly knew how to sleep, at least loudly. Cian gathered whatever he needed to for Cip as any good squire would. As they headed for their room several pairs of eyes from a far table watched the boy and his companions in particular.
* * *
Kylia followed Carianna and entered the room first. Checking through her bag, she was satisfied nothing was wrong. Once that was done, she coated the blade of her daggers in sleeping toxin, one scratch and any troublemakers would be out.
“Spirits of the invisible, lend me your strength, render me unseen from those who seek to do us harm. I thank you for your aid, for we must endure to the end of our journey.” With that she disappeared from sight and sat down on the floor with her back to the wall, now that she was in place and could see the entire room Cari had no reason to worry. “Sleep well Carianna, I’ll wake you up for your shift.” After that she went silent, this was going to be a long night.
Cari wasted no time getting to bed. She simply wanted to fall asleep and forget about assassins and death. She disrobed and leapt into bed.
* * *
Ciprian entered the room he initially meant to share with only Cian, though Xian would now be sleeping here too. He hadn’t dropped Xian’s original room from his bill, but it would be an effort to confuse any would-be-assassins.
The knight observed the two-bed room and found nothing out of place. “Cian, is there anything that could have been placed here that would be a threat to us?” he asked his squire.
Cian looked around for a moment. He noticed the door and windows, taking note of how sturdy they were and their accessibility. The boy knelt and examined the floor, then took note of the walls. It was an average inn room, nothing special. He turned towards Cip and said, “It looks solid enough, we’ll have more to fear from that window and the shutters being less secure as with that door. Best thing to do tonight is let me spike it shut and set up an alarm. I can use a cup and some strong string and a few other items.” He looked at Xian and thought. “We’d better tell Xian too. If he goes to make water in the night he might step on the alarm without meaning to. Smart thing to do is go before we bed down for the night. The shutters, well those we need to secure. If we don’t there’s a good chance that someone might try to sneak in, or rather shoot at us from across the way from that building over there. Best we close it early. That’s all I can think of for now.” The boy looked at Cip and smiled waiting for any reply.
Ciprian nodded. “Right. Let’s get to work then,” he replied to his squire. “Xian, will you close the shutters? Cian, get started on that alarm; use our metal dish ware. When we’re finished, I’ll take the first watch, you and Xian can get some sleep.”
“Shutters...right.” Xian lumbered over to the shutters and closed them. He placed his head against the sill and fell asleep unceremoniously in a semi-upright position.
Cian gathered a few things and began setting up the alarm. It didn’t take long to make a simple alarm that would generate enough clatter to alert them should something happen. He had enough things to set up a small alarm on the shutters as well, and the boy checked everything at least twice then took a moment the peruse the room to make sure he’d gotten everything set in place.
When he had finished he looked at Cip, then said; “It’s all ready. It’s crude but it should work well enough.” The boy moved over to the bed to get some sleep while Cip took first watch. Odds were that they would need their rest.
Ciprian swept his eyes across the room. It looked like it would work fine, and that was the best they could do without magic. However, he noticed Xian had fallen asleep on his feet again. Ciprian might have left him where he was, but after Cian’s warning about the windows, he didn’t think that was the best place for anyone to be sleeping. The knight went over to the slumbering mercenary and shook him awake again. “Go lay down on the bed,” he said, pointing to the empty bed. Cip wasn’t going to need it during his watch.
“Sure,” Xian mumbled, stumbling over to the bed. He flopped himself down onto the mattress and dozed off once again.
Once Xian was in bed, Ciprian retreated to the small table and chair set in the corner of the room near the door. He unbuckled his sword belt and laid the sheathed blade on the table in front of him. He hoped nothing would happen tonight, but it was best to be cautious, considering their enemy.
* * *
“I’m sure it’s him.” Kyra drained her mug of it’s last few swallows of wine and her two companions sat across from her looking skeptical. She was perhaps fifteen summers and eager to prove herself. She brushed an errant strand of blonde hair out of her face, she was a thief and a damned good one. The Red Scarves had been good to her; fed her, clothed her, and kept her out off the streets and out of the brothels where she’d have been a slave to whatever whims any master could pimp her for. She wasn’t particularly pretty, more plain than anything else, thin and wiry which made for a good thief and a good knife thrower.
Bri’ak, the larger of the two men, was a bear of a man. Once a knight in training, he had been dismissed for disgracing himself and his master. Now he made a living as best he could as a mercenary and worked for the highest paying patron, it didn’t matter to him who hired him. He just wanted cash, it was never personal, just pure business and the man’s handsome features were almost set in a scowl this day. With little work and nary a job on the horizon nothing seemed sure right now. He growled, “Are you sure? We can’t afford to be wrong you know. If it is the kid that slaver has that price out on, we need him alive, and the man with him is a Valis knight, not to mention the larger fellow looks like a fighter. I like to know if you’re sure first before we make any decisions.”
The smaller, more rotund man in gray robes busily ate several bites of cheese and bread before draining his own cup of wine and spoke. A gnarled stave lay on the floor under the table beside him and Lendo spoke between bites, “You know?he could be right. The kid’s got a damn good nose for a job. I say we check the kid and his friends out. If he is who she says, we deal with them and take him. I can always put them to sleep. Nice and easy and we get out quick with the boy and it’s easy money.”
Bri’ak considered then nodded, “Alright then. We find out more about ’em. Kyra, it’s your show. You know how to do what you do.”
She grinned and said, “Yeah. I’ll have the little cutie eatin’ outta my hand.”
Kyra found out by asking around that the new arrivals had gone upstairs and had put to bed. There was no chance of getting them out of their room right now. She embarked on a plan and decided the best way to get close to the boy and gain what they wanted was to mirror what he was. An escaped slave would always befriend an escaped slave, and she quickly returned to her companions and informed them of her plan. She would change her clothes and appearance a bit, the she would play the part of an escaped slave, befriend the boy and then lead him to where Bri’ak and Lendo could grab him. They’d do this sneaky, all quiet like and slowly. It wouldn’t happen fast, as that might alert the boy and his friends towards something being wrong.
In the morning they would begin, and what better way than to play the part to perfection? Kyra spent the night roughing herself up a bit, getting dirty and dressing in little more than rags. A few punches to the girl by Bri’ak, but not enough to hurt her seriously, would work and they’d hold back until things were all set.
