~18~ A New Hunt and Growing Plots

I deadass just fell asleep at my computer while editing. Like, My face was on the damn keyboard- IDK how I am so tired but I guess I am?! Maybe my sleep meds? Anyway, sorry for any spelling mistakes and enjoy the story!

I hunt, every living day, I need to feel the rush of the hunt. It isn't a choice anymore, it is an unquenchable thirst, an itch that will never go away. During the day, I have some control, sometimes, but the night is unbeatable. I want to blame someone else for it. Sometimes the inner machinations of my mind create a person for me to blame it on, a faceless man who I can scream and blame all I want, but deep in my mind, I know this is all my fault.

I am prowling the streets of the city of jewels and sand, not even bothering to know what time of night it is, my clawed mangled fingers dragging against the cold stone of Mara's temple as I scanned for the unfortunate prey of the night.

And I stop, focus on the emptying out of my head.

Because there is a scent. The scent of home, of a place I once knew so well. The slight scent of lemon verbena and rosemary, with the sting of a gentle Grecian ocean, whisking them all into the smell of land I longed for.

Inalia.

It seemed so distant, the lands I once called home. Why was this here?

I tried to gently open the massive stone doors, but my godly strength instead ripped them off the hinges with a snarl.

A new scent as well. The soft tingle of tea and lotus, from the lands of Chiranu.

There were visitors of Inalia and Chiranu in this building not too long ago, visitors to the Oasis of gold and luxury, vipers and poison.

I wanted to sob, to beg myself against it, but my once beautiful lips pulled upwards, the mangled and black stained teeth glistening.

A new hunt has begun.

Sophie stretched herself out after the bumpy night sleep, wiping the drool away from her mouth as she blinked around, gathering her surroundings.

She was in the Egyptinat Cyevan base.

The minute she arrived at the base yesterday after the secret meeting with Arsinoe and Fang Guanyu, all of the Assassins were almost flabbergasted. They felt like they should've cleaned up for her and her brother, the infamous Morretti family. She and Alexios were tired and just wanted to go to bed. They brushed off everyone's panic about them, insisting they were fine and here on formal business.

She was hanging in a tan linen hammock, propped up between barrels in the small room near the back of the base. Below her, her brother also hung in a hammock. He and Sophie both wanted to the top hammock, and quickly solved it by an arm-wrestling contest in which Sophie barely won, and she had a nasty bruise on her arm from where she slammed Alexios's hand down, cracking the wooden table underneath it.

Alexios mumbled below her, groggy and still waking up. The sun beaming through the windows hasn't shined on the corners of the room, where Ricin slept coiled tightly around himself, his wing covering his face.

The sunbeams shone brighter through their windows, shining directly into their eyes. Alexios groaned, taking his pillow and holding it over his face to block out the light.

Well, at least he was awake.

Sophie peeked her head over the edge, glancing at her grumbling brother.

"Well, they weren't kidding when they say there is a hideous monster under your bed." Sophie yawned as a good morning, stretching her arms over her head. Her brother didn't bother to remove the pillow covering his face as he kicked the bottom of her hammock, twisting it and launching his sister to the ground. Sophie landed on the ground with a smack, the dust from the floor coated on the side of her face, and her sleep clothes.

"Kólos!" Asshole, Sophie hissed, trying to yank the pillow off her brother's face. He held a steely grip on it, however, mumbling and groaning.

"Ugh, you are such a perípou." Layabout, Sophie scoffed. Her brother shuffled his back to her, waving her away. Sophie groaned and glanced at Ricin in the corner, who was slowly and peacefully waking up, unlike her brother. Sophie padded over to their belongings, grabbing her products.

"I'm going to go take a bath. Are you going to lay there for the rest of the day or...."

Alexios peeked over his back, his ocean blue eyes sleepy and annoyed, "How? It is Iméra Emporíou* today, all of the bathhouses are probably going to be closed, and we don't have one here," Alexios asked, rubbing his eyes.

Sophie shrugged, "The *Fida river is nearby, I will go bathe in there."

Alexios yawned as he waved his sister off. Sophie rolled her eyes, tucking the small bath bag under her arm, "Just be ready to go when I get back. And take a look at those documents Arsinoe gave us while you are at it." She snapped. Sophie poked Ricin's nose, the dragon removing his wing to glare at her.

"Do you want to come with? Your wings need washing, and maybe we could do some form practice while we are at it?" Sophie proposed. Ricin perked up, his pupils growing large. Sophie giggled as he got up and stretched himself out like a cat, almost filling up the entire room. Sophie laughed and opened the door that was big enough for him to slip through.

Sophie slipped on some sandles that were waiting outside her door, most likely from the Assassins.

"Mentore!" A young Assassin called out. Sophie glanced over her shoulder as a young girl in apprentice assassin robes came running forward. Her dark brown hair was cut at her shoulders, a clean-cut bob that complemented her golden-brown skin. In her hands, she had a pile of clothing.

"These are for you, Mentore! I noticed you don't have that much Egypitnat clothing, and it gets sweltering out here." She explained rapidly. Sophie looked down at her outfit. A simple Grecian style green top and light blue silk pants. Sophie supposed she didn't have many outfits to change into, they packed in a bit of a hurry.

"Where did you get these, may I ask?" Sophie asked. The girl smiled, "They are from my own closet."

Sophie smiled, but shook her head, "I can't clothes from your own closet, it wouldn't sit right with me. Besides, you don't seem to be my size." Sophie chuckled. It was true, the girl looked to be maybe 16, and didn't have Sophie's tall and muscled build.

"Oh, I guess I didn't consider that." She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

"It is okay, I'll go purchase some clothes from one of the stalls." Sophie insisted. Sophie spied a *khopesh hanging from the girl's hip, and she pointed at it.

"Are you training under Akil? He is the only other Assassin I have that wields that weapon."

She nodded excitingly, "Yes, he is actually my uncle!"

Sophie thought for a moment, before smiling at the girl, "You must Chione, then, he has spoken of you."

The girl's face lit up, "Yes! Oh my gods, when I learned my uncle was a part of the famous Cyevan Assassins- and that he has met the famous Morrettis?! Ever since I was little, I have dreamed of joining and being one of the Hidden Ones!" The Hidden Ones, the name the Egypitnat Assassins have given themselves. Sophie has to admit, she really likes was Nour did with this branch. It wasn't like Inalia, where they had the massive Guildhall and was more of a secretive political and military powerhouse, in Egypitnat the hidden Ones were like a shadowed whisper on the streets, untouchable and spoken as if they were legends. Half of the people didn't even believe they existed!

The base itself was tucked behind a series of alleyways, and the only way to enter it was... well, you had to climb through the ceilings. No doors and the windows were too small to climb through. The ceilings were made of sturdy wicker reeds, and they were all closely monitored by Assassins. In the main room of the base was a mosaic of reeds, look up, and you will see a hole through the thickly woven ceilings, and that is your way in and out. It was a quite ingenious way to keep out unwelcome eyes and ears, and a doorless building keeps away people who may be curious about the base.

"It can be quite surreal, the Cyevan guild, I'll have to admit." Sophie smiled.

"Says you! You are the legendary Amalia Morretti, Queen of the Assassins! They say you can kill a man with a single stare! Where did you learn how to do all of those amazing techniques?!"

"Well, most of them were taught to me in my youth by my father, and since I have a photographic memory, I retained them in my head even now. The other techniques I learned were simply from learning everywhere I can. If I am spending time in Cariana, I want to learn how to properly captain and handle a ship, if I am in Wampanoag, I am learning from their climbing masters to learn how they do it so well. Everywhere you go, you should be learning all you can. That is one of the first lessons your uncle is going to teach you, as it is one of the most important lessons in the Assassins." Sophie explained.

"Amazing! And you are only 19, and you have accomplished this so young! When I was little, I always dreamed..." Chione started to babble on, but she seemed to drone out of Sophie's ears as she stared outside one of the small windows. Out of the alleyway, you could see the market places bustling with people. A woman caught Sophie's eye. She wore all black, even in the brutal Egypitnat heat. Her body was slender, too slender, as if she were a walking corpse hallowed of food and muscle. She had her back turned to Sophie, but even with Sophie's fickle and weakened powers, the shadows seemed to gravitate towards this woman. The vendor seemed taken aback by the woman's appearance but didn't want to scare away a customer, clearly pushing on some of her merchandise. The woman seemed uninterested.

"Yeah, for sure..." Sophie answered one of Chione's questions blandly as she continued to glare out the window. The shadows seem to jump out at this woman, alarming and pointing at her.

"Mentore?" Chione asked.

Sophie snapped out of her trance, breaking her eyes away from the small window to glance at the young Assassin.

"Are you okay?" Chione asked, her kohl-rimmed eyes squinting at Sophie's changing mood.

"Oh, yes I am fine, I was just looking at the market!" Sophie waved it away and glanced out the window again.

The woman was gone.

"I am so sorry, I don't mean to cut our conversation short. I need to go." Sophie breathed, patting Chione on the shoulder before briskly walking towards the exit of the base, glancing out the windows to try to spot the woman.

"Oh, okay- uh, goo-good talk!" Chione awkwardly called out after Sophie.

Sophie muttered a hello to the Assassins, who greeted her, still walking as fast towards the exit as possible without raising the alarm. She found the reed mosaic, throwing her drawstring bath bag onto her back as she expertly jumped and grabbed the edge of the wicker cut out of the ceiling. She swung her legs as she lifted herself up with her upper body, quickly pulling out of the base and onto the roof. The roof and supplies on it, bows and arrows, manna bread with wine, and the occasional stolen good here and there. Sophie went by the rooftops surrounding the hidden base, her sleep clothes, and sandles, not the best option for parkouring.

She reached the street with the lines and lines of market stalls, packed with busy goers and shoppers. Sophie tried to enter her Pancras form to make the search more manageable, but once again, Kynareth's damper silenced the Pancras fire in her to a gentle ember. So she desperately scanned the streets were her bare eyes, no Pancras instincts to help her.

But the woman was nowhere to be found.

Sophie heard Ricin slither up next to her, purring as Sophie cursed.

"What was up with her?" Sophie whispered to herself. Maybe since Sophie's powers are barely working, faint instincts at best, perhaps it just her body freaking out.

"Stay up here, bud, follow me by the rooftops," Sophie whispered. She tucked in a shadowed part of the alley, masterfully grappling her way down the sides of the buildings. She landed on the road with a thud, her feet aching through her sandles.

Again, not the best shoes to be jumping and running around in.

Sophie approached the vendor the Black Woman was talking to, who smiled as Sophie approached.

"Hello there, foreigner! Why, brown eyes, what an oddity! But matches that lovely face quite well, I say! Are you interested in any of my wares?!" She asked, her shrill voice trying to lure Sophie into buying her merchandise.

"No, but who was that woman you were talking to back there?" Sophie asked. The woman's eyes brightened as she heard Sophie's Inalian accent.

"Ah! A beautiful woman from the beautiful lands of Inalia, how fitting! I hear you Inalians have money to spend, I am sure your friends back home would absolutely gush if you have some authentic Egypitnat jewelry-" Sophie held up a hand, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I have no need for jewelry or your cheap oddities- Who was that woman you are talking to?" Sophie snapped. The woman's face hardened, and she leaned forward.

"I may be willing to talk if you give me something to motivate me..." She spat, rubbing her hands together and waiting for any sign of Sophie's money.

"Ugh, fine- I need clothes. I buy some of those off of you, and then you will talk?" Sophie sighed. The vendor immensely nodded her, ducking underneath her stall. She pulled out a bundle of different colored robes, all secured together with shoes and matching jewelry.

"I have never seen you before, so I figure you are new in town and need a few things. This goes for 175 gold pieces." She smiled.

Oh, hell no- 175 gold pieces?!

"Not happening." Sophie snapped.

She smirked, "Then you are not getting your information."

Sophie crossed her arms, her muscles flexing "140 gold pieces."

"160."

"1.4.0. gold. Pieces." Sophie articulated, her patience wearing thin.

"That is too low, I'm afraid-"

Sophie slammed her hand down on the stall, the wood crunching beneath her palm. Her family crest shone on her shoulder, and the woman seemed to finally see it for the first time.

She turned pale, sliding the clothes across the stall towards a cranky Sophie.

"140 it is." She nervously murmured. Sophie snatched the clothing up, tucking it under her arm as she grabbed her coins from her bathing bag on her back.

"Now, information," Sophie muttered.

The woman leaned back, "She is a semi-regular of mine. Never shows her face, but those robes are from the Emerald district, next to the Fida river. I have a lover there who is a weaver and seamstress, and I recognize her work from anywhere. That woman only seems to buy herbs from me, and though I'm no physician or apothecary, I do have some rare ones from my travels that she takes an interest in. That is all I know of her." The vendor explained.

Sophie sighed, throwing the coins in front of the woman, who scooped them up eagerly.

"Thanks, I guess." Sophie turned on her heel, making her way through the crowd. She glanced up at Ricin, who followed her carefully via the rooftops. Sophie kept her head down as she made her way out of the busy streets and towards the river. Once she was on the plain riverside, Ricin walked next to her, following her as she gently stroked his head as they walked.

Sophie stopped in front of the Emerald district and groaned.

"What am I doing?! I am going on some wild goose chase on some random- UGH! Screw it, I'm going to bathe." Sophie ranted, turning on her heel towards the Fida river. She found a secluded spot hidden by some long grass and palms, taking off her sleep clothing and jumping in. Ricin soaked up the sun and watched for any watching travelers or workers. Sophie soaked in the water, washing her hair with her soaps that reminded her of home, a porous sponge scrubbing off the dirt and layer of sweat she had accumulated that morning from her running around. The river's cool crisp felt like liquid diamonds on her skin, holding her and taking her in, contrasting with the beating heat of the bright sun.

Once she was done, she wrung out her hair and wrapped a towel around herself as she walked out and motioned for Ricin to jump into the water. Ricin's forked tongue hung out of his mouth as he ran into the water, the splash absolutely humongous as he flopped in. Sophie shuffled out of the way as her dragon splashed the water everywhere.

She took out one of the few outfits that was in the bundle of clothing, quickly donning it and tucking her sleep clothes back into her bag.

It was a two-piece outfit of solid white linen, the soft fiber gentle on her skin. The top piece was cut off and scrunched up at her naval, the neckline resting atop her collarbone and the loose sleeves billowing around her elbows. The bottom was a matching white linen skirt that scrunched up at her waist and hips, but loosened around her thighs and ended at her knees.

She put her hair in a high ponytail, tying it with a dark blue silk ribbon. Sophie grabbed the golden cuffs and lapis earrings, sliding them on.

Ricin had tired himself out by now and was simply wading and being a general dork in the water.

Sophie called him out of the water after finally being fully dressed. Ricin came out of the water, and they started to practice changing his form. Ricin was a Lightning Fae dragon, his stomach holds an acid that can turn into electricity as it travels up his throat, and can be launched at whatever he wishes. Not only that, but Fae dragons can transform into other forms. It usually is only two forms at best, and Ricin has only been able to turn into a horse, nothing else. They have been trying to figure out his other form for a while now.

They tried other reptiles, mammals, even water animals.

But by the end, they were no closer to finding his other form, and Ricin was tired out.

"Maybe today wasn't the best day to practice this. The sun is too hot- just jump back in the water again, buddy, we will practice again later." Sophie sighed. Ricin padded into the water, now just lounging in the shallow depths as he tried to relax his tired body.

Meanwhile, Sophie pulled out her minimal cosmetics from her bag, waiting for her brother to show up. Sophie left her lips natural and only added shades of brown and gentle gold to her lids.

Alexios approached as Sophie was doing her eyeliner in her bronze mirror.

"Took you long enough," Sophie said, not breaking her eyes from her mirror.

"You did all of this in only an hour?"

"Alexios, some men and women have to deal with getting up every morning to do their hair and makeup all before they have to leave in the morning for their jobs, not all of us can just climb out of bed and go. Sometimes I am rushing to get out of bed and get into battle, so I learned to do all of this in record times. You should see how fast Biana can get ready, it blows my mind." Sophie explained, using the edge of the eyeliner to make sure they were even.

"Have you looked over the documents?" She asked, putting everything back into her bag.

"I have, and somehow been able to keep my breakfast down." Sophie sucked in a guilty breathe, realizing she forgot to grab something, "Don't worry, I got you covered." Alexios chuckled, grabbing a small basket out of his bag, throwing it to her.

Sophie happily opened it, finding a small collection of full wheat bread sweetened with honey and figs, roasted fish with spices, and a small bottle of spiced date juice.

Sophie was practically drooling.

"Akil made breakfast, just a little while after you left. He was curious about why we are getting up and moving so early in the morning, and I have to agree." Alexios stretched out, sitting in the sand next to Sophie.

"We don't have a lot of time to figure this murder thing out, and I still want to enjoy my time Egypitnat while we are here. Besides, I only got up an hour ago, and that was only six in the morning." Sophie argued, breaking the bread and taking a big sniff.

Alexios looked at her like she was crazy, "You do hear yourself, right? It was only six in the morning- ugh, you are so hard to understand."

Sophie only gave him a smile.

"Not only did I bring you breakfast, but also-" Alexios reached into his pack, and pulled out her gauntlets, throwing knives, and smoke bombs. He also grabbed her shin guards, chest plate, and pauldrons.

"You are a savior, now I don't have to go back and get them myself." Sophie gasped, grabbing everything and starting to strap them onto her body.

"Don't get used to it." Was all Alexios said, a dorky grin on his cheeks.

"So, give me the low down," Sophie said, leaning over as she uncorked her juice.

Alexios shifted through the papers, "The murders happened in different districts to people of different classes, so we can knock that out as a motive."

"What about the wounds? Any identifiable weapon?" Sophie asked, her mouth full of food.

"That's what is really confusing about this," Alexios pulled out a picture, "Look at the body. This was a noblewoman found in the Sand District on the southern part of Egypitnat two days ago. Look at her wounds, right here." Alexios pointed at the mauled body on the picture, to her neck and abdomen.

"Are those... claw marks?" Sophie gaped, putting down her food to examine the photo more clearly.

"Those are the only injuries, though they are fatal, and they are on all of the bodies. Maybe it is Mirthless?"

"How could Mirthless get this far into the city without being detected? And Mirthless don't pick specific targets. If they are in a heavily populated area, they rampage."

Sophie ran her thumb over the picture, squinting at the details, "But nothing else could create these marks, and this style of mauling is definitely the Mirthless's style." Sophie handed him back the photo.

"The people had nothing in common, except for the fact that they were... hard to control, flighty at times. Nothing more beyond that-"

Screaming erupted from behind them, coming from the Emerald district. Ricin, Alexios, and Sophie jumped, gaping at the screaming. Alexios was running in a blink of an eye, Sophie and Ricin right behind him. They ran across the sands to the screaming, a mass hysteria as people desperately out of the district.

"I knew it, I knew I should have followed my gut!" Sophie cursed to Ricin as they neared. Right as they were at the entrance, Sophie turned to Ricin, "Stay outside and out of sight." She whispered. Ricin stopped, grumbling and whimpering.

"You are too obvious, now go!" Sophie snapped, sprinting into the city.

The Black Woman, it has to be her, she must have been the killer.

Sophie and Alexios weaved through the running people, running towards what people were running away from. Alexios and Sophie pushed past the crowd of people to see what they have gathered around.

It was the Black Woman, alright, but she wasn't the killer.

She was the victim.

Her veil had been ripped off, and you could see the woman's face of frozen horror as if she had been turned to stone. Her black two-piece dress had been torn to shreds, along with the flesh of her back and neck. She had bruising on her legs and arms, part of her hair torn out, like she put up a fight.

"Who here saw what happened?!" Sophie roared over the crowd. Everyone remained quiet, shuffling away. A man stepped up, his skin pale.

"I- I did-"

"What happened?" Alexios asked, his voice deep and terrifying.

The man stuttered, "Her name was Kartek! She was a young scribe, working for hire! She was gone earlier this morning, but I saw her come back about 20 minutes ago. She has a son, living in there with her! I am a neighbor of hers!" The man took a shaky breathe, sobbing slightly, "All of a sudden, this crashing and screaming was coming from her house, and then it all went quiet. I was about to knock on her door to make sure everything was okay, but then her mauled body was dropped out the window like it was nothing but a bag of trash, dead before she ever hit the ground." The man explained.

Sophie paled.

If she was dropped out of the window only moments ago... the killer could still be in her house. And Kartek's son could still be in there.

Alexios had the same thought and roared at everyone to move. People scrambled away from the house and Kartek's body, running out of the Emerald District. Sophie watched as Alexio kicked down the door to Kartek's home with ease. Sophie unlocked her hidden blades, sliding them out of the gauntlets as she and Alexios carefully stepped into the sandstone brick house.

It was deathly quiet in the house, the must in the room slightly distorting her vision. Sophie and Alexios's feet moved slowly and carefully, making sure to avoid any creaks of the wooden floor.

There was no sign of the killer. Or Kartek's son.

Nothing on the bottom floor of the house was ruined or destroyed, there didn't look to be a fight down here. Alexios nudged his sister's shoulder, pointing his head to the slender staircase leading upwards. Sophie didn't hesitate as she carefully and quietly snuck up the stairs, Alexios right behind her.

This floor was where the fight was.

Overturned tables and stools, an untouched breakfast scattered on the floor, broken toddler cradle and toys. There wasn't a sound in the entire house, the quiet starting to psyche Sophie out.

And then there was a sob.

It was small, coming from one large wicker baskets. Alexios's glared at the basket as he neared it, Sophie standing at a distance as she slowly changed her gauntlets to the pistol setting, pointing it at the basket.

Alexios wrapped his hands around the lid, giving Sophie a quick look, before whipping open the basket and kicking it over. Sophie scrambled back as the young boy tumbled out, screaming and crying. Alexios and Sophie stared for only a moment before quickly sheathing their weapons and approaching the boy. He screamed, begging them to stay back.

"Please! I want Mommy, please!" He blubbered semi-coherently.

Sophie held her hands in a sign of peace, gently leaning down to his level.

"It's okay, we aren't here to hurt you. We heard screaming, and we came to help." Sophie whispered. The boy was also thin and bony, just like his mother. His brown hair was mousy and matted, his peacock-blue eyes full and brimmed with tears. His tanned skin matched his hair color, and he had a small Ankh drawn in kohl on his cheek.

"W-what?" He asked. He had to be at least 7, the poor thing.

"Are you okay, what-" Alexios's eyes went big, and he grabbed the young boy, holding him in his arms as he glared at the nearby balcony. The boy screamed, clutching onto Alexios. Sophie whipped around, but she only got a glance at it before it jumped over the balcony.

It looked almost like a shadow with glowing white eyes, shrouded in a dark green cape as it's vapor-like limbs flung over the balcony. Sophie rushed after it, rushing to the rusted metal railing of the balcony, pushing aside the dring clothing on the hanging clothesline.

Even as she glared over the edge, on the rooftops, everywhere, the shadowy figure was gone.

Sophie cursed, slamming her fists into the railing.

"They got away." Sophie spat to her brother, who was still protecting the shaking boy.

"How-"

"That was it!" The boy screamed. Alexios and Sophie looked perplexed for only a moment before it clicked. This boy wasn't only a victim...

But a witness.

None of the other cases had witnesses.

Alexios was thinking the same thing, carefully putting the boy down and leaning down so he could talk to him easier.

"What happened here?" Alexios asked carefully. The boy was shaking, tears running down his face, but Sophie walked over, placing a gentle hand on his small shoulder.

"We are here to help." She smiled.

The boy opened his mouth, but shut it, viciously shaking his head.

"They are watching! They know everything! That is what they told Mommy and- mommy! Where is my mommy!" The boy sobbed. Sophie's heart broke as the boy insisted for his mother, but Alexios got the boy's attention.

"Who is always watching?" He asked quietly.

The boy shook his head again, but his small hands turned to fists. He placed a finger against his lips and pointed to their wall.

Where the green eye of the Neverseen taunted them, the green paint not even dry yet.

"Please tell me you are joking. Please." Fitz begged Alvar.

Alvar shook his head.

"I snuck into one of the Council's meetings, I was in the back, and I looked like an assistant, they didn't recognize me luckily. They said they got information from an 'undisclosed source' from within the Assassins themselves that the Conference is going on in Egypitnat."

"Nobody knows where the Vatarian cities are beside the Vatarians."

"The traitor gave them instructions on how to contact Queen Arsinoe however," Alvar pinched the bridge of his nose, "They are trying to attend the conference themselves. Saying that the gathering of these Vatarian beasts is dangerous to the Elven populace and that they deserve a place at the conference. To no one's surprise, it is mostly Alina who is saying this." Alvar explained.

Fitz cursed, racking his brain around it.

"What do we do?"

"We didn't believe the traitor was this bad! Lia has to deal with multiple things at once right now, and we didn't want to create panic from within the guild itself. The Inner Court is returning to Egypitnat around midday with the information. If the Council does figure out a way to worm its way into the Conference, I think the Vatarians are going to throw a fit."

Fitz glanced around, making sure no students were overhearing, "What should we do?"

"Nothing, again, stay low. Keep everyone updated for us, though. We may be a bit busy the next couple days-"

"Fitz?" Elwin's voice called from the other hallway. Fitz shoved Alvar into a nearby open locker, his brother cursing, closing it behind him. Elwin popped his head around the corner.

"Oh, hey, Elwin!" Fitz awkwardly greeted.

"There you are, I need your help! One of the Bavarock children broke their arm playing Splotcher, and I need your help resetting it."

"Oh, uh, yeah- could you maybe give me a moment?" Fitz coughed.

Elwin looked sympathetic, "Look, Fitz, I know you are trying to figure out your feelings for Sophie, but could you do that after there isn't a crying child in the Healing Center?" Elwin asked.

A metallic bang rang from behind Fitz as Alvar accidentally banged his head in shock.

Fitz blew air out of his nose, "Okay, alright! Let me run to the bathroom real quick; I'll be back in a minute." Fitz argued.

Elwin pointed a finger on him, "One minute Fitz, I need you back." Elwin snapped.

Fitz watched as he sprinted back down the hall, slowly releasing a breath and opening the locker.

Alvar's open-mouthed shocked face met him.

"You look stupid-"

"You still have feelings for her?!" Alvar hissed, still overcoming his shock.

"Now is not the time- there are too many people in the school right now, Alvar, you are in danger! I'll keep the crew updated, just get back to Sophie and tell her what you found out!"

Alvar grabbed a crystal from his cape, "Everything I found out?" He smiled.

"Don't tell her! It will only distract her," Fitz heard kids coming down the hall, "Now go!" Fitz snapped.

Alvar disappeared right as the kids turned the corner and waved to Fitz.

Sanaa hobbled up one of the two swirling staircases, leading up to a set of massive ebony doors on each end of the stairs, carved and shining against the snowy daylight. Sanaa viciously knocked on the massive doors of the temple, the brittle wind seeping through her scarred and wrinkled skin to freeze her bones. Sanaa held her shawl closer to her body as she waited, her shaking hand secured around her cane.

No answer.

Sanaa scoffed, and gripped onto the side of the door, dragging it open.

"Rude ass," Another yank, inching the door open, "Thinking they are too good for me," another pull, "Think they can treat the elderly like this" one final yank, and the door was wide enough for Sanaa to slip through. Sanaa hobbled through, shoving the door closed behind her.

And turned to the foyer of the temple.

The entire temple was all stone, built thousands of years ago as a tribute to Kynareth. On the outside of the temple, it was dark and menacing, but on the inside, it wasn't inviting and happy; it was... pristine. Clean with beautiful teal and cream tiles creating a massive mosaic in the built in the middle of the floor, a shallow pool of water rushing around it and pooling out in different drains and holes. Smooth concrete created an elevated walkway over the small pool, where priests and priestesses casually strolled around completing their tasks, their honey-colored robes contrasting against the cream and teal mosaic foyer. Wooden pillars held reaching I've and plants grown in the rafters, soaking up the sun that came through the paned windows that broke through the ceiling and walls.

A series of hallways could be seen going deeper and deeper into the temple.

Sanaa cleared her throat, and the priests all turned to her.

"Uh, hello-"

"I was waiting outside for maybe 3 whole minutes, and no one came to open the doors. I am here to ask for an audience of the Elders." Sanaa snapped.

"Yes ma'am, we heard you knocking. I'm afraid that the elders are not seeing anyone right now-"

"Nonsense! We always have time for Sanaa, the Story Bearer!" A voice called out from the hallway. Sanaa gripped her cane as one of the Elders walked out of a room and into the lit foyer.

"I can recognize your scent from a mile away, Sanaa." He smiled. And unfortunately, Sanaa recognized him as well.

"Hello, Endre." Sanaa sighed.

"Come, come! Kynareth's fortune has told us that you bear news!" Endre welcomed.

Sanaa did not move. "Kynareth has chosen an Heir?"

Endre gave her a nervous smile as the priests around them gasp and murmur, "We will discuss Kynareth and more all in the conference room. What is it you are exactly here for?" Endre asked as Sanaa walked over, her cane clicking against the polished floors.

"You know damn well why I am here, Kynareth's Fortune probably told you by now." Sanaa mocked.

"Yes, I do know why- but I want to know with what? And with whom?" Endre insisted.

Sanaa glanced at the Priests who were trying not to make it evident that they were listening. Sanaa reached onto the side of her belt, grabbing the roll of parchment, holding it so the seal was in view of only Endre.

The Dunmer Royal Crest.

"Queen Sarai of the Dunmer Kingdom and I have been plotting." Was all Sanaa said so quietly the priests couldn't hear.

Endre's eyes widened at the sight of the seal, and he quickly gathered his composure. He gestured his arm to the hallway he emerged from earlier.

"Well then, Story Bearer, welcome to the Throat of the World." Endre smiled.

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_Sibylline_