I clutched my violin to my chest. "When we are somewhere safe," I said, "I would like some tea. A vat of it.
Nox glanced at the dark stains drying on my collar. "Tea and stitches for the soul," she murmured. "We will find both at the guildhall."
Qapla set the pace down the street with the hulking cloak of mirror skin lashed across his back like a grotesque standard. Patches of the chitinous hide still glimmered in sickly green where ichor had not dried.
Nox walked on his left shoulder, eyes sweeping stoops and windows. Her tail flicked in tiny jerks that betrayed how much strain she hid behind her calm mask.
Velyan kept to the right, one hand on the monster manual tucked under her cloak, the other resting loosely on her sword hilt.
I stayed just behind Qapla where I could use his bulk as a windbreak. I hummed a quiet song imbued with a light cleaning magic. The dried blood that once soaked my entire shirt was slow disappearing under the effect of it. My hands subconsciously climbed to my throat, checking the fully healed skin time and time again.
The jailhouse sat ahead, the two guards still lounging outside the main arch. Qapla strode straight to the steps, dropped the folded cloak with a wet slap that echoed off the stones, and planted his boot upon it.
"Proof of kill," he announced, his voice carried the thrum of a war drum. "That completes our deal. Release Archivist Maxim."
The nearer guard blinked at the hide, then at Qapla, then at the hide again as if hoping the order would reverse itself. The other grimaced at the slick fold and let out a low whistle.
"Valaris watch us, you really did it," He muttered. "Captain said the thing was around the size of a hand."
"It was breeding. By itself." Velyan added. She tossed a torn leather egg onto the marble. "If you leave that library standing you will need more coffins before the night ends."
Her warning earned a shrug. "That librarian is nested too tightly between noble houses; it risks earning their ire by burning it. If you were, it might catch their house aflame and that's even more trouble."
Qapla's tusks ground together. "Then drag the volumes into the river. Burn the shell. Collapse the roof. It will be dangerous, I myself almost died." He pointed towards the broken armor on his body.
"Orders are orders," the first guard replied, slipping into the neutral tone of a soldier who has had this argument since dawn. He jabbed a thumb towards some benches outside, the same ones they had been sitting on that morning. "You want your sage? Wait there. I'll go get him."
The guard walked away. We went over to the benches in a strained silence. Qapla kept looking over at Nox. Velyan started investigating some more of the book she almost killed me for. Nox stared into an alleyway across the street, tail swaying slowly.
After a few minutes, the front door opened once more. Two guards escorted a towering shape that moved with the hunched carefulness of a scholar guarding a fragile cargo.
Maxim filled the hallway even before he reached them, shoulders wide yet canted forwards as though gravity leaned more heavily upon him than on other men. Brown monk robes hid every contour of his body except for enormous, gloved hands and an oval porcelain mask with the face of an owl.
The mask had no mouth opening, only two almost lists for eyes, and a shallow groove where the nose should sit. Light slipped across the glaze in quiet ripples.
"Good morning," he said through the porcelain. The tone was measured mahogany, resonant, perfectly calm. "I understand I stand indebted to your enterprise."
Qapla picked up the cloak. "Your experiment almost severed me in half. I would call the debt sizable."
Maxim reached out, pinched a fold of the hide between two fingers, and hummed with appreciation. "Mirror skin, four days old, incredible in size for its age. What did you use to kill it?"
"This." Qapla lifted up his spiked morning star.
Maxim hummed in response, "Remarkable structural coherence even after blunt force trauma. Did it employ scent mimicry?"
Velyan raise a brow. "It employed swallowing warriors whole."
A muffled chuckle sounded behind the mask. From within his sleeve Maxim produced a slim purse of dark leather and counted five gold crowned confederation coins into Qapla's palm. "A little gift for your efforts. And for the skin of the creature, does three crowns sound fair."
Velyan spoke, "Five."
Maxim without hesitation reached into his purse and produced another five crowns. "Did you secure any live specimen? I will pay very well."
"You mess with Balu's territory." Qapla rumbled, "We killed all of the creatures, and in return I need you to head back with us. Helena needs you. And she needs you breathing, not hatching nightmares."
"Helena always did favor blunt honestly," Maxim replied. He folded the cloak and put it under his cloak where it disappeared.
I studied his porcelain face, searching for eye movement behind the slits, but nothing could be seen. Nox spoke up, "The guildmistress asks your counsel on a curse," she said. "We are to escort you. No detours."
"It would be a pleasure to see Helena again," Maxim answered, inclining his head. "Lead on."
They stepped back into the cool dusk. I hovered beside Velyan, one hand clasping my violin, the other twisting a loose thread at my cuff. I kept my gaze down.
I wanted to say something to Velyan. That I tried to warn her. That her response wasn't fair. But I couldn't work up the courage, and Velyan didn't seem to care to talk about it.
As our walk breached the bridge to the other side vendors closing stalls paused to stare at Maxim's imposing silhouette. Some children, skinny and underdressed followed at a distance. Qapla lengthened his stride and the children fell away.
The cobblestone underway shifted from neat diamonds to the older patchwork of stones that belonged to the lower district. As we approached the guild house we heard bustling on the inside. Music sung out from the establishment like a bird in the woods. Loud clapping and yelling of a tavern song rung out.
Nox rushed to the door and opened it. Inside her apparently now uncursed sister danced on top of a table in a dress that she… found? She danced over table tops and led a tavern song that drunk recruits joined in on.
Dalia twirled one time as she lept to the ground gracefully and made eye contact with Nox. "Sister! Oh, how I've missed you!"
She rushed across the floor and grabbed Nox in a bear hug and spun around. Nox looked similar to a startled cat in a way.
Dalia was… good? No longer cursed? Whatever. Maxim walked into the bar, some people glanced at him, but he went straight to a singing Helena. I followed, Garrick was beside him and I wanted to talk with him.
"Helena. It has been a while," Maxim said politely. "How have you been."
She had a large grin and lifted up one her hands. "Living the warrior's retirement. And you, old friend."
"Caught up in some research. Collecting my findings." Maxim said. "I got your letter, but I was in the middle of breakthrough. It was successful, but a little too successful. Your employees came in immense help in dealing with the aftereffects."
Velyan walked forward. "Is this the book?" She held up the notebook she grabbed.
Maxim turned, was silent for a moment. "Yes. That is. Thank you for grabbing it, were you able to disarm the trap?"
"In a way," Velyan said, glancing back at me. "What's important is that we got it."
"I agree. I am almost done, but it is a compilation on the Emerald Expanse monsters. Helena's requested it to fill out her guide to the wilderness of Duskmere." Maxim said taking the book.
Velyan opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it.
"Don't worry Velyan. You'll get your reward. I'll have it ready tomorrow." Helena says with a smirk. She turned to me, her smile faded a bit. "Garrick wants to speak with you. Privately."
Garrick nodded at me and began to walk out into the back courtyard. I followed. We walked outside, the sun was on the horizon, beginning to set, the courtyard was made of sand and roughed down dirt where the recruits and guild members practiced.
"Annalise." Garrick looked at me. "Ironcliff has fallen. Helena, let me know. All five cities on the wall have fallen."
"But my father was still there."
Garrick simply looked at me.
"He'll be fine right?" My dad was strong. One of the strongest on Duskmere. When he was fighting no one could beat him. Not even the Dragonbreaker. "Right?"
"I'm sorry Annalise."
Tears began to stream down my face.
A flash of guilt appeared on his face. "There are no confirmations on death. But… you saw the chaos on the wall. Your father was fighting beyond the fortifications."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?" I half sobbed.
"A… monster appeared. Unlike anything I've ever seen." Garrick spoke with a hushed tone, "A wolf. The one from the lullaby. It may as well of been Cloudbreaker himself."
Cloudbreaker was a myth. A legend. He wasn't… real.
"When the wolf arrived, storms broke out across the battlefield. Twisters of wind, bolts of electricity. Your father… leapt from the wall and met the beast face to face. Trying to hold the wall for as long as possible."
Why.
"He told me to run. To rescue you. And to give you this." He held out a bag, a satchel of pale leather with a brand on the outside, a single sword piercing a cloud. The symbol of the household of Kane. My household.
"I was a coward. I listened and ran from the battlefield. I found you and you know the rest." Garrick looked down as if he couldn't bear to face me. "I didn't say anything to you, as the wall and city still stood when we left. But Helena stayed until the end. She saw the cities destroyed."
A long silence stretched.
"Annalise. I'm so… "
"Can I please have some alone time Garrick."
Garrick stopped. Merely nodded, still not meeting my gaze and walked back inside.